Napkins and Egg Nog and Jumping... Oh My!

Maybe this is just a particularly fun age, but I feel like I could write a novel about the funny things Riley does every day.

For example, he is learning how to "jump". So anytime you ask him to "jump", he will crouch down as low as he can possibly go and then stand straight up with flair. Not even a centimeter of air makes it under his feet, but he still claps and smiles like he is the best jumper that has ever lived.

Or yesterday, before we left the house for dinner, Daddy insisted that Riley pick up the toys he'd been playing with (numbered and colored little pieces you put together to make a full bug). After we returned from dinner and were hanging out in the family room, Riley spotted a bug's head under the couch. He picked it up, walked into his bedroom, retrieved the container the bugs were stored in, brought it to Casey to open for him, placed the bug's head in the container, put the lid back on and carried the container back to his room and put it in the exact spot on his bookshelf where it had been. Then he came back into the living room where Casey and I were sitting and started clapping.

Or last night, when Casey and I were drinking egg nog and Riley asked me for a sip of mine (I promise there was no alcohol in it). Thinking he would hate it, I consented. He took a sip, walked away, continued playing with his toys and then came back and said "Pees" (translation: "Please"). So I gave him more. He walked away, played some more, came back for "Mo Pees" and continued this cycle at least 5 times. I think I got about 2 sips of the egg nog.

Then there was dinner at Mario's last night when he decided to make even Emily Post proud. He found a napkin on the table, picked it up, and immediately dabbed at his face (apparently he was tired of having pizza sauce all over it). Every time he had a bite, he would repeat this process (obviously delighted at our response). Finally, his napkin was kind of grossing me out, so I got another from the napkin holder on our table and gave it to him. He immediately dabbed at his face then crumbled the napkin up in a ball and asked for another one. Repeat process after each bite. I think a whole tree sacrified its life for the sake of learning table manners.

Finally, there was yesterday morning just after Riley had woken up. After eating his typical first-thing-in-the-morning banana, he walked into the kitchen, positioned himself under the cabinet where we store the cereal and pointed. Casey picked each box of cereal out of the cabinet one by one, and Riley shook his head "no" for each. When we ran out of cereal boxes, Casey picked up the box of pancake mix. Riley immediately got excited and had a death grip on the box... pretty much until Casey safely returned from the grocery store after buying the eggs necessary to make the pancakes. Seriously, how many kids are lucky enough to have a daddy like that?

Time Flies!

I am not sure how so much time can pass so quickly. I guess that is life with an 18-month-old little boy. Yes, I said 18 months...

Here it is the first week of December. Christmas is only a few weeks away. I wish I could say that I have it all together - that the Christmas cards are done and sent, that the presents have all been purchased, that the decorations are up and that we are at home each night quietly enjoying the holiday season. But it is not to be.

Fall comes upon us so quickly. It seems like the pool just closed and we just returned from our week in Maine. Halloween crept in and we spent the weeks leading up to it getting excited for our trip to Florida and Riley's first "real" Halloween. The actual holiday weekend flew by between enjoying time with Casey's parents and spending quality time at the pool. We came back only to find ourselves counting the seconds until we left for Thanksgiving in Harbour Island, Bahamas. Thrown in there, we had a health scare with Winston that ended with a trip to the emergency room and much worrying and tears as we thought we were taking him there to put him to sleep, only to find that there was nothing seemingly wrong with him (except for a sensitive stomach and arthritis from his knee surgeries). Winston recovered in time for Wrigley to have a health scare of her own. Not as dramatic, but still, she didn't eat for days and didn't even want to play ball much, both bad signs for her. They both recovered in time for our Thanksgiving travels and spent time "recovering" at the home of their favorite friends. Harbour Island was as amazing as we'd imagined it to be, and the week was over before it even began. We were sad to return home, only to realize that it meant we would be in Chicago celebrating Christmas in the City and then with my family soon enough to make our return from our time with Casey's family tolerable. And then we return from Chicago only to turn around and head back to Florida a few days later to spend New Year's with Casey's parents.

Phew!!! No wonder why time flies. But all for good reason, and all with the many wonderful and amazing opportunities that we have been given. Thankful? Absolutely. Exhausted? Certainly. Would I change a thing (other than getting to spend more time with those people (and animals) that I care about so deeply)? Definitely not.

But still, I find myself wishing that I could turn back time.

So much to be thankful for...

We just returned from one of the best vacation destinations I have ever been to -- Harbour Island in the Bahamas. Unlike my vision of the Bahamas (cheesy tourist traps, parasailing and nightclubs), Harbour Island was anything but cheesy. It was quaint, the people were delightful, the pace of life was slow (the primary mode of transportation is the golf cart!!!), the beach was the most beautiful I have ever been to, and life was just plain good. I got to spend a whole lot of quality time with my two favorite people on this planet - Casey and Riley. It is rare for all 3 of us to get to spend so much time together, and it was by far the highlight of my year. Riley was healthy (thankfully he recovered from the horrible cold he'd had the week we left for our trip) and was so much fun. He loved playing with his cousins and being read to by his grandparents. He seemed so much older - running after the "big kids", dancing on the tile floor before dinner, wanting to touch and look at everything, insisting on "driving" the golf cart, becoming braver and braver each day as he went farther and farther into the ocean on his own, sitting through meal after meal without causing disturbances at restaurants, and charming everyone he met. All signs that he is growing up. It is bittersweet. I love his new-found independence, but I also miss the days where he needed us constantly.

The highlight of my trip is small. Didn't cost a dime, but is a memory that will forever be etched in my mind... my first kiss from my son. He has been blowing kisses at us for months, but this time when I asked him for a kiss, he kissed me on the lips. And it wasn't a mistake -- he has repeated it often since.

This small gesture meant more to me than almost anything I have experienced in my life. You see, for the past month or two, Riley has preferred Casey. To the point of crying when he had to come to me instead of hanging out with Casey. In his defense, I have been so busy this fall with coaching Girls on the Run, Junior League, serving on two committees at the Club, volunteering at Riley's school, and playing in a tennis league that frankly, I haven't been home nearly as much as I'd like. Kids pick up on this. Not to mention that Casey IS more fun. But still, it really hurt. There is nothing like coming home at 7 pm after a really long day and wanting nothing more than a smile and a few precious moments with your child and getting tears instead. Just awful, but I guess it's something that most working mothers who feel like they still have to "do everything for everyone and do it to their best ability" experience.

So these are the events that led up to our trip to Harbour Island. After a few days (maybe even just one), Riley would reach for my hand if he wanted help or if he was scared. And then he would reach for Casey's. Or sometimes in the opposite order. But either way, he wanted both of us. And to have me be the parent to get the first "real" kiss was the highlight not only of the trip, but of the entire fall.

Pictures of our time in Harbour Island will follow in a separate post. One of these days... when I get some time...

Table Manners

When I dropped off Riley at school this morning, I was told (and not for the first time) that Riley has "impeccable table manners". Funny considering he was put in a time out last night for throwing food on the floor (mean Daddy). Regardless, apparently he is very particular about keeping himself and his area clean while eating. I guess I can believe this -- after all, he is the same kid who does not like to have his hands dirty and who will shake them off or give them to you to brush off when he gets sand or dirt or some other offensive substance on them.

The episode leading up to this conversation with his teachers? They had left a bowl of Cheerios at the table for him to eat when he arrived. When he pulled out his chair to sit down, there was a stray Cheerio on the chair (no doubt left behind by the previous occupant of the chair). Riley saw it, picked it up, and instead of putting it in his mouth (which is what I was anticipating), he promptly walked over to the garbage can and deposited the Cheerio inside. He came back to his chair, sat down, and started eating his breakfast. All without blinking an eye.

Language Development

It is crazy, but all of a sudden, Riley's language development is taking off. Perhaps this was prompted by his teacher's proclamation that he "never talks at school". I think he took offense. Either way, here is the extent of his language skills on his 16-month birthday...

Words he says and seems to understand the meaning of every time:
- more (almost always accompanied by the sign for more)
- car (which sounds much more like "cah" - Boston accent???)
- door (although almost each time he says it, he actually says "door door door")
- pool (which represent any body of water, including pools, oceans, bathtubs, and the dirty tub of water that everyone washes the clay off of their shoes in after playing tennis)
- bird (pronounced "bir" while pointing at sky)
- turtle ("tur-to"; incidentally, his turtle is a wooden turtle that my grandfather on my dad's side contributed to the family Christmas grab bag one year and that I begged my dad to get for me; he loves to feed his turtle, give it drinks from his sippy cut, and pet it)
- Dada (not fair)
- flag (pronounced "dah", but I am certain this means flag because he screams it each and every time we pass a flag and points at the flag)
- hi (loves to say hi to everyone right now)
- shoe (pronounced "sh")
- book ("boo"; loves to pick up his books, say "boo", and then lead you over to the chair in his nursery where he likes to sit on your lap while you "read" the book; I use "read" loosely because most of the time you can only make it through 3 or 4 pages before he starts flipping to the end... and then the beginning... and then the end...)
- ball ("ba"; loves to throw (overhand, which apparently is impressive for his age) to Wrigley; will also crawl into extremely small spaces - under the stools in our kitchen, for example - to try to retrieve balls and will then cry when he can't get back out)
- thank you (this is one of my favorites; he actually uses it in context; he also likes to say it when he thinks you need to thank him - for example, when he finds a big tumbleweed of fur on the floor in our house and gives it to you)
- uh oh (used any time something hits the floor - mostly when he intentionally throws whatever the item is)
- bye (accompanied by a wave or kisses)

Words he can say if prompted:
- Mama (it is killing me that this is not on the first list!!!)
- up

Words he clearly understands but does not say:
- spin (when you say it, he will start grinning and then twirl in circles)
- dance (will start bopping up and down and marching)
- shake it (depending on the context, he will either shake whatever he's holding or dance)
- brush your teeth (no matter where you are in the house, and no matter if it's the right time of day or not, he will stop what he's doing, walk to the bathroom and climb up on his step stool)
- your chair (he will go sit in his green "Riley" chair)
- banana (the kid is like a monkey and will truly put almost the entire banana in his mouth at one time and eat the whole thing)
- kisses (will blow you a kiss - this is one of my favorite things!!!)
- put paci to bed (will pick his pacifier up off the floor and put it in his crib)

First Day of Second Year at "School"

Today marks the first day of Riley's second year at school. I still vividly remember dropping him off for the first day of school last year and bawling my eyes out. To the point that it was actually embarrassing (thank goodness Riley was too young to be embarrassed). I have to admit, last night I didn't sleep well. All I could think about was his "trial" days in his new classroom and how his current teachers reported that he cried and cried and cried when they left him with the new teachers. Fearing the worst, I expected the new teachers to be monsters. As it turns out, they are both really sweet and fairly quiet ladies (wow, I hope they can handle my little ball of non-stop energy). Still, all I could think about as I tried to fall asleep was "what if he doesn't like them", "what if he misses Ms. Tamilia and Ms. Niga", "what if they let him get off of his routine", "what if he is scared", "what if he misses his little friends that have moved to a different classroom", and on and on and on.

Sweet little Riley, it was like he could sense my apprehension this morning as we were getting ready for school. He was especially happy and goofy. He drank all his milk (which he rarely does in the mornings anymore). When we got in the car, he kept saying "pool" over and over and over (he learned this word over the weekend - most likely as a result of me being able to take two Fridays in a row off of work and spending most of that time with him at the pool) - I was so proud. Best of all, though, was when I turned around to look at him in the back seat. He was blowing me kisses as if to say, "I love you, Mommy. This is no big deal, so quit be neurotic." Incidentally, he had never blown kisses before the drive this morning.

Dropping him off in his new classroom was no big deal. He clung to my legs and cried for a few seconds when one of his new teachers came to get him, but recovered quite quickly after she put him at the table to eat his breakfast. The official report from his teachers: not one tear after that for the rest of the day. The official report from Mommy: a few tears were shed on the drive to work after leaving him in his new classroom.

So far, in the official tally of coping with the first day of school, the score is Riley 2, Mommy 0. I wonder if I will have perfected this by the first day of kindergarten?

Recollections

It is a lazy summer Sunday, and I just got done making homemade lasagna. For the record, I do not normally take the time to cook such a meal, but it is Riley's favorite, so I took advantage of having some extra time to make his week a good one (even with him eating two adult-sized servings each day, the lasagna should last us through Thursday).

As I sit here, Riley is napping, Casey is watching the PGA Championship and I am drinking a glass of wine while the lasagna bakes. Not two hours away, a friend of a friend is sitting in the hospital watching her son, who is about the same age as Riley, take his last breaths. He is dying of cancer. I don't know this friend of a friend, nor do I know her son, and in fact the first I've heard about his sad illness was today while I was standing in the check-out line at the grocery store, keeping tabs on what's going on in the lives of my friends via Facebook status posts. This, coupled with the discovery that a new acquaintance accidentally ran over and killed his 20 month old son a few years ago in his driveway, just makes tragedy and unfair circumstances all the more personal. It truly can happen to anyone, including us.

So now I have spent the better part of an hour trying to keep myself from crying over the fact that I was grumpier at Riley earlier this morning for having a meltdown at the pool because I wouldn't let him jump off the diving board (incidentally, after much deliberation, we celebrated as he took his very first plunge from a diving board into his daddy's arms at 14 months of age). Of course, life is not about guilt and we can't spend every minute of every day being sad about things, but this was a good reminder to slow down sometimes and embrace the small and seemingly insignificant things in life.

So, in celebration of Riley's first year, and in honor of all of the little people who may never get lucky enough to make it to their first or second or... birthday, I figured now is as good a time as any to recount some of my recollections from our first year with Riley.

My very favorite times when he was a baby were when Winston, Wrigley and I sat on the front porch waiting for Casey to come home from work for lunch. Riley would've been curled up sleeping on my chest for hours by this time, as I sat in the rocking chair and rocked while the four (well, really three) of us watched the world go by. Such calmness for all of us, the dogs particularly liking some time without a crying baby.

Our trip to Maine when he was seven weeks old is also a favorite memory. We were there for two weeks, although Casey wasn't there for the first. This is the time during which I realized that I was capable of being a good mother all on my own. Having Casey around is certainly more enjoyable for all of us, but that week alone with just Riley, Winston and Wrigley was an amazing experience, one for which I am extremely grateful. During the afternoon, while Winston and Wrigley were napping off their morning walk and swim, Riley and I would head down to the beach. He'd sit in his car seat and nap on the sand for hours while I read books that I thought I'd never have time to read again until he went away to college. A few of the days were chilly, and one of my favorite days on the beach I had to bundle Riley up in a sweater and pants to keep him warm enough. This was the day he figured out how to suck his thumb, and although I took a hundred photos of the occasion, the picture of him in his light blue hooded cable knit sweater sucking his thumb in his car seat on the beach with the ocean in the background is forever etched in my memory.

I remember dropping him off for his first day of "school" and thinking my heart would break. He was brave though, and instantly thought having other people around was great fun. Casey and I, on the other hand, had a hard time adjusting and found ourselves visiting him at school every day for over a week until we realized that Riley was better off if we didn't cramp his style (apparently even at 3 months he figured out that we are embarrassing).

He has always been a social, happy-go-lucky guy. He is constantly smiling, and he smiles in a way that lights up his whole face, like whatever or whomever he is smiling at is the most delightful thing he has ever seen. He already has a wry half smile that can charm pretty much anyone, but is especially adorable to the ladies. I am afraid to say that he already knows (and loves) all of the female lifeguards at the pool, and has never met a babysitter that he didn't immediately take to (good taste - they have all been uber smart Wake Forest girls).

I remember watching him figure out how to roll over, then sit, then crawl, then stand and now walk. He is a very contemplative little guy, and you can see him really thinking about what he's trying to master. For the most part, until he really felt comfortable with his ability to complete the task in an above-average way, he just didn't have any particular desire to do it. But now, in about two weeks time, he has gone from holding onto the back of his car to get around to taking his first unassisted steps to running to crawling up furniture to jumping on the bed to doing pull ups on the back of his high chair. When he is awake, he truly is constantly in motion. I couldn't love him more for that, although sometimes I think I should've become a mommy in my 20s because WOW is this exhausting sometimes!!!

I will be eternally grateful that Riley has always been a wonderful sleeper. I would like to think this is the one gift that I was able to give him in his early years. He was probably inclined to enjoy sleeping anyway, but we sure worked hard on learning how to sleep and getting on a schedule in those first seven weeks. It was great having a baby that would sleep through the night by the time I went back to work after maternity leave. Not sure I would've survived otherwise. His love of sleep is even more critical now that he is non-stop motion. When 7:30 p.m. rolls around, you can count on him being fully ready for bed, which is wonderful in that it gives Casey and I (and the dogs) a little time to relax and spend some quality time together. Thankfully, this is right around the time that the Red Sox play, and most nights we can be found on the front or back borch listening to the game on the radio (we are so old school, but it is an XM radio or a broadcast on the iTouch, so maybe that makes us somewhat less archaic???) and drinking a few beers.

The new delight is watching Riley experience the world. His favorite thing to do (besides running around) is to put at things and say "dah". We have figured out that "dah" typically means "flag" or "fan", but things being his favorites to look at. He has begun saying "tur to", which we have translated to "turtle" and "thank you". He says "ba", which I think means "ball" since he frantically looks around for Wrigley when he says it. There is "da da", which means both "Dad" and "Mom" and also that he wants to hand something to you (usually clumps of dog fur from the floor). "Uh oh" means either he has dropped something or is getting ready to chuck something as hard as he can. All these words just make me realize that he is starting to understand the things around him. He has always loved being outside (perhaps it is the constant walks we took him on when he was a baby - they could get him to stop crying in about 2 seconds flat - even in the freezing cold temperatures we had the first winter of his life). Even now, although he loves to be on the move, he will still sit in his stroller for at least an hour as we take our weekend walks to Starbucks and around Miller Park. Today all five of us went on a "hike" through Reynolda Gardens. Our neighbors gave us a Kelty backpack baby carrier when Riley was young and this was our first attempt to use it. With Riley strapped to my pack, we trudged around the woods looking at trees and sticks and streams and rain drops (our adventures always seem to include heavy downpours) and the dogs running after squirrels. He couldn't get enough of it and just looked around and around.

He is not perfect, obviously, and is already prone to having mini-tantrums when he does not get his way (what are we going to do during the terrible 2s???). And although frustrating at times, even the tantrums are important accomplishments because they mean he is becoming more and more independent and starting to discover the things he likes and does not like.

Every day is a new adventure, and with every passing day I swear he is at my favorite age. Watching him grow from a baby to a toddler is more amazing than I ever thought possible. And yet still, some of my very favorite times even now are when he wakes up in the middle of the night crying and won't stop until you pick him up out of his crib, let him sleep in your arms for a few minutes and then put him back in his bed to peacefully sleep the rest of the night away. These night-time wakings don't happen often and I have no doubt that he doesn't remember a second of this, and probably doesn't even know he does it, but it is good to know that even with all of his new found independence, every once in awhile there is nothing that he needs more than the loving arms of his mommy or daddy.

It has been a good year, and I am thankful for every second of it.

Excitement at Dinner

Tonight at dinner, Riley was pointing and grunting and generally getting agitated with us at dinnertime, which he often does when he is trying to ask us for something and we aren't understanding what it is that he needs. After passing him his cup, giving him some more food, turning his high chair away from all distractions, etc. he was really getting angry. The only thing left in the vicinity of where he was pointing was Casey and his fork. Using the very few deductive reasoning skills that I still possess, I grabbed Riley's "big boy" silver fork out of its place in the cabinet designated for our fancy stuff and handed it to him. Much to our delight (and his -- he looked at us like "finally!!!!"), not only did he immediately begin using his fork, but after a few tries, he actually used it correctly! And by correctly I mean that he stabbed the fork into his piece of pork tenderloin, brought the fork to his mouth and got the piece of meat off his fork and into his mouth all without using his hands (well, his hands were on the fork, but I think you know what I meant). Yes, this is a task that we adults take for granted, and yes, he has probably been doing this at "school" for months and we just didn't know it, but still, it was amazing to watch him do this and think about all that is required just to eat with an utensil.

P.S. Let it be noted that apparently eating green beans with a fork is not nearly as easy.

Updates (before I forget them)

I have been AWFUL about blogging. Can I use Riley as an excuse for this? Most of the time it comes down to choosing between spending more time with him or updating the blog, and Riley always wins. No contest.

But, I also do not want to forget a lot of these firsts/important events that seem to be happening with more and more frequency...

First tooth: We welcomed in the new year (Jan. 1, 2010) with Riley's first tooth. On the bottom, in the middle. The second bottom middle tooth arrived four days later.

First trip to Maine: July 2009 (two weeks); this was also the first time he put his feet in the water of the Atlantic Ocean

First Halloween: spent at Amelia Island visiting Casey's parents

First Thanksgiving: spent at Captiva Island, Florida with Casey's family

First Christmas: spent in Chicago with Kelly's family (included his first ever stay at the Drake and his first walk around the big city)

First Easter: spent at Amelia Island visiting Casey's parents and the Stirlings

First Birthday: spent in Chicago with Kelly's parents and the Kastels

Graduation to big boy car seat: 4.5 months

First noticed the dogs: 5 months (began petting them -- really, more like began pulling on their ears, jowels, and fur)

First enjoyed the dogs: 7 months (started laughing at Wrigley when she chased the ball)

First rolled over: on examination table at 4-month doctor's check-up (in response to seeing himself in the mirror and wanting to get there)

First sat up by himself: 6 months (was a bit wobbly and tipped over frequently until 7 months)

First got on hands and knees: 7 months

First laugh: at the FCC pool on the last day of the pool season (weekend after Labor Day 2009) in response to me saying "hi" over and over (followed shortly thereafter by giggles any time anyone made "ooh ooh ooh" monkey noises at him)

First started getting baths in real bathtub (instead of kitchen sink): 6 months (and LOVES them -- much splashing)

First rice cereal: shortly after his 4-month check-up

First "baby food": shortly after his 6-month check-up (sweet potatoes was the first experiment; as of now, at 8 months, he seems to love all fruits but no veggies

First "real" food: 9 months (pancakes sans the syrup, followed shortly thereafter by scrambled eggs)

First meal at a restaurant: cheese quesadilla at La Caretta

First time on the baby swing at the park: 8 months

First time going for a run with mommy and daddy in his stroller: 6 months

Graduation to big boy stroller: 5 months

Favorite toys: As a baby, it was "Lady", his ladybug. He could play with Lady for hours without boring of her. Now (8 months) that he has graduated to "real" toys, he loves his blocks, his plastic measuring spoons, his exersaucer (the "Pond") and bouncing entertainment seat, paper, books and Daddy's Rolex.

First time to enjoy the pool (and understand the concept of it): 5 months

Began to crawl ("army" style): 8 months

Began to crawl (normal): 8.5 months

Began to nap with consistency: 11 months

Began to pull himself up: 10.5 months

Began to "cruise": 11 months

Favorite things to do at 11 months: clap his hands; "Where's Riley"; riding on his emergency vehicle

First Skype: 10 months (with Aunt Jen)

Began Walking (while holding onto the back of his emergency vehicle): 11 months

First Unassisted Steps: 13 months (on our back porch)

Began Walking (unassisted, but still wobbly and still would prefer to hold onto something): 13.5 months

"Perfected" Walking: 14 months

Began bending over to pick things up while standing and NOT falling over while doing so: 14 months

Words at 14 months: "Da da" (used for both Casey and me), "Uh oh" (apparently appropriate both when dropping something by accident and when chucking something as hard as he can at the floor), "Dah" (I think this might be roughly equivalent to "that" -- he uses it when pointing at just about anything -- although his favorite things to point at still remain ceiling fans and flags). Honorable Mentions (in other words, he has supposedly said these things at daycare, but I am skeptical): "Kate" (name of girl in his class), "Thank You", "No"

Favorite Toys at 14 months: "his" drawer in the kitchen (tupperware and other plastic containers), emergency vehicle/Cozy Coupe/lawnmower/shopping cart (in other words, anything he can push), our dogs (as jungle gyms), wooden blocks, dog bowl (particularly if filled with water), buttons on oven (time to child proof the house!!!), ramp at the pool and steps (anything he can go up and down and up and down and up and down...), ball to throw for Wrigley

Personal Preferences

There have been times in Riley's life when he has preferred one of us over the other. Much to my sadness, Casey was the chosen one most of this summer. There is nothing more heartbreaking than having your child turn away and start crying when being passed off from Daddy to Mommy.

Luckily, like most phases, this is something they outgrow. Riley preferred me for the first six or so months of his life, and for the next six he was equally content with either of us. However, noting prepared us for his personal preference now. He has just learned to walk (long distances) on his own and has been really perfecting this skill for the past week or so. Well, last night we took him to the Dash game (minor league baseball in Winston-Salem) and while he was walking around (non-stop, I might add), unlike the last month, instead of clinging tightly to our hands, he actually swatted them away as if to say, "I'm a big boy now and don't need your help." And as much as it pains me to admit it, he's right.

Strollin'

Tonight Riley, the dogs and I had the pleasure of meeting up with a dear friend and her little girl for a walk. This was the first time we'd really gotten to see them and spend a few minutes together while not passing by each other on a race to get somewhere (they are neighbors) since her little girl was born at the beginning of June. Because such opportunities are rare, and because it is nearly impossible to find any time these days to enjoy a glass of wine and some stories with a good friend, we decided to combine the two activities. So around the neighborhood we went - two moms, two unruly dogs, two babies in their strollers, two plastic glasses and one large bottle of screw top wine. By some stroke of luck, both children fell asleep, both dogs cooperated and both moms got a chance to talk about nothing and everything all at the same time. How's that for multi-tasking?!?

All Grown Up

Today when I dropped Riley off at school, his whole class was out on the playground (trying to beat the heat of the day, I suspect). I took him outside to join his friends, set him down on his feet, and off he walked. Yes, walked. And directly to the slide - where he promptly started to climb up the slide (and by that I mean the part of the slide that you are supposed to actually slide on). He turned around to make sure I was watching his great feat and ever so quickly caught my eye, flashed me his big smile to show how proud of himself he was, and then just as quickly turned his attention back to the slide not even noticing as I walked away and left him to enjoy another day with his friends. The entire drive to work I couldn't help but think about how grown up he is in such a short time.

Chatterbox

Today as I was driving Riley to go watch Casey play tennis, he was chattering away in the backseat. As I often do, I had sort of tuned him out. I'm not sure how long it took, but at some point I realized there was something unusual about his chatter, so I started to pay attention. It was then that I realized that he was saying, "Ma ma ma ma ma ma ma" -- the first time he had ever uttered such words. Music to my ears. I know I probably eventually will, but at this point I can't imagine ever getting tired of him calling my name.

Today marks a very sad day on Elizabeth Avenue. Rest in peace, beautiful tree. We had some good times, and we are very sad to see you go.

Morning

There is nothing much funnier than Riley in the mornings. I can always tell what kind of day it's going to be by listening to the noises coming from his room. On "bad" days, he cries immediately upon waking up. This is about the only way we ever know when he is not feeling well for one reason or another.

On the rest of the days, he begins his morning by squealing with delight over whatever fun thing he is doing in his room. After about 15 minutes of "talking" I will hear what I just heard now -- "uh oh". This can mean only one thing: I will no doubt enter his room and find that his pacifier has been launched out of his bed.

The thing about "uh oh" is that he says it before whatever object has managed to "fall" has even left his hand.

I am certain of two things: (1) when I walk into his room to get him up and dressed, the first thing he will do is flash me a big smile and then he will point to the fallen pacifier and (2) for Riley at least, it is going to be a good day.

Sunday is Fun Day

The day started out quiet, with Riley sleeping in until nearly 9:00. Casey and I got a chance to drink some coffee and eat some breakfast without interruption. A nice change, although by around 7:30 we were slightly grumbling about the fact that he was STILL sleeping and we were ready to get the morning walk underway before it got horribly hot. I am sure there are some parents out there that would kill us for even thinking that our kid was sleeping too long...

While walking, we met a sweet family that is new to the neighborhood. They have young kids, a big dog, and just moved here from Boston, so naturally we liked them right away and had a lot to talk about. Even being from Boston, I still think they find Casey to be slightly over-the-top crazy about the Red Sox, especially after learning that he took some dirt from Fenway Park into the operating room when Riley was born.

By 10:30, we were at the pool, meeting up with some friends who (poor them) have a 22-month-old little girl (Khloe) and 3-month-old twin boys. Riley and the little girl are "friends" or as much as they can be since they are pretty much still only capable of playing near each other instead of with each other. Either way, it was fun watching them splash around together. Riley has become obsessed with crawling and walking up and down and up and down and up and down... the ramp leading into the pool. He is less concerned with actually swimming and getting wet than he is with mastering the skill of ramp climbing.

At one point during "pool break" (when no kids are allowed in the pool), Riley's new love interest (Emily, the 6-year-old daughter of some other friends) decided to entertain Riley and Khloe. I have never seen anything as cute as watching the three of them walk around the outside of the pool together -- Emily in the middle holding onto one of Khloe's hands and one of Riley's hands. I am hardly ever without camera, but this is one of those moments I wasn't able to capture and will forever wish I had. Fortunately, something tells me there will be a "next time".

After both our fun at the pool and nap time (almost 3 hours!!!), it was time to head to The Big Chill, an all-you-can-eat ice cream charity event in the West End. Just as we were piling into the car, a large storm cloud came into view. By the end of the 3 minute car ride to our destination, it looked a bit dicey. But we were meeting some friends who were there with their 6 week old, so we figured we could brave the elements if they were. Literally just about the second we stepped out of the car, the skies opened up and we were standing in a torrential downpour. After about 10 seconds, we decided to get back into the car. A few minutes later, the rain slowed down to a tolerable level and we decided to try to find our friends. We quickly found them, but within minutes (a minute???), the skies opened up again. There was no escaping the rain this time (although we tried our best at first to hide under a large tree), and Riley was fascinated by the rain, so Casey decided to leave the slight cover provided by the tree and take Riley to explore in the storm. After about 2 minutes, I decided that they looked like they were having a big time, and not wanting to miss out, I left the tree and joined them. Fifteen minutes later, we were still stomping in puddles and generally enjoying being soaking wet and not having a care in the world. It was one of those opportunities to throw "rules" and caution aside that rarely come along, and I am so glad Casey and Riley were there to encourage us to take advantage of the situation and make it into my absolute favorite memory of the weekend. We eventually came back to our senses and realized that we would probably all be sick before too long if we stayed in the wet clothes. It is amazing what a good soaking will do to cool you off in a hurry, even when it is still horribly hot outside. It was the kind of chill that inspires you to put on sweatpants and long sleeves during the middle of July in North Carolina and we loved every second of it.

(Riley post rain storm)

P.S. If being mom to a little boy means that I get to play in puddles, sign me up for a few more!!!

Riley's 1st Haircut

After enough comments from friends and family about Riley's mullet, and Casey realizing that his hairstyle made him look like Terry Bradshaw (it really did!!!), we made the decision to take him for his first haircut. It seems silly to take a kid in to get a haircut when he really doesn't have much hair to speak of, but unfortunately for Riley, the hair he DOES have is mostly on the back of his head and it was, in fact, getting pretty long.

So, after much soul searching, Riley and I made our way to Mt. Tabor Barber Shop (a staple in Winston-Salem and also the place that at which Casey has been getting his hair cut since law school) this morning. He was absolutely perfect, and both the guy who cut his hair and I felt that he didn't really know that anything was going on. I suspect this is mostly because there was a ceiling fan, a tv and a cute little girl in the room, all of which he watched intently.

Here are a few photos from the big event.



By the way, this haircut, which took no more than 2 minutes to complete in its entirety, cost $13. And Casey says the charge for MY haircut is outrageous...

Sneak Peek - 1 Year Photos

Go to http://victorialeighphotoblog.com/blog/ to see a few pictures from Riley's one-year photo shoot at Old Salem that were uploaded today. You have to scroll down a little bit.

For anyone in need of a photographer, Vickie is wonderful!!!

Notice Anything Different About Me?

That's right, I'm a big boy now! I get to face forward in the car. Yay (clap clap clap)!!!!

Summer Flowers

I know this is totally unrelated to Riley, but since they make me happy and are technically relevant to the Otis Family, thought I'd post a photo of our hydrangeas. I wish they were always in season. Totally remind me of my wedding flowers and the gorgeous hydrangeas all over Nantucket where we spent our honeymoon. Would kill for a trip to Nantucket right about now...

A Day at the Park

Riley loves the park. The baby swing used to be his favorite, but now he thinks he is way too cool for that and prefers the tunnels. He especially likes to look out of the holes.

Poor guy, you will notice in this photo that his forehead is a favorite spot for mosquitos.

Giggle giggle

Not quite sure how it started or why it happened, but for the past two nights as I've been sitting with Riley while he drinks his bedtime sippy cup full of milk, he has just started giggling. It, of course, makes me giggle, which makes him giggle more. 10 minutes later we are both out of breath from laughing over absolutely nothing. Has got to be one of my favorite things he's done to date.

P.S. According to his teachers, he took his first step today.

So Big

Today when I picked Riley up from school, there were a bunch of teachers and kids in the lobby when I arrived. I saw Riley's teachers, but glanced around and only saw older kids and found myself wondering where Riley was. I walked all the way through the lobby and started to walk down the hall to Riley's classroom before I realized that he WAS one of those older kids.

To people with older children, he still no doubt looks like a baby. But to us, he looks like anything but.

Goofball

When I used to come home from work, Casey would have Riley in his highchair right in front of the back door so that Riley and the dogs would be the first thing I'd see when I got out of my car. The dogs would wag their tails, Riley would start wiggling and smiling and flailing his arms and legs. I thought that was comical.

But now, instead of Riley greeting me from his highchair, he is now standing at the back door. And instead of smiling and flailing his arms and legs in excitement, he now pounds on the glass with his hands and puts his mouth on the glass and licks it. The dogs are right next to him trying to knock him out of the way

I'm not sure which method of greeting I prefer, but either way, what a welcome sight after a long day.

A Year of Laundry

It occurred to me today during the 45 minutes I spent working on stain removal from ONE LOAD of Riley's laundry that even with laundry, you can see progress. Not just the size of the clothes, but in the messes that you try to get out of them. When Riley was first born, I had to scrub to get out spit up and the byproducts of diaper mismanagement. Later it was pureed fruits and vegetables. Then there was a particularly ugly vomiting episode during the winter when poor Riley was sick, we were too dumb to realize it, and were treking him all over town from one errand to the next until he could take it no longer and projectile vomited all over himself, his clothes and his car seat for about 30 seconds straight (image that mess -- made even better because he'd just had strawberries). And now I find myself trying to get out dirt stains on the knees of his pants, blood from a fall while trying to master standing and walking on his own, cranberry juice dribbled down the front of his shirt (sippy cups are not fool proof) and caked on eggs/melted cheese/puffs that have turned to mush/whatever.

I was getting so hopeful thinking about stain-free laundry days ahead when Riley is no longer crawling, has mastered the art of walking, can drink from a sippy cup without incident, and eats without throwing his food. And then I realized that the reason this particular load of laundry was taking so long was that not only did it contain Riley's messy clothes, but it also included Casey's. As Riley says, "Uh oh."

The Evolution of the Chair Dismount

It never really occurred to me that a chair could be a measure of one's physical accomplishments until this morning. Riley perfectly executed a dismount from his "Riley" chair. Just a few months ago, when I put him in his chair for the first time, he tried to get out of the chair by diving head first towards the floor (thankfully, I had anticipated this and was there to catch him). Today, after he finished (or more like became disinterested in) his morning bottle, he turned himself around and climbed out of the chair feet first. I was amazed that he figured out how to do this himself. We had assumed he was not capable of it and have been lining the floor at the foot of his chairs with pillows to prevent him from hurting himself when he fell. The things he teaches us...

Riley's New Skill

MELTDOWNS...

Not my favorite phase, but it sure is funny to watch his face get bright red and hear him scream at the top of his lungs over us trying to feed him such horrible things as pork tenderloin and hotdogs. Apparently he is more of a chicken with a side of rice kind of guy.

All I Want for My Birthday Are My Two Front Teeth...

... and I got them!!!! No longer will my Granny Annie be able to call me "Fang". Mommy is so relieved -- she was so very concerned about how I would look in my birthday photos if my teeth were still missing.

Funny thing, as soon as I got my front teeth, I tried very hard to knock them out. Mommy got a call from my school today saying that she needed to come in to see me because I'd fallen and my mouth would not stop bleeding. Not to worry, by the time she made it to my school, the bleeding had stopped and I was happily sucking on a grape popsicle (little do they know this was all a part of my plan). To be honest though, it was nice to see my mommy during the middle of a school day. I was feeling a little vulnerable and needy, and was very content to rest my head on her shoulder and rock in the rocking chair until I felt better. I actually felt like nodding off until I noticed that the rest of my classmates were getting ready to eat lunch. I am not one to miss a meal, especially a yummy ham sandwich on a biscuit!!!, so I wriggled out of my mom's arms and promptly walked over to the big kid's lunch table and stood there leaning against it until they decided they could risk feeding me "real" food instead of that ridiculous baby food they were talking about feeding me because of my "incident". Don't they know that I am WAY too old for baby food?!?!

Holy Cow!

Today Riley amazed us with his eating abilities. How one 11-month-old kid can eat an ENTIRE chicken breast is beyond me. And not only did he eat it, he ate it with gusto moaning the entire 20 or so minutes it took him to polish it off. I'm going to take a wild guess and say that Parmesan Chicken is his new favorite meal.

Strange Day

Unfortunately, this has not been one of my better days. This morning I received a call from my mom letting me know that my dad had been taken by ambulance and hospitalized for what appeared to be heart attack symptoms. It has now been about 10 hours since I received that phone call, and we still do not know exactly what is wrong with my dad.

I have spent the better part of the day contemplating the fact that if a few things had had different results, I very easily could've lost my dad today, and it is a horrible thing to think about. I am not ready for that. I want Riley to know my parents, and I want them to know him. I want Riley to know the amazing people they are, and how much they mean to me, and how they would do absolutely anything for us. I think my dad will probably be fine, but still, it just makes me think that I do not get to see my family nearly enough and wish that were different. With the hustle and bustle of daily life, it seems that I never find the time to pick up the phone and call them, and I don't think I have even been home in 2 years. So today's lesson is to remember to take a few minutes every so often to tell the people that we love how important to us and how much we love them. You just never know if you'll get the chance to do it tomorrow.

I hope that Riley will spend many years with my parents. But for now, I am just grateful for the fact that oftentimes when I look at Riley, I see my dad. I don't know if it's his goofy personality, or his blond hair (like me, my dad used to be blond before age made his hair turn dark), or his smile, or what, but one thing I do know is that being like my dad is not a bad thing at all.

Not Keen on Change

This morning when I dropped Riley off at school and we arrived in his classroom, we found that Ms. Tamilia (one of his teachers) had changed her hairstyle. Normally, it is a struggle for me to keep him in my grasp long enough to wash his hands -- he is trying so hard to get to Ms. Tamilia. Well, not today. Instead of smiling and reaching for her, he just stared and stared and stared. Apparently he didn't warm up to her until after lunch. I guess he has preferences already. I wonder how long this hairstyle will last.

Shopping Companion

Today I realized that Riley is my best shopping companion. We went to the mall today because I realized I really don't have anything stylish that fits anymore. Riley had such a good time. We touched fabrics and looked at patterns. We tried things on. And, I swear this is true, at one point I tried on a dress that looked absolutely hideous on me and he started crying. Maybe he was tired, after all I looked at my watch and we had been at the mall for over two HOURS, but I like to think that he just has good taste (and also knows when something does not live up to standards of decency). Either way, that dress went back to the rack and I purchased the one that made him smile and clap his hands when I tried it on.

Sunny Days

Today I was amazed by Riley's attention span. It was a gorgeously sunny day, so Riley and I decided to go watch Casey play tennis. The match ended up lasting around 2 hours. For someone who wants nothing more than to be in motion these days, you would think being confined to a small space watching tennis for that long would be pretty awful. Instead, he enjoyed watching his daddy while he played with his trucks.

On that note, I have found myself pondering a number of times recently the fact that it does appear that boys love trucks and cars without any sort of prompting from us. Maybe he sees the other kids at school playing with cars, but we really had never given him cars to play with until he started "driving" other things -- i.e. coasters, books, lids, whatever -- around our house). I wonder why that is.

The other fun thing that we did today was an unexpected treat. We were actually supposed to attend "Woofstock", which was a dog-friendly version of Woodstock (meaning, "bring your dogs and come drink and listen to live music"). However, by the time we had finished our errands and Riley woke up from his nap, we only had about 2 hours before his bedtime. So, we ended up meeting my friend Amanda and her almost 2-year-old son, Clete, at the park near our house. It was so much fun watching the boys "play" together. Neither of them was terribly keen on sharing, but it was still fun to watch them interact anyway. It was also neat to see how much different a year makes -- although Riley seems so old to me right now, next to Clete, he still seemed young. Clete, on the other hand, seemed like a little man. I wonder if I'll think that about Riley next year at this time.

Friday Nights

Friday nights may be one of my favorite parts of the week. They signal the beginning of the weekend, and the beginning of a few days where we can all relax and be together. Since its opening about 2 months ago, we have spent almost every Friday night at Mario's, an Italian/pizza place just down the street from our house.

Each week Riley amazes me -- this time it was because he was able to sit still in his high chair without having a meltdown of any sort for the entire 45 minutes or so that we were there. I think that probably had something to do with the fact that he ate pizza (with mushrooms and sausage) for the very first time. I think he could've done without the pizza itself, but he ate the sausage with gusto.

Morning Routine

Our normal morning routine since I went back to work has been to let Riley wake up on his own schedule. He usually talks to himself for awhile and plays with his toys (which I know because one of the toys in his crib is a blue dog with a bell inside of it that I can hear him shaking). Eventually, he gets bored and lets us know that it's time to come get him. Casey and I usually fight to be the first one into his room. The loser has to make his bottle, and the winner has to get him changed from school. All five of us hang out while he drinks his bottle, and then we put him back in his crib to play while Casey and I get ready for work. Usually Riley is crying by the time we are done getting ready. Well, the last few days the routine has changed. Now, when I come downstairs after my shower, he is standing in his crib facing the window and pointing at and talking to whatever it is that happens to catch his eye. A nice change.

Out of the Corner of My Eye

Tonight, while I was playing tennis, I caught a glimpse of a man arriving at the courts with his little boy. It wasn't until the point ended that I realized that it was Riley and Casey. Out of the corner of my eye, Riley seemed like a little boy and not a baby. It was at this point that I realized that to perfect strangers, he probably IS a little boy and not a baby. We don't really notice it because we see him grow up a little more each day.

This may say a little bit about my tennis, but all of the highlights of my match were related to watching Riley and Casey. They played with a truck. Casey ran around like a maniac while flailing Riley to his uttermost delight. A man that we do not know wanted to play "Guess the Baby's Age" and guessed Riley at 14 months -- which made us proud because the man thought he was very advanced for his age. Riley came up to the fence that separated my court from them, and hung on while he ate it (the fence). He smiled any time I came close, and flirted with my partner.

Casey also claims that Riley is going to be the class clown. He says he enjoys making people laugh and smile. According to Casey, this became apparent while he was feeding Riley his dinner. Apparently, with a big serving of pureed apples in his mouth, he found it a great time to make "motorboat" noises. Food splatter went everywhere. Upon hearing this story, I lectured Casey on not laughing at such incidents because they will encourage such behavior. And then I thought two things: first, it IS funny and second, every once in awhile isn't it just fun to delight in making people laugh, even if it means all manners have gone out the window????

Ch-ch-ch-changes

This is a small one, but still, it amazes me (and has been amazing me for about 2 months now) that Riley has gone from a little baby laying on his changing table during diaper and clothing changes, to a little guy who won't lay still for more than 10 seconds, wants to sit up almost immediately, and helps me get him dressed. Instead of having to put each little arm and leg into the shirt or pants, now I just put his arm or leg somewhere in the vicinity of where I need it to go and he miraculously does the rest for me. He almost changes himself. Just wait until he starts choosing his outfits...

Dear Riley

Dear Riley,

Today marks the day that Daddy comes home from his trip -- the longest he has ever been away from any of us since you were 7 weeks old and didn't know the difference. I just want to thank you for these five days of letting me get to know you all by myself. We all missed Daddy terribly, but it was so fun being able to share this extra special time with you and Winston and Wrigley. The thing that strikes me most as I reflect on our last five days is that I can't remember one single time that you cried or had a melt down or even seemed the slightest bit out of sorts. You slept well, you ate well, you smiled a lot. You giggled, you clapped, you danced, you talked, you walked, you reached for ME when you needed someone to make it better when you stumbled. You were truly delightful. It is like you sensed that Daddy was gone and you needed to be on your best behavior to help Mommy survive the week.

Not only did I survive the week, but I actually enjoyed it so much that I got a little (OK, a lot) sad when I dropped you off at school this morning. You are turning into such a big boy right in front of my eyes, and I couldn't ask for a sweeter, more lovable little guy. I like to think Daddy and I have something to do with that, but I think you would be special no matter what.

So thank you for being you, and for giving me these five days to see you shine when there was only me in your world.

Love,
Mom

A Morning Person

Today Riley amazed me when he talked to himself and played in his crib for almost 45 minutes before he thought to let me know that he wanted to have some company. He amazed me even more when I opened the door to his room to find him standing in his crib, holding onto the side, waiting patiently for me. Another first.

Later in the morning, he amazed me when he pointed to Winston and said what truly sounded like "dah", which I interpreted to mean "dog".

And, as usual, my heart almost melted when I turned around in the car to look at him and he just giggled, as if seeing me was the most delightful part of his morning.

Mother's Day Delights

Today Riley amazed me by just being his happy-go-lucky, easygoing self. Casey was out of town -- at Yosemite with his parents and sisters celebrating his dad's 70th anniversary by going on a whitewater rafting expedition -- and this was my very first Mother's Day together with Riley. Along with Winston and Wrigley, we had such an amazing day. It started with the four of us taking our weekend walk to Starbucks (although on a delayed schedule because Riley slept in until 8:15). Then a trip to Miller Park to play ball. Then Winston and Wrigley stayed home to rest while Riley and I had a normal weekend excursion to Costco. We came home and Riley took a 2-1/2 hour nap, which would've been heavenly except that about 1 hour of it conflicted with the baseball game we were supposed to be at. I actually had to wake the little guy up so that we didn't miss the whole game. We ventured to the new baseball stadium in town to watch the Winston-Salem Dash play a Red Sox farm team (we were conflicted on who to cheer for). Riley loved the game, although little of it had to do with the actual baseball. He loved all of the people, and particularly enjoyed the music. We started the game with me having to flap his arms and bop him all around. We ended the game with him "dancing" all by himself. So much fun to watch!!! After the game, we came home, only to be stopped by our neighbors across the street. It turns out that sweet Casey had left some Mother's Day cards and gifts with them to deliver to me since he was not going to be here with us (it is no wonder that I love him so much). After opening the gifts (which were new charms for my bracelet), Riley, Winston, Wrigley and I went back outside to play in the yard. Turns out that Riley was ready to walk -- with one hand holding onto his emergency vehicle and the other hand holding one of mine, we walked (with Winston and Wrigley surrounding us for "protection") all the way from our driveway to the house 3 doors down.

Now that is what I call a GREAT 1st Mother's Day!!!

Off to the Races

The Steeplechase returned to Winston-Salem this year, and Riley and I (along with several friends) decided to venture out to watch. Dressed in our finest, with big hats and all, we made our way to Tanglewood Park to watch the horse (and terrier races). Riley slept some, ate some and watched some, and all in all seemed to have a great time. It amazed me the most to watch him see the bagpipers and the horses and just point at them. He can't say much, but that pointing lets me know that he is watching and is interested. It is amazing to see the world through a child's eyes -- everything being so new, taking nothing for granted. Makes you wish you never lost that kind of vision.

Our lives are about to change forever

There is nothing more amazing than seeing your child develop in front of your eyes. At this age, it seems like Riley does something new and incredible every day. In the past week or so, he has started pulling himself up to a standing position and ever so slightly "walking" while holding onto furntiture for dear life. I just know that our lives are going to get chaotic here before too long. For now, I just cannot get enough of standing about 10 feet behind him and seeing his chubby little legs, and diapered little backside, wobbling and testing their limits.

Short on Words

Tonight, Riley accompanied me to a parent committee meeting at his school. I have always known him to have tendencies as a flirt, but tonight I got to really see him in full effect. He'd look at one of the other moms in the room and grin, then turn away and bury his face in my shoulder, then turn back and grin again, this time with his head tipped to the side.

Like father, like son. I'm in trouble.

Evening Stroll

Casey left today for a long weekend away to celebrate his dad's 70th birthday with his family. They are going on a white water rafting expedition in/near Yosemite, which is why Riley and I are staying behind (much to our disappointment).

So I am playing the role of a single mom for the next 5 days (Lord help me!!!). I left work early to take Winston to the vet (double ear infection/seasonal allergies) and then picked Riley up from school. For the record, picking up Riley from school is normally Casey's thing (which they both love). I was afraid that this change in routine would cramp his style. However, when I found him playing on a little rocking horse on the playground and he saw me standing there, he just grinned and reached his arms out to me. Makes a mommy's heart melt.

After dinner, Riley, the dogs and I went on our nightly walk to the park. It is not the same without Casey here, but we still had fun regardless. Riley fell asleep on the walk home, and it still amazes me how peaceful he looks when he is sleeping. I just sat and watched him for a few minutes before I took him out of the stroller and started the bedtime routine.

Now I sit here, sipping a glass of wine, hanging out with Winston and Wrigley, and reflecting on what a relaxing evening this has turned out to be. A year ago I would've been huffing and puffing on the walk, slugging massive amounts of water, eating my face off, laying in the bed uncomfortably, stressing about to-do lists that would never be finished in time, and counting the seconds until I could see Riley. I still count the seconds until I can see Riley, but at least now I know that I can peek in on him sound asleep in his crib if I really just can't wait until morning. A year ago, I just had to be satisfied with kicks to the ribs in the middle of the night.

Smiles

How is that after almost an entire year, I am still amazed at how much Riley's smiles brighten my day. Every morning as I'm backing out of the driveway to take him to daycare, dreading another day at work, I catch his eye in "Panda" (his mirror) and he just grins and starts giggling and kicking his feet. Absolute BEST way to start a morning.

Civilized Morning

As the days get longer, and the morning light comes through our bedroom window sooner, I find myself able to get out of bed a little earlier and easier. This morning it was about 6:45 when I got out of bed. Riley was still sleeping, so I figured I'd attempt to have a civilized morning. I put on a pot of coffee and waited for it while I made up Riley's bottles for the day (as an aside, this month is the last month of both formula and bottles -- he graduates to milk and sippy cups on his 1st birthday at the request of his teachers). He was still asleep when the coffee was ready, so I poured myself a cup and sat down to watch a little of the Today Show (which I never get to do because we do not allow Riley to watch TV yet). I enjoyed about 10 minutes of this before Riley woke up. After he'd been changed, I set him down in his little "Riley" chair and gave him his bottle, which he drank while I folded laundry and finished my cup of coffee. I know this doesn't sound like much, but I felt like I had everything under control this morning, which doesn't happen often.

The reason this was such an usual situation is that before Friday, we did not realize that Riley was capable of drinking the bottle by himself. I'm not even sure how the topic came up, but somehow I discovered that Riley was drinking unassisted at school. Upon further questioning, I was told that not only was he drinking by himself, but that he had been doing it for over TWO MONTHS!!!!!!!!!! Little guy has totally been scamming us, acting like he needed help drinking his bottle. I'm not sure how an 11-month-old (or really a 9-month-old since it's been happening for a few months) can outsmart both of his parents, but sure enough, upon giving him the bottle and stepping away so that he knew I would not be cradling him in my arms and feeding it to him, he drank away (incidentally, it was SO cute!!!!).

I was proud, not only of the fact that he can feed himself, but truthfully for knowing that either (a) he is smarter than we give him credit for or (b) still preferred to have that special time with mommy and daddy even though he knew how to drink on his own.

I was also a bit embarrassed that we had been conned for so long.

Either way, I wonder if these "civilized" mornings will be a regular occurrence now.

Independence

Tonight we had dinner at Josh and Carrie Brown's house. A delicious dinner, and GREAT company. I was struck most, however, by the fact that while the 4 adults were eating and the 3 dogs were being unruly, sweet little Riley spent the ENTIRE dinner playing with "Chuck the Truck" and other toys. No crying, no fussing, nothing but smiles when he'd turn around from playing to look at us. Just a kid happy to play independently while his parents enjoyed a little adult conversation.

In Honor of Riley's Impending 1st Birthday...

I truly don't know how it has almost been a year already. Time just will not stand still for us, no matter how we try. I haven't been as good at updating this blog as I would've liked, but oh well. However, in honor of Riley's birthday month, it is my goal to write one thing I love about him or one thing that amazes me about him each day this month.

Today's comment:

This morning I ran a 5K in the Race for the Cure with the girls I coach for Girls on the Run. During the race, I spotted Casey, Riley and the dogs on the side of the road, waiting to cheer us on as we passed. It amazed me that out of the 12,000 +/- runners, Riley was still able to pick me out of the pack. I remember seeing his little feet in his new little sandles and thinking how lucky I was to have such a sweet little guy grinning at me from his stroller. Oh, and I felt more than just a little lucky to have such an awesome husband who would spend his Saturday morning trapsing all over downtown Winston-Salem with a baby and two crazy dogs to support me.

The Kid Eats Better Than the Parents

As we sat on the porch at the Club tonight eating dinner, it struck me how far we've come in such a short period of time. While I ate a sandwich, Riley was feasting on Alaskan King Crab, mashed potatoes, a breadstick, salad and cheese. For dessert: Mommy - nothing; Riley - ice cream sundae.

Taking the "Re-use" Part of Recycling to a Whole New Level

As it turns out, we were not the only family in Winston-Salem looking to buy a sled this week. Every store I tried was sold out. So... we improvised.

Here is Riley's first "sledding" adventure...

Winston and Wrigley lead the way.



Here he goes.



A bit tippy.



Sledding is fun.



The boys have a stare down.



Our three babies.

The Perfect Winter Day

As I write this, we have 6-8 inches of snow on the ground in our yard. This is North Carolina and snow storms like this don't happen often. Riley is napping in his crib. Winston and Wrigley are so tired from playing in the snow that moving is out of the question. Casey is snuggled up on the couch reading a book. I have completed the laundry and am now enjoying a cup of coffee and a few minutes of peace. It seems that all of the stars have somehow miraculously aligned to give us the perfect winter day. Of course, it's noon, so who knows how the rest of the day will shape up, but still, this is one of those moments where I actually have time to realize that life just doesn't get much better than this.

Granted, Riley has been sick with a stomach virus all week. I am still trying to get rid of an ear infection. Casey is recovering from a sinus infection. Winston has been nursing an ear infection for about 4 weeks now, and his surgery to repair his knee is on hold until the ear infection is completely gone. Sleep has been spotty for all of us, Riley's stomach virus has led to a mountain of laundry so disgusting that all we can do is rinse it out and throw it directly into a Oxyclean-filled bucket, and everyone has been on edge in anticipation of this snow storm. Perhaps that's what makes this quiet, sleepy day seem so great. Or maybe it's that the roads are pretty much unable to be driven upon, forcing us to stay put for the first time in who knows how long. Whatever the reason, I wish days like this were more frequent.

Riley may still be pretty much immobile (although we can already tell that those days are going to come to a quick end very soon), but still, life as the parents of an 8-month-old and two crazy dogs is pretty exhausting. I can't wait to see what I'll be saying a month from now when Riley is crawling (or even walking) while we are nursing Winston back to health after his surgery...

For the time being though, I am going to sit still for a few minutes, take a few deep breaths, and appreciate the many, many wonderful things that I am usually too busy or too exhausted to pay attention to.

Specifically, a fun day playing in the snow.

Heartbreaker

It's official. I'm in love. It is still amazing to me that my eight month old little man can simultaneously break my heart and make it swell with pride. I was struck by this when driving Riley to "school" this morning. As I turned around to look at him in the back seat like I have done every day since he was born (don't worry, I only do it while safely stopped at a stop light - what kind of mom do you think I am?!?!), I almost burst into tears. There he was looking right back at me using Panda (his mirror). Not only is it cool that he has now figured out how to use the mirror to look at me, but what did he do -- SMILE. And a great big smile as if to say, "I love you, Mommmy". I almost missed the green light because I certainly was not going to be the first one of the two of us to look away.

Only about 5 minutes later I was again struck by this simultaneous sadness and pride. When I dropped him off at "school" and he saw Miss Tamilia and Miss Niga (his teachers), he instantly grinned at them as he does every day (he is such a flirt). But then, much to my dismay, he actually held his arms out for THEM instead of wanting to hang on to ME any longer. I was proud of him for his independence, but sad to know that I am no longer his first choice.

I guess I should get used to it.