Christmas... and all that Jazz

As I sit in my bed, finally able to lift my head up from the whir that is Christmas, I am able to reflect on the past few days and how lucky we are - lucky and so very tired. It is exhausting when you think about it - all the eating,visiting, gift wrapping, shopping, giving, opening, assembling, you get the idea. But did I mention that I became sick on Christmas Eve? Yes, in the middle of the festivities at my parents house, complete with a 20 month old rocking around the Christmas tree at until 11 pm....there I was curled up on the leather couch with a monstrous headache.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Leading up to Christmas, Dan, my Dad, and our dear friend and OBGYN extraordinaire, Nik, assembled an awesome play set for Riley. It took them an entire day...but they sure did a great job.

We kept the surprise from Riley until Christmas morning, but it was sure worth the wait. The look on her face was priceless. Mr. & Mrs. Claus overloaded Riley with goodies..... Not to mention gifts from both sets of grandparents and aunts and uncles....

So, besides the crazy sickness, which by the way, Dan was a God-send, we had a wonderful and fun-filled Christmas....and matching Christmas jammies to boot!

Waking Up

It occurred to me that pretty soon, Riley will be strolling out of her big girl room and big girl bed, insisting that I take her to the movies so she can meet a boy. OK - maybe not SO soon, but I want to take these memories and store then in my head (and computer) forever.



I was finishing up with some school work while Riley was waking up from her afternoon nap. I heard her saying the following words in a sing-song fashion: Cookie, Frosty, and Ofie (for Murphy).



I took a video upon my initial entry into her room .... but Murphy started getting sick so I didn't think it was necessary to include that into my happy memory bank...so this is the second video shot after I returned to her room following Murphy's nervous stomach issue. He really is a strange dog - sweet, but strange.

A New Language

All alone in the house and in the bathroom no less, quite a feat in my house I might add, I dropped my knotted necklace on the floor. Instinctively, I muttered, "Uh-oh."

I froze. Did I just say uh-oh? Did I just say uh-oh without a toddler in sight?

As I lathered up my dirty hair (again, alone time is hard to come by) I started thinking about the way my language has changed.

Daddy - I now call Dan, my loving hubby, Daddy. It freaks my brother out but I do it out of habit and also because I don't want Riley to start screaming around the house, "DAN!" Don't get me wrong, I don't call him Daddy when we are out on a date night or anything.

Yo-Yo - This is yogurt. I think it's pretty darn cute so I have also adopted this word into my vocabulary as well. I also take it a step further and write "yo-yo" on my grocery list.

Boo-Boo - This is pretty self-explanatory.

Ofie - Formerly known as the dog Murphy, Riley insists on calling him Ofie - so now I do too.

So, besides proving another case of mental instability, it further proves that stay-at-home Moms can get away with this - can you imagine if Dan went to work and said to Mr. Boss Man:

"Uh-oh, Daddy did a boo-boo on the spreadsheet."

Decking the (freaking) Halls

So it seems that I have completely glossed over Thanksgiving. While this is mostly true, we did have an excellent Thanksgiving with Dan's brother and wife, Mike and Sarah. We had a great meal, thanks to my chef-brother, Kyle. We visited the beach, did some early A.M. shopping, and enjoyed each other's company as we fought to the finish with a fan favorite game, Pop 5.

To much of my dismay, Christmas is fast approaching and I am not ready, to say the least. I even tried to talk Dan into not putting up the tree until Christmas Eve as a "surprise" for Riley, but really a sanity saver for me. I can only take so much of, "Don't touch that," in one day.

So, needless to say, Dan decorated the outside and the inside duties are usually left to me. I guess Dan could see I wasn't in the Ho-Ho mood this year so he busted out the decorations the morning of his parents departure from a weekend visit. Richard, Dan's Dad (who by the way, also goes by Dick - a name that Riley grew quite fond of saying - awesome) had an epiphany - Why don't you find a way to rotate the tree so you can stand in one place and put the lights on? That's all Dan needed to hear - he was off to find an apparatus in the garage. He soon returned with a rolling platform he used when working on his old car, the Explorer, aka The Exploder.

So there I am - laying on the floor, rotating the tree while Dan hangs the lights. After a little while, I had to give me arms and boobs a break, since they were all going numb, and switched jobs with Dan. And let's face it, I'm better at hanging up lights anyways...

Here is a snapshot of the process. I think we should use this on our Christmas card....

Ants!

If you live in Florida, then you know that our state is no stranger to ants - particularly in the dry months...oh yeah, and the wet months drive them crazy too. We have little (and big) mounds littered throughout our little neighborhood. Riley still insists on walking through the grass so I have taken the liberty to teach her about the dangers of ants.

I said, "Riley, those are ants, they will bite you."

She says, "Ants!" (Pronounced: AHHHH - nts)

But, as always, she has taken this new found knowledge to another level.

We cannot walk two feet down the road without her stooping down and inspecting the road, claiming, "AAAHHHHnts."

Then, there is dinnertime. I served her spaghetti sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. To which she yells at the dinner table, "AHHHHnts."

I am now rationalizing with a 19 month old that ants are not on her plate - just outside, thanks to our lovely Truly Nolen service provider.

Hanging out with Uncle Kyle

Reasons I love my Uncle Kyle:

1. He does a mean hair-do..and also let's me get dirty when Mommy insists I stay clean.

2. He saves me from falling out of a tree...

3. The tree that he insisted that I climb...even though I told him my legs were too small

4. But he does make me laugh - Uncle Kyle is heee-larious!

Love,

Riley

An update from a check-up

Riley and I went for her 18 month check-up today. She is technically almost 19 months, but who is counting anways? She's 26 pounds and 35 inches - long and lean. Here are the highlights from our visit with the good doctor.

Me: Why does she have all the bruising on her legs and arms?

Doc: It's probably due to her just being an active toddler. As long as she's not experiencing any unusual bleeding then she's OK.

Me: Am I a bad Mom for letting her watch Sesame Street?

Doc: (Laughs) No, under two hours is the recommendation.

Me: She wants me to hold her all the time and sit with her while she plays. What can I do to help her separate?

Doc: You are the center of her world, so rightfully she want to be close to you. Spend some time cuddling with her during quit time before you need to get something done around the house. Wait for her cue to get up or push you away, then get what you need done. Hopefully, her need will be met.

Me: Why does she only want to eat yogurt, fruit, and cheese?

Doc: Kids are picky, especially at this age. Keep offering her small, healthy meals at the dinner table and she'll get the idea eventually.

So there you have it - a quick synopsis of our day. After one quick shot, as she had both flu shots prior to the visit, we were out the door and headed to Planet Smoothie for Banana & Strawberry Smoothies for Mommy and Riley.

Here is a picture I took of Riley at the doc's office today.

Slacking

As a dear friend of mine pointed out to me, "You have been slacking on your blog." True, very true. But as we used to say at the Wine Festival...I've been in the weeds.

And those weeds make me unmotivated.

Riley now is accustomed to laying down in random places when she doesn't get her way. Not screaming or kicking, just laying down on the ground, looking up at us. I usually wait and then ask her if she is finished, to which she bounces up quickly and says, "K." For OK, of course. While this seems harmless and often amusing at home, not so bueno in places such as Walmart, the street, Moe's, and Ikea. One and half-year olds are tiring. Shes not even two yet!

Speaking of Ikea - my brother, mom, Riley, and I made a pilgrimage over to Ikea today. I could spend hours in Ikea if I could....please see prior paragraph for reasons why I cannot.

I am also painfully in love with Glee and Modern Family. What is also painful is that they are on at the same time. We may be one of the few families in the US of A that has yet to connect to the world of DVR. I saw a Glee shirt at ToysRUs on Saturday and I proudly exclaimed to Dan that I had found my first item on my wish-list for Christmas. (Then, promptly instructed him to buy it because I know No-DVR man would find a way to miss another opportunity like that).

Last but not least - school has me unmotivated. I am totally uninspired by my newest grad class - it doesn't move me to get on the computer or crack open a book after a long day. We are currently writing a literature review (research paper) on ONE WORD. ONE WORD PEOPLE. My word is whiteness. It's about how white people are perceived to have all the power in the world. You get the idea. Exhilarating stuff.

So that is it - my slacking on the bog is a reflection of the slacking in my life....so don't get offended. I think of writing, but there is always another TV show to watch or a word to research.

Daddy's Dinner

Last week, I was having a LOOONNGGG day. The kind of day where you want to curl up and sleep. Riley was in a rather grumpy mood, it was hot outside, and I was super sleepy all day.

I told Dan that I had to get out of the house.

My brother and I enjoyed a great meal at Blu Sushi and even had a celebrity sighting. If you count Ruthie from Real World Hawaii as a celebrity, you would be excited too. I finished my big night out with a trip to Target. I am wild and crazy.

Due to my absence, Dan was in charge of dinner that night. He stopped off at McDonald's on the way home from work and picked up two burgers for him and Riley. This video captures the burger thief in action!

Baby Genius

My Mom started saying that Riley was gifted when we was a tiny thing. She could "hear" Riley say words and thought we had a little Doogie Howser, M.D. on our hands.

Most parents would probably agree that their kid is smart. Riley says a lot of words, has a fantastic memory, and is very curious about the world around her. She loves reading and we enjoy teaching her just as much. Maybe it's the teacher in me...or the perfectionist, but who doesn't want their kid to be smart, right?

I know, people will say that we are pushing her or drilling her. But, I have not tried to teach her to read (yet), I don't have baby Mozart playing in the background when she sleeps (Dan thinks we should but I think it's a waste of time), and the Baby Einstein flash cards are particularly boring (for both of us). We let her lead us with in her interests and hope that she enjoys saying all of the animals in "Brown Bear, Brown Bear," just as much as she enjoys pulling Murphy's tail.

PS. Had to load the video onto youtube b/c it was too large of a file. If you have trouble viewing the video, click here to watch it directly from the site.

Trick or Treat

After a fun-filled evening at the Annual Mancini Halloween Bash , we are spending the day recuperating from the marathon event that is: Toddler Trick or Treating.

This year, the theme was Storybook Characters. For your viewing pleasure, may we present the story of Little Red Riding Hood:

There once was a sweet little Grandma, who by the way, loved her hair-do.

Little Red Riding Hood was on the way to Grandmother's house - today was Halloween and she was excited about all of the goodies she would collect in her basket.

She ran into a wolf - but no worries, for the manly woodsman was nearby. He caught the wolf and the day was saved!

Little Red was sure happy. She now could continue her trick-or-treating adventures.

Out-running the big kids, Red Riding Hood couldn't be stopped! She was everywhere -- collecting candy, frolicking and sweating in the sweltering Florida heat, and making sure to say "Trick or Treat" and her "thank-yous."

We really had a Happy Halloween!

The Hoarding Continues....

A while ago, I blogged about Riley's need to hoard. I'm not sure where she gets it from - it's not that she is competing with any other children for things in the house. It's not like I yank toys away from her at all hours of the day. It's not like it's genetic....OK, maybe there is merit to that one.

But, this hoarding thing is getting a little out of control. I wonder if Dear Dr. will think it's weird. I have considered keeping an excel sheet of all the when/where/what/ duration of the instances but fear he may reject me from the practice.

Do other kids do this? Is this normal?

See for yourself, my little homeless lady in action....

MIA

I have been MIA of late because I have been finishing two classes worth of work for my studies at Gonzaga University. Both projects (a Communication Audit and a blog) were due on the same day. They have been finalized, sent in, and now I am just waiting on grades. As I gear up for a new class to start on Monday, I thought you may want to learn more about my courageous friend, Christy, the subject of one of my projects.

http://christycancerandcourage.blogspot.com/

Coke

We are pretty sure that my Dad taught Riley about all of the finer things in life while we were in Washington. This includes his personal favorite, Coca-Cola. My mom claims she was not party to this exposure saying, "We did not give her any...although I did not watch your Dad 24 hours a day..."

You be the judge...

A Good Day

This morning started off early - by 7:30 we were out of the house ready to have some breakfast at a local favorite, Teri's Cafe. Riley calmed down once she received some french toast. Daddy kept her busy with stacking creamers and applying stickers to her cup.

A whirlwind of errands followed: Home Depot, a friend's house, BabiesRUs, Costco

This is the Saturday morning of parents.

Riley was sufficiently on Costco overload and was crazy tired in the store. She fell asleep in the car and I successfully transferred her to the crib...ahhh...sweet success.

Nik and Kyle came over to visit. I worked on threading the needle and winding the bobbin on my sewing machine. After a few select curse words, I enlisted Kyle's help and he had it all set to go.

After quite a few more choice words with the machine, we had completed our (my) project, A UF skirt for Ms. Riley. I think she looked pretty darn cute. Who care that it's not perfect, right? I mean, she doesn't care!

Meanwhile, Nik and Dan carved some pumpkins and an ode to Elmo...

Kyle snuck in some quality time with Riley....

And I am going to enjoy some quality time by myself watching My Life in Ruins - the UF game and Hooters are calling Dan's name...

Men & Laundry

I love my husband, I really do. Bless his heart, he tries to help out around the house, especially by "helping" me do the laundry on the weekends.

But, his idea of helping is putting the clothes in the washer....maybe the dryer....and then the bed. His newest announcement came a couple weeks ago after he saw that I didn't hang up his dress shirts correctly - as they weren't buttoned all the way down the front.
He tells me, "Don't worry about hanging up my clothes, I'll do mine from now on."
No problem, gladly, I think.
Well, a week and a half later, the clothes are still on the chair in the corner of our room. Taunting me. They are saying, "You know you want to take care us. Who cares how my buttons look. You know it's driving you crazy." It is, but I will be strong. I will resist their taunts.

Fast forward to this morning - 5:00 am to be exact.
Murphy, who I think is an undiagnosed bulimic dog, starts puking in his bed. Because of his crazy shedding problem, we also keep a blanket draped over his dog bed. Dan gets up, flips on all of the lights and starts cleaning it up. Again, Dan is a good man.

He takes the blanket and bed cover to the washer and he is gone for a good 10 minutes. Fearing his confusion, I stumble across the house to find him staring at the washing machine. He is about to hit start he he informs me, "I put a little bleach in there."
"Uh, that will bleach the red bed cover," I say.
"it's just a little though."
"It will still bleach it."
"Uh oh."

So, needless to say, we had to do two loads this morning. By the way, they were left in the dryer so I am doing it now.

Did I mention that I love my hubby?

Picking Pumpkins

Ok, well, we really didn't pick any pumpkins. Actually, Riley did a lot of...

Climbing...

...and Hoarding...

We met up the Mancini family and had a fun time at the pumpkin patch. We went last year to the same "patch" but this year was much better for two reasons. It actually felt like autumn and Riley didn't have to be propped up for any of the photo shoots. Here is a snapshot from last year.

October 2008

October 2009

Happy (almost) Halloween - from our little pumpkin patch of three!

Meet my friend, Sloppy Joe

Riley didn't just get her blue eyes from her Daddy - she also got his love for the almighty Sloppy Joe.

I really do not enjoy Mr. Joe, nor do I like to give Riley food without a little boost of pureed vegetables (Deceptively Delicious - oh how I love you)....but I honestly get tired of her refusal to eat the food that I make for her. While I was perusing the grocery store on my weekly Publix pilgrimage, I came across the little can and these cute little wheat sliders.

I whipped up the sloppy meat dish.....

Hallelujah!

Riley ate one and a half of these little suckers.....the next day, she enjoyed one for lunch as well.

I know they don't have pureed veggies in them and she is still spitting out her broccoli stalks at me - but at least we know she loves her meat. I, of course, know this because she kept repeating with each bite, "Mmmmm, meat!" Again, she gets this from her Daddy.

Spokane, Seattle, and Vancouver, Oh My!

Dan and I have returned from a whirlwind week of school (me), lounging (him), and sight-seeing (both).

Our first stop - Spokane, Washington - home to Gonzaga University where I am enrolled in their Communication Master's online program. After a long flight to Seattle, Dan and I still had another four long hours of car travel to get to Spokane. We enjoyed the beautiful scenery and the sweet silence, but still spent a lot of time talking about baby girl, whom we left at home in the loving arms of Mimi and Papa.

After arriving in our hotel nice and late, and also on PST, we grabbed a quick bite to eat and got ready for bed.

4:00AM What's that? It's only 4 and Dan is up watching football on ESPN? Yes, we were definitely still on EST. Joy.

Monday morning - Dan dropped me off for my first day of class. I felt like a nervous kindergartner.

Classes at Gonzaga were a complete joy. The students and professors were all exceedingly gracious, kind, and intelligent. It made me very proud to be a Bulldog! We worked in writing and speaking workshops with a culminating group project. I can be a bit of a spaz and perfectionist, but my group members did a fantastic job calming me down and wrangling in my stress! I also got to meet many of my "online" friends - namely, Keegan, a girl who I have been friends with since the beginning. Keegan and her husband, we discovered, are very much like Dan and I....scary, I know!

As class ended on Wednesday evening, Dan picked me up from class, late, I might add....evidently he was at a winery doing a little tasting of local vino. (MORE PICTURES TO COME...)

Thursday we spent the full day in Seattle seeing the sights and dining on local fare. The highlights of the rip for me was experiencing the cold, brisk air, visiting Pike Place Market, and a romantic dinner at "Purple." We also spent some down time with Keegan and Eric - telling stories and sharing some much needed laughs and relaxation.

Friday - the day of our midnight departure, we decided to take our rental car (gasp) across the border. I was completely freaked out the entire time, thinking that the Canadians would call Enterprise on us or something, but they seemed more curious about the fact that we were from Florida and were only spending a day in Vancouver, B.C. After a quick drive through the city, we headed to a "must see" that I found on the Internet - Capilano Suspension Bridge.

Words cannot even express the beauty of this forest, just minutes from downtown. After crossing the suspension bridge, we headed to the Treetop Adventure - where you stroll from treetop to treeptop, connected by a series of elevated, wooden bridges. Our only regret was that we couldn't experience it with Riley Belle.

After another long trip back to the airport, we boarded our red-eye, complete with a long lay-over and finally returned home. Riley had a great time with Mimi, Papa, and Kyle...surely getting away with murder (or a coke and a few doughnuts...). Although - that night she surely made us pay for our little vacation - up all night, afraid we wouldn't be there when she woke up:(

Ahhh....Home Sweet Home