So, the other day, I was just hanging out, pretty mellow, kicking it on my floor gymnasium. Mom and Dad had just changed Emmett and were in the other room washing their hands. (Can anyone say, biohazzard?)

And that’s when Emmett struck.

He came barrelling out of nowhere on a new dump truck that he’d gotten for his birthday. He was clearly out of control. Careening off of the walls, running into the dogs, and stopping for nothing in his path. The Legos stacked high in his truck bed pinged loudly off of the coffee table, landing dangerously close to my head. But I soon discovered that flying Legos were the least of my problems…

If only Emmett had stopped to read the directions, or had experimented with how to operate the brakes, then we would have all been saved from a world of hurt. But Emmett, like Mom, doesn’t believe in directions. He says he’s more “experiential.” What does that even mean? I’ll tell you what it means: Something about his dump truck “experiencing” a collision with his little brother. That’s what it means.

Regardless, Emmett and his truck were heading right in my direction and me and my big head were too heavy to lift to safety. I knew when it was too late for him to swerve. It was when my entire life flashed before my eyes. Being born. Sleeping. Eating. Mom. Dad. The dogs. It had been a life full of contenment and love. With very little crying and almost no pain to speak of. Until then.

The truck came at me with such speed that it was just a blur of black and yellow and Lego. That’s when it’s front right tire hit a picture book laying in its path and the truck was launched like a rocket through the air. If only Emmett weighed less, he might have cleared me. But, that big pig and the truck came crashing to the ground with a sickening crunch. The crunch of plastic meeting bone.

For a second I marveled at how little it hurt. But only for a second. As soon as I took my first full breath, the pain was so great that I think the neighbors could hear my yell. Mom and Dad rushed into the room, while bubbles from their still sudsy hands floated gracefully to the ground. By this point, Emmett had moved on and was playing peek-a-boo with Cooper in his tent. (Another present for his birthday.) And Mom and Dad had trouble figuring out what was wrong.

He might have gotten away with it, had the tires on his dump truck not left an imprint on the milky white skin of my legs. But, I had literally been run over, and the evidence was there for all the world to see…

Fast forward to the emergency room. Me in Mom’s arms with two, little blue casts on my legs. Emmett, in Dad’s arms, with a twinkle in his eye. This, I’m sure, will be the first of many hospital visits, courtesy of my big brother.*

*None of this is true. OK. One part is true. I do have casts on my legs. But they aren’t from an Emmett-related accident. They were put on to get my feet to point forward. I guess before I was born, I was packed so tightly into Mom’s belly that my feet didn’t have enough space. So, I folded them in and sat that way for 9 months. Now, I have to wear these casts for around 2 weeks and after that my feet should be all good. But I’m not telling anyone that. I’ll be sticking to my Emmett-ran-me-over-with-his-dump-truck story, thank you very much.

I am almost 8 weeks old and the pediatrician said that I have a big head. Mom said that it was to hold in my big brain, but what it really means is that I can’t hold it up at all yet. I have a long neck and a body that is not sized for such a huge nogin. So, while my arms and legs are totally beefing up, and my tummy is Buddha-like, I still have a ways to go before I have developed the strength to hold up my dome.

Just to give you an idea of how big it is, my head size is in the 75th percentile but my body is in the 20th percentile. Imagine what your head would be like if it was about as wide as your shoulders and you’ll get a good picture of what I’m dealing with here. Mom says its a good thing that I’m so cute because with such an oversized head, I could look really goofy. But I don’t, which is nice.

I am awake way more now, and I smile ALL THE TIME. If it is possible, Mom and Dad think that I smile even more than Emmett did when he was my age, and he is a really happy guy. I am staring to coo, to reach my hands together, and to move my limbs around a lot. I am still a big snuggler, though, which makes Mom very happy.

I am officially 10 pounds and have outgrown my newborn outfits. They have been getting too short for a few weeks now, but they have also become too tight in the belly area. (Hey, I was told to bulk up… So It’s not my fault that I’ve become a bit round in the middle.) I watch people now, too, and I am very attentive when I am awake. All good things…

Emmett is still beating me up, though. He is getting more sneaky with it too. And he clearly knows he shouldn’t be doing it. Just wait until I get to be big enough to crawl… He’ll see.

So, in closing, I have to work on neck strength this month and next. And I need to learn some self-defense. I’m on it.

Riley

It’s hard to believe that I am already 5 weeks old! It seems like just yesterday I was meeting Mom and Dad for the first time… and now I’m almost too long for my newborn outfits and I actually fit into my car seat (before I was a bit too small to tighten the straps properly). Mom and Dad gave me a list of things to work on soon after I was born: Putting on weight, sleeping through the night, and strengthening my neck.

So far, I have chunked up nicely. I more than doubled the amount of formula that I am averaging daily. Also, I have been sleeping for 5-6 hour stretches at night, waking only for a short time to polish off a bottle. Finally, when I’m laying on my belly, I can move my head all the way from the right to the left and back. Although I don’t really like it, I have been spending time each day on my tummy to work on these muscles. (As an aside, it is generally during this tummy time that Emmett sneaks up on me and smacks me in the face.)

Right now, I’m just having a good time with Mom, Dad, Emmett, and the dogs. Cooper is really keen on keeping an eye on me. He makes sure to check on me when I’m sleeping, peaking into the crib. And when I cry, he comes right over and gives me kisses. We all take regular walks together. Mom and Dad got a double seated jogging stroller, which is a really smooth ride. Its been nice to check out the neighborhood and get to know the area. I’m looking forward to seeing what other neighborhoods look like, although I really like ours.

We’ve got a full month coming up. There’s Emmett’s birthday, Mom’s birthday, Hanukkah, Christmas, and New Year’s. I am looking forward to meeting some more new people and seeing what those holidays are all about. So far I’ve experienced Halloween (I slept through the trick-or-treating) and Thanksgiving (both Emmett and I fell asleep before the turkey was done cooking). We did spend Thanksgiving morning with Auntie Ashley, Uncle Steve, and Grandpa Bob, which was fun. Emmett said that he really liked the waffles he ate that morning.

I’ll let you all know how all of the upcoming holidays go. I think that as long as I’m with Mom, Dad, and Emmett, I’ll have a good time. Hopefully, next time I write, I’ll be able to hold up my head. Keep your fingers crossed!

See you soon,
Riley

Hello Everyone!

I am happy to announce my arrival… I was a bit late (a week), but I arrived in style at 7 pounds 10 ounces and 20 inches. In case it’s hard to see in my pictures, I have red fuzz and fantastically alabaster skin. Mom and Dad like to point out my long fingers and large hands and feet, but I think that my eyes are a better feature. They are blue-grey right now, and Mom is fairly certain that they are going to be blue, like Dad’s.

So far, I am a good eater, which Mom is happy about since she is determined to fatten me up. Although my big brother Emmett was the same length when he was born, he had just about 1/2 pound on me. That means in comparison, I have some skinny arms and legs. And a long neck. Mom and Dad want me to put on the pounds so that I can start to support myself a bit better. I am excited to get big enough to play with Emmett. So I am working hard on eating everything put in front of me. I take direction very well.

Something else I’ve been working on is snuggling. Mom really wanted Emmett to be a snuggler, but he moves so much that he’s never really in one place for long enough to snuggle-unless he’s asleep. And he will only fall asleep when he’s alone in his room in his crib with his stuffed bunny. So, that means that the snuggling job falls to me. And its a good thing that I am really quite a good snuggler. Even when I’m awake, I am an accomplished snuggler.

I love to be held and love to hang out in Mom’s arms while stuff goes on around us. This works out well, because Emmett is really a Daddy’s boy and they play around and wrestle while Mom and I cuddle.

Well, I’ve got to go take a nap. I sleep really well and I wouldn’t want to disappoint Mom and Dad.

See you all soon,
Riley