Leo might be the most baby-friendly cat ever.
Or just starved for attention. Either way, we are continually amazed at how tolerant he is of Damon’s patting and pulling and grabbing–he doesn’t seem to mind at all.
Riley just had her 4th birthday. Amazing no? 4 years. That’s like college, or high school. Feels momentous. Riley is taking it very seriously so far. She talks about, “Back when I was 3…” or “Back when I was 2… and has made a big point about being better behaved because she’s older now. Before her birthday she was technically potty trained, but was having accidents on a regular basis. Now that she’s 4, she hasn’t had an accident in over a month. So weird
This year we gave in to Riley and planned a party at our house to celebrate. We invited her daycare friends (but not the babies, Riley was very specific about not wanting the babies) and some of our friends with kids. More then anything she wanted a bouncy house, so we got the same bouncy castle as last year (from Planet Bouncy, we highly recommend them! Super nice guy, very easy and convenient, and actually pretty cheap even). Riley and I went a little crazy at the party supply store, but I’m happy to report we managed to avoid all things princess (I know it’s a losing battle, but still, may as well try) and mostly stuck with sesame street stuff. Ordered a bunch of play-doh and sidewalk chalk online, and that was pretty much our whole party plan. Oh! and decorate-your-own-cupcakes. That was a big hit.
In the beginning the party was pretty awkward, with all the parents kind of hovering around their kids, but after a while people relaxed and spread through out the house while the kids ran back and forth from bouncing in the bouncy house to drawing on the driveway to playing with toys inside. At one point some parents even had a kids-free zone in the living room where they were relaxing. One thing I really appreciate about Lucy’s daycare is she is very picky about who can go there, and as a result, it’s a really great group of kids and parents.
[What play-doh looks like after 8 little kids play with it. Kind of pretty actually]
[Cupcakes before decorating…]
[The boys…]
Some of the kids figured out they could eat the frosting and sprinkles off the top of the cupcake, then just decorate it again… smart kids.
[Bouncy castle!]Bouncy houses are really brilliant. When the kids hit their sugar high after the cupcakes they bounced and bounced and bounced and yelled and laughed, it was pretty awesome. Riley decided to bring a bunch of soft balls and stuffed animals in the bouncy house so the kids started throwing them all around. But everything is soft! and bouncy! So even when they tackle each other it only results in giggles. Brilliant.
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[Just like last year, Riley ended the day by bouncing in the castle with balloons…]
We decided to open presents after most of the kids left (which we learned from other birthday parties… it’s a good idea at this age I think). She got some really great gifts…. books and games and art supplies, I was impressed. It took the whole weekend to open them because she would open one than want to play with whatever it was for a long time… which really seems better than just plowing through a pile of presents and tossing them aside.
Just after her birthday we went to the pediatrician for her check-up. She had to change into a gown for the first time, and they checked her blood pressure, eyes and ears (though she didn’t really cooperate with the hearing exam). Her doctor says she is “long and lean, just what we want” which means she is 33 lbs (40%) and 60% for height. She was pleased to hear that Riley is reading (simple books, but really sounding out words and reading) and that she likes math games (both quizzing us and having us quiz her), but disappointed that we haven’t taught her to catch and throw a ball well… oops, guess we should work on that.
My favorite game with Riley recently is the “I love you game.” It’s pretty simple (and yes, very cheesy), basically it’s just an extension of that book with the Mama bunny and baby bunny trying to out do each other for who loves the other more. You start with “I love you…” then add an ending. She’s been getting more and more creative with it. Here are some of my favorites from Riley:
I love you…
bigger than… what’s the biggest planet?…oh yeah, jupiter! (this one is her favorite, she says it every night before bed. It comes from Sage teaching her about the planets)
cozier than my bed
louder than fireworks
bigger than a whale
nicer than my pictures
better than candy
snottier than a snotty nose (she’s getting over a cold right now)
smaller than an ant
sparklier than a star
prettier than a flower
tanglier than my hair
bigger than a redwood tree
wetter than rain
colder than snow
Me: I love you sweeter then a cupcake
Riley: (awestruck) with sprinkles??
Just after Christmas we flew to Costa Rica for a vacation. Mikey flew with us from LA, and my mom, dad, Eric and Patrick flew from Boston, meeting us in San Jose. Our flight left at midnight… perhaps not the greatest choice but I think it was our only option. Add to that the stopover in Guatemala, and Taca Airlines’ inability to leave the lights off and just be quiet so people can sleep, and you get a very long night with not much sleep. Riley amazingly decided (voluntarily) to take a nap around 11pm, and slept right through the transfer onto the plane. Damon slept pretty well too, but it’s hard to sleep holding a baby, so Sage and I didn’t really rest much (as a result I saw some of the new 90210 show… so weird). Having Mike travel with us with really nice, he’s a very helpful guy. It’s almost like having 3 parents to take care of Riley and Damon. Also, he always travels with his pillow, which was handy when Riley wanted to sleep on the floor in the airport…
We arrived to San Jose exhausted only to find out the airline had lost Damon’s car seat. We didn’t let it phase us and proceeded to try and find our car rental company, which it turns out is the only one without a little booth in the airport. Then we found out one of the cars was booked for the wrong days (starting 2 days after our arrival) which was kind of a big deal because it’s high tourist season here. All somehow worked out ok though, with no major fights and Riley and Damon holding themselves together reasonably well. I think Michael deserves a lot of credit for that. Like I said, he’s super helpful, and also very calm.
My the time we got the cars and car seats all sorted out, the Boston crew was just arriving, so the timing actually worked out perfectly. The kids slept most of the 4 hour drive to Playa Hermosa. Well actually the first hour was filled with Riley telling Grandma everything that has happened to her in the last few weeks.
Monday we slept late (my mom took Damon in the morning so we could sleep in, bless her soul), then hung around our ridiculously beautiful house enjoying the pool and the view. Later we made it down to the beach, which was not too busy, and really very peaceful. The water was warm and calm so even Riley was coaxed into the water. We made a little tent out of blankets and towels for Damon to nap in (which was a recurring theme on the trip… we could have a whole post just filled with pictures of Damon sleeping in different places).
[As long as Damon had his pacifier in his hand, he was happy in the water. He didn’t even need it to be in his mouth, just nearby. Since he seemed so comfortable in the water, we decided (after a lot of hemming and hawing) to dunk him… the first time he was really surprised and cried, but after that he didn’t seem to mind a bit. He even started to close his eyes before going under.]
[Pat and Damon spent a lot of quality time together]
[Eric was actually the one who convinced Riley to leave the step and venture out into the pool on her own in the floaty thing]
Tuesday we went on a little boat tour down the river in Palo Verde national park. Riley got car sick and puked on the way there, but the rest of the day got better after that. Thankfully the day was a bit overcast so it wasn’t too hot. At first the boat seemed a bit treacherous with the kids, but Damon seemed to actually like having the wind in his face, and actually ended up falling asleep after a while. Riley was bored until we started seeing animals, like giant iguanas, white faced monkeys and crocodiles. We stopped at a little restaurant for lunch and Riley was in heaven because they had one of those plastic play houses with a pretend kitchen inside. that may have been her favorite part of the day actually. The food was delicious.
[Damon on the boat]
[Monkey on the boat!] 
Wednesday we went zip lining! Well Michael, Patrick, Eric and Sage and I did. We rode horses up to the top of a canyon, then took a series of zip lines back down, criss-crossing the canyon. It was pretty touristy, but the views were amazing and the zip lines were awesome. Riley and Damon stayed with my parents and went on a long walk exploring the natural hot springs and steaming rocks. Riley was of course resistant and scared at first, but as soon as they found her a good walking stick she was off and running and had a fantastic time.
We met up for lunch, then spent the afternoon lounging around the pool. There was a swim-up bar, pretty amazing. Riley was happy because the bar tender gave her an almost endless supply of maraschino cherries. Everyone else was happy with their beers and fancy cocktails.
They claim that the mud from the hot springs is good for your skin… who knows if that’s true or not, but we all slathered it all over our bodies anyway. Even Riley! She actually did it multiple times.
Before leaving we went back to the horses and asked if Riley could ride around on one. They picked a nice one for her, and boosted her up. She was terrified, but stayed put, and gradually became more comfortable, until finally she was laughing and having a great time…
[Riding a horse!]
It was a great day, but by the end we were ready to leave the resort and get back to our house…
Thursday was New Years Eve. We had a relaxed day at the beach, then went to a nice restaurant for dinner. The nice thing about Playa Hermosa is it’s big enough to have fire works and New Year’s celebrations, but still small enough to not be overwhelming or too touristy.
[decadence]On Friday we decided to drive to a beach known for having big waves. Turned out to be a beach with almost no shade, and we got there at noon… perhaps not the greatest timing. There was a little shack with a bar selling drinks and tacos, and a lot of surfer kids hanging around, I felt a little old and out of place with my two little kids. Turned out to be okay though. We took turns playing in the giant waves, which were a little scary, but also super fun. At one point, Riley was sitting on the bar in her underwear, drinking mango ice tea from a bottle, her blonde crazy curly hair flying everywhere, and I thought she actually fit right in with the surfer kids smoking a joint right behind her. I wish I had a picture…
Eric was dying to go fishing, so on Saturday we all went out in a tiny boat together. Everyone but Eric and Pat got dropped of on a deserted beach to snorkel and play, while the two boys tried to catch some fish. They were gone forever, but luckily caught something!
Our kids can sleep anywhere, even on a tiny, bumpy, noisy boat…
[Sunset view from our house]Sunday was our last day, so we spent it at our little beach…
[Beach boy]
[Nap time]Get the Flash Player to see this player.
When we got home, I asked Riley what her favorite parts of the trip were, and she added:
1. Singing the grinch with Mikey (Riley was obsessed with “How the grinch stole Christmas,” so Mikey and I looked up the words to the song and sang it to her in a taxi… she loved it)
2. Swimming in the lagoon (at the beach, it was really shallow and clear, with no waves)
3. “Playing games with Pat was cuckoo fun!” (Riley decided a while back that “cuckoo” means really, or very, and we’ve all kind of adopted it. Pat brought trivial pursuit, and Riley played with the little pie pieces every day. He also brought the movie “The Soloist,” which Riley actually watched the whole way through)
A final thought from Riley: is pink a fish or a vegetable?
Just some random last pictures and videos from 2009…
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[It’s a little hard to tell at first, but Damon laughs when Riley tickles him…]
[On the ferris wheel after taking Riley to see Cirque du Soleil. She loved the show (even though we had to keep our hand over her ears the whole time). Her favorite part was “the bendy girls” (a.k.a. the contortionists)]
[Christmas present from Riley’s daycare teacher Lucy. A little horrifying, but Riley LOVES these dogs. And the pink purse too. The dogs are named Ben and Jesse (Ben is the brown one with the blue bow, Jesse white with pink bow) after our friends Ben and Jesse. They came over to visit just before Christmas, before the dogs had names (Riley said she wanted to get to know them before naming them) and Jesse jokingly suggested their own names… Riley loved the idea and the names have stuck ever since.]Get the Flash Player to see this player.
[A note for Santa]
[The menorah Riley made at daycare… we remembered to light it almost every night of HanukkahA long time ago Sam gave Riley a big book with all the original Curious George stories in it. At first she was too scared to read them, but when she got over that she was hooked. When Halloween came around, Curious George was thus the obvious choice for Riley. In a moment of inspiration, I decided Sage should be the Man in the Yellow Hat and Damon could be a banana. Unfortunately, I couldn’t think of anything for myself to fit the theme, so I was just a rainbow.
Sam also gave us the soundtrack to the Curious George movie, which is basically just a bunch of Jack Johnson songs. Riley LOVES them though. I played the cd for her mostly because I just couldn’t listen to Puff the Magic Dragon anymore. I actually don’t mind the album too much, though I find I pretty much have Jack Johnson in my head all the time now, since she wants to listen to it during every car ride. She knows the words to most of the songs now and walks around singing them most of the day. pretty cute.
At Riley’s friend Sofit’s birthday party there was a clown painting faces… Riley asked for a pink Curious George with a blue banana. I’m impressed by how well it turned out!!
The party was actually pretty fun. It was pretty low-key, in the park, bunch of the daycare kids. I think the key to little kid birthday parties is not trying to plan too much. The kids pretty much run around entertaining themselves…
That’s all the Curious George themed stories I can think of for now…
Our big boy is 6 months old! He’s a great kid. My only complaint is his fingernails are like razor blades when they get long, but luckily we have cute little Japanese scissors that Vida gave us, so the only barrier to keeping them short is our laziness.
Damon had his 6 month check up a little early so he could get all his shots done before going to Costa Rica, where we celebrated his half-year birthday. He seems to have slimmed down a little since his last visit (or maybe it’s because we went 2 weeks early) because now he’s down to 75% for weight (19 lbs 2 oz), which matches perfectly with his 75% height. He’s becoming more fun and charming every day. He flashes big smiles in response to funny faces and giggles when tickled. Like Riley when she was his age, he prefers to standing to sitting and is getting better at walking while holding on to our hands. He’s becoming super grabby with his hands… leading to a few spilled beers and glasses of milk before we finally wised up to his new ways. I think he’s still relatively mellow, though he has become pretty chatty. As long as he has something to chew on or look at, he’s happy. Especially if that something is his pacifier, which he loves to hold on to and gnaw on. So far he’s still a good sleeper… I really hope that lasts!
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It’s too bad the sound is messed up on this video, his laugh is so cute. I was pushing him on the swing and he was having a good time… then Riley wanted to push him. She started jerking the swing back and forth sideways and I was telling her to be more careful when Damon started cracking up. This video is after they’ve been at it for a while so he’s not quite so excited anymore, but he’s still having a good time.
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Rolling! I forgot to mention he rolls! When I was pregnant with Damon I worried that the little milestones wouldn’t be as exciting this time around since we’ve been through it before with Riley… but no worries, it is just as exciting the second time around. I’m not sure why, but watching Damon roll over is incredibly entertaining. The first few times he did it we were cheering him on and applauding when he landed on his stomach. What can I say, being a parent makes you do embarrassing things (like all those ridiculous faces and sounds we make to get him to laugh). He doesn’t really like being on his stomach, even though he likes rolling there. It’s a problem at night because he likes to sleep on his side, but gets really mad when he rolls too far.
[So I wrote this post a long time ago, shortly after Cheyenne gave the pizza to Riley, but unfortunately the pictures to go along with it were on my phone, and for some reason it takes us forever to get the pictures off my phone and uploaded… anyway, here’s the old post]
Cheyenne gave Riley a brilliant present, and she made it herself! It’s a pizza made out of felt complete with a crust, tomato sauce and multiple toppings (peppers, onions, olives, garlic, basil, pineapple, mushrooms, tomatoes, anchovies… am I forgetting something?). Sounds simple, but Riley has played with it everyday since Cheyenne gave it to her. First she made pizzas (a very elaborate process involving multiple baking steps, and multiple different ovens). Then she started making faces… then salads… sometimes she just sorts all the toppings into piles (or makes us sort them while she directs). The simplicity is actually what makes it brilliant. No batteries, no flashing lights or sounds, but it keeps her occupied and happy nonetheless.
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Riley doesn’t play with the pizza every day anymore, but it’s still a favorite toy. She stores the toppings in the front pocket of her pink back pack, so they come with us pretty much everywhere we go. When we flew home to Boston over Thanksgiving, Riley created a game with Michael and his girlfriend Courtney using the toppings and silly putty (a surprise addition to the backpack just for the long flight). Michael suggested making a calzone, and after explaining what a calzone is, Riley said, “You mean like a taco?” That’s my California girl!
I love birthdays and holidays, mostly I guess because I love a chance to celebrate for any reason. We are in the process of planning a party for Riley’s 4th birthday… it’s stressful! Shouldn’t be, but it is. Trying to figure out how to not worry about it… I’m sure it will be fine.
Below are some old birthday pictures that have been waiting to make it onto the blog. My family has a tradition of making a surprise “birthday table” to wake up to in the morning. Riley seems to like this idea, so she helped set up birthday tables for me and Sage this past year…
[Sage’s birthday] 
[My birthday] 
“This is a dead plant. (showing a dried up leaf to Damon) Plants die when they don’t get enough water. Water is… very… agua-ey… and very… um, splashy. If you don’t give it to plants they just die, like this. Sometimes people die too. When they die they’re not alive anymore. When you’re alive you can move around, but when you’re dead you can’t move anymore. That’s how it works.”
Riley has been very interested in what it means to die these last few weeks, but not in a morbid way, and she doesn’t seem worried about it, I think she’s just trying to figure it out. I’m not sure what brought it on… I think maybe a combination of learning about he dinosaur bones at the museum, then that conversation I had with her when Teddy Kennedy died. She’ll bring it up at random times. She had a conversation with my Dad about it, wondering if when he dies, does that mean she doesn’t have a grandpa anymore? That night when she fas falling asleep she asked me, “Do I have a long time before I die?” I said yes, a long time, so long she doesn’t have to worry about it. They she asked, “Do you have a long time?” I said yes, I probably have a long time too. She thought a while then said, “Grandpa doesn’t have a long time.”
It’s strange to talk about it because I don’t want to scare her or worry her, but she seems like she’s just trying to gather practical information. I suppose it’s better to try to figure out what it all means now, rather then when someone she loves actually does die. Makes me a little uncomfortable to talk about because I don’t really want to think about it… or even really acknowledge the possibility. But I think it’s better to be honest then make it into some weird mysterious thing. or even worse, to lie and say it doesn’t happen.
Anyway, that’s the deep thoughts going on around here…