Happy Birthday B!

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

June 9: today we went to our friends the Connelly's house to celebrate Brendan's 2nd birthday. We all had a blast, but Gabe was especially excited to cheer on Brendan's third year. Though he easily could be cheering for that water table on Brendan's patio, which we had to literally drag him away from. Don't worry, we'll be back. And yeah, he's standing solo. Check him out!

One Year Shots

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Mon., June 4: Because Gabe was a bit under the weather at his one-year checkup. So today we went back to the doctor for some shots. Gabe also had some blood drawn. As you can see, some fun bandaids are clearly all he needs to feel better after such an ordeal. He looks pretty miserable, hunh?

Pool Party

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Sun., June 3: Today we went to Jeff, Amy and Henry's house to play in Henry's new pool! It was so fun. Ella (and her mom Susan) came as well, and all the kids had a good time, despite the cooler temps and some drizzle. Gabe also tried strawberries, but he liked the teddy grahams better. Are we surprised?

When did Bono get here?

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Here's Gabe playing with one of his favorite treats from Ruby's party. And Ruby's dad Brad was right: He sure looks like Bono! Now if only he can sing like him too. Oh, and the fabulous G$ (G-money for those of you whose rebus skills are a bit rusty) shirt is from Dave. Thanks Dave!

So Many Firsts!

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Sat., June 2: After the Baptism, we headed back to Brooklyn for Ruby's birthday party. Gabe was in fabulous spirits (way better than at his own party!), and we all had a blast. Ruby is one of Gabe's first (and best) friends, and so it seemed fitting that their first kiss would be at her first birthday party. Here's to lots of great years to come!

Gianluca

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Sat., June 2: We had a big day today. First we went to our friend Gianluca Fletcher Putek's Baptism. We were so thrilled to share this special occasion with Gianluca and his parents Christine and Michael. He did great, even though he and Gabe were talking sort of loudly to one another during the service. We hope they don't get into too much more trouble when they get older!

Punim

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Look at this face. Suzki and Pops took this picture at the playground, and it's clear that Gabe was having a blast.

Shopping

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

May 26: Gabe was also really glad to have Pops along when we went shopping. His lap was an awfully nice resting spot.

Gabe Goes to the Zoo

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

May 25: This weekend Suzki and Pops were in New York for a wedding. Lucky us. Gabe decided to play hooky on Friday and they took him to the Central Park Zoo, and then out for lunch. He had such a great day. He especially liked all the ducks he saw and also the animals in the petting zoo. He definitely liked touching the fake animals more than the real ones.

Duck!

One of Gabe's best new tricks now that he is one is that he can say a few words. His current favorite is "buh-bye," though he doesn't always use it correctly. Well, maybe in his own mind he does, and we just don't want to admit that sometimes he is finished with a conversation before we are. But he also has learned to say "duck" to actually describe a duck! Check him out.

Want to share my sandwich?

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

May 20, 2007: Today Gabe got to hang out with Great Great Aunt Esther for a while. He even offered to share some of his grilled cheese with here. Now that's love!

Happy Birthday Gabe.

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

UPDATE: Thurs., May 17: Weighing in at 23 lbs. and 31.3 inches, the newly one Gabe Shanoff!

Wed., May 16: We have wished Gabe a happy birthday a few times on this blog, but those were sort of "fake" birthdays compared to today's biggie. What's a month here and there now? That's right. He's ONE!

Just think, a year ago, we were sitting in our room at St. Vincent's Hospital looking down Seventh Avenue and enjoying some yummy Charlie Mom Chinese food. Gabe was only 7 lbs., and all he did was sleep. Since then, he has changed so much. He's somewhere around 23 lbs. (we'll find out as his checkup tomorrow). He smiles, laughs, and today he even showed us that he knows how to stand on his tip-toes. He can say "duck" and "buh-bye" (and this one he can do while waving!). He loves to read, especially Brown Bear and Moo Baa La La La. And he has a mean dunk shot.

But a lot hasn't changed. He is still an amazingly sweet little guy who is friendly, happy, and loves to be tickled and kissed. And he still is an absolute joy. Here's to next year!

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!