Our big little girl...

Here is our big little girl sporting her new shades that mom bought her...she doesn't quite know what to think about them yet!

Well Riley has become a big girl over the past few days...Sunday night she slept in her room in her crib just like a big girl! I was kind of sad, but she has done great and we are sooo proud of her! She also started playing with her Exersaucer and she LOVES it...here's a video of her playing (sorry you have to turn your head sideways)!

Each day I can not wait to go pick her up from daycare...it is just so exciting and she is such a fun and happy baby that we cherish every moment with her! She is smiling like crazy, is as ticklish as a little girl can possibly be, and is so close to belly laughing we just can't wait to hear those giggles.

Everyone in daycare including Riley has a case of the boogers...a.k.a. lots of congestion...yuck! I feel so bad for her and we are constantly sucking out her nose, but she seems to be relatively unaffected and still in a good mood so we can't complain too much! Next week she will change daycares and hopefully she will not notice much and we will love the new daycare just as much. I will be working closer to home which is nice so we had to move her to make it convenient for both of us to be able to get to her...we have been really impressed with this daycare and have heard lots of good things so we're hoping for the best!

Here are some pics from our Easter celebration...we had a great church service with an awesome drama that included music and an artist painting to the music and then we headed to the Taylors for a great lunch with several other couples...definitely ate too much food, but it was all so good!


Riley with her Easter bunny Kaleb who is snoozing away!

She looked so cute with her hat on!


Playing with Dad!

Our Family Pic!

Week in Review

Well we made it through the first week of back to work and off to school...we call it school since that sounds way more fun than daycare! The entire transition hasn't phased Riley one bit...she is still our laid back little girl and she has stuck on her schedule! Here's a few pics of the last week...as you can see my posting is a little less frequent because I just have less time and the time I have I want to be holding and playing with my sweet little girl!

Grammy and JoePa are coming in town on Friday for the weekend and Riley can't wait to see them...Dad, she is back to her normal 5 am feeding so you will have a buddy! We are going to take some family pics at Garvan Gardens with the tulips and daffodils in bloom...hopefully the weather will cooperate with us and Megan can get some good pics!

Riley and Dad snuggling together and...

watching TV...the girl LOVES the TV!!!

Wiley came by for his Riley fix for the week...you can see here she is GLUED to the TV...we could have a problem in the future. Luckily for now we know that it's just the lights and colors that attract her attention not the actual show!

He is Risen...

We want to wish everyone a very Blessed Easter...a time to reflect on the sacrifice that was made for us and share this message with those that haven't yet accepted it. We are going to church this morning and then having lunch with Scott and Laurie so it will be a fun day!

As of this morning I still haven't decided WHICH dress Riley is going to wear today...such a dilemma. Yesterday we took her Easter pics and I tested out my photography skills and I played dress up with her...she cooperated very well!

First Day of Daycare...

I am happy to report that everything has gone really smoothly with me going back to work and Riley going to daycare. Monday morning went off without a hitch and we arrived early and Derek and Tara were there to provide moral support for us! It is nice to know that Kaleb is there with her all day...we just hope there's no co-cribbing going on behind our backs..haha!

I felt really comfortable with the situation when we left and I got ancy around 11 and was able to go check on her...hanging out in the swing and smiled as soon as I got there! When I went to pick her up she was awake and hanging out in the crib...they said she hasn't fussed at all except when she's starting to get hungry...she didn't sleep as much as normal on Monday but slept 9 hours that night...woohoo! Yesterday she had two good naps so she was on her normal 7 hour sleep schedule last night...she is still on her schedule so far so we are happy about that.

My job is going really well...I really enjoyed being back in a work environment and it was really good for me. These first couple days have been nice because I have gotten to pick her up early and take her in a little late which is a nice transition. We did find out that I will get to office out of North Little Rock which puts me closer to home, but also means that we will have to change daycares and won't be with Kaleb but for a few more weeks so the two have to make the most of it! The other daycare will be more convenient for Jason to get to her as well so that will be good!

Group Pic...Riley is hiding behind Howard!

Soundly sleeping...so peaceful!

3 Months Old

Riley is 3 months old today!!! Today is a big day as well because she spends her first day at daycare! Here are some things that Riley is doing at 3 months old...

• Talking A LOT...and a ton more just in the past few days



• SMILING and almost laughing

• Noticing tickles...her feet are ticklish as well as her belly



• Grabbing and pulling down at her toys on her playmat



• Holding onto toys if they are put into her hands



• Sucking on her entire fist all on her own



• Sleeping 7 hours or more at night...woohoo!

We are constantly amazed by our little girl and feel so blessed to have her in our life...we can't imagine life without her and love her so much!

Catching Up

Well I know it has been several days since I have posted...we have had a great week and weekend! This past week we went and cleaned out my old office, had lunch with Dad, went shopping (including the new Container Store...yippee!!!) and to lunch with Andrea, got my hair done and played at Nula's salon, and hung out together! This weekend Dad got to get the boat out and go fishing, I got to go and get my nails done, we had the Burns family over for dinner, and we spent all day today with church friends, and now my time at home with Riley comes to an end for now and she is soundly sleeping and all her stuff is packed and ready to go for daycare! I am nervous, sad, excited...all sorts of emotions. We will let you know how tomorrow goes! Here are some recent pics of what we've been up to!

I love staring and talking to my mom!!!

The Burns Family

Me and my Dad chillin'!

Riley and Kaleb...she looks like she really is thinking about something!

Sweet Family Time

Well Riley has her daddy back! Jason made it in at about 12:00 a.m. Saturday morning and I timed her feedings so she was just done eating and ready to go to bed when he got home. He snatched her up and started talking to her and she greeted him with HUGE smiles...it was so sweet! She knows who her daddy is! We had a nice weekend together as a family...we hung out and got all of Jason's goods put away, visited his family, had dinner with friends, went to church and lunch with friends, and enjoyed the nice weather yesterday...I was able to go running and Jason washed our vehicles...a good 'ol Sunday afternoon!

Riley has hit some new milestones...DROOL, grabbing at her toys, and her FEET!!! She is drooling a lot now and getting her clothes all wet...it doesn't seem to bother her though! She is also grabbing at her toys on the playmat and pulling them to her...sometimes I will put a toy in her hands and she immediately tries to get it to her face to try and suck on it and today she and I were playing and I was just talking to her up close and she put her hands on my face and just kept feeling my face...it was so sweet! The best was her finding her feet...it was Saturday morning and dad was still asleep and I was holding her on my lap...her eyes locked on her feet and she just kept staring in awe as her feet wiggled around eventually she grabbed her feet with her hands and kept staring...I wish so bad Jason had been awake to grab the camera and capture the moment, but she hasn't noticed them since so I'm sure she will do it again soon!

After we bathed her on Saturday I decided it was time to try out her robe...what girl doesn't have a robe? She was sooooo cute in it and we had yet another photo shoot and we even included Howard the Duck this time! Howard was a gift from Granny, Jennifer's grandma, and Jason had decided that this should be her buddy and he LOVES Howard so we take Howard with us a lot of places now! Thanks Granny! Thanks to the Zachman's for getting Riley her robe!

I am enjoying my last week home before I go back to work...to a NEW job at that! It's a long story, but I will be starting a new job with a new company next week. I think all the change is going to help transitioning back because I am excited about the new job. My boss is a very caring mom and has assured me that I will have flexibility to transition taking Riley to daycare so I am very happy about that! We are practicing our routine...day one down and it was a success! I'm sure there will be kinks to work out however when the real deal starts!

I miss my Daddy!

Jason's been gone since we came home from Texas and we truly miss him! Every day I have put Jason on speakerphone and Riley just stares at the phone and smiles, but that is just not cutting it anymore and she wants her Daddy at home to hold her, read books to her, and kiss all over her! Luckily he will be home tomorrow pending this crazy weather we are about to get doesn't screw anything up!

I dressed Riley in another of the "unisex" outfits that Jason bought before we knew we were having a girl, but I fancied it up with her ribbon belt and her cute bow! After a nap and some food she was a little more into the photo shoot!

Doesn't get much better than that!

Some videos...

I finally uploaded the videos that we've taken the past month and here are my favorites...Riley is really talking now and I love her little noises and her smiles...they are the best!

This is of Phoebe talking to Riley while we were in Aggieland! Taken 2/23/08

This is Riley talking and playing on her playmat! Taken 3/5/08

This is Riley having a conversation with Grammy! Taken 2/25/08

Pooped

Yesterday I made my first successfull attempt at taking a walk with Riley and the dogs. I had Riley in the Jeep body carrier and the dogs behaved really well...I think they were just glad to see something other than our backyard for a change! Riley was bright eyed through the first half of the walk and then I looked down and she had her head resting on both of her hands and she was passed out...here is a pic of her when we got home!

Let it snow...Let it snow...

We had our first snow of the year this morning...it was beautiful to wake up to the snow covering the trees and the houses! I am not a fan of the cold weather that goes along with the snow so Riley and I stayed in all day and didn't get out of our pj's! By mid-afternoon all the snow was gone so it was short lived...bring on the spring weather because we are done with winter!

Here's Hank and Kadie checking it out and making yellow snow...haha! For those of you who know Hank that means that he made approximately 2,546 patches of yellow snow as he likes to mark the whole yard every morning...such a guy!

Here's Riley chillin on her boppy pillow!

The search for the thumb...

Riley is destined to find her thumb...how glorious that will be! This little girl really likes to suck and I hesitated to introduce her to a binky, but there's no way we would have survived without it! The binky is her friend and although she sleeps great at night, the last few hours of her slumber require someone to be on binky patrol...that means you must be on hand to insert the binky as soon as it pops out of her mouth! It will be nice when she can get the thumb in on her own and the duties of binky patrol will no longer be required...however, I'm sure that we'll miss the binky patrol when that day comes as well!

For now her thumb is not big enough to make her happy so she resorts to sucking on her entire fist...it's so cute and the loud sucking noises that accompany it are priceless!

Showering Jamie!!!

We had our third baby shower this past weekend from our small group girls...and we have 4 more to go!!! We threw a shower for Jamie and Baby Gabe who should arrive in early May! We all got together Friday night to get the food prepped and then we held the shower on Saturday! It was a lot of fun and Jamie got some great stuff!

Isn't that cake adorable?

Chocolate fountains...yum!

Jamie and all of her presents! You can't even tell she's pregnant in this pic...she has a super cute bump though!

Absence makes the heart grow fonder...

Riley and Kaleb...back together again! It had been several weeks since we had gotten these two little munchkins together and last Friday after a fun lunch with all the girls Tara and I got to spend the afternoon together. Both babies napped for a couple of hours so we were able to catch up, have coffee cheesecake, and relax a little! Once the babies woke up they played and then it was time for a photo shoot! They were so cute and we couldn't get Riley to smile and it turns out she was sitting in a poopy diaper through the whole shoot...I wouldn't smile either!

We put her arm through his...so cute! We are so silly!

Riley kept wanting to nuzzle up to him...I'll have to have a talk with her about not making the first move!

"Mom and Dad, we'll be on our best behavior...we promise!"

San Antonio

As soon as we got home from College Station we fed Riley, changed her diaper, and loaded her up for a trip to the Riverwalk...I'm telling you this girl is a trooper! We walked along the river and had dinner at Casa Rio...yummy! I even had my first margarita in a year...it was AWESOME!

AGGIELAND

Riley made her first visit to Aggieland while we were in Texas and it was a quick trip, but we had a blast! We had great food, shopped for Aggie gear, went to a basketball game (although we lost), and took Riley on a tour of campus! She looked so cute in her Aggie clothes and she was a champ...we drug her around all day long and she was so good! She survived through the loud basketball game for the entire first half and then somehow managed to fall asleep for a nap for the second half and sadly she didn't miss much!

Here she is cheering on the Aggies to BTHO Nebraska!

Here is our family pic at the basketball game!

This is my little tv watcher...she is just like her dad! She is enamoured by the TV and obviously at this age it must just be the changing colors and contrasts that attract her attention, but once her eyes catch the TV she is glued and with her mouth open! After staying with Dale and Phoebe she has now raised the bar on her TV watching accomodations and wants an electric reclining leather media chair...we'll see about that!

Here began our campus tour where Jason just told Riley stories of our days on campus as we walked all over...it was really fun and the weather was awesome! This first pic is of us in front of the arches of the quad...the corps dorm area where Jason spent 4 years of his life!

Here we are at the Century Tree...where it all began! This tree is incredible and as you can see its branches span so far that they create a beautiful canopy. This is a very common spot for proposals to happen and this is where Jason proposed to me 4 and a half years ago! Here is a picture of our proposal!

Here's Grammy and JoePa with Riley in front of Kyle Field...we figured out she will be class of 2030...whoop!