Home

We are back at home and doing great! The trip up North to visit Louis's grandfather went wonderfully! We left for the trip at 9pm last Saturday. We did the drive at night so Ruby would be less stressed, since she'd be sleeping most of the time. We also avoided traffic and heat. Thankfully Ruby did great and we made the journey in 7.5 hours, and her alarm did not go off once =)

Louis and I were so happy to be able to introduce Ruby to her great grandfather, and the rest of Louis's family. Ruby handled the new environment pretty well, but had a few meltdowns which is unlike her. But we understood that meeting everyone and being in a new place can be stressful, and were very proud of how great she did.

We stayed until Monday, and came home with a new fall wardrobe for Ruby and an extra 5 pounds from all the food we ate! It was hard to leave, but we know we will be back to see everyone soon.

It's Working!

Today we took Ruby to her 2 month appointment. We finally got to meet with her pediatrician, and he was wonderful. I'm so happy he was recommended to us!

Ruby had developed a rash yesterday, and I spent the day feeling like a bad mother since I assumed it was an allergic reaction to something I had put her on that hadn't been properly washed with hypoallergenic laundry soap. Yesterday it was all over her back, and today had spread to her arms and a little on her chest. Her doctor, however, said it just looked like a non-specific heat rash. Either way, the treatment is the same... nothing. If is seems to bother her we can apply hydrocortisone creme.

In good news though, Ruby is now 7 pounds! I couldn't believe it. She's 19.5 inches long. Her doctor kept saying, "she's doing better than her friends," meaning better than expected for a 32-weeker. He said if she keeps going at this rate, she could be caught up by 6 months! Louis and I are very proud of our little weed.

She had her first round of vaccinations, which consisted of four shots in her legs and one oral. She cried for as long as they were giving her the shots and then stopped, what a trooper. We followed up with a bottle and some tylenol and she's been sleeping since.

The doctor was wonderful, and took time to answer all of my questions, and develop a plan for Ruby to taper off her meds and get off the monitor. We're stopping her caffeine to see if she is still event free, and next will start tapering off the Reglan. He also recommended probiotics to help with her digestion, which I'm really excited to try.

All in all, it was a great visit, and we left knowing that Ruby is doing fantastic, and continuing to exceed everyone's expectations. The doctor told us to keep doing whatever we were doing, because it's working =)

Good times

Ruby is 2 months old now, but her adjusted age is only 10 days. I try to think of it as being blessed to have had an "extra" 8 weeks with our peanut. I just love her so much, how can you not? We've started venturing out of the house, with much success so far. I'm still concerned about germs and such, since she's so susceptible to getting sick. And getting sick could likely mean going back to the hospital, so we're still being careful with her. Anyway, we're all doing well, and are planning our first trip up north to visit Lou's family. Now THAT will be an adventure.

Hanging out with Mommy Grandpa Murphy and Grandpa Whites Look at those eyes!

Ruby's opinion on "tummy time"... Is this normal for a 10day old??

Ruby's Due Date

We celebrated Ruby's due date on Saturday by taking our first official outing. We went to my dad's house to celebrate his birthday. She did great! It's funny to think that this is how she could have been when she was born. There is no way to say whether she would have been this size or acted like she is now, but it's still makes me wonder. I guess I'll always wonder.

After a few hours of socializing and hanging out at the pool, we headed home. She seems to like being in the car, although it doesn't make her sleep like I thought it would. Once home, she still didn't sleep, and that's when it happened... SHE CRIED. Almost 8 weeks old and on her due date, Ruby Marie cried for the first time! 10 minutes of actual crying! She fusses all the time, and has cried for a moment when she was in the NICU and in her sleep, but has never REALLY cried before. Not since she was born. Louis and I didn't know what to do haha... It made me so sad to hear it, but happy at the same time. I think it was her way of celebrating her un-birthday =)

So things are moving along, and we're all doing well. I'm happily dealing with normal baby challenges (and a few special ones) and watching our little one change everyday. The home nurse came today and Ruby now weighs 6 pounds! She's in the 10th percentile for weight and length. (Hooray! She's on the chart!) She also hasn't had an event in over a week. We're still dealing with the challenges of reflux, and managing medications, but I couldn't be happier...

Here are some pictures from the weekend, I hope yours was as good as mine: