Video Monday: Rollin’

I’m going to try my best to post a new video every Monday to kick off everyone’s work week with a little dose of Riley.

How does that sound? Good?

Good.

Nola requested that I take a video of Riley rolling over both ways, and I caught him in the mood to do so the other day on the floor in his room. He wasn’t in the best of moods because it was almost naptime, but with the enticement of a few new toys and a little patience, I was able to capture his rollin’, as well as him putting his paci back in his mouth.

Two for the price of one!

Five Months

Five months. Wow.

Do I say the same thing every time I do one of these “birthday” updates? I’m sorry.

Speaking of birthdays, Riley’s five month one happens to coincide with his dad’s birthday. Happy happy birthday, Daddy/Kenny! We love you very much.

Riley doesn’t go back to Dr. B until he’s 6 months, but here are some unofficial stats:

• Weight: 18lbs 6.5oz
• Length: 28.25 inches
• Head circumference: 17 inches

And here are my notes from this month:

• He is eating 4 tablespoons of rice cereal twice a day, and he takes 6 ounces of formula at almost every bottle feeding. And, as of today, we can start adding baby food (veggies only at first) to his meals! 
• He is officially sleeping through the night, from about 6:30 pm until 6:30 am. Yay! He definitely prefers sleeping on his tummy, so we are not swaddling him anymore. We switched to a wearable blanket/sleep sack instead. And he’s getting pretty good at settling himself, although more so at night than for his naps (which are becoming a bit of a struggle). Kenny and I are so proud of him. (See this post for more sleeping info.) 

• He is a rolling machine, both from his back to his front and from his front to his back. He also still drools non-stop and sucks on his fingers (or anything else he can get into his mouth….toys, bib, burp cloth, paci leash, etc.) most of the day. (I’m wondering if the drool is 1. a sign of teething and/or 2. contributing to some of the problems with his skin. He still has a bad patch on his chin and left cheek every now and then.)

• We have solved the problem of his crazy hair! We stopped combing it after his nightly bath and it (surprisingly) does so much better.

• He’s getting good at grasping things, and he’s now trying to master bringing heavier objects to his mouth using his hands. We work on this every night during his bath with one of the rubber duckies leftover from my baby shower. He still loves his baths. He’s also enjoying being in the jumperoo for longer periods of time. 

• He is ultimately a happy baby, which is wonderful. He’s usually in a good mood when he wakes up, both for the day and from naps, although sometimes he does seem to get a little confused (read: unhappy/crying) since he almost always wakes up on his tummy. He’s definitely starting to develop his own personality!

• Most of the time, if he can see me while I’m doing something, he’s okay. So instead of leaving him on his playmat or in his bouncy in the living room, I put him in his Bumbo on the kitchen counter while I make my lunch or warm up a bottle, etc. This works most times. But he is definitely more interested in and curious about what’s going on around him. He also likes looking at himself in mirrors. 

• He has discovered how to pull hair. Fantastic. And he now loves grabbing my face, as well as Kenny’s. He sometimes doesn’t realize his own strength when he does this! He also discovered his feet about halfway through this month. And we noticed at the beginning of the month that he’s ticklish – especially his sides and the bottoms of his feet. He loves when the Tickle Monster gets him!

Kenny and I are having so much fun with him, and we just love him so, so much. Here is his official five month pic!

Ten Things

1. I almost forgot to post today.
2. Kenny’s family is in town visiting this weekend because tomorrow is Kenny’s birthday.
3. Riley will also be 5 months tomorrow.
4. I love my boots. I think I’ve worn them every time I’ve been out of the house since I got them. Granted, that’s not too many times because I prefer to stay home, but still.
5. My two boys are the cutest.
6. We watched Secretariat last night. It was phenomenal. It was also partly filmed not too far from where we live. And it further proves that I like horse movies (see also Seabiscuit).
7. I sometimes wonder what my life would have been like if I was raised with horses. Kenny was shocked when I mentioned this during the movie. I’m glad I can sometimes still surprise him.
8. Kenny read my mind and poured a small glass of Nassau Royale for us to share last night during the movie. That stuff is delicious.
9. I’ve been watching the latest season of American Idol and I have to be honest: Steven Tyler is so delightfully wacky. He cracks me up.
10. I love my boots.

Sweet

I got up with Riley this past Sunday morning so Kenny could get a little extra sleep. Shortly after Riley finished his bottle, I could tell he was already getting sleepy again, as was I. So I decided to lay down with him in the guest room bed and see if he’d fall asleep next to me. This is what Kenny found when he woke up a half hour later:

And no, Uncle Jeff, it’s not staged! I may not have been completely asleep (for fear of rolling over him), but I was certainly not awake.

Such a sweet moment with my boy.

Favorite Things

Riley likes his hands.

Riley likes his feet.

Riley likes his hands and his feet.

Riley likes toys.

Riley likes being on his tummy.

And, last but not least, Riley likes being smiley. (Sometimes.)

These are a few of his favorite things!

Getting Out

As I’ve said before, I am a homebody at heart. But I do like to get out now and again, and last Friday was one of those days. I decided Riley and I would take a little road trip and bring lunch to Kenny at his office. It was a glorious day for a drive, and we really loved seeing Daddy for a few minutes during a work day.

Plus, getting out gave me another chance…..to wear my boots.

He Snores. She Wakes.

Kenny slept in the guest room almost all of last week.

No, I did not banish him from our bedroom. HE took himself to the other room.

Because he knew he was going to snore.

He did something to his upper back/shoulder/neck area a little while ago (I’m sure Riley was involved somehow), and now the only position that is comfortable for him at night is lying flat on his back. And that makes him snore.

That makes him snore LOTS.

And me, being such a light sleeper, cannot handle the snoring. He doesn’t even have to be very loud; I’ll still be able to hear only the snoring. And unfortunately my white noise machine isn’t THAT good.

(Sidenote: I love my white noise machine. I ordered it online from Amazon, and I am addicted to it. It helps to block out all of the normal nighttime noises of the house; otherwise, my light-sleeper self wouldn’t get nearly as much shut-eye. I even have a white noise app on my iPhone for when I’m away from home. Sad, but true.)

There’s usually only one position Kenny can be in and not snore: on his stomach facing right. I’m not sure why it has to be facing right, but he absolutely snores if he’s on his stomach facing left. It’s one of life’s little mysteries.

Anyway, so that both of us could get some sleep while he’s position restricted, Kenny just decided to start sleeping in the other room. I miss having him next to me, but I sure do love my sleep.

Have I mentioned before that I married a wonderful man?

Fair Warning

Riley is becoming pretty darn animated in the late afternoons these days. He can’t stay still, or even remain in one position, for very long (read: overly squirmy equals extra fun for me, his wrangler). And the pipes this child is developing….good Lord. I guess this is just his way of letting loose before he gets put into his crib for 12 straight hours. I can’t say I blame him.

I laid him on the rug in the living room one day last week and filmed this late afternoon, pre-bedtime-routine animated state of his. He was especially vocal because his dad was behind me making funny faces to get him to laugh. And that made ME laugh.

We’re all nuts.

Disclaimer: If you are viewing this post from your place of business, you run the risk of not being at all productive for the rest of the day.

Oh, yes; this latest Riley video is THAT cute. You may want to watch it more than once.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Happy Monday to all you hard-working people out there!

And a very Happy Birthday to you, Grams. :) We hope you have a wonderful day.

Blue

I played around with the color accent setting on my little Canon point-and-shoot camera the other day.

Color accent allows you to select one color to highlight in a picture. For instance, I could use a red color accent on a bouquet of roses and only the actual blooms would be in color. The rest of the picture would be in black and white. This makes the roses themselves pop into rich, vibrant, red focus.

In my case the other day, I chose to accent the color blue.

Because Riley’s eyes are beautifully blue.

 

Riley tolerated this impromptu photo session for a lot longer than I thought he would. We took a break for a bottle and some playtime, and then we went outside. I took a few more “blue” pictures, this time with the addition of his blue jacket. The light wasn’t great since it was late afternoon, but I still got a few decent shots.

 

I’m liking this camera setting.

I’m liking it very much.

Postscript: If anyone out there wants to send me a Canon Rebel T1i or a Nikon D700, I would not turn either down.

Close Up

Uh-oh…..

…..it’s official.

He has me wrapped around his little finger.

His daddy, too.

‘Tis the Season…

…for kingcake. And there isn’t anything like a big piece of the cinnamony, sugary, bready goodness with a hot, steaming mug of freshly brewed coffee for breakfast on a crisp, cold Saturday morning.

Yum.

The Booger Story

The story I am about to tell you has been recounted (gleefully, I might add) numerous times by my relatives. It was even told at my wedding rehearsal dinner (thanks very much for that, UJ). So, since a lot of people have already heard it and since it doesn’t really embarrass me anymore, I figured I’d share it with the rest of you.

When I was very young (a mere two years old), I spent the night away from home for the first time at my aunt and uncle’s (QP and UJ’s) house. I was snuggled in between them in their bed, watching a little TV before going to sleep. Unbeknownst to me, all of a sudden my aunt reached behind me and poked my uncle in the arm to get his attention. She pointed down at me to get him to look at what I was doing.

What I was doing with intense concentration.

My finger was most of the way up one of my nostrils, and I was going to town, steadfastly digging around for something.

My aunt, holding back laughter, calmly asked me, “Courtney, what are you doing?”

To which I very matter-of-factly replied, “I’m TRYING to get this booger.”

My aunt and uncle do not have children. Kids were never part of their plan. I was their first introduction to the world of small humans. So I can only imagine what they thought of this little situation at the time. I’m pretty sure they took it in stride and got a few good laughs from it. I also know that they weren’t afraid to have me spend the night again, boogers notwithstanding. Their house became a favorite overnight spot for my brother and me as we were growing up. But I’ll bet QP and UJ will never forget that first night with just me, before my brother came along.

I have a way with creating memorable moments. It’s a gift.

However, I’m a little afraid that Riley is destined to inherit this childhood habit of mine. Kids learn by association, right? I thought so: I’m already picking boogers out of his nose for him. Constantly. But don’t all mothers do that at one time or another? Isn’t it listed in our job description?

No?

Really?

Are you sure?

Either way, I’m already starting to wonder if a similar situation will come to pass when Riley spends the night with HIS aunt and uncle for the first time.

Aunt Erin….Uncle Jeff….are you ready for that? :)

Happy Friday everyone!

Reunited

Nola and Nopsi came to town this past weekend, both to visit the three of us and also to see each other. Mom has actually not gone back to Houston since before the holidays. She is supervising the (major) renovation of the backyard at their house in New Orleans, so she’ll be there for another couple of months. Dad, sadly, had to return to Houston right after New Year’s to go back to work. So they decided to meet in the middle at my house for a quick little reunion two weeks later.

They both arrived on Saturday morning. Mom and I escaped for a quick lunch out and then a run through at Loft (which kind of defeated the purpose of her spending time with Dad, but oh well), and then we spent the rest of the weekend all together watching the playoff games. None of us really care who makes it into the Superbowl since the Saints are out of contention, but we’re still a football-lovin’ family. 

 

Riley, of course, was the focus of everyone’s attention when he was awake. Both Mom and Dad were impressed with how well he is eating his rice cereal now. They both got to feed him, and neither could believe how far he had come in just two short weeks!

 

Dad left on Sunday around lunchtime, but Mom stayed one more night so she could watch (or, more accurately, fall asleep on the sofa during) the Golden Globes with me. It was a very short visit, but I’m glad we got to spend some time with them.

Thanks for coming to visit, Nola and Nopsi; we always like when you’re here!

 

My New Love

I recently purchased my very first pair of cowboy boots. Granted, they’re from Eddie Bauer and not what most would consider “true” cowboy boots. But still. Cowboy boots they are.

I went back and forth for about a week, internally debating whether or not to buy them. Would I really wear them enough to justify the money, even though I caught them on a pretty good sale? Did I really need them, even though, as I learned long ago from my mother, it’s not always about need? Plus, since I delayed a number of days on account of indecisiveness, my original color choice (brown) sold out in my size. That only left me with gray, which I REALLY wasn’t sure I would wear.

I ordered the boots in the gray anyway, figuring I could always return them to my local EB store if I decided I didn’t want to keep them.

Well, that ain’t happenin’. I LOVE my new boots.

These boots are cute, comfortable, and they make a loud, sharp sound when walked in on non-carpeted flooring. (I just love that sound. It makes me feel powerful.) I also ended up really liking the color. The gray is different enough to be interesting but not so different that it won’t go with a lot of the clothes I own. Perfect!

I wore my new boots this weekend when my mom and I went out to lunch and did some shopping at Loft. I must have told her half a dozen times, “I love my boots.”

I realize this post is a tad on the ironic side, considering what I wrote about a few days ago. But I can love my new boots AND still take them off the moment I walk into my house.

That way I can admire them from afar. In all of their gray glory.

And at the same time not interfere with my barefoot inclinations.

Withdrawals

I realized that I have not posted anything Riley-related in a few days. For that, I am oh-so-very sorry. I didn’t mean to cause anyone unnecessary withdrawals.

So, here are two videos. The first one was taken on Christmas Day. Riley started making this funny sound shortly before the holidays, and I (sort of) captured it on video (listen for it around the 25-second mark). It’s definitely funnier to hear it in person, especially when he really gets into it, but I hope you enjoy the video all the same.

And I hope you don’t mind; the second one is another laughing video. This time he’s in the bathtub, cracking up at his dad swinging colorful plastic rings into his line of sight. Not sure why this struck him as funny, but it did.

Okay, so neither is the greatest video in the world. I’ll try to do better next time!

Fetch Puppy

My brother Jeff has been working on a major project for some time now that is finally coming to fruition. Jeff helped to build a website called Fetch Puppy, and the site officially launches today.

Similar to Groupon, Fetch Puppy offers a different daily deal for various businesses around New Orleans. However, unlike Groupon, Fetch Puppy allows you, the community, to go out and land deals at places you want. YOU contact the business and settle on the terms of the deal. YOU send the deal over to Fetch Puppy. The FP staff then verifies with the business that the deal is in order and puts the deal on the schedule to be featured on the site for one day.

 

Also, as part of the Fetch Puppy community, YOU get to vote on which deal YOU want to be featured next. Once a deal has been verified by the FP staff, it will be listed on the site and voting will open. The FP staff have the final say on the actual schedule, but they want input from the people who will actually purchase the deals so they can determine what the community really wants.

But you know what the best part is? If YOU submit a legit deal to Fetch Puppy, then YOU will receive a portion (10%) of the profits from that deal. Seriously!

Say for example that I contacted the aquarium in New Orleans and set up a deal with them similar to the one they featured on Groupon on November 15 of last year. Just over 3000 people purchased that deal for $9. If I had submitted that same deal to Fetch Puppy and got the same results, I would have made just over $2700.

Score.

Plus, Fetch Puppy is going one step further. The site will also feature a local charity for one week that will also get a portion (10%) of the profits from ALL of that week’s deals. How cool is that? And, as part of the Fetch Puppy community, YOU can nominate a charity YOU would like to see benefit for one week.

I love the concept of this site. And I’m so proud of all of the work Jeff put into it. I hope it becomes a fast success.

So spread the word, tell all of your friends and family, and get to thinkin’ about some deals to submit!

Visit www.fetchpuppy.com for more information.