Ruby sings

Ruby's been doing a lot of talking for quite some time! It is amazing how quickly a toddler's language developes. And she still finds way to surprise me! The other day Ruby suddently starting singing the entire Alphabet Song all the way through "next time won't you sing with me." I had no idea she new the whole alphabet! Let alone the whole song! She sang it multiple times with a few mistakes here and there, while her Dad and I watched in disbelief.

I grabbed the camera to see if I could catch it and she started to sing while spinning in circles. :)... She did pretty well all things considered.

Daddy's Home Video

This is the little video I took when Ruby and I were finally reunited with Louis in the San Diego Airport. Ruby looked behind every potted plant and staircase looking for her Daddy while we waiting for his plane to land. "Where is he? Where's Daddy?"

Once we finally found him she was speechless. She didn't say a word until we stopped at Jack in the Box on the way home. (Louis hadn't had it in 6 months ya know!) As soon as he shut the car door to go inside, Ruby start yelling, "My daddy! Where you going? Daddy!" I told her he was going to get her fries... one of her favorite things of course.

She talked my ear off for the entire time he was inside and as soon as he returned she was quiet again, but just for a few moments, before finally saying, "Daddy? Can I have some fries?"

Daddy's Home

What a joy and a relief to have Louis home again. It's hard to express what it feels like. For me, it was like holding your breath for 6 months and finally being able to breath again! But more than that, the happiness and peace I have seeing my husband and my baby together is beyond measure. I am so thankful and so lucky.

California Girl...

A look back- August 2009

Facebook updates from last year =)

8/1 Ruby waved and said Hi at that same time to the waiter at breakfast! So adorable!.

8/4 had a nice evening with her ladybug while Louis was at the Padre game... back to work now....

8/5 is looking forward to the change in weather tomorrow! I think I'll be taking Ruby to the bay =).

8/7 is having lunch with Big Love and Little Love!

8/7 being Ruby's mom sure has its perks! It's so amazing how many discounts, freebies, and front of the line passes you get when you have a cute kid =).

8/7 Ruby must have had a good day, because she giggled herself to sleep!.

8/8 One year ago today, Ruby came home from the NICU! Happy Anniversary!.

8/9 mexican breakfast and the afternoon with my little lady! Plus I got to see to Chas! Hooray!.

8/10 well I guess Ruby is one of the 1-4% to get a rash from the chickenpox vaccine. That's my girl, always betting the odds! Poor thing....

8/13 having milk and cookies with Ruby. Sweet times....

8/13 Another night with just me and the pipsqueak! Looking forward to a day at Mission Bay tomorrow and a weekend up north with the hubby =).

8/13 is trying to figure out how to navigate an airport with a one year old on my own... I need an extra set of arms!.

8/14 Ruby had a great time at the picnic and now our bags are packed and we're ready to go!.

8/31 awwwww it was Ruby's "adjusted" birthday yesterday... aka... my due date! Happy un-Birthday Ruby girl!

Facebook Updates- August 2010

August 2010

8/1 Ruby only woke up once in her new bed in the new house =).... Me on the other hand lol...

8/1 Ruby is singing "Ha-ppy Home, Ha-ppy Home" =)

8/4 just when I think I'm going to have to give Ruby back, she starts being cute again =) hahaha

8/5 has melted crayons around her car.... sigh...

8/6 Wow! Ruby counted to 8! I am very impressed =)

8/7 is looking forward to doing a whole lotta nothing today! First time in a long time! Ruby and I will be enjoying our first whole day in our new home

8/8 is amused that Ruby keeps saying... "Cake please now Mommy".... =) little stinker

8/8 Ahhh.... cancelling my plans and having a real day off was just what the doctor ordered! A great non-eventful weekend with Ruby girl and I'm ready to face another week =)

8/8 today is the anniversary of the day Louis and I got to take our baby girl home from the NICU!

8/9 Ruby said "Love You" to her Daddy tonight... Now that makes a mommy's heart melt

8/10 Ruby is crying because she can't hang a spoon from her nose... funny and sad at the same time =)

8/11 We may not have it all together, but together we have it all!

8/18 There's nothing like trying to reason with a 2 year old to make you feel like a crazy person

8/19 managed to build a book shelf, hang my curtains, and decorate Ruby's room all in one afternoon! Starting to look like home around here

8/20 Ruby and I are meeting friends for dinner at Casa de Pico! Yum! Hooray!

8/21 When Ruby says "Shhhh" she puts her finger under her nose, instead of across her lips like you're supposed to. How am I supposed to be quiet when my baby is making a mustache at me?!?!?!

8/23 is thinking about Ruby's Halloween costume... ha! Gotta think ahead!

8/24 Louis has been gone for 19 weeks, and we are so ready for him to come home! 5 more at most!

8/28 there's something very Zen about folding tiny Ruby clothes

8/29 Ruby and I are walking to the taco shop... She said she needs a breakfast burrito

8/29 Well that's a first... Ruby put ME in timeout! "Mommy, you timeout NOW" and pointed to her room. And I wasn't even being bad =)

8/30 I love my baby! Always making me smile

8/30 Taking tomorrow off was the right thing to do! Looking forward to an extra day with my small wonder

8/31Kelly Murphy Whites had an awesome appointment with Ruby's pediatrician! Ruby weighs 26 pounds and is 34 inches tall, putting her in the 50th percentile for both height and weight! Hooray!

Ruby's 2 Year Check Up

Yesterday Ruby and I went to visit our favorite pediatrician Dr. Hansen. As always, he was impressed with how great Ruby is doing and how far she has come! She is right on track with her growth and ahead of the curve as far as development. This makes me one happy mama! Still no sign of the once detected heart murmur, no ongoing reflux issues, and all in all everything is perfect!

Weight: 26 pounds, 50th Percentile
Height: 34 inches, 50th Percentile

Dr. Hansen estimated Ruby's adult height to be 5'5", just like me. But as he said, only God gets to decide that =). He commented on how chatty she is, which is great for her age!

At our appointment we reviewed her vaccinations and decided to do one this visit, Hep A. It always sucks to to end on this note, but thankfully Ruby was only mad for a moment and recovered quickly =/. We also did her H1N1/Flu vaccination, which was a nasal mist, hooray! Ruby won't need any additional vaccinations until she turns 3.

As always, Dr. Hansen ended our appointment by giving Ruby a new book and giving Mommy her homework assignment. This next year is all about reading. Simply put, he said turn off the TV and get Ruby a library card =). Incorporate reading into your daily routine and she will learn that reading is what's normal and fun. How much you read to your child has a direct impact on how they will do in school, and with each generation, we read to our children less and less. Point taken!

Ruby doesn't really watch tv at this point. She likes her videos, and most days probaby does watch one 20 minute episode of Yo Gabba Gabba or Backyardigas or Thomas the Train. Otherwise she's to busy to sit still and watch something haha. But I am definitely guilty of having the tv on just for noise sometimes, especially with Louis being gone, so I am definitely going to turn it off now, and be more thoughtful about what our normal will be =)

Ruby Sings the Blues

Shhh....

When Ruby says "Shhhh" instead of putting her finger over lips like you're supposed to, she puts her finger under her nose. =) Serious faced Ruby combined with out of place finger mustache makes Mommy laugh and laugh and laugh!

Call Me Anytime

Ruby pretending to talk on the phone when we went to visit Louis...

Ruby's Ramblings

-I want cake now please Mommy (before dinner)

-I want my Dad now (when she woke up in the middle of the night)

-Hold me! I want hug! (when it's bedtime)

-Bubbles tickle my butt! (in the tub)

-Hey Mommy? I want fries. (driving home from preschool)

-See? It's nice! (whenever she makes me wear her toys as a hat)

- This is funny (whenever the Backyardigans show starts)

- Mommy dance! now! (her orders to me when music starts to play)

-I want mommy do it (when she wants me to do something, usually when I ask her to clean up her mess)

Special Day

My friend Sara blogged about our playdate at the Richmond Children's Museum here: Special Day !!

It was such a treat to finally meet Sara and Marino after two years of friendship. As Sara explains, we became friends after both having preemies at the same time, at the same gestational age (32 weeks), and for the same reason (pre-eclampsia). We have been through a lot together and it was such a blessing to get to see her in person and have a little early birthday celebration with our now 2 year olds! =) Happy Birthday again to Ruby, Marino, and Sara! (and me!) haha

Ruby's 2nd Birthday!

What a joy it is to see your baby girl grow up. You hear it all the time, but it really goes by so quickly that it's hard to believe it has already been 2 years since my tiny baby girl came into the world!

This year we decided to celebrate with a small party on the beach. We went to the beach that I grew up going to, Moonlight Beach in Encinitas. The weather was cloudy and cool, so we set up near the newly renovated playground which worked out perfectly! Playing on the playground, digging in the sand, and eating tasty treats from the snack shack while overlooking the ocean made for a great birthday celebration.

And while it was a great day, it definitely wasn't the same without Louis there to celebrate with us. Thankfully we were at least able to talk to you him, and our friend was nice enough to video tape us all singing happy birthday to Miss Ruby and emailed it to him right from his phone! Gotta love technology....

Here are a few pictures from the festivities. Thank you to all of our friends and family who made the trip to be with us!

Family Day and Graduation

After more than 10 long weeks of seperation, Ruby and I were able to fly to South Carolina to see Louis. It was a beautiful and emotional experience for me to see the two people I love the most reunited after so long. I've never been happier than in the moment.

Ruby was very excited to see her Daddy on Family Day. I had talked to her about Daddy being a soldier now, showed her what he was going to look like, and tried as best I could to prepare her for the big day. She did great. She pointed to all the men in uniform walking around saying "Daddy? Daddy?" When we finally got to run onto the field to find Louis, there seemed to be a sea of men that all looked the same. Ruby was confused. When we finally found him, Ruby seemed a little nervous, but once Louis started talking to her she started to feel comfortable and realize it really was her Daddy! And soon after, it was like he had never left us. We spent the day on base, hanging by the lake, shopping, letting Louis eat everything in sight, and doing a lot of driving around with the air conditioning blasting in the rental car. Ruby had the biggest smile on her face all day. I think we all did.

The next day was graduation. The ceremony was nice, but all I wanted was for it to be over so we could be with Louis again. We met him back at his company where they had a promotion ceremony, and then we were able to hit the road to Virginia. I think it was a 5 hour drive, but it felt short =). Ruby was happy and content in the back seat with her DVD player showing Yo Gabba Gabba on repeat, and she ended up sleeping for about 3 hours.

Our time in Virginia was wonderful. We really loved it there! And the break from the humidity of South Carolina made the heat much more manageable =) We walked around downtown Richmond, went shopping, and went out to some cool restaurants recommended by locals. Good stuff. I could have stayed there forever. But sadly, our time was short and before we knew it, it was time to take Louis to AIT at Ft. Lee. We were hoping to get an overnight pass, but they made him stay. =(. Ruby and I both cried and it just plain sucked. Thankfully they did allow us to come pick him up the next day, Sunday, to visit for a few hours. That helped tremendously! I felt like we had closure, were able to say goodbye properly and leave with a smile on our face. I was so thankful for the time we were able to spend together and for Ruby to be able to reconnect with her Daddy.

It truely was an amazing trip that I will remember for the rest of my life. Time with your loved ones is so precious, and I will never again take it for granted.

Pictures for Louis II...

Pictures for Louis

Letters to Louis...

Dear Louis

....Yesterday you left for South Carolina. It was so nice to get to talk to you and text you. It felt like you were still close. I know it will get tough as time goes on and I don’t get to talk to you and see you all that I want to! But, I know it is temporary, and that you are doing something awesome, so I’ll get through it.

Today I am printing pictures for Ruby’s Daddy Book that I’m making. I also printed her 18 month pictures to give to family and friends! Better late than never, right? Can I send you pictures? Well, I will until you tell me not too =)

Ruby had a good day with Grandma yesterday. She napped for 3 hours. And I brought home Jack in the Box for dinner. She was super excited and ran to the kitchen table when I got home. Haha. They have “new fries” that look like McDonald’s fries but taste exactly like the old JIB fries. My mom was impressed, but I was not.

Ruby woke up in the middle of the night asking for Daddy. “Where’s Daddy?” she would ask me. “South Carolina!” I would tell her. I also told her that you loved her and missed her lots! And that we’ll see you soon. She looked confused =). She just didn’t want to sleep. Hopefully we’ll have better luck tonight!

...Yesterday was first actual day of boot camp! I wonder how it was. What it what you were expecting? Hope it went ok… For the first week that you were gone, I got to text or talk to you pretty much every day! That was awesome! I think in a way, you spoiled me. =) I was actually thinking these 9 weeks might not be so bad. I’m sure a reality check is on its way though. But we’ll make it through. If you can do it, we can do it!

...On Sunday Ruby and I went to Earth Day at Balboa Park. Ruby didn’t nap, much to my dismay, but we decided to go anyway. I figured she would just sleep in the stroller if she got tired. She did fall asleep in the car on the way to Paul’s house, but only for about 10 minutes. We got to Paul’s and put Ruby’s stroller and car seat in his SUV. We had heard parking would be a beast and figured he could drop us off and find somewhere to park. Thankfully though we found parking at the zoo. As soon as we made the turn by the merry go round, Ruby started saying, “The zoo! The zoo!” and was laughing and smiling and so excited! Awww, poor Ruby. If she got upset I totally would have just taken her to the zoo instead! But she didn’t mind when we went to Balboa Park. Earth Day was huge but not that exciting. Lots of green themed booths, products, vendors etc. Lots of doggies to look at for Ruby. And it was great weather, so it wasn’t so bad =). We let Ruby run around in the grass for awhile, which she loved. And of course the best part of my day was getting to talk to you one last time. It made it feel like you weren’t so far away.

Ruby was being a total chatterbox and Paul and Nickel were loving it! On the way home, she was talking about you almost the whole time. I don’t know what she was saying exactly, but I had told her that you called and it was Daddy this, Daddy that, my Daddy! So adorable.
The good news is after we got home, and had dinner, she grabbed her kitty and put herself to bed. Ahhhh… sweet sweet sleep! =)

...Ruby is doing great this week. She actually cut a molar! It’s on the top on her right side, in the middle. And it looks like her eye teeth are about to come through too. She hasn’t been too crabby, but I’ve been giving her motrin at night to help with the pain. It looks like it hurts! She’s been eating a lot of baby carrots which I think must feel really good.

...Yesterday was our anniversary! Happy Anniversary! Three years already. Boy do we squeeze a lot into 3 years! =) I feel so lucky to be married to you. You’re quite a catch ya know. I wish we could have spent the day together, and gone to Adam’s Avenue Grill so you could color for me on the white paper tablecloths. We’ll have to go celebrate there when you come home. I got the best present yesterday too, letters from you!

...Last night Ruby got sick. She puked in her bed, then the end of our bed, and all over the carpet. It was horrible. She was super upset, not only because she was getting sick, but because it was messy. You know how she likes her hands clean. Poor baby! She must have puked 8 times. Not sure if something didn’t sit right or what. I put her in the bathtub to clean up. My mom sat with her while I cleaned everything. No fun. You missed out! Haha… We layed in bed and watched backyardigans and she finally went to bed at 9:45pm. Thankfully she didn’t get sick again and seemed fine this morning. Fingers crossed it’s done and over with!

...After you called on Sunday I played Ruby the voicemail I have from you. Her eyes lit up and she grabbed the phone and said “my daddy… Hi Daddy!” with the phone held up to her ear! It was the cutest thing ever. She was so excited to hear your voice. I will have to make sure I play that more often. I am very happy that she doesn’t seem to notice that much time has passed, and she still talks about you and recognizes you like you were here yesterday =). I uploaded the video of you reading to her to my facebook account, so I will play that for you tonight. I’m sure she will love it!

...So in Ruby news, your daughter smacked me in the face yesterday. So my mom said, “It’s not nice to hit! We don’t hit mommy! You need to say you’re sorry.” So Ruby looked at me and says, “Sooowwwy!” Awww! I said, “Good job Ruby! You said sorry!” So adorable. Yes it was the first time she hit me, but it was also the first time she said sorry. Cute...Oh yes, and after I got home from work the other day, I played Ruby the videos of you reading to her. She was so excited to see you! She squealed and pointed saying Daddy! My daddy! And then she proceeded to stand up on the chair and hug the computer screen. It was so cute. She loves you so much and I can’t wait for her to get to come see you and give you a real hug.

...Sunday arrived. Mother’s Day! I decided Ruby was taking me to breakfast. So we went to the Broken Yolk and got a table for two. I got French toast and Ruby got pancakes. We were both happy. Ruby sang the Backyardigans to me. I think I got it on video! The waitress gave me a rose and I gave it to Ruby. She got to pull the petals off and throw them out the window of the car. She was quite happy with herself.

...Before I go I just wanted to tell you that Ruby now points at the computer and says Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! And demands that we put the video on for her to watch over and over again like it’s the newest episode of Yo Gabba Gabba. She'll even throw in a Puweeeease! How can I say no to that? I only wish it was longer than 4 minutes =) She'll just sit there and smile and talk to you and herself, and squeal. I love it

...This week Ruby started saying Moose when she sees Moose E. Moose on the tv. It sounds like Moosssss. Then she started saying Bubbles! We were in the tub and her little fountain was on, and she was pointing and saying bubbles? Bubbles?

...Ruby is getting some molars so we’ve have some melt downs at bedtime. We’re getting through it though. Twice this week she’s ended up in my bed around 4 am because I just could not keep getting up. She has has two molars that are partially through on the top and two more about to come through on the bottom. Her second eye tooth is also coming through. So all things considered she’s handling it like a trooper!

...26 days to go. I know I can make it but I wish it was over already! Being apart just feels like forever. I know we’ll both be better for it in the end though. I just want you to know how much you are loved and missed. The good times just aren’t as good without you by my side. But I’ll keep smiling, thinking about seeing you again.

...I’ve been teaching Ruby shapes while we color and she is now an expert when it comes to circles, squares, stars, hearts, moons, and butterflies. I think those were all the shapes I could think of at the time haha. Then I wrote down her name and told her that this says Ruby, can you say Ruby? And she did! She said Ruby! It was the sweetest little noise =)

A New Chapter Begins...

As many of you know, Louis just began basic training for the National Guard. After lots of research and thoughtful consideration, we thought this would be the best decision for Louis and and for our family. As you can imagine, this decision made me feel proud, anxious, excited, worried, sad, and relieved all at the same time! Whew!

Louis is currently at Army basic training in South Carolina. He just started his second week. During this training, communication is pretty limited. I've talked to him once so far, and am eagerly awaiting his letter home which will provide his mailing address and graduation information. After the 9 weeks of basic, Ruby and I will be traveling to SC to attend his graduation and hopefully get some much needed time together! Yay!

After basic, Louis will then go to Virginia for Advanced Individual Training (AIT), part 1. He will be there for 11 weeks. As he progresses, he will get more priviledges, which generally means more communication home (yay!) and more time away from base. This means we might be able to visit during his time there, if we're lucky! We can also attend graduation once he has completed. Once he successfully completes this AIT he should be returning home to San Diego! Hooray! At this point, we don't yet know for how long, but they estimated a couple of months, which would be awesome.

Next up, Louis will be heading to Arizona to do AIT, part 2. This training will be 27-28 weeks long! Yikes! We didn't know this when he signed up, and it's probably better that we didn't. I'm not sure I could have done it... But it is what it is now. Ultimately, Louis will be working on UAVs:

and attached to a military intelligence unit. Apparently this requires a lot of training, fair enough =).

So for those of you who are doing the math, thats a total of 48 weeks of training away from home, not including the processing time and time off etc. Louis has made a huge sacrifice to do something great for his country and his family! And while it will be a long hard road, I know that the benefits for our future are worth it. I will certainly do everything in my power to make the most of it, and make this a positive experience for my husband, my baby girl, and myself.

Thanks to everyone for your ongoing support as we've made this transition. Your letters, phone calls, messages, posts etc have really been heart warming. While I'm missing my husband like crazy (already!) it's always nice to be reminded about how many people are out there rooting for us, and that no matter how lonely I might feel, I am never alone.

Pro Pictures from February

Vikki did her magic again! This time we met Vikki in one of our favorite places, Old Town. Ruby was literally running around during this whole photo shoot, so I was worried all the pictures might be blurry. Thankfully we got some great shots! I'm glad to see these pictures captured what a happy little girl we have =)

18 Months Old

My baby girl is now 18 months old!

Louis and I took Ruby for her 18 month check up and were happy to get confirmation that she is right on track for her age. She now weighs 22 pounds 6 ounces and is 32 inches long! She has met all of her developmental milestones as well, so I could not be happier. She has come so far, and continues to exceed all of our hopes and expectations. Her comprehension continues to amaze me, and I'm anticipating a verbal explosion in the near future. She's said so many words a few times, but still only uses about 10-15 on a regular basis. Her favorites are still Hi, Bye, Meow, Mommy, and Daddy, but we've also been hearing a lot of Please, No, Up, Mine, Puppy, More, Woof, and Weeee!

Here's my baby girl, growing up way too fast!

2009

As 2009 came to close and we embarked on a new year, I was amazed to look back and see all that we had accomplished in 2009! Sometimes time passes so quickly, it’s hard to remember how much we’ve been through and just how much fun we’ve really had! Here is a look back at some of adventures from the year:

Took Ruby to Disneyland

Celebrated Ruby's First Valentines Day

Celebrated our Irish heritage at the St Patrick's Day Festival

Spent Easter at Mt. Diablo

Raised Money for Charity, March for Babies

Celebrated our 2nd Wedding Anniversary

Learned to crawl, stand, walk, run, and dance!


Celebrated our first Mother's Day and Father's Day


Celebrated Ruby's First Birthday and my 30th Birthday

Went to the zoo, a lot!

Ruby's first plane ride, our family reunion in Michigan

Made my second Halloween costume for Ruby, a cookie =)


Hosted Thanksgiving at our House

Celebrated Christmas in San Leandro


I can only imagine what blessings 2010 will bring to my little family. I am so grateful for every moment I have with Ruby and cherish all memories that I have had with Louis by my side. Happy New Year everyone! Thank you for being a part of our journey…