Ruby, slow down!

I can't believe I have a walker! Ruby went from taking a daring step or two, to walking half way across the room! I've counted up to 10 steps so far. She is one determined little lady. Many preemies don't start to walk well past their first birthdays, and I was prepared for that. Walking at 10 months, not so much!


Ruby also has broken through her bottom two teeth (about a week apart). They are barely through but boy can they hurt! haha. She's still very hesitant to use them, so I'm guessing they are still sensitive. Cutting these teeth definitely caused a cranky, weepy baby for a few days. She didn't want to eat any food, drink from her cup, and on the one really bad day, she didn't even want her pacifier. Several doses of motrin and a few sleepless nights and we are back to normal! Hopefully the next round won't be too bad. (I'm still trying to get a picture of them, but I'm trying.)

In other news, Ruby has also started waving, is trying to clap, sometimes says "Woof! Woof!" at doggies and has accidentally, and very sweetly, said "Oooooooh Noooooooo!" She is also showing some extra attachment to Mommy, and unfortunately starts to cry or fuss when I leave the room. My poor peanut, it always breaks my heart.

Ruby has mastered her straw sippy cup, and regular straws, which is awesome. She loves drinking water, and got to try juice for the first time when she had a fever last week. Yum! She's expanding her finger food selections to include more things, like shredded cheese and spaghetti. She has become an expert noodle slurper. And boy does she L-O-V-E pancakes! But who doesn't? The more things we let her try, the less interested she becomes in baby food. But I guess that's to be expected.

And did I mention bath time? Ruby loves anything involving water. Bath and shower time always bring a smile to her face and make her dance with excitement. She will follow you into the bathroom, and pull right up to the tub to get in! And if someone is showering without her, she will be sure to bang on the door until you are done =) In summary, the past few weeks have been a blur. Ruby continues to surprise us, and make us proud. And as her BIRTHDAY approaches, I can't help but reflect on how far she has come and how much she has been through in her short time on earth. Deep breath... I am lucky, lucky, lucky...

Here is Ruby saying Mama. Right before I started taping she was wandering around saying it over and over and over again:

10 Months Update

So this week we had both a home visit from Ruby's nurse and a trip to her pediatrician for her (late) 9 month check up. Both went very well, and I could not be happier. I knew generally that we were on track and Ruby was doing great, but it’s always nice to get reassurance from the professionals right?

For the Stats: Ruby weighs 18 pounds and is 28 inches long. This puts her between the 10th and 25th percentile for weight and between the 25th and 50th for length for a 10 month old. (For an 8 month old she was at the 50th percentile for weight and the 75th for length!) As always, the pediatrician asked if Ruby was stretching out her t-shirts with her big head. Ha ha! So thankfully she has been doing a great job growing.

Her nurse also evaluated her development and, much to my surprise, Ruby was on track for an 11 month old! So despite the fact she was 8 weeks early, she is actually month ahead of the game. That's my girl! During the evaluation, there was only one thing I wasn't sure that Ruby did, and that's to take an object in each hand and hit them together. I'd never noticed her doing that. So, the nurse gave Ruby two blocks, and the nurse took two blocks. The nurse hit the two blocks together, and immediately, Ruby looked down at her blocks and hit them together! I said, “Well... I guess she does that too!” The nurse was very impressed. She had made great strides in the last few months.

Ruby's pediatrician listened to heart and could not detect the murmur he heard at her 6 month appointment. He said it could be gone for good, but it is not unusual for them to come and go for the first 5 years of life. But still this is good news. He also was impressed with how great Ruby is doing. He asked us to again do a trial off of her reflux medication, Prilosec, and to commit to at least a few weeks before we give up. So far so good, and I hope we’re done with it for good this time! *Fingers crossed*

As always the doctor gave us new homework. We started reading lots of books last time to work on Ruby’s vocabulary. Now it’s time to start working on her comprehension. He said to make sure we’re talking to her all the time, narrating what we’re doing. He said that Grandparents are great at doing this, and parents should be too. He also said babies will start to mimic at this stage, so it’s a good time for games (like How big is Ruby? So Big!) and for songs that include hand motions that she can pick up on (like the Itzy Bitzy Spider). We should also make a really big deal when copies us with lots of praise. SOOOO… be prepared for two crazy parents talking to themselves and clapping all the time! This should be fun!