Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Wordless Wednesday - Swinging with Daddy

















Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Riley's First Party

Ryan's highschool buddy, Chris, has a daughter, Kendyl, that turned 2 last weekend. And they invited Riley and us to her birthday party!

Ryan & Riley, Chris & Kendyl



It was at Meadowlake Park in Enid, somewhere I haven't been to in a LONG time! It definitely brought back some memories of my childhood! It's a neat place. It has putt-putt golf, a train ride!, a beautiful lake where you can fish and feed the ducks, lots of playground equipment, and pavillions where you can gather!

Well the train didn't seem to be available this weekend, but there was plenty to do otherwise! They had two clowns there, lots of other little kids to play with, and a big jungle gym next to the pavillion! We also fed the ducks. Or tried to feed the ducks... guess they weren't too hungry!







Unfortunately I didn't get a whole lot of pics taken. It was SO windy, and it seemed like I was busy most of the time trying to move my hair out of my face so I could merely see where I was going! I have a couple more pics to share though:


Riley eating the bread we wanted to feed to the ducks...



We all had a great time! Happy 2nd Birthday Kendyl!

Monday, April 26, 2010

I'm Giving Up

It's only 10:45 AM, and I'm giving up on the day.

I'm done. Finished. Good bye. Adios Amigos.

Why? I just went to a meeting (that I scheduled) a day early.

I sat in the meeting room by myself, and wondered... where is everyone?

Finally, a coworker I called and invited at the last minute showed up.

Great! I'm not alone anymore at least.

So we sat another 5 minutes. Alone. Shooting the breeze about our breezy weekends. (No seriously, it was really windy last weekend!)

Finally, I ask, "Are we in the wrong room?"

He isn't sure either, so I get on the computer and check my calendar.

"Oh Crap," I said.

"The meeting's tomorrow. I am SO sorry!"

And I begin apologizing profusely, making excuses, and feeling utterly embarrassed. And all of this is in front of a man who probably already thinks I'm a complete idiot. And now I’ve just confirmed that.

Welcome to Monday. It has been one heck of a day so far.

I had a slow leak in one of my tires on my Yukon, so I called the tire repair place here in town to see if they had time this morning to fix it. Because I was instructed this morning to do so. Yes Sir.

They had time to do it right now. So I glanced at my calendar. OK, no meetings till 10:30 AM, and it’s currently 9:40 AM. Better go NOW.

I find a seat next to a woman who feels the need to DUMP. Dump all of her problems, that is. On me, the seemingly perfect stranger, ready and willing to listen. No wonder the seat was open.

After what seemed like an eternity of nodding, assuring her that everything would be okay, my tire is repaired, and I rush back to the office. It’s 10:20AM. Great, I’m not late!

And you know how the story ends… Embarrassment. Shame.

I guess I should allow myself a few blonde moments. I’m female, have blonde hair (or blonde-brown), and am a working mom/engineer. The odds are against me, I should expect these kind of things.

And therefore, reside to the fact that I’m a complete idiot.

Seriously, I know I was bad before I had a baby, but now I feel like I’m running around like a chicken with their head cut off sometimes.

Please forgive me. Please don’t think I’m a complete dingbat.

And if you do, then I apologize in advance for the next goofy thing I do.

Because it will only be 10 minutes before it happens again. I assure you it will. It’s been scientifically proven. And being the engineer, I have the data to support it. (It’s in Excel.)

Anyway, hope everyone else had a better morning!

And by the way, Welcome Baby Averie! Born 4/26/10 @ 7:14 AM, 6 lbs, 8oz, and 18 in long! Can’t wait to meet you sweetie! Congrats Katie! You're officially a Mommy!! :-) (And welcome to the Dingbat Club, we meet every Monday... I mean Tuesday)

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

My Review of Signo G2 Convertible Car Seat - Raspberry

Originally submitted at Diapers.com

Signo G2 Convertible Car Seat - Raspberry

The RECARO Signo G2 Convertible car seat offers a premium in convertible seating. Beyond the Orignial RECARO side impact protection, this seat also features an innovative PRU "memory" foam built into the moveable he...


Recaro Signo G2

By Riley'sMom from Stillwater, OK on 4/21/2010

 

5out of 5

Pros: Comfortable, Safe, Stylish, Sturdy, Easy to Adjust

Cons: Pricey

Best Uses: Infants, Toddlers

Describe Yourself: First Time Parent

I drive a GMC Yukon SUV, and have the carseat in the middle, rear facing. And the carseat doesn't obstruct my view in the rear view mirror at all. I'm 5'7" and can strap in my 10 mo. old DD without having to crawl in.

She admittedly had some issues at first with getting in the seat first thing in the mornings on the way to daycare, as she's used to getting strapped in her infant carrier inside the house, then carried out to the car and set into the base. But, as long as I show her the car seat first, she knows where I'm getting ready to put her, and has no problems sinking into the plushness of this awesome seat! No cries, and actually for once, no squirming!

I installed it myself, and it doesn't move around at all- very, very sturdy! The latch belts that come with the seat are great! They are like not the hooks that came with my Graco infant carrier/seat that are so hard to take off. Instead, they have a button like a seat belt that releases the latch hook.

It has knobs you can turn to find the proper strap height for my DD's shoulders (no rethreading!), and a much easier way to tighten and loosen the straps. Just pull the strap tightener to tighten, and push the release to loosen.

I looked around for 3 months before making my purchase. It is on the upper end with respect to cost compared to other convertible car seats, however, I feel that the features, convenience, construction, safety, and life of the seat will make up for the additional $100 bucks I spent compared to maybe a Cosco seat. And I am definitely glad I didn't spend extra money to get a Britax.

Diapers.com had the best price on this out of Target and Amazon. And the fastest shipping (2 days - which was free!).

Overall, this seat is great! I love the pink too... my DD looks so cute in it!

(legalese)

Wordless Wednesday












Daddy's Girl

So... Sometimes Riley's daddy says silly things like,


"We're not sure if I'm really the daddy yet..."

OR

"I'm only the weekend Daddy, the weekday daddy will be here on Monday..."

OR

"She's her mother's daughter..."


Hmm... well honey, while the last statement IS true, I'm sorry to break it to you...

But she IS a Daddy's girl (and of course, you're THE Daddy!)

And here's why:

YOUR little girl loves...


Eating Steak 'n Taters

Playing with an Atlas (Or any paper she can get her hands on)



and the #1 Reason she's your daughter-



Here she is TORMENTING me! LOL!

Note: you can see her little toother on the bottom middle! :-) I only wish it was in focus!

So, there you have it.

Irrefutable evidence.

Glad we got that cleared up! ;-)

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Riley Kate is 10 Months Old!

Here we are again... Another month has gone by!

I am running out of baby bump pictures, but here is another one of me at the first of May!




Riley's 10-Month Wrap Up!

*Waves hi and bye-bye

*Is walking better and better every day- will let go and take steps on her own!

*Completely on formula now- and it shows- much cheekier now and *noticeably* heavier

*Eats finger foods but still has pureed food also- her new favorites are the little star-puff cereal bites, pizza crust, pasta, and green beans!

*Has stayed 1 night away from Mommy and Daddy- last Saturday with Grammie & Pop

*Wearing 12 months clothes

*Loves squeaky shoes

*Loves squirming when you change her diaper... it's next to impossible now!

*Wears size 3 diapers

*Will give you a high-five

*Still has the longest eyelashes I’ve ever seen

*Still has baby blue eyes

*Has one tooth and loves to chew/pull on things with it

*Loves her new Recaro Signo G2 convertible carseat, (and so does Mommy)

*Loves going out with Mommy in her jogging stroller

*Loves pulling at clothes while Mommy shops

*Still wakes up in the middle of the night about 75% of the time- usually only once/night and usually to eat or get her pacifier, although she did sleep ALL night last night :-)


She is getting more and more active and more and more fun by the minute! We love every second! Can't wait for more good times this summer!

Monday, April 19, 2010

A Newfound Freedom



The last few weeks, I've discovered a newfound freedom in my life.

For the last 9 months, two weeks, and 12.21557 hours (ha!), I was the sole source of nourishment for my baby. (Except for solids, of course)

And it has been a TOUGH 9 months and two weeks. (and 12.21557 hours...)

Through colds and late nights and long days with my breastpump..... SO much time was spent with my breastpump!

Dressing Rooms...

Even Black Friday Shopping....

No more!

I feel liberated already.

I did it because I had a daily quota that HAD TO BE MET. (Riley stays at the babysitter's while I'm at work.)

I would wake up early and stay up late- only to get a few extra ounces for my little bundle of joy.

I'll admit that I had the best resources available - everything Medela and the flexibility at work to go and pump 3 times a day. I know not everyone has a flexible schedule and for that, I am thankful!

It definitely could have been worse! Dear God!

And I'd do it all over again.

For her, I would!

But now, I am slowly weaning her, cutting out one feeding each week, and I'm down to one feeding per day now. She's taking to formula very well.

I will miss the closeness with her.

So much.

And I will miss my boobs.

SOOOOO much!

PW (the Pioneer Woman) described her experience with breastfeeding so well here:

"It’s just that the emotions of breastfeeding run so, so deep. It can be simultaneously wonderful and suffocating. Beautiful and challenging. Miraculous and stifling.

You never, ever forget."

So true.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Riley's First....

You will need to watch the video to see what her "First" is....

I am SO excited to post this! Trust me, you will NOT be disappointed!

So... check it out!!!

Note: the video is dated 4/15/10, however her "First" was dated 4/4/10 (Easter Sunday).

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Riley's First Easter

As a little girl, I can remember waking up early Easter Sunday, putting on a handmade, intricately detailed little dress (courtesy of my Grandma Janet), having my hair curled...
Note that I had a bowl cut as a young girl and this included the foot tall bangs and a bottle of hairspray. Oh, the 80's...

I wish I had a picture to share of this. Maybe I can convince my darling mother to scan one and send it to me.... hint hint!

The point is, Mom would get my two sisters and I all get dressed up and along with my Dad, head off to church- wind, rain, or shine.

EVERY. SINGLE. Sunday.

Yep, you guessed it... we're Catholics.

At the time, if you'd asked me of my thoughts regarding this routine, I probably wouldn't have the most postive remarks about it, but I imagine most little girls have seemingly WAY better things on their minds... like books to read, people to play with, and jumping on trampolines...

I'm getting way off topic, aren't I? Easter.... Easter...

I do have a point.

I promise!!!

What I do like about that old routine is this: I got to do it a few weeks ago with my little girl.

We woke up at what seemed like the crack of dawn, for a Sunday anyway, put one her store bought, BUT painstakingly selected... lol! Easter dress, complete with a flower bow and headband, and headed to Easter Sunday mass in my hometown.


My Two Sweethearts



After mass is another wonderful tradition... the Easter Egg Hunt! This was Riley's first, and she loved it!

Grandma and her found lots of little eggs!


And of course, Riley thought they were GREAT to chew on!
(Or try to chew on!)



And check this out - The next generation of Easter Sunday cuties...

My cousin Amanda and her son Jake, Riley and I, and my cousin Angela and her daughter Caylee


After the hunt, we all went to the Church Hall and had the Kilian Family Feast...
Aunt NiNi and Riley!



The Three of Us- Krissy, Riley, and Ryan



My Sister's Family: Annie, Jake, Jonathan, and Jacob



I guess what I'm trying to say is... Thank you.

Thank you Mom and Dad for dragging us to church every Sunday, and especially on Easter Sunday.

You have raised all of us to be good Christians and to love Jesus.

And we all looked darling in our Easter dresses. Well, to that I thank Grandma Janet- I cannot wait until Riley is big enough to begin wearing some of the dresses I used to wear!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter!

***