Riley

Our beautiful girl is 2 1/2 years old today, perfect time for a little update! I'm amazed at the changes and growth over the past 6 months, she is becoming quite the little lady! We are so proud of what an amazing big sister she is to Tyson and can't wait to see what a big helper she'll be with Baby Thames #3. Just in the past week, when asked if the baby in mommy's belly is a baby boy or baby girl, she consistently says "baby girl" or "baby sister". We'll see if she's right in October! Now if she could just help us pick a couple of potential names for her new sibling! :)

The transition to her "big girl bed" has been seamless so far (knock on wood!) and also does really well sharing a room with Tyson. I'm sure sometime in the near future she'll figure out she can actually get out of the bed AND room all on her own... then, look out! And it's hard to believe she's been potty trained for over two months now. We're not without the occasional accident and false alarm visits to the bathroom, but she still does really well.

Some of her current favorites include: moatmeal (oatmeal), her baby (Cabbage Patch doll), drinking from a "big girl cup", walking "by self" (but then asking daddy to "carry me" anyways), "Little Einsteins" on Disney, the new "big girl bed", making tea for mommy and daddy in her kitchen, watching "A Bug's Life", chapstick (especially mommy's Dr. Pepper chapstick), "jwumping" (jumping), singing made up songs into her "microphone" like Annie on "Einsteins", the color pink, mooching food off of mommy and daddy's plates (especially chips), coloring, getting her "face wet" (drinking from a drinking fountain), "hogurt" (yogurt), and her sunglasses.

She says some pretty hilarious and cute stuff lately too:

• Sitting at breakfast last week, out of the blue she says, "I eating so well". Then a few days later saying to Rick, "Daddy made pancakes so well".
• She's taken to calling Tyson a "silly goose" a lot lately
• After beginning to throw a fit early one morning while camping (because she didn't want to get into the stroller), Rick gave her a little swat on the bottom causing her to cry. When I popped my head out of the trailer to see what was going on she cries to me, "I need kisses" so I leaned down to give her a kiss on the forehead. She then says (still crying), "I need kisses on my bottom!" I couldn't help but laugh at that- and it probably sounded great to people camping around us too!
• We came home from running errands last week, Riley ran into the kitchen and said to Rick, "Daddy I missed you! I so happy to see you!" It made my heart melt...
• It also makes my heart melt hearing her say, "I wuv you", and recently adding "wuv you more" and "wuv you most"... so cute!

We can't wait to see what the next six months will bring with our little girl!