The update and Gabe is 21 months old!

Ok, well, there isn't really much of an update.  This week has just been kind of a waiting game for us.  BJ had a 36+ hour day after he had to work a day, then all night, then the next day too (Ironically just after we read in 3 Nephi where the sign that Jesus would be born would be a day and a night and a day as if it were one day).
My doctor's appointment went well... nothing really noteworthy to mention.  My contractions have definitely been picking up in frequency, duration, and intensity, but not consistently.  I do have my hospital bags all packed though, with  my list of everything to grab last minute!  On Sunday I had a recurrence of my sinus infection- the one I had a couple weeks ago that the antibiotic never really took care of.  It hit me with a vengeance but I went to Instacare and got quite a strong antibiotic which helped immensely and so I'm not in any pain now.  Gabe does seem to be fighting another mild ear infection but he is doing much better and I think he will be able to fight this one off by himself. 
I am trying not to become too impatient to have this baby, and just use this time to keep preparing, spend time with Gabe, and work on some crafty projects.  We have been going on a lot of walks this past week which Gabe loves.  He points excitedly to the stroller and says "gok, gok!" (Not to be confused with "gook"- book, or "guk"- milk/ drink.)

 Yesterday we went for a drive and were listening to the Remember the Titans soundtrack when Gabe found his new favorite song!  When Gabe wants something, and sometimes when he's whining he says "nananananana...?" -so when he heard that in a song (Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye by Steam), he started laughing, rocking back and forth in his seat, clapping, and singing along which really made us laugh.
Gabe has gotten a lot better at going to sleep at night and at nap time.  We've been able to put him down for bed after our nightly routine (diaper/ jammies, brush teeth, sing songs in the rocking chair, drink of water, say prayer) while he was still awake for quite a while, but up until a few weeks ago, I was still rocking him all the way to sleep for his nap.  Now he is quite the "big boy" as he goes to sleep on his own after a few minutes of rocking and songs at nap time.  Occasionally when he is tired he will even sign "sleep".  A lot of the things he signs are now accompanied by the word itself, which is fun to hear!  Of course he has learned a lot of words without signs too.  My favorite words to hear him say are "cute", "cool", "shoes", and "love" (and "mom-my" of course!).  Anything that makes an identifiable sound is referred to by its sound instead of its name.  He loves splashing in the water and arranging his toys on the side of the tub at "baaaff" time.  He does not love the post- bath routine so much.  He tends to have dry skin and gets some eczema patches, so we put on lots of lotion and some hydrocortisone cream first thing after drying off. 
 

We usually have some reading time every day- initiated by Gabriel- he brings me book after book after book, and sits quietly on my lap (mostly!) turning pages, pointing to things, babbling, and sometimes requesting to read the same book several times in a row.  Gabe still loves cars and dogs (toys, the real things, and the sounds they make) above almost anything else.  He seems to be amused by poking my belly and saying "babeeeeeee" or "saaaaaaaahhhhhfffff" - soft.  We're trying to do our best to prepare him for having a baby brother, but I don't really think he has any idea of how life is going to change!  I'm sure he will adapt quickly though.  We are going to try to have him spend some time with his favorite people- aunts and uncles and grandparents!  All grandmas and pas are "baba" right now, and he greets them with hugs and kisses- "mmmmah!"
I am excited for the weather to warm up more so we can do some fun things outside.  Gabe is up for pretty much anything outdoors, and he especially enjoys going for walks to see the creek or the cows (and any other animal we encounter), swinging, going down slides, running around on the grass, and last summer we discovered he loves swimming and is fascinated by bubbles, so we will have to try to do lots of that this spring and summer.  We are all ready with his swimsuit/ rashguard, hat, sandals, sunscreen, and lots of energy (Um, him, not me, currently)!  Let's get to it already!