Gabe, Growin' Up Up Up!

Being Veteran's Day, Gabe is home from school today. I was worried that we'd end up fighting (no pun intended) all day but I think the two of us are heading towards a truce. In fact, I am willing to go so far as to say that he is actually liking being home today. We had a great breakfast, a great snack, a great lunch, and now he is taking a great nap.

Mid-morning, we drove to school to meet with Eva and Teresa, Gabe's teachers, for a parent-teacher conference. I drove for two reasons: One, it was a little below 50 and chilly. Two, I wanted to check on the mileage marker just how far of a walk the school was from home. One mile exactly! It elated me to find that I was getting in 2 miles roundtrip 3 mornings a week, and in the afternoons, another 2. That's 4 miles a day! I was super stoked. I think I am going to keep up the walking, even into the winter as long as I can, to help with the remaining junk in my trunk. I already have to go new-jeans shopping, the ones I bought back in September won't stay up and the crochity is sagging down to my knees. 

I survived apple pie season! Thank goodness! And I was oh-so-tempted to grab a pumpkin pie at the grocery store the other day but I resisted... I thought about Thanksgiving and how, on that day, I will allow myself to eat an entire pie if I do so desire! (Just a heads up, Ilsa, Monica and I may just be baking quite a bit to keep that pie in stock!) 

Ahh so off the subject of yours truly and onto the star of the show, Gabriel. We got his school pictures yesterday and he looks as handsome as ever.

I came to the parent-teacher conference with a list of questions, wondering how our little boy was doing, and although I knew it was good, I wanted details. Teresa, his teacher, in turn shared with me a whole sheet of what I like to "Gabe-isms" and all that makes him unique.

For instance, Gabe loves constructing towers and castles and bridges and tunnels in the Building Center of the classroom. Once finished, he will call over his teachers and exclaim proudly, "Look what Gabriel did!" with his hands on his waist, soliciting much praise from his classmates. 

When he was asked where he lives, he replied, "Mommy's house." I knew Manny would appreciate this, because the running joke between us is that everything is Mommy's. It's her bed, her house, even her car. Until one day Gabe said to Manny, "I like Dadda's car!" Manny was so elated that finally he owned something according to Gabe's perception!

I also wondered what role he plays in the classroom. Is he a Boss? Is he a Peacemaker? Is he a Leader? A Follower? His teacher told me that he is very much a Helper. When one of his fellow classmates is not doing something correctly, Teresa said that he will tell them "You need to do this right" or "Show me how you listen." 

He also helps in cooking, cleaning, or whatever the class is doing. During Circle Time, he waits his turn to speak and can recite many of his favorite stories, like Goldylocks and the Three Bears.

He is well-liked and loves his friends. When someone isn't in school one day, he will tell me, "James wasn't here today. I missed the friend." 

He is leaning toward being right-handed, takes pride in his work, observes students playing with the computer, pours his own juice, loves to build and dig in the dirt in the playground, and when Monday comes along and people ask him what he did over the weekend, he remembers if we went to see pumpkins or apples, or sharks in the sea (the NY Aquarium), or rode his bike or went to the park. 

I asked Teresa if he talked about Anna, and she shared the cutest story. One of the girls in his class, Ella, just became a big sister. She was telling the class "my baby brother cried a lot last night." Gabe perked right up, said, "I have a baby at home, too! Her name is Anna and I am her big brother!" 

Listening to all the progress Gabe has made in school and how he shares so well and helps so much was the highlight of my day. He really is doing so great, and on the occasions where we fight and fight and fight, at least I know there will be light at the end of that small tunnel, when he says he is sorry, and I say I am sorry too, and he gives me a big hug and kiss on the face. And we go on with our day. Gabe: The Helper, the Protector, the Friend.