Pack it up, Pack it in....

...Let me begin.

It was a good week 'round here. Full to the brim with adventures for the little guy.
Sorry if I don't have anything too witty to say, I'll mostly let the pictures tell the stories.

He's really taken to sitting up unassisted this week and only falls when he's reaching for something. It's good because now he can sit around to play with Anna and Jimmy and you can sit him in his crib so that he can watch you while you do things around his room.



(oh, and he's far more of a naturalist than either of us)

Friday evening we took advantage of the cool weather and headed out to Downtown Alive to catch Dire Wood, a local rock act fronted by Joan's cousin, J Burton.





Even after Mommy and Daddy ate some Johnson's, we were able to make it home in time for him to still be in a good mood.




Saturday was a big day of tailgating and the Cajuns taking on Arkansas State. Riley actually made it through the whole game, which is a good thing because the Cajuns won it in the last minute of play. Like the Saints game, he sported his earplugs which allowed him to nap in the middle of a noisy stadium, yet still allowed him to wooo any ovary laden being within a 5 yard radius.




Before the game, he tried unsuccessfully to take a little nap,



and instead hung out with friends he doesn't get to see often like Funcle James




Miss Amanda



and Miss Traci




Sunday, things didn't slow down. After church we went to Outback for my mom's 50th birthday, where Riley got to try out his newly developed back muscles in his first high chair sitting.



After the meal, we headed over to the Pumpkin Patch for a photo session. Unfortunately, by that time he was dead-tired and entirely unwilling to smile or cooperate. But we did get a few good pics.

with Nonnie



with Poppy



with Miss Amanda and Uncle Eli/Cousin Mose (for you Office fans)



with Uncle Jake



With Jake, Eli, and Amanda



With some random chicks.



And with lots of pumpkins







(that last one looks all sad and lonely, quite the opposite of his life)

After the Pumpkin Patch, we headed down south of Erath (where just 6 weeks ago there was a few feet of Gulf water) to see Joan's Mom's family and to celebrate Joan's grandmother's 80th birthday. He got to see their pond, see some cows and even see a horse up close.



even with all of the cool sights though, he just wanted to be cuddled by mommy and frustrate her by not going to sleep.





Now hopefully all of that activity will make him want to sleep all night. He's only got 4 days to think of a birthday present for his Mommy's last birthday before she turns 30.


on a side note, this will be my last week at my current firm and, starting next Monday, I'll be employed directly by State Farm in their local legal office. I'm excited. I'll be driving 15-25 minutes less a day, and I think I'll be much happier.

Thanks for the hits.

Flying Colors

As usual, we tested our luck this week, and, for the most part, he passed with flying colors.

Early in the week, he cut his first tooth, which we have discovered does not photograph well. The neighboring tooth is on its way through too, and hopefully its arrival will be as uneventful as the first.
He's also gotten pretty good a sitting up on his own (but he's not good enough for the wood floors yet.)



Thursday, he had his six month pediatrician visit. He tipped the scales at 15 lbs 4 oz, after not having a smelly diaper for 4 days, so you've got to think that is a little heavy. Still, that only puts him at the 10% weightwise.

The measuring tape has him at 26 inches which is the 25% for a six month old.
He also got three shots, and, despite screaming for a few minutes, did not have any ill effects the following day, like we had been warned from some other parents.

The doc's office also told us that now would be a good time to put him in an exersaucer to develop his physical skills, but that we should never use a walker with wheels because he could hurt himself.



On a side note, this week he has gained much more control over his deathtrap walker with wheels (which he really likes) and has taken to following a ball around the room, not realizing that once he catches it, there's no way to pick it up.



Friday, we took it easy, knowing that we had a full weekend ahead of us.

Saturday morning, he had his first experience with the wonderfully speedy service in the Sears auto department (read with sarcasm). You can see how hypnotized he was by the prompt attention.



The sluggishness helped though when we went back later to pick the car up and he was able to squeeze in a healthy nap while Mommy waited in line.




Later, we met my parents and brother, Jake, at Johnson's Boucaniere for a hearty outdoor lunch on their newly constructed (and still being constructed) wrap-around porch.
You just can't beat that place in my book.
The adults like the food, the atmosphere and the staff.
Riley loves being outside and hamming it up for Ms Claire, Ms Lori and the staff inside.






Nothing tops off a good meal like good music, so we headed down to Girard Park to catch the Red Stick Ramblers' set at Festival Acadiens.





It was sunny, so he sported his hat and sunglasses, which really seemed to amaze people. Sort of a baby "Fear and Loathing" look, without all of the hard drugs.






Sunday was the big test... his first 2 hour car trip and Saints game.
He woke up early and cheery, ready to hit the road.




Once we got to NO, he donned his Saints gear and hung out with his godmother, Lesley.





Pregame, he was in a good mood, but not really in the mood to look at a camera.






Since we've worked so hard at cultivating his good taste in music, we were sure to protect his ears with baby earplugs and a nice hat to keep them in.





He didn't try to take them out at all. They must have worked because he didn't even flinch in the cacophonous Dome. He even napped through most of the first quarter.




Plus, about half of the people that walked by commented on how cute he was. Some even took pics of him. (He's already got paparazzi.)





And the Black & Gold's 34-3 whooping of the Raiders put him in a good postgame mood (or maybe he was just happy to get a clean diaper.)




Overall he was never really fussy until about 20 minutes before we got home. That is amazing to us because, between traffic and a stop over in BR, he was fine until we had been away from home for over 11 hours. I'm proud of him.

I think that just about covers this week. The next week should be pretty calm.

Thanks for reading.

First in Class

It's been another pretty good week around these parts. Riley has really packed in the adventures in the last seven days, and has done really well with all of them.

Friday night, he headed out to his first Lafayette High Band Show, which some people call a football game. The Lions were taking on their rival, Acadiana. The parking situation was ridiculous. We arrived to see what was, at least, a 30 minute line for tickets. After we paid a kid near the front of the line to buy our tickets, we got into the stands and found out it was so packed you could barely move around. Fortunately, the band has a little area where parents and alumni sit, so we were able to separate ourselves from the commoners.



Lafayette got whooped, but the band did really well. Riley also did well, staying up until after 10 pm, with very little fussing. He was too busy flirting with all of the high school girls to get tired.

Never again though will I go to an LHS/AHS game. The crowd that it attracted was horrible. Nothing but wanna-be thugs, of all races, making fools of themselves and being obnoxious. The police had their hands full, especially with the packs of idiots who though it would be a good idea to just hang out in the middle of the road, blocking traffic.
It was a good way to get a little boost in the energy to devote to being a good parent, so that your kids don't turn out like the wastes that we saw Friday night.

On a happier note though, we did a 5k for the children's museum on Saturday morning and Riley finished first place in the under one year category. After the race he treated us to our first seriously disgusting diaper breach of the solid food era. It really took 15 minutes and a whole pack of wipes to get him clean. I can't shake the memories. Fortunately, no pics.

But the events surrounding the race did get me wondering about some things. In other parts of the country, do people get up on a Saturday morning, run three miles and then, at 8:45 am, stand around eating heavy bowls of rice/sausage/chicken, drinking locally brewed beer (and root beer), eating pralines and listening to a live band?
If they don't, they need to move here, 'cause we sure do.

Saturday evening we skipped out on our 10 year class reunion and, instead, ate with our parents outside at the Filling Station, further taking advantage of the great weather. Not much of a story to tell about the meal but we did get some pretty cool pics.

When we first arrived, he was teetering on the edge of sleep.




Once he saw his waiting grandparents though, he got his second wind.





He's smart enough to know that a certain someone was going to let him try to drink ice from a big people cup.



As we were waiting for the check, he started to fade.



And by the time we got home, at about 8:15, he was fully spent.




Sunday morning he woke up a good bit earlier than Mommy wanted him to, so we packed up the stroller and headed off on an early morning father-son trek.



We walked over to River Ranch and strolled around for over two hours.




The highlight for him was getting to stare, intently, at all of the various fountains scattered throughout the "village." (my highlight was smelling the food at Another Broken Egg)





By the time we headed home, we were facing directly into the sun, but he was fully protected by a shade we picked up at Babies r Us, made by Kidoppatamus. I highly recommend it. (now that we've learned how to install it properly.) He was able to fall asleep during the last leg of the trip, despite the direct sun shot.





Once we got home, despite the huge seatbelt imprint on his face, he was all cheery and ready to play with Mommy.




On a more random note, you can almost feel a tooth coming out on the bottom, so we're looking forward to that popping out soon.
Hopefully teeth will help to keep some of his spit in his mouth, while he watches Mommy get ready in the morning, or lounges around with Jimmy.





Next week he goes to his first Saints game, which will also be his first road trip over an hour. That will be a test.