A New Year

Christmas is behind us, and it was certainly was one I will never forget. Ruby's first Christmas. She really seemed to love it too. She was in a great mood on both Christmas Eve which we spent with my Mom and on Christmas day with my Dad. Having a child certainly makes you grateful for small moments, and spending time with family is such a treat for me!

Of course, it's hard not to look back at the year and reflect. It's so amazing what we have gone through in the last year, how far we have come. I started the year newly pregnant, full of hope, wonder, and fears of the unknown. I survived morning sickness. My marriage survived morning sickness! Our bonds with our families grew. We faced the worst scare of our lives when we had to deliver Ruby 8 weeks early, in order to save her life and my own. 5 weeks in the NICU. Bringing Ruby home, the most amazing feeling in the world. And seeing my parents, now as grandparents, and my sisters now as aunts... And Louis's family welcoming Ruby, their "minute"... Everyone loving her just as much as we do. Being a Mom. Loving my husband more than I knew was possible.

Sometimes you start out on a journey without knowing the destination. And here I am... The luckiest woman I know. Despite the hardships we faced, it was my journey, and I am who I am because of it. I am blessed to have the family and friends that I do. And I thank you all. Thank you for being part of our journey and making our lives that much easier.

I hope for smooth sailing in 2009. That we continue to be healthy, happy, and grateful. Happy New Year!

Christmas Postcard

Christmas Eve!

I'm so excited for Christmas, and so is Ruby. (she told me) We've been busy getting ready for the holiday and spending time with our friends and family.

Last week Ruby got to try her first bites of food when she went on bottle strike for a day or two, and boy did she like it! She'll get to try something more interesting than rice cereal after her 6 month check up next month... She's still practicing rolling over in both directions. She's pretty good at rolling from her back to her stomach on purpose, and her stomach to her back on accident.

Ruby has been back to my work to visit, and to our friend Liz's house for another Christmas party. She was in a great mood for both, smiling at everyone and looking at all the new surroundings! She can get overwhelmed sometimes, but lately she's been doing great. She was also a fan of Christmas shopping. She really enjoys cruising around in her stroller, and I was fortunate enough to be able to go during my weekdays off to avoid crowds...

Here are a bunch of pics from our fun over the last couple of weeks, I'm sure we'll have lots more to share after Christmas! I'm so thankful to have Louis and Ruby to share this holiday with. I already have everything I want...

Tis the Season

Ruby has picked out and decorated her first Christmas tree and attended her first Christmas party. She is now rolling from back to tummy and back again. I can't believe how quickly things change...

More fun to come!

$227,701.95

That is how much it costs to have a baby in the NICU for 33 days. I've never seen that many numbers on a bill before. That's not my share of course, but it would be worth every penny =)

Look who's talkin

5 months old!

So we now have a 5 month old! Can you believe it? I sure can't. She has now rolled over twice without assistance. She continues to smile and laugh all day long. She is also starting to be more aware and wary of new people and places, but seems to warm up quickly. She also loves to chew and lick fingers, toys, blankets, and mom.

This week we went to pick out Ruby's first Christmas tree. Having a new baby makes the holiday season new again. I love that our house smells like Christmas and am so happy to be sharing this time with my husband and baby.

I also took Ruby to meet my god children at Amy's house, all 6 of them! Ruby was wide eyed and concerned with the chaos. haha. She loved them all one on one, and I know as she gets older and can play she will love to go to Auntie Amy's house to get into trouble.

Work is going ok too. But each day I go it gets harder to leave her. She brings such joy to my life that I can't fully describe it. I just want to be with her all the time!

Laughing

Ruby's adjusted age is 3 months today! Yay! I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving and was able to spend time with their loved ones. We spent the day with my Mom and sisters, and although I was feeling sick and didn't get to enjoy the food as I would have liked, I did have a nice time watching movies and relaxing all day... Ruby had a great time, and was being quite talkative and was having fun reading her favorite book called First Words.



I mentioned previously that Ruby had started laughing, something I had really been looking forward to! She had given the occasional giggle, usually when getting changed or washed up... But then, all of the sudden, last night Ruby was just laughing and laughing at her Dad talking to her. It was the cutest thing I've ever heard! Thankfully the camera was near by and we managed to catch it.

So here it is! Ruby really laughing for the first time =)

Back to Work

I started back to work on Monday, and I can't believe how quickly that 20 weeks went by! I can't lie, it was hard. I was worried about Ruby all day and felt totally distracted. When I picked her up that afternoon, she was mid meltdown, which made me feel completely horrible. That's only the second time I've seen her in tears =( She had been fine the rest of the day, but even so, I wasn't sure I could leave her again. Thankfully we had Tuesday at home together to recover.

Today went much better though! I actually got some work done, and Ruby had a normal day with my Aunt Barbara, and was all smiles when I came to pick her up after work. I know there will be good days and bad. And I know that we both just need to adjust to this new schedule. I am really lucky that my Aunt is able to watch her, and that things will just keep getting better as they get to know each other more and more. In the meantime, I am so grateful that Ruby is with family and that I am to work part time while we both get used to things...

As an added bonus, Ruby laughed today! And let me tell you, nothing can make your heart melt quite like the first time your baby really laughs =) Something to truly be thankful for!

I hope everyone has a great holiday tomorrow. Happy Thanksgiving...

Smile Watch

Getting pictures of Ruby smiling has been a little like trying to capture the Loch Ness Monster =) We have some luck lately so I wanted to share!