Brotherly Love...

Gabriel is a great big brother.  He loves to hold his brother and give him hugs and kisses.  He even tries to give him high fives and knuckles (Raphael can do these much better than high fives).  Lately, he has been including Raphael when he plays during the day...

  

He brought all these things over and set them next to Raphael.  His toy train, his water bottle and the case for the movie "Cars", one of Gabriel's favorite things to watch.  At one point he even had brought a blanket over and covered Raphael up but he had taken it off before I could get a picture.  It's nice to see them playing so well with each other.  I wonder how long that will last... :)

Tummy time...

I'm really surprised at how much Raphael likes to have tummy time.  He will stay there for quite a while before getting tired and fussy.  Here are some pics of Raphael at 4 weeks old enjoying his tummy time...

Just checking out the world...

 

Here he is starting to lift his head...

And here he is showing off for the camera.  "Look at me mommy!  I'm SO strong!" I'm not exactly sure what that is on his face but he is still cute. :)

One month...

So this post is a little late, I'm sorry about that.  Raphael had his one month appointment with the midwife and I was so surprised to hear how much he weighed.  He weighs 11.9 and is 23 inches long.  What a cubster! 

He even has a cute double chin!!

He is growing so quickly and is so strong. He smiles all the time now and it just melts our hearts. He has even started having conversations with me in baby talk. I love when they look straight into your eyes and smile at you. It is just precious. Well he continues to eat well and we are getting over the gassy bouts he was having or at least I'm learning how to prevent and help him through them. His little digestive system is still working hard to adjust and he seems to be dealing with the discomfort a little better. All in all, he is a great baby and is doing wonderfully. One of his favorite things to do is lie on the floor in Gabriel's room and watches him play. For some reason when I put him down in there so I can change Gabriel or get him dressed, Raphael lies there calmly and just stares at Gabriel. It is adorable. I can't wait until Raphael is older and they can play together. So much fun to look forward to!

Big Boy...

Gabriel is a big brother now and he has taken the arrival of his brother quite well.  I will say that there are plenty of "terrible two" moments that we see on a regular basis but I guess that is expected and we do our best to handle it when it comes about.  He has become quite independent lately. The other day I found him in the play room going through and reading his books.  He can't read yet but he loves to look at them and having mami and papi read to him.

Another thing he likes to do now is put his own hat on his head.  The other day he walked around the house taking his hat off them putting it back on.  He has a special technique he uses to get it on just right.  He takes it both hands and wrings it around like you would a sock to open it up then forces it onto his head.  He's gotten good at getting it on just right. 

Gabriel love to play with the baby's things, car seat, bouncy seat, toys, etc.  I found him like this one day just minding his own business and playing with Raphael's toy.  It was really funny watching him try to get out without bumping his head on the handle or toy.  He managed with only a few bumps and tears. :)

I can't believe that my boy is going to be 2 in only a few weeks.  Where did the time go?  Wow!  It is so fun to watch him grow and become a BIG boy.

My Little American Idol....

Gabriel loves music.  He likes to help lead the music in church.  He will walk around the house singing then fold his arms and say a prayer.  But my favorite is when he stands on the landing of the stairs and sings loudly while leading his own music.  It is really funny.  Recently he was out helping papi put together our new patio table and it was brought to my attention that he was singing again.  This time he had found a prop.  These pictures don't capture the moment very well but he decided to use the leg of the table Enrique was putting together as a microphone.  I'm not sure where he got that from but it was very cute. 

Papi also joined in the fun and belted out a tune with Gabriel.  It was quite comical really and well worth documenting. :)