A couple of weeks ago, when he finally had the coordination to pick up his blanket, he has one of the happiest days a baby can have.  He could choose to touch the blanket.  He could pick it up and rub his face in it.  (He’s not quite coordinated enough to pull the blanket anywhere else.)  For days laying down with a blanket and touching it was one of his favorite things.

He’s since moved on to a fascination with the links we use to attach his toys to all the different baby appliances we have scattered around the house.   Last week he was practicing getting the link from the table up and around into his mouth.  Not the most direct route, but he did master it!

But even though his curiosity has led him to new things, he still enjoys the happiness found with a soft blanket.  When we first lay him down for a nap or for the night he always takes the blanket, rubs it on his face, and smile-giggles.

We misplaced the cord that connects our camera to the computer – I’m hoping we didn’t sell it or toss it in our garage sale frenzy last Saturday.  So for now, you’ll have to make do with a slightly younger Riley picture.

Over Labor Day Riley took his second plane trip.  This time we headed to Colorado for my uncle’s wedding.  They got married in a mountain meadow with storm clouds threatening but the sun still shining.  It was beautiful.  Riley got to meet more family and charmed everyone with his happy baby-ness.  At the reception, he got to dance to a live band for the very first time.

He also really enjoyed his time with Grandmommy and Opa.  He dressed up like a pumpkin and trick or treated at their hotel room door. While he is too young for candy, he got to play and be adored so I think that counts as a treat.  Grandmommy also brought Riley a baby floatie and he went swimming for the very first time!  It’s amazing to watch him do new things; from the uncertainty when he first tries it to the surprised enjoyment to the fussy “I’m done” at the end.  It makes me remember the excitement of something new and I am so happy that he gets to have so many of these moments.  (And considering a baby’s memory, he’ll get to have several of these moments again . . . )

This past month has also seen Riley grow some more.  He’s already 17 pounds!  And he is interacting with his world more every day.  We bought his high chair (or throne) and he loves it!  He gets to be up high, sit upright, play with his toys, and be right by us.

His other new love is the Exersaucer.  He practices standing up and all the toys have helped him learn to twist as he moves around to see and play with everything.  Everyday he gets better at picking things up and holding on to them (and, of course, putting them straight into his mouth!).  His new favorite toys are these little round animals that squeak and rattle.  They are perfect for his little hands and soft enough that he loves to chew on them.

As I’m writing, Riley is in his bouncer suspended in the doorway of our office.  He loves jumping up and down, turning around and trying to reach for things that are just out of his grasp.  He’s getting a little restless and Saturday morning is meant for playing with his parents after a week of daycare, so we’ll say goodbye for now.  And next time it won’t be so long between Riley updates.

(He’s really thinking about exactly how he’s going to pick up the round red monkey and put it in his mouth.)

But in between eating and whining, he has managed to learn some new things.  This weekend he mastered rolling over from his back to his stomach.  Every time he was on his play mat, he immediately started practicing his rolling.  However, since he hasn’t yet figured out how to go from his stomach to his back, he gets stuck on his tummy and will eventually howl his frustration to us.  Then today he discovered that he can bend.  So now whenever he is “standing” or sitting in his bouncer, he attempts to fold himself in half.  I don’t quite understand the attraction but he seems to enjoy himself.

So back in April, before Riley was born, I picked up a Halloween costume at a garage sale.  It was the perfect size, 3 – 6 months, since he would be 5 months at his first Halloween.  I noticed the costume as I was putting away his laundry and realized I didn’t know if it would still fit in October.  So, we tried it on.  And it fit almost perfectly so we had to take plenty of pictures of our adorable dragon.

Then while Mommy got a pedicure on Sunday, Riley got to play with Daddy.  When I got home, Riley was laughing so hard.  Granted, his laugh currently sounds like a yell.  But it is a happier sound then his actual yells. 

Riley now laughs on a regular basis.  He even almost giggles when we tickle his stomach.  He has also finally managed to get his hands together and spends a lot of time using one hand to explore the other.  Of course his favorite thing is to cram both of them into his mouth.  (Well, anything he can get in his mouth makes him pretty happy.)

Here’s Riley blowing bubbles at the Farmer’s Market.

Riley took his second long car ride on Sunday when we came back to Austin.   After 4 hours in the car, Riley was hungry and I was tired.  After he ate, I was planning a nice long bath.  But before the bath, it was time for Riley’s multi-vitamin.  He’d had it once before and his facial expression told me that it tasted about as good as it smelled.  He tried to push most of it out of his mouth with his tongue, but most of it made it down his throat.

While I got in the bath, Cody put Riley in his swing–one of his favorite evening activities.  Not more than 10 minutes later, Riley was throwing up all over his swing and the floor.  He literally lost everything in his stomach and was still dry heaving once he was empty.  The funny part, he gave his big toothless grin in between it all.

So Mom and Dad made the baby sick with the long car ride, the nasty liquid vitamin, and the well-intentioned swing.  It was only today that he was fully recovered–his appetite is back and bigger than ever!

This week we started playing a new game–airplane.  Riley leans against my legs and then I lean back and he gets to “fly”.  He makes happy noises and gives his biggest grins.  After every landing, he gives his mommy big, sloppy kisses and gurgles some more.  Okay, so he really just keeps his mouth open like he’s about to eat, but I like to pretend he’s kissing me back.

He’s all geared up and ready to go!

In the past week Riley has really begun to use his hands.  He likes to hold on to Mrs. Bunny, Mr. Monkey, and Baby Froggie (his stuffed animals).  He grabs for books when we read to him, will pull down my shirt if I don’t pay attention, and several times has gotten a very strong grasp on our hair.

The increase in grabby-ness has been accompanied by greater skill at getting things into his mouth.  Even just a couple of weeks ago, he wasn’t able to reliably get his hands to his mouth without having to try several times and “screaming” a little in frustration when things didn’t go quite as planned.  But now he is able grab and pull – often helping out by leaning his head towards his hand – and he looks so proud and excited when he finally gets the bunny ear in his mouth!

We got Riley a new book on Monday titled “Look Look!” by Peter Linenthal.  It is a book of black and white pictures and the lines are thick and well-defined.  These high contrast images are supposed to be easier for babies to see and I can say that Riley really likes the book.  He starts cooing and kicking his feet when we “read” the book.  Definitely worth the $5.

Riley seems to be doing really well in daycare.  He is still sleeping through the night and he isn’t any fussier than usual.  His mother on the other hand . . .  I cried a lot on Monday and definitely missed my afternoon naps all week.

Going back to work has actually been enjoyable.  I missed being around people and having to think about things other than taking care of Riley.  Granted, right now it kind of feels like those first few weeks of school–when everything is new so it seems exciting.  We’ll see how I feel in a month.

Our evenings are spent doing all Riley all the time–well at least when he isn’t sleeping.  Now that I’m not with him all day long, I notice his changes more.  He is getting more active and responsive every day.  He’s “talking” more and often has his parents hanging on his every “word”.  I spent over an hour on Wednesday cooing, gurgling, and talking in a higher pitched voice just to see the smile come across his face and to hear his attempts at making noise.

I don’t think going back to work and starting daycare will always be easy, but it is definitely worth it and I think we’ll all be great in the end.

Yes, he takes bubble baths. 

But his two month checkup was definitely a success.  He measured 24.5 inches (90th percentile) and weighed 14 lbs (95th percentile).  Definitely living up to my “giant baby” description.  He smiled and flirted with his doctor, did well on his tummy–scooching away in little grunty lurches.  It was a wonderful experience . . .

until the SHOTS.  Now I realize that he was stuck and prodded before this, but I missed all of that in the hospital.  Cody was the parent who went with him to the nursery right after he was born, and he was definitely the right choice.

So the doctor left, and the nurse came back.  Riley liked the liquid tylenol and liquid vaccine.  They tasted different and  he got to swallow them; pretty good things for a baby.  But the shots were a different story.  He was laying on his back, happily sucking on his pacifier and making smiley eyes at his Mom, when the worst thing ever happened to him.   He got stuck.  Three times.  Once in one leg and twice in the other.  His mom was supposed to keep him safe and happy and he got stuck!

Of course, within 5 minutes Riley was calm and no longer crying.  He had probably forgotten all about it or was at least on the way.  I, of course, could remember perfectly his scrunched-up, red face with tears coming down it.  (Considering he looks like me when he cries, the visualization isn’t that hard.)  But even that memory was fuzzier and less harsh by yesterday evening when Riley was smiling and playing with us.

Here’s another picture from our Michigan trip.  I was going to take a new one and upload it when we discovered that the camera battery had died after our extended weekend.

We had quite the time in Chicago and Michigan, but first we had to get there.  Flying with a baby was definitely an experience.  He was quiet and happy for most of the trip, but landing was a different story.  He tried to yell and cry and feeding him only made him more angry at first.  It was a relief to get on the ground.  Luckily our return flight was much smoother.

This past weekend, Riley got to spend time with Grandmommy, Opa, and Aunt Becca and his parents got to spend time together.  Since the weather was so nice (not even in the 90s!), Riley went to his first park and got to have lunch outdoors.  On Saturday my Mom had a big party for Riley in Michigan to introduce him to family and friends.  He had a wonderful time being held by everyone (probably a cause of the PGSS) and was at his charming best.  He has many new admirers now. 

Since Riley has recovered from his PGSS, we decided to take another big step last night.  About 10 PM he had his bottle for the night and by 10:30 he was sleeping with Daddy on the couch.  It was the perfect time to let him sleep in his own bed for the very first time.  I was able to put him down without waking him up and I checked on him at least twice during the night, but he was happily asleep.  He didn’t wake up until about quarter to seven.  While it’s exciting to get our room back and I’m happy that he likes his own bed, it’s also kind of sad to not have him sleeping in the bassinet beside me.

Riley’s traditional concerned look in his new hat.  (Thanks Robbie!)

We did manage to get some errands done despite all the excitement.  On Monday we went to Riley’s future daycare to drop off paperwork and the registration check.  Then Mommy and Riley hung out in the infant room so that Riley could get used to the sounds, smells, and other people and so Mommy could check out the women who will be taking care of her precious baby boy.  Riley had a great time, but I cried on the way home.  Gotta love new baby hormones combined with putting your first child in daycare. 

So tonight we will be sleeping in Chicago, but first we have to get there.  It will be Riley’s first plane ride.  (He has his Daddy beat by almost 30 years; Cody didn’t get on a plane for the first time until he was 29.)  I’m hoping two adults can handle one baby while traveling, but I’m not getting too confident even though we have him outnumbered.