riley vs billie

riley has discovered the cats. sometimes when i'm not looking, she grabs a chunk of fur--and immediately puts it in her mouth. ick. she and billie are bff's now, though, as billie is so ignored that she will take any scrap of attention, even if that means putting up with a baby kicking/pulling/abusing her.

luckily, riley has not taken on grover yet . . . that cat will not be as gentle as billie.

entry just for elee

what do you think about this for the back of the tags? it's simple, but i think it's pretty. and it's not white or cheesy.

family time

riley had company last week. karyl and kimmy (oops--now it's "i'm a junior in college, call me kimberly"!) visited. karyl is hiding behind riley here, but those are her hands. this was the first time that riley was not a grouch, and i was proud to prove that she does, in fact, smile and laugh--when she wants to. riley was actually showing off a little, being extra giggly and jumping around like a frog.

this weekend, riley will be meeting her cousins from matt's side of the family, including the family from new orleans. well, they're 2nd or 3rd cousins or twice removed or something like that. i can never figure it out.

next week, we're off to ohio for elee & jay's wedding. ten hours in the car . . . we'll keep you posted!

time with the grandparents

riley has been very lucky to spend some time with her grandparents recently! here she is with her porpor ellie, who visited from new hampshire for an entire week so that i didn't go crazy while matt was in san diego. this week her other grandparents, nana kathy & grandpa john, will be babysitting for the entire week as her daycare provider is on vacation.

she is going to be one spoiled baby by the end of july!

for elee's wedding

i've been a busy bee, but i'm trying to squeeze in some "bridesmaid duties" for elee--as she has been quite the bridesmaid/friend for me for many occasions.

(this is when i add, though, that if elee had not gone to my baby showers, then she would not have met jason on the bus on her way back to hoboken, nj)

here are some of the tag possibilities for her wedding favors. i made them pretty simple bc i want you (elee) to pick the general color scheme/shape first. i'll dress them up a little better, and then i'll send more pics! please vote! (i haven't done the reverse side yet, but i'm thinking of either "thank you" or printing out "elizabeth & jason/august 4, 2007")

pool time

we are now the kind of family that imposes on other people all the time. here we are after we invited ourselves to enjoy a friend's pool last weekend.


it was a fun day, and riley didn't hate it. the water may have been a little cold for her, but she did figure out how to splash.

my mistake

we worked on fine motor skills yesterday. i bought riley some toddler spoons so that she can practice feeding herself. here she is trying out carrots . . .

i struggle with allowing her to be independent (and messy!) and with my own need to CONTROL. i predict this will be a struggle between us for years to come. i don't think riley really has an issue with being independent, though. she is very good at expressing what she wants. she will scream, cry, growl, grunt, and reach for whatever it is that catches her fancy at that very second--usually a toy or a cat or the remote control.

by the way, it took me about an hour to clean up everything, and her clothes are permanently stained orange! oh, and she spit up orange all morning, too.

gross motor skills

this was taken in early june 2007.

riley loves standing (with a little help from her daddy here for balance mostly).

she's also working on crawling, but right now she sort of scoots and rolls, attempting usually to chase one of those cats or a favorite toy. you can't see her massive legs well here, but they are made for locomotion!

riley's accomplishments

here's the little bug in her high chair, getting ready for dinner.
as you can see, she's eager to eat. considering that this is the same baby who would not take a bottle for months, i am pleasantly surprised at how well she took to solids. she loves them all. for the first bite, she frowns at the spoon, but after that, she gobbles up anything in site--sweet potatoes, carrots, green beans, apples, peaches, prunes, turkey . . . the list goes on.

July 12, 2007

starting a blog . . .
i don't even know what a blog is, but here i am, attempting to start one.
talk about being a proud mommy. i'm attempting to share the world of riley with our family and friends . . . i hope i'm ready!

this is the little peanut that joined us december 28, 2006. she's 6 months old now! time has moved too quickly.