Boy, it’s been a long time since Dad has dusted off the keyboard and provided an update. Sorry for the delay, but here is some new content to keep you occupied and informed for the time being:

• Riley had minor surgery on May 19th – her ENT specialist replaced the tube in one of her ears and removed her adenoids. Mom and Dad didn’t realize that this surgery required her to get an IV and a breathing tube! But all went well – the doctor said her little adenoids were very infected, so we’re hoping this will be a big quality of life improvement for Ms. Riley;
• When we brought her home, she was still a little confused and shaky from the anesthesia, but after some down time (and a little bit of ice cream) she was ready to head outside to “Blow bubbles!” – one of her favorite new activities. This go around she actually worked with Mom and created some bubbles on her own. Usually she walks around with the bubble wand, a bink in her mouth, and tries to blow but no results. She ate a regular dinner, choked down her antibiotics, Zyrtec and some pain meds and slept through the night. It was back to day care the day after the surgery – little Miss Riley is quite the resilient kiddo!
• Riley is picking up on new things at a fast pace – she can now count to 10 and get through her ABCs with a little hlep from an adult; she likes to count 1…2…7…8…10, but if you prompt her with the ‘3’ she goes straight through; she’ll start to sing the ABC song by herself too – but usually skips out around G or H and zips ahead to W…X…Y…Z; she is also singing most of Happy Birthday on her own, although if you ask her it’s normally her birthday that she is ‘celebrating’, although she will add in other people from time to time; Riley is also now the proud owner of at least 1 Subaru (If you ask her who’s car Beth’s Outback is – she’ll usually answer “Riley’s car”; so far Dad’s Tribeca is pretty safe) and a house – when she starts making mortgage payments Dad will let her take this credit;
• Mom and Dad are doing well – we’ve survived the NC weather excitement of late and were very fortunate that none of the tornadoes or strong winds did anything more than blowing down some small branches; we’re getting more rain this year which is nice – we can wash cars and water the yard on a limited basis this year, hopefully the wet weather keeps up for the summer this year.

That’s all for now – don’t forget to check the Flickr page for the latest in photographed cuteness!!