17 months

so, i feel like i just posted one of these updates, because well, i did. but no bother, ruby has continued on with this whole growing up thing. sometimes it delights me & other times it makes me tear up. but in either instance, i am still deliriously happy & in love her & our little family.

so, what is 17 month old ruby all about? here's a snapshot:

• she asks to listen to "sid" every time we get in the car. (as in, "sid the science kid" on pbs. we love that little nerd.) her favorite song is "checking out charts". no joke. she dances and hollers in her seat whenever it comes on. it's not cute at all.

• recently obsessed with movies. it's pretty adorable and provides a nice break for us every once in a while, too. current favorite: monsters, inc. (and as an aside, having a kid is like reliving my own childhood everyday. it's like living it all over again, through ruby. it's kind of awesome.)

• recently, she's become a little in love with her blankets. she asks for them at night time & puts one over head while i rock her. it's pretty hilarious. it's such a grown up thing to do - ask for a blanket. *sigh*

• oh, this is new & quite funny. lately, she takes any bottle of soap, water, etc & taps the top of it on the palm of her hand (like she's pouring it out), then she rubs her hands together, or pretends to rub the soap, water, etc all over herself. it's really the first pretend play she's done & it is so strange to see it & realize that, yeah, we have a toddler now, not a baby. *gulp*

• she just went through a growth spurt & suddenly fits in some of her 18 month clothes. yikes!

* still not walking consistently. she takes steps here & there. her pedi said she's not concerned & we will just see where she's at when we take her in for her 18 month check-up.

* did i say she's had her first play date, too? seriously, enough with the growing up, ruby! this is why i have no qualms with rocking ruby to sleep still. does anyone else see how fast she's growing up? before long, she won't want me to hold her or do anything for her. no, ma'am, i will rock my babe as long as she'll let me.

and lastly, here's some sweet shots i got this month. enjoy!

ruby: 14 months

well, ruby turned 14 months old last week & I can officially say that I *love* being a mom of a toddler. the more ruby grows & discovers, the more I love being her mom. she is a blast, constantly doing something new & exploring her world. don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the snuggly, tiny baby phase, but I also feel like this age is one of the most fun. it probably has a lot to do with me working in a toddler room in daycare for five years. I've got loads of songs and games up my sleeves and I don't get frustrated with behavior bc I know what is developmentally going on. honestly, when ruby was a brand new baby, I felt like I spent a lot of time guessing what was wrong when she cried and not knowing exactly what was going on with her sleep/eating/weight gain/insert any other milestone people ask you about. I'm sure the whole "new mom" thing had an effect on that, too, but let's just be honest - our kids get cooler everyday. :)

so, what's new? here are the deets:
• ruby has some stellar fine motor skills. the chick holds writing utensils like you're supposed to. like, the way I didn't learn until 2nd grade & not even then until I practiced with that positioner thing-y the teacher put on my pencils. (am I alone in that? anyone else remember those? actually, very helpful.) anyway, like with everything else she does, I'm impressed.
• ruby signs "more", "all done", & "eat" regularly. I need to teach her more signs bc she likes it & it saves us a lot of tears (both of us) bc I can understand her better. most of the time.
• she moved to her toddler bed officially - like, she has to climb up to her bed now. it's adorable. (ummm, of course it is.)
• still in size 3 diapers & in 12 month or 12 - 18 month clothes, although she still fits into some of her 9 ( and even 6!!) month stuff.
• she still eats pretty much anything. except bananas. not so much a fan of those anymore. strawberries are what's cool now. and oranges. and I think she might physically harm me, if I got in her way of eating ice cream. seriously. she comes by her sweet tooth naturally, though, that's for sure.
• current words: dad, mama, uh oh, bye bye, wow. she understands a ton. will do most things I ask her to do - go find her dad, bring me a book, etc.
• loves: reading books, dancing (with each index finger pointed up in the air), climbing, painting, splashing, anything sensory, and watching sid the science kid on PBS.

ruby rocks. she rules. and is such a sweet girl.

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.