Ruby D at Twenty Four Months

at twenty four months you:

-will no longer be breastfeeding. i assumed that you would drop your last feeding a long time ago, but there are no signs of this happening. you don't use your feeding to go to sleep and typically only eat for 5-10 minutes so i have decided that we are quitting on your second birthday. i am sad about this, but i am hoping it helps with your bedtime schedule and your independence. (you fussed for the first few days for about five minutes and no longer mention it as of 8/7)
-take one nap a day with Mommy and Sister from 1sh to 3ish.
-go to sleep anywhere from 9 to 11. you start to go to sleep and wake yourself up by kicking. i plan on starting to train you to get yourself to sleep sometime soon. (Auntie Ann started laying you down on her couch by yourself on 8/3. I hold you for a half an hour, and if you fall asleep in that time I take you to bed- this has happened once. After half an hour I take you to the crib and lay you down. You usually refuse to lay and sit up or lay on your belly with your head up until you get too tired. I do stay in the room to keep you from crawling out, but I try to ignore you for the most part. The first night you woke up two times in two hours. The second night you didn't wake up at all and were asleep in a half hour after you went to your crib. I bring you to bed with me right when Daddy's alarm goes off. 8/7)
-wear size 18 month pants. can wear size 18 month or 24 month shirts. you can wear a size 4 or size 5 in shoes (you only want to wear your purple jellies).
-love the color blue.
-are still a very good eater. you also are good with a spoon and fork and are much less messy than your Sister was/is. your favorite foods are: sherbet, noodles, suckers, strawberries, eggs (especially deviled), and pineapples.
-love your stuffed Toodie, Baby GoGo, and a grey kitten you took from Auntie Ann's house.
-LOVE shower time with Auntie Ann. you tell me that she makes you, "soapy, soapy" and that is "so much fun."
-are doing an okay job potty training. You can be dry the entire day and then be wet quite a few times the very next day. You also have to be taken very often (at least every hour and a half, sometimes every hour if you have been drinking a lot. you are almost always dry after nap time which is confusing. after bedtime is tackled i may work on underwear with you; I am not sure yet.)
-love DocMcStuffins, Poppy Cat, and Yo Gabba Gabba
-are still a Mommy's girl. you like certain people for certain things (shower with Ann, swinging with Uncle Nick) but want to be with me at all times.
-are so smart. your vocabulary is amazing, and you speak in complete sentences almost all of the time. you use "i" and most of your pronouns/tenses correctly. you do ask, "where (insert object) is?" instead of "where is it?"
-are our: Ruby D, Ruby D D, Ruby Dooby, Rue, Ruey, Sister, baby

Oh Ruby D D, how can you be two? These past two years have flown by. You make my life sillier, happier, louder, better every single day. I love you in the morning, I love you in the afternoon, I love in the evening, and in the afternoon. My baby you'll always be.

Ruby D at Twenty Three Months

At twenty three months you:

-love to swing and run through the sprinkler. you also try to drink from the sprinkler when we turn it off.
-look for bees in the grass even though you tell me, "bees hurt me." (you have never been stung)
-your favorite tv show is Doc McStuffins, and you get so so excited when it comes on.
-are a very good drawer. you can fill a whole page with circles and squiggles. you also love to color and paint.
-wear size eighteen months and a size four or five shoe. you get very upset if i take your shirt or pants off-you hate to be naked. you also hate to change out of your Minnie and Figaro pjs into your clothes.
-get into anything and everything. you pull your high chair over to crawl on the counter, you say "pull up" and use the handles on the tv stand to brace yourself. you empty gracie's book case, and you climb into the sink at Auntie Ann's house.
-i have started to potty train you. you taught yourself to go to the potty for poop a long time ago, but never have gone for pee. you are doing pretty well-of course some days are better than others. i take you every hour or two. you do usually wake up from nap dry. so far no telling me when you have to go, but i don't expect that to come for awhile.
-favorite foods: popcorn, suckers, strawberries, sherbert, and corn on the cob.
-speak in sentences (anywhere from 2 words to 8) all of the time. you have no problems making yourself understood.
-love when Uncle Nick swings you. You laugh and laugh. You also love showering with Auntie Ann, playing the bubble game with Mimi, and eating Papa's sherbert.
-yell at Cuddily and Sissy to "stop hissing." You love to pet Cuddily and watch birds with her.
-crawl up into your high chair whenever you think it is time to eat.
-whenever you like something we do you tell us, "do it again" over and over.
-still hate to go to sleep at night. there are a few nights you are asleep by nine (this is only if Daddy isn't home) but for the most part you are asleep between 10 and 11. sigh. you still take a nap every afternoon for around two hours (you would take longer but I usually wake you and Grace after that).
-are still very much a Mama's girl.
-take one half of a Synthroid pill each day at lunchtime. your next appointment at Riley is in July. after two metabolic scans w/ your levels slightly off for liver/bone functions you had to go in and get more blood work for tests on those specific areas. these tests came back completely fine. your doctor still wants you to get one more metabolic panel. sigh. your thyroid level has been steady for months-you get tested every three months for that (one time they were able to use your arm-every other time they have had to use your forehead and sometimes even that is tough to get).
-make us laugh each and every day. you are an imp (and you know it). that dimple of yours just kills me.
-want to do everything that "Sister" does.
-you are such a sympathetic little girl. if other babies are crying you start to pout. you also will tell me, "baby crying Mommy." when i was upset the other day you came up to hug me and told me, "I'm sorry Mommy, it was accident, didn't mean to." Oh my heart! You love for people to be happy.

Oh Ruby D D how can you be almost two? Mommy just can't believe it. I love you times twenty bi trillion. You are my sweetheart, my imp, my naughty girl, my genius baby, my silly girl. I don't know what we do without you.

Ruby D at Twenty Two Months

at twenty two months you:
-only want me to push the cart and get very mad at Daddy or Auntie Ann when they are pushing it ("Mommy push cart.")
-also get mad when Daddy is holding my hand or Gracie is trying to cuddle with me in the morning. You are a very possessive little girl.
-love to go down the slide, be pushed in the baby swing by our neighbors (you like to be pushed by Uncle Nick in the big girl swing at Mimis), and run through the sprinkler.
-sing along to songs, answer questions on television shows, finish phrases, and ask questions all the time
-say "i did it," whenever you are proud of something you've done. You also like to day "tada" and raise your arms.
-your hair is getting so long. everywhere we go people comment on how beautiful your white blond hair is.
-only want to wear your "PURPLE. Purple jellies!"
-when you get a boo boo you ask me to kiss it and then say, "better now."
-when you cry and get upset i tell you it's okay and you stop crying to say, "okay" in the most pitiful voice.
-love your Mommy,Mimi, Uncle Nick, "sister," Sissy, Jack (the chihuahua) next door, Papa, and Daddy.
-ask for gummy worms every time we go to Menards. You also love Bottle Caps, suckers, and Ms.
-would eat a hard boiled egg for lunch everyday. You also love deviled eggs, sweet pickles, any type of dip, sherbet, and raspberries (which you eat after sticking them on your fingers).
-Speak in short two to three word sentences most of the time. My favorite (and longest) sentence of yours is when you accidentally hurt me: "I'm sorry Mommy, I didn't mean to, (it was an) accident."
-can count to fourteen. You can also recognize the colors pink, blue, yellow, and sometimes purple.
-are a naughty little minx, but we sure love you. You know when you are being naughty and think it's hysterical. You smile so your little dimple just shows and laugh at me. Oh Ruby D D, what are we going to do with you?

-Nicknames: Ruby D, Ruby D D, Ruby Dooby, Sister

Ruby D at Twenty One Months

At twenty one months you:
-have started to learn your colors. you are pretty good at yellow, pink, and sometimes blue. we are working on green, red, and orange.
-can count from 1-11 when you want to.
-if Sister is playing with something you want you tell her, "My turn."
-take one nap a day for 2-3 hours (usually around 1). you sometimes take a pacy, sometimes not.
-go to sleep anywhere from 9 (on a good night) to 10:30. i never really know how well you will sleep for the night. you don't wake up as often now that i don't let you breastfeed during the night, but you are a very bad sleeper if you have a cold, are too hot/cold, aren't in the mood, etc.
-breastfeed after story time each night (you actually would rather skip story time-you start screaming "booby" as soon as you get out of the bath).
-are still a very good eater. recent favorites: cheese, soup, salsa, jelly beans, and yogurt. you are also very good at using a spoon.
-love to try to help me clean. you use a towel to wipe the floor/walls, help pick up toys at night, and point out messes.
-are such a sweetheart. you tell me all the time, "i love you (too)." when i say "oh ruby" you respond "oh mommy." you love hugs and kisses and "cuddles."
-are a big fan of Doc McStuffins,"Janamals" (Pajamanimals), and Yo Gabba Gabba.
-love to color.
-love to go outside and swing in the big girl swing, go down the slide, and take walks. you refuse to hold my hand most of the time. you also love seeing doggies.
-occasionally go to the bathroom for pee. mommy plans on starting to train you in the next month or two.
-wear size 18 month clothes and size 4 or 5 shoes. you can't keep flip flops on at all.
-can do a forward flip all by yourself! you also try to jump and can climb anything.
-have started to point at Gracie when we are at stores and tell people, "Ruby's sister."
-when i ask you what you want to eat, "Pizza Hut."
-love to watch birdies out the window.
-call McDonald's "Donalds" and say that the Ronald McDonald statue is your "husband." If you wake up and Daddy is home you tell him, "Donalds."
-are such a good girl.

Ruby D at Twenty Months

at twenty months you:
-can say anything and everything. you are definitely a talker. you finish phrases, name objects/people, talk/sing with the tv, and jabber to your stuffed animals.
-are a night owl. you go to nap every day with no problems whatsoever for around 2 hours, but come bedtime you refuse to sleep. you can be rubbing your eyes tired or have been outside for hours and as soon as you start to go to sleep you literally jerk yourself awake and start kicking your legs. if you are asleep by 10 i consider that good.
-wear size 18 month (you still fit all your 12 month stuff, but the shirts are starting to get small) and size 4 or 5 shoes
-when i ask you what you want to eat you say, "pizza hut." you call oreos "ohs." you love suckers, cucumbers, cheese, yogurt, and ice cream.
-you have a lisp.
-are such a cuddle bug. you love to hug and kiss and will pat my back or hold my face. such a sweetheart.
-smile and say hi to everyone we meet then say "mommy" and grab me.
-love doggies and kitties and are so gentle as you pet them.
- have a new tooth (bottom left) and finally got your fourth tooth on the bottom  middle. you are a very slow teether.
-take 1/2 a synthroid each day and chew it right up. you call it "yummy medicine."
-adore "sister!" you want to do everything she does.
-love to color, look at books, slide, swing, play with your baby, dance, and watch yo gabba gabba.
-only will take a pacy at naptime willingly. you take when for bed, buy not willingly. you would rather continue to breastfeed. you are down  to pretty much one feeding before bed and sometimes once at night (one side). you do get really mad depending on the night, but usually i can calm you with patting.
-hate sleeping with covers on your feet.
-call yourself ruby dee dee or baby dee dee (that one is all gracie)

new favorite

 

Ruby D at Nineteen Months

at nineteen months you:
-weigh 20 pound 14.6 ounces (5%) and are 30 1/2 inches tall (25%). all of your tests from riley came back normal, so you are just turning out to be a tiny little girl. i am supposed to push as much fat, butter, etc. as possible when feeding you.
-are still a mama's girl through and through. you don't care as often when i leave you now, but you are very aware that i am gone and want to know where i am. this doesn't extend to nighttime where you still freak if you wake up and i'm not there or if your daddy tries to hold you while you are going to sleep. you will be with daddy when he comes home late if he has food.
-do not like to go to sleep at night. it doesn't seem to matter how short or long a nap you've had or if you've been acting tired and cranky-you fight sleep almost every night. lately you are asleep around ten. sigh. you still wake up around two times a night-i am trying to break you of the habit of breastfeeding to go back to sleep. you refuse to take your pacy and although you will go back to sleep after i pat your back and comfort you, it is never a really deep sleep.
-still have a huge vocabulary and understand everything we say and ask you to do. you are such a smart little girl.
-love animals, especially sissy and looking at birds out the window.
-fight with sister over the gabbas, markers, and milk cups. you love her to pieces though (it is so cute how you call each other "sister") and ask where she is first thing in the morning if she isn't in bed with us. you also like to kiss and hug her all the time.
-are a very good eater for the most part. you love: eggs, cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt, pasta, strawberries, and any type of dessert.
-love to play with your minnies, your block train, markers (when gracie leaves them out-i have to get them from you as soon i see them or you/the walls are a mess), babies, and the tea seat.
-get mad when i put diapers on you after you go the restroom. you want to wear "underwear," but you are not ready for that yet. i plan on training you (for pee-you trained yourself for poop) when it starts to get warmer outside.
-love to go outside and swing and swing. you also love to go to mimi and papa's house, wal-mart, and pizza hut.
-really really hate when i put a band-aid on you, wearing socks/shoes in the car, when your tv shows go to commercial, only getting half a cookie (you will not it period unless you get a whole one).

Ruby D at Eighteen months

At eighteen months you:

-are such a cuddle bug. you ask for "hug" and "kiss" numerous times a day from me, your sister, and your daddy. you lean right in and wrap your arms around our necks. so precious. you also kiss sissy, your minnie mouses, and pictures of babies/animals in books.
-can help count from 1-10 if you are in the right mood. you know 3, 5, 7, 8 and 10 and sometimes pipe in with 6. you also think you can read and point at books saying "t-h-e, the" (just like sister). you also randomly say letters when looking at books. if we ask you what color something is you say orange every time.
-at your checkup at riley (every six months) you weighed 21 pounds. although you are completely proportional and clearly very healthy your doctors were still worried about you and ordered a lot of tests. you had an x-ray of your left hand to find out your bone age and a full blood panel taken. the only exciting part about any of this is that they were actually able to get blood from a vein in your arm instead of your forehead this time. yeah! they put numbing cream on before hand, and you didn't cry at all. my big girl!
-can say pretty much anything and are extremely verbal. you also are extremely opinionated. we hear NO a lot from you. other common words/phrases: hug, no way, i need up, please, here you go (which you say as one word-so cute), sister, minnie, oh (you say this when you think something is cute, when you are hugging gracie, etc.-it is completely adorable), wow-which you say with a pursed open mouth.
-are very good at using a spoon. you are doing a little better at drinking more milk throughout the day. you are still a very good eater. some of your favorites: cheese, noodles, yogurt, strawberries, hot dogs, and ice cream.
-when you see something you like at the store you say: "cute. i want." oh my ruby d!
-love playing with your minnies, books, blocks, and babies.
-start running to the bathroom at full speed when i say bath.
-still take off your socks every day. you are getting better at taking off your pants/diapers. you are barely in your car seat before you start throwing your shoes and socks off. this drives me crazy by the way.
-are still very shy with other people but will smile and flirt from afar.
-tell me you love me, mimi, mimi's house, papa, gracie, daddy, uncle nick, and taking a shower with auntie ann.
-love music. you start shaking your whole body when a song come on that you like.
-have such fair skin that you bruise so easily. you always have some kind of mark on your forehead. sigh.
-are getting such long/thick hair. everywhere we go people comment on how blond you are and how cute your sticky out pig tails are. you won't keep a barrette in at home so your bangs are always hanging in your eyes.
-you and gracie do not share the same favorite tv shows (you play during hers and look up every once in awhile). you are more a fan of sesame street and cat in the hat where as gracie loves sid the science kid and the octounauts.
-are a very good helper and will take things to the trash for me (especially your diaper) and help pick up your toys at night. you are horrible at trashing the bookcase every day though.
-still tell me/take yourself to the bathroom for every poop you have and usually will pee in the potty too. i am considering starting to pee train you but will probably wait until late spring/summer.
-still breastfeed right before bed (you start flipping out for "boob" as soon as we leave gracie's room after prayers) and occasionally during the night. you are such a stubborn determined girl i haven't quite figured out how/when i will start the final weaning process with you. during the night will probably happen once we get you out of our bed and into either the crib or a toddler bed. hopefully you will start sleeping through the night at that point too (ha ha).

oh ruby d d you are just a riot. you make me laugh even when you are frustrating me. you have such a strong personality and are so sure of yourself. we all love you so so much and can't get enough of your hugs and kisses. even when you are screaming no at me i can't wait to hear your cute little voice or hear your big belly

 laugh. i love you my ruby girl.

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Friday Faves

• pinterest.com (my username is sharingiscaring).
• birds eating from our window feeder.  i love our little window feeder in the living room. it took a long time for the birds to warm up to it, but now they use it all the time. the girls get so excited watching them. i have a bird feeder in the yard also, and i plan on getting a bird bath this summer.
• harry potter specials on the biography channel (i am rereading the harry potter series for the umpteenth time. i am currently on three.)
• ruby d's sticky out white blond pigtails. 
• gracie going through all of her books looking for words she knows (usually she can find the, and, and she).
• teacher susie on sid the science kid.
• peonies, tulips, and pink or white roses (i do not like red roses).
• my new shoe cabinet from ikea. the drawers fold out and have double rows for shoes. (LOVE!!):
  
• the pottery barn kids catalog, because let's be serious, i can't actually afford anything from them, but i love to look.
• rainy nights in january.
• recent favorites from etsy.com:

Itsy Bitsy

The weather this winter is crazy. Very little snow, very few freezing cold days, and so many mild, rainy days. It feels like it should be spring soon instead of the middle of January. Spring clothing in all of the stores doesn't help. You know what kills me every single year? Little girl swimsuits. There is literally nothing cuter than baby bikinis. I seriously have a problem. Ruby D has I don't know how many hand me downs so I am trying not to look for her (although I know she will end up with at least one suit). Gracie has grown out of almost all of hers so yeah! No, we don't have a pool. No, we don't belong to a gym with a pool. We do go outside to run through the sprinkle every few days during the summer though, and I take them swimming whenever we stay at a hotel. We also will have a pool at our hotel when we go to Disney in October. Unfortunately my very favorite suit will not be coming home with me, because I just can not justify spending that much money on a swim suit for a four year old. But really, how freaking cute is this?

It's so vintage inspired! (janieandjack.com if anyone else has $42 to throw around).
Most of our swimsuits come from Gymboree (clearance and outlet) and Old Navy. Target also has really cute suits-especially the polka dots. I hope my love of swimsuits doesn't pass on to Gracie as she gets older; I'll probably be thinking that $42 would be a good deal!