Which brings me to my next post...

Riley walked last night!!!! And of course I wasn't in the room! :0( We stayed at my parents' house last night so we could be here to celebrate my birthday today & everyone saw it but me! I think I was in the kitchen & they were all in the living room at the time. I heard my mom, TAG & my dad all say "He's walking!" & I flew in there as fast as I could, but he fell as soon as I did. They said he took about 5 or 6 steps on his own. He was holding on to a chair & let go to play with the dog & when the dog moved, he followed. I am so sad I missed this. BUT he did walk a few more times last night afterwards. He didn't take as many steps as he did the first time, but he took about 3 steps to me a couple of times. I am so proud of my big boy!!

Knee Update

We went Thursday to Campbell Clinic to get some x-rays done & see what the doctor thought about Riley's knees. Riley did NOT like the doctor feeling & moving his legs all around, but other than that he did pretty well. His "Grandma" Mindy did his x-rays for him. He was so excited to see her! He loves his "Minny" :0). To make a long story short, Dr. Beaty basically said that Riley's bone structure looked good & that once he started walking on his own, his legs should straighten out. I was relieved that there was nothing wrong with the bones, but asked if it could have something to do with his ligaments. He said that ligament abnormalities in a baby his age are extremely rare & that he didn't foresee anything wrong with them either. He just wants to keep a check on him & have us come back in 6 months. YAY!

Just Livin' the Life

Boo-boo's...
are no fun...
neither is going to the doctor for x-rays...

but playing in the water sure is!!

Being outside on a perfect summer day makes everything all better!

Memorial Day Weekend & a Little Before

Last weekend my dad hung his Hammaka that we gave him for his birthday. Riley helped him test it out.

Friday Riley went to watch his Daddy play basketball for the first time. He waved at TAG while he was running & said “Dada” constantly!

Yesterday Riley & I went with my parents to Martin to a birthday party for one of my dad’s friends who was turning 50. TAG had to work so he didn’t get to go. We missed Dada though! Riley was in the car for about 3.5 hours yesterday after his doctor’s appointment so he was tired & a little irritable, but he had fun and ended up being in a pretty good mood once we got there. Thank goodness!

We ate BBQ & lots of other great food. Some of the guys fished while the ladies chatted & we all had a great time.

Riley was ready for Memorial Day. :0)

Riley loved to look at his reflection in the water. How pretty is this pond, by the way!

The Birthday boy!

I took a ton of pictures, but instead of posting all of them, I just made an album if you want to take a peek...wait, scratch that...it's not letting me upload the album right now. I'll try again later and hopefully it will work then.

Happy 50th Birthday Mr. Brad! We had a blast!

9 Month Check-up

We went to Riley's 9 month check-up this morning. He weighs 20 lbs, 3 oz & is 30 inches long. He is in the 50th percentile for weight & 90th percentile for height. No big surprise there! Overall he looked great, but we are going to have to see a Pediatric Orthopaedics doctor in the next few weeks for Riley's hips and knees. When Dr. Phillips asked me if I had any concerns or questions for him, I did have one. I hesitated to ask it at first because I wasn't sure if this was normal for a child his age or if it is something he would just grow out of later. When Riley stands, he doesn't lock his knees. It looks as if he is squatting a little. Nothing too severe & probably not very noticeable to anyone other than me, to be honest. Just one of those things that sticks out to a mother. It became a concern to me mainly because the doctors have always kept a close eye on his hips since he was a breech baby. Breech babies are more at risk for hip problems due to the way they are in the womb. After Dr. Phillips checked it out & determined that something isn't 100% right, he brought in another doctor to get a second opinion. They agreed that I needed to take him to a Pediatric Orthopaedics doctor to have him checked out. So Dr. Phillips referred him to Dr. Jim Beaty, the Chief of Staff at Campbell Clinic. He is going to have his nurse get me the 1st open appointment with this doctor & call me on Tuesday to let me know when we will be able to get in. They will probably start with some x-rays & then go from there. I am praying that it ends up being nothing to be concerned with. I'll definitely keep everyone updated, but please say a little prayer for my baby boy if you don't mind.

Mmmamamama

Just last week Riley started saying "Mama" only most times it comes out "Mmmamamama" instead. How cute! I was so thrilled to hear it for the 1st time that it brought tears to my eyes! He has been saying "Dada" for about 3 months now so I was excited to hear "Mama"! We still aren't sure if "Dada" & "Mama" is just him babbling or if he is really calling us. He seems to say "Mama" more so if he is tired or wanting me to pick him up. "Dada" is usually when he is excited & playing. I finally caught him on video saying it. Sorry it's a little out of focus.





I've been playing with my new camera a little more this morning. Here are some pictures I have taken so far.



Somebody's getting sleepy...time to go in for a nap!

My Early Birthday Present!

I got my early Birthday present this afternoon! It's a Nikon D5000 & I am loving it already! After much debate over a Nikon or a Canon, talking to friends & reading reviews online, I finally decided just to go over to Wolf Camera & ask some people there. The lady I talked to was super nice & helped me make a decision. I went with the Nikon. I have been playing around with it a little tonight & I will post some of the pictures tomorrow. But I am so excited about this camera! Happy (early) Birthday to me! :0)

Bittersweet

Since I started Riley’s new sleeping and eating schedule about 3 weeks ago, he progressively nursed less & less and completely quit during the night just 2 days in. It has caused my milk supply to deplete to now almost nothing. He actually hasn’t nursed at all in 2 whole weeks. This is a bittersweet time for me because a big part of me is so glad that he is not waking up in the middle of the night just to be nursed back to sleep, but a bigger part of me misses it. Right after Riley was born, a lady we go to church with kept telling me that I would miss those 2 am feedings & at that time I thought she was crazy for saying that. I was so ready for a full night of sleep it wasn't funny! But now that he isn't breastfeeding anymore I do miss it, even at 2 am. Breastfeeding a baby is way more than just that. It is a bonding time with a feeling of closeness that I really can’t explain. Plus, it’s sooo healthy for the baby…not to mention cheap! I know Riley has had his fair share of breast milk since he nursed for 8.5 months, but I'm having a hard time giving it up. I guess it’s just one of those things that only a breastfeeding mom would understand. Riley has done pretty well with the change, but if it were completely up to me I wouldn’t quit just yet. My body is just not making it like it used to, though. I thought about taking Fenugreek to try & bring it back, but decided against it. Maybe it is time, especially since Riley seems ready to be weaned & has completely switched to a bottle without any problems. My little boy is growing up too fast. I know I say that all the time, but time is really flying. I never thought I would be emotional about breastfeeding, but I've thought that about a lot of things & being a mother has proved me wrong.

Sweet Summertime

We played outside a lot this past week & I've been behind on my blogging lately.  Here’s a little bit of what we’ve been up to…

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We got Riley a new pool Friday & he LOVES it! I knew he would because he loves playing in the bathtub so much. 

       

Did you notice all of the bare spots in my grass? I have Zeke to thank for that! We had to tie him up because he kept wanting to get in the pool with Riley. Maybe when Riley is a little bigger they can swim together.

Saturday Brittany & Lucy came over & we went to the mall. Lucy & Riley are about 2 1/2 weeks apart in age & already in love. Brittany & I have their wedding planned already. ;0) I love this picture of him pointing at her.

    “Who her? That’s my girlfriend, Lucy!”

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Yesterday before church he looked so cute I couldn’t help but to take a couple quick pictures before we left. He pulled some leaves off of a bush & wanted to eat them so badly. I tried my best not to let him get them all the way in his mouth. Doesn’t look like I was successful, though. I hope they’re not poisonous!