A natural born reader

I LOVE to read books, although I'll admit that I don't have the time lately to read the way I like. By that I mean that usually I'll start a book and if it's really good I'll go 3-4 hours straight until it's finished. I finished the last Harry Potter in a record 3 hours and 28 minutes. Then I read it again...and again. Of course that was pre-princess baby!

I am happy to report that it seems that Riley has my love for books. Today we were in her room and she was crawling around going from this toy to that and eventually she made her way over to her bookcase. Here's what happened next:

Making her first selection, she is pulling My Creation Bible off of the shelf. Notice she is doing it quite carefully.She's going back for book number two, she's looking closely at her options.She looked at her bible for a moment, but the one she's going for is a Gigi and PaPa gift. It's a Baby Einstein book that lights up and plays music. God is great, but the Bible doesn't stand a chance against a light up/sound book at this age.

She pulled it over onto her lap and gave me a look like, "Mom, read it to me please!"She actually sat still for the entire book and we listened to all the songs too.

Sitting in the aftermath, can you imagine when she's tall enough to reach the next shelf??

Curious, very curious...

Prior to Riley's birth, Matt and I were not big picture takers. We are not the kind of couple that has lots of pictures of us, in fact besides our wedding there's not many of those at all. We've had the same camera since 2003! However, after the birth of the princess we (and by we I mean I) became PHOTO OBSESSED. Every moment had to be captured on film, preserved in the pages of baby books and on the Internet. For my birthday I requested and got a new digital camera and to date since January 24th we have about 1000 pictures of our girl.

So, clearly Riley is accustomed to the funny box that Mommy is constantly cajoling her to look into (and SMILE). She never questioned or wondered about the camera before now and all of a sudden she is intrigued by the funny box. In fact when I pull it out she's immediately on the move hand outstretched for it with her "What is this? What can I do with this" look on her face.
Here's some pics of what happens when I try to preserve moments lately....

Hey, my Mommy, the paparazzo, is pointing that funny box at me again!That's it, I'm not sitting still for this anymore!

I'm gonna get you and I'll probably try to eat you!

Closer now....Hey! I thought I told you enough already!That's it! No more Miss Nice Girl. :)

Music to my ears

Riley makes so many sounds these days and it's funny that even without seeing her I can tell what she is doing and which is which. When she's really tired her cry is very high pitched, when she's frustrated it's low. When she's bored she whines and when she doesn't feel well she whines, but it's very nasal. When she's trying to get our attention she "cries" but there are no tears and she starts and stops. When something really makes her happy she shrieks and when she's excited she half chuckles half grunts. When she's chewing her little cereal puffs (think Cheerios but flavored) she blabs while she chews, "gaba baba gaba".

I've learned to love each sound because they represent so much more than noise or even her communication. When she cries I know that she has feelings and she knows that Mommy and Daddy will help her feel better (I also know that she's got a healthy set of lungs!). When she's bored whining I know it's because she's eager for more experiences and she wants more input. When she shrieks I know it's because she's learning that life is good.

But by far my most favorite sound of all is when she laughs, deep from her belly just laugh after laugh after laugh. Last night I was in the kitchen cleaning up after her bath and dinner. Matt was out in the living room doing the usual routine of getting her lotioned and diapered. He was playing her favorite game, "Where's Riley". He'll drop her little bath towel over her face and say "Where's Riley???" and she'll pull it away and Daddy says "Oh! There she is!". For whatever reason she finds this hilarious and even more so than usual last night because she was hysterically laughing. It stopped me mid-chore and in that moment I thanked God for my blessings. Just to listen to them made me smile because the happiness in their voices and laughter was palpable. As Daddy finished getting her ready she ended the game by reaching for her bottle and letting loose with one her of her little ear piercing shrieks and I thought to myself...you're right my precious girl, life is good.

Riley Waves Hi

About 3 weeks ago when Gigi and Papa were here our little princess decided to start waving hi. It was early on Saturday morning and she was in her bebe pod while Daddy fed her cereal in the kitchen and Mommy and Gigi watched. Now, Matt and I have waved at her since she was only a few months old, but we didn't think she had any idea what we were doing. But on this morning she started waving hi by opening and closing her hand just like we do to her! I found this quite amusing as you can clearly hear while I tape her.

Disclaimer: After much reading of my manual and some trial and error I have sort of figured out how to get the video clips from our actual DVD recorder onto the computer. For all the videos I have posted so far we used our digital camera that has a simple USB cord connection. However, the day that Riley started waving hi our dig cam was in the car and I had to grab the DVD recorder. It's been locked on here and I'm so happy that I can finally share it with the rest of our family and friends. Downside...the file that I had was actually a chapter that had two recordings on it??? Any techies out there know how to isolate and upload just the one I want, let me know! Anyway, enough of my blabbing and on with the show!

CONSIGNMENT FUN

Well, today Matt, Riley and I were introduced to the world of baby consignment shopping. A friend at school told us about a sale this morning and on the way there we realized with the help of Lindsley that there was an even bigger (and apparently better!) one about 2 minutes from our house. We got there at 8:40 for a 9:00 opening and there was already a line formed so we jumped in and waited for the doors to open. I have to say for the amount of people and goods desired that it was pretty orderly when it did finally get started, no trampling or crazy running.

Now we had a list of specific items and at the very top of this list was two step and release baby gates to keep our new mover and shaker from toppling down the stairs. As we entered you could go right or left so I sent Matt left and Riley and I headed right. Luckily I was the first person to the gates and spotted EXACTLY what we needed and snagged them just in time. They even have a holding area where they tag your possible purchases and keep them safe for you for an hour.

The next few items on our list weren't as important to us at the gates so we were able to shop a bit less stressfully and take our time. I WAS AMAZED at the amount of things there were and the prices on them. We can't believe we didn't know about these before she was born because they had everything baby, most in great condition, at very cheap prices. Matt did say he was a bit overwhelmed at the start because people just grab all the things that they might possibly want to purchase and then make a decision. We did a great job though and got some awesome things for our little princess.

Here's Riley and I posing by one of the new gates. We were thrilled with this purchase because these retail for about $50 a piece and we got 2 for $20. You can see Mommy is excited and Riley....

Riley is slowly realizing that these are designed to "imprison" her.

Miss Riley Boo has loved playing with blocks at daycare and Matt and I have been on the hunt for some good (cheap) ones for a while. We got these today and at first she looked at us like, uh now what?

Then the lightbulb started to flicker and she decided to test out cause and effect, you can see she wants that green block right in the middle of the tower.
Oh! They all fall down!
Now I get it, this is fun! She spent a good 15 minutes playing with Matt as he would attempt to stack the blocks as quickly as he could before she would send them flying.

Here's another one of the toys we bought her today. I think this one is particularly cool because Riley loves to bang her hands on things. This is a little learning drum that responds to her banging on it by saying the ABC's, numbers 1 to 10 and drum beats. It's very interactive. Again, at first she was a bit unsure....Then she realized that it lights up and makes sound when you bang it.....

And she took to drumming with great enthusiasm! This was another 15 solid minutes of entertainment.

Good news is...we got about 15 never been worn outfits, lots of toys, 3 baby gates, and a baby swing retail price approximately $250 for $70! Bad news is.....we're hooked and we're contemplating going to a different one next weekend. :)

The library, a quiet place

Unless of course you're Riley Boo and you've just got so much to say! Today Riley and I walked to the library near our house. It is humid today, but not too warm so I figured some outside time would be good. Riley is pretty funny when she is in her stroller she is either completely alert, sitting ram rod straight up in her stroller using her little arms to hold herself up.....

OR she's chilling out, see example below. :)

After 30 minutes I found my books (let's not get me started on the disorderly mess that is the children's section of the library - dewey decimal is a waste of time here) and we headed back home. It has been cloudy all day, but I figured it would hold off. God definitely smiled on us today because it didn't start to pour down rain until we were just about at our driveway. Don't worry grandmas, I was prepared anyway with umbrellas and stroller covers.

I carried her most of the way home anyway because I didn't want her to fall asleep for her afternoon nap until we were home and she could get some food and get in her crib. This was tiring, but quite fun because she loves grabbing my face and giving me kisses which she did almost the whole way back. YES, about 95% of the time if I ask her to give mama kisses she will turn toward me and open up her little mouth. I ADORE IT.

So thankful

I am thankful for many things, but the gift of time with Riley is something I give thanks for daily! Being able to spend the afternoons with her has been better than I ever imagined it would be. It really is the best of both worlds because I love working and I LOVE our little girl so it's a major win-win. Of course, there is an amazing man who works very hard for us to make this all possible, so today I'm giving a big shout out of THANKS and LOVE to Riley's BEYOND WONDERFUL Daddy. I thank God for blessing me with you everyday. LOVE YOU!

The princess has had a great day so far! Her report from daycare was that it was her best day yet. She slept, GET THIS, 1 hour and 40 minutes for Ms. S today which is a new record. Ms. S. said she was happy, happy, happy the entire time. The beautiful weather has continued so we went straight from daycare to a park playdate with Linds and Z today. Linds heard about this really big and fun park called Dinosaur Park that's equidistant from both our houses. The best part is that there are multiple infant swings so we had a good time swinging the babies and talking. Here are the little cuties!

An outside kind of day

So as promised, here are the park pics that Lindsley took today. It was just gorgeous all day and Riley and I even made it back out to a park near us for a swing and a walk this evening too. I'm loving this weather and I hope this is the end of summer and beginning of fall!

Sitting on top of the world

In the past week Riley has hit a milestone that I particularly enjoy. She can sit up on her own. She can now go from crawl to sit and she can tip over and get back up herself. This means so much less bending over to pick up the princess say it with me, YAY! Here's a pic of her sitting up. She's watching her beloved doggies.

In unrelated Riley news, fall weather hit today and I'm hoping it's here to stay! It was a glorious 70 degrees, sunny and NO HUMIDITY! My first clue this morning that it had cooled off was Matt throwing the windows open all over the house. He just loves the fresh air (and usually his poor wife does when her allergies aren't attacking!). Riley and I took advantage of the weather and met Lindsley and Z for a park visit and a walk. Linds took a few more pics with her awesome camera that I'll post as soon as she sends them, but for now here's the princess in her stroller. You can clearly see that she loves the weather too!

An impulse buy, but lots of fun

A few weeks ago we were at a new baby store in the area called Right Start. I love it because it's much closer than Babies R' Us and it has lots of its products out on the floor for you to test out. Of course the marketing major in me knows that this is simply a cheap ploy to increase your sales, but we still fell for it. Anyway, while I searched for the items on our list, Daddy had fun putting Riley on every toy in the store. She rode a rocking horse, played with blocks, rode in a fancy stroller, and then she discovered the Chicco combination "car". It's actually a toy car that can be a rocker, a push car and then becomes a little bike that she can push herself in when she's old enough.

Of course being the daredevil she is, SHE LOVED IT. She giggled and shrieked as Matt zoomed her around the little store. Of course, her Mommy cannot resist her laughter so we bought one of her very own. It has a working steering wheel, horn and ignition plus some other sound buttons. Just like her Pittsburgh trained Mommy she loves to "lay on that horn" when the dogs getin her way. And just like her Mario Andretti Daddy she is a big fan of the vrrrrooom sound the ignition button makes. By far though her all time favorite activity is chasing her puppies around the house and beeping at them. She doubles her fun if they are slow enough (usually the fatboy) for her to catch and grab their fur.

A shopping we will go

This Sunday, after our very rainy Saturday, we decided to take the princess to the mall. She is growing like a weed and right out of the bajillions of clothes that used to occupy her closet. These days I am pulling outfits out by the dozen that don't fit anymore (some still with the tags on!) and packing them away in case someday Riley has a little sister. So, our mission for the mall was to find a few more onesies and some outfits for fall! We hit Old Navy, Janie and Jack, Gymboree and a new store in the Town Center called Pumpkin Patch. We had lots of fun, especially trying hats on her (Mommy) and shoes on her (Daddy).

Just so there's no question about her status as PRINCESS.
On to Janie and Jack in our search for a "Little Pumpkin" onesie. Daddy calls her Pumpkin Head so he found this quite amusing. Watching football at the Verizon FIOS stand. This was a sad moment in the Vinson household. Matt saw the Patriots vs. Chiefs score at 7 to 3 at halftime. We quickly realized that something must be seriously wrong for the Pats to be leading by just a measly 4 points. I called home to MRS. #1 CHIEFS FAN herself and discovered....Tom Brady is injured and out for the season. Matt is crying in that picture or I would have posted it....j/k.
At an adorable little store called Pumpkin Patch. Daddy had fun dressing her up in this store while Mommy contemplated her purchases. Why is she sitting on the floor you ask? There was a huge mirror and she was cracking herself up looking in it. Oh yea and I can just hear the grandmas now..."She's gonna poke her eye out with that straw!!!" Not poking her eye out, just gagging herself. No worries.
Considering the monsoon we had the day before Daddy and I seriously thought about buying Miss Riley her very first pair of rain boots!

She thought she looked pretty fancy. She's saying, "Mom, are you getting my good side?!?!" Doesn't she look ready to hop in some puddles??

I'm just a little black rain cloud...

Actually, what we had today was a quite LARGE black rain cloud that started dumping rain on us at 8 am and finally stopped at 5 pm. Matt and I used to look forward to the occasional rainy weekend because it meant we could skip the errands, lounge around the house, nap when we wanted (me) and watch as much college football (Matt) as possible. But, how would it be with a baby who starts her day promptly at 6:45???

Well, not quite as restful as it used to be, and not quite as much uninterrupted college football watching as before, but we had a pretty good day hanging with the Princess. She's learning the ropes and split her time between Mommy's favorite activity (napping) and Daddy's (football). She actually slept longer at both of her naps today than usual and spent the day in her little Penn State t-shirt that we got her last fall when she was still just a little bump. Here's a picture of her contemplating whether she really will be a Penn State fan or not.

In other Riley news, this picture was difficult to get because Riley is definitely moving these days and is getting better at crawling each day. For now her fastest mode is dragging herself on her belly, but she manages to get a few knee lifts in before she goes to that. We'll leave you with this picture, notice she's looking at Matt as if to say, hey if I'm in this shirt, where's yours? (That is the Penn State vs. Oregon State game on the TV)

Hair is FUN

Riley loves her Daddy, but we've been so busy lately she hasn't seen too much of him. Lucky for us he was home this afternoon and got in some quality play time with her. Play time consisted of Riley grabbing his hair and shrieking with delight.

You can obviously see she was having a good time:

Poor Daddy on the other hand...
Her grip is getting quite strong. About five seconds after this picture she managed to get a finger in each of his nostrils and proceeded to try and pull his nose off. Good times.

Hooray for Half Days!

For those of you who don't know, I made a little career change this summer. After much praying and thinking Matt and I decided that I would teach half day kindergarten so I can spend more time with the princess and she can spend less time in day care. It comes with the added bonus of being at Mill Run working right down the hallway from Matt. Funnily enough I turned down a job there last year because I was worried being in the same school with my husband would be awkward, however it is wonderful! Especially when I need help moving furniture or lifting heavy things!

Of course Mommy is thrilled about getting most of the day with my little girl. Here's how Riley feels about it:

P.S. You can see her little teeth in the second picture if you look closely!

I'm in the driver's seat

While at the grocery store the other day Matt decided to upgrade Riley from the boring old shopping cart to this:

She LOVED it! For my fellow germophobes out there, I did scrub this thing down COMPLETELY with the sani-wipes before I let him put her in there.