Big Boy

Riley said his first sentence today. We were coming home from dinner at Buffos and he said "Riley eat dinner." He's so smart.

Whenever I put him to bed he likes to pick out his books ... it totally reminds me of me. He stands in front of his bookcase, takes out a book, considers it closely and then either puts it back or eagerly heads over to me saying "sit" to dive right in to a good read.

I need to update more often

and I imagine I'll need to change the name of the URL now that Riley will be a big brother. Right now he's like a little businessman in his footie flannel pajamas, he's got his hair combed with a nice side part.

Working Mom's Baby Book Post

Officially walking ... started this weekend so maybe Riley just needed some time away from Mom and Dad to flip the switch. No doubt about it, our 16-month-old is on the move! It's a bit Frankenstein-like, he holds out his right arm to balance himself and it just might be the cutest thing ever. He's figured out how to stand up by all on his own and he is good to go. Tonight at bedtime I sang him some songs ... need to expand my repertoire as I stuck with Indigo Girls. He loves it, we rocked in the dark and I sang out of tune while he kept doing 'more more.' Pretty special.

Riley's new favorite toy is his wagon. He loves to ride in it as well as push it. Tonight, per Daga, he pushed his wagon all the way from our driveway to the end of our street (with a few stops for a sippy cup break).

Seems like walking is around the corner - although we've been saying that for a few weeks now.

Climbing the stairs

Somebody is very accomplished at climbing the stairs now. The only issue is when this certain someone wants to go down the stairs headfirst.

Also, I'm not naming names, but somebody throws himself--specifically his head--down on the floor when he is told "no." It's not Andy or Kingsley.

Things to Remember

When we ask Riley to clap he cycles through all of his tricks. He starts to wave and he also shakes his head "no no no no no." He throws his hands up in the air to demonstrate he's "so big."

He loves to explore our faces at bedtime. We're like Mr. PotatoHead for him.

bedtime

riley has always been the easiest kid to put down. he has his bottle and he is DONE, whether it's his nap or bedtime. every now and then he's more interested in telling us his deepest thoughts instead of napping, but for the most part it's smooth sailing. we're so lucky.

i love putting him to bed. he's so exhausted at 7 p.m.! i give him his bottle and sometime he can't even finish it, he's so tired. that probably means we should put him down earlier, but he doesn't cry and it's more time with us so oh well. but he just stops drinking and puts his head down on my chest and he's out. i usually hold him for a bit to "burp him" but it's mostly just to get that last snuggle in and hear him breathe and kiss his downy cheeks. he's such an angel.