Happy 1st Birthday Riley!

 

 Riley Renee… 1 year already?  Oh, how the time has passed.  I love everything about you… in a nut shell, you are my tenacious little angel.    You bring a certain joy to every room… you smile at anything!  Always moving.  Can climb anything!  Riley, you are the messiest eater I have EVER seen!!!  You never took a spoon and fed yourself since you were 6 months.  Your giggles began early and are heard often.  You adore your older brother Jed, follow in his footsteps, frustrate him… and bring him joy. 

Your first noise was the rumble of a car… “bbrrrrrrrr”… your first word was “Nose”… and you are catching onto language rather quickly, “maaamaa,” “dada,” “cak cak…” – duck, “mmmmm” – cow, “dowww”  - down (mostly on stairs) “up” – also on stairs, “Babee” – baby (as you cuddle your sweet little baby), “paaa” – peek a boo (covering your little head)… you are precious. 

I love it when you tilt your head to the side and smile. 

You know how to throw tantrums already… scooting in circles, screaming, rolling all over the floor… I’m in trouble! But, I can’t help but laugh!

I love it when you wake up in the morning…  Jed screams “I want to open her door… no meeeee!!!...” as he runs to your room.  He startles you by pounding the door open and we all sing “good morning, good morning, good morning… it’s time to rise and shine!...”  You are overfilled with joy, bob your head back and front… smile and often flop on the crib in excitement.  I hope we can do this when you are in high school. 

You love a good wrestling match… daddy gently throws you onto a pillow, and you giggle… he gently pops you with another pillow and you giggle, pull yourself up to a kneel and flop down onto the pillow… fun.

YOU WON’T WALK!  Silly girl… you stand, climb, traverse, maneuver, ride… but you won’t walk.  So far, the record is 3 steps.  You still find a way to get where you want.  I love finding you stuck in/under/through things all the time: chairs, toy kitchens, tricycles, toy shopping carts…

You and daddy have always had a special bond.  Daddy had the magic touch of putting you to sleep from the time you were born.  He loves rocking you and you just relax into his arms. 

As compliant as your brother is with say… taking medicine, clipping your toe nails, getting into your car seat, putting your clothes or diaper on… YOU AREN’T!!!  You scream, twist, turn, spit… Fun times… (I think your mother was like that too… so the legend states…)

Your favorite foods are eggs, broccoli, kidney beans, cheerios, and chicken.  But, you will eat most things.  AND DO EAT MOST THING; dog food, dirt, rocks, leaves, grass, toys…  Discovering the world right?

Riley, these are just a few of my favorite things about you.  You are so loved, and cherished.  My prayer for you is that you are gifted with Godly discernment and wisdom in this intimidating World, and that God would grab your heart early.  Happy 1^st Birthday!

Love, Mommy