14 months old!

Wow, get a new job and a busy toddler and you hardly have time for blogging anymore! I'm sorry it's been so long and I will do my best to stay on top of my updates...

Ruby is 14 months old! And definitely in toddler mode. She enjoys climbing furniture and standing on it, much to my dismay haha. She says hi to everyone when we're out and about in the hopes of getting their attention. When we're reading her books, she can find and point out the puppy, kitten, shoes, cup, ducky, bath, baby, potty, elephant, etc... I am so impressed with how big her vocabulary is comprehension wise. She's still working on her vocalizations, and mainly only says hi, hello, daddy, mama, and her versions of yes, no, up and other basics. Her little voice is just the cutest thing.

Her diet mainly consists of bananas, eggs, toast/bread, turkey, chicken, fish, shredded cheese, crackers, yogurt, potatoes, pasta and the occasional other fruits and veggies, usually mixed into other stuff... Some days she eats a lot and some she hardly eats at all, which I suppose would make any mom worry. Since she was a preemie, I think I may always worry thats she's not getting enough! But she drinks a lot of milk, and her growth is stable, so I try not to dwell.

Ruby also got two new teeth (the top middle) and may be working on more judging on her lack of sleeping through the night the last two days. Hopefully it will pass and we will have our good sleeper back! I was just getting used to it...

All in all, we are doing well. We're trying to enjoy our end of summer with trips to the zoo, beach, and family visits while we can. Here are some pictures to catch everyone up!

12 month Pictures

Here is the latest installment! We met our photographer at Old Poway Park the day before Ruby's birthday for these pictures. It was HOT, but Ruby didn't mind one bit! She smiled the whole time...There were so many cute ones, but here is a sample...

Michigan Vacation

Summer is flying by! I can't believe it is already August! I wanted to share a few pics from our vacation to Michigan. Both of my parents were born and raised in Michigan, so the majority of my extended family is still there. Once a year my Dad's side has a family picnic. And this year, many of us who live out of state took the trip to attend! It was such a treat. Not only because I had not been back for a visit in 15 years, but because I got to take my husband and baby girl to meet everyone as well!

Ruby did great on her first flight. She was definitely restless at times since she wasn't able to roam around as she wished she could! But she was able to get a nap in, eat snacks, and make new friends during the 4 hour flight. Not bad at all!

We stayed with my cousin Heather and her family, including a 10 year old, 4 year old, and 9 month old... all boys! Ruby loved all the action and excitement. We made trips most days to visit family, and of course attending the big family picnic! Are time went quickly, and before we knew it was time to come home. It took a lot of energy to chase Ruby around all over the state, but I'm glad we went...

11 month Pictures

Thank you to Grandma for having us take these pictures. So cute!

Happy Birthday, Part 2

I have been so busy! But I figured I better post the rest of my birthday stuff before we leave for our vacation tomorrow...

We had Ruby's 1st birthday party on July 11th, which was also my 30th birthday! When I first started planning the event, I thought it would be a small group of family and close friends and some cake. But much to my surprise, ALL of our family and friends wanted to take part in this amazing celebration! Again, I was reminded of just how much Ruby has touched the lives of those around us. And there are many people who love Ruby (almost) as much as Louis and I do! And I couldn't be happier that so many of our loved ones were able to join us for Ruby's birthday, since they are the only who have loved and supported us over this last year. We couldn't have survived it without them!

We had the party at Trolley Barn Park near our house. The weather was warm and breezy, and thankfully we ended up with the perfect shady spot! We had 50 friends, co-workers, and family members join us for this extraordinary day. Louis' family was even able to make the trip down from the Bay Area, which meant a lot to us both. Love, laughter, food, cake, and a mountain of presents set the stage for the perfect day. Especially after not being able to celebrate my birthday, I could not have asked for more this time around. Any 1st birthday would be a joyous one, but knowing how far we have come, how far Ruby has come, I was overwhelmed with happiness. My tiny 3 pound baby was now running, smiling, laughing, waving, dancing, hugging... and she was healthy. We are so fortunate. And I can't wait to see what the next year has in store!

Here is a link to the pictures...
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AcNGrds1btGRH

Happy Birthday, Part 1

Let me just say it has been one emotional and fun filled week! Ruby turned one on 7/7. I took the day off work so we could spend the day together. She squealed when she saw her birthday balloons and seemed to know that the day was a special one. We started off with her favorite breakfast, cinnamon pancakes and bananas. Yum! Then we spent the morning playing and wandering around the house. Soon it was nap time and Ruby and I laid down together and slept for 2 hours! It was glorious =)

Next it was off to do some shopping. Some of Ruby’s happiest moments are riding around in a shopping cart. She loves being around new people, and Louis and I often joke that we spend lots of time looking at the back of her head. She waves and says hi to everyone who will look. And with her big smile, she’s always making new friends. And of course, it was around this time that I started to feel very sentimental… How far we had come from my tiny little girl who came too soon.

Once we got home, Ruby had her favorite lunch. Cheese and crackers, with some turkey. Then it was nap time again! This time I cleaned house, hurricane Ruby had struck again. Once she woke up, Aunt Michelle came over, and then Daddy came home and we left to meet Aunt Nickel at Chuck E Cheese’s. Louis wanted to take Ruby to celebrate her big day! Ruby had a good time, but was mostly excited about the other children that were there. She didn’t seem to notice all the flashing lights, loud noises, and rides that surrounded her. Maybe it was a little like her time in the NICU… bright lights, alarms, wires… I’m so glad those days are behind us. I’ll take crappy pizza at Chuck E Cheese any day!

After a little bit of play time, we went home for cake. We sang to Ruby, who looked confused but was smiling! I presented her giant cupcake, which probably looked more like a toy than food. She had a taste, but didn’t destroy it as one might imagine. Louis, my sisters, and I ate our cake, laughed, and took some pictures. It was lovely. A simple and great day…

Later that night, after Ruby had fallen asleep with me, I scooped her up to put her to bed. I stood in front her crib and rocked her. The year before I couldn’t even watch her sleep, let alone hold her, and I found myself not wanting to put her down. The day Ruby was born was traumatic, but her birthday will always be a celebration, one of gratitude and relief. Because we made it. And I have a beautiful, healthy, and happy baby girl that was worth every sleepless night, every tear, every painful memory… The good by far outweighs the bad, and at the end of the day, I am blessed. I am lucky. I am happy. I could not ask for more.

Happy Birthday Ruby! Thank you for all you have given me.

Happy Father's Day!

What a great weekend we had! I think Louis enjoyed his first Father's Day which included a weekend of sleeping in, eating out, and spending time with family. Unfortunately, his presents have yet to arrive, so we will talk about those later!

11 months old

Ruby is 11 months old, which means that I am in party planning mode! I can't wait to celebrate Ruby's 1st birthday. What a year we have been through, we survived! I'm so proud of her. She's been through so much in just one year, and most of it with a big smile on her face.

Anyone wanna see Ruby dance?

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!

Goodnight Sweet Kayleigh

"May Kayleigh's story continue to give us hope in our own personal journeys and give us the strength to never give up the fight. May Kayleigh's story continue to fill our hearts with love so that we may hold each other tight and support those in need."




And for those interested in this story, it will be featured on the Doctors show today. I only wish it had a happy ending...

My First Mother's Day

Yesterday we celebrated another first for our little family... my first Mother's Day! I had Friday off of work so Sunday was the end of a wonderful three day weekend with my little peanut! We spent the morning playing and eating pancakes, the afternoon at Grandma's getting spoiled, and the evening back home relaxing. It was a great day, and aside from the stomach ache I got after eating so much, I wouldn't have changed a thing!

And to top it all off, my darling husband got me a very sweet first Mother's Day card and 2 diaper bags! Ruby is 10 months old and all this time I've been using the freebie diaper bag I got from hospital. (haha) I've been shopping around but was having trouble committing to anything. Many seemed too big, too complicated, and too expensive for my taste, so I am very happy that I'll now have two that fit all of my needs! So here is what I ended up with for all who were asking...

1) Skip Hop Dash Deluxe in Blossom. ($65) This is for everyday running around. It's the perfect size for everything you might need during the day, with enough pockets to keep everything organized. And it has shuttle clips which attach it to a stroller perfectly.
















2)Cargo Cutie Country Club Tote in Yellow. ($30) This is for when I need something bigger. Day trips, overnights, etc. And since it's regularly $130 bucks it was a great bargain! Score!

So all in all in was another great day with the family. Happy Mother's Day to my Mom and all the other Mom's out there! Especially those who also celebrated there very first Mother's Day. I hope it was special... We will be taking Ruby to see her pediatrician on Thursday for her checkup so I will be updating you then with all that is new with my little 10 month old!

It's our Anniversary! Again!

Louis and I celebrated our 2nd anniversary on Monday, by taking Ruby out to dinner! (We'll be having our own celebration this weekend.) Ruby had fun sitting in a high chair, coloring with crayons, eating crayons, making friends with the waitress, and providing us all with the night's entertainment.

I am so lucky to have Louis for a husband. He makes marriage the easiest thing I've ever done. Plus, he gave me Ruby! Making these wonderful memories together as a family is all I could ask for. And we're looking forward to many more!

By the way, THIS is why you aren't supposed to give a 9 month old ice cream! haha...

Standing? What next?!

Ruby never ceases to amaze me. In the last couple of weeks, she as gone from scooting, to crawling, to pulling to stand, to standing on her own for short periods of time! Crawl, pull to stand, let go... repeat! This is what we do all day! =)