Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Lady Luck

Are you feeling lucky? Or does your house need a little TLC? Well, the folks at 5 minutes for moms are giving away an Oreck XL Ultra !!! Go right now and post a comment so you may be the lucky winner. Go. Why are you still reading this? GO ENTER TO WIN!!!


Thursday, February 21, 2008

Got Milk?

My sister in law was talking to my niece (7) and nephew (almost 9) last Friday. Their conversation has to be recorded for posterity!

SIL- "We're going to babysit Ruthie tonight! It's going to be so much fun"

Bailey- "Yeah!! I can't wait"

Luke- "cool"

SIL- "We'll get to play with her, and feed her- It's will be great! Bailey, you can help me feed her too"

Luke- "GROSS MOM"

SIL- "What's gross?"

Luke- "She doesn't even have any b**bs yet"

SIL-"What?"

Luke- "Well, at least you have b**bs, but Bailey doesn't. How is SHE going to feed Ruthie"

SIL- Laughing, "NOOOOOOOO not that kind of feeding, we'll feed her rice cereal and green beans- or something like that. Only babies mom's can feed their babies like that"

Luke- "don't all b**bs have milk in them?"




Wednesday, February 20, 2008

7 Months!!!

Ruthie turned 7 months old on Monday! Each month I think I am enjoying the absolute BEST time in the first year... but then I get to the next month! We have so enjoyed her 6th month as she has continued to develop her own little personality and responds to us so automatically now! It's so hard to believe that she is already this old. Time is totally flying! Our life completely changed once she was born, yet we both simply can not imagine life without our little Ruthie Grace! Here is a little of what she accomplished during her 6th month!

* Rolled over from her back to her tummy. Ruthie didn't like playing on her tummy, so she took her own sweet time rolling over in that direction. I guess she figured... why make the effort if I don't want to be on my tummy anyway! It took her several days to figure out that rolling over + rolling over= going somewhere... and is now quite accomplished at rolling around the room. She doesn't venture too far off her blanket though...

* She gives the BEST hugs! Especially when she wakes up in the morning. It is absolutely the cutest and sweetest thing!

* She is progressing nicely with her juice cup. She understands what it's for and what to do with it (ie put it in her mouth and suck) and is getting better and better at it. She drank a couple of ounces at one sitting last night! She still doesn't like to hold it herself and drink. She'll get it up to her mouth and chew on it, but hasn't quite gotten it to tip all the way on her own yet.

* She is using her lips to take in food off of the spoon. No more gently scraping the cereal on her gums to get it in her mouth! And she moves that food around in her mouth with her tongue.

* She was introduced to squash, peas, and apricots this month. She doesn't quite like the peas yet. Although it usually takes a week or two before she eats up a new food with gusto! When she doesn't like it she just holds it in her mouth and it gets all liquidy. We have resorted to popping in the binkie to get her to swallow her food so she doesn't choke. She is also a master at the gag thing. Oh, she's going to be so much fun at age 2!

* She is also developing in her vocal sounds! She has mastered the Ba, Ya, t, s, th, and z sounds! (of course, Da is old hat!) She strings several of her favorite sounds together and just talks up a storm. I wonder where she gets that from! Also, she likes to whisper sounds to. Depending on her mood, sometimes you can hardly hear all the talking that is going on!

* We have become creative and now have 2 additional binkies in her crib with her at all times. This way when she's wanting one in the middle of the night, she can find it and put it in her mouth without waking up! (and without waking us up!) and it is working. We marvel at how her tiny fingers can manipulate that binkie and get it in all the time. (And while asleep too!)

* She is starting to hide her face in a shoulder when she is shy. She looks and smiles at someone new and then hides her face in her hands on a shoulder. It kills me it is so cute!

* She is also starting to show preference for particular people and also telling you when she wants you by holding out her hands and just looking at you with puppy dog eyes. She is the best baby. In church, we still keep her in service because she nearly sleeps through it all. But, when she's awake she plays quietly on the chairs next to us, or we hold her and she just watches all the people who sit behind us. (Those lucky dogs who sit behind us!) She has started to play the mommy-daddy-mommy game in church. Where she wants to go to whoever is not holding her at the time. Back and forth between mommy and daddy until daddy puts the kibosh on the game for fear of distracting those adoring fans who sit behind us. I think it is so cute to see her show what she wants and communicate with us.

*She does this cutest little leg lift when she's nursing. Usually when her right leg is on top she lifts her right leg totally up and to the side as if she's doing the splits in the air. She waves it around and then brings it down again. Over and over while she's nursing away. When her tummy's a little full she pulls away and looks around the room and talks to whoever is there (the dog, grandma, or Daddy...) and then turns back and nurses some more. She is such a happy baby!

*She is trying to army crawl. She moves her arms and legs in the right direction and motion, but doesn't move her body any yet. I guess she's not strong enough... but I see my time getting busier and busier...

* She started sleeping on her side. (which we think is the most precious thing) and then a couple of nights ago, she turned all the way on her tummy in her sleep. At first I was a little scared... you know the whole "back to sleep" thing... but I quickly realized there wasn't much we could do if she wanted to sleep on her tummy, she could! What a big girl!!

* Speaking of being a big girl, she got her BIG GIRL car seat for Valentines day!! She was so excited to sit in it. It is soft, comfy, and will hold up to 65 pounds. (which should be quite a while seeing that she is only 15 pounds now!)

Here are a few pictures from this past month to enjoy!

Sitting up in Daddy's chair



Sweet Pea sleeping on her side... the picture didn't even wake her up!



This one is for my bff Holly and her mom Joy who made this quilt for Ruthie. They have been dying to see her tug on the flower petals as that was the intended activity when they made this quilt for her before she was born. I thought it was too pretty to be subjected to the drool and spit up that would inevitably make its way onto the quilt- plus, what if she pulled a flower right off. They assured me the quilt is washable and comes with repairs if needed! :)



Her big girl carseat!

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Hunka Hunka Burnin' Love

Yesterday was our 2nd anniversary!!! YEAH!! Tony took the day off to celebrate. We started this day (one which by nature of celebrating our love MUST be without even the littlest argument!) tired and cranky!! Why you ask? Well for starters we hadn't gotten to bed before 3:30 am the past two nights. Don't ask.

On Second thought, Do Ask. WHY? We have a little get-together with my Brother and Sister-in-law just about every Saturday night to play this We love the wii. We get a bunch of junk food we would never eat if it were just us and play to our hearts content. We TRY to get home at a reasonable hour, but usually we're home pretty late. Ruthie sleeps on the couch while we play games! But, since Tony had taken off work for our anniversary, we went back on Sunday night for round 2. We have a blast. We PAY big-time the next morning. You know, we're not getting any younger!!

So, after trying to stay loving and kind and happy, we didn't get really moving until after 1pm!! We ended up at Target and the Mall for some good old window shopping! We had linner - that's the meal between lunch and dinner for those of you who are wondering- and ended the day at Starbucks!!

We did start a new tradition at linner- we told each other the 5 things we most love about them and the one thing we would want them to work on. It was such a wonderful conversation. The 5 things I most love about my man are: 1. His heart for the Lord, 2. How tender he is with our daughter and how he makes her laugh, 3. How much he truly loves me, 4. How tender he is with me and how sensitive he is with my emotions (even if he doesn't understand why it is the END of the world), and 5. How passionate he is about the things that he cares the most about.

Tony is one of God's greatest blessings in my life (the only other greatest blessing is Salvation!). I would not be a complete person without him and his love. It seems like these two years have flown by, and at the same same time I can't remember a time before he was in my life. He is my true love, my soul mate, the father of my sweet baby girl, and the one that I am honored to spend the rest of my life with. As always, we pray that God's perfect plan would be shown through our Marriage, and that by the Grace of God, when people look at us and our marriage they would see Jesus.


Monday, February 11, 2008

Play-group with a Purpose!



Play-group with a purpose is a little thing God put on my heart before I had Ruthie. My church always had an evening women's Bible Study, but since Tony and I were already so busy, we were protecting our obligation-free weeknights. So, I was unable to attend. That is what lead me to think about such a thing. It's basically a morning Bible study where you can bring your kids and they can play while the mommies dig into God's word. It's pretty cool. It's really relaxed (especially when we have a sweet interruption from one of our precious kiddos) but we're all there to dig deeper into God's word, and grow closer to His Son.

We met a couple of times before Christmas and then had a break for the holiday season. But, we're back and we're growing!! We've just started Beth Moore's study: Stepping UpIt's a study of the Psalms of Ascent. We've had 2 sessions so far and BOY DOES GOD USE HER!!! She is such an inspiration. I love that we dig, and dig deep with her studies.

We started out last November with 4 people (including myself). And we lost 2 of those due to scheduling and other things. But this study has brought six (including myself)! And, others may still come! Mind you, I know it's not about the plain number of people attending, but I must say that these 5 other women are such wonderful Bible Study-ers!! I have to give a shout out to my Sister-in-law Mardi- Loved having you there today!!! and my friend Kara and her son Carson!!! They have joined us and it is so much fun to watch Carson and Ruthie playing together on their fluffy blanket!

If you're looking for an awesome study that will have you digging deep, try this one from Beth!!! She's the best!!

This pic is from last session- notice Ruthie has her binkie in her mouth and has Carson's binkie in her hand... You have to give it to her for knowing what she wants when she sees it!! :)


Friday, February 8, 2008

A Company Girl

Ever wonder how you will accomplish all you need to do to keep your home in tip top shape? After all, for many of us this is our full time job. Nurture our children and provide a loving, sanctuary for our family. And, unfortunately unfolded clothes, dirty dishes, and messy floors do not = SANCTUARY!!! (Or I'd be doing just fine!)

That's why I'm a Company Girl. I found this from my dear friend Alana's Blog And I was inspired. The basic just of it is that each day you accomplish the small things that take maybe 5-10 minutes and when you're done with that everyday your home is consistently a shining sanctuary where you feel accomplished and your family feels cared for. Let's face it. We get the BIG things done!!! It's the small things that we procrastinate with! So, join me in being a Company Girl. The icing on the cake: There are PRIZES!!! :)





Thursday, February 7, 2008

Rolly Polly

Ruthie is now rolling from her back to her tummy... she's been doing this for a little over a week (but I was going to wait to tell you until the monthly update... looks like I spilt the beans!) but she hadn't figured out yet that if she puts her already perfected art of rolling from her tummy to her back WITH her newly learned skill of rolling from her back to her tummy she could actually go somewhere!! UNTIL NOW!!! Hear this: nothing is safe. Ruthie is on the move!! :)


This is the spot that I left Ruthie before I turned my head to finish some work...


This is where she ended up when she figured out that rolling over + rolling over = going places!!


Is this FEBRUARY?

I'm sure it has been warm wherever you call home... but for us it has been in the 80's all week!!! That is just amazing. Ruthie has been LOVING this weather. It amazes me every time I realize that God created her unique and perfect and each time I think about that I realize something about her little personality that is blooming. For several months, I have thought that she LOVES being outside. So when this surge of warm weather came after being so cold we took advantage of it and had some fun outside. Ruthie particularly enjoys watching trees, sky, clouds, and birds and feeling the wind in her face.

On the way home one day I was trying to save gas... get the very last (well not the VERY last) drop out of my tank of gas by shutting off the air conditioning (in February!) and cracking the windows and sun roof. The wind must have whipped around the back seat right into Ruthie's carseat... and she just squealed with glee and squinted her eyes and laughed. She loved the wind!!


Monday: On a walk around our Neighborhood!





Tuesday: On a picnic near the water with Aunt Holly






Check out the short sleeves in February... :)

Monday, February 4, 2008

Super Sunday!!!

Ah, the smell of sloppy joes and wings... the eye popping amount of treats at every turn... the roar of the crowd in the background... Yes, it was SUPER-BOWL SUNDAY!!!


My husband is a graphic artist and designs for the NFL so every football Sunday is exciting around our house, but Super Bowl Sunday is defiantly the best. Let's just get this out of the way... We were rooting for the Patriots. Yes, I know they cheated, Yes, I know they weren't the underdogs, BUT Tony's yearly bonus is totally impacted by the sales revenue from the Superbowl. And who wins is VERY IMPORTANT in terms of sales... So as you can see it's all about the money... :)

But I digress, We had a few of our favorite people over to help celebrate the day with FOOD, FOLKS, and FUN!!! We cheered the game on until the last nail-biting second was played. And, sadly the Pats are now 18-1- an imperfect record. Actually if we put the $$ aside, I'm kind of tired of the whole Patriots thing... You know what I mean? Can't another team just take the lead here??? Do us all a favor??? :)

Here are a few pictures from our event- well ok, it's just another excuse to take Ruthie pictures and share them on the blog!!



Ruthie and Daddy watching the game!




Paw-Paw and Ruthie "Watching" the game. She was out by the 2nd half!!



A close up of that sweet angel face!

Sunday, February 3, 2008

Play-date with Carson!

My friend Kara and I have had the best fun getting our little ones together. We met at the mall the other day. You can see a picture at The Cain News. We taught at Trinity together before we both left the world of teaching to raise our children. Carson was born just 2 weeks before Ruthie. So, through our whole pregnancies (even the awful first few weeks!) we were able to talk and pray together! What a gift from God her friendship is!!


Friday, February 1, 2008

Cheering for Nap time!

Yes, ALL mothers cheer for nap time, if they're honest with themselves. Some may not admit it to the world, but I don't shy away from such honesty....

Ruthie usually (Praise the Lord that I can write this sentence...if you're wondering what I'm talking about check out this post) takes a 2 to 2-1/2 hour nap each afternoon (and a 1 to 1-1/2 hour nap each morning...!) but this is ONLY accomplished if she is in her bed.

Funny, I was so worried when she was a couple of months old and would NEVER nap in her bed that I was creating some headache for myself in the future... funny how with a little bit of hindsight everything is so much clearer...trust in the Lord Ladies...it will save you from a lot of worry. But, I'm off on a Rabbit trail...

Anyway, On Thursdays I teach with a homeschool group that meets at my church and it works out perfectly because I can bring Ruthie with me and usually our Pastor's wife (and close friend), Mama D, watches Ruthie in the office while she works, I mean as she tries to work. My classes are done at 2pm and I usually hightail it out of there to get Ruthie home BEFORE she falls asleep in her car seat. Which is a death blow to the whole napping thing.

Yesterday, I had an unexpected Parent conference. Don't get me wrong, I care about my students and want to communicate well with their parents, but I have a one track mind when it's regarding Ruthie's nap. Being a little delayed, it was touch and go there for a while. I though she would bite the bullet and crash in her carseat. I don't mean crash as in a car accident, I mean crash as in..well you know what I mean!

So... in order to keep her awake I came up with this little cheer... Chant it with me...

RUTHIE ROO, I LOVE YOU. RUTHIE ROO, WOO WOO WOO!!!

To my great surprise and wonderment it WORKED!!! Her little lids would close as I said her name, but then during the WOO WOO WOO part they would spring back open so she didn't miss what I was WOO-ING about!! AND, YES we did make it home, she in her little crib (with dry diapers... another important part of the napping experience!) and slept for 2 and 1/2 hours. PRAISE THE LORD!!!