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!!