Surprises!

Ppppsss...Did you hear? I weighed in yesterday at 12lbs. 4 oz.

You really don't think it shows???

That's right...yesterday, Riley and I headed back to the lactation center at Methodist to weigh in, and found she is up to 12 lbs. 4 0z. No, she hasn't lost weight, but she has slowed down a bit in her weight gain. In the past 3 weeks she has only gained approx. 4 oz./wk. versus the 8 oz/wk. that she had been gaining since her birthday.

Riley's personality is becoming stronger with each passing day. She has definitely adopted traits from both JD and I. As Aunt Christine mentioned when she was here...Riley can be high maintenance, at least at times. She loves attention and is not afraid to tell you when she is not getting enough. Then, there are times when she is content as can be, playing with her toys (or hands) or swinging all on her own with you just nearby.

The bunny that she received from her Aunts at the baby shower has become a new favorite. It is soft and dainty enough for her to wrap her fingers around, and yes...to stick in her mouth!

Last night, JD and I participated in early voting, and Riley joined us for the trip. On the way home, she was quite the chatter box, cooing and talking with us. It was so sweet to hear all of her sounds and watching how she seemed to imitate your mouth and and facial expressions. Of course, I wish I had my camera to pass on a good video, but perhaps Riley just likes catching us off guard. For just when you think she has given up on her sweet ways like smiling, she flashes a heart-melting grin.

Last night before bath time, we were relaxing in our bed and I was showing JD a new sound that had made her smile over and over again throughout the day...it was a loud smooching sound. With her bout of camera shyness, we managed to tag team with a combination of smooching sounds and tickling to capture this one for you!

I am so glad that we were persistent, because that smile, with her rosy cheeks, will bring sunshine to any gloomy day!

Riley seems to really enjoy when we read books to her. Often, not always, but often, when she gets a bit sassy, we can lay on the floor or bed next to her and read a story with bright colorful pictures. She just looks back and forth at the pictures on all of the pages and listens to you as you read the story. Sometimes she will even chime in along the way. These are moments we never want to forget.