Happy birthday, Riley Savannah! It's so surreal that a whole year is already behind us. This time last year, I was heading to my 39 week check-up with Dr. Schmitz, not knowing that we'd decide that it would in fact be baby day. Things sure moved fast that day....you sure were excited to get here and meet your brother. You fill everyday with even more love and laughter than we knew possible.
Riley is getting so big and so active. She's wearing 12 month clothes; in true baby-clothes-fashion, some fit great, some are getting too small already. Why can't clothing sizes be uniform??? She's finishing up her pack of size 3 diapers and then we'll probably try a pack of 4s. We go next week for her one year well visit and we'll know what she weighs then. The amount of food this girl eats should mean she's gained a ton, but I'm sure that's not the case. Seriously, I think she'd eat all.day.long. She gets that honest! We haven't really found a food that she hates yet; she'll eat pretty much anything we put on her tray, and if we try to sit down to have a snack, you better believe we have to share. She's like a moth to a flame! Another big milestone for Riley....last week she had her first cup of whole milk. I've decided to wean Riley over the next month so we started introducing a cup of milk at mealtimes, and she's done great. In fact, weaning her has gone much easier and more quickly than I thought. The past two days, she's only nursed 3x/day, including a 4:30/5am feeding. Remember last month how she was sleeping horrible? Well, I did sleep training with her and she responded great! She's now sleeping from about 7:30am-4:30/5 consistently, and then after a quick feed, goes back to bed until 6:30-7:30. MUCH BETTER!
What is Riley into these days? The better question is what is she NOT into. Seriously, this girl keeps us busy. Her favorite activities these days include pulling Gavin's pants down and throwing anything and everything into the garbage. We find things in random places all the time; this past week, we've found her teething tablets bottle in our laundry basket, Pull-Ups in Gavin's hamper, and a chip clip in Jarrod's shoe. She loves to carry her new purse around (thanks, Mimi and Beepa!) and pretends like everything is a phone. If you can't find the remote control, just find Riley; chances are, she's carrying it around (or put it in the trash). I love how she's starting to get into dolls, too. I can't wait for her to open her new presents! She also loves pillows....she always lays her head on them and says, 'awwww.'
Of course, we think she's such a genius. ;) She says 'woof woof' every time you say dog or she sees a dog (which, by the way, she loves Shirley, but if we go somewhere and there's a little dog barking, she cries hysterically.) She signs please now (not on her own, but after we say, 'can you say please?'), waves constantly and says 'night night' before bed. I love how she gets so excited when Jarrod comes home from work and says, 'mama!' One day, she'll get it! Gavin always said dada, and I didn't get a mama until he was like 15 months, so I guess she's just going to be the opposite. Speaking of her Daddy, she adores him. I love how when he goes and sits on the floor, she goes right over to him and plops herself down on his lap and leans back into him. It's so special.
She is walking everywhere, and even tries to run when she knows she's in trouble. It's so funny! After a few days of the awkward walk with her new shoes, she got the hang of it, and finally figured out how to stand herself back up. Seeing Gavin and Riley together makes our hearts explode with love. They love to wrestle together, and Riley just thinks her big bro is hilarious. They love to look at books together, and of course, Riley is really into his Angry Birds. Siblings are awesome! I hope they always love to be with each other (I know, I know...fat chance, but I can hope, right?)
Riley Burger, we love you so much. Daddy and I have talked recently about how we can't really remember what it was like without you here. You fit perfectly into our family and make us feel so complete. We're sad that your first year is already over and you're not a baby anymore, but are so excited to explore life with you and your brother as you get older, taking in as much excitement and adventure as we possibly can. Thank you for making us smile every day. We love you!
