20 September 2011

enjoying our new normal because "babies don't keep"

yeah, i'm pretty sure it's official. we are getting the hang of parenting and becoming a family of three, instead of just T & i.  for starters, we're pretty much good with the new routine that is our life now. this includes (to my chagrin), ruby making us start our day at roughly 6 am each morning. on a much happier note, it also includes her nighttime bath which she loves and reading books before bed, another new activity that she's recently taken to. so, yeah, all this is becoming old hat to us.  but i hope i never take any of it for granted.

i'm grateful that i've finally reached the point that, for the most part, i don't worry about every little thing.  i've decided to stop obsessing about her sleep schedule and whether i nurse her to sleep or not, if she's held "too much", and least of all, the state of our house. we've still got a slew of boxes to unpack, but the way i see it, these last six months absolutely flew by. i don't want to miss a minute with our little family.

i've recently become addicted to "pinterest" (thank you, SIL candice! but that's a whole other post). anyway, as i was saying, i'm pretty much obsessed with pinterest now and last week i came across this print -

yeah, that pretty much sums it up.  i was actually on the phone with my mom a few days after i found this and we were talking about parenting, in general, when she started reciting parts of this poem.  i told her i'd just seen it myself.  before you knew it, we were both crying.  later that night, as i was nursing ruby, i was thinking about how much love i have for her and of my mom, getting choked up thinking of her babies that aren't babies at all anymore.  i know she's proud of all of us for the people that we've become, but i imagine she misses the days she could hold us in her arms and protect us from all of the harm and hurt in the world.  

we've come a long way in 6 months.  it's hard to believe how much we've grown as a family and i cannot wait to see what our lives will look like in another 6 months.

15 September 2011

where does the time go?

ruby is 6 months old today.  yeah, that's right.  6 months.  for some reason, six months always seemed like some serious milestone for us to hit.  and now that it's here, it definitely feels like the big milestone i thought it would.  it really has taken about 6 months for me to feel settled into my role as a mom.  breastfeeding is no problem anymore.  i'm confident in knowing what ruby needs or wants at any given time and i don't question the decisions we make for her nearly as much as i used to.  i'm sure it helps that after 4 months, ruby became more interactive and in many ways, just easier to take care of.  and she is growing by leaps and bounds; doing something new every day and i never imagined that i could spend the day just watching someone and be absolutely content and thoroughly entertained.

here's a rundown of ruby right now:
  • she rolls onto her back from her tummy quickly and easily
  • she tries to sit up from laying on her back ("tries" is the operative word here)
  • she is almost growing out of her size 2 diapers
  • she is starting solid foods next weekend after her 6 month appt
  • she is grabbing at absolutely everything and putting it in her mouth
  • her bedtime is 7 pm and she still wakes up 2 or 3 times a night (sometimes more - whoops!). she gets up each day around 6 or 6:30 am
  • she sits up on her own for short periods of time
  • she loves to swing at the park
  • she no longer views her car seat as a torture device and spends most of her time in it talking to herself
  • she spins arounnd on her tummy, to grab at things on the floor
  • she loves to take baths & splash the water everywhere
  • she really likes to be with her cousins. she smiles and laughs at them and looks very content to be sitting between them, just watching tv or "talking". and she loves their hugs.
  • she recently started sitting in the shopping cart seat when we go to the store
  • today she got her first high chair and she absolutely loves sitting at the table 
  • she smiles at strangers and then will bury her head in my shoulder like a little flirt.
  • and she is hands down one of the most fun and funniest kids i've ever met
and lastly, i went a little crazy with pictures today. lucky you. :)

look mom, i can grab these toys all by myself!

see, i told you - she loves her new seat!

getting seriously good at sitting up on her own

this pic doesn't show much except for that she's got a cute little booty! and that she pushes her self all the way up with her arms now. go on with 'yo bad self, rubinski! 

and her monthly pic - growing girl :)