The Cheerio Incident

It all started off so innocently...

Then Daddy thought it would be a good idea to give her the whole bag.

No caption necessary.

But she seemed quite pleased with herself and the easy Cheerio access.

9 Months Old and Doing Big Things

Rylee turned 9 months old on Valentine's Day and celebrated by having a romantic, candlelit dinner with Mommy and Daddy at Skyline Chili.

Her 9 month pediatrician visit found her to be the picture of health and she impressed everyone with her amazing feats and sunny outlook, even though she was about to be stuck with a needle and have her poor, little finger pricked. She actually was a champ for both traumatic events. She didn't even flinch when the nurse pricked her finger (she even smiled at her while she was drawing the blood!) and she only cried for a minute after the shot. The good news is her iron level is perfect. (Thankfully, she didn't get that from Mommy) The bad news is, she still has no teeth. But she is becoming a very big girl. She weighed 17 lbs., 9 ozs. and was 26 3/4 inches long. Her head is giant, a whopping 17 3/8 inches. That is quite a big brain in there! Her official 9 month/Valentine's portrait (every time Mommy tried to take this picture, she put her arms in the air and said "yea!" so we just went with it)

"Yea!" again (yes, those are drumsticks...)
Fleeing from the scene of the crime

Now that she is 9 whole months old, Rylee has begun to do many big girl things. Here is a sampling of her recent big girl activities.

Reading her brothers a story

Pushing her own swing

Trying out some Cheerios!

First, she just chased them around her high chair tray....

...But then she got the hang of it.

Taking in her first NBA game

Her first car!

Doing the shopping for Mommy

Hanging out with the big kids

Plotting and scheming with her girlfriends

Smooching her play dates

Showing Peyton a thing or two about being a big girl

Organizing Grandma's Tupperware cupboard

Doing her own seatbelt on the airplane

Using the toilet

and working out with Daddy

Rylee Reorganizes the Movies

As you may have noticed from previous blogs, Rylee is now quite mobile and exploring new places within our home. One particular habit of hers is the need to "straighten" our annoyingly neat DVD collection. Unbeknowst to Rylee, her latest cleaning spree was caught on film...

Daddy has spent so much time travelling that Mommy and Rylee have spent a LOT of time together alone. This can be a good thing, but as the following video shows, it isn't always the best. Here Mommy and Rylee show that their isolation has led to the creation of their own language.

A Tisket, a Tasket...

Perhaps yearning to follow in her grandma's footsteps, we have noticed that Rylee seems to have developed a small obsession with Longaberger baskets. Not just any baskets, but specifically Longaberger baskets. She can't seem to stay away from them...

"Folding" the laundry Getting to the bottom of things " What? I was just rescuing this mermaid from her certain doom at the bottom of the toy basket."

Checking the integrity of the liner and protector (please note missing sock)

Thinking about going on a picnic

Making sure her brothers put away these Wii remotes properly

"Is this handle chocolate or strawberry?"

A Very Busy Bee

Well, despite Mommy's best efforts to hit the pause button, Rylee is officially 8 months old! There is no scheduled pediatrician appointment this month, so we aren't sure of her exact stats, but we can tell you with 100% certainty that she is discovering new things every day, growing like a weed, and getting into anything and everything she can possibly get into. Here is a look at what she's been up to: Checking Daddy for ticks

(Not really) giving peas a chance

Dressing up like a snuggly, little bear

Monkeying around

Trying new foods

Getting stuck in some very tight spots

Learning how to do her own hair

Cheering on the Cats

Making sure Daddy's mask complies with all current safety standards

Doing some light reading

Teething...seriously teething...

A Charleston Kind of New Year

Once she went mobile, it didn't take Rylee long to figure out she could pull up on things, stand, and bonk her head on any and everything. Never a dull moment for sure.

A few days after Christmas, we headed to Charleston, SC to ring in the New Year with the Millers and the Steiners. What a way to say goodbye to the year of Rylee's birth and hello to the year of her first birthday (scary!)

Having all 3 Steiner babies under one roof was quite an experience. Rylee had a great time hanging with her cousins Mason and Avery and getting spoiled by Grandma and Grandpa. She learned some new tricks and had fun showing off her new skills. She also got to go down her first slide, swing on her first swing, and see her first fireworks! Avery teaching Rylee how to use the big kid toys

By the end of the week Avery had finally gotten used to sharing with not one but two babies. Said sharing is pictured here, as she generously piled every toy she owns in front of Rylee, who didn't quite know where to start

Pulling up and standing are all the rage

Steiner cousins! Woop, woop!

Grandma didn't quite want to let us go home

Soundtrack brought to you by the musical genius of Avery and Grandpa

Inspecting Mason... she gave him the seal of approval

Mason outweighs and outlengths Rylee already and he is 7 weeks younger. Here is Uncle Sean, building up his biceps.

This supercool toy made Rylee want to take up permanent residence in the Palmetto State. She has already requested one for her first birthday.

Weeeeeee!

Swinging with Mommy

Fortunately, she is still young enough to appreciate Grandpa's jokes