Annnnd 8 Months Later

Here we are! It's been a roller coaster year. Amazing & terrifyingly wonderful.

Riley is well she's just Riley. Filled with laughter and wonder that only a two year old can really have. She talks from the minute she rolls out of bed until long after what should be her bedtime. Not a day goes by that I don't laugh at something she says or does. Her favorite thing to do right now is play doctor. She makes us lay down on the couch while she gives us check ups. Naturally Doc McStuffins is her favorite show. She loves being in water & I'm thrilled our new house has a pool. I cannot wait for move in day so that we can use it every day. We are thrilled that Riley is fully potty trained. We took diapers away (except for nap & bed) July 7th, a few days before her 27mo birthday. She took to it right away. We had a couple accidents the first week but none since. It can be a bit stressful when out and about for the day. Like when we are in Home Goods & she dramatically grabs her undies & screams, "Riley PEEEEE!!! RUN!". I frantically grabbed the travel seat & made a mad dash to the restroom only to have her say, "potty pretty all done" with no pee. Rinse repeat 3 freaking times. What is really awesome is that she did it every 5 minutes so the same shoppers saw the shenanigans over and over. I got a couple sympathetic glances but for the most part people found the child hilarious, which didn't help because laugher just fuels her. The twos have not treated us too bad. Bedtime is a battle. Tonight we are working on 90 minutes and she is still not staying in bed. The last time it was this bad was when she was teething, which I guess it could be. Or it could just be her playing us as only she can. She figured out how to open her bedroom door which has only made the process even longer. We've tried cry it out but with a mobile kid who can open doors & scale any gate it doesn't make a difference. We've tried just letting her go & hoping she ends up asleep somewhere in the room. Again not really effective for this kid as she eventually gets bored with the room & comes to find us. The best is when she picks up the video monitor & asks if we can see her, "you see Riley?". Yeah kid we do. Go to sleep. Or better yet when she doesn't want us to see her & she says, "all done bye bye" then promptly unplugs the monitor. Hopefully the move to the new house will be a sort of reset on the bedtime routine.

Nora is 8 months today. I can't even stand her perfection. She is the happiest most content baby ever. I have no idea the last time she cried. Seriously. The kid smiles & jabbers at everything. She got her first two little teeth about a month ago. She started sitting on her own around 5months & now can roll around & sit up from laying down. On that note she can just about pull up to her feet too. She gets to her knees but getting those feet under her hasn't quite worked out yet. It will soon enough she sure tries enough. She's like 5 minutes away from full on crawling but much like Riley did she gets around in other ways so she doesn't feel too much pressure to actually crawl. She says mama & dada. She also growls. Legit "grrrrrrr" all deep & ominous. I'll never forget when she first started doing it around 5-6mo she grabbed Rileys cheeks & growled in her face. Riley looked horrified & yelled, "Nors no eat Riley". That's not a typo. Everyone calls her Nors. I think it's my fault, well my phones. I got a new phone and cannot for the life of me type on it (actually the main reason this blog hasn't been updated). The "a" is right next to the "s" and I screw it up every single time I type her name. Its ridiculous. We started her on food about a week before her 6mo birthday & she's already done with purees. She's just not interested in being spoon fed. At first I was a bit nervous because she is just so young but she has done really well. She has eaten pretty much everything. Tonight she had pork chop, asparagus, roasted wax beans & corn on the cob. I think she ate more than her sister. We have had to find a balance with her bottles though because she's not as interested. We are figuring it out though. Little lady has some attitude. If she doesn't like something you know it. She will swat at your hands and growl. My favorite is when she's not interested in her bottle she will grab it from your hands & throw it off the couch. Then she looks at me like, "what".

For us as a family things have never been better or busier. On mothers day we put in an offer on a house, which was accepted. On June 1st we listed our current house & on June 2nd we accepted an offer. We settled on the new house on June 28th & our current house will be August 9. Paul has been at the new house for the last 3 weeks ripping stuff out, hanging drywall, painting, repairing, fixing, wiring, you name it he's been doing it. It's been nothing short of overwhelming. It's an amazing upgrade and opportunity for our family. We are ridiculously excited to move in & get settled. So that's where we are & what we've been up to. I've missed blogging & now that things are sort of kind of settling down I'm hoping to keep up with it. I'm a bit sad that I didn't when Nora was teeny tiny. Really though with a toddler waking at dawn and an infant that wasn't sleeping through the night, sleep while they slept was better than blog while they slept. We don't need to mention that Nora has actually been sleeping through the night since the end of February.

Life With a Toddler

Riley is 18 months and amazing. Everyday is so much fun with her. She makes us laugh at every turn and is constantly learning & surprising us with new stuff.

She loves her dogs. She calls them "boys" and "bobbies", bobby is what she says for buddy. She does not like sharing with her bobbies though. Breakfast has been a bit of a challenge but we recently figured out that if you offer her bite to the dogs she will take it instead. She does NOT want any of her food going to the dogs, even if she's not all that interested in it. If the dogs do manage to nab a bite, either dropped or because she teased them with it & they won, it is catastrophic. Lots of "no no no's" & fake cries.

Bedtime has been a challenge, we think it's teeth. The last two nights have ended with a snuggle with mommy in the big bed. Mommy is tired & it works quickly. A habit I'm not overly interested in forming but honestly after 90 minutes of "back in bed" & the child sleep walking to the door I don't have it in me these days. Her teeth hurt & she's overly tired most nights. I'm hoping they cut soon & we can get back on track.

She loves to help. "Uh oh mommy". Mommy better be looking because most of the time what she really means is, uh oh mommy you left your cup of hot coffee here on the table. Let me bring it to you. Or uh oh mommy the boys didn't eat all their food & left this huge bowl of water just sitting here, let me just dump that for you. So helpful our little nugget.

The talking never stops. Never. 3:30 am last night I woke up to her chattering in her sleep. It was creepy. She says everyone in the families name. Paul and I know who she is saying but outsiders might not recognize it. She will repeat almost everything we ask her to. The letters K, T, Th, Ch & long E (as in green) give her a hard time. She makes a very good effort though. She knows some colors like white, orange, yellow & sometimes she gets red and blue right. Her favorite shape is Oval, no idea why but she can find them anywhere.

She loves to dance & climb. Oh how she loves to climb. A successful day cannot be complete without making it to the top of the couch. She has an awesome time at her swim class. It's a hell of a workout for mamma too. When mamma is 5'11" and swim class is in 3-4ft water, mama spends 35 minutes in a full squat so that Riley can actually be IN the water. UMM ouch. If she showed one single lapse of enthusiasm we'd be outtie.

Two weeks ago someone pooped in the pool so they moved class to the other pool. The cold pool. The minute my feet hit that water I prayed she would freak over the temp. She didn't. Hypothermia be damned we were doing her swim lesson. Mama didn't squat that day. No way was more of me going in that water than necessary.

She has recently started playing pretend and it is adorable to see her play with her baby. She feeds it & tells us to put a new "Elmo" on it. Elmo's are what she calls diapers because hers have Elmo on them. Toddler logic.

Life with a toddler is more than I could ever ask for. She lights up a room with her smile & just shines every day.

Beginners Luck

Last Thursday (5 days ago) we made the transition to Riley's new room & new toddler bed. Its been a while since we have had an unnatural transition, meaning one that Riley didn't initiate herself (bottles, solids, etc). I was very nervous & unsure of how this move would go.

She helped clean out the new bedroom & we spend a lot of time in the room checking stuff out. The toddler bed hung out in our living room for a few days. She climbed on it & rolled around & got in and out. We set up the room on Monday & she played & messed around exploring & seeing all her new stuff. We were going to make the move Monday but I had to work on Tuesday & I was afraid of a sleepless night. So instead we waited & let her spend the next few days just playing and feeling things out.

By Thursday she was ready! After our sippy & snuggle she picked up her blanket, said "night night" and climbed the stairs. She went right to her new room climbed on her bed and that was the last we heard of her. Friday night was much of the same. It was very bittersweet for me. My baby didn't need me! She wasn't a baby & she was just fine in her big monster filled room without her momma.

UNTIL...Saturday morning at 4:30am. When nothing but momma would calm her. She ended up in my bed because...well because I'm 8 damn months pregnant and effing tired. She went right down for her nap on Saturday & helped herself to bed Saturday night. So I think that was just a random bad morning.

It wasn't until Sunday that we heard the jangle of the door nob after bed. Both Sunday & Monday she climbed the steps all ready for her bed BUT she had no interest in staying in bed. Monday night was the worst as we must have put her back in that bed at least 20 times. I'd put her in, kiss & love you then leave. Most times I barely made it down the hall before Paul would say she was out already. I reminded myself every single time that it always worked on Nanny 911 & that woman is straight genius. Keep going. Keep trying. She will get sick of this game before I do. Over an hour later and she did.

My big girl is not so big & she does need her momma. I am optimistic that if we keep consistent & stick to the routine this will be a short lived transition phase. Who knows, maybe these last two nights were the fluke, not the first two. Only time will tell. Either way, shes stinking a-freaking-dorable in that toddler bed all snuggled in with her night night.

9 In 9 Out

Because I can't believe it's been over 9 months.

9 Month Letter

Dear Ry,
9 months. Just like every other month I can hardly believe it. I don't know why 9 months feels like such an accomplishment. Maybe because we are well out of newborn and heading full steam toward toddlerhood.

Just like every other month I am amazed at you. Your beauty, your joy, your curiosity, your intelligence.

This month has been huge for you! Here is what you've accomplished this month...
Going from laying down to sitting up
Crawling on your hands and knees
Pulling up to your knees followed very quickly by
Pulling up to your feet
Squatting and holding on to sit from standing. This is your newest and so much more graceful than your previous plop
Cruising to the right on anything you can hold on to.
Totally table food. No more purées
Clapping
So Big

As you can see little lady it's been a big month. Every time I turn around you've got something new going on. I can barely handle it. We've lowered your crib and I can't reach you for a good night kiss anymore. No lies girlfriend I cried that night.

Your first Christmas was a smashing success. You adored Santa, he apparently adored you too if our living room floor has anything to say about it.

We did our very first Christmas project and it turned out great. The grandparents loved them!

You've got some sass in you girl. I'm sure I will regret it later but I like it. When you don't like something or don't want to take another bite you set your jaw and ball both your fists in the air & shake them at us. Hilarious...for now. We've ducked and covered from flying sippy or two.

We decided to get rid of the bath seat & you just bathe in the tub. It's not with it. You are never

still. You just try to climb out of whatever contraption we put you in. So baby tubs are gone, anxiety is in. You love your little 3 inches of water and cavernous space to move.

Who knows what's going to happen this month. I can hardly stand it. We are getting the early planning of your birthday in. Well I am, daddy is just nodding. That's ok, a nod is all a girl needs. Minnie Mouse will rule the show with hot pink and zebra print. It's lavish but birthdays are a big deal. It's your first and it's our first too.

Good grief kid, you have been wonderful. These 9 months have been more than we could ever ask for. Everyday is new & fun, you keep things moving and I'm tired but its a tired that's wonderful. I wouldn't change a thing.

Love,
Momma & Da

Baby Let's Cruise

I was going to save it for the 9 month letter but it deserves it's own post.

The video quality is poor & it was taken a little over 2 weeks ago. Miss Ry was 8mo 2wks. She had only been crawling belly up for about 2 weeks when she started pulling up to her knees and quickly after her feet. For awhile we were anxiously supporting her waist sure she would topple instantly but she would push our hands away.

We first noticed that she had the skills to cruise in her crib. We had recently dropped the crib and the rails were now at the perfect height to go from knees to feet. She slowly side stepped the edges and made a full loop.

Figured we'd see how she did at the couch and the girl was off! There is no stopping her now. She's a speedy little thing too. She starts by the toys and makes her way around the couch & end table. When whatever is on the end table bores her she drops to her tush and crawls to the dining room table where she makes her way to each of the chairs. Sometimes she comes back, usually she just heads for the kitchen. We need gates.

Her only obstacle seems to be that she cannot go left. It's righty only. When she hits a wall or has nothing left to hold onto she looks around in bewilderment, as if trying to plan the next move. She tries to go left but always moves her right foot first and then ends up twisted. She's really in a pickle then and lets us know.

She's finally figured out how to pull up to the second book shelf, which is optimal cruising height. I guess they will be cleared off by tonight.

It's fun to watch her go but it's nerve wracking too. Everything is so hard and pointy. I get really nervous every time she tries something new but I don't want to stop her. So I hover.

Today I was watching her at the day care and it was so cool to finally be able to see her join the other kids. She's the youngest by a month and while she could always crawl it didn't seem to attract her much. There is only one other non walker in her room. Today she was playing with blocks and went over to a shelf, cruised up and around it & down the wall to get to the books. Where she plopped on her butt and started page flipping. It makes me feel so much better that she is able to get what she wants, rather than being reliant on someone to move her. In a room like hers it's important.

She likes her walker but more to play with right now. It moved a bit too fast for her so we added weight to slow it down. That seems to help until she sees the pretty lights or needs to answer the phone rattle.

I have to wonder if this level of excitement for her activities will continue her whole life for me. I'm not a crier but man these last 9 months have been intense!

8 Month Letter

Dear Riley,
You are 8 months old and an absolute joy. You are probably the happiest baby in the world. Nothing rattles your world, it's rare to ever hear you cry.

About 4 weeks ago you were playing with a toy and We heard some clicking noises. Turns out your two bottom teeth had decided to make an appearance. We had thought you were teething a few weeks prior but nothing had showed up and you were showing no symptoms. Those teeth are your little secret. You don't let anyone touch them and you wouldn't let anyone see them if you can help it. It's kind of funny to see people try and watch you close up shop.

You got your first booboo the other day. You got a brave and decided you didn't need to hold on to stand. You ate hardwood and got the tiniest of cuts on your upper lip. The dramatics that ensued afterwards were nothing short of comical. You grabbed your blanket and tried to shove half of it in your mouth, then put your head on your feet. You stayed head down for a solid 2 minutes when I guess you decided you were all better and tried to get up again.

You have my stubbornness but your fathers stealth and sneak. A terror of a combination. Your dad is away for work right now and I've "lost" you twice. I go to make your bottle or draw your bath and you see your window of opportunity. I'm not sure how you hide quite so quickly because you really don't move all that fast when being watched. The closet is your new fascination and you must find a way to get into it.

You and Sport the Dog are in a battle for dominance. After watching him hide behind the couch you've learned that you too fit back there. He is not impressed, you are. You love to look out the front door, so does he. He tries to take up all the space and not let you by but you're squirmy and resourceful, you get what you want. Eventually sport gives up and moves. You smack the floor in success.

You are still army crawling your way around the house. Yesterday you took two "steps" belly up crawling. Then you spent the rest of the day with a camera shoved in your face. I almost didn't take you to school today because of how close you are.

You've become a pro at getting on your knees to play with different toys and no longer need balance support for that. Just in the last week you mastered going from belly/back position to sitting up. It's adorable to watch you do it.

Food wise you are doing awesome. We switched you to 3rd foods a little over a week ago and you are doing great. We will probably do another week or so and then move you to table foods. You had diced chicken for the first time yesterday and I really thought it would be a test for you but it wasn't. You chewed away and did great! We are still pretty strict about what you eat as in no crap. Butter, cheese, salt, processed sugar are all things we are not offering for quite some time. Bad eating habits are something your father and I struggle with greatly and we'd like to help you make healthy decisions as much as possible. I'm not sure why most other adults in your life feels the need to feed you things you don't need but they do. It's amazing how many times we've had to say, "no the 7 month old doesn't need cake". Protein, veggie & fruits are really all you need right now & you love them so lets stick with it.

You talk and talk and talk. Favorite "words" right now are dada, do and woah. Your starting to put different sounds together and I love our conversations.

I don't know where the last 8 months have gone. As I say every month we couldn't possibly love you any more. The thought of you can still make me cry, your achievements could be Nobel Prizes for all the attention we give them. You just amaze us everyday !

Love
Yo momma!

6 Month Letter

Dear Riley,
Yesterday you turned 6 months old. I really can't believe it. Half a year. The most amazing 6 months of your momma & daddy's life. Everyday it's something new with you.

We haven't had your 6 month appointment yet but we guesstimate you around 18 pounds & 29 inches or so. We will see come Monday!

You are eating five 6oz bottles a day. You also have 4oz of big girl food for breakfast and dinner. You love your fruits and veggies. Favorite fruit right now is mango. We cannot get it in fast enough. Fav veggie is sweet potato. We always mix some fruit in with your veggies, sweet potato & peach and peas & pears are always a huge success.

You are in mostly 9 month clothes but are starting to transition into 12 month sleepers. You are so long your little toes are curling. We just bumped you up to size 4 diapers, you are well under their weight recommendation but again it's your height. I really hope you embrace those long legs of yours. Mommas been there, we can sympathize together when you grow out of the juniors section at 12yrs old.

You might be the happiest baby on the planet. All you do is smile and giggle. You really only get upset when you are overtired & even then some snuggles and a bottle and you're good to go. You love to talk to us and jab constantly. We have some very long conversations about your day.

Your newest feats are sitting up with very little wobbles & no support. You can roll & spin with the best of them. Just the other day you pulled yourself across the playmat on daddy's finger. You grab on push off with your toes & pull with your arms. You are dangerously close to the army crawl. It's frightening how fast you pick things up.

You give high fives, it's hilarious & fun. We practice all the time. We are currently working on clapping & waving. Although I'm not quite sure how to teach you to wave because your arm is always stretched out. We'll figure it out.

You have always been aware of Sport and Franklin but now you are on a mission to get to them. Franklin loves it because it's free love and you can't grab his short fur. Sport on the other hand is a playground of fur and you love it. He is not so impressed with the strength of your grip. Since Sport can be neurotic we don't let you play with him much now. Once we can teach you not to grab and how to be gentile you can have more access to him.

You sleep like a rock. Every night 7:30/8pm to 7am. We are currently going through a little phase where you wake around 4am but you go back to sleep on your own. I think you are just giving us a little reminder that you are there. Your naps have improved immensely & now you go for over an hour 2 or 3 times a day. You seem to be phasing out your early morning nap. At least at daycare. At home we still snuggle down around 8:30 and snooze.

You have always been an awesome little chick and I didn't really think it was possible for you to get any cooler but you seem to manage it. We cannot wait to see what the next month is going to bring for you.

Love,
Momma

Talk to me child!

For the last 2 mornings my sweet little fabulous 7:30pm to 7:00am night time sleeper has been up by 5:30. Yesterday it was more like 4:45. She's never been a good napper but we were put to the test yesterday with only 3 short naps. Since she was up so early it should have been 4 at the very least.

WHY?!

Are you teething? Are you sick? In pain? Hate your room? Need a fricking hug? WHAT?!

Let's look at each possibility...

Teeth. I see and feel nothing on those little pink gums. No excess drool. No excessive chewing. Happy as can be when awake. So possibly, I guess.

Sick. Well yeah, she's had a stuffy nose since July 8th. 2 days after starting daycare. So nothing she's not used to and honestly not nearly as bad as it has been in the past. Her cough is nearly gone. Again happy as can be when not in the crib.

Pain. If she is she has not given any signs or signals when awake.

Hate the room. I'm thinking it's likely. In the crib, she hollers. On the changing table, she hollers. It's a pretty room. I'm not sure what she would like different.

Needs a hug. Considering she shuts up and falls asleep nearly instantly when we pick her up this is also likely. It could be comforting for all the reasons listed above as well so maybe its something else.

I don't know! Talk to me kid. Point. Give me a sign. I want to make whatever it is better. Hopefully tonight will be a bit better. Maybe a tooth will break through and relieve the pressure. Maybe daycare will become germ free and you will instantly get rid of this darn cold. Maybe we will both learn to function on little sleep.

I'm not one to be messed with today & the daycare was supposed to give her breakfast at 8 and it looks like they just put her in the high chair. It's 9:15. She should be having a bottle now and going down for a nap. Why must they insist on messing with the system?! Now I need to make a phone call and I might just be a bit too tired to be polite. Considering I had to have this conversation twice last week with them. She's only there 3 days a week. Pull it the eff together!