Riley & Pollard's First Playdate

Okay so maybe it was more of a playdate for Lindsey and Allison, but Pollard and Riley were very good sports as we posed them in the chair and took their pictures over and over again. Riley was checking Pollard out because it was the first time he had been that close to and aware of another baby his size. He couldn't stop looking at Pollard's hands. And Lindsey and I were having so much fun watching them in that chair...I can only imagine that had Lindsey and I known each other when we were six years old we would have shared similar joy over our Barbie dolls.

Riley's 1st Date

Okay so it wasn't really a date, but Tracy and I put Avery and Riley together for a photo op and I snuck his arm around Avery! Tracy and I were absolutely tickled but Riley and Avery did not really seem to notice each other at all.

Pics for Daddy while he is at work...

Stuff we love...

So when I started decorating Riley's nursery I was very particular about the esthetics and ELizabeth and I had a plan to make a mobile that was a beautiful piece of art...the project never quite made it to fruition. But last month when we went to Pensacola my Mom had put a mobile on her crib and it is amazing. Riley loves it and I mean LOVES it. So my esthetics are out the window and this fabulous Fisher Price product is attached to our crib. When it is on Riley watches it and gets really active kicking and talking (coo, gurgle, grunt). It has a projection that plays and three different songs. When he is 5 months old and we have to remove the mobile the projection will play on the ceiling.

I also must recommend Baby OxiClean, which one of our Brewton friends, Meredith, recommended to us. And she is absolutly right it is a must have. Even the easiest baby is going to have a leaky diaper or a bad spit up now and then, and sometimes washing stuff just isn't enough. Right now I have 3 things soaking in the laundry room.

The Soothie pacifier is the best thing ever! Riley was not interested in the other pacifiers at the hospital but give him a Soothie and he is soooo happy...which means everyone else is soooo happy. It is also the brand recommended by Baby 411. I dread taking it away from him.

The final thing that we love is the oh so versatile Boppy. We use it to nurse and we used it in the hospital for family members when they were holding the baby, and as you can see Riley loves to just hang out in it.

A day in the life of Riley

First things first: Breakfast! It really is the very first thing, I roll out of bed and get Riley and he has breakfast while I wake up. Lately he has been waking up and just hanging out in his bassinet (which is about 8 inches from me). He has not been waking up and crying for food like he used to do. He has also been sleeping about 9 hours or so. The first time he went that long was in Brewton and it had his Grandmother Etta quite worried. She did not want to disturb us but she was getting worried since it was 9 am and he had been waking up at 6 am. She was actually thinking to herself that their was nothing that could have injured both Riley and I...no gas or carbon monoxide...when she finally came upstairs we were just getting up, but we completly understood her concern. I need to calm down and start letting Riley sleep in his own room, but his bassinet, (that my mother redid for him) is beautiful and so portable so why not have him sleep right next to me, since he is now such a sound sleeper. I think if he were in the next room I would just be too nervous. Maybe by the time he is 4 months old I will feel better. This is all because I read sometyhing that said that the highest risk for SIDS is between months 2 and 4! And though I realize that it only effects 0.05 % it still makes me feel better to have him in the room with me. And though I sound like a nervous and overly cautious person, please give me some credit that I sleep through the night and do not turn my flashlight on his bassinet as many times a nioght like I used too!

Then after breakfast we have some tummy time on Mommy. Riley does not use his arms in tummy time but he pushes those feet up and occasionally I give him a little leverage with my hands which gives him a boost. Then when he is tired of that we go to the tummy time matand he gets to kicking while I get some breakfast and watch him. He typically lays on his back on his tummy time mat because it is so interesting to look up and check everything out. When he starts to get fussy we head for the rocking chair with a book, and then after that he usually sits swaddled in the boppy for a nap while I get some things done sitting next to him. Unfortunatly I do not get a nap in because Riley is more of a cat napper and he will sleep for 15-30 minutes and then he is awake again.

When his Dad comes home for lunch RIley either sits on the tummy time mat and plays with Michael or he sits in the Boppy next to him while Michael eats lunch. Then in the afternoon we go for a walk, which usually results in Riley taking a nap the whole time. And then when we get back he returns to his cat napping schedule until Michael comes home and they have more play time.

Handmade Gifts

So here are two more lovely handmade gifts that Riley recieved. Aren't these shows adorable!! Mrs. Saloom painted them for us. We will have to snap a picture of Riley wearing them. And here below you can see the beautiful "rag" quilt that Mrs. Bullock/Aunt Bebe made. She wrote the nicest note to go along with it. It is super soft and I think I might just be enjoying it until Riley is old enough to.

Celebrate Pensacola

I know I usually use this blog to brag about Riley, but today I would like to brag on my parents and all the hard work that they and countless others have invested in Celebrate Pensacola. Now my Mom will give all the credit to my Dad, who is Co-Chairman of the non-profit, Celebrate Pensacola, but she as his sidekick has been helping out when she was not consumed with Riley. And while Riley and I were visiting Brewton this week we took a small 1 day trip over to Pensacola to dine with royalty, and experience first hand the fruits of my parents' labor.

This year Pensacola is celebrating it's 450th anniversary, which commemorates the founding of America's first European settlement by Spanish explorer Don Tristan de Luna in August 1559. The first settlement being Pensacola. And how do you celebrate 450 years of Pensacola history...well you invite the King and Queen of Spain to come over and hang out...(ok I am sure that they extended a much more formal invitation), and the royal household accepted. His and Her Majesty arrived in Pensacola on Wednesday evening and on Thursday visited Ft. George where they laid a wreath, then they visited the TT Wentworth where they viewed Spanish artifacts and spoke to the public (somewhere between 2000-3000 people were watching) and then they attended a lunch for 450 people (who paid $250 a plate to dine with royalty).

I attended the luncheon, thanks to the kind invitation from my parents, and it was fantastic. I was seated 10 feet away from their Majesties and I enjoyed an incredible meal. My parents were seated at the head table with the King and Queen, and my father was introducing the govenor, senators and congressmen to make their toasts, as well as his Majesty, Juan Carlos. Daddy did a fabulous job, and Momma looked calm even though she wasn't. She was just relieved not to be sitting next to the King as the original seating chart, dictated by Navy protocol, had arranged. I know that my parents are relieved that things went smoothly. It took several years of work, visits to the Consul General in Miami, a meeting with both Florida senators and our Congressmen, as well as the Spanish Ambassador to the United States. And then 39 days before the King and Queen arrived, Celebrate Pensacola was told they had accepted. You can imagine that the last 39 days have been quite a ride. Efforts were made by many, but I have to say quite proudly that without my father's determination I do not think that things would have happened as they did. And as a friend pointed out to me today, Celebrate Pensacola's efforts have helped to instill a true since of community and pride in Pensacola's citizens. It was a great week to be a Pensacolian...says this Montgomerian.

Here is a picture from the luncheon while the US officials toasted to their Magesties. You will note that there are no jewels, medallions...or crowns! Can you believe I get to be in the same room as royalty and no crown?

One more note on this lovely event...I think it went better than their trip to Miami which followed. There Mario Batali was MC, and he droped an f-bomb not once but twice, and then Florida's govenor (who was on better behavior in Pensacola) got up and left before the royal couple, leaving the Queen sitting by herself. Not that I am at all surprised that our Southern hospitality outdid Miami's.

To cute not to share!

These are just some pictures that we took on Saturday. We were just sitting around admiring how cute Riley is.

Brewton

These are some of the pictures that Etta has taken of Riley since we have been here in Brewton. Sorry the slide show is a bit long, but we really just think Riley is the most photogenic little boy there ever was.

I have a new toy to make blogging even more fun. I joined Picnik and now I can add fabulous graphics and flourishes to my pictures. Now this particular picture of Riley was cuter before I put stuff on it, but I think it is such a fun program. Stay tuned for more picture projects to come.

I am taking over...

Hi, its Elizabeth. My Mom sent me adorable pictures of Riley via email today... and since Allison has shared with me one too many passwords and usernames... and I am bored at work... I am taking it upon myself to update the blog. That and these pictures are too precious to sit on my desktop and not be shared with the world.

So here you go:

I am jealous!

Michael and Riley already have a special bond. Riley lights up when he sees his Daddy and he reacts to his voice as well as other male voices. At lunch when Michael comes home, Riley gets very active and he reacts to the songs Michael makes up. Other times he just sits contently and stares at him. I took this picture Sunday morning while Michael and Riley were sticking their tongues out at each other. And though it may seem like Michael is teaching Riley bad habits he is actually helping Riley to discover himself. At this age it is recommended that we mimic their sounds and facial expressions to help them discover.

This picture is from last Monday and it is one of my very favorite pictures of Riley. He is talking to us. Just thought I would share my fave.

2 Month Appointment

Today Riley went to the pediatrician for his two month appointment. And once again Dr. Trumbull was very pleased with the way everything is going. He is happy with Riley's weight compared to his height and he thinks the feedings are going well. I was very pleased to hear the good review because Riley is not a chubby baby, and I thought most babies were supposed to be, so I was worried the doctor might suggest adding in formula or starting rice cereal which I am in no hurry to do. Apparently as soon as you do either of those moves the diapers become really gross. He weighed 11 lbs. and 7 ounces (putting him in the 45th percentile, last month he was in the 25 th percentile), his height was 23 1/4 inches (55th percentile, same percentile as last month). He also had his first round of vaccines today. I brought in back up and had Mrs Godwin with me in case he was extra fussy, but he was pretty easy to calm down and overall had a very good day. But having Etta at the house gave me an opportunity to make Michael a birthday cake, and then Mr Godwin came up so I could take Michael to dinner for his birthday. We went to Kabuki with Carolyn and Jason, same as last year, the only difference this year the new parents and parents to be did not take any sake bombs, though we did close the restaurant down again.
This picture is of a very relaxed Riley and his grandfather when we got home from dinner.

Aunt Mary

So this weekend Aunt Mary got engaged. Here she is below holding Riley with her new bling! And isn't it beautiful! They are planning a wedding for late August and we are most excited for them. Obviously this means the postpartum diet must go into full swing asap.

2 Month Photo Shoot

I cannot believe that Riley is already two months old. Every single moment with him is so precious and every single day is a new adventure. It is so amazing how quickly he grows and changes. Everyday he becomes more and more active, and he smiles more and more. At first when you have a precious little newborn it is a bit sad to see how fast they grow and change, but then you realize that they are just getting more and more adorable everyday...it is so much fun. I love being a Mom!

Favorite Books

So this post is dedicated to my favorite Books. There are a million different things that you can buy to get you through infancy, but these are the books that we love!

These first two, The Baby Owner's Manual and Baby 411 are full of lots of great information included directions on how to give a newborn a bath as well as what to expect on deliver day and what to expect when going to the pediatrician. Giving your newborn a bath may not seem like something you need directions on, especially since you haqve3 been bathing all your life, but it is nice to have some directions when you are a new mom or grandmom because you want to do everything right.

This book I love because every week it dedicates a whole chapter to your babies stage. You read so much on their development when they are in the womb and I love this book because it continues to tell me what is happening. It also gives great tips on games to play for the specific stage that your child is in.

And last but not least I am a huge fan of Humpty Who? I do not know about other new Mom's but I myself do not remember Nursery Rhyme lyrics, but this book not only tells you the lyrics but it also tells you a bit about the orgin of the rhymes. I am sure you could live without knowing the lyrics to all the rhymes but there is a reason they have been around for ages, babies like them. This book also comes with a CD so you will be able to sing along.

Riley meets Luke.

Another flashback to the week of Christmas...Riley met Luke. Luke would be Crazy Carl's son. Luke was 10 months at the time and so much fun. He was giggling and shreaking with excitement the whole time. He may be the happiest baby ever. Michael just adores watching Luke and I can only hope that Riley will be half as happy as he is.

Pictures from Riley's Birthday...

Just so we are all clear I know how horrible I look. But that is just the way it went so I will share the pictures with you anyway. Plus anyone who is about to have a baby...(Tracy, Carolyn, and Laura) know that there is no way you could look scarier than this.

Also I would like to flashback to my Dr's appointment on the 3rd of December. I was told by Dr. Connor that if I did not go into labor before the 15th of December than they would induce. After thinking about this after my appointment I told several people that I was hesitant to be induced because I was looking forward to experiencing going into labor naturally...when I said this I never meant to go the whole way naturally. Also on that Wednesday the nurse that did our ultrasound said Riley weighed 6 lbs. 13 oz. Less than 3 days later he weighed 7 lbs. 6 oz.

Labor & Delivery

So sorry this post took so long, but I needed Michael to read it before I posted it. This is all the details of my labor and delivery experience.

My last day at work before maternity leave was a crazy one. I was having all sorts of labor symptoms, but things that can happen 2 weeks before you go into real labor, so I was not certain I would go into labor. But everyone else in the office was. Everyone kept saying it was going to happen sometime over the weekend.

Turns out the cramps I had been having that day were probably contractions...but I never paid them too much attention. I was just thinking about my exams that I had to accomplish over the weekend. After work on Friday, I went home and got ready to do my homework. TJ and Tracy picked up Chinese for us for dinner so we would not have to cook (so thoughtful) and Radcliffe and Mary also stopped by before they left to go to Brewton for the weekend. And after everyone had gone Michael helped me do my homework that was due that night at midnight.

After going to sleep about 12, I got up to go to the bathroom at 2 (to be honest this was probably my second or third trip since going to bed...pregnancy bladder). A few minutes after I got back in bed something felt strange, so I sat up and then stood up...assuming that I had to go to the bathroom yet again. This was my assumption for every strange sensation in the third trimester. As soon as I stood up water came gushing down my legs. Be that it was 2 am and that I was in denial that this baby would come any sooner than my exams were due I went to the bathroom for further examination because I would not have been at all surprised at this point if my bladder had just failed. I cleaned myself up and washed my face and piddled around and then decided to wake Michael up. I kissed him on the cheek and he thought I was just being sweet telling him I was sorry for once again waking him up with my million trips to the bathroom. Then I informed him I needed him to get up because my water had broken. He was still confused and had forgotten that water breaking = hospital trip. So I explained we needed to call the doctors service and go to the hospital. Then he started throwing everything in the car and fed the cats and was ready and waiting as I took my time, I still wasn't really feeling contractions and therefore I had no sense of urgency. By the time we got in the car I was having contractions and they sped up really fast. I started timing the first one at 3:33 and the next one came at 3:36. (I had obviously taken my time at home because my water broke at 2:10 am.) We walked in Baptist East at about 3:50 am and were stopped by the security guard who asked if we had any oozies or guns of sorts and then let us go through to labor and delivery. He had a sense of humore at 4:00 am. We went upstairs and then nurses got me set up and Michael went to check me in.

Until you have experienced contractions you cannot understand them or imagine them...they hurt....real bad! The nurse asked if I would be having an epidural and I answered with an emphatic "YES"...she responded that she had assumed as much and something about how I did not seem like the type to try it on my own...not sure whether or not to be offended, after all she was right, I ignored the comment. The down side to taking my time to get to the hospital was that my contractions had gotten really close together and they could not give me and epidural until I had taken in an entire bag of fluids. Watching that bag of fluids drain was really agonizing for both Michael and me. I turned to him at one point and said, "I am not made for this...". He was so wonderful, he encouraged me and rubbed my back to distract me from the awful contractions. He was just counting on getting some relief when I got my epidural. Too bad that never happened. The nurse warned me early on that my platelets were low in my blood and that sometimes the anesthesiologist would not give an epidural when the platelet count was low. But she said they would test my blood again and it may be OK. At some point during the contractions I turned to Michael and said "I am not made for this". A few minutes later, which seemed like an eternity, the doctor came to inform me that I was not getting an epidural and he continued on to explain ready for me to argue with him. I was not interested in the details I said "if you say I can't have one I trust you", and thought..."now get out of my face so I can survive this contraction that is starting." At that point the nurse checked me again and I was dilated 10 cm so she said we were going to start pushing very soon and told Michael to call our family. She guessed that the baby would arrive in 30 minutes or so...ha little did she know! That poor nurse was trying to encourage me and she was so helpful, but I did feel bad for her because she was due to be off and Riley was taking his sweet time. A couple of times in between contractions I looked at her and she just looked board. Early on she said she could see a full head of hair but could not yet tell the color, then later she said she had about a cm of hair coming out..."now we just need the rest of the head". So much for pushing for 30 minutes...we pushed for an hour and a half. I turned to Michael at one point and said, "Damn Katie and her 20 minutes of pushing." (Katie had Hails on Thanksgiving) Then at what might have been the most awful point she said I had to stop pushing and wait for the doctor...and this other sweet nurse said "just breath through it." Let me tell you that it is impossible to breath through a contraction! The only thing that makes a contraction feel better is to push. In fact your body almost automatically pushes for you. So when Dr. Martin walked in the door and said I could start pushing again I could have kissed him! I did not care that he was coming at me with 4 shots, or that I felt like I was on fire down there...all I wanted to do was push. So now that ya'll no what it feels like for the babies head to crown...know that it is all down hill after that. As soon as the head crowned, the doctor commented on the full head of hair and said it looked like that of a little girl,...then 1/2 a second later his entire body had popped out and Dr. Martin announced that we had a little boy. Michael said "yes" and did a cha ching motion. And I relaxed while the doctor asked if Michael wanted to cut the cord. He said, "no", emphatically, and the next thing I knew the doctor had laid a grey crying baby on top of me. I was too tired to pick up my own arms...that is what an hour and a half of holding up your legs and pushing will do. I just stared at him in disbelief. Then they took him to clean him and check him and Michael watched. I turned to Dr. Martin as he worked on me and said "that is an awful lot of blood on you"...he replied "oh yes if this was a hysterectomy we'd be in trouble, but for this it is normal". Then from across the room I heard Michael ask the nurse if his head should be that pointy...I scolded him for not remembering everything Mary Jane had taught us in labor and delivery class...after all I had just managed to make her proud by not screaming through the process!

After that point I was just a big puddle on the bed, I was sooo tired. I could hardly keep my eyes open since I was sooooo swollen. If anyone who had seen me in recent weeks thought I was swollen you should have seen me after delivery...whoa I looked like a marshmallow pale and puffy...or perhaps the Michelin Man. It was bad. When my Mom entered the delivery room she was not even looking at Riley whose sex and name she did not know...instead she was worried about her daughter who she was not so certain could handle delivery without an epidural.

But I did survive it and I would do it all over again. I have to say I thought that immediately...it was the most wonderful, beautiful, unbelievable, and fantastic experience of my life. I have to say I have lived everyday thinking that my life could not become any richer or any fuller, any more amazing or any more blessed and yet it still does. Though this incredible journey began as a surprise 9 months ago, God knew this was the right place and time for us. Michael and I are so incredibly grateful for the way he works.

Riley's Ist Hair Styling

Here are some pictures from Christmas, above you can see that Aunt Coo Coo gave Riley his first hair styling...this was before he bagan to lose all the hair on the top of his head. And below you see the Dallas Irvin's with Gie Gie and Riley. FOr those of you who do not know to the left of my Mom is her sister Camille (Aunt Meme to me) and to her left is her husband, my Dad's brother, Uncle John. So recap...my Mom's sister is married to my Dad's brother and that makes Pace and Caroline my cousins on both sides.