The Baby had a great Christmas

Riley had a great Christmas. She got more toys and clothes than she knows what to do with. (Check out the bed head!) It was a very long day for her but she did great. Riley wasn't really into the gifts. She didn't even care about the paper. She did have fun playing with the toys once they were opened. I suppose she can't be bothered with the details of tearing through the paper. Why not let Mommy and Daddy do that and then had her a toy that is primed and ready for serious fun? Dave and I were very excited to have our very first Christmas morning with our daughter. We woke up early so that we were ready to start the day before she got up. We spent some time opening gifts at home from Santa and then headed to Grammy and Papa's house (my parents house). Riley had the largest stocking at Grammy and Papa's house that I had ever seen. We had a yummy breakfast and opened tons of presents. We went to Grandma and Papa's house (Dave's parents house) and opened more gifts and had lunch. Riley watched Telletubbies most of the time. She got a new Telletubbies video from Santa that Dave and I are super excited to watch.......at least that's what we're telling her. We finished the day off eating some turkey at my mom's and taking the rest of our gifts home. We spent as much time as we could handle playing with gifts at home before Riley had to crash. Overall, it was a great day for the Brozenic family. Every year will get more and more fun. We can't wait!

Lazy dogs

These two would never move from this spot if possible. This is, by far, the greatest invention Brown and Cal have ever used. They sleep here for hours when the fireplace is on.

Look Janae!! I'm using the fireplace!

Baby playing with her puppy

Brown and Baby play really good together. I always love the opportunity to show how good my dogs are with Riley. She will pick up one of their toys and follow them all over the living room trying to get them to play with her. Every once in a while Brown will entertain the offer.

Look at all the teeth!

Riley looks so different with all her teeth. Here's a good shot of the top two. She has another two on top coming in, but they aren't as visible yet. She is also emptying Mommy's wallet which is a fun pastime for her. Not so fun for Mommy.

Merry Christmas!

I am sorry to say that I won't have any pictures of Riley with Santa this year. We went to see him at Metro North Mall (yes, we actually went there) and as soon as we managed to find the end of the ridiculously long line there was a sign cutting off the line because apparently Santa needs a lunch break. Whatever Santa! Luckily, Riley could care less at this age so we had no melt down. My sister, Leslie, was not so lucky. She had to return the following day and wait 2 1/2 hours. Dave and I decided we would pick that tradition back up next year.
The Brozenic family would like to wish everyone a safe and Merry Christmas. We love you all and can't wait to see what 2009 brings all our families!

And now.......OMG!

I wouldn't normally use OMG, but there isn't any other way to describe this. This is the first video we took of Riley walking. She can actually walk across the room now, but I thought the first video was the most important to share. She took a few steps at Grammy and Papa's house on Saturday night and by Sunday afternoon she was strolling like she'd been doing it for weeks. She still has a bit of a wobble, but who cares! She's the best walking baby I've ever seen. She looks so grown up. This is, by far, her biggest accomplishment. Dave and I couldn't be more excited. Although, now I am really going to have to keep an eye on her. No more lying on the couch for hours eating bon bons and watching soaps.

A little dancing.....

Cute hair!

Grammy put Riley's hair in pigtails. We LOVED it. She looks like such a big girl!

BIG NEWS TO FOLLOW!

Dancing Queen

Many you have had the pleasure of witnessing Riley dance. I think her dancing skills are proof that rhythm is in your blood! She starting grooving when she first learned to sit up. Dave insisted it wasn't possible, but then he saw it for himself. Anytime she hears music she dances. The beat takes over and she looses control. She gets that from her Mommy. Sometimes the music is only in her head and she has no choice but to go with the rhythm. I can't wait to get her into dance classes. I was so worried she wouldn't be a dancer. Luckily I didn't have to wait long to see if she could move!

Bouncing Baby

Here is the exersaucer that Grandad and Mimi got Riley for Christmas last year. It was such a life saver for a long time. She would bounce in that thing for 20 minutes which made all the difference in the world when you had a baby that didn't want to be put down! It was so funny watching her in it. I was suprised she didn't fling herself out of it. She still sits in it occassionally when one of us needs to shower and the other isn't home.

An old video

I finally figured out how to get videos on here. Get ready to see more of them!! This is Riley when she first started making sounds. You can't hear them but you can see her first attempts at communicating. It was such an amazing time. I believe she was 4 months here.

What a year!

Riley 5 weeks old

Riley 11 months

I have so much fun going back and looking at the early pictures of Riley. She has changed so much. Everyday she does something new. It's always so amazing! Yesterday she crawled all the way up the stairs, played for a while and then climbed all the way down them all by herself. I couldn't believe it. She is so big. I couldn't be more proud! I also think she is getting really close to saying more words. It's hilarious listening to her jabber in her own language. She is carrying on a very important conversation. At least it seems very important by her hand gestures and tone of voice. My sister, Leslie, said she took her first step by herself when she was babysitting last weekend. We all agree that she is very close to walking, but I haven't actually witnessed a step yet. I am sure it will happen any time now. And, just like that, everything changes again. I can't keep up!