What nice sharing.

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Saturday, Nov. 25: This afternoon we got to visit our friends Nathan, Jill, Henry and Truman! What a treat. Truman was so nice to share his toys with Gabe. Look at how well they are playing together; we think this is the beginning of a long friendship!

More Swinging.

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Saturday, Nov. 25: Since the weather was great again today, we headed over to Grammy's to hang out with her and Aunt Emily. Gabe had a great time at the playground, and especially loved playing on the swings.

More play time with the cousins!

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Friday, Nov. 24: this morning we headed over to Silver Spring, MD to hang out with the cousins. Gabe really enjoyed the swings, and was very appreciative that his cousins shared their Papa Pancakes with him for a little while!

So much to be thankful for.

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

And this face is tops on our list!

Thanksgiving

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Thursday, Nov. 23: after a fun day of hanging out with Grandpa and then Grammy and Aunt Emily, we all headed over to Aunt Annie's for Thanksgiving. Gabe's cousin Julia was gracious with her toys, so Gabe got to hang out in a new and exciting Exersaucer. Plus, playing with his cousins is so much fun. A great time was had by all.

Just Happy to be Here

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Wednesday, Nov. 22: After braving winds and freezing rain (and that was only while getting the rental car; you should've seen the line to board the Shuttle!), Gabe, Mom and Dad arrived in D.C./MD for Thanksgiving. As you can see, he's awfully glad to be here.

Peas.

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Friday, Nov. 17: This morning Gabe tried peas for the first time.

The Next Big Thing...

Thursday, Nov. 16: Today is Gabe's half-birthday. Yep, it's been 6 months! We had a great day. First, we had a parent-teacher conference with Gabe's teachers from his school (yeah, it's daycare, but they call it school and so do we!). He got rave reviews. Not only is he doing great with all his developmental milestones, but he's playing nice with others, and not talking too much when the teachers are talking (which was always his Mom's downfall in school). Then we went to see Dr. D for his 6-month checkup, and he also passed that with flying colors. He is up to a whopping 18 lbs. 3 oz., and 28 in. and he barely cried when he got his shots. He also got the go-ahead to start eating solid foods. So, we busted out the rice cearal and broke in his new highchair. There was an initial negative reaction to the chair, but the cereal was a hit!

Big Boy!

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Wednesday, Nov. 15: On this last day of the first half of the first year of his life, Gabe takes a moment to think about all he has accomplished. From a 7 lb., 20 in. pipsqueak (or "hipsqueak," as one of his favorite t-shirts says) who pretty much slept all the time, he's now quite a big boy. We're already into size 3 diapers, he's grown out of pretty much all his clothes, he sits up completely (almost) by himself, and he knows how to let us know what he wants while still smiling and laughing most of the time. What a milestone, and what a kid. Oh, and we think he's trying to blow all his fans a kiss in this picture. Use your imagination and you'll see it too!

Splish Splash

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Tuesday, Nov. 14: Now that Gabe can sit up by himself (most of the time, at least), bathtime is even more fun... and wet.

Happy (almost) Half!

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Monday, Nov. 13: We arrived home today to an early half-birthday gift for Gabe from Suzki and Pops. We threw caution to the wind and opened it. It says it's for babies 6 months and older, but we figured Gabe could get an early (2-day) start. He's pretty advanced. Anyhow, he absolutely loves his new music and leaning table. He's not tall enough for us to add the legs yet, but he can sure make this thing sing. There are so many options, he barely knows what to try first!

Grandpa!

Saturday, Nov. 11: Grandpa came to visit this weekend. What a treat for Gabe. He got lots of playtime, and Grandpa couldn't believe how big Gabe's gotten. Oh, and now we know where Gabe gets his good looks from. Sure, he's got bits of Mom and Dad, Suzki, Uncle Seth and Aunt Emily in him, but those cheeks... this is clearly where they came from!

Sadie's Birthday!

Saturday, Nov. 11: Today was Gabe's oldest friend Sadie's birthday. By oldest, we mean she was the very first baby he met. Today she turned one, though, making her pretty old in age as well. It was a great party! Gabe got all dressed up in his fancy dress shirt. He loved singing and clapping to all the songs during the sing-along. He especially loved the maracas and singing "She's be coming around the mountain." In fact, he loved it so much, he wore himself out.

New Hat?

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Saturday, Nov. 11: This morning, in anticipation of a big day, Gabe donned a new hat. Well, Dad put it on and took some pictures. Pretty funny, no? Gabe sure thought so.

Decision 2006

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Tuesday, Nov. 7: Today is election day, and Gabe wanted to exercise his rights (well, he wanted to help Mom exercise hers). Doesn't he look like the picture of patriotism and civic responsibility?

The Other Costume.

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Tuesday, Oct. 31: Even though it was a beautiful day in NYC today, it was a little too cold for Gabe's original (and Dad's preferred) Halloween costume. So when we got home we turned up the heat and did a little photo shoot. Here Gabe is a member of the 2006 National Championship Florida Gators Basketball team. And don't worry, this costume won't be put in some closet for next year... this one is going to be put to very good use once the Gators take the court again in the next few months.

Halloween at School.

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Tuesday, Oct. 31: Gabe donned his froggie costume again (despite the beautiful and unseasonably warm 70-degree day) so that he could show it off to his friends and teachers at daycare. Looks like he's enjoying it as much as Zehra is! But it could just be that he loves being at daycare. This is a pretty typical "good morning" for Gabe!

And the afternoon was just as good. Mom picked Gabe up early and took him to her work, where he got to meet Gloria, Eileen, and the Judge. Then he and Mom raced home in time to get Dad and head to the Cobble Hill Halloween parade. We met up with some friends and got to see some celebs, including Gabe's favorite "band," Dan Zanes. It was a quite a scene. Our favorite costume was a little guy dressed as the man in Caps for Sale, but everyone else seemed to like the lit-up iPod best. And if that wasn't enough, we headed to Garden Place, which is a Brooklyn Heights tradition. The block closes down to traffic, and the ghosts and goblins come out. It was great. How will we ever top it?

Gabe and the Ladies.

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Sunday, Oct. 29: Not only did Gabe celebrate Halloween this morning, he also got to celebrate his Aunt-to-be Rachel with a bridal shower. It was a great time. He loved getting to see all the family that joined in on the celebration, but his favorite part was meeting Rachel's friends!

A Brooklyn Heights Halloween.

Sunday, Oct. 29: Today we celebrated Halloween in our neighborhood, Brooklyn Heights. Gabe got all bundled up in his froggy costume, and even seemed to enjoy himself. Maybe that's because he slept through most of the parade and subsequent festivities? Either way, it was a great time, and we were so happy to see some of our local pals all dressed up too.

The World's Largest Cocktail Party.

Saturday, Oct. 28: Today is the Florida-Georgia football game, and Gabe is ready. He was especially excited because he had some company for the game! Suzki, Uncle Seth and Aunt Linnea, and Cousin Bird came over to help cheer on the Gators. And no, Uncle Seth, we didn't mean that kind of bottle.