6 months: week 4

New House:
We got the house (not sure if this was already stated or not) John is moving everything in...well everything we have in Charlotte at least. So this week i have been "blind designing", Riley finally has her own room but we aren't allowed to paint the walls so i am coming up with other idea in order to give her a proper Nursery...so far so good now i just need to see how big the walls are in order to finish the designing, and i need my paints to make it up to N.C.

Planning:
Apparently planning and organizing is the highlight of the week for me. I am trying to get an idea of what i am going to do for munchkins first birthday...yes yes i know it 5 months away but i am going to be busy the next couple months i just want to make sure that i have it well planned out. Wow do we have a busy 5 months ahead of us! September we will be moving back and i might be starting a job, and moving into our house (completely the process) October is baby Leah's birthday party, and Halloween; November is Thanksgiving (and Auntie Rye's B day!) December we have Christmas and the preparation for that (that will start at the beginning of December most likely...still not sure what this girl needs!) Then January is Birthday month for Riley! (and her Mimi and Jeff etc...)

So i am starting now, i am making her cake myself so picking flavors and figuring out all the other stuff about the cake (keeping secrets here) to make sure everything is going to work out for me... because if not then i need a back up plan come January. Plus i have to figure out what i am going to prepare for food (Figured out already) and decorations...Yeah everyone says that they don't remember there first birthday and that is fine..but i will remember it, and its important to me..its a big deal to me. So i am going to go all out (or that's the goal)...nothing to crazy..well nothing crazy at all but i will spend the extra time planning for her birthday. Why not...I'm sitting at home all day what else do i do during nap time (except clean and eat and shower/get dressed for the day and nap myself)


Milestone/Developments:

I don't think Riley has any new tricks this week... except getting fast and better at what she already does.

She likes to scoot..get up as if she is going to crawl..decide to sit..then pull herself up on what ever she can...do some one handed standing...no handed standing..fall on her butt and start all over again.

Its exciting for me to watch her do all of this on her own. She is becoming so independent!

Her Hugs and Kisses are getting better and more on cue. You ask for a kiss and she grabs your neck pulling herself forward and slobbers allll over your face. The sweetest slimiest thing <3


Adventures for the week:

We have taken it easy this week, Played with baby Leah for a little (who is going to have a baby brother in 8 months!..totally guess on the boy thing but we will see!) That's about it for this week, we have just been trying to get back on a normal schedule from the exciting weeks we have had in the past.


We can't wait to be home with Daddy in our new house!

6 months: week 4

My little Fasion Diva!

Milestones/Developments:

Sit-to-Stand:

Rileys little legs are getting stronger! and she is understanding how her arms can help her get where she wants to go/do what she wants them to do even more so than before!

We were sitting in the pool on the baby play spot (its likes 2 inches of water over a big flat...nice for Riley to play on) and i had her sitting in between my legs and she grabbed on to my leg and pushed herself up to stand up, she was so proud of herself and i was proud of her as well!

Adventures of the week:

Visitors:

Amanda and Jeff came in to see us. Riley had a blast playing with someone other than her mommy, and i must say it was a nice break for me every once and a while to have someone else there to entertain her. The week went by pretty fast but it was really nice to have some company...not to mention have an excuse to venture out of the house...even if it does cause a run in the police.

The Pool:

We have spent more time in the pool this week than i think we ever had! Riley has such a great time in the pool she kicks her legs and moves her arms to try to move herself closer to the waterfall. she splashes the water and tries to grab it in her little hands to eat it.

i bought this float that i must say is the best thing in the world for us... she goes on one side and i have a float on the otherside.

she likes to lean to the side and try to drink all of the water out of the pool. And of course the toys that are in the center she likes to lick them.
i must say this has been a fun week...for both of us!

THE BEACH:

The best beach trip so far! Still stressful but until she can walk i think it will be that way... trying to crawl in the sand = a lot of sand in the face and eyes.

Riley had a blast! she splashed in the water, squeaking and laughing and smiling the entire time... i walked a little bit deeper in the water (the water was mid-calf...Riley could still stand in the water) i was holding her and everything the big waves would come she would Grab on to my neck and kick her legs to go up high on mommy. It was pretty cute!

After a mouth full of water from the big wave, i took Riley back up to the sand and on our way up i got a huge sharp shell in the bottom of my foot (as i am jumping on one foot and holding Riley yelling for amanda to get her out of my arms) i finally got the shell out and Riley got to eat all the sand she could shove in her mouth before mommy telling her "No" and brushing it out...18 thousand times. I am pretty sure she consumed more sand that food that day! needless to say Riley had an absolute blast!

She was very upset with me when it was time to leave.

We made it 2 blocks from the beach before getting pulled over...why you ask....because apparently police officers in brevard county have nothing better to do than to pull you over for the tint on your car being to dark. yup. an easy fix... but just a hassle to get cleared so i don have to pay the 189.00 fine!

All in all it was a great day!

Beach Trip no. 2 (for the week)

This time around i bought a tent.. they had the baby tents for around 30-40 dollars....orr.. they had regualr 2 person tents for 19.98... so i got that! it works just the same and it doesnt have disney characters on it. and its big enough for john and i to sit in..or sleep in if we wanted to use it for camping (since we do that so often)...Recommend anyone and everyone if you have a small child you are trying to keep out of the sand/sun...Get a tent. my life was so much less stressful (well until i tried to take it down without it touching the ground) I stuck her in it added some toys and she played away!

I still let her play in the sand of course..and she once again ate as much as she could... We played in the water..and unwillingly she drank the entire ocean. It was a short trip to the beach but an adventure of course.

Uncle Grandpa's Birthday!

Friday was "Uncle grandpa's" birthday, Riley had her first taste of chinese food and some family lovin'... She got to play with her Auntie Rye and Aunt Hayden her Mimi and of course her Uncle Grandpa.

6 months: week 3 ... a late posting.

Milestones/Developments:



Riley has been perfecting her accomplishments from the past 6 months working out the kinks..she is sitting taller, standing stronger..and longer and scooting faster!


she is SO close to crawling i know i have been saying this the past 2 posts put it is coming this week! i know it is... if not she is going to be walking.


She is definitely a talker. this girl LOVES to hear herself and i would have to say (yes i know i am going to sound very much like a mother here) it is the most amazing sound in the world. Listening to her carry on a conversation with herself, her toys and with you is absolutely my favorite thing to listen to.



Scoot-to-sit

Riley's Newest accomplishment! this afternoon i was outside watering the plants on the patio and she was playing inside on her floor mat (the corner of the house is one big sliding glass door...so i could watch her) ...so i watered the plants then walked back inside and she was sitting up. i didn't think too much of it i thought maybe i was just irresponsible and left her sitting (i don't do that EVER but it didn't cross my mind that she could sit on her own) So i laid her back down on her tummy and walked into the kitchen to do the dishes and i looked up at her and caught her in the act of sitting up all by her self...and actually going from the lay position to the sit position! totally wasn't expecting that for another month or so...needless to say i am very proud of my big girl!.. after that she proceeded to try and crawl pushing herself up and holding herself there for a good minute! almost! i give her another 3 days and she will be crawling.

in this video she cheats a little and pushes off of me. i did NOT help her! she can do it all by herself she just gets distracted by mommy and camera. still i am very proud of her!

Adventures:





Talent Show

Hayden's summer camp had a talent show on Wednesday, where each different age group did a different skit as well as some individual skits. Hayden told us a week before that she was hula hooping in the talent show so i made sure to be there to cheer her on...well...she didn't hula hoop at all ...lol. but it was still cute. Riley absolutely loved it and interacted with every child, song and movement until she wore herself out she passed out in my arms.





these clips are from her age group and then the entire camp...and of course Riley is cheering them on!

hayden is in the pink skirt

baby Leah
Riley has had a couple of play dates with baby Leah this week the most recent was

Sunday. Meghan, David and baby Leah came down and we went into Cocoa and planned on going to the beach but the babies decided it was nap time so we went and got some food instead and came back home.



The babies play so well together and once again it is so amazing to see them interact. Riley likes to watch her older friend and learn from her how to do things.





Riley and Uncle Grandpa

yes a horrible name for him but he has decided he is too young to be a grandpa so we added the uncle part to make him sound young and well now it just sounds awkward. anyways, Riley and "uncle" grandpa got to bond this week, i can't even begin to explain how awesome it is to see my father play with and love on Riley. It is one of the most amazing feelings in the world.

6 months: week 2

Milestones/Developments:
Riley is working on some new teeth, about to chew her hand off I'm hoping for her sake they come in soon.

Standing:
Riley can now stand and hold on to something in front of her all by herself for an extended period of time, before she could stand while holding on to something for only a little bit...she didn't understand that if she let go she would fall...she now gets it. letting go=falling. And last night she balanced herself for a couple seconds without holding on to anything! (toes where curled so she doesn't get it completely yet) but she is learning and doing a great job at it!

Kamikaze Walker:
This little girl has gone crazy in her walker, spoon in hand screaming (like a crazy woman) she will run as fast as she can toward the dog or you and run straight into you (which by the way hurts more than anything when she runs right up over your toes) then look up at you and give you a big ole smile or laugh. It is her goal to hurt you in this game, she thinks it is funny when you say "ouch" or try to dive out of the way.

perfecting what she already knows:


Each day Riley gets better and better at scooting, and closer to crawling like a big girl. Her little arm muscles are working there way up to being able to completely support her weight on her own. (we still have some work to do with that but she is getting stronger!) she can hold herself in the "crawl" position longer and understands what her hands need to be doing when going from the sit position to the crawl position.

She mimics everything you do, and has perfected her sticking her tongue out and making "fart" noises. she can actually do them together. She can also still do them separate and will mimic me if i stick my tongue out at her.



She gets so proud of herself when she does anything ... it is so awesome to see how excited she gets!






Adventures/excitement of the week:

Skate Park:
Riley and I went to the Skate Park to watch Jeff Skate with Aunt Amanda for our last outing before returning to Florida. Riley ABSOLUTELY loved watching him skate...she was laughing, yelling and "Talking" to him the entire time, it was very entertaining for her and us as well!

Night with Tita:
The night before leaving for Florida Riley got to spend some quality one-on-one time with her Tita, they played on the floor for a pretty long time, Riley worked on her scooting and literally just laughed and laughed with each other, Riley got to spend the night with her Tita! (well till 130-2am when we got home to collect her)

Back To Florida:
John drove us back down on Wednesday, we will be here for the next 5 weeks...just hoping this time John will be able to take a break in the middle and come see us, if not i understand but it would be nice!

We took Papa and Tanya to the airport on Thursday and then had a family dinner to celebrate John and my 6 years of being together :) i can't believe it has been 6 years, and we are still together, happy and with a beautiful daughter.

The Beach/Family Visit:
Sunday Dad Hayden Riley and I drove to the beach to visit family. Callie Nick and little Ian came in from D.C. and got a condo at the beach...so of course that calls for a family function. Its always great seeing everyone! Riley of course loved the attention she gets from her Auntie Rye and anyone else willing to look her way.

Riley has a blast anytime we come up to Orlando to hang out with her Aunt Hayden and "Uncle Grandpa" <---still working on a better name for him and her Mimi, She gets spoiled with love especially from her Hayden. That little munchkin will play and play all day long if mommy doesn't make her stop for nap time. Hayden absolutely loves her, she is like a little mommy, constantly on top of anything and everything Riley possibly would need..and only wants to smother Riley with as much love ...and well toys as she possibly can.

Playing with baby Leah:
Last night [of course after bedtime] Riley and I went to Meghans house to play with her and Leah...Leah was already asleep so we played with Riley for a while until Leah decided to join us. The cutest babies those girls are! Riley had a couple little bonks on the head from falling over and when she would cry Leah would get really upset and start crying...Riley then would look at Leah stop crying and start laughing at the fact Leah was crying... shes a mess. but it was great to see them and watch them interact with eachother, everytime we visit its more fun than the last...

6 months: week 1

This Picture is from the first Saturday in Charlotte It was Johns Grandads birthday! (photo by little brother)


Time has gone by so fast, i can't believe our 3 weeks visit to North Carolina is almost over with, Wednesday we are headed back to Melbourne for another 5 weeks, and then will be returning to Charlotte where we will be moving into our house.

My 2 Favorite things about being a Mommy:
1. The unconditional love and cuddles.
2. The fact the I learn and grow everyday with her.

Having “Motherly instincts” is one thing, but I strongly believe that what makes you a great mother is when you don’t have the “I know everything factor” you learn with your child, your child is NOT like other children you have babysat at home or watched in a daycare, your child is unique from anyone else's and learning to grow with them and teach them in the way that they understand will teach you so much more than you can possibly imagine. Patience, How to truly love every bit of life, how to be an understanding person, and what the real meaning of life is.

Over the past couple weeks it has been completely noticeable that Riley understands the world around her. She understands the cause and effect part of life. We are working on the bratiness of being a little girl, and/or of just being a baby in general. I take a toy from her she cries, you give it back to her she stops… My solution: I take a toy away from you (or anything for that matter, I say toy because she thinks everything is her toy) if you cry you don’t get it back. I want her to get rid of the idea that if she cries she gets her toy back… same with picking her up, she is going through that stage where all she wants is for me to hold her and if I put her down and walk out of the room she throws a fit (separation anxiety) My solution: Put her down, occupy her with something, comfort her before walking out of the room, and talk to her as I am walking out of eye sight…that way she still knows that I am there and when I get back if she didn’t cry or fuss to much I reward her with “yeay” and clapping, she absolutely loves it and gives you the biggest smile... It works the majority of the time.

Developments/Milestones:

SCOOTING!: Riley learned how to scoot crawl last night (her legs were in the crawling position and arms in the scoot position ...so her put was in the air...very cute and very exciting!
Crawling:
She is SOO close to crawling, she can hold herself in the crawling stance for a good 15 seconds before she tries to move all limbs at once and falls! Once she understands the “one limb at a time” concept she will be out of here… if she isn’t walking by then (it is still her favorite thing to do and now she is…
Pulling herself Up:When she is in the sitting position she will grab on to what ever is in front of her and pull herself up into the standing position, I still have to support her once she gets on her two feet because she still doesn’t understand the concept of “if you let go you are going to fall” but none the less she is PULLING HERSELF UP.
Trying To Walk:She has always enjoyed walking, and now she has her walker and fits in it she loves that too, but now if I hold her hands and stand and walk with her she is doing the one foot in front of the other… if she had complete control over her torso she would be walking… This stage is so exciting she could go anyway right now, Crawling, Walking, Army Crawls/Scooting.

Zerberts:
John and I have always given Riley zerberts on her belly, thighs, neck.. where ever it would work... she caught on. The other day she was laying with her Tita (Grandmother) and she got a leg full in her mouth and zerbert-ed away... she thinks its funny, and will do it to anything she can!

Adventures/Excitement of the week:

Family In Town:
John Grandparents on his dads side and his moms side (moms mom and step dad) all came down Saturday afternoon to see miss Riley, and of course she loved every single bit of attention she got.
Her Great Grandma Pat got her a cute little piggy bank! (Green with colored pok-a-dots)
<---Very CUTE! It was great to see everyone! Party Hard-Sleep Harder:
My little trooper has been so completely far off her schedule but is still kickin' it with the big kids late at night with a smile on her face. luckily she has been sleeping in till 9-10 in the morning. John gets off work so late that its hard to even pretend to have a grasp on what our day is going to be like... 20 minute naps in the car while the A/C is on full blast. Hanging out at the burrito and the common market is what little miss Riley has been doing all week.This is where I would have to say having an amazing child pays off the most, the fact that she can go all day long with out a proper nap stay up till 12-1 am with a smile on her face, entertaining herself and others, then sleep in for mommy and daddy so we all don’t go crazy…she is definitely an amazing child.

HER NEW LOVE: Tearing paper into itty bitty little pieces and throwing them on the floor.

Shots:
We have yet to receive Riley’s insurance card (after 6 months of requesting it), She has not been to a doctors visit since she was 2 months old, I took her in for a sick visit the week we came in town because she had a cold, I knew she was fine but it was any excuse at this point to get her to the doctors office just for a check up so it could ease my mind. (you don’t need your insurance card for a sick visit) The doctor checked her out said everything looked great, and told me to schedule another sick visit in a week once Riley was feeling better and she would do her 4 month shots. This was a big relief I wanted Riley to stay up to date with all her shots and she was now 2 series behind. I took her in the other day to get them, and once again Riley impressed me. She didn’t really cry until the last needle was in her thigh but once it was over and she was in mommy’s arms again she was fine, crying stopped, no more tears and we went on with our day. She took a big nap while we drove around looking for houses/apartments and woke up with a little bit of a fever and was fussy…gave her a little Tylenol and we went on with our day. My little trooper did so well (like always)

House Hunting:
We spent a couple of days this week trying to find a place to live, Right price range, Right size, Right location. Its hard, our budget isn’t very large and doesn’t fight the right size and area we want to match it…but we did it. Now we just have to submit our applications and see if we get it! 3 bedrooms (yes Riley will have her own room!) 2 extra rooms (a john room for his music stuff and a room for Amanda and I for art stuff) That way we can make sure the house is clutter free and Riley friendly, She will also have her own play room/dining room (its in the middle of the house so it will be easy to keep an eye on her no matter where we are.) and of course it has a kitchen and living room. Its right down the road from Amanda and Johns work, so the commute will be short and easy for them and I can come and go during the day with out having to worry about wasting gas or sitting in a parking lot all day. Another PLUS across the Street and down the road a couple of our friends live (with babies)! So it will be nice to have someone for Riley to play with along with myself.