Shawshank Redemption

Early this morning, as TJ was getting ready to leave for work, he came back into our room and said, "you need to come and see this." That has become our code for signaling that Riley has positioned herself overnight into some funky upside down, backwards, sleeping position. Or, just as common, that "Hurricane Riley" has trashed the crib -- blankets, teddy bears, underwater music scene all scattered far from where they started the night before. It also often involves her "sleep crawling," where she snoozes on all fours with her little tush in the air. Today, however, she attempted to "break out" of the crib. Lying on her side,she had managed to pull the bumper over her head and behind her, and her little leg was stuck through two of the bars of the crib -- and she was furious!!! Of course, like any good parent, I ran for the camera before coming to her aid.

Dear Inmate number 43619-112,
If this incident means that you're one of those babies who will excel at escaping from your crib as soon as you're coordinated enough to do so, you may have to be transferred to a maximum security facility. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated. Yours truly, the Warden.

Momentum

I know I've been saying it for a while, but Riley really is this close to crawling. From a sitting position, she bounces up the momentum to lurch forward over her little legs. The only problem is that when she catapults forward, she usually lands on her head. I guess her arms aren't strong enough or fast enough to break the fall. She doesn't seem phased by it though. She will also reach for you and try to move toward you, and if you hold out your fingers, she can use them to pull herself up. Maybe she's going to be one of those babies who just skips straight to walking. She is definitely a talker -- all day long, it's "Bau, Bau, Bau," and there's no doubt that she is referring to Bauer. When you ask her, "where's Bau Bau?" she scans the room and locks her eyes on him. Some friends who just arrived in town are staying with us until they get settled and they have a dog named Lacey. So, there are now two Bau Baus, which means two big black noses in her face and under the high chair, and all parties involved couldn't be happier.


I took this picture for TJ because I knew it would make him proud. I actually don't let her watch television, but somehow, through TJ's genes, she still knows how to work the remote.

In this photo, Bauer has Lacey's Wubba and is explaining that "this is how it works if you live in MY house!!!" Riley is wondering where the other Bau Bau magically came from.


My little scholar, reading the Grouchy Ladybug.



I love this picture. It captures her essence to a tee.

This little piggy went to market, this little piggy stayed home...
I'm familiar with that nursery rhyme. It's a classic.

But, this is a new one for me:
The vacuum sucked on my hand ~ okay
the vacuum sucked on my leg ~ alright
the vacuum sucked on my diaper ~ no big deal
then, the vacuum sucked on my belly button and I was MAD!!!

Fun with the camera

I had the urge to play around with the camera testing different light and backgrounds. I happen to think I hired the most beautiful model for the shoot.

Easter Bunny

We took Riley to see the Easter Bunny yesterday for two important reasons:

1) To see whether or not she had the same fear of large, imaginary, costumed holiday mascots that other children often exhibit. (A friend of mine recently reported that her daughter saw the EB last week and screamed, "No Bunny. No Bunny. No Bunny. Nooooooo."

2) To see whether TJ and I have the patience for waiting in long lines each year to see how Riley is going to react to aforementioned holiday characters.

Happy to report that the line was short because the egg hunts were about to start for the 1 year and up crowd, and Riley had no problem being passed off to a large, furry stranger. Not sure if that makes me really proud, or makes me question my parenting skills.

Who says vegetables are no fun?

"Ode to vegetables"
(In honor of cousin Rachel, our favorite vegetarian)

The Economy and the younger workforce

Riley searches the Classifieds for employment:
Times are tough. Diapers are expensive. We all have to pull our weight around here.