A New Year, A New Kid!

As we rang in 2010 and celebrated the milestones of 2009, Ramsey and I watched our little Riles turn from baby to little girl almost overnight! We spent a lovely Christmas in Kansas with my family and watched Riley experience many "firsts"...crawling, sniffles, dramatic coughs, Wiggles shows by cousin Joey, snowman building, Christmas eve, and many more. While it was a blast watching her experience all of these things for the first time (other than the cold of course), I also found myself getting a little sad that the little munchkin I'd carried around on my hip for so many months was now mobile, eager to explore, and a little less like a baby. At the same time, the growth has brought out Riley's personality even more, which has been endless entertainment for us all!

These days Riles is enjoying lots of foods, loves almost all of them, and has begun to try to feed herself. It is crazy watching how she develops the ability to pick things up overnight and now signals to me when she wants something else, water, milk, more food, etc. She is still a string bean, coming in at 85% in height and around 45% in weight (and 90% for head size of course), but looks healthy and has those pudgy little hands and feet that we just can't get enough of! When people see her they often mistake her for being much older...I'm convinced it is because of all of her HAIR! She has 3 times the hair of most kids her age and it is EVERYWHERE! I use cute hair clips and hats to keep it out of her face, but eventually the voluminous curly mess takes over and we never know what we are gonna get. My favorite time of day for the hair is whenever she wakes up from a nap...she resembles a rockstar after a rough night :)

As for personality, Riles is absolutely a social animal and takes mercy on no one...even the most stiff and intimidating of adults eventually crack under her grin, two-handed wave, and growl. I've seen even the toughest of city teenagers, the kind that make you hold onto your belongings a bit tighter, say, "whats up" to her as they pass. It is hilarious and I absolutely love that she reaches out to everyone as much as she does. The more she reaches out, the more interaction she'll get in return, helping her little brain continue to develop all the things it needs to socially. We joke and say that she got it honest from her Gammy (my mom)...seriously.

As for Ramsey and I, we are still enjoying the same little apartment in San Francisco, loving our friends here in the city, missing those far away, and reminding ourselves how blessed we are to have family near and far that we love so much. 2009 was a year to remember, but 2010 is starting off quite well for the three of us. So, off we go to swim, swing, sing, giggle, and wave our way through day!!

Halloween Hostess and Swing Extraordinaire!

Happy Fall! It is finally getting chilly here in San Francisco and we are loving it! Getting ready to leave the house now means putting even more layers of ridiculously cute clothing onto Riley's pudgy, squirmy, and soft little body! One of my favorite things in the world is Riley in tights.

To see all of our pictures from the past month, click here...

This Halloween Riley hosted a party for her friends and showed her true colors, pitching a fit upon the arrival of her buds, followed by a nap halfway through the party! We even got a few pictures of all of the babies slowly melting down on the couch before we headed out the door to trick or treat. It was definitely a party for the parents more than the babies but it was really nice to celebrate a 1st Halloween with friends...it was all the more special for us since Riley didn't know the difference from any other day!

Since the end of October we've been missing our mom friends who have mostly returned to work, so Riles and I have been scoping out new things to do and have been getting into a wonderful routine of meeting Ramsey at a different playground every afternoon when he is out of work and Riles is about ready to call it a day. Around 4:00pm we head out in the stroller or the car and hit up the swings at one of the many playgrounds within 10 minutes of our house. Ramsey and I get a hot tea at a cafe, put Riles on the swings, and talk about our days while taking

turns making Riley giggle. It is a great way to come together at the end of a day and keep Riley distracted and busy during the "witching hour" just before bath/bedtime. She absolutely loves the swings and would stay on them for hours if we didn't get worried about her getting cold once the sun sets!

We also made a trip to visit Riley's Tete and Grandmommy in Elk Grove one weekend this month, which was a short but sweet trip for us. Riley got to show off her new skills (eating, sitting up, growling, etc.) and get endless cheers and kisses from her adoring grandparents! She also had a nice visit with her aunties Diana and Georgette and her Aunt Mar and Uncle Vince. We are so lucky that Riley has so many people to love her.

As usual we are still loving swim class, enjoying runs in the park, attending a mom/baby dance workout class (I have no rhythm), and are considering a music class for the winter as a way to get Riley out of the house on rainy days and into something new with other babies and kids. We are also excited to check out some readings at local bookstores and libraries and any other adventures that come our way this season! Most importantly, I'm counting down the days until I can begin to share my excitement about the big man in the red suit headed down from the North Pole...it would a little pathetic to begin my Christmas obsessions before Thanksgiving!!

Hope ever

yone is having a wonderful Fall and that we will get to enjoy the season with some of you in the coming weeks and months.

Mamamama Babababa Aaarrrgghhhhhhh!!

At 6 1/2 months and 15.5 lbs, Riley is officially a personality to be reckoned with! It seems like overnight she has doubled her neurological capabilities...and I'm not bragging because I see it happening in all of the babies her age! It is like overnight she becomes more and more her own little person.

Talking is one of her favorite things to do and we love chiming in...some favorites right now are "mamamama" and "babababa", with the occasional growl still thrown in. Morningtime is the best time to catch Riley chatting, especially when she eats. I usually sit her up in her blue Bumbo seat and put her bib on her, at which point she knows what is coming. She starts swaying back and forth or beating her chest with her arms. Once she takes her first spoonful of food she usually swallows it and then babbles away, spraying leftover remains of the food from her mouth all over the place!

Food in itself has been a new adventure too...we started with bananas, then moved to avocado, sweet potato, and now peas. I use an amazing little machine that steams, purees, and reheats food all in one and I store her little meals in baby food ice tray that has a lid to keep things fresh. At mealtime all I have to do is pop out a cube and defrost it! While at first it was a bit sad for me to give Riley "real" food, I'm more and more excited now because I see how much she enjoys it and she seems to really be satisfied afterwards. It only makes up part of 1 to 2 meals per day for her, but it has been a great start.

As for activities, we've been pretty busy lately...it has been an interesting month because we are transitioning from hanging out with our regular mom's group a few days per week to only seeing them once in awhile. Most of the moms are now returning to work and that leaves Riley and I on our own to find new adventures in the city and take advantage of all of our time together during the day. So, I've gotten back to running with her in our neighborhood, hitting up local playgrounds for those infant swings, walking around to look at flowers and people and places, continuing our swim class with our friends Chantal and Fenn, and participating in a weekly Mom/Baby Dance workout class taught by a mom in our group who is a ball-room dancer. All of the activities provide something new for Riles to look at, feel, hear, and enjoy, and they give me a way to get out with her and feel like I'm teaching her and enjoying our city together in a meaningful way.

Finally, with Fall in full force (kind of), I'm reminded of how much I miss a true fall like people get in so many parts of the country. The colorful leaves, the brisk mornings, and the smell of the breeze each day signal the coming change to winter. These things also tend to keep people indoors more, which is when I realize if I have anything to be thankful for with a baby it is the mild climate here. When I miss the Fall most I remind myself of all of the things Riley and I can do all day long without worrying about rain, cold and wind...so we put on our T-shirts and sunglasses and walk outside to make the most of it!

We've got a lot of new photos of the past few weeks, so check them out.

Click here to see photos.

Happy 6 Month Birthday Riley !

In honor of Riley's upcoming 6 month birthday on the 13th, and because of her constant reaching for squeeling for, and grinning at OUR food lately, we decided to give Rileygirl her first taste of solid food...in a mashed up, pureed form anyways! I think she liked it...

First Solid Food!