And Riley makes three ...

Proudest Mommy-Moment to Date

2012-01-12T14:55:00.001-05:00

It isn't often that you'd find me at my desk at work, crying (although believe me - I've been on the verge many, many times). It happened today. But today they were happy tears. Thankful tears. Tears that came from validation that hubby and I are doing something completely right with our babies ... Or even more, that God is working thru us and them.

My husband sent me an instant message at work (we are employed by the same company) that he had just talked with his mom, who watches our girls. His first message to me was "Amazing Riley". This is of no surprise to me, as she is always amazing. But then his words that followed ...

"Riley was playing with a Polly Pocket and a Spiderman figurine today. Poly was yelling "help! Save me!", trying to escape Spiderman. Mom told her that Spiderman is a good guy and he saves people, to which Riley replied:

"No. GOD saves people".

Thank you Jesus. Thank you for working thru our daughter and having such an effect on her life. I can't begin to imagine what the Lord has in store for her. God is good.

Potty Training Successes

2012-01-06T10:25:00.001-05:00

Riley was easy to train when it came going pee-pee and we did this over a 3-day weekend back in August. However, the poo-poo portion of the equation has been a much longer experience. However, just like that - and on her OWN TERMS (as oodles of people told me it would be), just this past week Riley began using the potty for everything and making Pull Ups a thing of the past!

Of course, we celebrate like crazy each time and she does the ritual where everyone present at the time must parade into the bathroom to catch a look. My oh my, what we do for our children! The final part of her celebration is making a phone call to both sets of Grandparents to share the news, typically followed by a song that involves a ladybug or a black sheep climbing up a hill. :)

After this morning's phone call - her 5th call for such occasion this week - I told my mother-in-law that I feel she will be 9 years old and still making these daily calls at this rate! And if she wants to ... We will support it. The bathroom parade to catch a glimpse of the "prize"? Not so sure about that one...

Banana bread ... The snack that never fails!

2012-01-02T22:03:00.001-05:00

Both of my girls definitely carry one very strong trait of mine: the love of banana bread. I think the three of us could survive in it alone for weeks. :)

Looking for a good recipe? I think I've tried dozens and this is always my favorite. I add about 1.5 tablespoons of ground cinnamon into the batter before pouring into the loaf pan, and then sprinkle more on top of it once it's in the loaf pan, so it can have a tad of cinnamon crusting on top. Mmmmmm.

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/banana_bread/

Christmas Magic

2011-12-29T14:29:00.001-05:00

I can't stop recounting all the wonderful memories from this past Christmas weekend.

On Christmas Eve, by tradition we attended Christmas Eve mass with my husband's parents. Riley was amazingly good and so proud to point out Jesus from various places within the church. She whispered when she needed something and sat quietly when she didn't. She and Sophie looked beautiful in their matching dressed. I spent the majority of the service chasing Sophie around in a back area of the church, so sadly I missed most of the service. I knew this would most likely be the case and know it is a short-lived phase and next year will be easier. Prior to the service we were able to snap a few pictures. What you don't see are the pictures where an uncooperative, moody 3-year old was flinging her body across the floor in photo-protest. Ahhhh, the 3s.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T22:47:00.001-05:00

What a fabulous, magical, blessed day. I am excited to post pictures tomorrow and a recap of my favorite moments with my girls. Until then, though, Merry Christmas to all ... And to all a good night.

Playing Mrs. Claus

2011-12-24T23:19:00.001-05:00

It's creeping towards midnight and the hubby and I just finished playing Mr and Mrs Claus for the girls as we dug the gifts out of their secret hiding places and thoughtfully arranged them around the living room. For Sophie, 1 yr and 4 days old, tomorrow morning won't really mean much. For Riley, however (3 yrs old), she is adorably enchanted by all things Christmas for the first time, really. As she fell asleep tonight she asked me if I heard Santa on our roof. She has it all down pat, how it will happen. Santa will come down the chimney, eat the cookies and drink the milk, and leave presents and fill their stockings. This she knows because, according to her, she and Sophie are on the Good List this year. (However she did tell me "when Sophie gets bigger she will be on the Bad List"). :)

I have so, so much to catch this blog up on and decided tonight was as food a night as any. So now I'll fall into bed, hearing Riley in my mind, singing "Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, jingle all the way to tooooown..." in my head, as she sang it a lot tonight. My two babes are deep in sleep, snuggled in their matching Christmas Eve jammies right now, and tomorrow will be so magical. And the best part? Riley knows its Baby Jesus' birthday. And that is the best present to me.

Half-a-Year and Two-and-a-Half

2011-06-29T15:37:00.000-04:00

'Where has the time gone'? I know all moms ask it, and I am no different. Sophie is now 6-months old and Riley is 2-years and 6-months old. I rock Sophie at night and swear at times that it is 2 years ago and it is Riley in my arms. And then I burst into tears, but let's not go there right now, as I need to keep my composure right now and not focus on the fact that they are only little for such a short time.

I was very excited a few weeks ago when I made a purchase I had been saving for: a Nikon D5000 DSLR camera. I love taking pictures of my girls and my point-and-shoot just wasn't cutting it any more. I mean, I want to take pictures that are worthing of being hung on my wall. By no means am I a photographer or even have any idea what I am doing, but that is why I needed a nice camera to help it look like I know what I am doing. This past weekend I had some fun with the girls outdoors and captured some pretty great shots. Enjoy.

Life with Two ...

2011-01-27T16:51:00.000-05:00

... is the most amazing feeling in the world.
... has taught me that it is really true. Your love does multiply, it doesn't divide.
... allows you little extra time to do anything such as keep up on your personal blog.

... makes me wonder why I was so tired the first time around.

Life with two takes my breath away multiple times a day. Life with two is my life now. And it's the only life I want to have.

To Riley, From Sophie With Love

2010-12-02T13:32:00.000-05:00

Last night our doorstep was graced by the UPS man ... something that seems to be happening every night recently since I've increased my online buying for this Christmas season. I was so excited to see what arrived (just ONE day after ordering it from Amazon!).

Riley's "I love you big sister" gifts from Sophie. At the suggestion of a person I work with, we ordered Riley two gifts that will be given to her 'from Sophie'. Not that a two-year-old will be able to grasp who a gift came from - or necessarily care - but I do want her to feel special during all of the baby hoopla that I assume will be taking place.

She has recently really, really been into playing mommy to her Baby Stella doll that my brother bought for her last Christmas.

Now that all of the baby items are out in Sophie's room, Riley loves to put Stella (or just "Baby", according to Riley) in the bouncy chair and sing 'Rock-a-bye baby' to her ... or lay her down for a nap in the bassinet. Seeing as how I hope she'll want to mimic me and be mommy's helper rather than jealous of a new sibling, we ordered her two gifts. This first one she'll receive from Sophie when she comes to visit us in the hospital; a diaper changing kit for her own baby!

The second she'll receive when we come home from the hospital; a baby carrier that also doubles as a diaper bag for all of her baby accessories!

Both are so adorable and I can't wait to give them to her!!

Someone is going to be TWO!

2010-12-01T15:32:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe that my week this week is consumed with last minute birthday party plans. For my soon-to-be 2-year-old. TWO YEAR OLD. Did you get that? When did two years pass me by? This cannot be possible!

This year we're hosting a Minnie Mouse-themed birthday for Riley ("Mimi", according to her) and I am very excited. She is understanding things so much more now and I am most excited to see the look on her face with all the decorations and guests and presents. And I can't leave out the birthday cake and ice cream ("birt cake and tweem", according to her).

With Sophie's arrival just under three weeks away, I am still not completely sure that Riley understands what is going to happen ... nor can we expect her to. She is definitely enjoying seeing all of the baby items out, though - and using them. Such as the Bumbo chair or the bouncy seat. We even found her hiding in the Pack and Play bassinet the other day - tight under the shade that comes up. I had NO idea she could climb into it on her own, but she found a way. Little stinker! She likes to kiss my belly and push on my protruding belly button and say "Ding dong!" and then laugh really hard!

What else has Riley been up to recently? We went to her first circus. She saw and recognized Santa Claus at the mall for the first time. She gets super excited over seeing the Christmas tree and all of the lights. She recognizes a lot of letters and can tell you the sound almost every single letter makes. She can count to three. She loves to sing and does a great job singing "Rock-a-bye baby". While we aren't actively potty training yet (as I have made the personal choice to wait until after Sophie is born and things have settled down a little), she loves to go pee-pee on her potty each night after her bath. We've done this for four nights in a row now and even went poo-poo on there two days ago before nap. She is SO proud of herself when she does this and, of course, Daddy and I make a huge deal over her and she gets to pick a prize from her "Potty Chest" that I made for her.

She's amazing. She's the light of our lives. She's my single constant thought and focus through the day. She's my everything.

All Better ... Just in Time for the Choo Choo!

2010-12-01T15:27:00.000-05:00

Once the experience with croup passed, and Riley felt better, everyone felt better. In fact, she got better just in time for us to continue with our plans for Kevin's birthday a couple weeks ago! We always take off work each year on one another's birthdays, and this year was no exception.

Riley is a big fan of "choo choo's" ... and Kevin has talked here and there about taking a ride on a passenger train at some point. So thanks to the suggestion of a coworker, I was able to snag some tickets for us to go on the Cuyahoga Scenic Railroad on his birthday. It was so much fun boarding the big train and watching Riley look excitedly out the window while yelling, "Choo choo ride! Choo choo ride!". There was even a concession car and a souvenir shop. We rode it down to Akron - about a 80 minute train ride that included 5 stops along the way. Once in Akron we got off the train and got onto a bus waiting at the station and headed to the Akron Zoo.

We spent 2 1/2 hours at the zoo and Riley walked and/or ran the entire time. I knew ahead of time that this day would mess with her nap schedule and was praying she'd sleep on the train ride back. We basically had the zoo all to ourselves, so it was great getting to see her run and explore without the concern of losing her in a crowd or her getting knocked over. We enjoyed a picnic lunch together that I had packed the night before, and it gave Kevin and I great laughs watching Riley chase birds around the picnic area with a chip stretched out to them, yelling "Ere burd - ere burd!"

By the end of the afternoon she was definitely getting tired and once the bus dropped us back off at the train station, it was just minutes before she was sound asleep in Kevin's arms. Moments like this are rare now - where we get to hold our sleeping baby. When I walked over to Kevin to see the two of them, I found him with tears just welling up in his eyes. He said this was the best part of his birthday and that he knows he won't get to hold her like that forever. It was such a raw, tender moment that I'll never forget, nor will he.

Riley only slept about 45 minutes, thanks to the man across the aisle from Kevin on the train, who yelled something loudly at us and woke her. He felt badly, but still ... think! He redeemed himself we we got to our destination and he chased us all the way off of the train and into the parking lot with Riley's blankie that I had left behind on our seat. Thank God for him - it would not have been a fun evening without blankie!

And we finished the night off with a bang. Although she was so tired, Riley was a little trooper, running on pure adrenaline ... and sugar ... through the party here at our house with Kevin's family.

What a fabulous, fabulous memory.

The Croup

2010-10-18T12:40:00.000-04:00

When I picked Riley up at my in-law's after work this past Thursday, I was greeted by a red-faced, fevered baby ... not the normal running, jumping laughing little girl that I normally see after work. Sure enough, when we got home I took her temperature and saw 101 degrees. She definitely wasn't herself and just sat still in a little curled up ball on my lap that evening as we watched cartoons and ate popsicles. She went to bed really well and slept nearly 13 hours that night. The next morning the fever had dropped (99 degrees) but through the entire day she had good and bad spots - going from playing and running to hitting rock bottom. This continued through the day on Saturday as well, but wasn't as drastic.

On Saturday night we kept hearing her cough over the monitor. I'd watch her and she wasn't seeming to be too disturbed by the cough, but like all babies and children with coughs, it just sounds so pitiful and heartbreaking. On Sunday she continued the high and low trend, as well as a cough and a hoarse, raspy voice.

Last night - around 11pm - was the worst part. She had been coughing pretty consistently since she went down at 8pm, but at 11pm she was standing and crying very hard, and coughing - and we couldn't let her continue on. Making it only the second time in our house, we pulled her in to bed with us. She continued to cough and squirm, but seemed to be more comforted. I decided through the night, though, that a trip to our pediatrician was absolutely a must in the morning.

This morning I was able to get a 9:30am appointment and in we went. After hearing me describe the past four days and hearing Riley's little, scratchy voice, Dr. K immediately stated that he was sure she had Croup. He said he has seen a lot of kids with it recently and she fit the bill. I had always heard of croup, but didn't know anything about it. I quickly learned that it is common and a viral infection where vocal chords swell, resulting in a restricted airway and a hoarse voice.

I was so surprised when Dr. K suggested leaving her bedroom window open during naps and the night so that the cold air would come into her room and lungs. That is exactly what I had been trying to avoid all weekend! He said to also keep her elevated when asleep - either by raising one end of her mattress or by simply holding her in a recliner. And if she is really having a tough time at night, to wrap a warm blanket around her and go for a walk outside. If she is really gasping for air, of course, we'll simply head straight to the ER.

He said the second or third nights are normally the peak. Last night was our second night so either it was the worst, or tonight will be - but at least it sounds like we're rounding the corner. I hope so. Poor little thing.

22 Months at a Glance

2010-10-15T21:53:00.000-04:00

I feel like an awful Mommy award should be handed over to me right now. My intention behind this blog was to create a digital baby book for Riley to look back on ... and I feel as though I've missed documenting so much over the past few months. Thank the Good Lord I have everything in my memory ... but I need to do a much better job of stopping in here and jotting down some updates on her little life.

She is 22-months old now and - just as I have said every single month prior to this one - this is my favorite age. I love that it clearly just continues to get better and better.

Animal sounds, the alphabet, colors, and counting are big right now. Riley will be happy to tell you that the bird says "Chuurp", a lion, tiger and bear all say "Wooar", a cat says "ME-ow", and a dog says "woof woof" (but in a whisper). She has been loving the LeapFrog Letter Factory DVD and I am amazed at how quickly she has begun reciting what sound certain letters say (her favorites are 'H' and 'F'), as well as recognizing certain letters. She readily recognizes the colors pink and blue and just tonight asked Daddy to draw a "blue house" in the bathtub with her bathtub crayons.

We are trying our best to prepare her for the arrival of her baby sister, Sophie Noelle, who will be joining our family by December 20th at the latest. Riley tends to think mommy's belly looks like it would be much more fun to bounce on than to, say, give it a gentle kiss and tell her sister she loves her. We talk about the baby a lot to her, and show her where Sophie's room will be, etc ... but I assume she only 'gets it' as much as a 22-month old can. It'll be interesting to see how she'll handle it once Sophie has arrived. I must admit that there are days when I get very sad thinking that 100% of my love and attention will no longer go to just Riley. That is how it has been for nearly two years and it is what I have grown accustomed to and what I love. But I know - and trust - what others tell me and that your love is not divided ... that it multiplies.

I am excited to get back to this blog. I can't wait to add some pictures from our adventures we had this past summer. Tomorrow we head out for our annual apple picking at a local orchard, followed by picking out pumpkins. This is our 7th year doing this on the third weekend of October and I think it will be the first where Riley participates really well. She proved this summer to be a stellar strawberry and blackberry picker, so I doubt she'll disappoint!!

It's Good to Be Back!

2010-08-24T10:58:00.000-04:00

Now that all the chaos with selling a house, building a house, and temporarily living with my in-laws is over, I hope to get back to much more consistent posts on this blog. It's good to be back! My poor, sweet Riley deserves it! I feel as though I've missed out on documenting so much that she has done over these past several months.

She is now 20 months old - it's absolutely unreal to me that in less than four months we'll be celebrating her second birthday. I feel like in this past month she has changed faster than she has in any previous month. Her vocabulary is growing by leaps and bounds and she'll try to pronounce just about anything that you ask her to, including Albuquerque (which comes out "Que kee", all while making a very confused face).

We've just lived in our new house for a little over a week and she already knows the lay of the land really well. She has the biggest playroom that I've ever seen and loves going in there and having her own space. While we temporarily lived with my in-laws, my parents kept our dog Wendell ("Nennel", in Riley-speak), and she is out of this world elated to have him back in her life. Even when she wakes up in the morning and calls out to us ("Mama? Dada?"), she'll call for him as well. She loves for me to put the leash on him in the house so that she can take him on walks from room to room.

We've definitely landed in the "What's that?" stage, as she asks this for just about anything and everything and it is simply adorable.

I've attached a few pictures, since it has been a while since I've shared her beautiful face!

Riley at 19 Months

2010-07-15T12:21:00.000-04:00

Riley is now 19 months (and 10 days) old. It's incredible where the time has gone and I am certain that it will never slow down moving forward. Here is a peek into what Riley is like at 19 months:

- Most Popular Question: "Where go?"
- Most Popular Statement: "Eyes" (while either nearly poking out your eye or her own)
- Most commonly spoken words through a day: "Mama, Dada, Papa, Mamaw, Papaw, Car, Beep Beep, Where Go?, Night night, baba (sippy cup), wa-wa (water), Two, Three, Eye, Ear, Hands, Hair, Nose, Mouth, Ball, Baby, Wow
- Favorite Cartoon: Wubbzy is slowly being edged out by Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
- Favorite Pasttimes: Playing in water, sandbox, and taking walks
- Body Parts She Can Identify: Eyes, Ears, Nose, Mouth, Teeth, Hair, Hands, Head

Summer Time Fun

2010-07-07T14:57:00.000-04:00

I feel like I've been so caught up in having a blast with Riley this summer that I haven't taken the time to blog about it. So here is a sneak peek of some of the enjoyment we've had in pictures ...

And Baby Makes Four ...

2010-07-07T14:48:00.003-04:00

That's right - there's a baby on the way!!

I've come here several times to share the news, and last fall's miscarriage still haunts me and makes me hesitant to get too excited. But at this point I am 15 weeks along and have to let myself relax and trust that this baby is here to stay!

So, to answer the common questions that come along with such news:

What is the due date? December 27th, 2010
Will you find out the gender? Of course; we're impatient.
Do you have a gut feel one way or the other? Nope! I've had a few dreams in which the baby is a girl, but that hasn't made me feel more strongly in that direction.
What are you hoping for? Aside from the obvious (Healthy baby and safe delivery), I am really torn! Half of me pictures another girl because I can completely see Riley growing up with a sister close in age, playing dress up and having tea parties. Plus, taking care of a girl is all I know, so it is familiar and comfortable. But the other half of me wants the experience of a son ... I just feel at this point that I'd have no idea how to take care of a boy! :)
Do you have things ordered? Not yet. I can't help but laugh, but I was looking at my pregnancy journal from the first time around. At 16 weeks, the nursery furniture arrived. That means we ordered at about 6 weeks! We haven't even looked at furniture together yet! (I've looked and think I've picked things out, but want Kevin's agreement.)

So there is obviously a lot going on with the Balaban household. My main focus has been on the house, but once we're in and settled, I'll be able to put more attention on the pregnancy. One thing is for sure, this has all helped it go very fast.

And my sweet Riley? She has no idea. I tell her at night that Mommy has a baby in her belly. She'll look at me with a questioning look and ask, "Baby?". I tell her "Yes, baby" and then she pulls my shirt up excitedly - but then I think she is disappointed, as she expects to see a baby or baby doll right there. She'll get it eventually. :)

And Baby Makes Four ...

2010-07-07T14:44:00.007-04:00

What is the due date? December 27th, 2010
Will you find out the gender? Of course; we're impatient.
Do you have a gut feel one way or the other? Nope! I've had a few dreams in which the baby is a girl, but that hasn't made me feel more strongly in that direction.
What are you hoping for? Aside from the obvious (Healthy baby and safe delivery), I am really torn! Half of me pictures another girl because I can completely see Riley growing up with a sister close in age, playing dress up and having tea parties. Plus, taking care of a girl is all I know, so it is familiar and comfortable. But the other half of me wants the experience of a son ... I just feel at this point that I'd have no idea how to take care of a boy! :)
Do you have things ordered? Not yet. I can't help but laugh, but I was looking at my pregnancy journal from the first time around. At 16 weeks, the nursery furniture arrived. That means we ordered at about 6 weeks! We haven't even looked at furniture together yet! (I've looked and think I've picked things out, but want Kevin's agreement.)

Great Wolf Lodge, Here We Come!

2010-06-10T14:41:00.000-04:00

Riley is going to be sooooo excited. I just got off the phone with the reservation desk at Great Wolf Lodge. Kevin, Riley and I are headed there next weekend for two days of family fun in the water!

There is so much for a toddler to see and do there and I just cannot wait. Our little water baby can't get enough of the wet stuff, so she is just going to be in heaven! Better stock up on the Little Swimmers this weekend - I have a feeling she'll just about be living in them for 48 hours!

A Recipe for an Amazing Weekend

2010-06-09T10:52:00.001-04:00

Recipe for an Amazing Weekend

Ingredients:

1 adorable, happy daughter

1 amazing, fun husband

4 beautiful days of weather

2 trips to the zoo
1 morning at the Strawberry field
A dash of walks
Hugs and kisses to taste

Directions:
1. Plan for a day off work with the hubby on an amazingly beautiful, comfortable day.

2. Pack picnic lunch for the zoo.

3. Enjoy every second of hysterical giggles at the monkeys and kisses being blown to the animals.

4. Purchase zoo membership once realizing that this memory must be repeated.

5. Repeat steps 1-3
6. Drive to Patterson's Farm

7. Watch in amazement as your 18-month old picks strawberries on her own

8. Pause, close eyes, and commit everything you can see and hear with her to your memory forever.

9. Hug, Kiss, Hug, Kiss

10. Repeat step 9 until exhaustion sets in.
11. Fill remainder of time playing ball in the front yard and taking walks.

A Perfect Memorial Day

2010-05-31T20:26:00.000-04:00

What a great day to remember those who fought and are fighting to protect our wonderful county. God bless the USA!

Yes, This is Nancy ...

2010-05-04T15:51:00.002-04:00

Awwwww yeaaaaaa. I received the phone call this morning that Riley's water table is in! I can't wait to pick it up tonight! I am also very thankful that I remembered to say, "Yes, this is Nancy" when they called to inform me.

You see, when I went to get the raincheck the other day, the woman asked me my last name.

"Balaban. B like boy, A-L-A, B like boy, A-N like Nancy".

This is the standard way I spell my last name for anyone who asks. I kept wondering when she was going to ask my first name, but she never did. Then she said, "Thanks Nancy! We'll call you when it arrives!". I felt too guilty to explain that my name wasn't Nancy ... and that I simply said Nancy because sometimes I make my 'N' sound like 'M' and that's probably my own fault for not learning to enunciate better when I was in elementary school because back then I was sure that I was going to grow up to become a professional cheerleader and who really needs to differentiate 'M from 'N' when shouting "De-fense!! De-fense!!" Anyhow ... I digress.

So I was nervous that I'd forget to say that I was, in fact, Nancy when they called me and that I'd then lose my only shot at the world's coolest water table ever.

But I didn't.

So this was a long post for no reason. Other than to say that the table is in. And that I now go by Nancy.

A Mommy-and-Me Afternoon

2010-04-30T18:48:00.000-04:00

It has been a beautiful, hot day here today - reaching 90 degrees - and Riley and I have had the afternoon all to ourselves.

Whoa! Water!

Having fun!

Trying to catch it.

Trying to drink it.

Brrr... cold water on a 90-degree day can still make me shiver!

Mommy brought out two baby popsicles - I thought that meant they were both for ME!

Daddy's golfing ... and Mommy's a sucker!

These Are the Moments ...

2010-04-30T13:33:00.001-04:00

... that melt my heart. The moments where I walk into a room, no one knows I am there, and I catch a glimpse of such a precious moment between Daddy and Daughter.

But it's HEALTHY! At least my mom says so ...

2010-04-29T09:22:00.001-04:00

Last night was 31-cent scoop night at Baskin Robbins. If you haven't drawn the conclusion yet, Riley is becoming quite the ice cream monster. I was hesitant to attempt to get her the cheap-o treat, remembering driving by Baskin Robbins last year on this same night and seeing the sea of people in the parking lot and busting out of the doors and windows, all to get their 31-cent cone. But I tried. And I succeeded! In fact, when I pulled into the empty parking lot, I wondered if I was there on the wrong day. I walked in, saw about 10 eager ice cream scoopers staring back at me, and just one woman at the register.

"One scoop of Wild and Reckless Sherbet, please" ... for my wild and reckless 16-month old.

As my mom pointed out, "Sherbet? Well that's healthy for her, Meg!". Maybe healthy wasn't the right word ... but the point was true that it was healthier than the ice cream I was eyeing up. So hey - it's healthy. At least my mom says so.

And moments after walking through the front door, a wild and reckless Riley charged at me, full speed, with arms stretched out in front of her as far as they would go. And the rest is history. Healthy, sloppy, messy, sherbet history.

Poor Wendell

2010-04-28T16:11:00.000-04:00

Poor Wendell. Riley loves him soooo much. While this should make for a 'lucky Wendell', I say poor instead because he gets his tail, ears, and mustache pulled several times a day, as well as his eyeballs poked at. He handles it all very well and has never once done more than yelp a plea for my help. I captured a few pictures of their interaction the other day.

Sharing a piece of rawhide

"Tickie tickie tickie"

"I get you, Wendell!"

"Agggghhh!"

Mommy: "You two ... settle down!"

I Scream, You Scream ...

2010-04-24T20:56:00.001-04:00

... All we eat is ice cream!

At least that is how it seems around here lately! Kevin and I took Riley to the park this afternoon and had the best time with Riley on the slides and the swings. We decided afterwards that we should go for ice cream as a family. It just so happened that our favorite, local ice cream joint opened for the season today!

We each placed our orders and ordered Riley a kiddie cup of vanilla and raspberry twist soft serve. I was sure she'd love it ... until she caught sight of my chocolate soft serve cone! I was more than happy to give it to her, though, as in that moment it made her the happiest little girl in the world.

Let it be known, she put that entire cone away - ice cream and cone!

One Ice Cream, Two Spoons Please!

2010-04-23T21:02:00.000-04:00

Riley and I had such a great day together. It started off this morning with Kevin, Riley and I heading to a very early morning (8am!) meeting at the model home for a few last things on the house. After that, Kevin took his girls to Bob Evans for breakfast. Riley was a superstar with her french toast!

Later in the afternoon, I took Riley on an errand run with me and we made an unplanned stop at Cold Stone. We (I) ordered a "Strawberry Banana Rendevous" ... I had a big spoon, she had a baby spoon ... and we shared bits of the gooey goodness and laughed the whole time. Just two girls who are best friends ... and happen to be Mommy and Daughter ... hanging out sharing one of life's pleasures. What a perfect day.

Easter 2010

2010-04-06T16:29:00.001-04:00

What a blessing this Easter was, being home with my parents, aunt, uncle, grandma, brother, and his family. I do believe my mom's heart melted when her own family took up an entire long pew at church Sunday morning. God is so good. No ... candy and ice cream are good. God is great.

"Easter eggs ... where ARE you?!"

Easter egg victory dance with Mommy and Grandma Nichols

All tuckered out from her Easter weekend fun. It took her all of two minutes to fall sound asleep for the drive home.

She's a Natural, Ladies and Gentlemen!

2010-04-03T15:17:00.001-04:00

I am dying to get pictures up on here ... will probably get to do that tomorrow night. We're at my parent's house for the Easter weekend. This morning their church was hosting a children't Easter egg hunt. We decided it would be fun to take Riley up, and said that if she found one egg we'd declare a victory.

We were shocked.

This girl is a natural! She found SO many eggs! Plus she found one that allowed her to win a stuffed bunny - a green stuffed bunny. Her favorite color! She was absolutely hilarious. Every time she would find an egg, she'd take it to Grandma, put it in the basket, then raise her hands in the air declaring a victory, shouting to all of us in excitement. It was HILARIOUS! I can't wait until she has her Easter egg hunt with her cousins tomorrow morning ... they better be prepared!

Oh My Goodness ... We Have Piggies!

2010-04-01T11:28:00.002-04:00

Finally ... a post about RILEY!

2010-03-25T21:22:00.000-04:00

I'm well past-due for a posting about RILEY. I've found myself so caught up in all of the newness of having our house listed, that I've let her blog suffer. Bad mommy.

She is doing so much new stuff lately. She'll start to do or say something new, try it out for a few days, then leave it behind. She did this a couple months ago with the word "hello" (more like "Hewwo"). She said it clear as a bell for about 2-3 days, and then hasn't said it one single time since!

She loves to spin in circles. It's adorable. She'll stick one arm out to her side for balance, then bend the other arm at her elbow and hold her fist towards her head. It almost looks like she is holding a bow and arrow. And she yells as she does it. It's hilarious.

She has started saying "Bye" a lot. She seems to really use it appropriately and will even accompany it with waving or blowing kisses.

She has said "Blue" several times, when looking at some blue colored carnations at Grandma and Grandpa Balaban's. I am not sure if she is calling the flowers blue, or actually recognizing the color. Regardless, we have time to work on that.

She has become a master of the stairs. Kevin's parents have three sets of stairs in their house, so it is quite a feat to keep her on one level at any given time. She taught herself to turn around and slide down on her belly, but she really picks up speed and shouts "Wheeeee!" as she goes down.

"Wow! Wow!" is something she says a lot now as well. I credit her favorite cartoon - "Wow Wow Wubbzy" for that one.

She has started to learn to march. We call it her Riley dance. She marches in place, picks up a decent amount of speed, and laughs so hard. It makes me smile just thinking about it.

She is also trying a lot of new foods and really turning her nose up at any more 'baby' food. Her taste buds must really be developing and she wants true flavor. She ate a pepperoni roll the other night! Her latest craze is diced pears, though. She loves her fruit!

She is still taking two naps a day for the most part. I've tried a couple of times to really stretch her and begin making the transition to one nap a day ... but I just don't think we're there yet. It'll happen and I'm in no hurry.

Her 15-month well check was earlier this month. She was nearly 31 inches tall and weighed in at 21lbs 2oz. She is 75th percentile for height, and around 40th for weight. Dr. Kannensohn said there was no reason at all to be concerned about the lower weight since she is so ridiculously active. She is eating a lot and that's what matters

Lastly, I saw the tip of one of her bottom molars cutting through earlier this week. She's had some rough evenings and days in the past few weeks and I am almost certain that would be the culprit - poor little thing!

I have some new pictures to get on here - hope to do that tomorrow.

On Second Thought ...

2010-03-17T15:47:00.000-04:00

... I don't want to hijack this blog to write about all the hijinx of selling and moving and building. I want to preserve this for Riley-talk and Mommy stories.

So please join me on my new blog - dedicated solely to our new adventure!

Sell. Move. Build.

(thanks, Carrie, for the great name suggestion!)

Hope to see everyone over there!

Busy Week with the House

2010-03-17T11:48:00.000-04:00

This has been - and continues to be - a busy week with stuff in regards to the house. And I keep telling myself this is just the beginning.

Last night we had Kevin's parents drive over to the Florence model with us. It's only about 5 minutes from their house and at this point I'd say we're about 95% sure that this is the floorplan we'll be going with, however we wouldn't be building at that location. They loved it. It was very exciting to go room to room and floor to floor with them, watching for their reaction. It was so much fun explaining where we think that we would place each piece of furniture, and talk about the upgrades that we've already decided on. Riley even had fun doing her latest spin move on the Master bed.

After viewing the model again, it was go-time at our house. Kevin continued to replace baseboard and trim (almost done!), I took the motherload of trash out to the end of the driveway for this morning's pick up. Tomorrow morning the photographer from the realty office will come and take all the pictures for the online listing. He is also going to do a virtual tour. I can't wait to see it. I am going to work from home in the morning so that I can be there as he snaps shots of our home. So exciting!!

Tomorrow night we have a meeting with Ryan Homes, out at Heisley Park, which is the location we've decided on. We drove through Monday night and picked out our two favorite lots. We're going to discuss pricing specific to the Florence model - with all of our preferred upgrades - as well as those two lots. I hope to come away from tomorrow night with a really solid idea of our final price.

Friday morning a stager is coming to the house. We certainly don't need any furniture brought in for staging, but I am anxious to get her feedback in regards to the set up of the house. She knows how a potential buyer wants to see a house, so I am excited to hear and make some changes so that we can be even more appealing.

I think my Sherwin Williams iPhone app is probably smoking at this point. I have been all over that thing in the pasts 24 hours. What a stressful decision! I know that we have some time, as our house obviously hasn't even been looked at (only on the market 2 days, geesh!), but we really would like to have all of our ducks in a row so that when we do sell, Ryan Homes can get the green light from us immediately!

So tonight is a major cleaning night. We've been keeping the house very well picked up since listing, just in case we did get someone wanting to see it out of curiosity (as I don't anticipate getting many viewers without pictures online first). However, I am meticulous about these things and want everything spic and span for the photos tomorrow!

House for Sale!

2010-03-16T16:35:00.000-04:00

It was inevitable. The amount of 'stuff' that was being brought into our house was certainly outweighing the amount being taken out. We knew that one day we would reach the point to which we'd personally out grow the house that we'd spent the last five years making our home.

Kevin and I have always talked about one day moving, and always daydreamed about building, our "long time" home together, but we never knew when that would become a reality. Kevin owned our current home when he and I met, so I've never gone through the home buying (or selling) experience as a grown up on my own. Until now.

This past Sunday we watched from the front window as our realtor hammered a 'For Sale' sign into our front yard. It was a moment of mixed emotions - pure excitement for what our next chapter would be, then a rush of nostalgia, remembering what our house had started as and all of the (literal) blood, sweat and tears that had gone into making it a wonderful home for the three of us. We had put in an amazing amount of work - and money - over the past 4 years - which allows us to be very proud of what it's become!

So that's it. We're on the market. So what are our next steps? We're building. Our dream is coming true and we're going to be able to build a home perfectly tailored to our needs and wants. We can't wait. We've been to the model homes and development quite a bit over the past seven days. Decisions are being made in our minds and in conversations between Kevin and I. While we will not be signing anything until our house officially sells, we have the luxury of Ryan Homes (our chosen builder) allowing us to work through the design process in the interim.

So I'll proobably be hijacking Riley's spotlight in this blog for a while, providing updates of this new journey. How exciting!!

The Little Things

2010-03-01T12:22:00.001-05:00

Children are such sweet, innocent reminders of how we need to be more excited about the little things in life ... like hot dog buns.

Bargain Shopping Successes

2010-02-08T11:35:00.004-05:00

As most women, I have a love of shopping. It truly is a form of therapy for me. But there is something I love even more than shopping. That would be BARGAIN shopping. I love, love, love it. There is a certain type of rush that I get from finding a fabulous deal. Being a mommy that is obsessed with her daughter's clothes, being frugal is almost a must. I have a few resources and tips and tricks that I employ when shopping that help me snag the best deal possible.

Shop a season ahead. Not earth shattering, I know, and most of you probably do this already. I've been lucky that Riley has stayed true to her age/size in most brands, so assuming that she'll be wearing 18-month sizes around June when she turns 18-months is a gamble I am more than willing to take. I have totes - three LARGE totes - full of 18 month clothes awaiting her. And two more for 2T. And I even have a 3T one started. At the end of last summer when stores such as Carters and Old Navy nearly paid their shoppers to take summer inventory off of their hands, I swept in and took advantage.

Afraid you'll guesstimate sizing wrong? As long as the tags are still on and you have the receipt, Carters stores will accept returns FOREVER. You heard that right. You can return an item years after purchasing it and get all of your money back. If you looked in Riley's closet, you'd see tags hanging everywhere, many of which with receipts taped to them. I shop fearlessly at Carters for this very reason.

Kohl's is a great store for shopping a season ahead. Midway through a season, they'll discount that season's clothes by 60-80%! They carry reputable lines such as Carters and Ralph Lauren Chaps, too! In fact, just two days ago I went there to browse their sales and walked out spending $10.63 on a winter coat for Riley for next season. It was normally $50 - a savings of 80%! I even had $10 Kohl's cash, but it didn't start until the next day. I plan to go back today and pick up yet another coat for $10 in 3T for the following season ... and after using my Kohl's cash it will be FREE! A $50 coat for FREE!

Having all of these clothes stocked away for future sizes doesn't mean I won't go and splurge on that "OHMYGOSHIMUSTHAVEIT" outfit for her ... but it does mean that the large base of her wardrobe was purchased at amazing prices.

Coupons, coupons, coupons. One of the most dreaded chores on the list left for my brother and I from my mom when we were younger was Sort Coupons. We hated it. We grumbled. We swore when we grew up, we'd never clip and sort coupons. Au contrere, mon frere.

I am a coupon junkie now. Why wouldn't I be? Gathering them is almost effortless and it is the same as FREE MONEY. Who doesn't like that? Better yet, technology has put oodles of coupons at your fingertips. You can Google a coupon code for almost any online purchase you make. Heck, you can almost always google "Carters Coupons" for a printable 20% off coupon for Carters stores. Pair that with your deep discount clearance items and I've walked out of a store with nearly 15 items and a receipt proudly stating that I've only spent $40.

My favorite types of coupons are ones that the likes of Old Navy will hand out from time to time for "$5 off your total purchase (when you use your Gap Card)". Sure - $5 off of a total bill may not seem like much. But what if I told you that by using one of those coupons, I was able to purchase three pairs of pants, a hat, and a pair of boots (all for Riley) and only had to put $0.79 on my card? It's true. Just two weeks ago when our local Old Navy gave an extra 50% off of clearance, I struck gold. Here is how it broke down:

Jeans (Nomally $19.50; Clearanced for $2.97; Final price $1.49)
Pants (Normally $19.50; Clearanced for $1.97; Final price $0.99)
Pants (Normally $19.50; Clearanced for $1.97; Final price $0.99)
Hat (Normally $7.50; Clearanced for $1.97; Final price $0.99)
Boots (Normally $14.50; Clearanced for $1.97; Final price $0.99)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Full price total: $80.50
My Total: $5.45
Tax: $0.34
($5 coupon)
-------------------
$0.79 TOTAL

So what should have cost me $85.53 (after tax) really cost me $0.79 ... a savings of $84.74! Incredible! Riley can wear all of that one time for all I care - I made a great deal! In fact, it was so great that upon returning to my car, I realized I had a second coupon, so I headed back into the store and bought another pair of jeans, three shirts, and another pair of boots ... for another $1.21 total. Walking into the house with an armload of bags couldn't upset my husband this time! (I must mention this was in the same shopping trip in which I bought a pair of chandelier earrings at Express for $0.50 after a coupon, a pair of knee high Jessica Simpson boots at Dillards for $10 out of pocket (used a gift card and a coupon), and a free Aveda perfume used with a coupon I received for my birthday). Amazing!

Check out the Clearance Section ... Even if You Need Nothing. Are you really saving money if you end up buying things that you don't even need or weren't looking for anyhow? I appreciate the argument, but I fall on the side of YES. Yes, I am saving money in the long run by buying items I don't even need ... as long as I know that I will eventually need it. That's the key.

For example. While at Kohl's the other day (not the same day as the fabuless coat deal), I just happened to swing by their toy section. I thought I had seen a 60% off clearance sign from afar. I have a sixth sense radar for such signs. What I found there were several sets of Fisher Price Little People for 60% off! Fresh off of Christmas and a First Birthday, Riley isn't exactly suffering from toy deprivation. However with her birthday and Christmas just three weeks within one another, I want to be able to surprise her with little gifts and toys here and there throughout the year. This would be difficult to do if I were dealing with full-price items. Cue the clearance items that I don't need right now. I snagged a full Little People farm set and two add-on farm animal sets ... for $20 total. Amazing!

(What you don't see here is the full farm set. Unfortunately, Riley has an eye for deals, too, and spotted it through the bag right as we came the door. I couldn't help but let her have it right then and there.)

I am not sure if you have a Marcs store in your area, but it is also a treasure chest for such items. Everytime I am in Marcs I swear it is my last time ever - but the prices and occassional SUPER buys keep me coming back. Just yesterday I grabbed these two sets of Little People - $4.99 each. That's 50% off of the price you'd find them at Target. And Weeble Wobbles?! Once I got over the shock that these still exist, I couldn't help but grab them for the $2.99 sticker price.

So all of my little clearance treasures are tucked away in a closet to be pulled out on a rainy day or when she deserves a reward for being a good girl, etc. Riley is just now starting to play with Little People, and seeing as how they are rated for ages 1-5, I feel safe stockpiling them - I think she'll get use out of them for quite a while. Plus, they are gender neutral - even better for re-use with our next baby!

Network and Use Your Resources! One little gem that I stumbled upon was the group FabuLESS on Facebook. It is run by a thrifty mom who shares an eye for amazing deals! A lot of the savings I've had lately have come from coupons posted on her Fan Page. It costs you nothing - except maybe 20 seconds to become a fan of the page - to start saving with FabuLESS! You can also check out Jodi's site.

Another group I've just come across is Baby Half Off. Each day a popular baby item / brand is listed at at least 50% off of retail price. The deal is good for that day only, though, so you have to be willing to check it daily. You can become a fan on Facebook or check out their website. Or both!

Don't Forget About Yourself!
It isn't just baby stuff that you can shop smart for. Shop smart for yourself as well! Did you know that at CVS you can pair a store coupon (one in their ad or that prints off at the bottom of your receipt) with a manufacturer coupon? It's called 'coupon stacking'. Shampoo, conditioner and dish detergent can become virtually free doing this! And those items can sit in your linen closet for months and months, so stock up when you can! Taking advantage of CVS coupons, manufacturer coupons, and timing them up with ExtraBucks offers in store has saved me SO much.

Plus, CVS will match competitor coupons for prescriptions. I almost always have a coupon for a $25 gift card when you transfer a prescription to Rite Aid or Kmart or somewhere like that. But the BIG bonus here? CVS will accept the coupon everytime I refill my prescription - not just on transfers! Seeing that I have two medications I take regularly each month, I can count on $50 in free gift cards to CVS every single month. This is why diapers have never really be an expense to me. I collect Pampers coupons, wait for diapers to go on sale (they're $8.99/pack this week!), then use the coupons with the free gift cards - diapers at absolutely NO expense to me!

Lastly, this week's "Item of the Week" at Old Navy is women's lace trim v-neck camis. They are normally $12.50 each, but thru Thursday they are a steal at just $2 each! You can bet that I was sitting outside of Old Navy 10 minutes prior to store opening last Friday because I assumed these puppies would sell out fast. I wasn't alone. I was waiting with about seven other women doing the same thing. Here's a snapshot of my receipt. I actually got the camis for $1.80 each because I took the four minutes necessary to fill out a survey online for Old Navy. I seem to always get a survey invitation at the bottom of my receipt there that allows me to save 10% off my entire next trip. My wallet is loaded with these coupons, so I use one each time. So here you go - eight camis for myself and one tee shirt for Riley (her shirt accounted for $4.50 of my total) ... all for $21.04 after tax. A savings of $87.70!

Now get out there and start saving!!

A Whole Lot of Nothing

2010-02-01T12:08:00.000-05:00

Captured memories of a wonderful weekend full of nothing but family love ...

I Wasn't Sleeping, I Swear!

2010-01-26T14:02:00.000-05:00

In 13 months, I have only had to wake Riley from sleeping one time. It's a cardinal rule, isn't it? Not to wake a sleeping baby?

She is a consistent 12-hour-a-night sleeper, so by having her in bed and asleep by 7pm last night, I felt confident that she would wake up around 7am this morning. By 7:10am I was completely ready for work, had everything she and I needed in the car, and even had the car started so it would be warm for our drive to Grandma and Grandpa's house.

At 7:35am I told Kevin that I was going to have to wake her - I needed to get to work and didn't want her to be off schedule too badly today. She is somewhat of a more sensitive sleeper, so I assumed she'd wake up as she heard us enter her room. But she didn't. Then I was sure that the sound of the zipper on her crib tent would wake her. But it didn't. So then Kevin and I started to gently rub her back. She was so perfectly precious, lying on her belly, hugging her blankie tight. And then ... And then her eyes shot open and in one swift motion she grabbed blankie, pulled in her legs, and was standing straight at the edge of her crib with wide eyes, as if saying "I wasn't sleeping, I swear! I'm late for school!". It was definitely the type of comic relief I needed on a morning before work. What a cutie.

Toilet paper, please!!

2010-01-24T22:50:00.000-05:00

Isn't it amazing what a change in energy can be made over just a couple of days? For example, it's almost comical that a weekend that started out like this ...

... could end up in one like this:

Yes, that is a view into one of our bathrooms. Everyone is fine ... the door is the true victim in the end. Long story short, I was out for the night and Riley shut herself in the bathroom at lightening speed and pulled open a vanity drawer that kept the door from being able to be opened. Thankfully, Kevin was smart in how he reacted, first drilling a 'peep hole' into the lower portion of the door (knowing where Riley was by the sounds of what she was doing, of course, and knowing he wouldn't harm her) so that he could keep tabs on her as he broke through the top portion of the door.

I am thrilled that I am able to chuckle at the smashed door, realizing how convenient it is to holler for toilet paper now. "Toilet paper, please!" This could have been a very different post and I thank the Lord that isn't the case. I am also happy I haven't pushed so hard for those solid wood doors ... yet. =)

Our Little Climber

2010-01-14T13:39:00.001-05:00

One of my birthday gifts from Kevin back in November was a membership to Gymboree for Riley and I. It was such a perfect, thoughtful gift. We love to take her to her weekly class and open gym times and watch her explore, play and climb around. She is very social with everyone and loves to jibber jabber to anyone who will listen. It's amazing to watch her begin to learn the routine and structure of the classes. She knows when she hears a tambourine rattle that the teacher is about to start a new activity. She knows that the large parachute means that it's bubble time. She heads for the same slide each week. The minute we enter the facility, she knows exactly where to go to enter the play area and reaches at the door. It's such a joy for Kevin and I each week.

Her climbing skills have accelerated at a ridiculous speed over this past month. It was the difference of night and day between two open gym sessions there. It was December 30th when I took her to open gym and was shocked at how well and quickly she was climbing up steep wedges and inclines - she had never done that as well before! Not only are her climbing skills moving at rapid speed at Gymboree, but also at home. Thus the reason I had to move at warp speed myself to get onto Amazon.com and order a crib tent for her room. Riley - at 13 months old - is trying to climb out of her crib. Her mattress is at the lowest setting. She wears at sleepsack. She simply has incredible arm strength that allows her to pull herself up high enough on the rail of her crib and then get her belly balanced on there so that her feet are no longer touching her mattress and her arms are reaching out in front of her. She is basically a human teeter-totter. We know this because it was around midnight Sunday night/Monday morning as I watched in horror over the video monitor before Kevin and I whisped into her room and got her before an accident occured.

Here's a picture of the assembled tent on her crib:

I don't think that this is a bad thing - I just think it is something that is coming very early in the game. She certainly isn't old enough or big enough - in our opinion - to transition to a toddler bed yet, so the crib tent was actually our only other option. She actually hasn't even really noticed any difference - at least nothing that has interupted her sleep patterns or made bedtimes difficult. She's adapted faster than I have and I am thankful for that.

Organization Schmorganization ...

2010-01-07T16:23:00.000-05:00

I have always prided myself on my strong organizational skills. Being unorganized made me stressed and unable to relax, so I organized everything. Coupons. Receipts. Cars. Cabinets. My desk. Even my DVD collection is in alphabetical order. My closet is color coded and separated by sleeve length. OCD about organization? Absolutely.

People would laugh and tell me how that would all change once I had a baby, but I refused to cave to that. I convinced myself that I'd stay organized no matter what. However soon after Riley's birth, I noticed some of my skills were lacking. The checkbook wasn't being balanced as frequently as I cared for. Bills were scattered throughout the house. The car started getting littered with toys and blankets and other new baby items. "As soon as I get past this sleep deprivation, things will get back to being organized", I told myself.

Then Riley started getting mobile. My time that would have been spent getting that organization back in order was spent chasing her around the house, making sure she didn't get herself into any dangerous situations or spots, etc. I couldn't possibly organize at night because after dinner and bedtime routines were through, I needed to wind down and get sleep to do it all over again the next day. "As soon as I get into more of a routine, things will get back to being organized", I told myself.

What I should have been saying all along was, "Once I get an iPhone, things will get back to being organized". I hate to use this forum as an iPhone pitch, but I can't help myself. This thing is fantastic. I feel SO organized. And everything I could possibly need or want is at my fingertips. In case you're an iPhone user looking for some new apps ... or if you plan to be an owner in the future, I just have to share what I feel are my top four "Mommy-Helper Apps". I have more to add, but will limit it to four at this time ...

Checkbook - Remember that checkbook that I told you wasn't getting balanced anymore? I couldn't stand the thought of not knowing exactly what we had in the bank - and by this I mean down to the very penny. This app has saved my sanity and (seriously) made it easier for me to sleep at night. It is simple - just a checkbook registry app that allows you to track your bank balance. But I can also set certain debits or credits to be recurring ones. So each month I don't have to remember to record my mortgage payment that is auto-pay. This app simply enters it into my register on the selected date each month. It even tracks and analyzes spending for me. Basically, this is Quicken for the iPhone ... however now I can deduct something from my "checkbook" immediately as I make a purchase. No more needing to collect receipts and enter information later, from my laptop at home. This is the best $1.99 I've spent ... and you can bet that I immediately recorded that debit in it.

Keeper - Never again will I have to dig to the depths of my brain to remember what username and password I selected for my gas company's website so I can pay my bill (and then record it in the checkbook app). Keeper allows you to enter information about any of your accounts. It requires a password in itself, so there is no risk for someone getting your personal log-on information. It allows you to enter you username, password, and any additional notes that you need. This has allowed me to remove all those little post-it notes off of my desk telling me what information to sign in to what site with. What's better? It's a FREE app!

Cardstar - I don't know about you, but my wallet has been ready to explode for months. Unfortunately, it isn't because I have loads of cash in there - it's because of all the loyalty and membership cards I tote around with me everywhere I go to get those discounts and rewards we all want. This FREE app allows you to enter in your membership card number and it translates it into a barcode. The barcode can be scanned from your phone just as it could be from your membership card - but now you can do away with the cards! This app is ingenious. I have been able to remove eleven cards from my wallet! I have cards that range from my CVS card to PetSmart to AAA to my local library! This is a 'must have' in my opinion.

Wheels on the Bus - Gone are the days (for now) that I have to worry about a wiggly, screaming baby while waiting in a long grocery line or at the doctor's office. This adorable application is modeled after the well-known Wheels on the Bus song. It has fabulous artwork, music and interactivity - all tailored to little kiddos. This app was created by parents, for parents. You can climb on board the bus to spin it's wheels as they go 'round and round', swish the wipers, pop some bubbles and more! You can listen to the song in five different languages and can even record yourself or your child singing it! "Your little one will be able to touch, explor and discover fun surprises in the captivating, interactive illustrations". Your sanity in a long line, on a car ride, and many other places is just $0.99 away!

And p.s. ... through the sleep deprivation and chasing of a toddler, I am proud to say my DVD collection has always remained in alphabetical order. If you remove one, please put it back in the spot you pulled it from. Or I won't sleep. ;)

An Amazingly Incredible Dad

2010-01-06T10:12:00.003-05:00

Last night was a repeat of what is starting to become 'the norm' in our household. Riley wakes up just after the point that we go to bed and cries ... and then screams. We rock her, reassure her ... make sure she isn't hungry ... make sure she has a fresh diaper ... and then soothe her back to sleep and lay her back in her crib. The second any part of her feels the crib mattress, or even the descent into the crib, she begins to kick and scream and the whole process starts over. Vicious cycle. Having a baby who has been a wonderful sleeper overall, this rocks our world a tad. It's only happened three times in the past four nights, but that means we're sailing at a 75% chance of a restless night ... not a percentage I like. Kevin and I can survive it, but I sit in the rocking chair and just feel so badly for my baby. If this is indeed attributed to the two new upper teeth she is slowly sprouting, I just want to take the pain for her. And regardless, I want her to sleep peacefully - she needs it.

So last night, as Kevin finally retreated to the living room couch at 1:30am to try to get some sleep himself while holding on to Riley so that I could get some sleep in our bed, I thought to myself for probably the thousandth time ... "My husband is an amazing dad. An incredible dad. An amazingly incredible dad."

He loves Riley with every ounce of his body and soul and I couldn't ask for anything more than that. I have to remind myself how lucky I am to have him. Sometimes he asks me to wait back about 15 seconds when we go to pick her up after work so that she can run into his arms for a moment. Sure, I wouldn't complain to always be the one whose arms she is running to, but I'm lucky to have a husband who wants his daughter to run into his arms. I'm lucky to have a husband who wants to be the one to give her the bedtime bottle and read her book to her. I'm lucky to have a husband who sports swimming trunks into the bathroom so that he can play in the tub with her from time to time.

I'm lucky that a frequent morning bicker between the two of us is who is going to get the pleasure of carrying Riley into Grandma and Grandpa's house ... not who has to carry her in. I am lucky that I have a daughter who is loved equally by her daddy and myself. I'm lucky. I'm blessed. I'm so in love.

Sure - there are times that I grow frustrated. Maybe he isn't sure where something of Riley's is that I ask for; maybe he dresses her in something that isn't season-appropriate. Sometimes I've been frustrated at bedtime as I am re-diapering Riley because a regular diaper was put on her instead of the extra protection diaper ... but last night, as I laid in bed and listened to her cries turn to soft jibber jabber as they both fell to sleep, I thought about those re-diaperings. And I smiled to myself. I'm lucky to have a husband who even changes diapers. And dresses his daughter. And is an active parent. Period.

My husband is an amazing dad. An incredible dad. An amazingly incredible dad.

Christmas at the Balaban's

2010-01-05T16:49:00.000-05:00

I say it every year ... so if I didn't say it this year, I'd basically disappoint myself.

I can't believe the holidays are over.

There. I said it. Every year they seem to go by faster and faster. Christmas of 2008 is a major blur. This is most likely due to the fact that Riley was only 20 days old on Christmas and I was incredibly sleep-deprived and too tired to enjoy all that the holiday season has to offer. But I was certainly awake and alert for Christmas 2009. This year was so fun and magical and memorable. This was the first year that Kevin and I truly got to play Santa Claus. Sure, Riley is still too young to know exactly what happened through the night as Christmas Eve gave way to Christmas Day. But she certainly did know one thing happened: she woke up to a LOT more loot one morning and had a day full of fun opening gifts and playing with new toys.

This was also the first year - EVER - that I was able to be with Kevin and his parents as well as my parents and my Grandma for Christmas. That is probably what made it the most memorable and emotional to me. Prior to being married, Kevin and I would spend Christmas Day apart. I couldn't stand the thought of spending the morning away from my parents - I just wasn't ready yet - and he felt the same in regards to his own family. So we would part ways a day or two before Christmas and reunite that night or the following day. Then, after we were married, we spent one year back home with my parents for the holiday, and have spent the other years up here with the Balaban family. During those years we would spend Thanksgiving with my family as a trade-off, but it still hurt on Christmas morning when I wasn't able to see them and hug them.

This year was incredible. They arrived on Christmas Eve and we were able to go to mass together - Balabans and Nichols' - and then back to our house for our traditional Christmas Eve gathering. They were able to see Riley open her gifts on Christmas morning. I was able to physically hug them and wish them a very Merry Christmas. It was perfect.

As for the Little Miss (more recently deemed "Little Boss" due to her rippening personality), she was a joy on Christmas, as you can see in the pictures below.

Please pass the Pledge ... my blog is dusty.

2010-01-05T14:08:00.000-05:00

I'm falling behind. Horribly. The amount of dust lying on this blog is almost embarrassing. That is why it is among my top 5 New Year's Resolutions. I am typically against resolutions. Not against them, but just not all about them. Why have to wait until the New Year to make a valiant effort to do something more or less or better ... why not do that at any point in the year? And - if I'm being honest - I have to admit that I was never a fan of putting something 'out there' that I wanted to do in the New Year, then fail on delivery year after year.

But this year is different. Because after some of the events at the end of 2009, I really do feel that the New Year is a great time for a fresh start. So here are my five New Year's Resolutions. They're rather simple, but that is how I would like life to be right now. Simple.

Read the entire Bible, Genesis to Revelations.
Handwrite more letters to those without email: Grandma, Aunt Carol ... and even those with email. A nice, handwritten letter can be a real treat to the recipient.
Stop biting my nails. (I started this last night with a simple, home manicure)
Blog more frequently - a minimum of once a week. (Baby steps, people ... baby steps)
Lose 5 more pounds (did you really think there'd be a resolution list free of a weight loss resolution??)

So how about you? What are YOUR top five resolutions for twenty-ten?

Riley Elayne is ONE!

2009-12-08T15:47:00.002-05:00

My baby is one. ONE! How in the world did that happen? Just as my cousin said, it is just like God to place a celebration in our lives just at a time that we need it. While our hearts were breaking early last week, there was a constant band-aid on them, pulling them back together. It was knowing that we had a big reason to smile and to celebrate - our baby girl was about to have a monumental birthday and we were going to party as if our hearts were fine. Sure, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to fake happiness and that behind a weak smile and bright eyes would be a quivering lip and welled up tears. That was just the reason that I requested from all in attendance that we focus only on Riley - and that we not talk about the week's earlier events. This was HER day. No tears allowed.

The birthday girl made quite the impression on all of her guests. Riley LOVES attention. She thrives on it. From the moment she woke up Saturday morning and saw the beautiful decorations that her daddy put up the night before, she knew this was her day. After opening up a couple early morning presents from Daddy and I, she sprung into action, helping us prepare for the guests who were to arrive at noon. Her first task? Placing the balloon bouquets!

The day went perfectly, from the decorations, to Riley's first experience with cake, to opening presents and thanking guests for coming. Our princess was treated as royalty and left everyone with wonderful memories and cheeks that ached from smiling so much. Seeing our 36 guests was just another reminder of how loved and blessed we are. Riley Elayne is one. Incredible.

It's Just Like God ...

2009-12-08T15:43:00.000-05:00

It's December. Time for a fresh start. We've boxed up the memories and sadness that November brought and are storing them away now, looking at our future with anticipation. Sure, I am certainly not emotionally over the grief that came along with the miscarriage, but I am optimistic. I am healing. I am looking forward instead of backwards. It is my choice and my choice alone, whether I want to heal or if I want to be bitter. I choose to heal. I just continue to thank God for Riley and Kevin and the support of our extended family and friends - healing would be so much more difficult without the extra prayers and words of encouragement that we have received over the past week.

My cousin made a great point - "It's just like God to place a celebration in our lives just at a time that we need it". She was referring to the wonderful celebration this past weekend ... which leads me to my next post ...

Please, December, be a fresh start

2009-11-30T21:29:00.002-05:00

I know I've not written lately - in nearly a month, in fact. I've wanted to ... I've thought about it many, many times. But I knew that in order to post something, I'd have to come face to face with my last post about Oliver, and I still wasn't prepared for that.

We've been slowly healing, but we'll always have scars that remind us of him. His death on November 1st kicked the month off in the most horrible way. The only good way of looking at it was that it could only get better. Until today.

Rewind back to the wee morning hours of Sunday, October 11th. Riley had a yucky diaper that required a very early morning bath. While Kevin was bathing her, I needed to use the restroom. I was feeling a little queasy so I thought I'd take a pregnancy test - one that I just had lying around - never imagining what I would see three minutes later. Two precious pink lines stared back at me - and I shook. I smiled. I screamed with joy inside. Being the impatient person I am, I threw all creativity out the window for how I could share the news with Kevin and instead ran straight into the bathroom and blurted out ... "So ... um ... I'm PREGNANT!!". We were elated - and shocked. What a wonderful, wonderful day.

Flash forward to November 1st when Oliver passed away. The reason we were on the way to Columbus that day - in the opposite direction of where our little guy was being treated - was for a family lunch in celebration of my mom's birthday. We felt this was the perfect opportunity to share our exciting news, as I was adament to tell them in person. I made Riley a onesie that proudly boasted "I am the Big Sister". Our joyous news was quickly overshadowed by the terrible phone call we had received about Oliver, just as we pulled into the parking lot in Columbus. We still shared our news, but it was quick and amongst tears about our first baby's fate. It was bittersweet, but it was still a blessing nonetheless.

One week later I had reason to be a little concerned, as I was having symptoms I hadn't experienced with Riley. It could be normal, but it could be cause for concern, according to my pregnancy books. Being one who would always rather err on the side of caution, I called my doctor and went in the next day for an ultrasound. It was on this day - November 9th - that we heard the glorious sound of that heartbeat - 158 bpm - and saw our little bean. "Everything is perfectly fine," said Dr. Brzozowski. If he said it, I trusted it. "And with that strong of a heartbeat at this point, your chance of miscarriage drops below 1%. We're not out of the woods yet, but your chances are very, very good. Go home and don't worry any more", he said.

So I went home and I didn't worry any more. I thanked God for the miracle that was still in me and let my mind rest. I was pregnant and all was well.

Today. November 30th. Oddly enough, the last day of what started off as the worst month. I had a routine OB appointment scheduled for 1:45pm. I couldn't wait to hear that heartbeat again. "I'll try with the doppler, but if we don't hear anything, don't be worried - sometimes this is still too early to detect and then I'll have the doctor try", said the nurse. I wasn't worried and actually didn't plan on hearing it, considering I was just 10w 1d along. Sure thing - she couldn't detect it. Riley sat on Kevin's lap, munching away on her goldfish and giving me some kind of advice, I am sure, through her babbling as we waited for Dr. Brzozowski to give it a go. Still nothing. "Let's go do a quick ultrasound", he said. For some reason I was still calm. Normally one to jump to the worst conclusion possible, I hadn't. Everything was going to be fine.

Except it wasn't. I watched the ultrasound tech take a few different pictures and watched her facial expressions. Things weren't fine - things were very, very wrong. As Dr. Brzozowski put his hand on my arm, I knew. No words were necessary. I had miscarried.

I went numb, just as I had 29 days earlier. I felt like I was having an out of body experience, just as I had 29 days earlier. And here I sit as I write, a tad drained of emotion, wondering why I am not bawling my eyes out this very moment. But if history repeats itself from 29 days ago, tomorrow will be the worst pain of all. The numbness will wear off and all that will be left is just pure pain. Writing is therapy to me. I knew I had to write to begin to let emotion out of my body.

I am not mad at God. How can I be? He had a reason to do this. For some reason, I was not meant to carry that baby, and God took that baby home to be with Him. And with Oliver. Oliver couldn't lie his head on my pregnant belly this time around, so I'd like to think he'll be lying it next to our precious baby whom we will never have the joy to meet, until we're reunited in Heaven one day.

So tonight, after my parents arrive to town to be with us in our days of sorrow, I'll go to bed. I'll fear what my dreams will bring the entire time I drift to sleep, and tomorrow I will face incredible pain. But I will get through this. 'And this too shall pass".

Please, December ... be a fresh start.

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." -John 16:33

Oliver, My Hero

2009-11-03T15:53:00.003-05:00

November 1, 2009 will forever be remembered as one of the worst days of my life. Have you ever had to hold the paw of the one you love most, and kiss their nose just before they peacefully drift off to sleep forever? I hadn't had to ever in my life ... until this past Sunday.

Oliver was our miracle baby from the beginning. A puppy with all odds against him, he fought through a horrible case of pneumonia and stunned all doctors by not only surviving, but thriving - all the while, winning over their hearts. He loved children. He loved his brother, Wendell, and would bathe him each night before snuggling up tight to him to sleep. He would run so fast that his little moustache would blow in the wind and remind me of Falcor from "the neverending story"; thus his middle name.

He just turned 4 on Wednesday. Since he was I'll, we promised him a full celebration as soon as he was healthy again. We bought him a monster sized loofa dog on Saturday - his favorite toy - to have on hand for his homecoming this coming Tuesday, the day that the vet told us to expect him back home.

We breathed a sigh of relief when we received the update call at 6am this morning from the emergency vet. He had a stellar night and was even up walking around and would be offered some water. Things were looking up and we were on cloud nine. That Oliver - he always pulls through.

Then just over 4 hours later a call came in. We were on the road to Columbus for a 60th birthday lunch for my mom . "Oliver is showing trends we don't like .... More x-rays needed .... More bloodwork ...".

At noon another call. "Weak ... Potential liver failure ... Septic shock ... Potential we will lose him". A follow up call. "30% chance of survival with second surgery. 0% without it ... $5000 to try ... In pain".

Decision time. Gut wrenching, rip your heart out of your chest, cause you to vomit, decision. Take the chance? Or let him go peacefully? It was awful. Worse than awful. So much to consider. People waiting for an answer. Being three hours away.

With prayers to God and a temporary sense of peace, we made the decision. With a wavering voice, I told my husband, "Oliver needs to be Jesus' puppy now". The decision was one that, given his past health history, the vet thought was best. Then it was time to get to him. The vet thought they could keep him comfortable until we arrived, so we could hold him and tell him once more how incredibly much we loved him. Waiting in that stale room was so painful, but nothing compared to the pain to come. The doors opened and Oliver was wheeled into the room for his last encounter with us. He laid so quietly in his familiar bed, unable to lift his head to look at us. But we talked to him. And pet him. And kissed him. And reminded him of how much we loved him and how we would miss him terribly and never let him be forgotten. We told him it was going to be okay. We apologized for what he had to go through and that we couldn't save him. We cried. We shook. We felt more lost than we ever have in our life.

Holding on to him as he took his last breath is so foggy to me now. I felt as though I was having an out of body experience. I saw him take his last breath - I felt it - yet I still keep waiting for him to walk down the hall. I keep waiting for him to scratch the front door to ask to go outside. I keep waiting to hear him make noises as he dreams through the night. I can't wrap my head around the fact that none of that is ever, ever going to happen again.

This is the most pain I have ever experienced. And it is double painful because I have to watch Kevin go through the pain as well - and I want to protect him. While I hate that Oliver died at such a young age - and feel that he was cheated out of life - I am thankful that Riley was young enough to not have a clue what was going on and that I could protect her from pain as well. Sunday was painful, but we were numb. Monday was the hardest - the numbness had worn off, but the pain was still there. The house felt 'wrong'. It was still. It was quiet. And that was the oddest part of all - Oliver didn't bark. He didn't make noise. The fact that quiet and stillness felt weird shouldn't have. But his presence was gone. We knew he wasn't there.

I asked my mom how I will ever survive losing a person in my life if I am enduring this much pain from a pet. Her answer was so right. I am experiencing the same amount of pain for my pet as I will for a person because he WAS a person to me. He was a family member. He was my first baby. I will miss him every single day of my life. God Bless Oliver.

First Steps!

2009-10-07T11:56:00.000-04:00

We've hit a huge milestone over the past few days! Riley has officially been taking steps on her own!! Her personal best is currently 4 consecutive steps. And I must be honest and say that when I watch her achieve this, all I can think of is how Frakenstein walks: stiff legs that don't bend at the knee and arms straight out in front. It's hilarious. And adorable. And it reminds me that my baby is growing up.

The best part of it is the look on her face after her steps have ended. She knows what she is doing and she is SO proud of herself. The amazing smile proves it.

I was lucky enough to have my mom at the house last night to capture video as Riley demonstrated her new skill to Daddy for the first time (video to be posted soon!). I witnessed her true "first steps" alone at the house this past Saturday and it was breaking Kevin's heart that she hadn't shown off for him. Last night after we got home from work she was ready to go ... and I could barely contain myself when I saw tears well up in Kevin's eyes once she took those steps. These are the memories that last a lifetime.

In other news, Riley is freshly 10 months old! Monday marked 10 months - I say it every month, but I cannot believe another has passed. Her 10 month old check list looks like this:

She says "mama", "dada" and "baba". We swear we've heard "bye bye" a couple of times, but I am not convinced enough to put it in ink in the baby book yet
She still eats some purees, but is moving along quickly to some more "solid" solids such as chicken breast and sliced carrots. The slow-movement of this is mommy's fault due to fear of choking. If it were up to me, I'd probably send her off to college with a suitcase full of purees. She takes 4 bottles a day and insists on holding them herself.
She sleeps about 11 hours a night. She takes a solid morning nap but seems to only need/want about 45 minutes of shut-eye in the afternoon.
She is a speed crawler, furniture surfer, and step-taker.
She loves, loves, loves her toys.
She adores her two puppies and gets so excited each morning when they come into her room to greet her.
Bathtime is a treat for her and she loves to dip her face in the water and show off her "bubble bath moustache".

Memories, Milestones and More

2009-09-24T15:06:00.000-04:00

Last week we took our first ever family vacation since becoming a "family of three". We ventured down to our ultimate favorite vacation spot - the Outerbanks in North Carolina. We specifically stayed in Nags Head. This was our fourth trip down there - the first being back in August 2004 when Kevin proposed to me on the beach at sunset. The proposal was in the same spot that he sat on the beach as a child during annual vacations to OBX. And Riley sat in that same spot last week, which, as you can imagine, brought along with it a flurry of emotions.

We returned for our second trip in June of 2006. This was our first trip to OBX as a married couple - another nice memory. Our third trip was in August 2008. I was 23 weeks pregnant with Riley. This year Riley was 9 1/2 months old at the time of our visit. I couldn't help but dig up a picture from last year's vacation. It was taken of Kevin and I standing out on the Nags Head Pier. We took another picture this year in the same spot. What a difference a year makes ...

We vacationed with two friends of ours - Kelly and Frank - and their daughter, Addison, who is just 6 weeks younger than Riley. It was a fun-filled week for everyone and jam packed with memories that will last a lifetime. Riley even hit some milestones while we were down there; clapping, waving bye bye, and saying "dada". What a perfect, perfect week.

Enjoy some pictures from our week full of firsts, laughter, happy tears and hugs.

Riley and daddy on the beach. One of my favorite pictures.

Shoulder rides for Addison and Riley at the Sand Dunes.

Watching the love of our lives.

I had the ultimate pleasure of showing Riley the ocean and the sand for the first time in her life. Her squeals and belly laughs for the waves told me she loved it.

It wouldn't be vacation without a walk to get some yummy ice cream!

Riley and I, playing in the water.

"Riley 2009".

Exploring the sand. She loved to dig and quickly learned - after a handful to the mouth - that it tastes yucky.

She loves her shoulder rides from Daddy.

Precious, precious, precious.

Getting lots of laughs and smiles on the beach.

I Survived!

2009-09-06T19:25:00.000-04:00

I survived my first night away from Riley! I had a great time away with Kevin - and it was a very nice treat for both of us - but I was SO excited to get home this afternoon and grab my little miss right up! And Kevin was just as excited.

We left yesterday morning around 6:30am. Thank God, Riley woke up just about 5 minutes before we left. I could have had something to do with those few extra cabinet doors I accidentally slammed. But I was just so happy to get to see her and hug her and kiss her before leaving for Cedar Point and leaving her with my mom and dad. I did great through the day - we were so busy at the park that the hours flew, although we were busy the whole time talking about Riley and winning her prizes at the game booth! (Picture of Riley with HUGE monkey that daddy won her, coming soon ...).

But last night was hard. We had early entrance into the park, so that allowed us to get on things really fast and we were done with our day about 3:00pm. We checked into our hotel around 3:30 and decided to take naps before dinner. Kevin fell asleep - I didn't. Instead, I laid on the bed, softly crying, just wishing the hours would fly by so I could be back with Riley. I missed her SO badly.

Thankfully, the time moved at the perfect pace. We enjoyed our evening, had a fun time this morning being lazy and enjoying breakfast, then got 9 holes of golf in on the way home. But boy were we excited to run through the front door and see that beautiful smile from our Rye Pie!

I never want to leave!

2009-09-03T10:00:00.001-04:00

All I keep thinking about this morning is how stinkin' adorable Riley is. This does not make for a very productive work day. I am so mad at myself for not taking a picture of her this morning. I'll have to snap a quick one tonight. She was in a new skirt and teeshirt and had a hoodie sweater on and Babylegs for the ride to Grandma and Grandpa's since there was quite a chill in the air - and she was SO happy this morning! I think she is over the aches and pains of her cold, and now we're just constantly wiping that drippy nose. She had a great night of sleep last night and woke up all smiles, ready to tackle the world, one toy at a time.

I've quickly realized (and honestly knew it all along) that it is NEVER easy to leave her. On the days when she doesn't feel well, I don't want to leave her. I just want to hold her and make the yuckies go away. On the days when she couldn't be any happier, I don't want to leave her. I just want to sit with her and play all day, taking in those smiles and laughs. On the days when she is a moody mess, while rare, I don't want to leave her. I just want to sing to her and play peek-a-boo until that bright smile returns between those pudgy cheeks. I just never, ever want to leave her!

Yes - you can slap me now since I am basically complaining that I only have a 3-day work week each week ... but it is all relative, right?

And if I hate leaving her, how will I EVER survive this weekend? My parents are arriving late Friday night and Kevin and I are leaving early Saturday morning for a weekend at Cedar Point. Just a little getaway for the two of us for our 4-year anniversary (today, in fact!) before we head to the beach as a family of three the following week. This will be my first time EVER away from Riley overnight. And my first time ever away from her for more than a typical 8-hour workday. I am praying that I am able to hold it together. At least Kevin and I will have plenty to talk about during a 2-hour wait for a roller coaster. The topic of conversation will absolutely be on our Rye Pie!

Toy Recommendations Needed!

2009-09-02T11:28:00.000-04:00

As we prepare for our upcoming beach trip, we want to buy Riley a surprise toy for the beach house that will be "new" and therefore capture her interest for a while. I would LOVE to hear what toys you'd recommend ... and of course, I do have some requirements that must be fulfilled with whatever toy this is!

Must light up
Must play music or sounds
Must be a toy in which she can stand at and cruise around - sitting is no longer in her daily plans!

So ... what do you recommend? Please comment below!

It's Time for a Facelift

2009-09-01T12:29:00.002-04:00

I am ready for this blog to undergo some cosmetic changes. Over the next couple of days you'll notice things starting to look a bit different - and hopefully better! I hope you like what you see - definitely let me know!

But what about "The Lasts"?

2009-09-01T10:38:00.004-04:00

A girlfriend and I had lunch yesterday. Well, it was more like this: we went to a dining establishment (Cheesecake Factory ... yummo!), ordered wonderful lunches, then spent the time that they were warm feeding bottles and sliced up bananas to our wonderful, precious daughters.

And then when our food was still a little warm, we spent that time retrieving shoes and toys for one another as they flew under the table just out of arm's reach. Lettuce wraps don't box up that well ... but cheesecake does! And that's what matters!

So during this lunch/playdate, we had an interesting discussion - something I hadn't ever really thought about before, but have thought about since. As mothers, we have eagle eyes for all of these "firsts". First time rolling over. First solid night of sleep. First tooth. First laugh. The list goes on and on. But what about "The Lasts"?

It is actually a sad thought, so I apologize if I put a dark cloud over anyone today ... but what about the huge milestone of the LAST time something happens? You celebrate the first night your baby sleeps in her crib in her own room. But that also means that the night before was the last night that she slept alongside you in her bassinette or co-sleeper. You celebrate the first tooth that breaks through. But that means the last time that you saw that adorable gummy smile has come and gone.

Being the optimistic person that I am, I can 'turn my frown upside down' by reminding myself that with the 'last' of one thing comes a 'first' of something even better. Two weeks ago Riley started doing this adorable thing with her arms and her head when it got close to a nap or bedtime. She'd raise her arms above her head real tight, then squeeze her head through them. Picture a needle being threaded - that is what I thought of when I saw it. It was adorable! But now it's over. I haven't seen that for a week now, and I don't know if it will ever return. A 'last'. That makes me a little sad. But then again, she is now making a cute new noise when she laughs ... so a 'first'.

What do you think about "the lasts"?

FREE Hairclip giveaway!

2009-08-31T14:39:00.005-04:00

I am hosting a giveaway on my Little Miss Designs blog! It runs through Friday and YOU could be the winner! There are lots of ways to enter, so make sure to check it out!

Item to be given away: Felt and Corduroy Trio in Beautiful Fall Colors!

Hey Moms! You GOTTA see this!

2009-08-27T13:36:00.004-04:00

Okay, okay - so I know that it is rare that I post more than once a day, but I felt my recent find warranted it. I assume you saw my earlier post about the $100 PF Chang gift card giveaway. Well, since finding it (and doing everything in my power to gain more entries!), I had a great time digging a little deeper into this treasure trove of a blog.

Guess what I found?

It's what I consider to be the Mother-Load of all giveaways! The ladies over at 5 Minutes for Mom are hosting a Back to School Giveaway! But HURRY - the giveaways end TOMORROW! They have a LOT of stuff to give away from an Epson printer to Famous Footwear giftcards to LandsEnd backpacks and lunch bags (they are eco friendly, to boot!).

Soooo ... what are you still doing here on my blog? Go! Hurry! Enter! WIN!

Have 5 Minutes?

2009-08-27T10:14:00.003-04:00

I've come across a fun new giveaway blog, tailored to moms, that I just MUST share with you all! The blog is 5 Minutes for Moms - Giveaways and it is so much fun! The stories are adorable and the giveaways are awesome!
I just took a few minutes to enter for a $100 PF Changs giftcard - wouldn't that just be the perfect date night out? It is as though I can taste the yummy lettuce wraps as I write this! I highly suggest heading out the the blog and taking a peek around - you will probably LOVE what you see!
Want more than just giveaways? They have amazing 'sister blogs' - I am sure that one fits the bill for your blog-reading-needs!

I'm on the hunt ...

2009-08-26T15:46:00.005-04:00

... for another diaper bag, perhaps! With our upcoming beach vacation, and just assuming how much 'stuff' we're going to be packing into our car, I really am not looking forward to stocking at least two diaper bags with stuff for Riley, simply because neither of them hold very much. Don't get me wrong - I L-O-V-E my Coach diaper bag. It is absolutely perfect for our daily trips out to the store or to carry over to Grandma and Grandpa's for a day's stay.

But when it comes to longer trips out - trips for a full day where I'll practically live out of that bag, I need something more. Something with more pockets, more room, and more versatility. So this is where YOU come in. I need help! The two bags that I absolutely love are not available in stores - just online! I am very much a person who has to see and feel anything like this that I buy before buying it - so I hope that someone out there has one of these and can give me a review on it.

1. Vera Bradley - OH BABY! Diaper Bag

It's retired as of 2008, thus why I cannot find it in a store.
eBay is my only hope, and I have found a few of them, new with tags (NWT)

2. Skip hop Studio Designer Tote

All of the reviews are GLOWING - even a mother of triplets commented on all the stuff she gets in there for all three babies - something that really impressed me.
Love the color choices - slate, black, chocolate, champagne. Picking a color may be harder than picking the actual bag!!

So there they are. Can anyone weigh in and help me out here?

Riley's Baptism Weekend!

2009-08-23T15:35:00.012-04:00

What a busy, busy weekend it has been! Today was Riley's baptism and if the stress and preparation necessary for today's event is anything in comparison to what I will endure when preparing for her first birthday, I may have to rethink things! Nah ... it was worth every second!

It all began on Friday when we had Riley's professional baptism pictures taken:

All day yesterday was spent with my mom and grandma in the kitchen, preparing food for today's brunch. And I mean ALL day. I literally slept in my clothes last night. But the food was amazing, thanks to my mom's amazing talent for cooking and baking.

This morning was show time! Riley was baptised during the 9:00am service. It was so nice to see all of our family and friends come out to witness this beautiful event! Riley was a champ, too. Her naptime is normally right around 9am, so I was curious as to how this was going to work out. She did fabulously and went right down for her nap when we walked through the door at 10:30! Here are a few pictures from today:

Baptism Weekend!

2009-08-20T19:43:00.003-04:00

Riley's getting baptised on Sunday! I am so excited for this event - it means so much to Kevin and I and to our families. But wow - what an event! I can't even imagine what a planning/stressing/cleaning/decorating machine I'll turn into for her first birthday party after seeing myself right now! I even took off work today and had Kevin's parents still babysit Riley so I could spend the day cleaning, getting the house ready, and shopping.

The minute Kevin walked out the door with Riley this morning, I took off. Here is what I accomplished today - all in eight hours, from 8am to 4pm!

Grocery shopped for party on Sunday
Bought mulch at nursery
Pulled weeds, laid mulch
Mixed up cookie dough, to bake later in the day
Cleaned bathrooms, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, living room, entire basement
Did 3 loads of laundry
Target trip
Lowes trip
Babies R Us trip
Christian Bookstore trip
Joann Fabrics trip
Stopped at post office to ship package
Showered

I'm exhausted just from reading that! And to think that yesterday I smiled, thinking about the nice nap I'd take halfway through the day. Yeah right! Now I'm just thankful for my mom and mother-in-law who will be helping with food on Saturday!

I can't wait to post pictures following the event!

Playdate with Addison!

2009-08-15T06:18:00.007-04:00

I feel like a very bad mommy in the sense that I haven't been planning many playdates for Riley. I have several friends within an hour of me with babies right around her age, so there really is no excuse. She sees her young cousins a lot, but I want to make sure she is socializing with babies her own age.

In less than a month we'll be leaving for a week in the Outerbanks with our friends Kelly and Frank and baby Addison (6 weeks younger than Riley - see this post). Riley and Addison haven't seen each other since Riley was about 3 or 4 months old, I believe. Unacceptable, right?! Now, Kelly and I have tried to get together here and there, but something has always seemed to come up. Yesterday was almost hijacked too, due to me waiting for the bee exterminator (see this post). However we perservered and still succeeded at a playdate, albeit a short one.

The girls were hilarious! Riley made some high pitched squeals and sounds that I have never heard before and that she hasn't done since. They appeared to want to attack one another's faces, but it was all in good fun!

What can I say ... I'm a planner!

2009-08-12T12:37:00.002-04:00

I know, I know - mid-August hasn't even arrived yet and I already have Halloween on the brain. What can I say, I'm a planner! It is one holiday that I have never really gotten into. We live on a street that just doesn't attract many trick-or-treaters, which makes me sad. So without trick-or-treaters, I've never wanted to go all out and decorate.

But now that Riley is in our lives, I want to take every opportunity I have to make events such as Halloween rich with tradition, so this year I am taking it much more seriously.

When Riley and I arrived home last night, I quickly stripped her down to her diaper and I threw on a big, warm baby Halloween costume that a co-worker and friend had brought me earlier that day to try. I was prepared for a good fight from Riley, but received just the opposite! She was laughing and playing and loudly sucking on the sleeves. The BEST moment was when daddy arrived home from work. Riley and I were perfectly hidden at the end of the couch furthest from the door. With perfect timing, as Kevin opened the door, Riley walked out from the couch holding on to her walker and taking steps with those adorable, wobbly knees ... all while dressed up like a !!!

** At Kevin's request, we are not saying what she was dressed up as, as we want it to be a surprise should we indeed make this her first ever Halloween costume.

The look on Kevin's face and his laugh made the moment priceless. I cannot WAIT to post pictures!

What are your little ones going to be for Halloween this year? And what do you do for the spooktacular day? I know I'll be posting more on this topic, but why not start today?

Promoting ... ME!

2009-08-11T12:58:00.003-04:00

Ha - I am apparently very easily amused nowadays, because I am laughing at my own post title right now.

I have yet another blog that I want to promote. It's mine. Just another one of mine. You're probably tired of my talk about Little Miss Designs, and yes - this blog is titled just that (find it here), but wait a second ... it isn't about ME. And it isn't about Little Miss Designs (at least not the majority of the time).

It is about other artists - other fun items that I think my readers would have interest in. It's about FREE tutorials for how to make fun things for your kids. It's about a lot of things, but mostly, it's about FUN. So come have fun with me, okay? Pretty please?

Memorable Moment Mondays

2009-08-10T14:49:00.005-04:00

Which Is More Important?

2009-08-07T15:29:00.002-04:00

I am curious to hear your thoughts on this one:

Which is more important: your pediatrician him/herself or the office/hospital in which your pediatrician practices in?

If you've been following this blog for a while you already know that we have loved Riley's pediatrician - Dr. K- since the first day I interviewed him, when I was just 30 weeks pregnant. He is an amazing doctor - named one of Ohio's top doctors in 2008. Even more important to me is that he is a parent himself, so he can relate to your concerns and questions. He is never quick to just answer us - he always provides background to his medical decisions or my silly questions. I love it. And he loves kids. Done deal.

When Riley was born, Dr. K was practicing at Cleveland Clinic. I love their pediatrics department. It is amazingly clean, upbeat, and tailored for kids, as it should be, in my opinion. Heck - if I were a kid, I may just like going to the doctor since I'd get to visit an enormous waiting room with beautiful murals painted on the wall, a gigantic (CLEAN) fish tank, and toys and books galore! (All of which are sanitized by an outside company after anyone as much as touches them, by the way!). And the rooms are sparkling and everything just looks NEW. Plus, maybe it is because of my IT background, but I love that everything is electronic at the clinic. They have this wonderful online feature called "MyChart" that allows me to have all the information from every single one of Riley's doctor visits at my fingertips wherever internet access is available, plus I can request appointments and talk to nurses electronically as well!

So do I have you all sold on moving to take advantage of the Clinic?

So back to the initial question. At the end of June, Dr. K left Cleveland Clinic for another very well respected hospital in the area. We were thrilled to see that he was going to a hospital where our insurance is accepted because the last thing we wanted was to lose Dr. K as Riley's pediatrician.

Today was my first visit to him in his new office (nothing major - Riley has a rash that they just wanted to take a look at). The minute I walked in I was disappointed. Where were the bright colors? And the fun toys? And what about a fish tank? When is the last time this place had a fresh coat of paint? And the rooms themselves - very drab and lacking anything to keep an 8-month old busy while waiting for the doctor. Where the heck is the computer? You're not telling me that they actually keep your child's health record (gasp!!) by hand, are you!? Sure they do.

Of course, a lot of the things I've mentioned are "nice to haves", but some are very important to me. I felt better once Dr. K walked in and gave us the amazing care he always has, but I walked out wondering if he is happy with the choice he has made.

Which should be more important to me - being with the pediatrician we've grown to love or being in a setting that we love and that Riley will enjoy, when not feeling her best?

What do you all think? Which is more important to you?

Very Exciting News!

2009-08-06T15:39:00.002-04:00

Ohhh, I am so excited right now that I just had to post! I am pretty sure that you all know that I sell hairclips and accessories for children on Etsy (if not, check out my store, or click on my Facebook badge to the right to look at my fan page!). About a month ago, Little Miss Designs (the name of my store) became an official LLC. It was just one step in the right direction of making my dream become a reality and maybe - just maybe - starting up my own business one day. Sure, I received a little piece of paper that basically declares me an official Business Owner, but I didn't feel any different. However, having this piece of paper did make me feel official enough to suck up all my fear and anxiety and head out to a local store in my hometown of Marietta, Ohio and pitch my product to them. I so badly wanted to get into a retail store!

The owner (one of three) was amazingly sweet and wonderful to work with and seemed to be overly excited about my items. "We are definitely placing an order!", she said with such excitement as I shook her hand and headed out the door. She had to talk colors and options over with the other two owners of the store, but I left with my head held high. And then I made the mistake I've made before (in different situations, however). I called friends. I texted friends. I made an announcement on my Facebook Fan Page. Little Miss Designs was going to be sold in a retail store!

One ... two ... three weeks later, not a word. How embarrassed was I? I had told people that my dream was coming true, but I hadn't received an official order. I wanted to crawl in a hole when friends would ask me how my business was coming. I sucked up my pride and admitted that it didn't seem to be going anywhere - and I was heartbroken!

But then - today - I received a glorious email! It was an official order from the storeowner. I am in business! WOOHOO!! Their order is a fabulous size - big enough to stock their store with a good variety of what I make, but manageable enough to complete in my '2-week lead time' that I stated in my wholesale terms to them. I cannot wait to get to work this weekend. I can't wait until a few weeks from now when my mom walks in that store and calls me to tell me all about my display!

A ghost story, perhaps?

2009-08-02T06:43:00.003-04:00

Do I believe in ghosts? Does my answer change when I call them 'spirits', instead? If you have a bit of time to spare and want to grab something to eat, I could talk on this topic for quite some time.

My Grandma and Grandpa Nichols had purchased their burial plots long before a hotel was built right next to the cemetary. When my Grandma Nichols was ill with colon cancer, she would joke with us that after she passed she was going to haunt visitors at the hotel. Ever since that day - over 17 years ago - I pledged that I would stay at that hotel and see if my Grandma really did pay me a visit. I never have, but I'd still like to.

But then I had the experience at my first college apartment in Kent, Ohio. I lived in a two-story townhouse with my girlfriends Michelle and Christina. We had cats and you know what they say - supposedly cats have a sixth sense about them and can even sense things we cannot. It was the night that I returned home from a spring break cruise. We had won some cocktail glasses on the cruise and I had just set them on the kitchen counter to hang in the overhead wine glass holder. One of the cats was lying on a stool next to me. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the cat jerk its head up to the wine glass holder with an extreme jerk. I looked to see what she was looking at - and then I saw it - along with my boyfriend at the time - two wine glasses that had been untouched, swing in towards one another and 'clang', then return to their original hanging position with minimal swinging. I just remember my boyfriend - "Get upstairs. Go!". We had no idea what had just happened, but it was scary. Never an explanation, but better yet - never another incident. Until I moved.

Holly Park Apartments. My second college apartment. I lived there with my girlfriend Kate. My closet was your typical closet - bi-fold doors and a wire shelf overhead. I had some Rubbermaid organizing bins on the wire shelf holding extra clothes and what not. For this story, you must understand that the bins weren't too big for the shelf, meaning that they did not overhang, giving them the potential to be top heavy and fall. The depth of the shelf an the depth of the bins was practically the same.

I was sitting in my bedroom one night studying, alone at my apartment. All of a sudden, I heard this big crash in my closet and it caused one of the bi-fold doors to jut out. I walked over the closet, opened the doors, and found one of those bins spilled on to the floor. At the time I didn't think much of it, other than thinking that maybe I hadn't pushed the bin all the way back onto the shelf after its last use and that if got top heavy and tumbled forward. I put everything back in it, put it back up on the shelf, and made a conscious effort to push on each bin to make sure they all were pushed all the way back on the shelf. I shut the doors.

About 30 minutes later, my studying silence was interrupted once again. CRASH. I remember the paralyzing jolt of fear that spread across me. I could see that the door was jutted out again. I knew what had happened. But I had no idea how it had happened. I knew that those boxes were tight and secure on the shelf. What in the world? I remember walking - no running - backwards out of my room so I could keep an eye on the closet. Running down my hallway. Running out the door. Running over to my neighbor's, Chuck. Thank goodness he was home. I had him come over and stand with me as I gathered up my stuff, replaced it in the closet as I did the first time, and then had Chuck double check everything to make sure I wasn't losing my mind. Studying could do that to you. The bins were secure. There is no way they could fall off on their own.

We went out to the living room and watched some TV. I was too nervous for him to leave just yet and I needed to get my mind on something else. About 45 minutes later - CRASH. Chuck got to see if with his own eyes. No explanation. I slept on the couch that night.

This continued to happen with the bins from time to time, but sadly I started to get used to it and even tried to talk to whomever it was. Was it my Grandma or Grandpa? I told myself it was, just to make me more comfortable. A friend brought me a book on spirits. I couldn't read it all, as it scared me too much, but one explanation for what could be happening was bookmarked by him - spirits have no spatial understanding and therefore they can simply knock and tumble things over by running in to them. Even stranger? During this same exact time period, very odd things were happening to my mom at her house. You see, my mom and I always seem to experience things at the same time. We both catch the flu, we both have a backache, etc etc. So it was only fitting that we both assumed we had a ghost.

Ever see "The Sixth Sense"? Remember the scene that was so simple, yet bone chilling when the mother walks into the kitchen and all cupboards and drawers are open? That happened to my Mom. Or the night that she was lying in bed with their dog. Her door was cracked and she could see the glow of the nightlight in the hallway. My dad was working a midnight shift at the time, and she saw the shadow of someone or something walk past her door. SCARY. She bravely searched the house and turned every single light on, only to find absolutely nothing.

I lived in two apartments after Holly Park - none of which gave me any experiences as the first two. It was over and the spirit(s) had no use for my new locales.

Fast-forward to my final apartment before getting married. (Yes, I moved a LOT prior to getting married). Tamarac. Bins would fall, lights would be on after I'd turned them off, bathroom fans would turn on. At this point Kevin and I were engaged and I was thankful that he was there to rationalize each experience. But I still knew something was odd.

Now our current house. This used to be Kevin's grandmother's house. In fact, his grandfather passed away in the house - a fact I didn't realize until the past year sometime. We've had our share of odd experiences here. "Grandma liked the house very warm", Kevin tells me. Could this explain the time we came home to find the heater turned up to EIGHTY degrees? Clearly something neither of us would ever do. But that's just about been it. Until a couple days ago.

Riley's LeapFrog Music Table has played on its own a few times. It isn't one of those that is supposed to randomly play on its own, either. I noticed a pattern the times it has happened. We're always in the kitchen - away from the living room. It never happens when we are sitting in the same room or when Riley is anywhere near it. Maybe this should be comforting?

So I don't know - my personal experiences have been great enough to convince me that something is here. Grandma or Grandpa? I'll never know - but I sure hope it is.

"Bubble Babies"

2009-07-30T08:25:00.005-04:00

Last night I picked up one of the many Readers Digests that we have stockpiled in our bathroom. I happened to just flip straight to a specific story without even knowing it was in there - it was titled Bubble Babies. You should take a few minutes to read it, but here is the gist: The author describes some 'extreme' products out there that parents are buying in to to protect their children from life's littlest bumps and bruises. My opinion was mixed - some did seem like extremes, but others seemed like common sense and even necessary in my eyes.

As I was reading the article I started to cower a little bit. I was actually a little embarrassed because the $19.95 kneepads that the author discusses early on - and makes fun of - were spread across my laptop screen just one day earlier after having looked at Riley's poor little red knees - her badge of honor of crawling like a maniac. I didn't order them, but I did think about it for a little bit. But making light of something like baby moisturizer (read: baby lotion)? I've skipped putting lotion on Riley some nights after her bath, but the result has been eczema-like spots on her arms. Sure, babies are soft already, but just like any other human being, I think they need extra moisture. This article may make me roll my eyes about some of the extremes, but it won't shame me out of using my (incredible Aveeno) baby lotion!

Sure. I ate dirt when I was a child. And my brother and I literally fried eggs on a hot sidewalk one summer and ingested our fair share of gravel and dirt and bird poop while eating them. And there was the time that I couldn't wait for my mom to get off the phone and pour me a glass of water that I drank directly from the watering can ... without knowing it was loaded up with MiracleGro (cue frantic phone call to poison control). And there is the disgusting story that my brother seems to love to tell when I actually ate a small piece of ... I can't even say it. And how about all of those imported toys from China that we put in our mouths time and time again and - so far - I haven't had any lasting effects from lead poisoning.

But still - my pledge and responsibility to protect my daughter as best I can is at the forefront of my mind. If that means spending a little bit more money to give her a little more safety or protection, I'll do it. And yes - even before she was born I had a cart cover sitting in her closet, just waiting for her first day sitting in a shopping cart or public high chair. You won't find me buying gLovies, or slapping a Thudguard helmet on her noggin' the minute she starts toddling around (however a helmet for tricycle and bike riding is a completely different story), but I will continue using my cart cover ... and wiping her hands and feet down with HandiWipes after she comes in contact with gross, public surfaces (or people ... another post for another time). Heck - maybe one day I'll get crazy and sit beside her as she fries an egg on the sidewalk. But only after I sweep it and wash it down first. ;)

What are your thoughts? What extremes (or lack of) have you gone to to protect your child?

One Step Ahead

2009-07-27T15:13:00.003-04:00

I have fallen in love with a children's website and I don't feel like I'd be a good mommy if I didn't share it with fellow mommies!

It's called One Step Ahead. It carries so many baby items - and a lot of fun, innovative items that you won't find at your local Babies R Us or Target. So far I've only ordered one item from here - a baby neck rest for Riley - but I was very happy with how quickly the item arrived and I felt the shipping charge was fair. I knew I needed something to keep her chin up when she sleeps in the car - the sight of her head flopping all the way to the side or forward made my own neck hurt - but I wasn't sure where to find it. I saw a picture of a friend's daughter with one on and she introduced me to One Step Ahead.

We have a beach trip coming up in early September and I went to the site today to just browse around at their summer sale items to see if there is anything out there that I "need". Maybe 'need' isn't the right word, but I did find some items that I felt would make the trip a lot easier!

Adjustable swim diaper - At the $6.48 sale price, it's cheaper than a pack of Little Swimmers - and much more Earth-friendly!
Auto Litter Bag and Organizer - Baby or no baby, I need this! I am a freak about having a clean car, so anything that helps accomplish that is meant for me!

They also have weekly specials that change each Friday - it's like a grab bag on a website and I love checking it out to see what they've put on sale each week.

My Current Top Five ...

2009-07-25T21:55:00.004-04:00

I swore that I made a list of the Top Five (or ten, or fifteen ...) baby items that I felt I couldn't live without. However I can't find it now, so maybe I imagined that back in my days of extreme sleep deprivation. So glad I am finally coming out of that fog ...

Anyhow, regardless of the past list (wherever it may be), I have a recent one to make. These are the Top Five baby items that I am using at this point, in no particular order. Without them my life would certainly be more difficult.

Sassy Teething Feeder - This is my 'go-to' item when Riley starts to get a little fussy in between feedings or when she is extra bothered by an incoming tooth. A second one is always tucked in my diaper bag for when we're out and about and I am need of a distraction for her. The mesh bag on the feeder allows you to let your baby gnaw on whole foods that he/she wouldn't otherwise be able to due to choking hazards. I've used it with a frozen piece of banana, carrots, and canteloupe. Riley's current favorite is a good ol' ice cube. The handle has a "chill feature" that allows you to freeze it before use so that whatever you chose to put in the bag will remain cold for a bit. It all locks into place with a childproof lock so you don't have to spend extra time worrying that your baby has gotten it open - we all know that mommies don't have extra time for anything!
Fisher Price Remote Control Video Monitor - Please do not let the '2 star rating' fool you - this is an exceptional product and if you know me very well, you know that I have an extremely high expectation of anything I spend this amount of money on! Kevin actually suggested that we register for a video monitor, but I poo-poo'd it, justifying that while living in a ranch with Riley's room right next to ours, a video was not necessary. I was so wrong. I didn't buy this until Riley was about 6 months old, but have thought at least once a day since how I wish I'd had it from birth on. I no longer risk waking her to take a peek at her - I simply turn on the monitor. With it's night vision, I have no problems seeing her. And the remote control option is incredible. With the push of a button, I can turn on a soothing heartbeat sound, nature sounds, or lullabies. I can even turn on a night light that is on the top of the video camera. When I hear a cry in the night I can see if she is simply crying in her sleep as she shifts positions (as she often does), or if it is the real thing. And especially at this point in the game, I can see if she has decided to stand in her crib but is confused how to get back down. The only thing in the reviews that I will agree with is that the battery life is pretty short, but what do you expect when you have all that power at your fingertips? That is why it comes with a power cord!
LeapFrog Learn and Groove Musical Table - Hands down, Riley's favorite toy at the moment. It has a music mode and an alphabet mode. Two volume settings and not-so-annoying music makes it the perfect toy for me as well. Legs can be removed for floor play or easy transportation in the car. Love, love, love this and am so thankful that my triplet nieces agreed to hand it down to Riley!
Triple Paste - Thanks to my best friend Meagen for sharing this little gem with me. As many of you probably know, teething has the potential to make for some nasty diaper rash. Riley didn't have a single trace of any diaper rash at one diaper change, and at the next one I even felt in pain just by seeing it. I remembered when Meagen's little man Max was teething and she had mentioned some 'miracle cream' to me. This is it. Sure, it is quite a bit more expensive than your typical Desitin ... and comes in a much smaller tube (don't you love how that works?) ... but this time you really do get what you pay for. I'd highly suggest having some on hand.
Chicco Caddy Hook-On Chair - This is why above I said "In no particular order", because this doozy would put up a great fight for the #1 spot. I definitely do not use this every day, but on the occassions when I do use it I am SO thankful for it. I remember opening this at my shower. It wasn't an item on my registry, but from my friend Xanath who is mother to twin 2-year olds (God bless her soul). She swore by this and I must admit - in my mind I thought "I don't think I'll ever use that". Boy was I wrong. I actually keep it in my car. It folds flat, which is perfect for storage. Having it in the car ensures that we have it with us when we decide to head out to eat. I've also used it at my parent's and my friend's houses when we've been there for a meal. It hooks on to any table more securely than you could imagine. And the kicker is that the seat is machine washable - what could be better than that? Seriously. Stop reading. Go buy one of these ... now!!

So there you go - my personal Top Five at the moment. I'd be really curious to hear what YOUR favorite items are right now - care to share?

Mommy Necklaces

2009-07-25T11:31:00.004-04:00

It's ironic that the first time in my life that I am actually growing my hair out is also the first time in my life that I have a 7-month old trying with all her might to pull it all out. If I wasn't so headstrong about finally getting that ponytail I've wanted for years, I'd chop it all off to avoid the tug-of-war sessions Riley has with my head. This happens throughout the day, but most often when rocking her before naps and bedtime.

And then I came across the solution ... Mommy Necklaces.

Several friends had suggested that I become a fan of Mommy Necklaces on Facebook. I didn't know much about them at the time, but obliged. I am thrilled that I did. While I am not a proud owner of a Mommy Necklace yet, I am going to be placing my order very soon. What I love most about these necklaces is that they are made from a home-run business by a stay at home mom who has children's safety at the forefront of her mind when making these. They are made from non-toxic beads and have a clasp on them that allows the child to tug at the necklace and it simply releases at a certain point as opposed to the child pulling so hard that the necklace breaks and beads spray across the room and, potentially, into the mouth of your baby.

So what does this have to do with getting Riley to stop pulling my hair? These necklaces provide the perfect distraction to babies and at no safety risk! Plus they are extremely fashionable! I know that I'd be drawn to them even without a baby! Most of my jewelry has been retired or is only worn on the days that I work, when Riley can't tug or pull at it. Mommy Necklaces are my new-found best friend!

Here is the one I am going to be ordering:

Oh - and the icing on top is the shipping! $0.99 cent shipping regardless of the size of your order! I highly suggest becoming a fan on Facebook - every so often contests are run for fans and you can save, save, save!! Not on Facebook? Check out the Mommy Necklace Blog!

Amazing children's shoes - And a way to win a FREE pair!

2009-07-24T20:00:00.005-04:00

Who doesn't?!

A friend of mine - an AMAZINGLY gifted writer with a wonderful blog, "Life Happens During Naptime" - is having a children's shoe giveaway! The shoes are from See Kai Run. She has done her homework on this one. She has scoured the internet for cute, practical, well-made shoes that would allow for proper foot development - things that are important to ALL of us! The shoes are definitely adorable - my personal favorite pair is "Clara":

You want in on the action, don't you? You can read more details about this giveaway and enter for some chances to win (yes! more than one chance!) by going here! Good luck!

"Pops and Pie"

2009-07-23T13:31:00.004-04:00

Today is Kevin's first-ever "Riley all to himself" day! I am so excited for him. Of course, my heart and mind is not at work (which is where my body is) - I would love to be with them. And while I did have that option, I told myself that he and she need this - just "Pops and Pie" time (Rye Pie, that is!).

Kevin has called me several times today with updates and he sounds as though he is on cloud nine. At first they were playing and he called to put me on speakerphone and let Riley and I "talk". Then we spoke as he was feeding her breakfast. Then we talked after he'd laid her down for her morning nap and he said she went down like a champ. Most recently I received a phone call as they pulled into Toys R Us. Now he sees how I get so suckered in to buying her toys and fun stuff - you see how much she loves to play and you just can't help it! I am curious as to what she'll get!

He said she has been extra clingy to him today - wanting to be held by him every time he sat her down. Rye Pie loves her daddy and I have the biggest smile on my face, knowing the fun they are having together. I can't wait to see them!!

Beautiful Baby Contest!

2009-07-10T07:10:00.002-04:00

Fox 8 here in Cleveland is hosting a Beautiful Baby Contest! I've entered one of Riley's pictures from Easter weekend. If you'd like to vote, please go here and enter your vote! There are so much beautiful babies out there - it's a lot of fun to look through the pictures!

What?! This isn't supposed to be happening yet!

2009-07-09T20:19:00.002-04:00

Kevin and I arrived at his parent's house tonight to pick Riley up and right after we walked through the door his dad asked his mom, "Are you going to tell them?". I had no idea what the news was going to be, but did NOT expect it to be that Riley climbed TWO stairs on her own today!!

The funny thing is that apparently Kevin responded the same way that his dad did when it happened, with a quick, "And you LET her?". Meanwhile I was all smiles and giggles, running out the door to get my phone so that I could capture this on video. Unfortunately I didn't get much recorded, but we did get to see this amazing feat with our own two eyes. She crawled over to a step, put her little chubber hands on it, raised her knee to the top of the step, and up she went. Lather, Rinse, Repeat.

So it sounds like baby gates are going to be coming out at Grandma and Grandpa Balaban's MUCH sooner than any of us expected!!

Time to Protect the Crib!

2009-07-09T09:36:00.003-04:00

With all that Riley has been doing lately, I assume it will be only a short time until she is pulling herself up in her crib and using the railing as a teething toy. A very expensive teething toy. Seeing as how she has a convertible crib and I plan on it being her bed until she gets married, I really don't want there to be any teeth marks in it. I'll have the memories of her teething days written in her baby book ... no reason to document them in the fine wood of her crib as well.

I had planned to channel my crafty self and enlist my very talented mom to make my own bumper-type pad for the railing. Up until recently the only thing I could find as far as teething protection was this gummy strip thing that adhered to your crib. The reviews were far from good and most people said it stripped the finish off the crib rails when removed. Not good.

But just last week I thought I'd give Babies R Us one more try and see if they'd added any new products such as this - and they HAD! I was very excited to find this side rail guard and this front rail guard.

I was a bit bummed that the chocolate brown ones were sold out, but figured going with the natural color would have more potential for re-use with the next baby, so it probably worked out best. I received them yesterday (they are available online only) but Riley was already in bed by time I opened them. This morning I put the side rail ones on and I'll put the front rail one on when I get home. Aesthetically, I couldn't be more pleased - they look great so far and seem to be very well made. They are very soft and no doubt she'll chew on them, but I'd much rather her chew on them than her beautiful bed!

So I thought I'd post this just in case any of you were looking for something similar! I'll add a picture tonight of what her bed looks like with these on.

Pictures from the weekend

2009-07-08T09:18:00.003-04:00

As promised, here are some pictures from all of our outdoor time this past weekend!

7 Months and a Busy Weekend

2009-07-07T10:03:00.003-04:00

7 months. 7 months. 7 months. Wow.

7 months ago today I was being released from the hospital to head home with my new bundle of amazing-ness. That day is crystal clear to me. I can almost remember smells associated with all of it. But sadly, the next few days and weeks blend together and that is obviously due to the raging hormone levels and lack of sleep. But I cannot believe it was 7 months ago already. As I've said in my last post, she is doing SO much. I know I am that typical doting mother, but she really does seem advanced for her age. Granted, I have nothing to compare her against other than my "What To Expect The First Year" book ... but according to that she is advanced. She started crawling at 6.5 months. She started pulling up a few days prior to being 7 months. And now, when she is standing with you holding her hands, she is taking her first chances at moving her feet in a walking fashion. She's incredible!

This morning when she woke up I got my first peek at her new tooth! Just the little edges have broken through the gums, but it is there! I hope that the majority of the pain is over for her, but I know she'll have to go through it plenty more times - there are a lot of teeth to be had!

This past weekend we spent a lot of time outdoors. It was the 4th of July, afterall! We bought Riley her first outdoor baby swing and it is a big hit. She loves it - and who wouldn't? On Monday she and I had a 'picnic' outside on a blanket under the big shade tree while Kevin re-laid our sidewalk (which looks AMAZING, btw). Then she and Kevin laid in the hammock while I re-potted some flowers. She sat in her swing, hanging from a tree in the back. She played in her pool with Grandma and Grandpa Balaban watching on Sunday evening. She had a LOT of time outdoors and I love that - it's so good for her. Pictures to come ...

Riley has been BUSY!

2009-07-02T11:54:00.001-04:00

Every time I go to update this I realize what a slacker I have been ... and I feel awful. If nothing else, I know as time passes I'll want to look back on entries of what Riley was doing and when and I feel like I am failing at capturing this information. Nothing should ever be more important than this after she goes to bed at night. I think I'll start slow and commit to writing every Thursday night and Monday night. We'll see how that plan goes and build on it from there!

Wow - Riley has been very busy over the past 11 days! She is doing so much stuff that I hope I can capture it all!

Crawling/Standing: She officially started crawling on Father's Day as I posted earlier. Since then she has already begun pulling herself up on anything in sight - couches, tables, dogs ... you get the point. If possible, she wants to be standing at all times!
Sticking out her tongue: We put her to bed one night and at that point she didn't know how to stick out her tongue. I went to get her out of her crib the next morning, and she stuck her tongue out at me. She has been doing it ever since and thinks it is pretty funny (and it is).
Roaring like a dinosaur: If you don't see Riley crawling towards you, you'll certainly hear her. She makes this sound that I can only describe as sounding like a dinosaur. It's hilarious and adorable and I never want it to stop!
Water, water, water: I swear she was supposed to be a fish. This girl LOVES water! She loves bath times and even passed up her bottle the other day when she saw her baby pool outside! She had just woken up from her hap and hadn't eaten in 3.5 hours ... and then spent an hour in her pool before I finally made the decision that she needed to come out because she must eat! I think she'd live in the water if we'd let her. She has no fear, either, and this is even after her face went under several times in her little shallow pool. She looked like she was going to cry each time, but didn't. She just let out a few adorable sneezes, wiped her eyes, and kept playing! I love that she is so comfortable in the water, but sure it is going to be a pain point in the future ... with the whole 'no fear' thing and what not!
Teething: Yup. As if she didn't have enough going on in her little world already, she has begun cutting her first tooth. I noticed it this past Monday - the little slit in the gum that Dr. K had told me I would see. I can feel the tooth very close to the surface, but can't see anything yet (other than that slit). She has been tolerating it fairly well, although she does wake up crying in the night a couple of times - something she hadn't been doing - but thankfully she is able to put herself back to sleep.

I continue to feel so blessed every day. Every time I look at her I thank God that He chose Kevin and I to be her parents. What an honor. I cannot believe that she will be 7 months this Sunday. I know I say it every single month, but each one seems to go faster than the one before.

Riley ... is ... CRAWLING!

2009-06-21T21:15:00.001-04:00

I still can't believe it. My little baby is CRAWLING! We're not talking army-type-crawling where she drags her belly across the floor with the amazing power of her arms. She's been doing that for a few weeks. I am talking 'real' crawling - up on all fours and moving.

We knew it was coming for a few days now, but today she gave Kevin the greatest Father's Day gift of all as she crawled right in front of him, towards the big basket of dog toys! Hey - whatever it takes, right?

So now we have a crawler ... and I am nervous! Who knows what this means! No more "potted plant" stage, as my friend Meagen calls it. No more putting her down in one place where she'll smile and play and remain. Our world is about to get ROCKED ...

Happy Father's Day!!

2009-06-21T20:40:00.012-04:00

What a wonderful day. Just another day that reminds Kevin and I how absolutely blessed we are. It was Kevin's first Father's Day. The only "first" father's day he will ever have. And I think it was absolutely perfect. I hope that Kevin would agree.

It all started with breakfast in bed. Riley tried to steal Kevin's food a few times, but decided to stick with a bottle instead of breakfast cups.

After breakfast, Riley and I gave Kevin his Father's Day gifts. You must first understand how much Kevin likes to grill. He lives for it in the summer. If it can be grilled, he'll grill it. And if it can't be grilled, he'll still try. So it was very appropriate to go with some sort of grilling theme for him. But I didn't want it to just be grilling gifts - they had to be personalized somehow to make him remember Father's Day ... and to make it really seem as though it was from Riley.

About three weeks ago, Riley, Mom and I headed

to Spirit of Clay. Kevin never seems to have a large enough platter to carry his burgers or steaks or what have you to and from the grill. I had seen an adorable painting on a plate at the mall a few days prior, so I had a good idea of what I wanted to paint on his platter.

Start to finish it took 4.5 hours to paint. You'd never think that looking at the finished product, but that whole process is time consuming! Mom watched Riley the entire time and I was so thankful for her. At the end we finished it off by painting Riley's hand and foot and putting her prints on the back of the plate along with her name and the year.

Along with the plate I decided to order Kevin a personalized apron to wear while grilling. We had taken an adorable picture of Riley a month or so ago ... she made this hilarious face while staring at her food one night. But for the apron I removed the food from her picture and replaced it with a huge hamburger instead. I added the caption "My Daddy is the Bestest Cook" (also on the plate) and voila ... we had a personalized apron!

Then we had a chefs hat that we (I say this as though Riley really helped; She was there in spirit) ironed letters onto to spell out "Chef Dad". We threw in some grilling sauces, a grill basket, and a Berenstein Bears "Papa's Special Day" and there you had it - Kevin's gift!

We had a cookout at his parent's house today as well and Kevin was in charge of the grill. He wore the entire get-up and it was ADORABLE!!

We topped the day off with a stop at the playground where Riley got to swing on her daddy's lap and even go down the "big kid" slide!!! On daddy's lap, of course!

One more HUGE thing to add ... but it deserves a post of its own. So ... read on ....

Riley is 6 Months Old!

2009-06-05T17:13:00.002-04:00

Wow, has time ever flown. Riley is six months old today. As I do on the 5th of every month, I've been looking at the clock periodically through the day, thinking back to exactly what was going on at this time six months ago. As I write this it is 5:13pm. Around this time six months ago, I was happy with my epidural, but getting close to show time. I believe I was progressing nicely and even beginning to throw up, which was seen as a good sign.

Poor Riley got to celebrate her half birthday with early morning shots today. We had her 6-month well check at 8:20am! First off, the excellent news that Dr. K is moving to University Hospital and to a campus here in Mentor! We are very excited and as long as our insurance is accepted there, we'll be following him and seeing him again in 3 months for her 9-month appointment!

Riley tipped the scales at 16lb 10oz today! My guess going in was 15lb 12oz, so I was shocked! That puts her at the 50th percentile for weight. She is 26 inches long, putting her at the 75th percentile, and her head is now in the 75th percentile! We have head growth - yay!!

Dr. K was very pleased with her milestone progress and how well she is developing. He asked how her nights were and when I told him that she typically gets up once a night, he said that at this point it is out of habit, not hunger, and we need to stop feeding her in the night. He said we can be as aggressive as we want and to do what we're comfortable with, but that it could take about 5 nights for Riley to get the signal loud and clear and start sleeping through the night. So my eye is on the prize to have a full night of sleep by next Wednesday!

Riley has done well today following the shots. She cried in the office, but came home and took a nice, two-hour nap in her crib, followed by a little 30 minute nap this afternoon. She is a bit off schedule today due to the appointment, but I think we'll get right back on track with bedtime tonight.

Right now she is bouncing and smiling in her jumperoo, right next to me, pausing every once in a while to make a raspberry sound at me, which I return back to her. These past six months have been the best months of my life and I love my Rye Pie with all my heart. Here's to the next six months.

The Skype Hype

2009-06-04T22:17:00.002-04:00

I've been hearing about Skype more and more lately, but honestly had no idea what it was. For all I knew, it was just one more social networking site to keep up with. Then Oprah started talking about it and I realized it is a site that allows you to video conference with people ... for FREE. That was great, but I still didn't check it out.

Then last week my mom made the tough decision to temporarily return to work. It is very short term - only lasting from June 8 through the end of September, but it obviously means that she won't be babysitting Riley on a weekly basis for the next four months, which is really hard on her.

So today I ran to Target and bought her a basic webcam for her laptop. Then I came home and installed it for her, along with Skype. Then I installed Skype on my own laptop and we worked together to figure out how the whole thing works. She left this afternoon (which was very sad) and just minutes ago we 'skyped' for the very first time. It's awesome. Our conversation was just like one we'd normally have on the phone, but I saw her. And I saw my dad. I even saw their dog, Mattie. It was like I could reach out and touch her, albeit a very grainy, about 2-second delayed version of her, but I could see her nonetheless. I'm sold. Obviously, the main motivation here is Riley. If my mom and dad don't get to see Riley in person over the next several months (of course we'll have weekend visits here and there), then I wanted the next best thing for them - virtual Riley.

She is in bed right now, but tomorrow, after her 6-month well check, she is going to Skype Grandma and Grandpa. I can't wait!!

Six months? Really? Are you serious?

2009-06-02T11:32:00.002-04:00

I cannot believe my baby girl is going to be 6 months old this Friday. Where does time go? Kevin laughs at me because his stance has always been the same on this topic: time always passes at the same rate - never faster or slower. He has clearly never gone through nine long months of pregnancy followed by six speed-of-light months of a newborn. Unreal.

She is changing so quickly, it just blows my mind. She loves to stand up. I stand her up in her playpen and she holds on to the sides to hold herself up. She is ready to take off in regards to crawling. She's done the airplane move on her belly and now she is rocking back and forth on hands and knees. She woke up at 1:15am last night. Mom was taking her through the night and came into her room to find Riley on all fours, smiling and rocking back and forth. Oh, and she decided to turn on her rainforest crib mobile as well to watch it while she waited on Grandma. What a ham.

In my usual fashion, I have her six-month well check scheduled for ... you guessed it ... Friday. I want these appointments as close to the actual milestone as possible! I am very excited for it (except the shots) because I want to hear about Riley's growth, let Dr. Kannensohn see her progress, and hear about what new things she can start trying! This will be our last appointment with Dr. K and that is sad. We received a letter last week stating that as of July 1st he'll no longer be with Cleveland Clinic. We're hoping that he is starting a private practice that we can follow him to. I'll be asking on Friday.

I also have Riley's 6-month pictures scheduled for Sunday at 1pm. I am hoping she sticks to what seems to be her more consistent nap schedule. If she does, we should have a very happy 6-month old come picture time. Now I just need the studio to be on schedule!

I'll save my listing of all of her milestones this past month for this coming Friday's post. I have a feeling I'll have a LOT to write!

Feel like taking a 'picnik'?

2009-05-27T14:24:00.008-04:00

A fellow Etsian directed me to this awesome website to use for cleaning up my pictures of my Etsy items prior to listing them for sale. If you need to crop or alter some photos, you MUST check this site out - it's amazing! Better yet, most of its features are FREE! You can upgrade to a premium account for about $25 and get some additional features, but everything I need is free and I love it that way!

Here are a few pictures I've played with today; you'll get an idea pretty quickly for all this site can do!

Some of My Latest

2009-05-27T10:03:00.004-04:00

As anyone can tell from the right hand side of this blog, I make handmade hair clips for girls and sell them on Etsy.com in my shop, Little Miss Designs.

I have recently slowed down in regards to making clips for my inventory. My sister-in-law (who also has an amazing Etsy shop) and I are planning to buy some booths at some upcoming craft shows in the fall. My plan has been to steadily make more and more clips to have on hand for these shows. I'd still be more than willing to take custom orders, but think I'd have some success with selling items on the spot as well.

Although I've slowed down, that doesn't mean I've completely stopped making anything - here are a few of the latest!

"Dolly and Me" Collection ...

This idea came to me after making a mistake, actually. I am quickly learning ways to be a better seller and what questions need to be asked and what assumptions shouldn't be made. A customer ordered one stock and one custom clip from me recently. I didn't ask her what size snap clip she wanted in the custom item and made it with my smaller clip, the 1 1/4 inch. After she received it, she said it wouldn't stay in her daughter's ultra-fine hair, but the stock clip was perfect (it used the 1 1/2 inch). I quickly made things right by making her another clip that very night and shipping it out the next day - she was very pleased with it.

She asked if I wanted her to ship the original one back to me and I told her no - that her daughter could keep it to clip in her doll's hair. That is when it hit me - I needed to start a collection for girls where a smaller clip would match their larger clip perfectly and she could match her doll or teddy bear or whatever!

Two-Pack Sets ...

This was suggested to me by a fellow-Etsian. Not only should I offer single clips, but multi-packs as well! I love these colors, especially for summer.

If you haven't been to my site lately, check it out. I've added closer, more vivid pictures and hope to be updating inventory soon, so check back periodically!

Zucchini Ricotta Frittata!

2009-05-22T09:58:00.002-04:00

I'll be the first to admit that the 'meal department' in our household has slipped quite a bit since Riley was born. I used to love preparing dinners but that responsibility has largely fallen to Kevin now, or my mom on the days she stays with us to watch Riley. I am so appreciative of their willingness to make the dinners - the dinners that I rarely get to sit down and eat with them due to getting home later than normal for work and Riley's early bedtime. I miss planning out our meals and making dinner, so I realized I just need to make some lists (go figure) and put a plan in place. (What's that? I sound like a project manager?!)

So for this upcoming week not only did I put a plan in place for each evening's dinner and sides, but I have also decided that on the days I am off I don't want breakfasts to consist of grabbing a Fiber One bar on my way to the jumperroo or as Kevin heads out the door for work. I want to make nice, homemade sit-down breakfasts!

This morning was the first breakfast on this new plan of mine. I found a yummy sounding recipe for a Zucchini Ricotta Frittata. I already had everything it calls for in the fridge, so it was an obvious choice! The verdict? It's AMAZING! Kevin and I both agreed it is a keeper ... and so yummy!

Tonight's menu item is Grilled Chicken Avocado sandwiches with fruit salad! YUM!

Meeting the Booths!

2009-05-19T11:48:00.016-04:00

I know I've written about my friend Carrie several times throughout this blog. She gave birth to baby Mallory on January 15th - the same day that my friend Kelly gave birth to baby Addison. The thing that makes the friendship between Carrie and I so unique is that we had never met, but we had this incredible friendship bond that drove each of us to make the other one of the very first people aware when our babies were born ... and even when we discovered we were pregnant!

As fate would have it, we both had joined a message board on Babycenter when trying to get pregnant. We quickly recognized all of our similarities and formed a frienship through emails, text messages, and the occassional phone call. An actual phone call was something that was reserved only for the "big news" that one of us were pregnant. That way, if we saw one another's phone number on caller ID, we'd know something big had happened!

Mind you, we first over two years ago and have since then talked almost daily. The one thing that was missing was actually meeting one another in person. Not only did our husbands share the same passion for golf and sports, our baby girls were just 6 weeks apart in age! That was it - we HAD to meet. We all looked at our calendars and decided on the weekend of May 15th. The weather should be good for travel at that time and the girls would be at a cute age (Mal at 4 mos, Rye at 5 1/2 mos) to interact with each other. The plans were made, the hotels were booked, it was a done deal. The Balabans and Booths were going to meet at last!

On Thursday morning (May 14th) we left the house and set out for Gaithersburg, Maryland. Mom took Oliver and Wendell home with her that morning to keep them while we were gone. Kevin spent quite a bit of time out in the driveway as the rain poured down, trying to squeeze the 500 bags into the car that are necessary when you travel with a baby. One thing was sure, though - Riley was very excited for her first out of state trip and in a very good mood!

The drive went well. It only took 30 minutes of Baby Einstein to put Riley into a baby coma that lasted 3 hours! This is what I had the pleasure of looking at for that entire time:

She woke up with perfect timing, just as we were about to exit in Breezewood, PA for a quick stretch of the legs, coffee refill, and much-needed diaper change. We gave Riley a bottle before hitting the road again. At this point we had about 2 1/2 hours remaining in the trip - not bad! Riley stayed awake the rest of the ride and talked to her toys and bunny for the majority of that time. Not once did she get overly fussy; we were very impressed!

I have no idea how people without GPS do it these days. That little piece of technology was our life saver this entire trip. LOVE IT. Thanks to it and "Samantha's" calming voice, we easily found our hotel. Carrie had suggested this particular hotel - the Marriott Courtyard - noting that there was a lot to do in the immediate area. She was so right! It was such an adorable area with lots of restaurants and shopping. We checked in, got the bags up to the room, and Riley quickly checked out her first-ever comfy hotel bed! She approved.

That evening we headed over to Carrie and Travis' house. The plan to was meet there and order in some Chinese. Perfect. We arrived at their house (in an ADORABLE neighborhood) and rounded the corner - I was so excited to finally meet! It went just as I had expected - Carrie and I both shrieked at a ridiculously high pitch as we hugged and showed the girls to one another. It was as though we'd all known one another for years and had visited before - we felt so welcomed. Riley and Mal hit it off really well, too! This picture is from the following day:

Travis and Kevin golfed on Friday and Saturday while Carrie and I hung out with the girls. We took them for a nice walk and watched our favorite TV shows. It was so nice and relaxing and much needed!

The early tee times took a toll on Kevin, though. On Saturday I asked him to give Riley a bottle while I showered and got ready to head to their house for dinner. When I came out of the bathroom, I found them just like this. I literally had to remove the bottle from Kevin's hand. I love the milk moustache on Riley and how Kevin's hand still looks like it could be holding a bottle.

One of the main highlights of the trip was the much-anticipated "Balaban/Booth Friends Challenge". We had basically scheduled Saturday's activities around it. Up for grabs was ownership of the finely crafted, well replicated "Geller Cup". I am proud to announce that after two back-to-back Friends Scene-It wins, the Geller Cup returned to it's rightful place in the Balaban basement. The picture here was taken as we drove away from their house that night ... giving the Booth's one last glimpse of what could have been theirs!

The trip was awesome and we are so happy that we finally found a time to make it happen! Here are a few more pictures from the weekend!

Kev, Meg, Riley, Carrie, Mal and Travis

Riley allowing Mallory to taste her hand.

On the drive home we stopped at the outlet malls and came across this pony that Riley rode.

Another picture of the happy girl, enjoying her hotel room.

Pool time! Riley tried out the hotel pools two times ... and cried both times. The water was too cold, even for an indoor pool! Regardless, she looked adorable in her bathing suit!

Tuesday morning. Time for Riley to be away from Mommy and Daddy while they return to work. She looks a LOT happier than either of us did.

Happy Mothers Day!

2009-05-10T15:43:00.002-04:00

Happy Mothers Day! Wow - what an exciting day this year. I've always treasured Mothers Day because it gave me the perfect reason to take a trip to Marietta to visit my mom, but this year it is super sweet and extra special. I didn't get to see my mom (but I am happy for her - she was able to go visit my brother and the triplets this weekend), but I have been celebrated by the two most wonderful people today - Kevin and Riley. Waking up this morning I got to soak in the wonderful reality that I am a mom ... I am really, finally a MOM! And not just any mom ... mom to the most amazing baby girl and wife to an incredible husband.

Kevin delivered me an amazing breakfast in bed this morning. Riley had woken up at 5:30am this morning, so I brought her into our room to snuggle with Kevin and I. As she and I dozed in and out, Kevin snuck to the kitchen to put together my awesome feast. It was delivered to me on a tray complete with Riley's special vase of gorgeous flowers, a card, and a wrapped gift. I looked at my plate and realized Riley must have put a LOT of work into her Easy Bake oven this morning. Hee hee ...

The card was the perfect selection of words and made me cry. In it was a gift card to Old Navy so that I could pick up a dress and bathing suit I'd been eyeing for a couple of days now. My wrapped gift was the best - it was a beautiful, carefully planned Shutterfly photo book jam packed with pictures of the three of us. Now it really made me cry. I can't stop flipping through it - it is absolutely perfect and I treasure it with all my heart.

To all the new moms, old moms, and moms-to-be, happiest of days to you on this day. A day that celebrates US.

Riley is 5 months old!

2009-05-05T16:15:00.002-04:00

I don't have Riley's 5-month letter written as of the time of this post (it will be coming, I promise!), but I had to jump in here to state that I cannot believe 5 months have passed already! This past month was a BIG one for her, milestone-wise. She discovered her feet, learned to roll in both directions, figured out how to jump in the jumper-roo, and even topped it all last night by coming up with this adorable, spitty sound that she does non-stop now. What a show-off! Oh - and have I even mentioned that she is consistently sleeping 10 to 11 hours a night? What a champ!!

She is just the most amazing little person I've ever seen. I had to step away from my desk today at work because I began to cry when thinking about her. I miss her so terribly much.

To celebrate her 5-month birthday, she'll get to try apples for the very first time tonight! I made the applesauce last night and can't wait to see what she thinks.

Slacker

2009-04-29T15:43:00.002-04:00

I am really slacking on this blog - this isn't what I had hoped for! While it isn't much, I at least wanted to get on here and write just a few updates to what is going on in the world of Riley.

She is growing like crazy. We're officially out of 3-month clothes and into 6-months ... except for pants, in which she can still wear 0-3 months. They're high waters on her, but her waist (or lack of) is too small for 6-month pants.

She has a lot to say. She gets up in the mornings and just has so much to tell us. It's adorable. If I were able to translate those adorable babbles into the English language, I'd love to hear what she is telling me.

She loves to be on the move. This is the case regardless of whether she is lying on the floor (and constantly turning over, then turning her body 360 degrees in a circle) or on your hip. Sitting is not an option when she is being held - she wants you up and moving. It must be her attempt to help me shed a few more pounds.

She's amazingly adorable and addictive. 'Nuff said.

She loves sweet potatoes. Even more than bananas, which knocked my socks off. She even has a sweet potato song that Kevin and I sing as she eats. Do not request a private performance of the song - we won't grant it to you.

She's going to be blonde. I really can't say this with 100% certainty, but you may get me to say it with 99%. New hair is coming in and it is light, light, light.

Homemade Baby Food

2009-04-22T11:14:00.001-04:00

I have made the personal decision to make my own baby food for Riley now that she has begun eating vegetables. So far I've only made carrots and sweet potatoes, but I'll be doing a batch of green beans and peas tonight (I am sure Riley would be thrilled to know that). It is really so simple to do and takes about an hour or less from start to finish, and a lot of that time is just waiting for the veggies to boil, which takes no effort on my part. I have nothing against store-bought baby food, I just thought this would be something fun to do and would actually end up being more economical, which it has already proven to do so:

I bought 2-pounds of fresh carrots for $1.89 which allowed me to make 35-ounces worth of baby food. I could have bought two 2.5 ounce packages of Gerber's carrots for this exact same price.
Once your baby begins to eat the food and saliva mixes with it, you can't save the leftover food - it must be pitched. When you make your own, you can freeze it in ice cube trays and each cube is right around 1 ounce of food. Less waste this way! Riley only eats about 2 ounces at a time right now - if I were going with the pre-made Gerber food, I'd be wasting half of an ounce each time!

If you're interested in more information, check out this site ... and thanks to my friend Meagen who passed the idea and ths site along to me!

2009-04-21T10:11:00.001-04:00

Technology is awesome. I am now all set up to be able to update my Blog via text message, so now I have no excuse not to send quick updates!

Roly Poly Riley

2009-04-21T08:29:00.002-04:00

... and by this title, I am not implying that Riley is a chubbers. I am stating that she is rolling like crazy now!! She rolled from back to tummy for the first time this weekend, on April 19th. It still amazes me that it is something she had spent several days working on, but once she did it, she was able to do it over and over without fail. She looks so proud, too. Of course, this has invoked some tears from me because it makes me realize how quickly she is growing up! I have video of one of her first rolls that I want to add on here ... hopefully I can get to that tonight.

4-Month Well Check!

2009-04-12T21:27:00.005-04:00

Wow - what a busy weekend! Riley had her 4-month well check on Thursday (details of which I will get to in a moment), but since then we've been on the go, making a trip to Marietta for Easter weekend. I've meant to do a much better job of blogging, but apparently I haven't made much progress yet!

Riley's 4-month well check went very well! She weighed in at 13lb 9oz, which put her in the 46th percentile ... and was 24 1/2 inches long, which put her in the 56th percentile. Her head is growing, too! She is now up to the 35th percentile for head circumference. All good news! Dr. K was very impressed with her progress and the milestones that she has hit. He even gave us the green light on starting rice cereal! He told us to go ahead and give her cereal two times a day for 3-4 days and then start on some yellow/orange vegetables! We'll be starting carrots sometime early this week! I am going to try making homemade baby food - not because I think there is something wrong with store-bought (because I don't), but because I think making it would be fun and maybe even more economical. The appointment ended with shots. Riley and I both cried as a result, but we were both over it quickly and shopping for a "what a good girl" treat at Babies R Us on the way home!

On Thursday night she blew my mind by sleeping 9 straight hours. Not getting too excited about it, I assumed it was due to the shots she had received. However on Friday night she slept 8 straight hours. I was even more encouraged by this because it was at Mom and Dad's - in a strange room and bed, as she slept in the pack and play next to Kevin and I. Last night she had an 8 hour repeat performance, so I am excited to see what tonight brings. As always, she was sound asleep by 7:45 tonight, not making a single peep after I laid her in her crib awake. She is such a good girl.

I have to work 4 days this week. Boo hoo, right? I know I need to remember that 4 is STILL better than 5, but I am still dreading it. Last week I only worked 2 days to make up for the longer week coming up (I am in ITIL training), but I hate thinking I'll be away from Riley an additional day. That means I have to make tomorrow with her REALLY count!

I've attached a few (amazing) pictures from the weekend - these all happened to be taken this morning, Easter morning. What a day - the day on which we celebrate Jesus rising from the dead; I am so, so blessed.

How Quickly the Memory Fades

2009-04-08T09:47:00.003-04:00

I wonder if I am the only new mom that feels this way, but when I try to think back just over 4 months ago to being pregnant, it is very hard to do! I cannot remember at all what it felt like to be carrying Riley; what it felt like to not be able to tie my own shoes, or having to allow for extra clearance when walking around the house and making turns, or those amazing kicks she would give me. I suppose this would be okay had I had a horrible, painful pregnancy ... but I didn't. I was blessed with an uneventful, wonderful pregnancy in which I treasured each day and each new feeling that came with it.

So I was sorting through some pictures on my laptop at work and came across this one:

It was taken on December 4th ... less than an hour prior to leaving for the hospital to be induced and meet Riley. I immediately notice how swollen I was ... in the face, the arms, and the feet, although you can't see that in the picture. Then I look at that pregnant belly. Man, I loved that belly. Don't get me wrong, I am thrilled to be back into my pre-pregnancy clothes, but that belly! It was such a part of me for so long ... and now it's gone ... as well as the memory of it. What I have in exchange for it ... my amazing, incredible, beautiful Riley ... is God's most amazing reward to me in life and I'd take it over ANY belly on any given day. But I still miss that belly - because it was Riley who gave me that belly. Anyone else out there feel the same way?

Riley's New Discoveries

2009-04-07T14:45:00.003-04:00

Riley has had some new discoveries lately that warrant a blog! Her latest accomplishment, milestone-wise, was turning over for the first time from tummy to back! She did this effortlessly, two times, last Friday (April 3rd) ... but hasn't done it sense. She did it so easily that you would have thought she'd been doing it for a long time, so I thought it would be something we'd see a whole lot more of, but that doesn't seem to be the case so far. However, I am sure it has a LOT to do with the fact that I don't keep her on her tummy for long anymore ... something that I probably should be doing! I'll get better at that ...

Also, as I was changing her diaper through the night Sunday night/Monday morning, she discovered her toes and her feet. It is as though she saw them, paused for a moment, then in one swift motion grabbed them and shoved them right into her mouth! It had to be one of the cutest things I've ever seen!!

I still can't get over the fact that she is 4 months old! Her well-check appointment is this Friday at 9am and I am anxious to see what she weighs and where she falls on the growth chart. I am NOT looking forward to her next round of shots, although I personally feel they are necessary. I hope she handles these ones better than the last ones ... she spiked quite a fever and felt pretty lousy after her 2-month shots. Plus, we're headed to Marietta for the Easter weekend and I am hoping she feels well enough to travel. Maybe she'll like sleeping it off in her carseat as we drive.

Have I mentioned how much I love this 'little miss'? More than I will ever be able to describe ...