12 weeks old

Gabriel turned 12 weeks old this past week. He had a doctors appointment, everything was fine. He weighs 13 lbs 1.5 oz and is 24 1/2 inches long. He rolled over for the first time, he did it 3 times in one day but hasn't done it since. He rolls over from his back to his tummy then starts to cry. He HATES tummy time. He is sitting up with a little help and is very vocal...like his mommy!

Gabriel's 1st Christmas

We went home to Phoenix for Christmas. We broke the drive up into a two day trip, he did really well and slept most of the time. On the way home we got stuck for over 2 1/2 hours at the Hoover Dam. Gabriel had a very nice first Christmas. He and his cousin David wore identical outfits...very cute. Although, it was a bit of a struggle trying to get a picture of a 2 month old and a 9 month old.

New toy

Gabriel turned 8 weeks today. We set up his little jungle playyard thingy. He seemed to like it.

Nana Carmen's visit

Dave was out of town this past week so my mom flew out to spend the week with Gabriel and I. It was nice to have someone to help with Gabriel...I tooks naps every day:) Dave's grandfather, Gabriel's greatgrandfather, knitted Gabriel a scarf and blanket. Gabriel wore them on one of our snow days. It has been really cold and snowy here. Thank you Grandpa for my scarf and sweater. We'll be in Phoenix for Christmas and are looking forward to seeing everyone. We hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!

Thank you Grandpa Zuniga for my scarf and blanket.

Nana says I've grown so much since she saw me last.

Go Devils!!!

Santa Outfit

We hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Feliz Navidad!

Ba HumBug

First Utah Weekend

This was our first weekend together as a family in Utah. We took Gabriel to lunch, Babys-r-Us and Wal-Mart yesterday. He did great and slept most of the time. He also got to go on his first walk with his dogs. The weather here has been nice the past few days with temps higher than normal. We went on another walk today and also enjoyed our first Bears game today. Gabriel fell asleep in the second half, but he didn't miss much since the Bears got clobbered pretty bad. All in all, it was a great weekend. Our little man continues to grow and become more aware of his surroundings each day.

He's Here

Gabriel Thomas Castro was born on October 22nd at 5:50 pm PST at Banner Samaritan Hospital in Mesa, Arizona. He weighed 10 lbs, 2.6 oz and was 21.5" long. After he was born, the staff noticed that he was low on energy and breathing fast. Gabriel was rushed to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit or Nic U as they say in the hospital. He was placed on a heart monitor, placed under an oxygen hood and given IV's to increase his blood sugar level. The staff soon found out that he had a tiny hole in his lungs, creating an air pocket in his stomach and around his lungs.

After a few days of prayers and many visits from Mom and Dad, family and friends, he was moved to the Intermediary Care Unit. Unfortunately, he developed jaundice and had to be placed under a blue light. He spent a day in the Intermediary Care Unitl and then on his second to last day he was moved to the Continuous Care Nursery area. Our son was finally released on Tuesday October 28th.

Today is his 1 week birthday and we are proud to say that he is home. We love our son immensely and are looking forward to watching him grow and learn. Many people came by to see him and called to check up on him - it was amazing and we are thankful. God has blessed us so much and we will raise him to be strong in his faith.

Thank you to everyone who called, visited and prayed for our little man. We will be posting pictures and videos. Thanks again to Tiffany for setting up this blog.

Love,
Sarah, Dave, and Gabriel