Bike Ride

Are you ok?

Sometimes Ruby will catch me squinting and she'll at me for a moment and say, "Are you ok, Mommy?" thinking that my furrowed brow is due to some sort of physical or emotional discomfort. But alas, it's just me trying to read with bad eyesight! haha

A choo!

I recently got over bronchitis, which meant there was a lot of coughing going on at my house. Whenever I would cough, Ruby would respond with a fake sneeze. The other night Ruby took an extra half hour to fall asleep because she was busy fake sneezing and giggling in her bed.

Poof

We spent the weekend at my Dad's house while he was out of town. Ruby was playing with some sort of a plastic stick. When I asked her what it was she said it was her "magic wand" which she pointed at me and said, "ssssssssssssss I turn you into a rock!"

Tid Bits

The first of many Tid Bit posts that I hope will help memorialize some of my favorite Ruby moments that even a busy Mom like me can fit into the day!

This morning Ruby was laying in my bed watching a little video before starting the day. Ruby said, "Mommy, I want you to crap with me."

What did you say?

"I want you to crap with me Mommy!"

I looked at her confused. Ruby said, "like this!" and began to clap her hands smiling. Thank goodness.

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...