Busy girls!

I have been nagged by a select few for not updating my blog since Saturday...so here is an update that explains why the blog has not been updated! We have been some busy girls! We went to lunch with friends and then went SHOPPING Tuesday afternoon...Riley got an outfit at Baby Gap and mom got some clothes at Forever 21!!! I had heard about the recent arrival of Forever 21 to Little Rock and had to check it out...it is the biggest store I have ever seen and it took almost 2 hours to go through the whole store...it was awesome! Yesterday mom had her doctor's appointment and then we had a family lunch at Fantastic China...yummy! Then Riley and I spent the afternoon at Didi's and then had a nice dinner with the girls from church! Whew! Today we have not even left the house and since the weather is super crappy that has been a treat!

Riley was smiling a TON today and I was tickling her feet and she would smile huge and act like she was actually trying to laugh...it was precious! It just makes your day! She is also talking a lot...in cooing language that is! She has a lot to say, but just can't find the words! It's so fun to see her grow and develop and recognize me and Jason!

Tom and Sydney...you will be missed!

Tom and Sydney, our dear friends from church, are moving to Fayetteville to pursue their careers and while it is a great opportunity for them and obviously part of God's plan, we are sad to see them go and it all happened so fast! It sounds like they will be here frequently, however, so that is the good news! We will miss your potato salad and your "bad nights"!

This past weekend we had a "going away" party for them and Tom held Riley for the first time...this was monumental and he did a great job! He kept saying "Go to sleep...go to sleep" in an effort to not have a crying baby in his arms, but she stayed awake and didn't even cry!

Our favorite things...

Naps with dad...every afternoon when dad gets home from work he and Riley take a little snooze together on the couch...it is very cute! Jason is pretty good about holding his pacifier in, but sometimes I have to put Riley's back in if she accidentally spits it out!

Playing with my toys...we play a lot when Riley is awake and we read books. She is becoming so much more alert...she will make little noises and track a toy or one of us and she likes to look at herself in the mirror! I just got out her tummy time mat and she didn't quite know what to do with that so she looks a little pooped but she'll get the hang. We went to Tara's the other night to hang with the girls and we put her and Kaleb on his playmat together and they were so cute...they would both have the same jerky movements and he kept knocking her pacifier out and they kept hitting each other. They played well and then all of a sudden they were both crying / screaming...when I get my hands on that video I will post it because it is very funny!

Cuddling with mama...Who wouldn't love to cuddle with this little girl? I do have her take naps in her bed most of the time during the day just so I can get a few things done, but sometimes I just want to hold her and relax...those are the best times! At night I have to share her with her dad so I try and get a few good cuddles during the day!

She's growing...

It is finally apparent to me that my little girl is getting bigger. As a parent you know that it is inevitable, but when you see your little one every day the change is harder to grasp. For some reason, however, I am really noticing how much bigger she has gotten. With the way she eats it's amazing she doesn't weigh 15 pounds already!!! She is long and lean...my little bean pole and I hope she holds that figure throughout her lifetime! Here is a comparison of pictures in her car seat that show how much she has grown...the first is her trip home from the hospital and the second was taken yesterday at 5 and a half weeks old!

Grammy and JoePa Visit

We had a great visit with Grammy and JoePa...only problem was that the weekend flew by! Friday night we had a great dinner at Cajun's...Riley found it to be a very comfortable place to take a nap and that she did! Saturday JoePa took the early shift and Jason and I got to catch up on a little shut eye...it was the first time in a long time I woke up and my eyes didn't just burn due to lack of sleep...it was very nice! We fixed breakfast at the house and just hung out for most of the day. Saturday evening we had a great steak dinner at Jason's parents house to celebrate parents visiting because Scott, one of Jason's college roommates who live here, got a visit from his parents as well so we all got to catch up! Sunday was the usual...church and lunch with our friends and then off to the airport to see Grammy and JoePa off! We had a great time and already miss them...especially at 4 a.m. when JoePa isn't on the couch waiting for me to bring Riley to him!

Mr. Lloyd...one of a kind!

Some of you may have heard me speak of Mr. Lloyd and what a special guy he is...I met Mr. Lloyd in December of 2005 when I first started working for Pulaski Bank. He is an Aggie class of 1945 and when he found out that an Aggie had been hired he hunted me down to introduce himself...we have been kindred spirits since then. He frequents the bank and we have gotten to know each other very well! He has met my parents and Jason's mom and he has made the extra trek up to my office for the past year to "catch up" at least once a week! He often picks me up so we can attend the monthly Aggie luncheon together as well. His wife is just as precious as he is.


Mr. Lloyd has been so excited about the arrival of Riley...my last few weeks of pregnancy he would call me at work daily to see if I was still there if it happened to be a day that he didn't come and visit. He was even nervous about taking me to the December Aggie luncheon because he did not want to be the first person to meet Riley...it was pretty cute! Well, he did meet Riley on her 2nd day of life when he came to visit us in the hospital and last week Riley and I went to his house for lunch so his wife, Marge, could meet her as well. He then took us to one of his classmates homes so this man could meet some young Aggies...I told him that Riley is class of 2030!

I can only hope to be as energetic and fun loving as Mr. Lloyd and his wife!

One month old!

I can't believe Riley is already one month old...it seems in some ways like the time has flown and in other ways is doesn't. I guess when I consider how much less time I have off work that's when it seems like it has flown by! She is such a joy and just makes us so happy...we often just stare at her! We had a ton of pictures done this week and this is just one that we have gotten to see so far...I can't wait to see the rest! It was so much fun having pictures taken...Tara and Kaleb joined us for the photo shoot and both babies did GREAT! We even had a few taken of the two of them together..haha!

It is super cold, windy, and dreary here today...we can't wait for Spring to come! Riley and I went to the gym and grocery shopping and even stopped to say hi to dad at work...she slept the whole time! Tonight is going to be her first experience of bunko...I have to train her early! It should be lots of fun! Grammy and JoePa are coming in town tomorrow for the weekend and we can't wait to see them and I know they can't wait to see her...that's right, not me or Jason, just Riley!

Sweet Little Girl

The past few days have been a little challenging, but we have survived. Jason was involved in an exercise on base and started working nights on Friday from 6 pm to 6 am and he really worked longer than that which meant he had to sleep when he was home...it is super hard to completely change from days to nights! So me and Riley hung out and she was very good...we went to church on Sunday and out to eat with all of our friends and yesterday we went to the mall with Tara to get an outfit because I am having pictures taken of her today! She had a rough night Sunday because she was very gassy and we were up most of the night, but I am happy to report that last night she was herself...woohoo!! I felt so bad for her because I could tell she was uncomfortable so I tried several remedies to help her little body out and apparently that helped. Jason is now home and done with the night thing so he can hang out with us again!

On Saturday one of my best friends from high school, Megan, came over and shot some pictures of Riley with her new fancy camera and they turned out GREAT!!! Here are a few of them!

A few videos

Here are some cute videos from the past several weeks...

This is Jason getting kisses from Riley...actually she is hungry and thinks that if she attempts to suck on his cheek she may find some grub!!! It's so cute! And that is our dog Hank howling at the sirens in the background...haha! This was taken on 1/7/08.

Who ever said you shouldn't wake a sleeping baby? We told you she was laid back and this is an attempt to wake her up so she can eat...it must have been too long since she had last eaten! This was taken on 12/27/07.

When Jason was little he loved the Berenstain Bear's books and his mom saved the books she used to read him and brought them to us so we can read them to Riley...they are covered in food stains, have torn pages, and have Jason's childhood writing randomly on them, but they are a great keepsake and Riley can add her own touch to them as we read them to her! As you can see in the video she is enthralled...they say that reading to your child even at this young of an age is a good thing and it's fun for us too! This was taken on 12/29/07.

On our own!

Jason went back to work yesterday so Riley and I are officially on our own and so far we have survived!!! It is practically noon before I have her and myself ready to go, along with having the house in order, but we don't have anything that pressing going on so it's OK! We ran a couple of errands yesterday and went to lunch with Stacy today as well as went to the base so Jason could show her off to his friends so we haven't been cooped up too much! She is easy to travel with, but I did find it more difficult to accomplish what used to be a "quick stop"...for example, I had to drop off a package at the post office yesterday so I had to carry the package as well as Riley in her carrier...that was somewhat of a challenge. Luckily the Cabot folks were nice and opened all of the doors for me!

I got out one of Riley's toys to see if it interested her in any way. Jason kept telling me she would have no idea what to do with this toy, but she seemed a little interested. There is one part that has a mirror and she did seem to be intrigued by it. I don't think she is old enough to fully enjoy this yet, but she laid on it for awhile and seemed content!

Just Do It!

Our friend Sydney got Riley this pair of Nike shoes...aren't they adorable? She also got Kaleb a blue pair so Tara and I decided to dress them in their Nike gear for church on Sunday...this little jumper is a newborn size, but it still swallows Riley up...I thought she looked cute, however, so I dressed her in it anyways!

The One Pounder

Last Sunday after church we went to eat at Cheeburger Cheeburger with friends and Jason told Derek that he would eat their one pound cheeseburger (actually 20 oz of meat) if Derek did at it too! Well no guy will turn down competition so they both downed a 20 oz cheeseburger and made it look pretty easy for that matter...Riley and I were so proud. The rang a cow bell and announced to the whole restaurant that the guys had finished their burgers and they now have their signed picture hanging on their wall of fame. This is definitely where Riley gets her appetite from. Jason managed to go fishing that afternoon when I thought the 20 oz of meat might just wipe him out...he proved me wrong!

Riley and Kaleb

Many of you know that Tara and I shared our entire pregnancy together which was a lot of fun and nice to have someone to go through it all with and now both of our babies are here. We joke that they have an arranged marriage so we are trying to start them off on the right foot! Kaleb is 10 days older than Riley! They met for the first time last Sunday and last night they had their second date. Since Jason was feeling better we were both a little stir crazy from being in the house and so we went to lunch at P.F. Changs, ran some errands, and then went and hung out at Jason's parent house. Tara called and asked if we wanted to go eat dinner with them at none other than P.F. Changs and of course we did...good thing the staff was all new because they might have thought we were crazy for eating there twice in one day, but anyone who knows us can totally see us doing this! Both babies slept all through dinner and several people asked if they were twins...no they are just dating and needed parental supervision! Here are some pics of their first meeting...

Kaleb whispering sweet nothings into Riley's ear...turning on the charm already!

New Years

Well, we rung in the New Year in style...in our pajamas on the couch! We had planned on going to a New Year's party with our small group peeps, but Jason got sick. I have known Jason for 10 years now and I can only count on one hand the times he has been sick. However, when he gets sick he really gets sick. He had a near 100 degree fever New Year's Eve and was pretty much out of it the entire week until Friday. He was taking all kinds of antibiotics round the clock and many doses of Airborne and it finally knocked the sickness out of his system. I had to keep him away from Riley as much as possible which was hard to do, but it looks like we managed to keep her from getting sick...YEAH!! So we spent most of the week in the house watching movies, sleeping, and playing Scrabble...it was good quality time together despite Jason feeling crappy.

Riley's First Couple of Weeks...

We have been busy taking care of Riley these past couple of weeks and in some ways it seems like they have flown by and in other ways it seems like they haven't. We have learned that we are definitely blessed with a good baby...we have yet to experience a moment where we could find no way to comfort her crying. I am sure we will experience that at some point, but up until now she cries only when she's hungry, getting a bath, or getting her diaper changed. I can already tell she has grown mostly in length, but we are still not fitting into the 0-3 month clothes so we have a limited wardrobe for now...she is not lacking on her overall amount of clothes however! We have been out of the house with her a lot over the past 2 weeks and she is great...she sleeps well in her carrier and in the car and anywhere for that matter so she is pretty easy going. She's been to numerous restaurants, Target several times, the mall, the hair salon (for me not for her although it looks like her first haircut could be any day now), and even to a fishing store so Dad could show her all the cool things she will need to go fishing with him!

One of the funnest things to do is to watch a sleeping baby because they make all kinds of cute faces and go through all emotions...she will occasionally belt out a loud cry in the middle of sleeping and then go right back to sleep, she will make pouty faces and her little lip will quiver, but most importantly she will smile and that is THE BEST!! I finally caught this on video with Jason's cell phone the other day...enjoy!

Feeding

Riley eats like a champ...she gets that from both of us!!! She is now eating anywhere from 3-5 ounces at a time, but she will go 3-5 hours between feedings. When she's hungry she's hungry and we are supplementing with formula so there is usually a bottle switch in the middle of her feedings and she goes into panic mode thinking that the world ran out of food.

Sleeping

She is a great sleeper too right now...she is going 3-4 hours at a time so some nights if we go to bed late we are only waking up for one feeding. We usually switch off so we have been getting pretty good sleep. It still wears on you sleeping in 3-4 hour sessions so naps are sometimes a necessity, but there's nothing better than napping with a cute little girl!

Bathing

Baths are not Riley's favorite part of the day...if you watch the video from the hospital there is audio footage to support that. She screams from the moment you put her into the bathtub until we start washing her hair...she just loves having her hair done like any girl should! She has so much hair that we have to wash it every day because everyone's hands are in it and it gets a little oily!! She is so cute after a bath it is worth all the screaming!

Doctor's Visit

We took Riley to her first pediatrician visit on Christmas Eve day and she weighed in at 7 lbs and the doc said she was perfect...so we really like him!! He also said we were doing everything right...so we really like him! She doesn't go back again until her 2 month visit, but it was really nice having a doctor tell us she was healthy and doing well. Here she is getting kisses from Daddy after being such a good little girl at the doctor's office!

Meeting the Pups

Hank and Kadie are still trying to figure out who this little thing is that invaded their house and took some of the attention away from them. Our first night at home the dogs were sleeping inside in the kitchen because it was super cold and every time Riley woke up crying they would start wimpering as well...it was so cute, but a little overwhelming to have three creatures crying at once! They like to sniff her and give her an occasional lick if given the opportunity!

Riley has found her thumb on several occasions and once her middle finger to which she went to town sucking on them...at one point she started crying and I think she actually inflicted a little pain on herself. She is also able to hold her head up really well for only being 3 weeks old...eventually her little neck gives out and her head plunges into your shoulder, but she gives it her all to keep it up and looking around.

Riley's Arrival

We recently purchased a video camera to document Riley and we have definitely put it to the test...Jason did a great job documenting her arrival into this world and her first few days and I put the clips together and edited them. The file was too big to put on the blog, but I uploaded the video on youtube and if you click the link below you can watch it there...enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKiNrGigGjs

Merry Christmas

We had a great Christmas with lots of family in town and Riley here to celebrate with us...she definitely enjoyed the candlelight Christmas Eve service as she snoozed through the entire thing.






Here are the meatball chefs preparing Nani's famous spaghetti and meatballs that we ate for Christmas Eve!!! Yummy!

SANTA CAME!!! We got an extra special present this year!!

The guys played nerf guns...they were all acting like kids!

Riley is already a guitar hero groupie!!!

She is in awe of how awesome her parents are at guitar hero!