Gabriel's 3rd Birthday

I love birthdays. So does Gabriel.

He turned 3 on June 1. In some ways, I feel like my baby is a baby no more. But then he asks us to: "Hold me like a baby." Or I watch him sleeping in his crib, with his little hands splayed above his head, all innocence and trust. Or I hear him rustling around in his diaper, a sound that will soon quiet into little boy briefs.

As these days pass so quickly, I try to savor the chirp of his childish voice, the tuneless way he sings along with Dan Zanes ("Lawd, Lawd, Lawd!"), and the joyful way he chimes in on "Happy Birthday."

We celebrated Gabriel's 3rd birthday party at Celebre's Pizza (established in 1961). Our server Gloria claims she waitressed at the Last Supper. Surrounded by family and friends, in the warmth of a South Philadelphia pizzeria, Gabriel grew up just a little bit more.