Dad is starting this journal to let you know what was going on with you, and your Mom before (and after) you were born.
Ricky, it's time.
Hello baby babies,
Riley: It has been a while since I last wrote. It has been a busy few months. Your mom and I have been taking great joy watching you develop into a wonderfully inquisitive, empathetic, joyful, intelligent, beautiful and delightfully goofy little girl.
You can add to that list of adjectives "awesome big sister".
"Baby sister": Mom and I are heading to the hospital in the morning to meet you, the newest addition to the family. We spent the last several months watching you grow, and grow, and grow inside mommy's tummy. I can't tell you how excited we are to finally see you. It has been a rather eventful pregnancy for you and mommy (I'm sure mommy will tell you all about it when you get older). While inside mommy's tummy, we have dubbed you "Peanut the Whale" because of the way you tended to flip, and dive, and swim, and flop just like a whale breaching the water. We are interested to see what all this activity might reflect about your personality. One thing is for sure, you will be born with a ton of hair- every one of your sonographers has pointed this out to us.
2010
New words for December 20th
Mama
Daddy
Max
Baby
Elmo
Bye-Bye
You make noises for dog, cow, chicken and cat
You are also fluent in Mandarin Chinese...
2009
Semi-Revolution
It has been a long while since I've written to you. But if, as the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words, I've had the photographical equivalent of full blown explosive logorrhea- as evidenced by the various photo galleries from the past few months.
It's hard to believe that you have made a half trip around the sun with us already. Equally hard to believe are all the changes your Mom and Dad have seen you go through in that short time.
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Happy Monthday to you- May 13, 2009
Exactly one month ago today- Riley Shannon Frith (that's you) came to her proud parents at 11:49pm. Since that time you have taken your parents on quite the ride. In the past month, you have changed dramatically. You had a little bit of jaundice in your first couple of weeks in the world which prevented you from gaining weight. After getting past that issue, your weight gain has improved considerably! …
Everything after
it's now 6:49 am, April 14th 2009- exactly 7 hours since you were brought (albeit, begrudgingly) screaming into this world. Let me say this first... nothing could have prepared us for this day. From "Jason. Water." to us seeing you for the first time at 11 minutes to midnight, and hearing your first deafeningly silent cries. To call the day a "whirlwind" would be quite the understatement.
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April 13 11:49pm
You were pulled out of mommy's tummy at 11:49pm on April 13, 2009. At birth, you weighed 5 pounds 7oz, and were 18 1/2 long.
April 13 10:40pm
April 13 8:41pm
You mom's water broke 12 hours ago. We are progressing. Slowly, but progressing all the same. Hopefully things will get rolling a little quicker now. The Dr. will be back to check on you and Mommy after his show "24" is over. The nurse came in to check on Mom, and upped the Pitocin drip. Maybe that will help move things a bit more...
Mom got some meds to help with a little bit of headache, and to help her get a little sleep.
…
April 13 4:30pm
April 13 1:58pm
April 13 11:00am
Dave and I went down to the Cafeteria. While we were there, Doc H made his first visit to see mommy. She now has all the monitors a-monitorin', and drips a-drippin'. The flux capacitor is .... fluxing.
All is calm on the northeastern front.
Random thought: T.S. Eliot said that "This is the way the world ends / This is the way the world ends / This is the way the world ends / not with a bang but a whimper"
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April 13 9:40am
After packing the bags, and getting together all the stuff for you, mom, and dad, we hopped into the Explorer and headed to the hospital. We are in the room. It is huge. Grandma Lynne and Dave are here with us watching the nurses poke and prod your mom.
April 13 8:00am
Being the dutiful husband that your dad is, he headed to the kitchen to fetch a pail. Your mom then asked where I was going, as she pointed to the bed. This may not make a whole lot of sense to you right now, but I'll explain later...
Tripping over stuff
Mom has already told you about the nursery, and how it is nearly complete. Not only have I worked on your nursery (which looks hella good, if I do say so myself), but I've also worked on your bathroom. I stripped the wallpaper down, repainted, and added nice new fixtures to the walls, so that your plethora of Winnie The Pooh branded bathing materials won't needlessly fall victim to gravity.
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Less than 2 months to go, and already I don't like you
It's less than 2 months until you're born and already I don't like you. I do not like schlepping boxes around trying to find a place to put all off your support accoutrement... I do not like paint fumes... I do not like sweating in the attic... I do not like sore muscles....
Furthermore, I will not like changing your poopy diapers.... I will not like waking up at ungodly hours to fulfill your nutritional demands... …
Enjoy it...
This past Friday, the 9th of January, 2009- after weeks of your mother telling me that you could be felt kicking, flipping, and performing entrechats inside her tummy- I finally felt you go all Taekwondo on my hand.
I must say, I've never in my life been so happy to be assaulted.
Keep up the good work, baby.
Love you,
Dad
Ho ho hizzle
Christmas is just around the corner. It's hard for your Mom and Dad to believe that in just a little over two years, Santa will be making his first1 of many trips to our house, parking his tiny sleigh and eight2 tiny reindeer on our roof, squeezing his plus-sized butt down our chimney, and eating up all the cookies that you helped to make
...and by "helped I mean, of course, that you watched Mom and Dad produce the cookies, then you licked the spoon and bowl which were used in their production.
…
A song for you
Queueing up
So, mom and I have known that you were on the way for quite some time now...going on 4 and a half months or so. Still, for all that time having this information, there is a substantial difference between "knowing" you're coming, and feeling the immediacy of your arrival.
Today changed all that. We went to USC School of Medicine for a level 2 ultrasound. …
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