Friday, November 30, 2007

Ruby's half-birthday!



It's hard to believe that 6 months have gone by already. This birthday seems like quite a milestone...the biggest birthday yet. She is soooo big too. A couple days ago in the store a woman asked me if she was 10 months old. I thought, this lady doesn't know what she's talking about, but then I realized that she's almost the size of a 10 month old. We go to the doctor on the 10th, so we'll find out her weight & length then. All I know is that she's heavy and growing out of her clothes way too fast. She seems to be almost at the end of her 6-9 month clothes.

Ruby is amazing. She has lately been staring at our basket of books until I take her closer and she puts her hand on one and thats the one we read. She is the sweetest baby too, she loves to give kisses to us, her stuffed animals, everything. After she gives you a kiss, she smiles really big, like she knows that is the best thing in the world - getting kissed by her.

Happy half-birthday, Ruby!

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

on the move


It's hard to believe that Ruby will be 6 months old on Friday, isn't it? It's hard to remember when she could sleep on our chest all curled up and be so tiny. She's really getting her personality now. It's so fun to watch. She giggles at what I think is nothing. I'm sure I'm doing something odd that she's laughing at, but I can't figure out what it is. Today we went to story time at our little library again. There was a girl, about 3 years old sitting next to us. She smiled at Ruby and Ruby reached out to her. They held hands for quite awhile during the story. Ruby would touch the girls hair and arm and the little girl would smile at her. Then she kissed Ruby's cheek. So cute!
Also when Ruby was playing today she got on her belly on the floor and saw a toy she wanted. She turned herself about 90 degrees to get it. Later when I checked on her while she was napping, she was diagonal compared to where I put her and her head was up in the corner, about a foot above where she had been. She's figuring out how to use those chubby little legs of hers. Yikes and yay!

Guess what kind of fruit this is? Yup, you guessed it, a hidden rose apple from a Corvallis farm. It tastes like candy.

Sunday, November 25, 2007

ruby's first food

This morning we woke up to frost covering everything. It looked as if it had snowed. It could have, it was in the 20s again!


Ruby ate oatmeal today. She seemed to really like it. She ate quite a bit and then wanted John's apple.

Saturday, November 24, 2007

happy swinging thanksgiving

Ruby's first independent swinging...she actually liked it, we just couldn't seem to catch a picture with a smile.  We think she's really chubby and big and then we put her in a swing and it swallows her up.  It was a really cold day here, as it has been.  We had Ruby bundled up in a hat and under probably too many blankets in her stroller, so I also think she was in shock here at being out in the cold.  It's been in the 20s at night and mid-40s during the day.  Its gorgeous - lots of sun, no clouds; but cold!  
Our friends invited us over for "orphan Thanksgiving" again this year.  None of us have family nearby.  Ruby had a bizarro Thanksgiving.  She skipped her afternoon nap and feeding!  We went over to our friends, ate dinner and all of a sudden, Ruby realized she was starving and VERY tired.  She gave us her warning squeals, and our lovely, generous friends packed us up a bunch of leftovers and dessert and sent us on our way after barely an hour.  Ruby passed out in the car and woke up later ravenous.  

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

back home



reading with Aunt Bri
Originally uploaded by meg+john=ruby
Ruby already misses her Aunt Brianne & Uncle Eddie. She had so much fun playing with them. Ruby adjusted very well to all of the traveling. When we got home, she smiled at all of her favorite things she missed: a lamp, her bumper in the crib, a stuffed animal that got left behind, etc. Cute!  We've uploaded a bunch of pictures from the trip on the flickr site.  Enjoy.  

Sunday, November 18, 2007

ruby's first thanksgiving


We celebrated our thanksgiving a little early. Ruby loved seeing all the food and watching us all chew. She had a look on her face the whole time that seemed to be asking for some mashed potatoes. Eddie made his first turkey, which was very yummy; we had mom's mashed potatoes, which were great, but not quite the same as mom's, salad, and homemade by bri pumpkin pie cheesecake. yum! We weighed Ruby the day after Thanksgiving dinner and she weighs 18 lbs! (According to the bathroom scale, nothing scientific.) For the record a month and a half ago she weighed 16 lbs. Maybe the scales are calibrated differently, but Ruby's still a chunker.
Today we went to an organic restaurant and then later had organic, sinful donuts. We love the big city! Oh, and Ruby had her first fire drill. The alarm went off in Bri & Eddie's apartment. Luckily Ruby was up from her nap. We bundled her up, went outside and Eddie called 911. Everything was ok, of course, or I wouldn't be typing this. They said its not the first time its happened in their building.

Saturday, November 17, 2007

seattle


We made it to Seattle and Ruby did amazingly well on the train. I loved riding on the train, relaxing, looking out the window at all the evergreens and rivers. It was a misty day and a beautiful day for a train ride. I held Ruby during her naps, which was so nice to do again. When we arrived in Seattle and got to Bri & Eddie's apartment, Ruby fell apart. She was so exhausted and overwhelmed. We finally got her to sleep and she passed out for the night. We went to a lovely little cafe this morning for breakfast. I miss it already. We've spent most of the day today hanging out in the apartment, playing with Ruby. We thought it might help her out to just stay put in one spot for awhile. So, she's looking cute in her little corduroy dress, sleeping away right now as we await our yummy Thanksgiving dinner. Off to play a game of marbles.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

wish us luck

Congrats to Christi & Mike on the birth of their daughter, Kylee. And to Zak & Angela on their marriage. We wish we could have been there to celebrate. How exciting!
Christi & Mike: don't read the rest of this post.

So, Ruby is a messy baby. I know I usually write about how wonderful she is, and she is. But, man is she a mess! She spits up a ton - due to a bit of overeating & an immature stomach valve. And her poops are pretty explosive. She used to puke a couple times a week, which was lovely. I'm not talking spit-up, people, puke. Last night, I was just thinking about how its been so long since she has done that. I then caught myself and said (in my head) "don't say that, she'll puke again. No. You're being superstitious." Well guess what happened this morning? Uh-huh. Ugh! The joys of being a stay-at-home mom. It's not all snuggling up and kisses.

We've had a rough morning, lots of screaming (by Ruby) and me on my hands and knees cleaning the floor. I'm a bit nervous about our train ride to Seattle. We're heading out tomorrow for our visit to Brianne & Eddie for our early Thanksgiving. We're going to go for a long weekend to eat at some real restaurants - we don't really have any in our new town - and visit. John & I go back-and-forth between being okay with it all, reassuring ourselves that Ruby is a great, flexible baby and will do well, and being really nervous. Sometimes I think we're worse than Dumbo with his feather. We're not sure how she'll sleep without a particular white noise, blanket, crib, etc. Needless to say, after the morning we've had, I'm on the anxious side. Maybe Ruby is getting all the bad stuff out of her system before we go. That can happen, right?

Thursday, November 08, 2007

New Video

Ruby riding in her car (aka daddy's knee)

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Food


Since we're on the topic of making the world a better place for Ruby, I can't help point you towards this podcast. I listened to this on the bus ride home today and it pretty much sums up how I feel about food and our human relation to it, a very powerful message. Take a few quiet minutes and listen.

get the lead out

Regardless of your political affiliations, you must agree that we've got to do something about this lead paint issue. I have signed up to receive emails from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) when they recall an infant or children's product. You cannot believe how often I get an email. There is a petition here that will be sent to everyone who needs to see it. Recently the head of the CPSC said that she doesn't support legislation to do something about toxic toys. Right now there is only one person in charge of testing the toys!

Nancy Pelosi says:

"As mothers, there is no greater concern than the safety of our children. Yet with the recent reports of lead in toys for kids, moms and dads now have a new worry. If the recalls of toy jewelry, trains, and Halloween candy pails weren't upsetting enough, yesterday we learned that Halloween "Ugly Teeth" were recalled --on Halloween day itself! Lead in toys is unacceptable; lead in toys children are supposed to put in their mouth is criminal.

This summer, 20 million imported toys that were manufactured overseas were recalled--some of which contained nearly 200 times the legal limit for lead. The most heartbreaking for me was the recall of some Thomas the Tank Engine toys, a favorite among my five grandsons.

We must make sure that government lives up to its responsibility to protect our children. Parents should not have to buy a lead testing kit before letting their children play. We have a consumer protection agency to do that. Yet at the Consumer Safety Protection Commission, there is only one inspector charged with testing toys to make sure they are safe for our children. And recently, when the chairwoman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission was asked by Congress if she would request an increase of resources and funding for the commission, she refused to support this much needed action. I know we can do better.

Congress is determined to help parents who are frustrated. That is why we are working to pass legislation that will ban lead from children's toys, require testing of children's products by independent, third-party laboratories, and provide the Consumer Product Safety Commission with significantly greater resources to protect our families. For too long, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has failed to protect kids from hazardous levels of lead in their toys.

The evidence of how lead in toys harms children is overwhelming. Many years of research have shown that exposure to this neuro-toxin can have serious long-term effects, particularly on children. While the recent recalls have brought the issue to popular attention, the problem is, unfortunately, not a new one. In 2004, 2005, and 2006, millions of pieces of toy jewelry were recalled due to unsafe levels of lead.

With this legislation, we will ensure that there are no more stories like that of Jarnell Brown, a four-year-old who died in 2006 after swallowing a charm on a bracelet that contained over 99 percent lead. But we need your help. Get in touch with your Representative and Senator, and urge them to support legislation to protect our children.

I want to thank the MomsRising community for working to eliminate toxic toys. By passing this legislation and continuing our vigorous oversight, we will work to make certain not one more child is harmed by the toys we give them--our children deserve nothing less, and certainly much more."

Please sign the petition.

Monday, November 05, 2007

Ruby's a big girl

Ruby thinks she's a big girl and should be eating and drinking with us. She is fascinated by it all. So we got her a sippy cup to try out. She can hold on to it and even get it in her mouth. She can't quite tilt it up though. We gave it to her empty at first and then we put some water in it. She did not like that! Milk only for her, thank you.


Today the neighbor's cat came over to visit. Luckily John was working from home so he got to see how Ruby reacted to it and take pictures. The cat is really friendly and kept rubbing up against me and Ruby. Ruby reached out, pet it and seemed to really enjoy him.


But she did love sitting in her high chair for the first time. I'm having a hard time admitting she's such a big baby already. What happened to my itty bitty baby that just snuggled in my arms? I was reading about what she may be doing in the next month and I am just so sad about it all. It seems like she will become more of a floor baby than a lap baby. She will soon be able to sit on her own for longer periods of time - although she's got to stop spitting up so much for me to let that happen, and she's reaching out for things and becoming so much more intentional about her play. I'm overwhelmed by it all. I'm excited and saddened. It seems like she becomes more fun and loving and challenging all the time. I guess this is parenthood, huh? Parents: what are/were your favorite baby and kid ages? Least favorite? A lot of people have told me that 6 months was the best baby age - do you agree? Leave a comment.

Friday, November 02, 2007

do it for ruby

watch me

healthy babies

For all you parents & grandparents out there, check this out. Print out the safer plastics guide & use it when you're shopping. (Especially if you shop for Ruby - we're a little paranoid about plastics in this house).

Thursday, November 01, 2007

happy halloween!


Ruby turned 5 months old on Halloween. I was a gardener and she was my little gnome. I must say, she looked waaay cuter in person.

Here's Ruby's little buddy, the peapod, and the daddies.

My mom made this Halloween countdown calendar for Ruby. Isn't it great?! I know she'll love it when she gets bigger.

Halloween is my favorite holiday. Before we moved into this house, I said, "I can't wait for Halloween in this neighborhood!" We heard from lots of people that we would get slammed, so I bought a ton of candy. We didn't get one trick-or-treater! Not one! Our neighbors on our street all had their lights out, so our street was really dark. And, we live 2 streets away from the edge of the REALLY good neighborhood in town. So, I think everyone hits that and we got missed. It was so sad. John and I ate our pumpkin seeds and watched a movie while the little gnome slept. But, Ruby was cute and thats all that matters. Next year, we'll find somewhere to take her for some Halloween fun.