14 Months Old and the Pool

Holding her spices.

Alway carrying a book.

Fun in the sun

Hanging out in her new favorite spot, the bay window. She climbs up there on her own and plays with the spice rack.

Enjoying the sunny day.....from inside!

Riley will be 14 months old tomorrow and time is flying by!! She is becoming quite the toddler. She is chatting more and climbing more and more. She loves to go out front and just walk up and down the two front steps. She holds your hand and goes up and down, up and down, up and down. Very tiring!!

We have had a great Memorial weekend. BBQ's, play dates, baby shower, and we hit up the pool for the first time this season!! She LOVED it!! We hung out in the baby pool and she was a bit nervous at first.....until she realized it was just like the bath tub, just bigger! She has a floater that she steps into and it goes on the front and back of her. She just walked around in the pool splashing. She loved to lay her face in it and kept forgetting to close her face. Although she would swallow the water, she still loved it and would just laugh. I think we will be spending A LOT of time there this summer.

I only have 18 more days for school until I am home for the summer!! I am really excited!!

Pictures to come.

A Boat Ride

This weekend we ventured down to my parents house. Saturday was supposed to be cloudy and rainy...but it turned out to be PERFECT!! So we hoped on the boat and went for a ride. No more than 10 minutes on the boat did Riley fall asleep!! I guess the movement and the wind in her hair made her relax so much and she fell fast asleep.


We had a GREAT time down there. Just relaxing and spending much needed time with Gamma and Papa. Here is a photo of Riley this time last year in the life vest and one of her this year. She sure fills it out much better now!!

This was Riley last summer.

This is her yesterday.

Riley is starting to climb up on everything. She can get on and off the couch alone now. On and off the ottoman/coffee table. Climbs up on the bay window ledge and sits. Loved to go up and down stairs (down she will hold your hand). And just wonders up and down the sidewalk all afternoon. She also LOVES to open and close the big red cooler on our back deck. And she has learned that her chair is actually to SIT in. She will climb onto it and just sit there so proud of herself!!

She also says "sit"...I think that is from us always telling her to "sit" on the couch or "sit" in her chair, or "sit" in the tub.

I only have 23 more days left until school is out. So I am really excited to be able to spend much more time with her. She will still be going to GiGi's house a few days a week. But I will get up with her in the morning and take her just for a few hours. She learns SSOO much there and she LOVES being around all her new friends. So I think I will take her 2-3 times a week.

Riley has become quite the sleeper on the weekends. She is going to bed now a little earlier (between 7:00 and 7:30) and sleep until 8ish on the weekends (although she slept until 9 this morning!) then she LOVES a good long nap 1-2 times a day! Saturdays it is usually 2 long naps and on Sunday it is 1 short in the morning and one long in the afternoon. Our next goal it to get rid of the bottles and move onto sippy cups. I have been trying to switch out her snack bottles for a snack sippy cup. She is doing ok with it so far. Soon we will drop the breakfast bottle for a breakfast sippy cup. The night one will be the last to drop since it is the one that settles her in for the night. But over all it has not been too bad. I just can't wait until I am done washing bottles every night!!

Mother's Day and the Zoo

Riley sure is growing fast and we are VERY active!! We hate to be inside now and just want to walk up and down the sidewalk all afternoon. Riley loves to "play" with the neighbors (Devon, 2 and Delaney, 16 months) They walk around together, play with bubbles, and "talk" to each other.
My first scrapped knee from playing outside!!

For Mother's Day Riley and Joe took me to the zoo!! We had such a great time!! We planned it perfectly too. We left in the morning when Riley was getting ready for her nap. She slept the whole way there and woke up refreshed and ready to see the animals. We started out with the lions and tigers...they were boring because they just laid there. But then we went in to see the snakes, fish, crocs, and turtles. Riley LOVED the turtles because she could go right up to the window and the turtles would swim up to her face and they would look at each other.

looking at the turtles!

Then we headed over to the outdoor gorilla exhibit. We were in for a real treat. There was a whole family out!! A HUGE 400lb daddy, mommy w/ her 2 month old baby girl, and 2 other kid gorillas. It was feeding time so the daddy was chasing the kid gorilla's away so mommy and baby could eat first. It was quite exciting to watch a 400lb silver back run at full speed!!


We then headed over to see the elephants, again not too exciting. So we headed to the panda bears....boring. So it was time for lunch. We enjoyed a picnic and then continued on. By this time Riley was sick of the stroller so she got out and walked. This slowed us down a LOT so we decided that it was time to head home. We ALL walked to the car. It was a perfect day!!
Walking around w/ daddy.

Riley is now "clucking" and nodding yes while "talking". She loves to wonder around the house and play with everything she possibly can. Riley loves to do the stairs....going up and down!! that includes playing on the neighbors front steps. We are growing so fast and it is a wonderful time!!

New Friends!!

This morning Riley got 2 new friends!! Our dear friends Lisa and Travis welcomed their twins (Kaylin and Dayton)! They are only 27 weeks, but are doing great!! They are both breathing on their own and relaxing in the NICU at Fairfax Hospital. They were born around 9:45 this morning.

Kaylin - 2.3lb
Dayton - 2.10lb

We loved meeting them this afternoon and look forward to Tuesday night dinners (in July) with them!! They will stay in the hospital until July when they are considered to be "full term".

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAYLIN AND DAYTON!!

(Pictures to come!!)