16 months

We thought it was high time to update you on what Riley's been up to. Our affectionate, funny, active boy is growing up and learning lots of new things.














He is Mr. Entertainer... enjoys making people laugh and once he knows he's on to something, does it repeatedly. Yes, we have another clown in the family -- guess where he gets that from?

As mentioned previously, Riley enjoys wearing his bike helmets...this naturally gives way to other alternative headgear. (He still won't wear a baseball hat though...argh!)














He takes a new perspective on life such as this:














Just last week, he began to slouch... a habit his chiro daddy is not to pleased with.














His vocab is still limited to less than 10 words, but there are no communication concerns. We know what he wants and he can understand us when we speak to him. He says mama, dada, bye-bye, ball, uh-oh and bag. He also picks up the phone and says, "Hiya!" The rest is just pointing and jabbering. When I say "let's go upstairs / downstairs / take a bath /change your diaper / eat some oatmeal etc...he moves toward the appropriate room and object. He even brings the correct letter from his foam play mat when asked to bring the letter that corresponds to the inner piece (like the inside of the 'R') he's got in his hand.

He LOVES his puzzles...and claps for himself when he completes them. He's also gotten good at his nesting toys. When he tries to put a larger cup in and it doesn't fit, he doesn't impatiently throw the whole thing and whine. He knows to remove the smaller cup to make room for the larger one.

Riley still loves lights, especially now that he can reach some of the light switches in the house on his own. He isn't playing with the bath lights as much now as he is focused on other things...

He's showing an interest in sports. He'll take the handle of the plastic bat and use it to nudge the plastic baseball off of the T-ball stand. He asks us to pick him up so that he can throw the baby-sized basketball into the hoop. Mama grew up playing basketball, so she's quite proud! He's also discovered a love of balls of many kinds, mini-basketballs, small plastic balls, a large globe beach ball, he loves them all. He particularly enjoys taking the beach ball and rolling it on the ironing board when Daddy is ironing or the bed when Daddy has first woken up and yelling, "Ball!" (Or "Bah!")

On the subject of sports...Riley rode his first toddler bike at the bike store last week. He's still a little short for it, but we hope that his legs will have lengthened by the time he's 2. We will probably get him a "balance bike" which is a European pedal-less bike that's just starting to catch on here in the States. It teaches balance prior to pedaling and we think that will be a good starter bike for our future mountain biker.




























The only significant addition to his menu is peanut butter. We had given him a taste of it here and there with no allergic reaction. So it's now a staple in his diet and boy, does he love it (just like his parents!).

He's still wearing 12 month pants so we're hoping for a spurt soon! He's in 18 mo. shirts so at least his top half seems to be of average size. Just got a new pair of Merrell shoes for winter that match ours (see pics 3 & 4) ... so now he's in big-boy shoes!

Socially Riley seems to do pretty well. He gets along with other kids his age and kids older than him seem to love him. This is never more evident than at day care, where when we come down the stairs the kids all get excited and yell, "Riley's here!"

He loves his Maine cousins (my first cousin Jon, his wife Julie and 10 yr old daughter Erica):






























Riley doesn't have any problems with being left at daycare, the nursery at church or other such places, but he loves being with Mama or Daddy and really lights up when both are present.

Still loving his books and we make sure to read to him every night before bed and whenever he asks during the day. Current favorites are "Babycakes" and Moo Baa La La La. He really loves the page in Babycakes where you say "Peek-a-boo!" He covers his face with his hands and giggles. Daddy finds Riley reading in his crib nearly every day when he comes to get him after his morning shower. We'll be really happy to have a bookworm!

So as our boy grows older he gets to be more and more fun. He's so much more interactive and it's such a joy to watch him develop.

We love our sweet good boy!


Shelby & Jonathan

a milestone birthday

This past Wednesday was Jonathan's 50th birthday and we celebrated it with dinner at the Outback Steakhouse. (Little did he know, I was planning a surprise party for him -- but more on that later.) I gave him gifts that would enhance his mtn biking experience, namely bike shorts, winter tights & money for maintaining his "baby".

I'm glad my husband isn't depressed by birthdays. Maybe its because we feel so much younger than we are. I think getting older is much sweeter when you feel blessed as we do. We have a life that is in many ways the life we always wanted, so having another year to enjoy it is cause for celebration.

The two pics I got at dinner highlight just how much Riley looks like a mini-Jonathan:














Playing table drums together:














Riley enjoyed his first serving of cheesy fries so much that he dipped his whole hand in the ranch dressing!














But this wasn't the end of the celebrations. I had a surprise party in the works as well. There were over 30 adults and kids planning to join me today at Lake Quannapowitt for an afternoon of fun and picnicking, some from as far away as Colorado. He had a mtn biking trip planned this morning -- giving me the time needed to set up. As the rain began dominating the weekend forecast however, I was scrambling for another plan. Thankfully, the nice folks at Bear Rock Cafe said they would section off a part of the restaurant for us to use.

Since there was no mtn biking this morning, I enlisted the help of my Maine cousins, Betsy and the Crounses. We were able to keep J totally in the dark as we dropped off balloons & decor, picked up carrot cake and made plans for lunch at the restaurant. When J walked in, he was totally stunned at what awaited him.





























Unfortunately, I managed to take mostly blurred pictures due to some problem with the settings, so we only have a few pics from the party:














Riley enjoyed all the attention he was getting:














Riley and his friends:














The mom and expectant moms talking about what else...babies!














Our tired boy snuggled up with cousin Jon...














I made a card that said "50 Things We Love About Jonathan" that everyone helped to fill out, which really touched him. Though we would have preferred a warm, sunny day, I think the happiness of the occasion made the rain seem much less of an issue.

Happy Birthday, my love... here's to 50 more, Lord willing!

Shelby

daycare...update

Just a quick note to our faithful blog readers to let you know that we have found a mom here in Wakefield that wants to babysit Riley in the afternoons. She's a former nanny & daycare worker who had her first child about two months ago and looking to supplement their family's income. We met with her this morning and had a very good feeling about her. We plan to start up on Nov 3rd.

We've actually been hoping for this for a few months, wondering if we'd be able to find someone...the search ended much sooner than I had feared (hallelujah!).

Talking to Diane (our current daycare provider) about it today, it was sad for me that Riley will be leaving her and the kids. Besides Cole, there are a couple of other kids that favor him and will be very unhappy to see him go. I know it's necessary to do this and that Riley will do fine with Nicole, but it's still sad to have to make the change. One of the encouraging signs we had while meeting with Nicole is that Riley warmed right up to her and showed her one of the toys he was playing with. Lately, he's been shy with anyone he doesn't know and hangs his head to go into his shell. Nicole put him right at ease which was a relief.

So, we're very thankful to have found someone who can help us out part-time and I'm excited that J and Riley will get to spend even more time together for the foreseeable future. Thanks for all your prayers (you know who you are!) and we'll have more pics to come shortly -- I promise!

Shelby

daycare

Riley enjoys his daycare a lot...Miss Diane has a great set up and after 18 yrs of doing this, she's has a lot of great toys that you can't find in the stores anymore. As soon as we bring him inside he's off to play and briefly looks over when we say goodbye only to return to his toys.

When I pick him up he squeals and runs off to get "busy" playing -- maybe he thinks it'll delay having to leave. I do get some whining when we finally leave. It's a good thing that he gets over stuff quick. It's nice to know that he enjoys himself so much there.

Riley favorite buddy is a 2 yr old named Cole. Cole gets all excited when he sees Riley in the morning. It's really sweet. Here's a shot of Cole, Riley and Harry outside playing:














He likes the playhouse where he can open and shut the door as much as he wants!














And you can't forget the slide!














It's always sad when mama says we have to go home:














Before Riley attempted the "big slide" (see last week's blog), he practiced on the daycare slide. Here he is with Sophia who likes to give him a kiss before he leaves to go home:

As much as I hate to leave him each morning, it's a comfort to know that he's being well taken care of.

That being said, full-time daycare is expensive and we're finding that we need to make some adjustments to this line item of our budget. Since I can't reduce my hours, J has suggested that he reduce his. If he can move his morning patients to the afternoon, then he can watch Riley in the morning. We've found a mom who is interested in watching Riley and we'll be meeting with her next week to see if she will work out. We'll keep ya posted.

It's hard to leave Diane and all the kids, but we feel it's necessary as we weather these hard economic times. The upside is that J will get to spend that extra morning time with Riley as we're saving some money. It'll make sick days easier to manage too, since I'll have most of my workday done if I need to come home early.

We'll be grateful for prayers of wisdom and peace whatever the outcome.

Shelby

the cool dude

He looks good in pleather, don't ya think?














Shelby

the park

It's no secret, Riley loves him a swing... now that he's more adventurous, he's enjoying more of the big toys at the playground:





















The King on his throne:









Shelby

visiting kate

Over the last two or three years there have been a whole lot of babies born to members of our church (CTK.) It has been an amazing thing to see so many babies around and it's been really cool to watch our friends' families grow alongside ours.

A great blessing to us after Riley was born was "Meals for Moms." This is where members of the church bring ready made meals to the families of newborns. It was such a great thing when caring for our brand new boy to have one less thing to do.

On the other end of things, when bringing a meal to a friend with a newborn it means you get to meet the new arrival! So Sunday after church we went to see Jeff and Sarah's newest addition: Kate!

After I had my chance with Kate Shelby got plenty of baby holding time in. Here's a shot right after Kate woke up and was unswaddled:














She's adorable! What a cutie! Speaking of cute, big sister Hannah spent some time hanging out with Riley. You may remember Hannah from a previous blog when she was chasing Riley around the house. Here she is with a push toy in the kitchen:














Hannah gave Riley some very impressive lessons in sharing (well beyond her years.) It was so cool watching the two of them playing so well together. Here they are sitting against the couch. Hannah reached down to hold Riley's hand. So sweet!














Just before leaving Riley saw a recliner that was his size and decided to try it out. Hmm, last time he saw one of these he wasn't too crazy about it...














Jeff and Sarah have been blessed with two beautiful girls. Babies are such a joy! They do remind me of how much our boy has grown though. He's such a big boy.

We love our boy!


Jonathan

the ollie

Hi everybody, this is Riley. Mama is tired from her race and Daddy needs a rest too, so I'm going to write this one.

Today we went to a place called Southie where people run in a race. Mama was going to run with them. They called the race the Ollie.

Daddy and I went to be Mama's support team. It was important for us to be there! First we went to watch Mama start the race. Here's a picture of her starting:














Daddy and I thought she looked really good and strong at the start, even though it was really hot and muggy from the rain we had this morning.

Mama ran to where we couldn't see her any more, so Daddy and I had to wait for her to get back. We went back to the Pavilion to wait.

While we were waiting Daddy got me out of my stroller so I could walk around. I'm wearing my new camo sneakers that Grandma Berg got me. Aren't they cool?














I walked around a corner and right into a puddle. It splashed when I stepped in it! I didn't know what to do, so I just stood looking at the water until Daddy came to help me:














After that we went back to the pavilion and I got to watch a rock band set up. It was cool!














I got really excited and wanted to play the drums. Here's a video:


I love music. Mama and Daddy hope I'll be a drummer some day. That sounds like fun.

It was getting close to the end of the race for Mama, so we needed to get to the finish line to cheer her on and help her after the race. On the way out a nice lady gave me a bell to ring for Mama. I loved the bell!














I had a really good view of the road Mama was going to come down. I couldn't see her yet though. Come on Mama! I'm here to help you!














Then I could see her coming. Yay for Mama! She's running really fast!














After the race we got to have yogurt, grape juice, a hamburger and a thing called a Power Bar. Yum! I got to sit with Mama and help her celebrate.














I heard Mama say that she ran the whole race (five miles, WOW!) at a 9:27 minute per mile pace. She was much faster than last year. She ran it in under 48 minutes! I wish I could run that fast. I bet she gets faster from running after me all the time. I'll make sure she gets lots of practice for next year!

The race was really fun. Mama hopes it's not so hot and humid next time. All of Mama's clothes were wet after the race. At least this year they had plenty of water while she was running though. I had a great time. Before we went home Mama and Daddy said there was just one more thing to do. Daddy needed to give me a tickle!














I love races. Maybe I'll be a runner like Mama some day!

I love my Mama and Daddy!


Riley

helmets

We started taking family bike rides a while back. Riley is safely strapped into the bike trailer, but he will be safer if he is also wearing a helmet. With our boy's safety in mind Shelby went out about a month and a half ago and bought a cute, mini bike helmet. I set it up to fit him correctly and we tried it out...and he hated it. (Crying, pulling at the helmet and trying to rip it off his head.)










For just about all of his fifteen months Riley has hated having anything on his head. This has particularly concerned us when our extra-super-fair boy has been in the sun. He won't wear hats either. Fortunately sunscreen has worked. When we're biking it's even more of a safety issue though.

So imagine Shelby's surprise yesterday when suddenly Riley comes up to her wanting to put his helmet on. And then he doesn't want to take it off! A sudden and unexpected change. Not only does he want to wear his helmet, but he insists that mama and daddy wear theirs too. We happily accommodate his request to encourage this new interest of his.

So first, Riley heads off to the park with Mama to show off the new head gear:









Mama got some video of our very confident walking boy showing off his new apparel:


Daddy and Riley need to wear their helmets when they play:









This, of course, is just another part of my master plan to develop a future mountain bike riding partner. So far, so good...

At daycare today, Diane told Shelby that Riley made a beeline to the helmets there too. I guess it's not just bike helmets that have captured his interest.

So nice to see you wearing your helmet Riley! Bye Bye!











Jonathan

8 years ago today...

...I arrived in Maine for the start of my new life. My friend John was kind enough to accompany me on the 21 hour drive from Nashville to Portland. Having never been to New England, it was step of faith, but one that I had felt led to make for several years, despite the great life I had in TN.

John and I stopped in New Hampshire for a lunch break before crossing over the Pisquataqua River into Maine:



















As Providence would have it, my cousin Jon, his wife Julie and 2 yr old daughter Erica moved there from Dayton three months earlier. As neither of us knew anyone in Maine, we were grateful to have each other for company.

Enjoying the view of Camden from the top of Mt. Battie on the way up to Acadia:














You know how when you live in one place you get stuck in a lifestyle rut? I wanted a simpler life where my main form of fun involved being outdoors and enjoying God's creation. I wanted four seasons and to not be stifled by the heat in my outdoor pursuits. I wanted "Alaska" without the isolation (and the bears!).

In Maine, I had a gorgeous "backyard" with coast and woods nearby. I took full advantage of it and cruised all over the state, going down the various peninsulas to the coastal villages and hiking with my cousins in the White Mountains of NH.

My first Christmas card from Maine featured my favorite lighthouse (the one featured in the Labor Day blog)



















During my short time there, I met some great friends like Tom and Leah Cornwell (see Aug 17th blog), Cathy Lyden & Jenn Bliss. I took advantage of a Mobile gas promotion and learned to downhill ski and took XC ski lessons from the folks at LL Bean:

Cathy and I at Sunday River:



















XC skiing with Cathy and a group of singles from First Baptist Church:













Beaching it with the Cornwells:














Jenn and I at the Yarmouth Clam Festival:














Picnics on the coast were awesome... we celebrated Erica's 3rd birthday at the Portland Head Light:














Though I wasn't alone, there was plenty of alone time during the 16 months I lived in Portland -- I used to sit for hours on the coast and pray that the Lord would give me a family of my own one day. In the midst of my heartache, God gave me His art to enjoy and I think I was better able to appreciate its beauty because of the sorrow. I look back on that time as a very special period of my life.

I have been able to show Jonathan all of my favorite places in Maine and I look forward to introducing them to Riley as he gets older. Sort of like bringing it all full circle, I guess. Maybe some day I'll get to live there, but for now, I'll be grateful that it's only an hour away.

Shelby