Pirate Duckies!

This morning, while we were letting Mama catch up on her sleep...


Gabi watches her new pirate duckies swim around.
...we decided to try out Gabi's new pirate duckies! Papa is probably more excited about this new toy ("pirates are cool!") than is Gabi ("oh look, little yellow things"), but our little girl really liked watching them swim around this morning. In addition...


Gabi plays in the sink with her pirate duckies.
...the pirate ducks are helping little Gabi overcome her hydrophobia--up until a week or so ago, she really hated her baths, but she's been much more tolerant of them as of late. We spent a good 5-10 minutes splashing in the sink and watching our duckies swim. We sang some pirate songs, including "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything" and "An Unserem Lagerfeuer"

Mama hasn't seen Gabi play with her pirate duckies yet, so this post is a good morning surprise for her. Good morning, Mama!

Standing

As Gabi's new favorite passtime is standing up, she really enjoys her stationary bouncer. She's still so small that we stuff a blanket around her to help support her, otherwise she wabbles a bunch. She enjoys watching the duck and batting at the other toys on the saucer, but she is startled if she punches the star (which makes it sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star) or spins the rattle cylinder full of colored beads (which makes a fair amount of noise). She can turn all the way around in the bouncer, although I'm not convinced that she intends to do so when she does. Gabi likes this toy that allows her to stand up so much that she'll play happily in it for quite a while, especially if she can see me the whole time.


Gabi playing in her bouncer.

Goodbye Little Rock

Gabi has been smiling at us for a while now, but every day she seems to share her smile more. Gabi has also started giggling, which she does to express how happy she is when Mama walks in the room, when we pick her up, and when I am preparing to feed her. She also giggles when we play peek-a-boo, a game she is now adores. Yesterday, we discovered that she is ticklish, too.

Gabriella is getting so big now! She loves to stand up, and she is quite strong even though she hasn't yet mastered the balance required to stand on her own. Sometimes she even prefers standing to being cuddled! Her favorite is standing in front of a mirror, as Gabi likes to watch her own reflection.

Gabi loves to stand and smile. 6/9/2005

Gramma requested a picture of our little baby yawning. She is quite cute when she wakes up, I must admit. Additionally, this picture illustrates how young Gabriella can curl her tongue -- a talent that her mother does not possess.


Gabi curling her tongue
6/9/05

Before moving to Atlanta, Gabi made the rounds to say goodbye to everyone in Little Rock. Unfortunately, Gabi won't have as many daily visitors now, but the rumor that "a new baby is moving into that house" has already spread around the neighborhood, and thus some of our neighbors have dropped by just to meet our little girl.

Goodbye to Ninong 6/9/05

Goodbye to Tita 6/10/05

SuperGabi!

Pictures of SuperGabi©, Baby of Steel!
(5/23/05)

So a few weeks ago, Gabi and I were letting Mama take a nap, when Gabi decided she needed a "new trick." These photos are the first recorded evidence of that new trick--flying. Lolo and Lola were so delighted with this trick (and the big smile it elicited--see the second picture) that they dubbed her "SuperGabi" (you know, because she flies like Superman). I was thinking of just calling it "flying" but "SuperGabi" seems to have stuck... mostly because Lola kept repeating it everytime I'd hoist her up.

At any rate, it's a totally fun game to play now, because it always gets a big smile (as well as a large amount of drool spillage if I attempt it unassisted). I'd attempted to introduce it about a month earlier, and the results were less than spectacular--Gabi hated it. Since then, she's developed her back muscles quite a bit, and she loves to show them off. I'm surprised that we have only these two pictures of SuperGabi, as often as we show off this ability, but then, I suppose that most of the pictures belong to those adoring fans who have witnessed her super powers in person.

By way of exposition (and so that you can complete your superhero collector cards), SuperGabi can not only fly, but also has the strength of many babies and can stand with minimal assistance. She fights crime with her uncanny bubble-making ability (of the saliva variety) and her mama sense.

Note: SuperGabi "fights crime" in that she "keeps her parents occupied so they don't get into mischief." Mama says she's not old enough to be a caped crusader or anything dangerous just yet. She's not even old enough to be a "terror that flaps in the night."

Of course, her greatest superpower is her super cuteness, which even now is captivating the lot of you, gentle citizens and evildoers alike.

So once again, the day is saved, thanks to the cutest superhero out there, SuperGabi.