Snow and Santa

Riley got his first real taste (figuratively and literally!) of snow last weekend. If you are living in Utah, you're probably thinking...."We haven't had snow in a long time!" Yes, that's true. However, our house faces north so snow never melts.

Riley was getting antsy in the house and so we decided to go on a walk. Well, we never made it past the yard because he realized how much fun it is to walk in snow. He spent a good 30 minutes walking up the hill and down the hill. He thought it was especially funny to fall down in the snow. There are few things funnier than watching a toddler trying to stand up on a snowy, slippery hill!

And of course, you can't just look at and touch snow......you have to taste it. Yummy......two week old snow! He loved it though!!!

After a good half hour in the wind and snow, mean mommy decided it was time to go in which brought on a good tantrum and falling on the ground. So sad!

This week also brought Riley's second experience with Santa. He was a cute little 9 month old last time he saw Santa and so I just put him on Santa's lap and we took the picture. Great! Here he is last year.

This year, we saw Santa at baby-sitter Jody's house. She has this huge, wonderful play house in the backyard that she decorated with lights and decorations. Each kiddo waited his turn outside the house and then got to go in and tell Santa their wish and get a picture and candy cane.

Here is where the picture of Riley and Santa would have gone.

Where is it? Oh, it never happened. Riley was terrified of Santa! Screamed the instant I put him on Santa's lap. Would not look at him and clung to me as if his life depended on it. However, if you know Riley, you know that once the candy cane was offered he took that and was happy. He even gave Santa a high five at the end. No picture however because it was not going to happen!!! Maybe next year?!?!

Good grief!!!

I haven't posted a darn thing since August?!?!?! I'm a terrible mommy blogger. *hangs head in shame* I do not do well with uploading all of my sweet Riley pictures, let alone getting them onto my blog. However......I will do it! My toddler is growing up to be such a funny, smart, weird little guy. I vow to do better with this blogging business! I will get caught up and stay caught up!

Swim Time

I am a very lame mom. It is the end of August and summer is winding down and it is the first time I have put Riley in a pool. I hang my head in shame.

We found a shady spot outside this afternoon and filled up Ri's little pool. I figured he would love it since one of his favorite times of day is bathtime. He definitely needed a little coaxing and went back and forth between wanting to be in there and not wanting to be in there.

He ended up loving it and then ran and ran and ran around outside. He's napping and I wish I could too!!!

I've noticed vidoes from my phone end up looking choppy on this website, so I'm sorry about that. But hope you still enjoy!

Mommy's Faulty Thinking

What I thought, while in the living room cleaning, was "How nice. Riley is upstairs in his room. He is quiet. He is entertaining himself with toys. Lovely."

What I should have realized was, "It's too quiet. I don't hear any toys banging or Riley jabbering. Hmmmm....."

The result of my faulty thinking was about 100 wipes being pulled one by one out of the box and strewn all over the floor. It could have been a lot worse I guess!!!

Riley's New Love

Riley has his first crush. Whenever Flo from Progressive Insurance comes on the tv he stops what he is doing and just stares at her and smiles. He hears her voice first usually and then gets close to the tv and focuses on only her until the commercial is over. So, Riley....this pic's for you!!

Updates.....lots and lots of updates!!

Yes, it's been forever. Or, at least it seems that way. Riley has had a lot of happenings during July and the first part of August. He is almost 17 months now and enjoying the summer.

First, he was a reluctant ring bearer at his Aunt Linda's wedding. It was a simple but nice backyard wedding. Mom was a bridesmaid so Riley needed to go down the aisle with Grandma. He was dressed up and looked very handsome, but was not ready for the spotlight. He wanted nothing to do with it all and clung to grandma as they walked up the aisle. He also hid for pictures. He was much happier once he was back in play clothes and eating some food. He was also quite the flirt and loved mingling around girls of all ages!

Here's Ri and Mommy after the ceremony. He was itching to take off the church duds and get comfy! Here is Ri playing with great-grandma's cane. I don't know why, but he loves it! He loves her walker as well, but only had the cane today.


Here's the little monkey getting some food after the ceremony.

I forgot......before the wedding happened, Ri needed a haircut. I love Cookie Cutters and they do a great job! Each chair is some type of car and they have a tv at each station so the kids can watch a movie while they get their hair cut. Very cute. Riley, however, was not impressed. The first haircut was tragic and so was the second one. No amount of bubbles, Elmo, and mommy could make this a good experience for him. He was not impressed. He freaked out, but the wonderful girl cutting his hair just acted like it was nothing out of the ordinary. The parent that was next to us, however, gave me the nastiest look I think I've ever gotten. Her little 3 year old girl was sitting there just so quietly and getting her hair cut so her mom couldn't imagine why my 15 month old little guy would be having a hard time. Have someone holding her down in a chair and shave off her hair and see if she doesn't protest just a little. But we got through it and looked great for the wedding. Here's a before picture haircut shot and an after shot.

A few days after the wedding, we headed for Cheyenne to visit some family. I was dreading the drive, but he did ok. He was not thrilled by any means, but he kept it together. We did a tour of the McDonald's of southern Wyoming so Riley would have a good (and enclosed) place to stretch his little legs and play. He did ok until the last 2 hours and then it wasn't fun! I seriously considered crushing up a benedryl and mixing it into his sippy cup. But we made it! After 9 hours, we made it!!!

Here he is checking out a big gear toy at one of the many McD's we had to stop at.

We spent a few days just relaxing and visiting. There were older boy cousins there and Riley just adored them! He followed them and played and had a great time. Here he is playing with his cousin Joseph.

The drive back went better. Still very very long, but at least he napped this time!! On the way back, he also learned how to make silly faces. He was a hoot and will still do them. But he figured out what made mom and other family members laugh and he just kept it going.

Here's little man "reading" a book during the long drive.

Along with weddings and road trips, Riley is also getting more teeth, climbing up on furniture, trying to use a fork, saying about 5-7 words, and made another trip back to the doctor. More immunizations -- those are so sad!! He's 28 lbs and 32 inches. Yes, he is large and in charge!! I got a kick out of the visit because all of the pediatricians are now giving having parents fill out an autism screener. They don't tell you that's what it is, but being in the field I am, it was pretty obvious. And no, Riley doesn't have autism. He's a little slow with words which has worried me a lot, but everything else is good.

After all of that, he ended up with chicken pox! They gave Riley the vaccine, but it's still possible to get a mild case. He had lots and lots of little spots all over him and a fever which wiped him out for a few days, but he was back to his usual self soon.

So the summer of Riley continues to be busy and mostly happy. He is still going through his independent stage (which I guess lasts for the rest of his life). He doesn't want help with anything and certainly does not want mommy holding his hand while we are out. He enjoys throwing whatever is in his reach as a sign that he has been wronged. He looks you dead in the eye and throws the object closest to his little hand. Although I would gladly deal with these issues than what comes later in life (mainly the teen years). He can stay little and throw things for a long time to come as far as I'm concerned!!!

So, I think we are all caught up now! Whew! I've been trying to get photos from everyone in one place so that I can start being a good Utah mommy and scrapbook. However, it seems like a giant money and time sucker. Whatever happened to just finding a cute photo album and putting all of your pictures in that?? No muss, no fuss.

But, while I was going through old photos, I found this one from Riley's very first outing. He and I went to a park in Nashville. I was still on maternity leave and desperately needed to get out of the house. Riley slept through the whole thing, but it was the first time I attempted to take him out in the world by myself!!

Oh where, oh where did he go?

Where is my sweet little munchkin? He is still around at times but we are going through a "I am one and I can do everything myself and those that try to stand in my way are mean" phase. Hitting and a little bit of biting are going on when a certain little man is mad. How/where did he learn this? I know, I know, the teen months are rough for toddlers. But when did he come to think it was ok to try to bop mommy in the face and bite her hand when she tries to lead me somewhere???? We are sloooooowly learning that when mommy is holding you and you hit mom she puts you down. Ohhhhhhh, that brings about some major hissies. Little fists all clenched up, face is red, mad tears coming down the cheeks, screaming. What saves me is that it is often funny when the hissies show themselves, plus I know he's just learning the ways of the world. He does forgive me easily for the ways that I have "wronged him" and made it so hard to be Riley. He also gives very nice hugs to let me know that for the next few minutes he won't think I am the one who stands between him and fun!

Happy Father's Day

I hope all of the wonderful fathers/grandfathers/and dads-to-be had a wonderful day!

The Logic of Riley

Riley now has the wonderful toddler mentality of "If I don't see mommy, mommy doesn't see me." So......"If mommy says 'no' to something, just go to a place where you can't see mommy and then do it again." He does take it up a notch and peaks around the corner or wherever he has hidden to make sure that I haven't moved and that what he is doing is still a secret.

I was doing laundry today and had all of his items folded neatly in his basket. I was cleaning up after his bath and saw that he was trying to throw the clothes out of the basket. I told him "no" and he stopped. Then he drags the basket a little ways into his room and figures he is safe. But, just to make sure he peaks around the corner to make sure I'm not coming. Cute now, but my mind fast forwards to the coming years and I dread what he will try to be sneaky about in the future. Scary thoughts!!!

Also, we have made the discovery that our finger just so happens to fit right into our nostrils. Awesome!!!

Cement 1, Riley 0

Poor little guy has his first major ouch today!! Ri was outside at the sitter's house playing in a push car (think those big hard plastic red cars that are like the Flintstone's cars you push with your feet). Since he's little, he just likes to sit in it and hang out. Doesn't quite have the coordination to make it go anywhere yet. So, a big bad three year old decided to help him out a bit and give him a ride. The ride ended when the sidewalk did. The car flipped over and Riley went with it leaving a little skin behind on the cement. His wonderful sitter Jody pulled him from the wreckage and gave lots of hugs and kisses. Luckily, there was no blood and he still has all of his teeth!!! He's getting all 4 of his canines in at the moment and I would like to keep his others in his mouth as well. Anyway, the poor little dude has some nasty road rash but was tough. Although we stayed far away from that darn car the rest of the day, as reported by Jody. It is his first slightly major ouch, but I am sure it will not be the last!! That boy is fearless and all boy!! Just call him "Crash"

Fun Day of Playing

Riley had a full day today -- breakfast with Aunt Lauren, playing at home, nap #1, lunchtime, more playing, hitting up Barnes and Noble, nap #2, playing outside, dinner, trip to dad's house, bath and bed.

Breakfast was fun. He loves his Aunt Lauren and he loves to be out in public. He had a few naughty moments however -- mostly throwing food off the table, throwing the cup, throwing toys, throwing a menu.......hmm, there seems to be a theme.

Our trip to Barnes and Noble was an adventure. He is quite the runner when out in public, but loves his stroller, so I thought that if I put him in his stroller he would be ok with that. No, no. The boy wants to move. I let him out of the stroller and let him wander around a bit, but the store was crowded so I picked him up to put him back in the stroller and a fierce cry/yell/tantrum started. I happened to see a stuffed Elmo on the shelf and I gave him that. He loved it and started chewing on the eyes and drooling on it, which in babyland means you have claimed it as yours. Now, I questioned that move of mine after we had left the store. Was that bad parenting? Giving you child something so he doesn't make a scene in the middle of a store? Uh oh.....did I turn into THAT parent?!?!?!?

Well, after nap #2 there was lots of playing with Grandpa Sunday and Elmo (at least he actually likes it so it was a good buy). Here's a video of the two of them playing. Although, as I watched it back, I think Grandpa was the one playing. Riley was his captive audience. Oh -- and to my early childhood people -- notice that he is imitating actions, attending well, handing toys to adults and doing some great turn taking. YAY!! Although, so is Elmo. As I was watching the video on the blog it was a little jumpy. I took the video with my phone so maybe that messed with the quality. Anyways, it's a little long but cute.

After some playing indoors, we went outdoors. He was born to be outside! Unfortunately, the boy knows no fear and just takes off. I think we need to invest in that invisible fence thing. Does that work for toddlers??? Just curious.

Sappy Mommy Post

My little monkey has been asleep for a couple of hours now and I just checked on him to say my final good-night and love you. And I realize that I will never get tired of watching him sleep. His sweet little face is relaxed and peaceful and perfect. He already has bed head because he moves around in his sleep so much and he still looks small in his crib even at 14 months. He's so animated and busy during the day and there's just something about seeing him sound asleep that just turns me into a ball of mushy mommy. When he was little I would just hold him while he was sleeping and there was nothing better. Now I am trying to be a good mommy and do what all of the mommy books say and put him in his crib while he is awake and let him put himself to sleep. He has gotten quite good at this which is great but I do miss those naps when I just held him the entire time. My arms would get stiff or hurt and at times my back would lock up, but I didn't want to put him down for anything. Now that he falls asleep in his crib like a big boy, I just sit next to his crib and watch his little face. (And yes, sometimes I am the nerotic mommy and still check on him to make sure he is breathing!!! I haven't gotten over that fear yet.) He doesn't have a care in the world and totally trusts that in the morning mommy will be there to get him up and start a new day. I just hope that he decides to start his day a little later than 5am!!!!

You Found Us!!

Yay!! So glad you are here. Hopefully you will keep checking in on us from time to time. I need to upload some photos from the last little while to put up and plan to do that in the next couple of days.

And a late Happy Mother's Day to all of the great moms out there!

Mother's Day 2009

Riley is currently sleeping through the afternoon of Mother's Day 2009, but that is just fine with me as it was defininitely needed. And don't worry, he lets you know right away when he is awake. He will scream or shake the railing of his crib. When he is awake, he wants out!!

Riley has started some interesting behaviors lately. We now like to throw our food and sippy cup off the highchair tray and stare you in the eye as we do it. Words like "no" and "don't" and "stop" have absolutely no effect. Mommy just has to calmly take him out of the chair and tell him he is all done. He isn't bothered by that at all. I know he is testing us and becoming more independent so I am trying to not react to all of this aside from helping my sweet little boy learn "natural consequences." When toys are thrown over the gates at the stairs, they are just gone! When the juice cup is thrown off our tray it stays on the ground.

Occasionally all of this brings about a fit. We had our first public outburst last week at Best Buy. Ri wanted to get down so he could walk and he just took off. After trying to get him to walk with me, he had to be picked up again so we wouldn't just be running around aimlessly. This set off a major scream and cry fest. A little embarrassing, but not too bad. The best part was that as Ri started crying another baby about the same age as Ri and a couple aisles away started grunting back to him and they started going back and forth. Probably discussing the mean mommies that keep them from what they truly want to be doing. They were definitely commiserating with each other!! I guess we all need someone who feels our pain!

He is doing some things that don't involve screaming! He knows the signs for more and all done. He also says duck, cracker, dada, and round and round (says this so we will turn the fan on). Last week he also learned how to crawl down the stairs. And he continues to laugh, smile, and just be adorable so the little bouts of throwing objects and fits aren't so bad!

First Post

Hello everyone! I am in the process of learning how to work blogspot. Yes, I realize it isn't all that complicated, but I am just trying to get the hang of it so bear with me. I am hoping this becomes a good place for friends and family who are out-of-state to get updates on my little Riley.