Riley's First Birthday!

Last week, our little Riley girl turned O-N-E!  We decided to have a party at the house with family and friends - I didn't even send out invitations!  I just texted everyone to let them know what time.  I teased with one of my friends that the theme of the party was "Shut Up Pinterest."  I didn't put together a big themed party with invites and decorations and so much expectation I couldn't live up to.  I hung a banner, bought some balloons, ordered a cake, and made some dips.  And I really couldn't be happier about how it all went.  I was relaxed, I enjoyed, and I think everyone else did too.  I'll delve into my feelings on mommy guilt and overdone birthdays in another post...on to the pictures!

Riley was a little unsure about the smash cake at first - she delicately put her finger into the icing after some prompting from her Nini.

Then she got the hang of it and realized how good Ricks cake is...

Then it was time for presents.  Our little lady racked up books, toys, pool stuff, her first baby doll, the Little People Klip Klop Princess Stable - oh and some shades.

We are so fortunate to have such wonderful friends and family who want to be a part of Riley's life.  Much love to you all, and happy first birthday to our sweet girl!

Riley {Eleven Month Update}

I know I say this every month, but come on.  Can you believe it's been eleven months since this little sweet thing joined our family?

Here are Riley's key words for the month:

• Standing.  Like tall.  Like pulling up on any and everything she can find.  She will pull up on cabinets, on the bench, on your legs, in the bathtub (horrors).  Anything she can use to get her feet under her she'll do it.  She transitions pretty easily from flat on her tummy to sitting down to her knees to standing.  It's alarming.
• Talking.  We aren't truly communicating verbally yet, but a few distinct noises that definitely are intentional.  When people walk in the room for the first time, she very cheerfully says "Hiiii!"  When she drops something throws something down, she looks over her chair and says "Uh."  One time I got her to say "Uh oh" but just the once.
• Clapping.  One day while singing patty cake to her, I noticed Riley rolling her hands together when I said "Roll 'em up," and then she followed that up with clapping.  A few times, she's even thrown her arms for the grand "Throw 'em in the pan" finale.

See that standing baby?  I am absolutely amazed at the changes that have happened in such a short time.  A month ago we were celebrating the army crawl, and now we're quickly baby-proofing and chasing her all over the house.  And telling her over and over again that she can't stand in the tub!

Our eleven month photoshoot didn't go as well as planned because someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed, and then she decided to have coffee talk with Lola rather than face the camera.  But Mama didn't get her coffee that morning because someone leaned over and pushed it off the bench.

When Riley wants you to sing to her, she bobs her head back and forth and says "Mmmbop" which almost always makes me break into a Hanson solo.  She loves any music with a good beat that she can dance to - she get it from her mama.

Can it really be her one year birthday next month?  Where has the time gone?  If she changes as much this month as she did last month, she'll be driving a car.  Slow down time!  Happy eleven months, Riley Roo!

Riley {Ten Month Update}

Boy, do I feel sheepish.  It's been over a month since I last posted!  Spring has been a flurry of activity for our family, and I've been collapsing into bed at night without the energy to blog.  Now I'm posting Riley's ten month update when she's almost eleven months old!  Please forgive me.  I'll do better, I promise!

Here are key words to describe Riley this month:

• Waving.  Out of the blue one day, Riley started waving bye bye, and she just can't get enough of it.  Sometimes she gives even gives the two handed wave.  She's gotten so good at it that all you have to say is "Bye bye!" and she immediately starts waving.  It's adorbs.
• Wary.  Riley is pretty cautious of people who aren't in her immediate family or friends.  She's stopped willingly going to whoever wants to hold her and has started hesitating, turning away, or crying.  Her "Strangers Danger" complex is pretty acute right now.
• Crawling.  Riley isn't doing the traditional crawl on her knees - she does the belly to the ground Army crawl.  But she's speedy, determined, and able to get across the room quickly.  Cue babyproofing.

Riley still loves every food we put in front of her.  She never turns down grub, and she's enjoyed every solid she's tried.  She's even learned to enjoy chicken!  We added beets, broccoli & cauliflower this month without any complaints.

Sleep with Riley is touch and go - most nights she goes down between 8-9PM and gets up between 7-8AM.  But as soon as you think you've got her figured out, she changes her mind!  She had been laying down by herself when she was sleepy and going to bed on her own, but then for a week she decided she needed to nurse or rock to sleep.  And then we were back to laying her down again.  She always keeps us on our toes!

Riley still loves to give headbutt kisses, dance to music, and throw her toys on the ground for you to pick up.  When she tosses a toy overboard, she proclaims "Uh!"  We're still working on the "Oh!"  Happy ten months, sweet smiley Riley!

March Babies

Our family has been blessed to know three, yes THREE couples who had babies on my birthday weekend!  March is a fantastic month to be born, and I am happy to share my birth month (and even my birthDAY in one case) with these new little sweeties!

So congratulations to the Heards on their sweet little Libby, the Carlyles on big boy (a whopping 9 lbs, 4 oz!) Owen, and the Simpsons on precious Aubrey Kate.  We were lucky enough to get to visit Aubrey, Dave, and Lindsey in the hospital after Aubrey made her debut.  Alli loves babies, but Riley wasn't so sure.

I am so happy to know each one of these great sets of parents and I can't wait to watch these sweet little babies grow.

Adventures in Babyfood Making

I've alluded to this several times on the blog, but Ryan and I are making Riley's baby food ourselves.  I had three big wishes for giving Riley the best start possible:  breastfeeding her the first year, cloth diapering, and making her baby food.  All three of those were pretty ambitious and would require a lot of work on my part, but I really wanted to make it happen.  Breastfeeding has gone very well, even after me going back to work when Riley was twelve weeks old.  I think a lot of that is helped by the fact that I'm home with her two days a week.

Ryan said no ma'am to the cloth diapering.  I wanted to fight him on it, but it seemed so important to him, and he had some great points.  With a big kid, we are always on the go, and with daycare to consider, we weren't sure that the huge initial investment would pay off.  So while I wanted to be super green and not use disposable diapers, that's where we've ended up and I'm fine with that decision.

The biggest commitment to me was making Riley's baby food.  I had no idea where to start, but fortunately my cousin had a baby about six months before I did and she had decided to do the same thing.  She has been a wealth of knowledge for me and has kept the whole process from being too confusing.  I still get a little overwhelmed at times - without the baby food aisle to guide me on what "step" we're on, I tend to get lost on where to go next.  However, three months into doing this, and I'm almost a pro.

The process is pretty simple.  All you need in a steam basket (I got an Oxo one from Amazon for around $15), a sauce pan with a lid, a knife, a cutting board, and a blended.  We use a Magic Bullet that Ryan bought from Amazon for around $100.  As I mentioned before, he bought it thinking he would use it, but turns out Riley has used it most of all.

First, you chop and peel the fruit or veggie you're cooking (if required).  I don't peel squash, apples and pears, but I do peel mangos, peaches, sweet potatoes, and plums.

Then you bring 2-3 cups of water to boil in a sauce pan.  Place the chopped or sliced food into the steam basket and cover.  I steam for around 10 minutes.
 

Once the timer goes off, I take the lid off and let the food cool.  Then I put it in the blender.  If I know a food is going need some water to blend (most vegetables plus apples & pears), I add the water from the  pot because it's going to have absorbed some of the nutrients from the food.  Special thanks to R.Lowe for being my hand model.

 We have two silicone trays for freezing food.  We got the green one at Target and the pink one was a gift.  I have to say, the pink is superior.  I absolutely love it, and not just because it's pink.  It's the easier of the two to get the frozen food out of!

So once you blend to the desired consistency, then you just pour it in the trays, cover, and freeze.

It's actually a surprisingly easy process, and one that I have really enjoyed because it's not only good for the Roo, but it has made our family much more conscious of what we eat.  I love feeling like I'm doing something so healthy for her that it's helped us in the process!

Here's a list of what Riley has tried so far:

• Avocados
• Bananas
• Oatmeal (Sprout brand, mixed with breastmilk)
• Blueberries
• Green beans
• Peas
• Pears
• Peaches
• Plums
• Mangos
• Sweet potatoes
• Chicken (Boiled, shredded, and then blended)
• Yogurt (I didn't make this myself - It's whole milk yogurt from Ozark Natural Foods)
• Pumpkin (canned)
• Summer squash
• Butternut squash
• Carrots

And here are a few notes:

• Bananas and avocados do not have to be steamed - you can just peel, pit (if needed), and blend.
• We use the SteamFresh bags for green beans and peas.  It's just easier - I steam them in the microwave and then blend.
• We use frozen peaches from Ozark Natural Foods that have no added ingredients.  They are so simple because they are already peeled, sliced, and ready to steam.  Sometimes, depending on what's in season or in stock, we get frozen mangos and blueberries as well.
• Don't fill the sauce pan up with too much water - suspending food in water actually removes the nutrients.  If you have to add water to the blender, always try to use the water from the pot you used to steam.
• An exception to the above is blueberries - their skins are so tough that they retain their nutrients.  I actually boil them for 10 minutes in 2 cups of water uncovered.
• If anything is too runny, add baby oatmeal.  
• Canned pumpkin can actually be served right out of the can.  Just make sure it's not pumpkin pie mix.  No need to cook.
• The chicken was the hardest thing we've made, and I think it's scared us off of making any other meats!  It was so hard to get the consistency right.  Just keep adding water and blending.
• I used this website as my reference, and I still read it constantly.  It has a great listing of spices to add to each baby food once you've introduced them all so that you keep exposing your child to new flavor.

I've not done a great job of moving past the fruit and veggie purees.  I need to get some grains introduced as well as beef and turkey.  We're also starting to work on textured foods, so I'll mash up a banana or peas in front of her and let her play with them.  She's not putting it into her mouth yet, but I think we'll get there soon.  It makes me feel great to be able to make Riley's solids for her and I love knowing exactly what's in them.  I encourage anyone who wants to to give it a try - it's not as hard as everyone makes it seem!

Riley {Nine Month Update}

It's that time again!  Is it flying by for you like it is for me??  Our sweet Riley ma'am is nine months old!  She's officially been out longer than she was in!

Key words to describe this stinker this month:

• Toothy.  Riley cut her top left tooth finally!  It was a bit of a bumpy few days, but we could see it in her gum and it finally popped out!  It looks just like her sister's, and the one right next to it is on the way any day now (please).
• Expressive.  Riley's aware of how to make people laugh, whether it's a cute, shy smile or shaking her head back and forth.  She isn't afraid to let you know how she feels, and we started something new this month - throwing herself backwards when she doesn't like something.  So that's fun.
• Musical.  We play Riley's Pandora station all the time while she's playing on the floor, and she loves the music.  It plays a mix of reggae, Disney songs, and acoustic.  She bounces up and down and sways to the beat.  Don't tell Ryan, but she already has more rhythm than he does.

Riley is chowing down on solid foods - she's added blueberries, yogurt, and chicken this month.  She likes everything but the chicken.  I'm sure being a Lowe, she'll learn to love it.  We haven't tried anything more than purees yet, so if anyone has any tips on getting a fickle 0.75 year old to try something other than creamy blends, please let me know.

 Riley's been to riding lessons, soccer games, a Razorback gymnastics meet, and a Razorback basketball game this month.  She's a pretty good traveler and she can be flexible (most of the time).  We went bowling last Tuesday to get out of the house after three snow days, and she thoroughly enjoyed observing.

This kid is character!  You never have to wonder what's on her mind, because she lets you know.  She works hard to get our attention, and she even imitates us by nodding or shaking her head back and forth.  Sometimes you can even get her to mimic sounds.  Riley has also been known to give the occasional headbutt  to get kisses on her forehead.  She's not afraid to let you know if she's unhappy by screaming, arching her back, and even diving backwards out of your arms.  At least she's a woman who knows what she wants.

Riley has a move we like to call "the roll-crawl."  She's not crawling yet, but she is pushing with her feet quite a bit.  So when she sees something she wants across the room, she uses a combination of rolling and crawling to get to it.  Very resourceful and creative.  She's also starting to pull herself up onto our laps.  It's not cruising yet, but it's the beginning of it.

Happy nine months, Riley!  You're a challenging, independent, strong-willed little lady with a mind of your own.  I love how you know what you want, and you're not afraid to let the world know.  I'm proud to be your mama.

Riley {Eight Month Update}

Have nearly three quarters of a year really gone by since Riley was born?  Shouldn't I be used to this now?  Well, guess what - I'm not.  I don't think I'll ever get over how fast time goes by!

Key words to describe Riley this month:

• Playful.  Riley loves to play on the floor with her toys.  One of her favorite things to do is to play with blocks.  I build towers, and Riley knocks them down.  I put a block on her head, Riley vigorously shakes it off.  I perch a block outside of her elephant, which has circle, square, and triangle cutouts, and Riley pushes it in.  I give her toys while she's in her high chair, Riley throws them onto the floor.  You can tell she's starting to do things for a reaction and she loves to make us laugh!
• Transparent.  When Riley decided no more reclining in her sling in the bath, she made it known.  When Riley wants to be picked up, she makes it known.  Her cues are so clear these days, you're never left wondering if she's hungry, sleepy, or bored.  Riley lets you know, and she lets you know quickly.
• Mobile.  Again this month, no crawling.  But Riley can go from a sitting position to laying on the floor in the blink of an eye.  And once she's done that, it's a few quick flips from back to front before she's gotten herself close to whatever she wanted in the first place.  Who needs crawling?  

Riley had her six month checkup a month ago (a little late due to weather and the doctor's scheduling), and it was glowing.  She's a healthy little chub who's progressing just like she should.  The doctor wasn't worried at all about her lack of teeth and slowness to crawl.  And he reassured us that the dry, red skin she's had on her back for a few weeks is eczema.  We're trying some cream by California Baby and have had great results.

Riley has added peas, plums and peaches to her solid food repertoire, and I really owe you a post on baby food making.  We've homemade 100% of the food she's eaten, and I'm planning on starting meats next week!  It makes us feel wonderful to be able to have control over what she's consuming, and it's motivated Ryan and I to make sure we and Alli are eating better too.

I love that she's starting to do things just to get reactions.  She knocks things over when we're playing just so I will laugh or build it again.  I have a hilarious video of her shaking her head every time I put a block on her head, and you can tell she's doing it just to make me laugh.  This kid has personality for days, and I'm in love with her giggle.  It's turned into a belly laugh!!

Happy eight months to my little love bug!!

Riley {Seven Month Update}

Houston, we have a problem.  My teeny tiny baby has disappeared!  So much so that I can barely fit her into our shots for our monthly pics!  See what I mean?

So we changed the format a little bit and let her sit up since she's so fabulous at it.

Ahhh I could just bite those toes all. day. long.  But I digress.

Key words to describe Riley this month:

• Talkative.  Until recently, Riley has been a pretty quiet baby unless she's complaining.  But this month she is babbling nonstop!  It's mostly "Mamamama" but she also says "Dadadada."  She screams, she gurgles, and she smacks her lips.  And if you slap your hands down on the grown and say "AH!" she'll do it right back.  Cutest thing ever.
• Smart.  This word could obviously describe Riley every month, but she's really developing this month.  She can sit in her exersaucer and swivel around to follow Alli, even when Alli is behind her and she can't see her.  She knocks down blocks while I stack them, and she even grabs at my face so that I'll react at sling my head side to side.  Seeing her learn cause and effect is amazing.
• Eating.  We're trying a new food every three days, so she's experiencing a lot of new tastes.  She had her first green veggie on Sunday - green beans - and she's actually a fan!  The only thing we've found that she's not in love with is avocado.  She'll eat it, but it's not her favorite.  She loves the fruits - pears, bananas, mangos, and apples.

Our sweet little princess appears to be teething.  She's fussy sometimes, she's drooling buckets, and it's about dang time!  But no teeth yet - maybe next month.  She's not crawling either, and I guess I should be counting my lucky stars, but I want to make sure she's on track so we practice as much as we can.

She would really much rather sit up and play with all of her Christmas presents.  She got so many awesome things, but so many of them make noise.  Alli's favorite thing to do is to put them all on the loud setting and get them all going at once.  All the while exclaiming "I can't hear myself think!"  Sisters.

Our little stinker is hard to figure out sometimes.  She will have several nights where she sleeps for 12 hours and we don't hear a peep, and then she has nights where she's up every hour.  She knows how to keep us on our toes!

Happy seven months beautiful girl - you're such a special part of our family and we can't wait to see you grow even more!