24 March 2012

one. part two: the deets

so, I posted a little reflection on Ruby's actual birthday but I didn't do a complete monthly post, so I'm back in full effect to take care of that!

here are the specs on our growing girl:

*i think she will be walking within the next month or two. she cruises like a pro & is starting to let go of furniture that she holding on to sometimes. funny (& scary!) thing is that she most often does this when she's taking a bath. she doesn't like to sit in the bath. she just likes to stand. ya know, like a dare devil, she just throws caution to the wind. you can't leave her alone or look away for a second when she's in the bath, obviously. but it's ok bc taking baths is one of her favorite things to do still.

*ruby still doesn't say much more than mama, bye-bye, & the occasional "dad", but that does not mean she doesn't know how to communicate, let me tell you! she loves to make people laugh. if she sees you smile at something she does, she will ham it up big time to get you laughing. she smiles at everyone, looking for a response. her receptive language is very good. if I tell her to follow me to her room or the kitchen, or to get me. book from her room, she does. basically what I'm saying is that she's a genius. ;)

*some new skills: loading up containers and boxes with random objects from around the house, giving me her arm/leg when I'm dressing her, and trying to put shirts over her own head. so smart. just growing more every day.

*ruby has transitioned over to whole milk all the time during the day and just nurses at night before bed, if she wakes at night, and in the morning. before breakfast. she is doing great and still eats pretty much anything we give her.

she is 18 3/4 lbs & 28 1/4 inches long.

now, onto the fun stuff...pictures! :) the last few months of ruby's monthly pictures were a blurry mess bc she is so hard to keep still while laying on her back. she wants nothing to do with it. so, in an effort to make the monthly pics easier (and more fun!), I'm going to let her sit up in the rocking chair in her room.

15 March 2012

one.

well, the day has come and (almost) gone. so many times today, I would look at the clock & my mind would wander back to where I was that very second, one year ago. much of the day ruby was born is a blur, but there are many moments amidst the blur that I can remember perfectly clear. I hope that I never forget those moments because honestly, I don't think there's any way I could write them or describe them to someone or record them, in order to somehow save them outside of my head; love that I really will never be able to communicate to ruby with words. words that she will never understand until she has a child of her own. I can only hope that each day, for the rest of her life, I can show her how the day she was born has changed me; has taught me the true and fulfilling meaning of sacrifice and has shaped me into the person that I was always meant to be.

here she is, on the morning of her first birthday.

08 March 2012

little nerd in the house!

since she was about 3 months old, ruby has loved books in every way; being read to, turning the pages, pointing at the pictures and words, chewing on the covers and babbling along as I read to her. books are her go-to activity, for sure. see exhibit A below. :)

05 March 2012

trying to keep it together...

this is the email that i just received:



and now i'm sitting at my desk at work, holding back tears. i can. not. believe. ruby is almost one. my heart aches and i'm so proud and i'm a little scared all at the same time. parenting... oy. (see, i'm so tweaked out i can barely speak in full sentences!) it's going to be an interesting couple of weeks, me thinks.  

01 March 2012

the big 1-1

well, i'm behind on this post. which means that in just two short weeks, my little baby will be one year old. holy moly. i can't think about that now, tho. i have two more weeks to be in denial about it. ;)

what can i say about our little lady? well, i do have to admit that she's got a bit of a flair for the dramatics. i am certainly intrigued with where exactly this will end up, in terms of her ever-changing personality. for now she is mastering the fake-cry and one short, high-pitched scream to get my attention. if i don't give her the attention she's looking for, after a little while she just crawls away and starts playing with her toys. she can be quite the little faker. it's easy to spot, though. when she really needs something, trust me, you'll know.

she is almost 19 lbs and around 29 inches long. still a little peanut. she fits in 9 and 12 month clothes. and she is still in size 3 diapers.

ruby's absolute favorite pastime is reading books. with us or on her own, she just loves them. she melts my heart the way she turns the pages and points at the pictures and words. ruby also really seems to like singing and has started babbling away something that sounds a heck of a lot like "up above the world so high" when i'm singing "twinkle, twinkle" to her. talk about making her mama proud. singing and reading? oy, i've died and gone to heaven. :)

right now, ruby has her second tooth coming in. as a result, her sleep has kinda sucked at times, but in an odd twist, she's also slept through the night twice in the last month. which is total bananas. and i thank my lucky stars every time she does it. someday when she's done having colds, getting shots, going through growth spurts, mastering gross and fine motor skills, and getting teeth, maybe she will sleep all night.

she is not doing much new talking that we can understand. she is very good at waving and saying "bye-bye" and also "mama", of course. that's pretty much all she consistently says. she tries to say "dad" but not as often. mostly she babbles and yells, which is equally entertaining.

she destroys our house and keeps us up at night, interrupts most phone calls, and i almost never get the chance to pee in peace. but we wouldn't want it any other way. she pretty much rocks.
(ruby's recently become interested in putting all my clothes and scarves around he neck
and wearing them around the house. it's pretty hi-larious.)