ONE YEAR

Happy birthday (on Tuesday), Rilynn!

The birthday girl!

Our baby girl is ONE!  Travis and I have 14 years of memories together, but this year was extra special.  It is hard to remember life before Ri.  And who knew babies changed so much in a year.  I thought that tiny baby would never let me sleep through the night, and now here we are, a year later, and she sleeps like her parents, and already wants to be the boss.    

Firsts:
Plane ride 2 months
Laughed out loud 4 months
Food 4 months
Rolled over 4 months
Sat alone 5 months 
Teeth 6 months
Slept through the night 8 months
Clapped her hands 8 months
Waved 9 months

Crawled 10 months

Pulled up on furniture 10 months

Word 10 months (unless you count hi)

Rilynn can... crawl all over, pull herself up, starting to cruise on furniture, wave, clap her hands, blow a kiss, show how big she is by reaching her hands up, say: mom, dada, hi, ya, no, doddy (doggy)

Rilynn loves... hair, snuggling with mommy and daddy in the morning, bath time, trying to stand by herself (but can’t), playing with her friends, being chased, feeding her dog, playing in her tunnel, music and dancing, talking in her alien language, and being out and about.

Nicknames: Ri, Ri-Ri, Ri-ster Roni, Ri-ster Roo, Ri-Girl, Moochka, Turkey

Stats: 21 pounds 14 ounces, 80th percentile

31.25 inches, 98th percentile (clearly doesn’t take after her mom’s height)

head circumference 18 inches, 70th percentile

Personality: Our stubborn little Ri-Girl knows what she wants and throws quite the tantrum if she thinks you don’t understand her. But she knows how to make up for it by melting your heart with that gap toothed smile.  She loves anything with a beat and has better rhythm than any 1 year old I’ve ever met.  She will be a dancer... or maybe a drummer? 

Rilynn’s birth-day last year with her first cupcake that mom and dad ate.

Our princess.

First time sledding.

Rilynn has physical therapy every week.  She practices in the waiting room by pushing this table around.

First trip to the beach. 67 Degrees at the Oregon Coast in January is unheard of!

My favorites!

Didn’t even mind the freezing ocean.

  

Josie and I sang her happy birthday with her pancake breakfast.

Me: Rilynn, can I take your picture?
Rilynn: No! (Then shakes hear head and got off the chair)

Thanks for the present Mimmi and Aija.  

Birthday cake attempt #1.

1 year and Winter ONEderland parties coming soon...

Eleven Months!

Rilynn has gotten so much stronger and confident this month.  She even takes a few steps when your holding her hands.  She is such a ham and shows off whenever she can.  At restaurants, she stares at strangers until they make eye contact with her and then the flirting begins.  This was the perfect age for a first Christmas.  She had so much fun opening presents and getting lots of family time.  Christmas eve mass went well, she almost made it through the whole thing.  There were lots of little cousins around at my parents’ house Christmas eve and they had a cute gift exchange.  Santa found Rilynn this year!  Christmas morning as a parent is almost as much fun as it is as a kid.  I don’t know how we could possibly get any more toys into our play area?  And her birthday is next month!!  She might just get boxes.  I can’t believe next month we will have a 1 year old! How did the time go by so fast?

Words: Dad, Mama (only when she’s crying), no (and shakes her head),dog, and we swear she said Josie once but haven’t heard it since.

Tricks: officially crawling, climbs stairs, pulls up on furniture

Favorites: swimming in the bath tub, Josie, when people clap for her, toys: balloons, phones, and remotes, book: Baby’s First Words, food: she’s getting picker but still loves crackers, applesauce, cheese, and yogurt

Hips: PT starts in January! We are going to get this monkey as strong as possible before we do any more surgeries.

Bath time with bestie Syd.

She LOVED Jordan's beard.

In on all the cousin present action.

Christmas morning!

Loves her tunnel!

Getting stronger every day!

She spends hours in her ball pit!

Black Butte

Zoo lights

Getting into trouble.

Meeting Santa

She loves balloons.

Just riding her lion.

Ten Months!

Double digits! (and Happy Thanksgiving!)

We are in Black Butte for the best holiday of the year!And this year we are most thankful for 10 months with our little turkey.  

Looking back on my “plans” as to how I would parent and what type of mom I would be makes me laugh now.  In fact, planning in general just seems ridiculous.  The biggest lesson I’ve learned as a mom is not to judge others; “Different strokes for different folks".  We all had our plans and those plans were flushed down the toilet the moment our child left our bodies and become their own person with their own needs, personalities, and ideas.  We all do what works for our own families.  Some of the plans that I thought just HAD to happen for me such as breastfeeding until age 1, feeding all organic and making it all, never co-sleeping, and not having our parents as primary babysitters (really, what the hell was I thinking?, have all fallen apart and thank God for that.  Although I try to feed Rilynn healthy organic food and make it as much as I can, sometimes a squeeze pouch of applesauce or some crackers is all she wants to eat and that’s just fine with me.  The squeeze pouches are another one of those best inventions ever!  Travis and I even eat the applesauce pouches on the go. We FINALLY have her sleeping in her crib, from 7:30 until 6:45.  For a while there she slept in her crib from 7:30 until 3:30 and then joined us for the rest of the morning because letting her cry it out or rocking her back to sleep just wasn’t going to happen.

New tricks~
Says Daddy (sounds more like de-dee). I’ve heard a Mama a few times, but I don’t count it yet because it isn’t used correctly.
Eats food like a dog
Plays peek-a-boo! She thinks she is so funny when she does it too.

Favorites~

Food: yogurt, spaghetti, & stale cheese puffs (when they were crunchy and fresh she turned her nose up to them)

Song: Fancy ABC songs on Pandora

Toy: tamberine, Josie’s green ball, 101 Dalmatians VHS case

Loves: Dancing, music, laughing, and head banging

Q & A~

What color is Rilynn’s hair?  Everyone has a different opinion.  I call it Bronde with a hint of strawberry.  I’m obsessed with those golden locks!

Is she a good sleeper? I don’t even know what that means?  Are any babies good sleepers all the time?  So, I guess so.  I feel rested enough in the mornings and her naps allow me to get enough done.

How are her hips?  Not any different.  Still out I’m guessing, one side clicks a bit.  She doesn’t crawl but I think she can because she takes a few crawls forward but then moves onto one of her other preferred methods.  She can get around no problem, just not in the traditional way.  It doesn’t really bother us.  A lot of her friends from the library move in weird ways too such as the butt scoot, crab, and the bear crawl.

Steph & Trav~

I became a Beachbody coach and a tutor.  Want to get fit or need some extra support for your elementary age kid? Call me.  Travis and I did a 12 day challenge and both had great success in different ways.  We got another night away, this time in Portland for Travis’s annual industry auction.  

Would only do a photo shoot if I gave her the tambarine.

  

She loves music... And anything noise.

Posing in the tub.

Walker time.

Family movie night! 100 Dalmatians. She had been bringing us the case all week so we gave in and loved it. We had more fun watching her watch the movie.

Cold weather cuteness!

Nanny bonding time.

New way of eating...like Josie

Cousin play date with Omar! Babbled and giggled for hours!

Kitty cat!

Family photo shoot!

Aunt Sadie

First Halloween!

Balloon was a big hit.