Riley Faith is 6 months old!

We went to the doctor for Riley's 6 month well visit. It wasn't bad at all. Riley is really a lot better at this than Maggie was at this age. She didn't scream at all for anything until her second shot. Even then, she seemed more angry than hurt. Overall she's doing just great and has been extremely healthy. I feel so blessed having two wonderful girls!

Weight: 15 lbs. 9 1/2 oz. right under the 50%
Length: 26 1/2 in. 75%
Head: no idea but they said it was in the 50-75%

The only downside was that we were there almost 2!!!! hours. I honestly couldn't believe that both girls held it together for that long. They were awesome!

Lovin' a giveaway!!!

First up is a fun blog I just found out about a.
Her stuff is sooo cute. I'm loving the little dresses and the birthday plates!

Click on the link to go to Fancy Schmancy's site and have fun browsing. Then enter to win a personalized adorable cake polka dot plate.

I'm really getting into this whole giveaway thing. It sure would be nice to win!

Maggie stats

I just realized that I never posted Maggie's stats for her 2 year old visit. I had to go to that one, and it was not super fun. Maggie is not that fond of strangers in general, and our doctor was no exception. She hated every minute of it and pretty much screamed the whole time. Oh well. I wasn't that worried about it. She only had one shot, so that was good. Here are her stats...

Weight 27 lbs.
Height 35 inches

I'm not sure about the percentiles on those, and I can't find her sheet. Goodness knows what I did with it. We sure do love our moody, crazy 2 year old!

Maggie is 2...and has been for a bit!

I realize that I never really posted about Maggie turning 2. It's just been pretty crazy around here. Some days I am pretty sure I'm taking crazy pills, but I'm sure it will get easier...some day...some year...whatever.

We didn't want to have Maggie's party at our house again mostly because it really always stresses me out, and I don't have a good time. I know it's ridiculous, but I'm constantly cleaning up, messing with food, etc. So we decided to have the party at The Little Gym. Maggie goes to class there every week and just LOVES it, so it was our first choice. We kind of slacked off getting around to firm up the date and ended up having the party the day before Easter. It was fine. We had cousins, friends, adult friends...all the gang. It seemed like everyone had a good time.

Here's what Maggie is up to these days... She knows TONS of words. I'm not even going to bother to count, but she has an incredible vocabulary. And boy, does she like to talk!!!! She can jump with both feet off the ground, drink out of a regular cup, feed herself with minimal messes, loves being outside, and loves her daddy more than anything in the world. She enjoys choosing her own clothes and shoes which drives me crazy since they don't always match. Her hair has some crazy corkscrew curls in it that we're pretty sure came from the mailman. She does not enjoy smiling for any cameras and can take a long time to warm up to strangers. We do so love her. I just can't imagine my life without her!

More pics.....

What a sweet baby!



The birthday party.... Maggie is 2!! So crazy to think about!

Fabulous!

Okay, I'm not one to really look at giveaways, but this beautiful stuff was too great to pass up. Check it out here...
makeroomforstyle.blogspot.com/2009/04/spring-giveaway.html

So great!

4 months old!!!

Riley had 5!!! shots today. Poor baby! Aaron said she screamed her head off and then went to sleep. I guess that will work. Here are her stats... She's still a peanut, but we love her anyway. Where are my fat rolls??

Length: 24 1/2 inches 55%
Weight: 12 lbs. 10 oz. 25 %
Head: 16 1/2 inches

Well, her head is pretty big anyway!! Ha ha!

New Riley pics!

Today at church was our baby dedication. I had to turn in a picture for the slideshow and realized that I didn't have a lot of good ones. During spring break we had a lovely photo shoot. Riley was remarkably calm as I changed her hair and clothes like 4 times. Here's some of the ones I got....

Anyone care to guess which one is which??

Tonight I was looking back over some pictures. I came across these two. Can you tell which one is Riley and which is Maggie??? I'm sure they will have their differences, but there is a lot the same!!!I promise that they aren't of the same child!

Just some pictures....too tired for anything else.

Aren't the first two pictures lovely??! Yep, this is pretty common!

Oma came to visit. Maggie was loving all the attention.
My favorite picture so far of Riley....

Back to the Grind

I've been back at school over the last 3 weeks, and I've learned some things about myself..... Here they are in no particular order.

1. I crave routine. This is why I'm sure that it will be difficult at first to be a stay at home mom. I'm just going to have to figure out a routine for each day down to the exact time. We'll be going and doing most days, and I'm sure the kids will love it. I'll be frazzled, but it would be worse for me to just be at home all the time. I think I'd go crazy!

2. I have to know the date. I don't know why it matters, but it does. I like having the date written on the board at school. Then I never forget and don't have to think if I have to sign and date something or write a check or something like that.

3. I like to be around adults. I need adult conversation. That is why I'll have to have some moms to hang out with. I have a few in mind. Any other takers??? This will be starting June 2008!

4. I think it's important for Maggie to always be exposed to other children. I plan to do this by joining play groups, hanging out with my sister and her kiddos and by putting Maggie in "school" for probably two days a week once she is three. There are certain values that can only be learned when she is around other children. I simply can't provide everything.

5. I like to go and hang out with the girls. This is definitely something that I need. My friend Kelli has been planning some girl nights lately, and they are fun. Plus, I *might* be able to catch up on my movie-watching at some point! I also play bunco with the girls from school and plan to keep doing this even after I am not teaching anymore. That will help me still feel in the loop!

6. I feel absolutely so blessed to have not struggled to have children. I have some friends that I really love that are having some hard times with this. I pray for them every day...and every day I hope is the day they tell me they're pregnant!

So, there's my list for now...and here's some pics for your viewing pleasure!
Maggie had a tea party dressed like a princess (Thanks Howells!!)

You just can't catch Riley with a smile. They're gone in a second. This is pretty much her look most of the time. Look at those cheeks! Remind you of anyone??? Riley is finally starting to round out some....Sweet family picture...minus me, of course. Now if only we could get Maggie to smile on command. It just doesn't happen! She's so stubborn!
Maggie, Riley, and the cousins Briannah and Cadence. I can just see the excitement on Riley's face.
I totally forgot about Riley's 2 month stats. Here they are....

Weight 9 lbs. 14 oz. 10-25%
Length 23 in. 50-75%
Head 15 and ??? This wasn't written down, so we're not sure.

New pics!

Pink is my signature color....
Packed up and ready to go
Sweet Riley being held by Tiffani
How could anyone resist this face??!

Twinkies!

The first picture is Maggie at about a month. The second is Riley. Sure, Riley is a lot skinnier in that picture, but I know that I see the resemblance. Anyone else??

A lot going on....

It's been a while since I've posted. It's just been crazy around here. First Aaron's mother was here. Then his dad and stepmom were here. It's always so fun to have family around, but it stressful at the same time. Anyway, now Aaron has gone back to work, and it's just me.

About Riley: Many of you know that she had some issues with gaining weight. Those issues are no more, and she's around 8 lbs. at a month old. Sure, it's not big, but it's a gain of about 2 lbs. We go for her cardiologist appointment tomorrow to check on her VSD. I'll post when I know more.

About Maggie: She's doing really well with Riley. She's not gentle, but she really wants to love on her. She also seems to be very concerned about us leaving her alone at home. Crazy girl! There are LOTS of questions about where "Baby Riley" is and what is "Baby Riley" doing. I tend to think that she's kind of bored here at home with just her momma, so we may look into daycare for February instead of her staying home when the next set of relatives are here.

I'll try to do better on posting. I do have SOME time here and there around taking care of the 2 kiddos and trying to keep a nice house. Ha ha!

Merry Christmas II!!

Wishing you a very merry Christmas!!!!!!!

We are home...

We wanted to let all know we are home and doing great. I must say that it has been quite a change having two ladies around the house instead of one.

The doctors discovered a heart murmur in Riley on Wednesday. She had a series of test run and has a ventricular septal defect (VSD). In short, she has a small hole in her septum between her two ventricles. A cardiologist came by Wednesday afternoon and stated that she won't die, have a heart attack, etc. from this defect. The hole won't get bigger and should heal on its own. In month the same test will be completed, so please pray that her heart has healed itself by then.

Maggie had a great time with her grandparents and is loving being home with her new baby sister. She has shared tons of kisses, went and got diapers, blankets and more. They are going to be best of friends.

Mommy and Riley update...

Yeah for sleep. As much as I miss my bed I must say that I love being in the hospital with so many caring people looking after us. Mommy, Riley and I were able to get a fair amount of sleep last night. Becky was able to eat some solids and is on her way to a full recovery. Below are some additional pictures, including one with Mommy and Maggie who was enjoying the automatic bed.

Riley Faith Hood is here...

The surgery was a success and mom is doing great. Riley was born at 7:59 AM is 19 1/2 inches long, weights 7.58 pounds and has a full head of hair (no this isn't her hair in the picture). We are all safe and happy in the room and will post more later. Thank you all for your prayers.

Tomorrow's the big day....

Miss Riley will be making her grand appearance tomorrow morning. I'll post when I can....