Bye Bye 1477

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Tues., May 15: today we headed to 1477 E. 17th St. for another rendition of Brown Bear - one of Gabe's favorite books. We also went to say goodbye to the house. GG is moving to Maryland and we're sure going to miss having her in our neck of the woods.

Happy Birthday Gabe!

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Sunday, May 13: Today was Mother's Day and it was also Gabe's first birthday party. The party was at one of our favorite parks in Brooklyn - it's in DUMBO between the Brooklyn end of the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges. It was a beautiful day, and even though Gabe was a bit under the weather and it was a bit windy, we had lots of family and friends join us for some snacks, beach balls, and, of course, cupcakes. Gabe loved the chocolate with vanilla frosting the most, though he was hardly picky. But really, who is when it comes to cupcakes?

Gabe and his mom and dad felt very lucky to have been surrounded by so many people who have loved Gabe so much this year, and sure missed those who were here in spirit!

There are tons more pictures from the party and the whole weekend on Gabe's Flickr site. Check 'em out!

Celebrate!

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

To celebrate the haircut success, we went out for a family dinner. Chicken wings... Yum. Just kidding. Gabe really wanted to hold this so we let him. He didn't really like it, though he sure did like the french fries and ribs.

Gabe's First Haircut

Sun., May 6: Today Gabe got his first haircut. A lot of people have expressed
their concerns that he would lose his awesome (albeit a bit wild) curls in the process.










But fear not. Geraldine was amazing, and in about 12 minutes Gabe came away looking awfully cute (yes, it was possible for him to get even cuter, if we do say so ourselves), and still curly. He also loved the firetruck seat, and didn't mind the clippers all that much.



And look at how great he looks!

Playground Time

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Sun., May 6: We went to the playground today, and Gabe is loving his newfound ability to stand (still assisted, of course, but now he's one-handed). It means he can enjoy so much more of the playground. Here, he's trying to get past Mom to head down the slide.

How big?

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Wed. May 2: Today we took Gabe to get his feet measured. He's cruising around all over the place, so we're going to have to get him some new shoes! He didn't love the measuring, but maybe that's because he's a beach kid at heart. No shoes necessary!

Lions and Tigers and Bears...

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Saturday, April 28: Today Gabe went to the zoo for the first time. We went with his friend Daniel, and Daniel's mom Susan. We had a great time. Gabe liked the Sea Lions best, because they kept popping out of the water and making funny noises, though the peacocks were also quite a hit. In the petting zoo, he thought he wanted to pet the cow, but it turns out he didn't really want to. OK. You live and learn, right? Maybe next time!

Charleston, SC!

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

The whole gang hit Charleston, SC -- the Isle of Palms, to be exact -- to celebrate Grammy's birthday. Missing from this picture are the Pratt Goodmans, who arrived the following day. A great time was had by all. There was beach time, pool time, sight-seeing, and lots of general hanging out. What a treat to all be together in such a lovely place!

Eleven Months (and one day)

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

April 17: as much as we've been trying to take a family photo on each of Gabe's one-month birthday, we haven't always been successful. So, here's a picture of Gabe all by himself. Admit it, though: that's what you're really on here for, right? So he's eleven months and one day old today. WOW! That means he's almost a year old. We can't believe it. He's crawling like crazy, eating all kinds of new things (see post below), and is generally a ton of fun to be around. He loves to play ball, to pull himself up on ANYTHING he can get his hands on, and he absolutely loves his books. Right now his favorite book seems to be The Three Bears, though Blue Hat, Green Hat and Time For Bed are also pretty popular. And while he certainly likes it best when we read the books to him, he's also pretty happy to just eat the pages or throw the books around the room so he can crawl over and get them. We can't wait to see what the next month, and the next year will bring!

MMMMMcDonalds!

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

August 15: Because of the terrible weather in the NE, our flight home from Pittsburgh got canceled. But fear not. Dad got us safely home, and Gabe got his first road trip! We were lucky enough to have Marisa with us to keep us company and especially to help keep Gabe happy! She also got to share Gabe's first trip to McDonald's with us.

Hey - judge us if you will, but no road trip is really complete without some junk food deliciousness. Gabe especially loved the fries (shocker), but he also tried a Filet-O-Fish and a burger. Oh, and don't forget the Dairy Queen Blizzard for dessert. That's right. A Blizzard!

Slumber Party.

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Gabe got to spend the night with Suzki and Pops while in Pittsburgh. He had a great time. Look at how well rested he looks! For them he slept until 7 am. Would sure be nice if he did that for his parents!

To PIttsburgh!

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

April 14: This morning Gabe and his parents headed to Pittsburgh to celebrate Margery's cousin Lauren's wedding. As you can see, Gabe was very excited to get on the plane and get to the party!

Look at Gabe's New Chair!

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Thursday, April 12: This morning Gabe got his second birthday present, and this one's green too! Our very good friends Kristin, TJ and Brendan gave Gabe this awesome chair, which is just like one Brendan has at his house. You can't see it, but it even has his name on it so Mom and Dad don't get confused about who should sit in it. He already loves climbing in and out of it all the time. We are all awfully lucky to have such great friends!

Picture Day

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

April 11: Today was picture day at Gabe's daycare ("school") and he got all dressed up for the occasion. Doesn't he look great? His teachers told us that he wasn't really into smiling for his picture; he was really going for the strong serious look. We'll have to see how that went. We think he looks awfully cute even when he's in a more serious mood. Besides, who knows what kind of important thoughts he's thinking... he could be curing cancer in that head of his!

Sip this!

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

As most of you know, Gabe is getting very close to turning one year old. We absolutely can't believe what a big boy he's turning into, and this is just one indication: the sippy cup is in the house. Gabe actually likes the straw cup more than the sippy, but it's really a distinction without a difference to anyone except him (and his mom, who has spent entirely too much money on variations on this exact cup, but is very very relieved we finally have one that he likes!). Anyhow, we're so proud, and he seems to be too!

Feet UP!

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Now that we have these nice new ottomans, isn't it nice that Gabe and Dad can both put their feet up and relax?

mmmm. french fries!

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

April 8: This morning Gabe, Mom and Dad finally went out after a pretty miserable weekend with the stomach flu. Nothing gets your appetite back up like a french fry. And now that Gabe can hold them himself, there's nothing stopping him! It didn't hurt that we ran into his friend Ruby and her parents, and Ruby not only loaned Gabe her special seat, but she gave him her balloon when she left! Lucky kid.

This is it?

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Gabe had his first matzo (and potato kugel and matzo ball) tonight. He likes the matzo balls best (shocker, right?). Though he seems to like the matzo a lot better when we put some Temp-tee on in. Who doesn't though?

Gabe's first Seder

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

It's become somewhat of a tradition for us to host a seder each year with our friends (and family). This year was an especially wonderful event because we had two new additions to the group: Sadie and Gabe. Though the kids went to bed early, they still got to play with all the special Passover toys. And the adult portion of the evening was pretty great as well. We feel so lucky to have such good friends and family nearby. See you again next year!

New Seat!

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Gabe got a special new high chair today. He loves it. Look at how happy he is! Thanks Suzki!

Pre-Passover fun

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

We were lucky enough to have our pre-Passover pizza with the Liss-Levinsons and Sussmans this year! What fun. Unfortunately we don't have any pictures with Marc (we're hoping his mom and dad took some good ones!) but Gabe had a great time visiting with his cousin and the whole Great Neck crew (and the added bonus of his Aunt Marilyn!).

Hmmm.

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

And rounding out the March visits, was a great weekend with Grandpa. Gabe had a great time, though that beard sure confused him!

New Kicks

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Aunt Emily and Dave got Gabe these awesome new shoes (and the shirt)!! Aren't they cool!?! All the other kids are jealous.

More Playground Fun

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Now that we know how much Gabe likes the slide, dad decided to take him on the "big" one at the playground. He loves it! Sorry for the blur here, but they were just moving so fast!

OOPS!

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

We also had a visit from Grammy and Aunt Annie. Grammy read Gabe some of his favorite books before he went to bed. He loved it. He especially loves Blue Hat, Green Hat, pictured here. It's a real page-turner, in which a very silly turkey has trouble getting dressed. Oops!

Time to Slide

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Pops came to visit us on March 27, just after Florida won their Regional Finals game to make it to the Final Four. To celebrate, Gabe wanted to go on the slide! What a treat.

Go Gators

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

This seems to be a repetitive post for us - but with all the basketball going on, it's hard to resist. Here is Gabe in all his Florida basketball uniform glory. He's pretty excited about the team, and also about learning to stand up on his own. He's still working on it, but he's close!

Leggo my Eggo

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

We know it's been way too long since Gabe has updated his blog. Sorry. He's just been keeping everyone so busy! He's almost 11 months old now, and has all kinds of new tricks. This is one of our favorites - he is starting to be able to feed himself! Here is is with a mini-eggo. What a great invention!

Flying high.

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

March 16: It's the Gators' first game and we're all ready!

Ready to go.

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Gabe's Pops gave him this Gator, and boy does he love it. Sometimes he likes to eat it and usually he just likes to listen to it play the "Go Gators" chant. Here he's using it to show how excited he is about the beginning of March Madness.

Bracket Buster

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

March 14: It's time for March Madness and today Gabe started to pick his bracket. It's always a tough decision-making process, so we figured he should start thinking about it early. He has decided to go with the "bracket of integrity" like his dad. His mom prefers to hedge her bets with a few different brackets. Don't kid yourself, though. All of them have the Gators winning it all.

Who is it?

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

One of Gabe's new favorite things to play with is "his" cell phone. Thank goodness those wily cell phone companies convinced Dan he couldn't live without a new phone. Look how happy Gabe is!

Rasberries

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Gabe's newest trick is an almost constant stream of rasberries. He uses them to communicate almost everything: from "I'm hungry" to "I'm full," it's pretty much a catch all. Hopefully soon he'll just use some words. We'll all stay a little drier.

Who's THAT?

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

And isn't he handsome?

"That's not a hat"

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Somehow this game never stops being funny. To Gabe at least. He just thinks mom is SO funny when she puts silly things on her head. Let's hope he stays this easy to entertain! Doubtful, but we can dream...

Special TV time

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

OK OK, we know that the APA doesn't recommend TV for babies, but it's time for March Madness, and there's no way we're keeping Gabe from watching that. The Gators might be highly ranked, but they're going to need all the extra cheering they can get!

New Teeth!!

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

OK, we know this isn't Gabe's best angle (let's be honest... who DOES this angle work for?), but it was the only way we could get a shot of those new chompers he's sporting on the top. They're already looking braces-ready, which isn't making Dad sleep any more easily, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it!

Don't Interrupt Me!

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Here is a picture of Gabe and his tunes. He's very into his music, though these headphones might just be a little much for him.

Uh Oh!

Saturday, Feb. 24: Well, it finally here. We always knew it would come, but weren't sure we were ready. Turns out we're not ready, but Gabe sure it. HE CAN CRAWL!!! Check him out. Guess it's time to hide those wires we have on the floor, and put the booze out of his reach. Ahhh, they grow up so fast.

Happy Wedding Uncle Benj & Aunt Rachel

Well, Gabe's Uncle Benj got married last weekend to now (finally) Aunt Rachel. It was a wonderful weekend and an amazing party! Luckily Gabe was there to give his Uncle Benj a few last minute tips before the ceremony. And even luckier, there was a great babysitter who took Gabe upstairs to hang out. A great time was had by all. These are just a few of the many wonderful pictures we have from the weekend.

Gabe's new favorite game.

This is Gabe's new favorite thing to do. Luckily his dad is very very patient.

Get me out of here!

This little video comes a bit out of order. It's from the day Gabe got his tubes put in. We should warn you: It's not for the faint of heart. We promise, though, that we tested this saucer for it's tippy-ness. It's not nearly as tippy as Gabe's mom!

Guess he's made his choice.

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Wed., Feb. 14: Sorry everyone, looks like Gabe has chosen his Valentine this year. Maybe next year will be your year...

How Low Can You Go?

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

We woke up last night, to some unusual howling coming from Gabe's room. Of course, we rushed right in to see what was going on, and there was our boy, sitting up in his crib, somewhat like he is in this picture (the big difference was that it was the middle of the night, he was in his pajamas, and he was supposed to be asleep!). So, we figured it was time to drop the crib all the way down. We can't believe the "lower the crib all the way down" moment has arrived! Ah how time flies.

A New Friend for Gabe...

Sunday, Feb. 11: Today we got to meet Benjamin Sean Maher-Dolan for the first time! What a great visit. He's just amazing. We're all so glad he's here and Gabe can't wait to play with him when he gets bigger. Though given the size of his hands we're thinking Gabe would be wise to always be on his team for basketball!

Sippy City

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Well, Gabe is learning to use a "big boy" cup, and the sippy is the first step. Well, holding it right-side up and actually getting liquid out of it is the first step, but we're patient here at 187 Hicks. He'll get it. He always does!