new use for the carriage

here we are in the providence place mall. riley has decided that she would rather push the carriage instead of riding in it. this worked out well: matt spilled detergent in the storage compartment of the stroller, and riley pushed our packages around for us.

snow day

it snowed today. it tooks us about 15 minutes to get riley bundled up, and we spent about 10 minutes at the playground, but it was still great fun.

another new trick

today riley learned how to use a straw. she drank the entire cup of apple juice through the straw. now if only we could convince her to drink milk . . .

water world--testing out the new shoes

riley visited the children's museum last week, and because she FINALLY can walk and FINALLY has shoes that do not soak through immediately, she could FINALLY play in the water room! it was a big day for us.

big girl shoes

riley has two new pairs of shoes. the first are her uggs from cousin kimberly.

the other new pair is her bright white stride rites from nana and grandpa plante. she is still a little wobbly in the stride rites as she has never had a hard sole before, but she's learning quickly that she can be even more destructive with a protected foot.

she is a size 4.5 medium. she has been measured twice now, once at nordstroms and once at yorker shoes. actually, she was also measured at jc penney's. we'll see what size she is next week.

new-ish tricks

riley gets better and better at peek-a-boo every day. she now does it spontaneously and waits for us to play with her.

she's great at "slapping five." this is a special game she plays with her daddy.

she loves to clap--when she's happy, when music is playing, when she sees someone else clapping. she is figuring out that she makes noise when she claps, and she likes that!

tough week

riley and i are exhausted. matt was away in memphis at a conference this week, but now he's back, and boy have we saved up a list of things for him to do!

Game Day

the patriots are going to the superbowl. we've very excited over here.
(translation: matt is excited, riley doesn't know what football is but enjoys her well-worn patriots garb as featured in this photo, and i'm sad bc now we have to watch yet another football game)

cousin shari and good friends elee and jason may recognize their contributions to riley's wardrobe.

for the entire game, riley walked from room to room, falling and knocking over everything in her wake. it was tough to focus on the game, and i bet her daddy regrets his hours of encouraging riley to learn this new skill of walking!

walking!

yup, it's official: riley is upright and ambulating. she has an unsteady gait, but that doesn't stop her.
it's a whole new world of child-proofing now!

the month of parties

riley had TWO birthday parties this year--lucky duck.

the first was hosted by the wongs. they're good sports. this was for the family, and about 40 people came! riley's popo (with some help from the great aunts) made all the food, and voila--we had a party.

the second party was hosted by nana and grandpa plante, and this was the party for friends. there were seven kids and probably 20 adults, but this includes the infant madom twins, who didn't make a peep for two straight hours.

nana had lots of games planned, including hat-making and an obstacle course! riley was convinced to crawl through the tunnel with a little help from "dolly."

what great parties!

first steps

everyone keeps asking if riley is walking yet (and her father is the most impatient about this milestone), so i thought i'd better update. riley CAN take a few steps on her own. tonight she took SEVEN before she lunged into my arms. sadly, though, riley does not particularly like walking independently. she prefers holding onto someone's hand. she's faster this way. in fact, walking while holding onto one finger is now riley's favorite passtime.

i have not been able to catch on camera the precious steps, though, so i included another bathtime picture. i love riley's new hooded toddler bath towels! she can say "duck" now, by the way. it sounds like, "-uk."

sad day

aunt nancy passed away early this morning.
we were so lucky to have her in our lives. this is her at riley's birthday party.
aunt nancy survived years of dialysis and later a kidney transplant. she had countless infections. she never complained. in fact, she was more likely to worry about her family than herself.
aunt nancy was fun. she enjoyed foxwoods and playing games and social events. she was generous and kind.
we are so sad today. i'm so thankful that riley had her in her life.

ONE!

riley is one. i can't believe it.

today was her real birthday, and tomorrow will be her big family party. we'll have our friend party in a few weeks. essentially, it's the month of riley (as if it hasn't been the year of riley).

today we had cake and presents with nana and grandpa plante. riley is still a tiny bit fussy from the ear infection, but she's much more herself . . .

. . . except when i tried to put her in her party dress. this is the famed dress that cousin kelly gave riley last year BEFORE SHE WAS BORN. it has been featured in her holiday card. i love it. today, riley disagrees. she kept pulling at the dress and crying.

well, that problem was easily remedied. riley was stripped down to her birthday suit (how appropriate!), and then she had a great time opening presents.

later we put her in her pajamas so that she would be warmer while she had her cake. riley is a superstar when it comes to eating sweets. she finished the entire piece of cake.

next came the "sugar high" . . .

and the day ended, as does every day, with riley having a warm bath, milk, and then bed. you'll note in this tubbie time picture that riley's hair is sticking out on the left. that is from a mixture of frosting and ear drops.

First Christmas

riley was sick. she cried through the whole holiday. she has her first ear infection (and i assume it's the first of many). we won't forget her first christmas!