New Orleans!

So we’ve made it to the 2nd leg of our journey, arriving in New Orleans yesterday afternoon. The trip was pretty uneventful and Riley seemed unphased by the airport and airplane this time round. In fact the only time she cried was when one of the flight attendents swooped her up and brought her to the front of the plane to meet the other flight attendents (passengers aren’t allowed to congregate at the front because of the security rules, so he told me to just wait at my seat and he would bring her back to me). Of course Riley let out an ear piercing scream when she got the front, and I (like any mother) rushed right up there to retriever her. Because she’s so cute they decided to bend the rules and let me stay. Riley’s scream apparently made it through the locked door to the pilots though who called back asking “Please tell me we didn’t just hear screams back there!”

We did some sightseeing the last few days in DC… Arlington National cemetary, the Mall, museums. For pictures click here and here. Maybe you can tell from the pictures, but Riley’s becoming so alert and active and playful, it’s so fun. Plus she has good head control now so we can move her around much more and carry here in different ways which definitly helps keep her happy (she gets bored being in the same position for too long). The new favorite game is standing up in front of the mirror (inspired by advice from Leslie), good times.

Andy and Kendra’s wedding

Riley’s first day in DC was a little rocky. By the time we made it to the meet and greet slash wine tasting that first night, the time change and unfamiliar surroundings had already taken their toll, and we ended up hanging out in the hallway chatting with Kendra’s mom and bouncing Riley. She cheered up significantly when Margo Malakoff (!!) suggested we swing her in the bucket seat. (Why didn’t we think of that! It’s our go-to move at home…) All in all, a pretty successful evening, and the wines were tasty!

The next day Andy and Kendra got married in the Little Sanctuary at St. Alben’s School on the grounds of Washington National Cathedral. We were a bit nervous going into it, but Riley was in such a great mood the entire time, and smiled the whole way through. There was one tense moment, where the officiant asks, “If anyone here knows any reason these two should not wed, speak now,” but Riley couldn’t think of anything–she was too interested in my pinky finger! There was a remarkable number of small children and babies in attendence, and a few odd moments (“Why is that man so bald?!?”).

The ceremony was beautiful and the party afterward was definetly a good time. We’re really glad we could be there to see Andy and Kendra tie the knot, and to catch up with old friends we hadn’t seen in years. Last year we went to a wedding in DC and stayed out all night partying… this year we called it a night around 10:30… times sure have changed. Life with Riley makes everything into an adventure.

More wedding pictures here…

Riley’s first flight (or, our first time flying with a baby…)

We’re taking Riley on her first real trip: a two wedding, two weekend tour of Washington, DC and then New Orleans. Mom dropped us off at the airport and at first it seemed like everything would be smooth and easy with Riley sleeping in her stroller. Things started to go down hill when security made us take her out of the carrier to put it through the x-ray (despite my protests that you should never wake a sleeping baby). She held it together for boarding, but then completely lost it when the engines turned on… screaming louder and higher then she ever has before. Luckily she settled down and fell asleep with the pinky finger just in time for take off so there was no trouble with her ears. She was on edge for most of the flight though, and I ended up hanging out in the back with the flight attendents most of the way. For some reason the experience made me feel very emotional about our little family, as though it were some great hardship we were overcoming together. And it was a big moment when I realized I didn’t care about all the other passengers, I just wanted my baby to be happy…

Pretty pretty princess dress

Grandma Peg picked up this rediculously cute but slightly over-the-top dress in Mexico (though the tag claims it was “Made in the USA”) for Riley to wear at our wedding. We were playing dress-up (literally, for once) in preparation for this trip but all of the others were either already too small or still way too big. But this one fit perfectly! Riley looked so funny we woke Brigitte up (she’d just gone to sleep) so she could see.

There was originally a bow/flower arrangement thing pinned on the front, but it was just too much. Taping it to her head worked pretty well, though! She didn’t seem to mind.

Riley meets Picollo

Micah and Angelea came up to visit this weekend with Picollo. He definitely seemed more interested in Riley then she was in him, but she tolerated his licks pretty well…

We went for a hike at Russian ridge on Saturday, Riley’s longest to date and Picollo’s first since getting his little cart…

Bjorned

Snowed!

Last weekend it snowed (snowed!) in the hills around Palo Alto. All the mountains around the bay were topped with white, and we saw some residual bits on the ground when we went for a hike on Sunday:

2 Months

Riley had her 2 month checkup on Friday (I know it’s cliche, but she really is growing up so fast). I love these check up appointments because the doctor examines Riley and plays with her a bit, then answers all our silly parent questions… for example: Is it okay if she occasionally doesn’t wake herself up and ends up going ~10 hours between feedings at night? (yes! Never wake a sleeping baby!) and, Is it okay if sometimes she sleeps all day and sometimes she’s awake all day? (yes, babies don’t get into a daytime routine for a while still) etc etc. She always finishes by telling us we have a perfectly healthy little baby, which is always wonderful to hear.

At the end of this appointment poor Riley had to get 4 (!!) shots… Diphtheria/Tetanus/Pertussis, haemophilus influenza, Polio and Pneumococcus. She made it through the first 2 very bravely (sucking on Sage’s pinky for distraction) but the last 2 were just too much apparently. She ended up having a rough next 24 hours, crying like she just felt crummy and feeling a bit feversish, but nothing the wonders of tylenol couldn’t take care of. Absolutley worth it if you ask me… (don’t ask me though, once I get started on the wonders of vaccines and how upset I get over parents who don’t vaccinate their kids, it’s hard to get me to shut up)

For those interested in numbers, here they are… Height: 23.5 in (88%), Weight: 12 lb 7 oz (88%)

Jesse’s pot luck

Once again, Riley stole the spot light at a party…

Chez Panisse Cafe

Riley had her first trip to a fancy restaurant (or any restaurant for that matter) on Monday night for Dad’s birthday. We were worried she might get into a bad mood and tell the whole restaurant about it (especially because she’s not so into the car these days and the restaurant is all the way in Berkeley) but she was actually quite happy! Between rocking her and giving her a pinky finger to suck on (she’s also not so into the pacifier) she didn’t cry at all. Go Riley. And dinner was of course delicious.