Ruby - Five Months

This month has been such a fun one with Ruby. She's really starting to develop her little personality! I keep saying to Dan, "I just love Ruby right now! This stage is so fun!". I think I'll keep saying that for a while. 

(Also, I couldn't seem to get a picture in her usual monthly pose without her hands in her mouth! I think she was hungry during our photo shoot) 

Monthly Stats: 

Weight - At our Doctor's Appointment last month, Ruby was 12lbs. So i'm guessing that she's probably around 13lbs this month? I don't know why I have this item on her monthly stats because I never know her weight. 

Diapers - Still Costco 1-2. This little girl grows vertically not horizontally, so I think she'll be in this size for a while. I don't really want to go into diaper details here, but let's just say that we started solids this month and the dirty diapers got a whole lot more interesting...gross. 

Clothes - We're in the transition time now. Some of the 3 Month clothes are getting a bit small (and I'm tired of her always wearing the same things) so we're pulled out the 6 Month clothes! This means a lot of laundry getting them all washed and ready. But I discovered that Ruby has quite a few cute sweaters and colder weather clothes that I'd forgotten about!

Likes - Sweet Potatoes, Apples, Bananas and Peas (we started her on some solids and so far, so good!), when Mom barks like a dog (it makes Ruby giggle so hard!), Sophie the Giraffe, meeting Uncles and hanging out with family, sticking EVERYTHING in her mouth, Baby Lap Time at the Library and sucking on her pacifiers the wrong way. 

Dislikes - Green Beans, getting her clothes changed (Onesies in particular - I don't know when this one started), and getting water in her face during bath time. Ruby gets pretty messy when she eats and then she's not too happy about it afterwards...

And here are some more pictures just for fun because my brother, Sam, says he checks my blog and I don't put enough pictures on. These are for you Sam! 

This next month should be a big one too! Ruby's First Halloween (so excited about our Costumes!) and Ruby's first Plane Trip (so not excited about the plane but very excited about the trip!). 

Love you Ruby Roo! 

California Travelogue: Part 2

One of the big highlights of our trip was our visit to the Ronald Reagan Library. Right now, hey have a Disney Archives Exhibit. Since Ruby is too young to take to Disneyland, this seemed like a good idea! And it was! We really had a good time. Both sets of pictures are from the Reagan, in case you're wondering! The lighting was pretty weird and they didn't allow flash, so that's why there are strange shadows and such. 

The Black Pearl // Ruby "riding" one of the Tron Motorcycles // Ruby and Daddy hanging out with some Pirates
Hitchhiking Ghosts! // Captain America's Get-Up // Inspecting the Ship
Princess Dresses // Iron Man // Pirates of the Caribbean Movie Costumes
(There were a lot more cool artifacts, but I thought it'd be boring to just have pictures of random stuff on here. My favorite Disney artifacts were: The Opening Sequence Books from Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella, Walt's Office, First Disneyland Ticket, Reference Costumes for Snow White and Pinocchio and Mary Poppin's Costume) 

Ruby & Mom // Presidential Helicopter // Ruby for President!
Air Force One // Ruby's First "Horse Ride" // Secret Service Exhibit
Ronald Reagan loved Jelly Bellies! // Piece of the Berlin Wall in the Gardens // Berlin Wall Exhibit

We snapped these Family Pictures right before we left - gotta document these things! We really had a great time in California! It was so nice to just get away and relax. Ruby did really well in the car and kept sleeping through the nights and such. We can't wait to go back! 

A Whole Bunch of Workmans

"I had so much fun at Grandma & Grandpa Workman's!" 

Ruby and her Uncle Ben 

(I love this one.) 

Ruby - 4 Months

I was looking back over the past Monthly Updates and I cannot believe how much Ruby has grown. Just look at 1 Month. And to think, she seemed so big then! Just look at her now... Ruby keeps getting more expressive and cute! We have discovered the little things that make her laugh and smile. We are getting better at being parents and she's getting better at being a perfect little angel baby. I had a really tough time choosing out her monthly picture, so here are some of the runners-up:

Weight -- Doctor's Appointment is on Monday so I'll have more specific stats then, but in the meantime I'll say she's around 12 lbs. The Doctor on Monday also means another round of shots. Oh, Joy...

Diapers -- Still in the Costco 1-2, but she's been having some crazy blow-outs recently and I really hope that doesn't indicate that she's growing out of them because we have a whole new box waiting for her.

Clothes -- Ruby is a long, skinny girl! She's still in the 3 Month size, mostly. She wore a pair of 3 Month Corduroy Pants today and they practically fell off of her! But, with footy pajamas she's in 3-6 Month so I don't really know what to tell you...

Likes -- Riding in the Baby Bjorn (front-facing only), Her Uncles, Being Held by Others, Her Owl Car Seat Toy, Blowing Raspberries and Putting EVERYTHING in her Mouth.

Dislikes -- Being Left Alone in a Room (She's developed a Banshee-like shriek to let us know her unhappiness at being left alone), The Nasal Aspirator, and Tummy Time (Still).

i'm inspired by:

This is so smart. I want Ruby to know that she is beautiful, but smart and capable too.
These would make a perfect Halloween dinner.
This is a really cool idea.  I'd love to go some day.
This photo shoot is almost exactly what I'm looking for in our upcoming family photos.
This would be perfect for baby Ruby.
This isn't available anymore online, but I think I could probably make knock-off version.
This will probably come in handy if we end up going anywhere this fall.
These are some fun ideas for the autumn. I'm so excited that the seasons are changing.

picture from here

Ruby Tuesday - So Long Summer

Here's what a typical day looked like this summer: 

ruby'd wake up around 6:00 am. and have her first breakfast.  (yes, she slept for most of the summer in her swing. she's fully transitioned to her crib now, though, and things are good.)

 after first breakfast, we both go back to sleep for a bit.

at around 8:00 am, ruby wakes up and it's time for a diaper change - usually pretty frightening first thing in the morning. 

the morning light is just beautiful. after the initial change, it's time for second breakfast and good morning america.  ruby usually plays on the floor for a bit while i eat breakfast. then we both go upstairs and i take a shower and get ready while ruby hangs out in the bathroom with me in this pink bouncer thing (that's ended up being really useful!).  i usually give ruby a bath at right about this time, too.

then, if it's monday, we do laundry and go grocery shopping. if it's not monday, we hang out and have a fun day at home.  

sometimes we read books,

sometimes we have visitors, 

 and ruby usually takes a afternoon nap. i eat lunch and check my blogs and stuff.

sometimes we'll run to the library or something in the afternoon. i try to tidy up the house.

by this time, daddy is done with work and it's getting close to dinnertime. dan plays with ruby while i make dinner and then we all sit together at the dining room table to eat. ruby is a little young for her high chair, but seems to like it anyway. it reclines way back so that she can sort of sit in it.



after dinner ruby has her whiny, unhappy time of night...



 so we usually take a walk after dinner or go visit people in springville and then she's much happier.





when we get back it's time for jammies!

{this trick is called "the half roll". she's also got the foot grab down pretty well now.}

you can usually catch ruby sneaking a look at the tv if we are watching an evening show.
this girl loves the tv. it makes me pretty worried. 

then it's time to get ready for bed. which means being nursed and swaddled. and then placed in her swing (or now, crib) 

 good night ruby jane! we love you!

then, dan and i watch tv, clean up, and get ready for everything to happen all over again the next day! it's been a simple but wonderful summer. 

i wish they all could be california girls: travelogue part one

here are some pictures from our trip so far. this beach boys song also happens to be ruby's favorite song. she smiles so big when dan sings it to her. 

we stopped in st. george to visit our friends the joneses. they are awesome. // st. george is beautiful

learned how to make granny squares // bonding with uncle ben // spent most of our time like this
watched a lot of tv // dan went shooting with his dad and then they reloaded bullets // swinging
ruby discovered this old bouncer and loved it! // halloween costumes // daddy-daughter time

i have tons of pictures of me as a baby in front of these trees - had to carry on the tradition! 

meeting the great grandparents mercer for the first time

solvang, ca.

not pictured: dan's friend randy's 30th birthday party // visiting grandpa at work & great wall // souplantation //  movies  trader joe's // wooden clothes pin dolls // dinner with the villalobos' // donut runs // target

planned for this week: disney archives exhibit at the ronald regan library// ruby's diner // swimming or the beach
visiting more friends

stay tuned for part two! 

Some Random things for this Saturday Night

*Spumoni Ice Cream is delicious. It's like the more interesting big brother of Neapolitan.
*I'm about 3/4 of the way done with the most adorable little Clothespin Dolls. They are seriously so cute. I can't wait to make more - I'll post some pictures when they're done.
*I love Instagram. I hopefully will be getting my own smart phone soon so that I don't have to steal away Dan's phone every time I want to snap a picture.
*We're still in California for a little less than a week with Dan's family. Dan's got some really good friends down here and we've really had fun hanging out with them. It makes us wish we lived closer. It's hard to have friends spread out all over the place.
*My brother, Ethan, got back from his mission in Australia on Wednesday. It was great to finally be able to talk to him on the phone after two long years!
* Dan's brother, Ben, got the second season of Downton Abbey (and the Christmas Special) for me. I'm excited to catch up to the rest of the world on the whole Downton Abbey thing.
*I bought a pair of aqua skinny jeans today. I hope I'm bold enough for such bold pants.
*I learned how to crochet this week. Dan's mom, Karylee, is a great teacher. I'm a Granny-Square-Making-Machine! 
*Ruby's been such a good baby on this trip. She's been awfully friendly when she meets new people - she gives the cutest little grins and smirks. I'm not sure how, but she's also been able to maintain a somewhat normal sleeping and napping schedule. She's an angel baby.
*I've been trying to remember to take pictures while we've been hanging out and doing things and I realize that I'm a pretty awful photographer. Good thing I'm taking a class, I guess. 

Fill in the Blank Friday

My favorite thing to do on Friday is  go out! I try to plan our meals but the plan for Friday is usually just "OUT". I really need a break by the end of the week! I used to look forward to Fridays a lot more when I worked because I usually got off early and start our weekend fun! But now being home all day with Baby Ruby, it seems like every day is like a weekend!

This Friday I am going to an end-of-summer bbq at Dan's friend's house. I think I'm supposed to make a dessert or a salad or something to bring. I should probably figure that out...

 The best thing about a weekend is that Dan doesn't have to work! I'm pretty spoiled because he works from home and his job is really flexible so I see a lot of him but he always has that stress of work during the week. The weekends give him a chance to relax and spend more time with Ruby and me. 

 Now that summer is almost over, I'm feeling ready for the holidays! I pretty much have our Halloween costumes planned out, am starting to brainstorm Christmas ideas and have an awesome idea for a New Year's Eve party! I'm so excited to spend the holidays with Ruby. Everything is so much more meaningful with kids! 

The best thing I did this summer was get into the grove of being a mom and really bond with Baby Ruby. I thought that the slow-paced summer was perfect for settling into my new life. It was also great to have so many visitors this summer. I love visitors. 

The things I'm looking forward to about fall are baked pumpkin treats, crunchy leaves, sweaters and boots, cooler days, weddings, a trip to California,  Halloween and the return of prime-time television shows. I'm really excited for Fall 

If I had to be stuck in one season for the rest of my life, I would choose Fall! I love that it's still warm enough to be outside and that it's so beautiful outside. We have big old trees on our street that turn magnificent shades of orange, red and yellow. I love the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves. It's so calming and peaceful. 

One last thing about fall...Last year, I was just a little bit pregnant around this season. Unfortunately, I've associated a lot of my nauseous feelings with fall things. I'm too excited for fall to have it be ruined by sick memories! Let's hope this year is better!

Linking up with The Little Things We Do. 

Ruby 3 Months

Wow! Three months! Ruby is growing up before our eyes! Here is her three-month update:

Weight -- Again, she doesn't have a doctor's appointment this month but I think that she is packing on the pounds! She must have been going through a growth spurt this past week because all she wanted to do was eat. It was like she was a newborn again - wanting to eat every hour or so for 20+ minutes! I'm so glad that seems to have passed! 

Diapers -- Costco size 1-2, finally! Dan's mom gave us a bunch of diapers before Ruby was born and she finally fits into them! 

Clothing Size -- 3 Month (also 0-3 and even some 3-6, too!) My favorite part of Ruby's wardrobe would be her dresses. I love dressing her up for church on Sunday. She wore shoes for the first time this past week and they were so cute! They were pink Mary Janes. 

Likes -- Reading books, laughing at the weird noises her momma and daddy make, riding in the stroller, her pink elephant rattle and dolly, pulling momma's hair, rolling onto her left side (she can't really go right yet) and watching the Olympics. That last one kinda stressed me out. She likes the TV way too much. Even if she is lying on her back with the top of her head facing the screen, she will arch her back and look up and over at the TV. Oh brother! 

Dislikes -- The hours between 4:30pm and 6:00pm, being in the Baby Bjorn too long, being hungry and being stuck in a hot house all day long (maybe this is actually one of my dislikes). 

This next month we're embarking on our first family road trip! We'll see how that goes! 

Fill in the Blank Friday

1. The best thing to do on a hot day is to stay inside for the day and then take a long walk in the cool evening. Or go to Target. I would love to go to a pool (I really want to go swimming) but I don't think they really suggest taking three-month-olds to the swimming pool. 
2. The best place to be on a hot day is pretty much anywhere cool! We have a swamp cooler and when the days get 95 degrees or more it's pretty unbearable. This summer's been pretty hot and I'm really excited for the fall! 
3. The best thing to eat on a hot day is anything light and cool! In the summertime, all I want to eat is ice cream, frozen yogurt and slurpees. 
4. Hot days make me grumpy! Sometimes we need to just get out of the hot house and go anywhere with air conditioning to avoid a majorly moody momma. It doesn't help that I run like 10 degrees hotter with a nursing baby on my lap. Sorry if that was too much information. 
5. My go to uniform on a warm summer day is a plain-colored t-shirt and a floral skirt with white sandals. Every. Single. Day. 
6. The scent that reminds me of summer is the smell of neighbors BBQing wafting through the evening air! And Mango-Mandarin lotion from Bath and Body Works. 
7. My favorite thing about summer is having tons of friends and family come to visit! That's one of the perks of living in Utah - it seems like everyone comes here! 

Linking up with The Little Things We Do.