August 5, 2010 - I'm 18 months old!

Riley loves to help me bake, mixing is her specialty

Mmm, that tastes pretty good!

She was not afraid to get both hands on the Burmese python; Mommy stayed close at hand, ready to grab her from danger but the massive snake was very good with all the kids

She has learned to pet animals gently with 1 finger

Petting the huge 200 lb tortoise

Ride 'em cowgirl!

Her hair is long enough to coax into a tiny bam-bam style ponytail

Of course, her hair is also so thin it slips right out. She tried to stick it back on her head but needs some beauty salon tips

Chad packed for an entire week in Hong Kong in this tiny carry-on, and he didn't even fill it up!

We visited Hunter, the little brother of a playgroup friend who was born on July 12. She kept saying "Baby! Baby!"

We also did a little retail therapy to pass the time while Daddy was away. Riley insisted on carrying her bag of new shoes around the house

And carefully examined them

Messy hair, breakfast crepe everywhere, I love mornings!

Walking around the park with a stick. I know most of the country is having a heat wave but we've had the coldest summer I've ever experienced in my 12 years in CA

She loves climbing on the couch and chairs and jumping

And using the furniture to reach new trouble

I’m constantly amazed at all the kid-friendly fun things to do in our area that I never knew existed. I’m so grateful to have made my mommy-connections to learn about all of these activities. This weekend was the “Reptile Rally” at Sulphur Creek Nature Center (the same location as our monthly toddler time). Chad has never been to the nature center and was very impressed with all the animals. The Reptile Rally was a show-and-tell by rangers of the various reptiles housed at Sulphur Creek as well as local reptile enthusiasts who bring their pets and talk about them to the kids. We weren’t sure what to expect but it was fantastic! Riley really enjoyed petting the different animals, she’s gotten very good at “gentle.” We were all impressed by a chameleon, the colors were so vivid and beautiful. There was a huge albino Burmese python that made mommy nervous but that Riley really liked. Possibly the highlight of the morning was when Riley rode a 200 lb tortoise.

Chad’s new job requires more travel, at least in the short term. This week he made his first trip to Hong Kong! Its been difficult to talk to him since he is 15 hours ahead. When we’re awake he’s sleeping and his days are very full, if you are going to fly all that way you’ve got to make it worth your while. The first night he was away Riley called for “Daddy” for hours at bedtime, it was painful. She’s such a daddy’s girl. She and I have kept extra busy playing with our friends, going to parks, and engaging in retail therapy. We can’t wait until he gets home.

Its unbelievable to me that Riley is 1.5 years old today. Some aspects of her personality, her sociability and friendliness, have been apparent from an early age while others, her determination and willfulness, have appeared more recently. She's become a steady walker with fewer falls, although she's very cautious as she learns new physical skills. She can understand quite a bit (probably more than we realize) and can follow instructions like, “Put your shoes in the basket.” Of course, Riley often prefers to NOT follow instructions and do her own thing. She has over 35 words that she uses regularly (and seemingly learns another word daily), quite a vocabulary for an 18 month old. I truly believe that her vocabulary has everything to do with her willfulness…she wants it so badly she’s learning to tell us what she wants. What a baby!