How old is Gabe?

Gabe is approximately a year old.  It’s not quite clear
exactly how old he is.  Let me explain.

Gabe is the baby
that Jonas’s father brings home.  Jonas’s father works with newchildren as a nurturer. 
In Jonas’s community, babies are created through artificial insemination of women known
as birth mothers.  They do not keep the babies, and they instead go to the Nurturing
Center to be cared for by Nurturers. 

Age is not calculated
the same way in the community as in our world.  Everyone born in a certain year turns
one at the same time, regardless of when during that year he or she was born.  That is
when they are given a name.  We know that Gabe is not growing as fast as he should be,
so we can guess that perhaps he is younger than the other babies.  It is because Gabe
does not develop fast enough when it is his time to be one that he is scheduled to be
released.