Update February 6, 2004

Riley tured 2-years-old on December 22, 2003. I just can't believe it. She is such a sweet little girl, very well behaved and playfull. Now that I am home with her full-time, she is very attached to me, and I just love it. I'm so thankful to be able to see her grow up and teach her new things.

At her 2-year check-up, Riley weighed 25 pounds (50 percentile) and was 34 inches long (75 percentile). She is tall and slim, you can see her ribs, but she eats all the time. Her favorite food is Honey Comb cereal in a bowl with milk, Italian wedding soup and manderin orange segments. She asks to eat them all the time. I always make sure we are stocked up on them.

February 6, 2004
by Mommy

Riley is our pride and joy and we love her more than anything. How did we get so lucky? We have been truly blessed with an angel.

Riley had her 2-year check-up at the Craniofacial/Cleft Clinic at Columbus Children's Hospital on January 13, 2004. She is doing great! Although she has a fistula (a re-opening of the palate after surgery) in her hard palate, it can wait to be repaired when she has her bone graft around age 6 or 7. The fistula does not impair her speech. Riley says over 300 words (I actually made a list) and say 3-4 word sentences. She speaks very clearly. Not only do we (her parents) understand her, others do too. We are so proud of her. And she has the sweetest voice. I just love to hear her talk.

During her check-up, we learned that the tube in her right ear has come out and the tube in her left ear has come loose but is sitting sideways in the ear, so we were instructed to put drops of oil (baby oil, olive oil, vegetable oil, etc.) in her ear to loosen the wax around it so it will fall out.

Riley is very into her baby dolls. She loves to play with them, care for them and feed them. She puts them to sleep and even rocks them and sings them songs, like mommy does when she has a hard time sleeping. She is definitely going to be a wonderful big sister someday.

Riley counts to 4 (but she also counts 9, 10, 11), she knows 6 shapes and 10 colors. She is very, very smart and learns very quickly. She plays well by herself and with other, though sometimes she doesn't want to share. Riley is very polite, she will share what she eating, if she burps, she says "Excuse me," and if she accidentally hits you, she says "I'm sorry." If she hears a baby cry, she says "Don't cry baby. It's OK."