The month in pictures

For those of you who actually check this blog regularly, you have probably noticed my lack of writing lately. I assure you it has nothing to do with "nothing happening." Quite the opposite, actually! Life has been so incredibly busy, it is all I can do to keep up with everything on my checklist, which unfortunately does not include updating this blog.

There have been plenty of crazy stories, about work, family, and life in general. But let's not get into all that today. The coolest part of this month has been watching Ryleigh grow and learn. I'm not kidding, what started out as "a week of 'firsts'" has turned into an entire month of firsts! And yet, I am realizing that this behavior is not going to change. Ryleigh is only going to continue to grow, learn, and have more "firsts" every single day. It is SO COOL watching her. Really, I love it. So, though I have been late in sharing all her special "firsts" with all of you, let me catch you up now!

First, Ryleigh popped her first tooth on January 1st! How cool is that? (Thank you, Ryleigh for picking an easy date for Mom to remember!) Then, two days later on the 3rd, tooth #2 decided to show itself as well. She has both her middle, bottom teeth, and I'm sure it is only a matter of time before those top two decide to poke through. I have not been able to get a clear, good picture of the little teeth, but I'll keep trying.

Next, we decided that Ryleigh was out-growing her baby bath tub. Sure, we could have gotten away with using it for a few more months, but she was not able to stretch her legs, kept kicking her heels on the side of it, and just seemed to ready to crawl out and explore more every single night. So, we went ahead and graduated her to the bath tub. I found the tub bumper at One Step Ahead and ordered it online. She was apprehensive for about 2 minutes when we initially put her in there, but as soon as I turned the water off, she was happy...and splashing, and reaching for toys...bath time has been super fun ever since!

On the night of January 2nd, I sleepily woke up in the middle of the night to hear Ryleigh crying through the monitor. So, I got up as usual, to go in and check on her, give her a pacifier, and go back to sleep. When I opened the door to her room, she was standing up in her crib!! And we had not lowered the mattress yet, so it was on the highest setting!! Let me just say that I was wide awake at that point!! I laid her back down, thinking maybe it was a fluke thing. Then stood there and watched as she again pulled herself right back up. I knew that sleeping arrangement was not going to work, so I brought her to bed with me. The day, I tried to lower the mattress, but struggled. So, until Jesse could get home and do it, Ryleigh got to sleep on her mattress...on the floor in her room! Haha, good stuff.
Have I mentioned yet that Ryleigh is crawling everywhere? Yes. At the beginning of the month she was pushing up to all fours, but would get frustrated that she could not go anywhere. About two weeks ago she started to slowly pick up an arm and pull the rest of her, or 'scootch' kicking her feet. Jesse commented that she would have crawling down within the week...two days later, she got it. Though it was slow at first, now she has it down, ad boy is she quick! Combine her quickness with her curiosity, and you are starting to understand why I have been so busy...chasing an 8-month old is tough work! But man, is she cute when she is on a mission. :)

After some convincing from some wise relatives, I decided I would let Ryleigh try a few finger foods. I initially tried the Gerber puffs, that are supposed to melt in their mouth, so no choking. I just grabbed the first ones I saw "banana" flavored, and man, was that a mistake. As much as she loves bananas, she did NOT like those puffs! Talk about dramatic...squishing up the face, puckering the lips, and literally spitting them across the room. Then I tried some plain 'ole, Cheerios. Success! She loves those things, and it is awesome watching her carefully finger each piece in between her thumb and forefinger before bringing it decidedly to her mouth. I love it!
Oh yeah, along with crawling came pulling up...on EVERYTHING. She seems to get great joy out of making her dad and I nervous. Pulling up on the fireplace, hanging mirrors, toys that topple over, furniture with hard edges...you name it. Ryleigh has definitely found her independence, and seems happy as a clam.

Here is her signature pose... she can hear when I turn on the camera, and immediately turns around to pose for me. :)


And the last major accomplishment, is that Ryleigh has finally (just this week!) learned how to hold her own bottle. I know it seems so silly, but every bit of independence is fully encouraged by Mom- even if it seems as insignificant as holding her own bottle. Not only is it cute, but she eats better and finishes the whole bottle whereas before she would want to stop and play with Mommy, but also she is learning that holding something a certain way produces results. I'm hoping this will help her learn how to use her sippy cup in the near future.
Okay. I think we pretty much covered all new developmental milestones. Here are just a few of the stinkin' cute pictures from throughout the month.

Ryleigh loves her drum! A musician is in the making.

Waiting patiently for breakfast.
All ready for church! (How cute is she??)
"Mom, how many pictures are you going to take? Go get ready- let's go!"
Nothing like a Sunday afternoon nap with Daddy and your teddy bear.

(On a side note, she loves her teddy bear. She cuddles with it to sleep, drags it with her out of bed, and snuggles with it when she is upset. Like Mother, like daughter!)
Guess that is all for now. Which is probably a good thing, considering how long this post is! Please excuse my tardiness with sharing all her special moments with you, and continue to check-in with us over the next weeks and months to come, as I'm sure the fun is just beginning. :)