When Riker was first born,
my friend Kendall bought him the cutest outfit.
But…it was a 12 month size.
I had a wait a whole year for Riker to be able to wear it!
Finally, the wait is over…
Isn’t he just the cutest baby ever!
Yesterday, I cut my baby’s hair.
I know he just had a haircut in Arizona.
But it was so long on top…
he looked silly.
So I just started cutting away.
I am, by no means, good at cutting hair.
I just kinda started snipping some over here,
and a little over there…
and this is what we ended up with.
I pretty much had to stop cutting because there wasn’t much left to cut.
It would have been much easier if I had just used clippers.
Faster, more efficient…most likely more even.
Now my baby has a fuzzy head.
And it’s the cutest fuzzy head I’ve ever seen.
Today is Auschwitz Liberation Day.
On January 27, 1945, the Soviet army entered Auschwitz and liberated more than 7,000 remaining prisoners.
This month, our book club is reading The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. 
It’s a quick read, showing the horrors of WW2 through the eyes of a child living outside the fence at Auschwitz.
Read it.
I also recently read Sarah’s Key.
It’s a fictional account of the very real events that took place in Paris.
After being held in Paris, these prisoners were also taken to Auschwitz.
The first half of the book is great.
The last half, not so much.
Read it is you want.
I’ve always enjoyed reading about WW2.
Both fact and fiction.
Any book recommendations?
There would be another picture,
but shortly after this one was taken Riker tripped.
The camera was put down and the baby was picked up.
No worries, he’s fine.
It’s just a flesh wound.
Last week, it snowed.
A lot.
We ended up with around 5 inches of snow.
Being the desert-dwelling girl that I am was,
I do not like the snow.
I like the sun…and being warm.
But I decided to let Riker form his own opinion about the snow.
You may remember that his first encounter with snow didn’t go so well.
This time went much better.
After bundling Riker up, I took him outside and plopped him down in the snow.
For a while, he just sat there.
Snowflakes were still falling, and Riker was content to watch.
I scooped some snow into my hand
and Riker eagerly opened his mouth for a taste.
I was cold, so our time outside was short-lived.
But I think it is safe to say that Riker likes the snow
(just not sledding!)
Once upon a time, a movie called Tron was released.
Since then, TJ is constantly told that he looks like this guy:
Like, lots of people tell him this.
Even strangers.
So what do you think?
Any similarities?
I can kind of see it.
The hair…the teeth…even the eyes, a little bit.
I totally don’t mind people thinking that TJ looks like
”the guy from Tron”
(because apparently nobody actually knows the guy’s name…
it’s Garret Hedlund, btw).
Besides, if he is that guy…
I get to be Olivia Wilde!
Right?
Last night we had a Mustache Bash.
A little party in celebration of TJ and Riker.
You know, because they just had birthdays.
I made the boys matching mustache shirts.
Pretty adorable, if I do say so myself.
We had cupcakes, topped with mini mustaches.
And a hot cocoa bar, complete with lots of yummy mix-ins.
The highlight of the night, for me at least, was Riker eating a cupcake.
He didn’t hesitate at all!
He started with the frosting, licking it off his little fingers.
Soon he figured out how to eat the cake.
He grabbed it with his two little hands and stuffed it in his face!
One hand full of frosting, the other shoveling cake into his mouth.
It did not take long for him to devour the entire cupcake!
The two birthday boys!
TJ has come to terms with the fact that he and Riker will always have joint birthday parties…
if only Riker had been born a few hours earlier!
Riker’s 1 Year Stats:
Weight: 23 pounds (54th percentile)
Height: 29 inches (25th percentile) 
Riker’s Milestones:
*walking
(Yesterday, he finally started letting go of the furniture and walking on his own!)
*can wave hi and bye
*loves to play peek a boo and patty cake
*says “dada”…and lots of other random gibberish
*throws tantrums when I don’t let him do something
*gives high fives
*recognizes names of objects/toys
(if I ask him to get the ball, he can pick it up and give it to me)
*loves to bounce up and down in his bed
*copies silly sounds that we make
*loves to eat anything and everything
(except bananas, peaches, and broccoli…)
Can you believe that I kept a baby alive and well for a whole year!?
I love watching this boy grow and learn and develop.
Here’s to many more successful years with this little boy!
12 Months
52 Weeks
365 Days
That’s how old my baby is.
Can I still call him a baby?
Or is he technically a toddler now?
Remember when he was born?
I do.
He started out really little.
Pretty soon, he started to grow.
Every month he got bigger and bigger.
Ha.
I remember refusing to believe my mom when she said Riker was bald.
I swear he had more hair!
And here is my baby boy today.
Yes, he is STILL in his pajamas.
Yes, his hair STILL looks like he has been electrocuted.
Yes, he is STILL the cutest baby alive.
Yes, he STILL makes me happier than I ever thought I could be.
Happy birthday, Riker baby!
I love you to pieces!
When we arrived in Seattle,
the ground was covered in snow.
Drastic change from the lovely weather we had in AZ!
Luckily, I had packed Riker’s snowsuit.
It was time to introduce Riker to snow.
After suiting up, we stuck Riker on the sled…
the pushed him down the hill.
Needless to say, he didn’t love this.
Snow got in his glove…
and maybe on his face.
After consoling the crying baby,
we stuck to walking.
He was happier being able to sit up.
And he was MUCH happier when we went back inside.
(And so was I…did you know that snow is my nemesis? Well, it is. Winter is my least favorite. Especially in Ohio.)
During our time in Arizona,
I decided it was time for Riker to get a haircut.
If you had seen him before, you would have noticed the mullet.
A mullet is completely unacceptable, regardless of age.
So I asked my dear mother to cut his hair.
Riker was very interested in the clippers.
In fact, he was too interested.
After a brief time in the high chair,
it was necessary for me to hold him.
Riker kept turning his head this way and that to look at the clippers.
He eventually got very mad at me for holding his head still.
He has become quite strong and put up a really good fight!
The end result is a bit uneven.
It isn’t perfect,
but it also isn’t a mullet.
And really, this boy could probably pull off any hairstyle.
He really is just that cute!
(And no, I did not save a lock of his hair for his baby book. Mainly because he doesn’t have a baby book. Does that make me a bad mom? Maybe. But I have a blog, so that kinda makes up for it, right!?)
We kicked the New Year off in Seattle visiting TJ’s family.
After going to bed at 9:30pm on New Years Eve
(I know, we party hard!)
we headed to Spokane to meet the rest of TJ’s family.
First up, TJ’s grandparents.
(Riker’s great grandparents!)
Four generations of Grier men.
It will be up to Riker to carry on the Grier name!
Next, TJ’s great grandma
(Riker’s great-great-grandma!)
Nana is turning 100 next month!
We went to dinner with all of TJ’s family.
We were able to meet his aunt, uncle, cousins, and all their kids!
Here is Grandma and Grandpa Grier with all their great grandkids!
After leaving Spokane, we headed back to the Seattle area.
TJ’s dad has a bunch of brand new puppies at his house…
Riker just couldn’t get enough of them!
And, of course, going to Washington means eating seafood.
This time, I was introduced to crab!
I ate (almost) the whole thing!
It was such a fun trip and we loved getting to meet more family!
Hopefully it won’t be long before we see everyone again!
