Hello, my name is Gabe.

Happiness to me is twirling my Mom's hair, and sucking my left thumb. It's as simple as that. There isn't a single thing I've confronted in my 19 months on this earth that a good snuggle with Mom's hair and a mouthfull of thumb can't fix...but it's GOT to be the left thumb. Something about my right thumb just doesn't feel right. And yeah I have two older sisters but don't think for a second I'm sharing any laps. I'm the baby and I like it that way. People ask my Mom "is he talking yet" as if I'm not even there. I think Mom is suspicious that maybe I do know how to talk. There have been some emergency situations where I've let words escape. You know...like when my sister Ava goes for my Lightening McQueen car, I can't help yelling "No!" or "Stop!" Mom gets that motherly-knowing look in her eye, but she is totally in denial. She still refers to me as her "one year old" even though I'll be two in a few months. So yeah, I can talk a little bit, but usually I play the role of "baby" quite convincingly. Mom tells me "I want to keep you a baby forever!" and I aim to please. I mean, she is the one who rations out the portions at mealtime--I want to stay on her good side because boy do I love to eat! My Mom tells all sorts of strangers how I outweigh my big sister by three pounds, as if that's some big suprise. Ava hasn't finished a meal since I've been on solids and I eat everything that's within my reach. Sometimes I even eat the dog's food. It's not bad either. Ava doesn't like it when I grab food off her plate. It's pretty easy to push Ava's buttons. Man, is she a live-wire! I don't mind though. I get the biggest kick out of those fits she throws! I just get ahold of one of her baby dolls and throw it....she'll start up, legs kicking, face screaming--oh, it's great. I can hardly breathe I laugh so hard!

Eliza, on the other hand is bigger than I am and I have decided it's in my best interest to keep on her good side. Plus, she is just as bad as Mom with pampering and babying me and I just love that. She'll hold me and snuggle me and, more importantly, share whatever food she has just to keep me sweetly smiling. Yeah, it's a good life...I love eating and around here, I'm fed like clockwork. But, when the going gets rough, nothing comes close to the feeling of my left thumb in my mouth, and my Mom's hair in my right hand. It really eases the stress.