Healthy again

Gratefully the cold has flown the coop from our house. Everyone is finally healthy again. That was a tough one and really took a toll on me and Bill. Ruby was just congested and a little more clingy. I hope we avoid anything else floating around.

She laughed out loud big time tonight. I was holding her upside down in my lap and Bill was kissing her on the face and making funny noises. Oh my gosh, she sounded like me!! I had tears running down my face it thrilled me so much. She has laughed out loud a few other times, but she has done it three times now in the last two weeks so I hope it gets more frequent. I don't know a sweeter sound than of a baby laughing.

For some reason she growls a lot too. Like she is a German Shepard or something. It's a bit unnerving at times, but I can't help but laugh. Her little personality has really started to come out in these last two weeks and she is such a little stinker. She tries to sneak and chew on magazines when I'm not looking. She turns her toy basket over, and she finds her binky and puts it back in her mouth all by herself. She can scoot and roll everywhere and push way up on her arms and stay there. She is honestly right on the verge of crawling. I don't know what I will do then. Right now she goes to bed at 10pm and wakes me at around 6-8am to nurse, and has been getting up for good at 7:30ish. Ugh, I must get into bed sooner.

Also, until Ruby came I was used to cooking supper for us, before I got pregnant it was almost every night. Then morning sickness took care of that. When I finally got my appetite back I was about 36 weeks pregnant and just didn't have the energy to stand that long or do all the cleanup. So after Ruby came I was excited to do it again, but then the baby needed me. I finally go smart and I cook twice a week now. Monday night I cook a big something that we can eat all week long and add a salad to it for variety. Then again on Friday night I love to cook to celebrate the weekend. So, that means less dishes and more time for everything else. It's honestly the smartest thing I've come up with in a while. Luckily for me, Bill don't mind eating the same thing for four days in a row. Maybe it was because he ended up doing the dishes while I nursed the baby. Whatever, it worked!

My sis in law watched Ruby Saturday night so we could go out alone, and it was WONDERFUL! It was so great to be dressed up and wear my dangly earrings without the worry of a baby pulling them out. To sit at a restaurant with my honey and TALK, uninterrupted. We had such a great time! It really takes just that much, to get reconnected and reminded of how much we enjoy each others company. I guess we've decided to do the cabin again for our 4th wedding anniversary, so that means two nights away from the baby. I hope I can do it. I sure enjoyed those anniversaries of the past, a secluded cabin, candles, a hot tub. Total relaxation and time for just us. Ruby deserves to have the best of us, so we owe it to her to get away and enjoy our anniversary. I hope it all works out.

I'm so thankful for my little family. God has blessed me so much.

September already

Ruby is five whole months old now. She is a little thespian already and LOVES attention. She is doing so many things, so I will just put the most important stuff. She doesn't stay still for long and has been known to be found all over the living room at different times, she rolls and scoots and who knows what else when I'm not looking. She can sit up good, but she still needs support. She can push way up on her arms and sometimes rocks back and forth on her torso. She loves taking baths and she is finally used to her high chair. She eats EVERYTHING! The only thing so far that she refused was sweet peas, so I am very thankful for that. She has been reaching for and grabbing stuff for a long time now, she has decided her favorite binkies are now the MAM ones. She is in size 3 diapers and for now I am on a Huggies kick because I've had a lot of $3 off coupons. I can't seem to get the Parents Choice ones to fit her right. She is still breastfed and gets cereal and fruit at noon and cereal and veggies at bedtime. She is finally sleeping all night long again, after a short stint at waking to nurse again at exactly 4 mos old. And if it were up to her she would LIVE outside, she absolutely loves being outside and when she gets inconsolable, the outdoors are the only thing that will make her chill out. She is also noticing the cat, which I think is so cute.

We took her to Charleston over the weekend so she has officially been on a "big" trip now. All that riding though must have worn her down, because unfortunately she has a cold, I have a cold and Bill does too. Ugh. But Ruby is doing much better with it than we have. Babies are so tough. My pediatricians office wanted to see her anyway just to make sure it was only a cold, so the doc suggested additional fluids in between eating and a cool mist humidifier. So she has been drinking water from a cup and does pretty good I think. Most of it ends up on her bib but she gets some in her mouth.

She has a pretty regular schedule since she turned 4 mos, and that has made life so much easier on me. I've also decided that until she is vaccinated for H1N1 I will no longer take her to public places. No church for Ruby, Sams Club or Walmart. It's the least I can do to try to keep her from getting sick. Bill and I are also very diligent in washing our hands and making others wash theirs too before touching Ruby. If perfect strangers could just keep their hands to themselves it would be easier to take a baby out in public. But for some reason they see the need to pull her binky out of her mouth or touch her hands. Why????

Will post some pics later, my computer acting funny now.

Ruby is 4 months old

Her t-shirt that Aunt TT brought back from New York


She has my heart wrapped around that finger!


Camping in Hot Springs


Her nakey pic at 4 months old


Her 4 month well baby checkup was Monday and she had shots too. Bill went with me because she is big enough to carry now and this would have exhausted me to hold her wiggling body the whole time, plus he likes to see how she has grown and progressed. She is finally getting the stranger anxiety about her, she cried when Dr Gill was examining her, that was a first. She weighed 14.8 lbs and was 24 inches long. I've been weighing her on my scale here, by holding her and subtracting my weight but I must be doing it wrong cuz I thought she was 17 lbs. Oh well, maybe it's because I can't see those small lines real good.

The night after she turned 4 months she woke me up twice to nurse. I'm not used to this, she has slept through the night most nights since she came home. So the next day I sent hubby out for the high chair I decided we'd get, when it was time. Armed with a coupon for 15% off and a picture of it on the coupon so there was no way he could get it wrong. That evening we fed her cereal for the very first time and boy she was ready and willing. She ate it up!! But after 4 days on the rice cereal, mixed with formula or breastmilk...she has a rash around her mouth and on her behind. I suspect it is a reaction to the rice cereal, so we are giving her the oatmeal now to see if it allows it to clear up. I may be wrong, but it's worth a try. Her pediatrician said she needs to have cereal twice a day because she needs to go back to sleeping her 8-10 hours at night, and I agree 100%! So far it's not working, but I keep thinking maybe she is going through a growth spurt.

Parenthood has been a big adjustment for me and Bill. After three years of just being about us, it's now all about Ruby. Babies need lots and lots of attention and I swear if anyone actually knew how hard it was, I wonder if anyone would get pregnant! But I wouldn't go back and change a thing, because God gave this child to us for a reason. When I think of the couples that would give their right arm for a child, it helps me to appreciate this gift we've been given. The past four months have been full of tremendous highs and tear filled lows, as we adjust to the demands of an infant, not to mention the stress of Bill's job and paying off the medical bills from Ruby's birth. Bill and I used to have a standing date night, every Friday night, complete with a nice homecooked meal and a good movie to unwind from the week. For now that is on hold, until Ruby has an earlier bedtime. But finally, we are making some time for us and actually went out to eat alone last weekend, a rare treat! It was so wonderful and I savored every uninterrupted baby-less minute. The best gift parents can give their children is to cherish and nurture their marriage, because these days it's a rare thing. Marriage takes a lot of work, every single day, but gosh the rewards are so worth it. Bill and I are dedicated to each other and to our family. We hope Ruby will always be one of those weird kids who has a Moma and a Daddy, who live in the same house, with the same last name.

Can't keep a good woman down

Well, Ruby is becoming mobile. She has been rolling over from her back to her belly for about 2 weeks now and she sometimes REFUSES to stay in one place for long. I walk out of the room and she rolls over and sits up on her arms and just looks around, it's really cute. She has been rolling from her belly to her back since she was 6 weeks old, so I knew this was coming. I don't look forward to the day she starts crawling.

She turns 4 months old this Thursday and I just can't believe it. Time sure flies. We put her in her walker last week and she LOVES LOVES LOVES it. She gets so mad because she wants to sit up, but she can't do it alone just yet. But she has really good head and neck control, so the walker is awesome for everyone's sanity!

We got thrush again last week and this time we used the Gentian Violet and a Probiotic. I liked them much better than the Nystatin that made her belly hurt. (Danielle you were right!!) We are feeding less frequently now so hopefully this won't happen again. We are down to every 3 hours or so and it should have been this way for a while now...but nobody told me that until I asked my Lacation Consultant last week. She said it's no wonder we got thrush again!

3 months old!

Her 3 month naked pic



Hanging out in the camper with her cousin Gage on July 4th weekend



Our darling gal turned 3 months old on July 6th. Gosh, she is growing like crazy. She weighs 15 pounds now and can wear some of her 6 month clothing. Yeah, I'm freakin out about that. I was told they grow fast, but I never knew just how fast that was. She is still exclusively breastfed and I love nursing her, I never knew how wonderful and sweet it was. It gets easier all the time. However I did run into a slight problem with nursing her after my workouts, a few times she flat out refused the breast when a couple of hours had passed since coming back from the gym. So we had to feed her from the bottle, I have breastmilk in the freezer but I experimented to see if she would take some of the Enfamil Lipil sample that we have, and she did. So I am glad to see that she will take formula, if an emergency were to arise. I hope I never have to buy it though, that stuff is way expensive!

The cheapest diapers that I've found so far are the Parents Choice diapers at Walmart and they are 11 cents each. I thought the big cases of the Sams brand at Sams Club would be a good deal, but they came up to 18 cents each. So Walmart is getting our money when it comes to diapers. I love the Parents Choice ones, they hold the poopie and the pee and don't leak like Huggies do. They've got this customer for life. I had no idea that the cheap diapers could work as well as the more expensive ones. But they do! Plus I'd rather spend that money on cute clothes and shoes for Ruby, instead of her diaper that nobody sees.

We haven't had an issue with diaper rash since her thrush episode, thank God. If there is an important lesson I learned there, it is to let your nipples stay out in the open and dry really well before putting them away. After a long weekend in Butler visiting with family, and nursing Ruby around a bunch of people, I found that my nipples were starting to hurt again and I figured out it was because I couldn't leave them out to dry. So, I always do here at home. Note to self!!

Since her first night here at home she has slept on a wedge/positioner because when she came out she took a big gulp of amniotic fluid and was getting choked on it occasionally. So we always put her to sleep on her side, which was fine with her pediatrician as well. Now though, she is three months old and growing way too big for it. But when I try to put her to bed for the night without it, she will NOT go to sleep. I guess she is used to being held in place with that thing and she doesn't like the feeling of not being confined. So I don't know what to do. I hope we figure something out soon though, or we are in for some sleepless nights!!!

She can hold onto objects now and bring them to her mouth to chew on. She can pull her binky out and work it back to her mouth (which amazes me), she still isn't laughing but she is right on the verge. Oh goodness she has attitude and gets mad sometimes. She LOVES sticking out her tongue and will do that while making noises for minutes at a time. She sits up and stands up with some assistance and is getting stronger every day. She found her feet and likes to wiggle around on the changing table. When she lays on her pallet on the floor she will end up turning herself round and round to look at whatever it is that catches her eye. She chews on anything within reach and still loves to suck on her fingers and hands. She would have both of them in there if they'd fit. It's so much easier to carry her now because her neck is so strong, pretty soon I will be able to just throw her on my hip. Babies are so amazing.

Something that really impressed me recently is the mothers room at Toys R us/Babys R us. Ruby and I were out shopping and after getting groceries at Sams I needed to nurse her. Instead of killing myself by doing it in the truck, I thought I'd try out that room. So we did. It is completely private, with a glider and nursing stool, a changing table and a couch and plenty of room to just drive your shopping cart in there. I did anyway. So I changed her and nursed her in there, and it was a very relaxing and enjoyable experience for both of us. So, I have a new respect for that store and will spend money there because they provide that room for us. Something that small makes a big impact on me. Thank you Toys R us and Babys R us!!

I tell ya, I finally feel like a Moma now. It took a while, but I'm hooked. That smile that Ruby gives me first thing in the morning just makes my day. But every single day there is something new to learn or to figure out when it comes to her care. I never knew it was so much work, but gosh, there is no other job on this earth as rewarding as being a parent.

We are starting back to church this Sunday. While in the shower last weekend (i do some of my best thinking in the shower) I decided I'm ready to go back to our old church. My heart is healed and I crave those Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights again. I miss it so much and it helps me to be a better christian, wife and mother. Bill and I are better to each other when we are in church, and I want Ruby to be raised up in church. I don't know how long we will go there, but after I get back in the groove it will be much easier to visit others. Thank you God for the push!!

Time to blog?

Bill and I have started a new thing, where I get an hour of alone time without baby when he gets home from work. I desperately need this because I was starting to get burned out. Mainly because I would look sooo forward to the weekend, because Bill would be here to help me with the baby. But then when the weekend came, he had his own things to do, and here I was like I am every single minute of every other day, taking care of baby all alone inside and missing out on the sunshine. I honestly feel like a prisoner sometimes, because I don't feel comfortable going any further than the porch unless she is with me. You may have to be a mother to understand, I don't know, but this new arrangement is going to give me back my sanity. I am going to join the gym again as soon as I can get the time to go do it, then I will have that time to myself a few times a week. I am so dang excited! Most importantly to be able to work out again like I used to (i am one of those weird people that actually enjoys it) and to take some time for myself.

I really want to post more, because ideas to post pop into my head very regularly. Maybe I can soon.

Quickly I will add some of Ruby's new tricks. She loves to be pulled up to a standing position. She will straighten her legs out to come up onto her feet if you do the rest. She can stand for minutes at a time and sometimes tries to take a step. Sometimes she wants to do nothing but sit up and look around. She will pull her head and body forward from a lying position and will get mad if you don't help her out. She can look in all directions while up on her forearms in tummy time, and now weighs 14 lbs. She also reaches for the Cubbies on her mobile, and sometimes we wake to her lying on her back on her sleeping positioner, when we placed her on her side to sleep. She imitates people and will stick out her tongue if you stick out yours. She chews on her blankets and wubbie and likes to pull her shirt up and show her belly. I don't want her to be one of those kids that just sit in front of the tv all day long, but I feel like a little bit of The Food Network can't hurt right? She loves to watch Iron Chef and Cubs baseball games. She just amazes me every day. Every once in a while I catch her a little too interested in the tv and I quickly turn it off. She is going to be so confused. She loves to be read to and unless she gets drowsy on her own after her last feeding of the night...I drag out the Dr Seuss and she conks out real quick. She now MUST have her binky to go to sleep. I hate it but that's just the phase she is in. It's much easier to take away a binky than her thumb, because if she had it her way she'd have both hands in her mouth sucking on them. She is so funny. Bill has started playing guitar for her and she just stares at him, enamoured by this new sound and this shiny contraption her Daddy is holding. Honestly, she does not take her eyes off of him when he plays and sings to her, it is so sweet!

I am finally brave enough to take her out in public by myself now, her first time to Sams Club was probably a month ago and since then she's been to Wal-mart, Old Navy, and to visit family. For the longest time I wasn't comfy with her riding in the truck with nobody beside her to hold her little head, but now she has good control of it.

I bought journals for both me and Bill to write in for Ruby. To record her first year of life in great detail, I think this is a neat idea and I would have LOVED it if my Moma had thought to do that for me. I hope these journals are special to her when she grows up. I just hope I've got the energy to do it for the next one, God willing.

Breastfeeding is going great. I feel like I finally know what I am doing. I have my rocking recliner pushed up against the wall with my Medela nursing stool in front of it. My book is always on the table beside me, along with a nail file to work on babys sharp nails. Her car seat is stored right beside my chair and my Boppy is hung on it so that it is easy to get to when she is hungry. I learned early on to always keep at least one burp cloth on every seat in the living room, sometimes two of them! My watch is always on my 15 minute timer setting, I don't know what I would do without it. I feel like everytime I turn around I am nursing again and I guess it's because I am. If she starts eating at 2, she is hungry again at 4 and that means she got done eating an hour and a half ago. Yes, that is the life of a breastfeeding mother, at least this one. I don't know if all kids eat that often, but Ruby insists on it. It is a little time consuming, but the sight of her rooting for the breast is THE sweetest thing, and knowing that I am giving her the best I could ever give her really makes it worthwhile. Plus I use that time to read the magazines that stack up, and I'm able to actually read whole books at a time now. There are some awesome things about breastfeeding!! I will probably miss it after she is older, and the excuse to read.

Every single day I thank God for a healthy child and for entrusting her to us. I cannot remember my life now before she came. I know it was wonderful, but I can't remember it and can't imagine it could have been half as fulfilling as it is now.

Children are truly a gift from God.

2 months old!

Oh how fast time flies when you are havin fun, and when your whole day consists of nursing a baby, playing with baby and changing diapers. God knew what he was doing when he decided that we should feed our babies on the breast, it is the only rest a new Mommy gets.

Ruby is still sleeping very well most nights. She quit waking me up at 5am to nurse and I'm soo happy about that. She will go to bed at 10-11pm on a good night, or 2:30am on a bad one...then sleep until at least 8am. Most days though we sleep in until around 10 am, because I need that sleep. She only takes cat naps during the day so I MUST sleep late to get enough rest.

She stares at her hands now, like they are the MOST amazing thing she's ever seen. She is on the verge of laughing and has made some giggles by mistake already. She smiles great big and is such a very happy baby. I'm still exclusively breastfeeding and am really looking forward to baby food so I can nurse less often. I plan on breastfeeding until she is a year old, we will see how it goes.

Ruby went on her first road trip this past Sunday and she rode great! We stopped twice so I could nurse her in the truck, then we headed on down the road. I love not having to pack bottles and formula and water and all that stuff. Breastmilk is a wonderful convenience food!

I am so thankful to God for this bundle of joy. I absolutely adore my daughter and it is still sinking in that I am her Mommy. I fall in love all over again with her every morning.


Her two month nudie picture, I will have to stop taking these when she gets forty I suppose




She was smiling bunches yesterday and I got this picture of her, it is my favorite one yet!



Our little snapping turtle swapping kisses with her Nana