Just so you know...

I will again be trying to post this weekend. But Riley is going to get Baptized, Richard and Daisy are getting married, and a part from being slammed at work...I have been up since 4:45 am because I have a middle ear infection! That is right an ear infection...something normally reserved for children under the age of 10! But I guess it is better me than Riley!

I hate to be a liar...

but school just seems to take up more time than I ever think. And then there is this other thing...my job and Riley. Just think in August when I graduate (keep your fingers crossed) anyone who is still checking my blog then will be overwhelmed by all of my posts!

But here is my favorite new thing...I am totally obsessed...it is the best toy/tool ever! This is the video monitor that my Dad got me. It is fantastic!!! I love it and I do not know how I ever got along with out it. Last night Riley woke up a couple of times (probably because he slept like 4 or more hours in naps yesterday, when he normally only gets at very most 2)...anyway at 3:50 when he woke up I could see him on the screen and know that he was perfectly safe...so I cut the monitor down and let him cry it out a few minutes and when I flipped open the screen 2o minutes later he was sleeping soundly. I think my sleep and Riley's sleep will definitely be improved with this monitor...which means Michael's will improve bc I won't be nudging him and requesting he go check on his son nearly as much.

Don't give up on me yet...

I have been a busy girl this week, between school, baby, work, baby, bills, baby (this time I mean Michael) I have had alot going on. But Baby number 2 was a sweet smart man and ran into the wolf camera that is going out of business, and for $1.10 he purchased me a second camera cord, so I downloaded all of my pictures! Not ten minutes later did I find my missing camera cord. (and I am not telling anyone where it was) So this Friday I am promising to update over the weekend. But this time it will happen. I have to post about our beach weekend with the Austin's and baby food and feeding Riley. I know ya'll are all on the edge of your seats, but you will have to wait until I am out of the office and can squeeze the blog in between the 3 quiz's , one case study, and 3 discussion board postings.

So I know I said...

I would post, but it turns out I have misplaced the cable that gets the pics into the computer and as much as I have tried simply setting the camera next to the computer and willing it to download...it just won't work. And I know how everyone feels about pictures...so posting will resume soon as it is found. In the meantime ya'll can all lokk at these three little graphics as they will be consuming my time between now and August 8th!

Sorry I will post pics this weekend

But just wanted to add that Riley slept through the night without a peep from 7:30 until 6:30 once again. Life is good. Though he did not wake up his sleep was probably not as sound as usual, thanks to his Mom. I had a wedding shower to go to after work (shout out to my friend 1 L...that is Alison), and it was a great party. But by the time I got home I only had about 30-45 minutes with Riley and that is just not enough. I must have gone into his room after he went to bed, at least 5 times. And I would touch his hand or face or give him a kiss, kind of wanting him to wake up and need me, but not really. It was really pitiful! I am looking forward to the weekend and some Riley time.

sleep is good

I would like to report that both last night and the night before Riley went to sleep about 7:30 and did not peep until 6:30 the next mroning. I am never leaving town again! Everytime we go out of town his sleep gets messed up. And I will also add here that feeding him his first foods is so much fun. I will post more on our adventures in rice cereal later.

5 Months Old!

Time just flies. It seems like I was pregnant just yesterday...but no yesterday Riley turned 5 months old. Can you believe that? So of course I had to share his 5 month photo shoot. He is in this momma's opinion the cutest thing ever!

Here is Riley holding his feet...his feet are the very best toy ever.

Again the feet.

Here we are on tummy time...almost looks happy doesn't he.

Don't be fooled. He really hates it.

But put him on his feet and he is a happy camper.

Apparently his side works too.

To celebrate his 5 month birthday we drug him to La Zona Rosa with some friends. Below you can see him hanging out with Schuyler. He was quite intrigued by her dress and he was in heaven because he loves blondes! His good friend Pollard was also there having a big time, smiling and talking up a storm. His Momma Lindsey (also a cute blonde) was getting some big smiles out of Riley!
By the time we left the restaurant Riley looked like this because it was 7:30...bedtime.


Unfortunately I had to wake him up when we got home and give him a bath and insist that he finish his bottle, which he immediatly spit up as soon as he exited the bath...so after round two in the bath tub he went to bed for the night at about 8:30. He stayed asleep until 3:30 am, and we did the usual routine (paci, reswaddle, and mobile). He then slept until 6:30 and we did the same routine again...bc I am determined I will get him to sleep until 7 am or atleast stay in his crib and play until 7 am. The baby boot camp saga continues.

More on sleep

I am sorry I am boring anyone who actually reads the words on this blog...but sleep is the focus of our lives this week. Next week I will start complaining about being back in school and my almost MBA. But I just want to add that I am sleepy today which is pitiful since Riley slept so well last night. But it gave me the opportunity to worry. In fact I was nervous falling asleep and then finally after waking several times I had to go downstairs and check on him at 2:45. He was stirring a bit so I couldn't get too close to the crib for fear he would see me/or hear me. So I trucked it back to bed and laid down fully expecting to wake up to crying in the near future. When I didn't hear him until a little before 6 I was just glad to hear him. And I really missed him last night when I went to bed. It is completely true that so much about parenting is harder on the parent. Weird that I am "parenting". I wonder if I will ever get used to being the mom?

Baby Boot Camp Night # 2

Riley ate at 7:00 pm last night which proved to be too late as he started to get pretty tired (rubbing eyes and getting cranky) before he was done eating. And to keep him up after he ate would have been torture...so he was down and out at 7:30, maybe a few minutes before that. No need for his mobile or his music. And you'll never believe it but he did not wake up again until 10 till 6. I let him cry for 10 mintues and then I went down and reswaddled him and gave him his paci and turned on his mobile. He went back to sleep and I got him up at 7:00 am. I know I could have gotten him up at 6, but I really want him to get used to the idea that he is in the crib until 7 am. He doesn't have to sleep until 7, he can wake up and play (with his feet), but he is staying in the crib. It is the only way for us to be able to get ready for work when he starts moving around. Though, I will add here that Riley HATES tummy time and has not learned to roll over yet, so we do not forsee him moving around anytime soon.

And because I get in trouble when I don't post pictures...here is one of Riley in a day gown that belonged to his Daddy when he was a baby.

Baby Boot Camp Night # 1

Holland has been giving me advice on how to do this for about a month now...don't ask me why I took so long to come around! Maybe, I was hoping Riley would go back to his old ways and start sleeping through the night againn like he did until he was 4 months old...or maybe I was just scared that forcing him to cry it out was like torture. Turns out the only person it tortures is Momma and Daddy. Riley was perfectly happy this morning and the night went pretty smoothly.

Last night at bedtime (7:30 pm) I swaddled Riley, turned on his goodnight CD, put the paci in his mouth, rocked him for a few minutes, then I put him down on his sleep positioner, under his mobile and waived "night night". He seemed content and he was, because he went to sleep and 30 minutes later I went in and turned off his CD. He slept soundly until 2:40 am, when his cries came through the monitor in our room. We turned down the volume and waited until he had cried for 10 minutes and then I went in and gave him his paci and reswaddled him. He calmed down and I turned his mobile back on and he went back to sleep. We repeated this routine at 5:40 am as well. But both times he settled right back down and went to sleep. So I can do this, plus when we turn the volume down on the monitor his little cries sound more like coos in our bedroom.

This picture below is not from last night, this is one of Riley's naps over the weekend. But this is what we are going for a sleeping baby...perhaps with his pants buttoned.

It was a fluke!

Thursday nigth was a fluke. Riley had a hard time going down on Friday night...too excited to be at his grandparents, so he went to bed at 8:30 and then he slept until 1:45 when he started fussing with his eyes closed. He never fully woke up but I did. I put the paci back in his mouth a couple of times and then he slept until 10 till 6. Then Saturday night he went to bed at 7:30, woke up at 11 and then again at 4. After a couple of attempts with the paci I put him in the bad with MIchael and I and he slept soundly until 6. It seems we are going to have to suck it up and do baby boot camp! Hopefully we will have the same results as the Henig's!

Here are some pictures below from his weekend in Brewton. I got to sleep and he got to play and it was wonderful!

This weekend he really started to use his hands. He was picking up his Giraffe and shoving it in his mouth. It is so much fun to see him using his hands and holding things, but now we have to watch because he wants everything in his mouth.

Here he is playing with Grandpa Godwin in the backyard. Not only is he still spitting up all ofver his clothes he also drools everywhere and is very warm natured, so he was hanging out in his diaper alot this weekend.

He also got to see his friend Luke again. This time he was very intrigued.

Better night...

Yesterday we changed Riley's feeding schedule back to eating every 3 hours because I honestly felt like he was starving when he was waking up at 3:00 am. Reasons I thought he was hungry...he could not be soothed any way other than eating...he always latched on immediatly and he began to calm down as soon as he could tell he was going to have the opportunity to latch...and when he was done eating he did not fall asleep he just became content and then I reswaddled him and put him in the bassinet and he would lay there quietly until he fell asleep. Notice how I said all of that in past tense. Yes in past tense because last night he slept from 8:00 am until 6:00 am. Not quite the 12 hours we are going for, but I will take it. And apparently he did not sleep as soundly as I thought, because Michael had to put the paci in his mouth a couple of times, but he never fully woke up, and more importantly I slept until he got up at 6:00 am. Now I realize that it may only be in the past tense for that one night and he may return to his waking routine tonight, but I thank him for the sleep I got last night. Yesterday he ate at 5 am, 7 am, 10 am, 1 pm, 4 pm, and 7 pm, so perhaps he slept better last night because we got more in him during the day yesterday? I have tried several times to get him to eat more in his feedings, but that was not working, so the only way to get more in him is to get him more feedings. We also added some rice to his last bottle. I know the doctor recommends only doing it in the spoon, but I cannot get RIley interested in the spoon. And I know all the experts say that giving a baby rice will not help them sleep longer...but nearly every mother you talk to disagrees...so for now I am giving this skinny baby whatever I can get in him!

And below are some precious pictures from Riley's visit with Etta last Thursday. I have been meaning to do a post on their day all week because she got so many good pictures of him...but between trying to get ready for school to start up again and work and my lack of sleep it just never happened.