Four Months!!

Well everyone, I’m four months old now!! And I am loving life!! Mommy says I’m a happy baby, and my babysitter Katy thinks so too! I spend most of my time playing with Mommy, and my toys. My favorites are Jingles my giraffe, and my rings (because I can chew on them the best!!) I can entertain myself for a little bit now, which makes Mommy happy! I also like to talk, a lot!! And sometimes in the car, I sing along with the radio! My newest trick is I can blow raspberries!! It’s fun – especially when I get slobber on Mommy or Daddy!! Daddy says I sound like the Tazmanian Devil - brrrrllllaaaa, bbbbbrrraaaa!! I am also getting better at holding my own bottle, but sometimes my arms get tired and I drop it, (or I’m just kinda lazy and I let Mommy, Daddy or Katy hold it for me!) I like watching the doggies – they are funny, and always walking around. Sometimes the kitty is entertaining too – mostly in the mornings when he’s awake! I don’t like it when I get put on my tummy. I think my Mommy and Daddy want me to roll over, but I just can’t figure out how to do it!! I kick my legs like crazy, but it just doesn’t happen! Mommy says I’m going to be spending a lot of time with her and Katy for the next 2 weeks, because Daddy has to go away for work. I’m going to miss him. Well, it’s almost time for my nap. Here’s some new pictures of me!!

Holding my Bottle
Yummy rattle!!
blowing raspberries!!
Hi everyone!!

check-up

Riley had his 4 month check-up today, and everything is good!! The fluid in his ear has cleared up, and he now weighs 14 lbs 3 oz. and is 26 inches long!! The Dr. was a little concerned that he's not pushing up with his arms a whole lot, so we are working on more Tummy time. He got round 2 of shots today, and has been pretty fussy. Daddy brought some infant tylenol home after work, so hopefully the evening will be better. Poor guy!! Also, we found out today that his crib is included in the huge recall annouced today. Apparently it only involves the hardware on the drop side and incorrect installation instructions. Our hardware is ok, but we did intall it upside down. Mommy tried to call as soon as she found out, but the company was already closed. She will try again tomorrow, but in the mean time Riley will be sleeping in his pack n play. So we just need to find out if it's safe to just turn right side up, or if anything needs to be replaced. Thankfully nothing dangerous has happened to us. Have a good weekend everyone!!

Here's Riley's three month picture for those of you who haven't seen it! Riley is feeling much better with his medicine now. He is just like his usual giggly self!! Although he doesn't seem to like the bubblegum flavor too much, which is understandable since he's use to just one flavor!! We had a busy weekend, Daddy tried to climb Long's Peak, but the weather was pretty bad at the top, so he didn't make it all the way up. And Mommy and Riley went to the Sustainable Living Fair that Fort Collins does every year. She learned a lot about cloth diapers and is really considering switching. She didn't realize that they were so easy and fashionable now!! And Riley just keeps on growing!!! When we went to the Dr. last week he weighed just under 14 lbs, so it will be interesting to see how much he gains before his 4 month check up this Friday. He's starting to fill out a little bit, he's not as skinny as he used to be - especially his legs!!

Videos!! And More

Ok - so we finally figured out the video thing! So far we have added the videos from Mount Evans (sorry we don't have one of us at the top - our video camera was low on charge and didn't like the cold!). We will add more eventually, but photo bucket only allows 100MB videos and most of ours are bigger than that.

Also, Riley went to class with Mommy yesterday. Everyone loved him (even though he cried a lot!), and his "Ranger" shirt. Erin nicknamed him "Ranger Riley"!! Then after class we went to the Dr. and found out that he has fluid in his ear - which is good because we thought it was an ear infection. So he's taking some decongestant that the dr. gave us, and feeling much better!! We have our childbirthing class reunion this weekend, so we get to see all the babies, and show off Riley.

And last - a Congrats to the entire Epple Family!! Riley can't wait to meet his new girlfriend, Eliza!! (Did I spell it right??) And neither can we!! Happy Birthday little one!!

Go Colts!!!

Mommy and Daddy let me watch some of the game!! (At least long enough to take some pictures!!) I'm suppose to say thanks to Auntie Linda for my Peyton Manning Jersey!! It's still kinda big, ok, really big, but that means it will last me the whole season!!! When it gets colder out I can wear the one from Aunt Janice! So GO COLTS!!! Let's Make it another Super Bowl Year!!!

Mount Evans

Yesterday Riley climbed his first fourteener!! (well . . . kind of) We went to Mount Evans, you can drive almost to the top, but you have to hike up the last couple hundred feet of elevation. It was really exciting for us - but Riley slept through the whole thing!! Daddy has the goal of making Riley the youngest person to climb all 54 fourteeners in Colorado (he wants him done by the time he is 5), so I told him that he's carrying Riley up all the 14er's!!! We'll see if that actually happens! Here's some pictures of our trip and us at the top, we can add video clips now, so as soon as we figure out how we'll add a clip of Mommy and Riley reaching the top!Riley Meeting Smokey the Bear



Riley and Daddy in the 1600 year old forest

Riley and Mommy at Summit Lake

On Top of the World

3 Months Old!!!

Riley is three months old now!!! I can't believe how fast time has flown by!! He's so big!! We went to 'Penny's today to get some portraits taken and he did just wonderfully. It was so hard to choose which was the best one!! We found a cute shirt for him for the pictures, it has a patch on it that says "Park Ranger in Training" - so he can be just like Mommy!!! (And there is one on the shoulder that says "Montana Parks & Rec" - For his Great-Uncle Bud!!) Here are some pictures that Mommy took today in his new shirt!

Home Again

We made it home ok!! Riley did wonderful on the flight again!! What a busy weekend!! He had fun playing with his cousins yesterday, and his Aunt Anna Saturday night! He has recently discovered his hands, and spends a lot of time staring at them. You can see pictures under the kodak gallery on the right. Enjoy!!

Indy Visit

Well, we made it to Indy alright! Riley was the perfect baby during the flight! The lady sitting next to us gave him a huge compliment after we landed. Mommy nursed him during take off and landing to help him pop his ears, and then he slept the morjority of the rest of the flight. Luckily it's only 2 1/2 hours. Let's hope the flight home is just as smooth. Riley has had a super busy time here!!! Poor thing is absolutely exhausted. Thursday was crazy from the flight, then yesterday we went and visited many people. He got to meet his Aunt Anna, Grandpa Wilson, and lots of other family members on his Mommy's side, along with all the people that Mommy used to work with at Arlington. Today we are just relaxing (we all need a time-out), and maybe visit Adrianne, Matt and Riley's new girlfriend Sophia. Then he gets to stay with Aunt Anna while Mommy and Daddy go to "Uncle Tim's" wedding. Tomorrow is another busy day, with meeting everyone at church, and all of Daddy's side of the family. We've taken lots of pictures, but probably won't have time to upload then until we get home. Look for a new Kodak album by this time next week with all the pictures!!

Hi All!! School started today :( Riley did well at the babysitters, he wouldn't take a bottle, but didn't fuss to much- he just went to sleep. And it helped that it was a short day at class. The first day is kind of like that. Mommy did good too!! No tears on her end!! Tomorrow is the long day though. Thankfully one class is in the evening so Daddy gets to spend some time with him!! Only a couple more days until our trip to Indy!! I'm sure we'll have tons of pictures then. Can't wait to see everyone!!

Big Boy!!

Riley's a Big Boy Now!!! Today during his "tummy time" he pulled his arms under him and sat resting on his elbows for quite a while!! Long enough for Mommy to get some pictures!! It was so exciting!! He also kicks his legs up pretty far, so I'm sure he'll start rolling over soon.

Things are still going great!! He's slowed his eating down to about every three hours (which will be good when Mommy's school starts), and is taking a bottle more consistantly now! He is still sleeping great at night, between 6 and 8 hours, with a couple of off nights here and there. Daddy is not to happy about changing diapers right now, he said Riley's poopy is getting smellier and stinkier!! But Mommy doesn't think so - she's gotten some bad ones at times too!!! Just a little over a week until Riley's first Airplane ride!! And the chance to meet the rest of his family members!! Yeah!! Let's hope everything goes smoothly for everyone!!

Riley had a busy weekend this weekend!! We went to the Larimer County Fair on Saturday. Riley got to meet all sorts of animals: cows, pigs, goats, sheep, horses, rabbits, chickens and even alpacas!! He was such a good baby, and very interested in all the things going on around him. Of course by the end of the day he was so exhausted he cried the whole way home trying to go to sleep. But he seemed to enjoy it, and Daddy got a free massage and chiropractor exam out of it!!

Mommy starts school in two weeks, so we went to see Riley's babysitter today. She and I used to work together at CSU, and she's only working part time now, so it worked out great that she needed extra money and had extra time, and we needed a babysitter!! Thankfully it will only be for about 10 hours a week (just during my classes) so we won't break the bank, and she lives close to campus so it's very convenient. So we are just relaxing (inside in the A.C.!!) until school starts and we go to Indy for a visit!!! Yeah!!

Yeah!! Riley Finally took a Pacifier!!! It was only for a moment, but hopefully now he has figured it out and we can use it more often!! Last night he was a fussy little man and Daddy gave him a 5 oz bottle (more than he has ever had from a bottle). He finished it very quickly and still wanted to suck, which is usual. So we gave him the paci, and he sucked on it for about 3 minutes!!

Two Months Old!!!

Riley is 2 months old now!! We went to the Doctor this morning and he is 11 lbs. and 9 oz., and 24 1/2 inches long!!! Long and lean, and growing like a weed!! He also got 4 shots, and screamed the whole time!! Poor Baby! He's talking up a storm, and starting to bat at toys hanging in front of him. Mom got a haircut last week (to avoid the slobbery mouth and grabby fingers!!) He's still sleeping between 6 and 8 hours at night, which is wonderful!! We are blessed to have such a well behaved baby!! He's also taking a bottle once or twice a day (as long as Mom is nowhere to be seen or heard!), but he still wants nothing to do with a pacifier!! Sometimes it will entertain him because he'll play with it, but never sucking on it! But he's taken a liking to his index finger knuckles. Here are some recent pictures, and we also added some to the Riley Smiling album, so take at look at it again too.

Riley and Mowgli - the Protector!!

Daddy leaves for California tomorrow morning on a 3 day trip for work. He's gonna miss Riley! Let's hope that Mommy doesn't get to lonely!! We updated the Kodak Gallery Pictures on the right side with pictures from visits with the grandparents and Riley smiling (and a few of him crying!) If you're having trouble opening them try right clicking and select open, sometimes that works better than just clicking it. Enjoy the pictures. Riley has his 2-month check up next week, so we will know exactly how much he has grown!! And he will get some shots!! ;(

Well, Riley keeps getting bigger and bigger!! Here are some pictures to compare to show everyone how big he's getting. The first one was taken this morning (overall straps fully extended), the other two in the same outfit (straps tightened as far as they would go) on the day we brought him home from the hospital.


Last night was a treat!! Riley slept from about 9:30 to almost 6 am without waking up!! Let's hope this is a new trend!! His feeding has also slowed down in the mornings to around every two hours, but he's still eating almost every hour in the evenings. Mommy bought a Swing today, so that she can have a little time to herself during the day. With Riley sleeping more at night, he isn't napping much during the day, so the swing is nice to give them each some much needed alone time!! We have made arrangements to visit Indy the last weekend in August for "Uncle Tim's" wedding. We hope to visit as many people as possible (because we know how much everyone wants to meet this little man), but it will be a short visit, so we apologize for anyone that we miss!!

Here's some pictures of Riley smiling - well the closest that Mom could get!! Mom went to the Dr. this week for her checkup, and the nurses couldn't believe how long and skinny he was!! And that seems to be how he's growing - up not out!! It's crazy to think that he's 6 weeks old already! He is also getting really good at holding his head up. He can hold it up on his own if he's sitting up, and if he's on his belly he will pick it up and turn it side to side, and to "kiss the floor". He looks like a little woodpecker sometimes - bouncing his head up and down kissing the floor!! We are going to Rocky Mountain National Park again tomorrow - Daddy wants to ride his bike up Trail Ridge Road.

First Smile!!!

Riley Smiled for the first time yesterday!! We were playing and I got two smiles out of him, but we haven't seen it since, so no pictures yet. He's growing like a weed - and he should be for as much as he's eating (still every hour). He had a lot of fun at the cabin with Grandma Wilson, and was happy to see his other grandparents and relatives too. Just a few more family members to meet!! Hopefully we will be able to make a trip home with Daddy in August to see everyone!!

Grandma Wilson

Grandma Wilson is visiting this week from Indy!! We have had fun hanging out at the cabin with her!! Here's some pictures of her with Riley!!

Playing in the River

Hanging in the river with Mom and Caitlyn
Sitting on the Poudre with Mom
Getting his feet wet
Hanging in the river with Dad
Today we went to play and have a picnic on the Cache la Poudre River with Grandma and Grandpa and cousin Caitlyn. Here's some pictures of Riley's first trip up the Canyon to the river.