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!

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!

Riley {Six Month Update}

Half a year has passed since we welcomed our sweet Riley Rachelle into our lives.  Can you believe it?  She's officially on the downhill slide to her first birthday.  Don't talk to me about it or I'll cry.

Key words to describe Riley this month:

• Solids.  As in, eating them.  So far she's had rice cereal, sweet potatoes, an avocado, squash, bananas, and pears.  I've been able to do them all myself with the help of the blender Ryan bought several months ago which he deemed "life-changing" at the time.  It didn't get out of the box until I started making my own baby food, FYI.  She makes a face on her first bite, but she ends up eating everything most of the time.  Her favorite is the bananas, and who can blame her?
• Sitting.  She can sit up unassisted for longer and longer periods of time.  You always have to be there, because once she loses it, she just flops right over.  But we are definitely making progress.
• Mobile.  Well, thankfully we aren't fully mobile yet, but we are working on it.  Don't turn your back when she's on the ground, because she can flip over quickly several times and be across the room!  She's working hard on army crawls, and if you give her something to push her feet against, she can really scoot.  We aren't going up on our knees yet, but you can definitely tell it's coming.

When we got pregnant with Riley, there were three major goals that I had:  cloth diapering, breastfeeding/pumping exclusively (no formula), and making our own baby food.  I got vetoed pretty quickly by Mr. Lowe Down on cloth diapers, but he was very supportive of the breastfeeding and homemade baby food.  I've been very fortunate to have a friend loan me a nice pump, a supportive and understanding family and workplace, and a little bit of luck to have the breastfeeding last this long.  Tackling the homemade baby food was a little overwhelming until I bought a book recommended by my cousin, whose daughter is five months older than Riley.  Thanks to Start Fresh  and some good Googling,  I've been able to introduce our daughter to fresh, not processed or sweetened foods.  All I needed was the blender Ryan bought, the steamer, and some ice cube trays for storage.  One day when I'm a little further along, I'll write a blog all about it.  But so far, so good!

The whole sitting up thing is a lot of fun.  Sometimes she slumps over and grabs her toes, sometimes she sits up for several minutes unassisted and very proud, and sometimes she just flops over and you have to catch her.  You can tell she's just a few weeks away from being able to do it all by herself, and maybe a few weeks after than from falling forward onto her knees and taking off!  I am trying to enjoy being in charge of her mobility as long as I can be, but those days are numbered, my friends.

We have this hilarious bath time routine where I bring her into the room after her bath covered up in a towel - we have several that look like a whale, a flamingo, and a horse.  Ryan and Alli exclaim over the new animal I've brought, what will we name it, etc.  And then they lift up the hood and see it's Riley and act like she tricked them.  She bounces and smiles about it now, and I see it being a tradition for the next several years.  

She's quite the drooler these days.  That combined with her runny nose and general crankiness, and I'd say we are working on cutting a tooth soon!  I keep feeling those sweet little gums, and there's nothing yet.  But I can tell something is coming.  

You really need to enjoy the time you have with your kids while they are little.  And you also need to enjoy the time you have where you can dress them without their opinions.  Thank you, Gymboree.  Because nine years from now, it'll be green jeans and a green shirt to match.  All to look like a Turtle.

Riley celebrated her second major holiday (Thanksgiving) last month, and we are so excited to see what Christmas has in store for her.  I have a feeling I'll be pulling the wrapping paper out of her mouth over and over again.  Happy half-birthday Riley ma'am!  Your family loves you so dearly.

Riley {Five Month Update}

It's that time again!  Can you believe another month has gone by?  Our precious Riley Roo has been with us five months, and what a wonderful blessed time it's been.  This little ma'am is showing her personality more and more every day.

Key words to describe Riley this month:

• Cheerful.  Her laughs are easy to come by, and she's getting better at entertaining herself.  She's mostly a happy little girl who smiles, coos, and chuckles at everyone.  She laughs the hardest at Alli, but she's given Cash a giggle or two also.  Apparently his sneezing and sniffing are hilarious.
• Growing.  This goes without saying, but our little lady is growing by leaps and bounds.  She had a doctor appointment last week, and she's in the 60th percentile for weight, 35th in height, and 25th in head circumference.  She's barely squeezing into her 3-6 month clothes these days, and I mostly keep her in 6-12 months.  I can't keep up!!
• Grabby.  If it's within her grasp, it's hers.  That goes for cell phones, cups, earrings, hair, and the door jamb as I walk into her room.  She really like to grab and chew on her blankets.  I could barely feed her rice cereal the other day for her grabbing the spoon as it came to her mouth.

Riley still loves a good bath.  She gets really wild sometimes and kicks hard and screams a little bit.  Alli was one of the bounciest babies, and Ryan and I commented recently that Riley wasn't.  She's been working on proving us wrong ever since.  

We tried solid foods for the first time on Sunday night.  We were at my mom's house on our way back from a family wedding in New Orleans, and the doctor had just given us the go ahead to try it.  I got single grain organic rice cereal and mixed in a little breast milk.  She actually ate it pretty well.  We went for a repeat performance the next night with big sister holding the spoon.  I think Riley's face says it all.

I am going to work this weekend on making her baby food.  I bought a few storage containers to help me freeze it, and I am planning on getting a book with recipes.  Maybe that will go over better than rice cereal.

She sleeping well, and we've even tried her sleeping alone in her room a few nights.  I get a little panicky about it, and I still want her sleeping with us up until she's six months old at least.  But she's done really well in her room and is only getting up once at night.  She's back to loving her Wubbanubbs, so that helps night time go a little better.

Riley is such a joy to our entire family.  I've also heard repeatedly that she resembles a Cabbage Patch doll.  I cannot believe she's about to experience her first Thanksgiving and Christmas!  I still think she favors her Diddy in the looks department.  Happy five months, Riley Rachelle!!

Riley {Four Month Update}

Dear time, please stop!  How can Riley be four months old?  She's been here 1/3rd of a year!  I'm pretty sure she gets cuter every day...

Key words to describe Riley this month:

• Rolly polly.  Miss Priss has mastered rolling from back to tummy and tummy to back.  I don't think I was ready for her to get so mobile.  As soon as you lay her down, she'll flip over to whichever side you didn't lay her down on.  
• Laughing and Vocal.  Riley has always been so smiley, but now she's actually giggling.  As soon as we get even a hint of a laugh out of her, we all get sillier and sillier to try to get another one.  I think my eyes well up each time - is there any better sound in the world?  She's also found her voice and is quite the screamer.  Sometimes she'll even growl at Ryan.
• Awake.  As in our ten hours of sleep are a thing of the past.  Sometimes she wakes up just once at night, and sometimes it's every two hours.  Coffee is Mama and Daddy's best friend right now.
• Mouthy.  Riley is grabbing at everything she sees, and everything immediately goes into her mouth - toys, fingers, my hair.  It's amazing to watch her explore (and taste) the world around her.

Riley has decided that she prefers to sleep on her side.  We always put her down on her back, but she almost immediately rolls to her side for sleeping.  She's also started rejecting her Nuk passies in favor of her Wubbanubs again.  They are so easy for her to grab and snuggle with.  Putting her to sleep is pretty easy if you don't miss her window.  All it takes is a little snuggling and a few pats on the diaper, and Riley is out.  She might wake up ten minutes later, though!

I'm happy to report that her eyes are still blue and she's not balding.  She still has that impressive head of hair, and Ryan insists that it's getting lighter.  I don't see it yet, but I'll trust him.  I can't get past those cheeks though - I have to bite and kiss them all the time.  All.  The.  Time.

Oh yeah, those are football legwarmers.  She just loves football.  Riley's now eating 5-7 times a day.  She's had two colds (darn it, daycare!) but I think we've got the latest one whooped.  Ryan used a Nose Frieda on her, but that's a conversation for another post.  I think she's at or just over 15 lbs - what a chunk!!  Her daddy still goes to daycare every day she's there to give her a bottle at lunch, and I spend a few days a week home with her.  I seriously love this baby girl with my whole heart - happy four months, little Rooster!!!

Riley {Three Month Update}

Another month has flown by, and yesterday Riley turned three months old!  Can you believe it?  She spent the day home sick with her very first cold, but last night after her bath I was able to snap a few pictures.  She wasn't really in the mood to smile, but when you're dealing with a baby you work with what you get.

Key words to describe Riley this month:

• Adjusting.  There's our favorite word again!  But really, this month has been full of firsts for Riley - first Arkansas football game, first week at daycare, first swim, first time being sick...  And I think I can report that we are finally out of the "fourth trimester."  She's finally figuring out that life outside of the womb isn't so bad.
• Smiling.  This is without a doubt the smiliest baby I've ever seen!  She has the sweetest little face that can quickly turn into the biggest melt-your-heart grin.  She saves her best smiles for her family, but she's not afraid to share a gummy grin with her daycare teachers.
• Exploring.  Playtime is getting more and more interesting!  She's found her hands and brings them to her mouth quite a bit.  She also stares really hard at them.  She laughs and coos at toys, and spends a lot of time flirting with the monkey on her bouncy chair.  She's even rolled from her tummy to her side and back a few times.

Riley is starting to be more and more aware of the world around her, and she wants to be a part of it.  She cackled aloud when she and Alli were in the pool and Alli popped up out of the water.  She's noticing our pets a lot more, and she can see longer distances.  She's focusing on objects and following them really well, and she's even swatted at a toy or two.  Yesterday, she rolled from her tummy all the way to her back, and she's using her legs to push up - which makes getting her out of her carseat difficult.

She's slept as long as eleven hours at a time for nearly two weeks, but her recent cold has thrown off her sleeping habits some.  She's still eating 6-8 times a day, and her teachers at daycare have accomplished the impossible and can get her to nap for an hour at a time 2-3 times a day.  Trying not to let my pride hurt me on that one...

Riley's still a little trooper, attending horseback riding lessons, taekwondo, soccer, and even the kickoff of a Razorback game.  She (almost) always does it with a smile on her face, and she's absolutely a blessing and a joy in all of our lives.  We are totally smitten!!  Happy three months, Riley Roo!

Riley {Two Month Update}

Our precious little Riley Rachelle turned two months old yesterday!  I can't believe it's been two whole months since we welcomed her into our lives.

It was so hard to just pick the few quick facts we included here, because this little lady is changing every day!!

Key words to describe Riley this month:

• Fickle.  Riley is absolutely 100% NOT Alli.  She is definitely a lot higher maintenance.  If you miss her "It's naptime" cues by just a few minutes, you've got a screaming meltdown on your hands.  She does not like to be hungry at all.  And once you think you've got her all figured out, she changes her mind on how she likes to be soothed, held, or played with.
• Strong.  Riley's neck control improves every single day.  She's gotten excellent at tummy time, and she can turn her head side to side when she hears sounds or sees an object.
• Awake.  She is most definitely coming out of that newborn sleepy period and having more and more hours of wakefulness during the day.  That has lead to a lot of fun playtime with smiles, cooing, and even a giggle for her daddy.  She's pretty ticklish!

In the past month Riley's been to Destin, Florida; Little Rock, Arkansas; and she even got to make a special trip to Prairie Grove to do a little antiquing.  Doesn't she look excited about it?

Alli is still madly in love with her little sister.  She even has this cute little song she sings to her that goes like this:  "My little little Riley Roo, Riley Roo, Riley Roo.  My little little Riley Roo shining by the light."  Riley likes to watch Alli, and Alli loves to hold Riley.  She asks us to do it at least three times a day, usually at the most inopportune moments.  But I try to let her be as involved as I can.  Big sis is obsessed.

I really can't complain too much about sleep.  Riley is not generally a great daytime napper, but she's a great night time sleeper.  We usually do a 5-6 hour stretch followed by a 3-4 hour stretch every night.  She still has a few nights where she does 3-4 hours then 2 hours, but that's maybe two nights out of seven.  She loves to snuggle in the morning, which makes waking up that much easier.

She's also a little trooper - we've been to the skating rink, Chic-Fil-A, the barn, and taekwondo class, and as long as we are working within her feeding schedule she's a happy camper.

It's been an amazing month with this little princess, and I think we've all gotten adjusted really well.  Next month I start back to work (tear!!) and she'll start daycare, so we will have a little more adjusting to do, but I am sure everything will go wonderfully.  Until then, I am going to enjoy my last three weeks at home with my girls!  Happy end of summer!

I've been struggling with how I want to do her monthly updates, and I finally stumbled across the perfect format.  I like the month by month stickers fine, but this month's sticker was blue and yellow, and we like pink and purple too much to miss a month of it.  So I stumbled across this website called PicMonkey and it helped me create exactly what I was envisioning.  I am sure over the next year I'll get better, but I'm not ashamed at my first attempt!