Riley's Blog: February 2009

know, I know… It’s been literally forever since my last post. I’m guessing you are expecting a photo of me all adorned in cap and gown, grinning wildly and proudly displaying my rolled-up diploma… tightly clenched in a victorious, fist-in-air “Woo hoo!”… Come on, it hasn’t been that long! So what excuse do I have for my extended sabbatical? Well, life I guess… It seems as I get older, life gets more complicated. First there were the holidays to contend with, and you know how demanding that “fat, grey-haired guy in a red suit” business can be. And then recovery from the holidays… that dark time of self loathing and dealing with the ghosts of Thanksgiving and Christmas Dinners past, which begins on January 1st and tends to bleed into February…. And then of course there are the usual minor and major inconveniences… Like the fact that our new notebook computer (the one with all of the current photos loaded on it) was in the shop for many weeks having its “motherboard” replaced… Since I am relatively new to this whole “out in the world thing,” I didn’t know what a motherboard was. So I did what any 21st century, internet savvy baby would do - I Googled it. According to Wikkipedia:

A motherboard is the central printed circuit board (PCB) in some complex electronic systems, such as modern personal computers. The motherboard is sometimes alternatively known as the mainboard, system board, or, on Apple computers, the logic board.[1] It is also sometimes casually shortened to mobo.

Yeah, that explains it… It’s a good thing there are call centers in India to help you when your mobo takes a poop!

In addition to a faulty mobo, I came down with a terrible illness of pandemic proportions. From my myriad of horrible symptoms I was sure I had contracted the plague or the consumption or leprosy, but Mommy assured me that it was only the flu. So I thought she should try some for herself and I gave it to her. Mommy then agreed that it was most likely the plague. And we are both still all consumption-y with a hacking chest cough. But thankfully so far, nothing of importance has fallen off…

Since I’ve wasted so much time on excuses, I thought in the interest of my short attention span and your sanity, I’d proceed with a bullet point accounting of where I am today at 9 months old. So here is a list I will call “25 Random 9 Month Old Things” and yes, I got the title idea from Facebook … Because I am only 9 months old and still have yet to reach my full potential of originality and creativity… Give a baby a break! On to it…

1. I weigh 25 pounds – Which includes at least 10 pounds of massive (round!) cranium.
2. I am currently wearing 12 - 18 month old clothes.
3. I can say “mamma” and “dada,“ and I say it often to the cats, the dogs, the horses, the refrigerator, the UPS guy and anyone/anything else that catches my fancy.
4. When I am really excited I can produce a sound that shatters glass and the eardrums of any adults within a 5 mile radius.
5. I can crawl like the wind! But not as fast as the cats… yet!
6. I can pull myself-up into a standing position. From there I often get distracted and forget to hold on, and end-up on my butt or head (refer again to #1).
7. I have decided that playing is way more fun than sleeping.
8. I have been to the emergency room once in my life. Mommy took me there three weeks ago when I was making gasping sounds. Thankfully it was only the croup and after a few breathing treatments I was much better. Mommy and Daddy however, may never fully recover.
9. I love to smile and I laugh from way down in my belly. Everyone who meets me remarks about how happy I am.
10. I likes me the ladies and I am quite flirtatious… “How you doin?”
11. I like to bang, splash and slap with my left hand (Daddy calls it my pimp hand) and I like to kick, stomp and thump with my right foot.
12. I have four teeth – Two on the bottom and two on the top. I like to grind them together to create a melodious, “nails on a chalkboard” kind of sound.
13. I have almost perfected my pincer grasp, and am quite adept at getting Cheerios from the tray into my mouth. Next stop, big boy food!
14. My favorite DVD is Baby Einstein’s “Baby Van Gogh World of Colors”
15. My favorite books are my peek-a-boo cow and horse books.
16. My favorite song is “Mr. Sandman” as sung by Mommy who changes the words and does the “bum, bum, bum, bum” part in my ear, which makes me giggle uncontrollably.
17. My new favorite game is peeking at mommy when she isn’t looking… I cock my head and stare at her until she looks over and then we both laugh and laugh. I think its Mommy’s favorite game too!
18. I can run from the living room to my bedroom in 6.3 seconds flat in my Sesame Street roller walker! And I can back-up and turn on a dime. I’ve even been know to parallel park between the coffee table and the couch!
19. I’ve been to the zoo once so far and I got to pet some goats and sheep… and I saw a bunch of surprisingly stinky flamingos. I mean really stinky… like 1,000 times worse than my diapers stinky… Seriously.
20. I LOVE baths! Yeah, I like to pamper myself… I even hold perfectly still when Mommy clips my finger nails, because like Daddy says, “There’s nothing like a good manicure.”
21. I don’t like to be cooped-up inside and long for the big sky and open roads… And I love nature so much I want to eat it all up! But when I try to eat it up, Mommy and Daddy take the leaves, grass, bark, unidentified animal hair and dirt from my determined little fists before I can get them to my mouth.
22. When I’m sick, I like to fall asleep on Daddy’s tummy.
23. I have piercing blue eyes and wispy sandy-blond reddish hair.
24. I am cautious and adventurous.
25. I am cuddly and independent.

And now get ready for more photos and videos than you ever thought we could possibly squeeze into one blog posting…

Mommy's Big Birthday Beach Weekend in Morro Bay! And my first trip away from home. In attendence: Me, Mommy, Daddy, Heather & Eric, LaVonne and Stefani