help!

does anyone know how to get my "header" or title to show up on these types of blog backgrounds?

15 months

again, it's been a while since i've given a Ruby Belle update! she turned 15 months on Dec. 16th, so i'm a little late, but here you go!

15 months stats:
20lbs 6oz
29.5 inches

other updates:

*still sleeping great. goes to bed around 8 and gets up around 7. takes 1 nap daily for 1.5-2 hrs

*eats 3 meals and 2 snacks daily, plus a bottle before bed

*yes, i said bottle. We REALLY need to break her of that!

*good news...doesn't use a paci or suck her thumb and never has

*love to feed herself. usually that's the only way she'll eat (unless she's STARVING)-she's really showing her independent side

*still won't eat much protein. but she will if it's mixed with spagetti/tomato sauce (lasagna, chicken parmesean, spagetti)

*much pickier about veggies - will usually only eat canned green beans...and she'll eat LOTS of those, but rarely she'll eat some bits of other veggies

*can say "more" in baby sign language...working on others
*she has LOTS of conversations with herself, i still can't understand any of them!

*she sometimes says "thank you," "dog," "cat," "mama," and "dada"

*cries when told "no"

*cries and stomps her feet when you take a toy (one that's not supposed to be a toy...like a wire - she LOVES wires) out of her hand

*has learned to throw temper tantrums with the best of them (see earlier post)

*giggles all the time...and is especially ticklish

*has gotten much better at giving kisses, but still only does them when she wants to :)

*loves to pet and chase the cat and dog

*has had 2 "accident reports" at school...both involving fights over a toy

*loves to climb on anything she can reach

*plays well independently (but loves attention!)

*loves going down slides

*loves to clap when you say "yay!"

*has several teeth - 12, i think

*still using cloth dipers at home

*is going to be a BIG SISTER!!!

She just gets to be more fun each day!! It's so fun interacting with her and watching her grow up! i can't even put it into words! she definitely has an attitude, though! it's been challenging trying to learn how to parent and discipline. we're still trying to figure that out. and i'm sure we'll be trying to figure that one out for the next 20 years at least!

pic while we were waiting for our shots at the doc's office!

that sweet smile! this one was priceless!

like i said...loves to climb!

and more climbing

Success!

playing with Meme and Pops

the Magic of Christmas

i woke up alone this morning...Christmas morning.

first because i couldn't sleep at 4:30 (pregnancy insomnia), then at 6:30 because work called, then just on my own. As i lay there, deciding on whether to get up or not, i couldn't stop thinking about how i missed being there to see my sweet 15 month old daughter's reaction to Santa Claus. and, of course, i was sad. but i knew she was in good hands and having a great time. She and my husband went to Branson to stay with his parents, brother and sister-in-law (Brandon and Jamie), and their 2 kids (Mason and Mallory) because i'm on call and have to work.

i worked all day yesterday and will be working from noon until 6:30 or so tonight. sad about this because i missed my favorite church service of every year...the candlelight Christmas Eve service. But, all of that is ok with me because i DO love work (well, it's kind of a love/hate relationship), and i do love my staff. so, spending Christmas with them isn't so bad. it's quiet, easy and someone's got to spend Christmas serving those who are in the hospital on Christmas! I've tried to remind them over the last several days, that although they may not want to be at work during the holidays when everyone else seems to be off, neither do the patients. and that's who we're here to serve and the least we can do is smile and make their day a little brighter. not sure how much that worked, but most of them seem to be in good spirits.

again, i'm sad...because it's the last Christmas i'll be spending with them. yep, the move is SO upon us. T-6 days and counting. you think i need to be packing? um, yep, but instead i'm sitting her reminiscing, listening to Christmas music, and blogging! (and just finished the huge pancake i cooked for myself!)

as i was also laying in bed, thinking about the reason for the season and thanking God for his Son, i opened my eyes and saw white! ... just a little bit of white, but enough to call it snow flurries, and have a dusting on the ground! a nice, and seemingly magicaly, treat for my last (lonely) Christmas in NW Arkansas.

I hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday season! Merry Christmas!!

(Ruby Belle is!! enjoying an Oreo at her daycare Christmas party!)

the countdown is on...

so, we're all set.

It's been a while since i've posted about our upcoming move...well, really i only posted the initial celebratory post. so, update:

1. official move date - Dec 31st

2. we have not sold our house here yet, so we'll be living with my brother and sister-in-law, Ty and Stephanie (we can't thank them enough for allowing us to be live-in roommates in their "MIL above garage studio apartment"...i mean, really, they JUST got married and even agreed to this!)

3. we are praying we sell our house within the next 2 months so we won't over stay our welcome and so we don't have to get into a lease/rental contract at another place.

4. justin and i both have jobs...and we start Jan 3rd! (poor planning on our part...why move on a Friday and plan to work on Monday?!? i don't plan on up and moving my whole life again, but i would definitely do a few things differently!)

5. Justin will be working at a local law firm and is set to take the LA bar in Feb.

6. I will be working with a contract foodservice company (different from the one i work for now, sadly), and will be working with nursing homes. (currently i work as the Director of Foodservice in a hospital) The plan is to work in a nursing home until we aquire a few more in the area and then i will be the manager over the foodservice in a couple nursing homes within driving distance.

7. Ruby Belle is all set for new daycare...not our top pick, but this is the story. i called 34, yes 34, day cares/Mother's Day Outs before finding one that could take her in January!!! I've been on the list at 3 day cares since September, but started calling again at Thanksgiving b/c the waiting lists were still...waiting. 34!!! (apparently i need to go ahead and get her on a list for preschool somewhere!) Anyway, we're staying on the waiting lists at the top 3 picks and will move to one of those in the Spring/Summer when supposedly they will have an opening!

8. Maggie (my dog) is set to move with us.

9. Keek (justin's cat) is hoping to be adopted! we hate to do it, but i'm allergic to Justin's cat, and we've decided that this was a good time to part ways. (man, that sounds so heartless!) I think we found a home, but nothing is set in stone.

ok, i think that covers it.

in the meantime, there will be lots of tears. well, there already has been...and there will be more. it's really exciting to move closer to family...and what i've wanted for a while, but it's also really hard to leave a life you've built in a place you've lived for the last 13 yrs! (wow...i'm getting old!) really hard.
tear...

our first public temper tantrum

it was a doozie!! really, she's not quite 15 months old and i'm experiencing things like this already! someone should have warned me! (ok, they did, but i don't care and it's all worth it!)

this is the story...
i picked up Ruby Belle after day care on Wednesday. she was fine, but i was a little fussy. i'd been sick for 3 days with what the doc seemed to think was strep throat and so, we stopped at Walgreens to get another perscription filled. of course, it was prime time to stop at Walgreens, so we just had a little wait (15-20 min) for the Rx. Ruby Belle had fun for the first 10. she would go stand in front of an aisle and just look and giggle. it was SO cute!! then she started picking stuff up, putting it on the floor, stacking it, putting it back, just to do that all over again, you get the picture. so i picked her up and that was it. she was MAD. I headed to the baby snack aisle and thought i could appease her with some of the wonderfully over-priced Gerber cheez-its. that worked...for about 3. so we headed to the pharmacy as she was crying, arched back and all in my arms. we quickly got our Rx, all the while she was still crying and wiggling in my arms or stomping her feet and crying on the floor. and then all the way outside. as soon as we hit the door, i put her down, hoping she would be happy she could walk. NOPE. she started with the foot stomping, the the body shiver, the silence-with-the-ugly-cry-face look, arms shaking, and then laid on the ground. the hard, cold, dirty ground right outside the Walgreens entrance.

i was dumbfounded! i had NO idea that kids did this at such a young age. and, of course, i thought that this would never happen to me! so, i just stared. then realized that wasn't doing any good, so i picked her up and carried her, arched back and crying, to the car. put her down by the car, and she wouldn't even put her feet down, so she again, laid on the ground. crying. people staring. some laughing, some just staring. it took all my might to get her in the carseat (i think the "arched back" is the strongest muscle in the body).

fun stuff. can't wait for more! looks like we're in for a fun ride!

i hope they got what they wanted!

was having a GREAT day today... found my work keys that had been missing for 2 weeks in the couch cushion! of course! where else would they be! and why didn't i look there sooner?! well, you would have thought i'd won the lottery by my reaction. Ruby Belle was even dancing. so, i was on a high and decided to hit the gym. got a good work out in...went to my car and what do you know! 2pm on a Sunday, and my passenger side window was broken out and my purse...GONE! UGH! it had my KEYS IN IT!!! and my wallet, of course. i cursed.

really?! why?! and how!? broad daylight, nice side of town (i mean, really...NWA only has SO many "not so nice sides"). yes, i left my purse on the seat, in plain sight. DUMB. i know. but we're not in Shreveport yet!

needless to say, it quickly ruined my day. i drove around and looked in hopes of finding a purse tossed to the side of the road (last time someone stole my purse, they threw my make up in the parking lot), but no luck. so, all credit cards have been cancelled, and my keys are for sure lost this time.

2 things to note though:
1. it could have been worse (i could have been hurt, my baby could have been hurt, we could have had a wreck...you get the picture)
2. there was no cash! ha! too bad for you, robbers! Merry Christmas to you, too!

a few new pics

a friend of mine let me borrow her Pentax K100 camera for a week to try out the "real" cameras, as i call them. you know, not the point and click, silver, little digital things. the big, black, professional looking ones that have always scared me because they look complicated. Well, i've been thinking of getting one and even taking photography classes because i feel like i am going to want LOTS more professional pics of Ruby Belle and am going to go broke (or get divorced b/c my husband hates to spend the $$) trying to get them! so, here they are, some taken by me and some by my mother in law...and all we did was point and click.

Domestic Goddess in the making...watch out!

yep, that's me!

ok, really?! NO WAY! I don't know how stay-at-home moms do it!?! I am whooped today!

here's what i did:

6am - wake up and let the dogs out (we're babysitting a dog for my mom. a YorkiePoo who's super cute, but wakes up screaming at 6am - and that's on a good day - ready to go out!)

6:10 - back to bed (while listening to the YorkiePoo wimper in her crate)

7am - wake up to crying baby (normal wake up time is anywhere from 7-8am) and am up for good.

7:15 - begin to make coffee, but then try to feed fussy baby...this is a failure, milk it is.

7:45 - cook breakfast!! YES i did, folks!! Bisquick pancakes. Not what a real domestic goddess (aka super stay-at-home mom) would do, but it's the first breakfast i actually had to turn something besides the microwave on for in years!!! maybe EVER!

8:30 - clean up breakfast

9:00 - play with baby and try to watch a little boob tube while waiting for it to get a little warmer outside

10:15 - baby grouchy and hungry (b/c she didn't eat any breakfast) so the only thing that appeases her is cheerios...Cheerios it is!

10:45 - baby down for a nap. I do a little more cleaning/laundry

11:30 - head out for a 6 mile run!!

12:30 - back from run, but baby still sleeping!! it's a miracle!

12:45 - baby up from nap, time for lunch!! she refuses everything except for the carrots i'm cooking for me, and only will stay in the high chair for 2 minutes at a time before screaming. (this is NOT her favorite place, but today is unsually strange...but it's part of being a mom, right?! :) and again decides she'll eat pretzels as long as i feed them to her NOT in the high chair. i MUST NOT GIVE in!! that's what i'm thinking as i'm trying to be super mom and teach my baby to behave and act like a sweet, responsible, polite little girl. surely she'll have to be starving at some point and eat, right?!

1:30 - give up on lunch and clean up.

2:30 - head out to work (i'm on call and have to run an errand for them)

3:45 - return home and start to cook dinner.

4:30 - dinner is in the oven! Begin washing dishese and cleaning up

5:15 - Dinner is served! and best of all, my husband and baby BOTH like it!!

here's the proof...i really did cook this. got the recipe from a Kraft Food & Family magazine. i've been getting these for years, but rarely use them! anyway, recipe is Undone Stuffed Pepper Casserole. and really, it was easy and pretty good!

`

5:30 - clean up dinner

5:45 - sit on couch and wonder if i HAVE to give baby a bath?! ;) write this post instead while i relish in my 2 meals, fairly clean house, and clean laundry! YES, i think....just for a moment...

I'm a DOMESTIC GODDESS!!

6:00 - finish post b/c baby wants to type and it's getting harder for me to fight her off...back to reality. time for baby's bath!!!

I shed a tear...

AT WORK! IN FRONT OF MY STAFF!!!

yep, i did. i annouced today that i was leaving. moving to Shreveport. and it (well, i) was sad. (YES, I'M STILL HAPPY I'M MOVING!!!) BUT, really, it was hard. i love that place. and i love to hate that place. it's what's been keeping me here...it's one of the hardest things to leave. really, it's hard to leave my friends....and hardest to leave my best friend, Holli. but it's secondly hard to leave my job. i have worked at the same hospital for 8 years. i've kind of "grown up" there. i have "moms" who check in on me, "dads who pester me," and "kids who give me hell, but make me proud." i've come a long way professionally since they all met me, but because of them, i'm where i am. because of them i am who i am. and because of them, i love that place!

boy am i gonna be sad (and full of tears) when i leave!

Ty and Steph's wedding - belated post!

i am SO late in posting this...well, over a month late. but it's been a busy month between trying to get ready to move, work, baby showers for friends, etc...you know how it goes!!

so, my brother got married Sept 11th, 2010. finally, right?! :) (don't tell him i said that!) the wedding was beautiful! and FUN!!! and HOTTT!!! :) just like any good southern wedding!! it was a hot party!! I have to give all the credit to his beautiful wife, Stephanie! she did a bang up job! not a detail was missed!!!

i was a bridesmaid (such an honor!) and had a great time hanging with the girls!! we had a beautiful luncheon at a bed and breakfast that was really nice and very fun. i knew a couple of the girls, but others not so much. this was a very fun first meeting of the bridesmaids to start the celebration!

After the luncheon, we had the rehearsal dinner. it was out at Hill Country THAT was fun! really, it was very nice. it was so fun to hear literally, EVERYONE in the room stand up and say something nice about Ty & Stephanie! i can't even say how emotionally amazing and touching it was to listen to these folks! if anyone doubted they weren't meant to be, they definitely didn't after that! and if you were a fly on the wall, you'd want to be Ty & Steph's best friend after all the nice things folks had to say!! i teared up too many times to count!!

the it was WEDDING DAY!!! i hung out with the girls all day...and at this point we were all friends! we got our hair and makeup done and just relaxed, ate, and had a cocktail or 2! Wedding pics started at a balmy 3pm and then the wedding was at 6pm. i don't have many shots at this point, but here's one i stole from Stephanie. Hopefull i'll have more soon to post because this one doesn't do justice to the venue, Hill Country Village, the bride or the event!!

like i said, it was HOT (so hot that we, the bridesmaids, took scissors to our dresses about 1/2 way through the reception and cut our dresses above our knees!! i think we all got our 2nd wind then!!), but FUN and BEAUTITFUL!! the heat can never keep southern partygoers down!

the reception was fun...outdoor and in, there were tons of people that i had fun seeing (people i haven't seen in years since i live in AR), and lots of great music and food!

I think everyone had a blast and it will be a wedding to remember!!!

Glowing!

no, i'm not pregnant! :)

but i think i may be addicted to the "Glo."

Orange Glo.

I LOVE that stuff. i have used it every weekend for the last 3, and now i'm out! i went 2 places today trying to find more, but then decided my addiction needed a break.

Why am I addicted? well, the scent is intoxicating, of course!

BUT, actually, i've only become so addicted because we put our house on the market!

SO WE CAN MOVE TO SHREVEPORT!!

can you tell i'm excited?!

Neon skies are in our somewhat near future!!

More to come on the move soon!! :)

12 month pics!

hoping to have some professional ones made soon, but until then, here are the 12 month pictures!!!

Second 1st Birthday Party!!!

Another birthday party!!! We went down to Shreveport for my brother's wedding. Ruby Belle and I went down the Sunday before the wedding, then Justin came Thursday night. We had a birthday party with Mimi, Pop, Uncle Ty and Aunt Stephanie.

First we opened presents

Mommy and Ruby Belle

She shoveled it in!!

Hangin' w/Aunt Stephanie...claiming to be 1!!

Happy 1st Birthday, Ruby Belle!!!

Happy 1st Birthday, Ruby Belle!!!

one year ago today at 3:05pm we were blessed with a beautiful little bundle of joy!!

I cannot believe it's been a year already!!

i think about this day one year ago ALL the time! it helps that i work at the hospital i delivered at! everyday when i'm driving in, i can't help but think about Sept 16th, 2009...(except i don't go to work at 3am!) and reminisce about the feelings Justin and I both had that day! it's all so unbelievable! and unbelievable how fast they grow up! i never believed they grew up so fast until i hit 3, 6, 9, and 12month marks. those are such milestones where they become more like little adults and more self sufficent! she's now a walking, babbling, giggling bundle of joy! I know she still needs me for A LOT and always will, but it seems like just yesterday that i was swaddling and carrying her around all the time hoping she would smile.

Now she smiles all the time!!

12 month stats:

19lbs 4.5oz (25th percentile)

29inches (50th percentile)

• Walking!!! yes! she took her first steps on Aug 28th! and she's unstoppable! she gets around great and even tries to run...but falls pretty quickly
• giggles a lot
• plays well independently
• claps when you say "yay!!"
• can give high 5's
• said her 1st word the same day she took her 1st steps! we're calling it her first word at least! it was "uh-oh" and she said it with conviction and purpose! now she says it all the time.
• love to pet Maggie and Keek (Keek is a little more patient with her than Maggie. Maggie runs)
• points to animals and objects and says "tat"...i thought it was "cat" at first b/c she would do it to the cat, but she now does it for a lot of things! maybe "that?!" :)
• says "ma ma ma..." and "da da da..." often, but she doesn't know what she's saying still i don't think...maybe she does, but she doesn't always say it like she means it :) one day...
• started becoming apprehensive about strangers or people she's not around much lately. it's kinda cute b/c she'll bury her head in my shoulder, but SO opposite of how she is at home!
• feeds herself mostly, but
• getting to be pretty picky about foods
• SOMETIMES eats small pieces of cooked veggies (broccoli, peas, corn, green beans,
• but sometimes will eat the pureed ones better
• RARELY eats meat (they even told me at day care she picks the cheese off the cheeseburger and only eats the cheese)
• sometimes eats cheese...it comes and goes
• transitioned to whole cow's milk...a few days were rough, but now she drinks it w/o a problem!
• would NOT drink formula, so i switched to cow's milk about 2 weeks shy of her 1st birthday (i stopped pumping on Labor day!!! i feel so free!! and SO weird not having to carry that thing everywhere and do it morning noon and night!)
• wearing #4 diapers (could wear #3s, but daddy likes #4s)
• still cloth diapering at home
• wearing 12 month clothes and can still wear some 9 months.
• getting more hair!! i love it! it's light brown/blonde with a red tint sometimes in certain light
• eyes are mostly hazel, but still have some blue in them
• seems to me to have short legs and a longer torso
• continues to be the light of our life!!!

our first 1st birthday party

CAN you believe it?! Ruby Belle is almost 1!!!!

this weekend Justin's parents came in town to visit so we had an early birthday celebration because they won't be back before her birthday on Sept 16th!! here are a few pictures!

big bite with ice cream!!! SO cold!!

Feeding daddy!

Family fun!

All done!!!

it was fun to watch her stuff it all in!! she's got a sweet tooth like her mommy, that's for sure!!! however, daddy gave her another birthday present right after this!! he took her straight to the tub and she pooped in the tub for the 1st time!!

She also got a new toy for her first birthday!! Thanks to our dear friends, Kim and Jay for giving us such a good deal, and Grandma and Papa for the present!!! She loves it!

Happy early 1st birthday, Ruby Belle!!!

we'll be celebrating again this Wednesday at my parents house - i'll be down there for Ty's wedding, so we'll be having 1st birthday party #2!!

the last few weeks in pictures

i just can't get enough of this picture taking. i got a new iPhone (it's just the 3G), but it's so handy and easy to snap quick pictures. i'd really love a new camera, but for now it's just the phone. so, anyway, she's so much fun to watch these days that i can't get enough photos. here's a few to share.

(most are water pictures...she LOVES the water!!!)

Bathtime fun

Pool fun!

our first trip to the local pool here in Bella Vista. there was a kiddie pool so we thought we'd try it out...she had more fun staring at the other kids, though, so it got boring for Justin and I real fast!!

much thanks to the sweet mommy who let us borrow this toy!!!

Reading her book!

and she's off!!!

Ruby Belle started walking!!! SOOO exciting and such a fun milestone!! she figured it out last saturday (Aug 28th - 11.5 months old). we were just playing in her room and she found the sit up/yoga ball (it's in her room b/c i hardly ever use it!! ha!) she was walking with it and pushing it and it got away from her...so she chased after it, hands free!!! she made it 2 steps and then 3 more. and now a week later, she can walk ALL over the house!!! it's SOO fun to see her walking! she's SO proud of herself! and, of course, we're the proudest parents ever! now we'll be childproofing a little more!

here's a video!!!

11 months

Once again...I can't believe it!! another month has flown by and Ruby Belle is 11 months old!!! She's such a good baby, and getting so big and fun! I just pinch myself everyday!!

Here's what she's been up to:

• still trying to "walk" - walks well with push toys...practically running through the house! (yes, i mean it!)
• stands on her own pretty often
• moves SO fast!!
• starting to open drawers and cabinets (thank goodness for safety latches!)
• LOVES her baths - could stay there all day!
• LOVES playing in the kiddie pool in our yard
• just learned how to clap sometimes on command
• loves to wave...sometimes at the appropriate time :)
• will give kisses...when she feels like it!
• enjoys going on walk/runs w/Mommy
• has 4 teeth now!! 2 bottom almost all the way in and 2 top ones - 1 half way and the other barely there
• still wearing #3 and #4 diapers, BUT still doing cloth diapers at home
• wearing 9-12 month clothes
• naps 2 times a day for a total of 2-3 hours
• eats last bottle at 7:30 and then goes down to bed
• gets up around 7am
• eating more of a variety of foods, some still pureed - not pureed: broccoli, beans (black and baked), watermelon, canteloupe, grapes, blueberries, carrots, noodles, hard boiled egg, green beans, yogurt, Cheerios, and various Gerber baby foods (these are so expensive we don't buy them often)
• drinks about 22-28oz/day
• i'm still pumping...just went down to 3 times a week last week and will soon taper that to 2 times a day in the next few days - plan to be done by the time I leave for Shreveport to go to Ty's wedding
  

(the only way i could keep her confined to take the pics this month!)

Adult Vacation

Justin and I recently (last week in July) went on an "adult" vacation...yes, we left our sweet girl behind! I thought it may be on of the hardest things for me to do...and it was. Handing her off to my parents was the hardest part (they LOVED baby sitting for a week!!!), even though I knew she would be in good hands...and probably wouldn't miss me a bit! Thank goodness we were headed to sunny and beautiful San Diego with some friends! We stayed in a great condo right on the beach and it was SO nice!!

(The view from our room)

we hung out, layed on the beach, shopped, ate, drank, and enjoyed the scenery. Justin and I even went to the "famous" San Diego zoo also, one day!

Overall we had a great time!! Though I didn't miss changing diapers or washing bottles, we were so ready to get back to Ruby Belle!! (as you can see, she had a great time with Mimi and Pops!!)

she is SO talented ALREADY!!

She rides,

She swims,

And she plays the piano!!!

I think she's going to be well-rounded :)...not that I'm partial or anything!!