20 things for 20 months

Riley hit 20 months a couple of weeks back and we wanted to do a blog entry about what he's doing now. Using the "25 random things" idea as a starting point, here are 20 things about Riley for 20 months. This is going to be a long post...


1. Riley likes to read.
Riley has always liked books (we even read to him in the womb.) We read to him before bed at night and he can frequently be found sitting and reading or carrying a book to you to be read. Favorite books: Foodie Babies Wear Bibs, No No, Yes Yes, Good Night Moon, Good Night New York City.

Riley reads in his new chair









He also likes to just sit on the floor









2. He's a swimming boy!
He loves to swim and really enjoys going under water. He's been taking swimming lessons since November (thanks to two gifts from Grandma Betsy!) and all three of us have enjoyed it.

Riley and Mama splashing in the pool









Riley loves the platform he can stand on









Mama and boy at the end of the lesson









3. He loves outdoor activities.
Riley loves biking, hiking and kayaking. Today he went snowshoeing with Mama and Daddy (sort of, he was a passenger) when we had a warmer day (upper 30's to low 40's rather than teens.)

Riley and Daddy Bushwack on the golf course









Riley and Mama at Stone Tower









Video from Stone Tower


4. He knows what 'I love Grandma' means.
Here's a picture of him tapping his bib with his hand once we told him what it said. That's my Mom sitting on the right. We have a very affectionate boy.

Riley Loves Grandma









5. Riley loves playgrounds whatever the conditions.
Two weeks ago we went sledding / swinging / playing on the slide on a day with a 5 degree wind chill. Riley cried when we took him to the car.

The slide is always good









Those mittens got in the way of his steering









He loves to go to the Burlington Mall playground with Mama. She takes him there at least once a week so that he can get out of the house, run around and play with other kids.

Riley has always gotten along with the bigger kids










6. He likes to be tickled...most of the time.
If I ask him, "Do you want a tickle Riley?" he runs away (all the while giggling and looking to see that I'm following him) and then laughs like crazy when I catch him and tickle him. Funny thing though, if he's not in the mood you can tickle him and he doesn't react. At all.

7. He tells us when he has a poop and prefers a clean diaper.
He pats his butt and says, "Poo poo?" and walks over to the stairway. He'll also usually say, "Uh huh" if he has a poopy diaper and we ask him about it. Hopefully this means he'll be easier to potty train...

8. He is a good sleeper.
Most days he sleeps until about 7:30am. It used to be somewhere between 5 and 6am... Since Daddy is watching him most mornings it makes me a happy and more rested man.

9. Riley has not given Mama and Daddy any type of illness since last June.
Daddy gave him the flu last month and he has had a case of diarrhea this month though. Other than that it's been a much healthier last seven months, thankfully.


10. He doesn't talk much yet.
He says bye bye, uh oh, Mama, Dada, more, bath, ball, bike, poo poo, moon, uh huh! and snowman (among others.) He has said a bunch of words once and never said them again. He will not say any word if asked to, and rarely will respond if we ask him what something is. He'll probably be like my brother Tom, who after saying little or nothing suddenly at three years old said, "I want to go see the toys Mommy" just like he had been speaking for years. Riley is starting to make a little more of an effort though. And honestly, it has just seemed that speaking really hasn't been that important to him.

11. Riley is starting to mimic animal and other sounds.
He does neigh, baa, ruff ruff, snoring sounds, and car noises among other things. It's fun to watch him push a car around and reading books with animals in them has gotten more fun too.

12. Loves his "Fridge DJ" radio and dances to the songs.
The "Fridge DJ" sticks with magnets to the door of the refrigerator and has buttons that play different types of songs. "Classic hits" like Old MacDonald and the Alphabet Song. I doubt there is anywhere else that you'll hear Old MacDonald introduced followed by someone saying, "Let's get groovin'!" I love it.

13. He loves his parents, but is very attached to Mama.
If I'm holding him and Mama comes into the room he immediately leans and reaches out for her. He has taken to following Mama around and becoming upset if she leaves the room. He's also seen the bedroom empty as we have gone by it in the morning and said, "Mama?" in a very forlorn way. Fortunately he is not crying when Daddy takes him up to bed any more. A couple of weeks ago he started to cry when left in the nursery at church. He has done this with both of us. For the record, I don't blame him for preferring Mama, I'm kind of partial to her too.

Riley Loves Mama!










14. He likes bikes and points to them whenever he sees them and says, "Bike!"
I always encourage this and talk to him about how I look forward to riding with him. I run the screen saver (Webshots, I've got thousands of bike pictures loaded into it along with family pictures and lots of pictures of him) in the morning while he eats and we both comment on the pictures. He calls out "Bike" each time a bike picture comes up. It's a fun way for us to interact while he eats. I'm also looking down the road a few years and hoping to have a riding partner who will give me an excuse to ride as much as I used to...

15. Riley is a very social kid.
He's an extrovert, just like his Daddy. He interacts well with other kids at the Burlington Mall playground and gets on well with the kids of Mama and Daddy's friends. He loves his cousins. Some examples:

Riley and cousin Daniella









Riley and cousin Erica









CeCe shares chocolate chips with Riley









Riley shares a seat withZippy









CeCe, Zac, Riley and Zippy at Minado










16. Riley is starting to test the boundaries of "Yes" and "No."
He has gone after electric outlets (while I was saying, "Riley NO!" repetitively), loves to unroll the toilet paper (while I say, "Riley NO!" repetitively), he intentionally throws his sippy cups on the floor from his high chair, etc., etc. Discipline has been administered. The battle has been enjoined. Overall he's a really good boy though, and is very easy on us. We're grateful.

17. He is crazy for technology.
Riley loves cell phones, regular phones, Mama's Blackberry, the computer (especially the mouse), remote controls, the DVD player...anything that is electronic and especially things that light up or make some kind of noise. Most of the above do both. He's even gone after a stranger's Blackberry at the mall. I expect him to be teaching me things about our computer by about age four...

Our computer savvy boy









He loves DVD's, especially the Backyardagains










18. He gives open mouth kisses.
It's really sweet. Again, he's a very affectionate boy.

19. Riley can do a somersault.
He threw down one of these in his bedroom last weekend to my astonishment. We still don't know where he learned how to do this, but here's video:





20. He loves, loves, loves the Little People bus and airplane sets.
Definitely his favorite toys of late. He loves putting the people in and pressing the driver / pilot down to make music play. He also loves it when I pick up the airplane and make it 'fly' while making jet engine noises. Another favorite thing: pulling the side door off of the bus. Sometimes he comes into the dining room just carrying the door.

Riley loves his airplane!










It's hard to believe it's been 20 months. At the same time it seems like he's always been part of our lives. He's brought so much joy to Shelby and I. Out of all the names I've been called, my favorite is Daddy.

We love our 20 month old boy!


Jonathan