I Assumed I'd Be Good At This: Self-Aware

Yesterday afternoon I was speaking with a co-worker in the hallway outside my office. At one point during our conversation I leaned against the wall and oh-so-casually put my hands in the back pockets of my pants. Then I grimaced a little bit. It turns out that at some point yesterday morning Gabe handed me his graham cracker, which I absentmindedly put in one of the back pockets. I then proceeded to, you know, sit down in my car and in my desk chair for most of the day, reducing the graham cracker remnants to graham cracker dust. Let me just tell you, it is hard to carry on a serious hallway conversation about patent indemnity with graham cracker crumbs under your fingernails. But I must say, finding that cracker in my pocket made me feel like a real mom. Only real moms take partially-chewed food and put it in their pockets like it's no big deal.

Just as I am now aware of my status as a real mom, Gabe is now aware that he is "Gabe." Or as he pronounces it, "GEEB!" I find this to be a truly thrilling development. Matt and I spent a gleeful ten minutes this morning having him say his name over and over.

I have a beautiful silver charm bracelet from Planet Jill that I received as a Christmas gift from my parents last year. On it are two circular charms that contain tiny photographs of Gabe: one taken when he was a newborn, still in the hospital, and one taken when he was six months old. (This reminds me that I really should get another charm with a current photograph.) Anyhow, tonight while he was eating dinner, Gabe noticed the charm bracelet for the first time ever, and suddenly sat straight up in his booster chair to declare, "GEEB! GEEB! GEEB!" while pointing at the six-month photo of himself. He even got his grubbly little hands on the charm, which again, made me feel like a real mom. Only real moms have macaroni and cheese residue on their jewelry.

Now, unrealted to any of the above, please enjoy some pictures of GEEB! eating many, many strawberries at the farmers' market last weekend. He tried to eat them husks and all, in case you were curious. (More proof that I am a real mom. Real moms very coolly and calmly pry strawberry husks out of their toddlers' mouths in public.)