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! =)

March for Babies!

Thank you to everyone who donated to Ruby's Team for the March for Babies! I was delighted to see that we exceeded our goal and raised a total of $580 for the March of Dimes to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality. I am so grateful.

Our walk took place on Saturday in Balboa Park. It was a beautiful day! My sister walked with Louis and I, along with our friend Amy and her 6 children. We waited for our friend Amy and her brat pack to arrive, so we got a late start, but otherwise everything went well. Ruby always enjoys a good walk around town, and I think she enjoyed the extra company. =)

Spring Fling

Ruby and I have been taking morning walks to the park near our house. It has been so warm, it's the only time we can be outside for that long! Plus, Ruby has been waking up extra early these days, so it's a nice use of our time =)

Last time Daddy came, and we played on the swings, and made a new friend, Annabelle! Annabelle is 3 days younger than Ruby, but you could really see the difference is their maturity. Annabelle's dad told us that she was almost 3 weeks late and weighed 10 pounds when she was born!

Here is some of our fun:

Ruby's First Easter

During our trip up north, we celebrated Ruby's first Easter! We went to Mt. Diablo State Park which was beautiful! We were fortunate to have great weather for the day, cool and sunny in the morning, warming up as the day went on.

Louis's family used to make the trip every year, but it had been 8 years since everyone had gone. We were so happy to be there to take part in the tradition! Beautiful surroundings, lots of food and goodies to share, and of course an Easter Egg Hunt! What more could you ask for? It is days like this that make me so grateful for the family that we have. I am so happy that Ruby will be able to grow up surrounded by people that love her, and she will have such fun memories of holidays and family traditions...

Vacation Recap

We are back from spending an amazing week with Louis's side of the family in the Bay Area. It was truely a great time. This was our first trip up since October, and Ruby has changed so much since then!

The drive up Thursday night went smoothly, and after a few hours of sleep, the fun began. Everyone was very excited to see the baby, and even joked that the kids were fighting over who would get to see her first. Thankfully, the kids were all on Spring Break, so that worked out nicely, and we got to spend time with pretty much everyone!

Ruby had a great time, and took to everyone right away, even though it had been some time since she had seen them last. She especially loved her uncles and great uncles! Maybe she has a thing for facial hair? =) She also had a great time playing with cousin Sammy, who is 10 years old. They were two peas in a pod. She also made a new friend, Figaro the Cat. They rolled around on the floor together, and Ruby would laugh and laugh trying to catch him.

I was happily surprised that the whole trip went so smoothly. Ruby was so happy the whole time and stuck to her normal routine so well, despite being away from home and teething. The week flew by with lots of eating at our favorite places, shopping, playing, and just spending time with each other. I know at the end it was hard for everyone to say goodbye, but I was happy to see that Ruby had brought some light and laughter into her family's lives. They spoiled her rotten, as they should, and I'm sure she's gotten used to all the attention. (Will I ever be able to put her down again?) We couldn't even fit all of her presents in the car to come home!

I'm so glad we were able to go and look forward to our next trip, which will hopefully be sooner than later. We are so grateful for our family and the love they are able to share...

Watching Mikey's baseball game:
Enjoying her new convertible, beep! beep!

Hanging out with Samantha:

Play time with Figaro:

Reading with Mikey:

9 months old!

Today, Ruby is 9 months old. She loves to be busy, and makes sure you are watching! She is teething, but no teeth have popped through yet. She's taking it pretty well thankfully, but she's a little more needy than usual and on some nights she wakes up a few times for some lovin... She's an expert sitter now too! Boy that happened fast. She's pretty good at scooting and rolling to get where she wants to go. She's still rocking when up on her hands and knees, but no crawling yet.

She's been disinterested in the bottle lately, probably related to teething. But boy does she like food! If she sees that we are eating, you can bet she will be asking for some. She seems to enjoy everything we've let her try, except for macaroni and cheese? She's still working on the whole chewing thing

We have been enjoying the San Diego weather with lots of outings, walks, and visits with friends and family. And we are looking forward to our trip to the Bay area to visit Louis's side of the family for Easter. It has been almost 6 months since they saw Ruby, and we are all excited to spend some time together! After we get back, we'll be getting ready for the March for Babies, and then Louis and I will be celebrating our 2nd wedding anniversary! Things are good, very good =)

I will update with stats once I get them. In the meatime, a few Ruby pics and a video!

Rasberries Anyone?

Ruby has become a professional in this department! It's a nice way to wake up in the morning! (But not a nice way to wake up at 3am, just sayin...)

In other developmental news, Ruby has started sitting unassisted, saying "Da Da", and pushing up onto her hands and knees to crawl! She even "revved her engine!" It's pretty amazing how quickly babies make progress, and of course a little sad for Mom. But mostly, I'm just a proud mommy who feels so lucky to have her baby, watch her grow, and be the happy and healthy little lady that she is =)

St. Patrick's Day Parade and Festival

This weekend we took Ruby to Balboa Park to celebrate her Irish heritage at the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade and Festival. In honor of Ireland, the weather was cloudy and cool, which made for a good match for the uphill climb we had to tackle from our parking spot to the festival itself =).

First of all, Ruby does not like parades! haha. At least, she certainly did not enjoy the sirens and endless honking car horns. So we avoided that part of the festivities. Ruby did enjoy pony rides, llamas, carnival rides, spending time with her aunties, green haired children, as well as Irish music and dancing.

And I must say, she looked awfully cute!