This is why the baby still sleeps in a swaddle...

If you give the child a blanket she will pull it up over her chest and face and fall asleep - not exactly safe. I give her a blanket to nap with because she sleeps in her pack 'n play and I can keep an eye on her. Each time she naps I actually have to go uncover her face like this after she falls asleep. I am entertaining the idea of stopping swaddling her but I just can't make myself do it! Last time I tried to stop it was a disaster and ended up wrapping her up at 4am because she was hysterical. Ugh. I know it has to happen, sooner or later, but I just can't make myself do it.


We have been doing brown rice cereal twice a day for a few days now and she seems to really like it! It's funny though, because it's like she forgets how to eat between each feeding. Each time we start the cereal it takes her a while to get the hang of it again. By the end of the bowl she is taking bites like a little champ though! I've been giving her cereal in late morning and mid afternoon. We always start with a bottle for little bit so she isn't hungry and grumpy trying to eat her cereal, then eats her cereal, then usually finishes her bottle. The biggest problem I have is that she will get cereal all over her face (of course) and then stick her hands in her mouth....so then her hands are covered in nasty cereal and she will then wipe them on herself, me, or anything else she can reach. She finds this pretty hilarious, obviously, because she will take a bite, smile (before swallowing), and the cereal will fall back out of her big gummy smiling mouth.
She has also recently discovered the dogs and is completely thrilled by them. If we are holding her on our laps and a dog walks by she will throw her arms up and lean forward and try to tackle them. She will grab their fur in her little fist (poor dogs) and scream in delight. It's really funny!

Gabrielle also went out this past Sunday and experienced her first Michigan State playoff basketball game. Gabi, Nick, Jason, Corinne, and I went out to Buffalo Wild Wings in East Lansing to watch the game. We were a bit nervous to bring Gabi out (because she's either really adorable and awesome or really naughty) but we we're usually pretty brave and just go for it. It is a bar/restaurant in a college town so it's not like if she cried anyone would really hear her anyway. It was really crowded and we got the last table available but we ended up having a great time. Gabi did really really well - she sat in her carseat and watched the game for while (a room full of TVs is like heaven to her!), took a nap, drank a bottle, then got passed around the table and hung out with us for the rest of the game. Completely happy. MSU was leading by about 6-10 points the whole game (approximately, I'm sure Nick will critique these details) then right at the end I took Gabi to the bathroom to change her diaper and when I got back we were suddenly down by two! Right at the buzzer an MSU player threw a 3 point shot and made it!! The entire restaurant immediately erupted in screams and cheers and Gabi instantly cried! It was so funny, everyone was jumping and cheering and this little baby is terrified and crying. Once everyone else calmed down a little bit so did Gabi but she still just look totally confused as to what just happened :)
This is toy is a bit much for her....she will try and pick the whole thing up and suck on it. When that doesn't really work this is the result.....
The smiley babe playing on the floor with mama

This past weekend she has also really found her voice. She will lay there and just coo, yell, and squeal to herself for no reason for hours. Though she's done this before, now it's like all day!