Gabe's Personality EXPLOSION

I'm not sure what happened to my quiet, little guy but he seems to have disappeared. He used to speak so softly, follow me around, and copy almost everything I did. Suddenly in the past week he has gone from baby to toddler. He talks a mile a minute (I still have no idea what hes saying the majority of the time)and hes picking up more and more words that he enjoys using (he loves any words that begin with the letter "B" now). Hand gestures, shoulder shrugs, gasps, and facial expressions are used constantly while he's playing or speaking. He now understands that he's his own person, which is the most amazing thing to witness, but also the saddest...he's no longer my baby.

He plays more by himself, and no longer parks his cars but gets them to talk to one another, do jumps, and have elaborate crashes (where he makes lots of sound effects for them which includes screaming in mock agony as his cars lie injured). He's beginning to understand that Edie can be a playmate and drags her around by her clothes, hands her a car (granted it's one he hates or is broken) and plays along side her, bending over to make eye contact and seemingly explaining to her how to play.

When we go for walks my little boy no longer needs a stroller or a leash to stay by my side, he's now learned that following the side walk and staying close to me leads to more exploration and longer walks. (We walked to the park the other day and he went down the slide by himself, screaming with delight! He loved it so much he ran to Edie, pointed at her straps, said some gibberish, and insisted that I take her out of the stroller so that she could go down the slide too.)

He has always been such a affectionate little boy but his affection has increased ten fold, especially towards myself and Edie. He loves hugs, kisses, and high fives and does them regularly. I just don't know how I got so lucky with him, but if Edie's emotional outbursts are any indication of how she'll be as a toddler, I'm going to need all the hugs, kisses, and high fives I can get!

God I love my kids and before I know it they'll be attending their first day of school...where does the time go? Is he really almost 2! My babies are growing up and there's no way to slow it down! Watching their little personalities emerge slowly is one of the best parts of motherhood, its like getting a little glimpse into their future, and what a beautiful one it will be!