The thing that seems to strike us the most on this parenting adventure, is how quickly Riley changes. One day she isn't doing some thing, or is doing it in a crazy haphazard way, the next she's got it down pat.
In the past few days Riley has perfected clapping. She's been trying to clap since she was 4 or 5 months old...Whenever some thing seemed especially exciting or fun she'd swing her arms way high and bring them crashing down onto her belly - hands hitting together (but not the right way). Last week the movement got smaller and it was very obvious she was really trying to get that clapping thing down. Then one day "click" she was really clapping.
Now whenever she thinks she has done something particularly cool she'll sit back and give herself a round of applause.
But the cutest thing she started doing in the past week has to be her "snoopy dance". She sits on her knees and bounces while tilting her head waaay back and claps her hands or waves her arms to the side. If you've ever seen a Peanuts cartoon when snoopy dog is doing his happy dance, well that's Riley!
I'm gonna try to catch a video of her doing it, it never gets old. :0)
Her personality is really starting to bloom, and she loves playing games with us...We got our first hint of how much fun she was going to be a few weeks ago. Ryan and I were sorting laundry, Riley was playing and crawling around in the huge pile of linens on our bed... At one point she burried her face in a sheet and went really still. Then all of a sudden she popped her head up and went "AH!" and then burried her face in the bed again and went still...A few seconds and then "AH!" and a giggle. She was playing peek-a-boo with us! She did it 4 or 5 times before she saw some thing interesting on the other side of the bed and went to investigate it.
Yesterday I was laying on the couch while she played. I have a cold this week and have been a sniffly sleepy mess. Riley crawled over to me, pulled up on the couch and said "Mama" and then leaned down and gave my arm a kiss (with a sound effect "meh!"). She says "Ma ma" all alone now and only ever to me (though she does sing "ma ma ma ma" too). I think I heard that they don't usually know what they are saying untill 9 or 10 months but it really seems like she knows! Either way it's wonderful to hear!
The last wonderful thing she is discoverying is the art of escape. In the livingroom there are these giant ottomons that make AWESOME baby gates... We put one across the entrance to the dining room and one sectioning off the living room, so really there is a big "play area" that she can crawl around in and be near me but not get into any thing dangerous (sure cuts down on my having to chase her, for now). Well she's been trying to escape. Yesterday I ran upstairs for a minute and came back down to find Riley on her tummy one arm slinking out between one of the ottomans and a chair and trying to shove her little head (and body) through the crack in the "wall" of furniture! She was trying to escape...It's only a matter of time before she realizes how much easier going OVER the ottoman is. :0(
Well that's my little gush on Riley... She's sitting on the floor right now singing to her toys, she sings soo much it's such a sweet sound.
No comments:
Post a Comment