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.

. 

Christmas Photos (plus Gracie's 4 Year Shots)

I know that I am biased, but she is just so beautiful.

Stinker girl. She has her father's mouth. The girls resemble each other, but Gracie looks more like me and Ruby looks more like Andrew. Lucky Ruby is going to end up with straight hair where as poor Gracie gets stuck with my frizz.

I love this picture. Poor Ruby thought that I was going to leave for some reason when I put her down. She calmed down relatively quickly, but she can be a rather ridiculous baby. Gracie is my photogenic girl who has never been scared of a photographer.

 

Love! I didn't purchase this pose, but this is pure Gracie through and through.

 

Finally warming up to the experience.  She loved the chairs that they had for her to sit on.

Clap Clap.

 

Andrew liked this picture, but I don't think it even looks like Gracie. She looks happy, but her face is way too wide. I also have never had her pictures taken without her hair in pigtails, and I'm still not sure about it.

A perfect four year old picture. She looks so smart, so sweet, so curious, so her.

Are we done yet?

My turn Sister. 

LOVE. Dimple, naughty face, and scrunchy nose smile all in one pic.

 

Ha Ha.

Ruby D at Seventeen Months

Sorry this is a few days late baby girl. Mama hopes to get back on track with cleaning, blogging, and everything else now that it is the New Year (hopefully attitude is included in that).

At seventeen months you:
-climb everything (and i do mean everything). for some reason i am very talented at raising monkey girls. you drag the sit and spin in front of the tv and stand on top of it, you try to climb the bookcase, and you use the pillows, toy box, anything to get on the couches.
-know yourself as Ruby D. if i say Ruby you say either one or two Ds.
-love cake. you get so so excited at the bakery and at home when you see one and start screaming, "cake. i want bite, i need bite, cake." i asked you what you liked the other day, and you told me, "cake." smart girl.
-are so talkative. you answer questions all of the time and say the funniest things. of course this all depends on if you are in the right mood. sometimes you just want to tell me no to everything (except for you will always always say butt butt when asked). i love to ask you who you love. you tell me "you, daddy, gracie, mimi, papa, nick, mommy."
-will not leave your pants or socks on. sometimes you can even get the underwear i put on over your diaper off. sigh.
-love looking at and touching other babies. you also love to hold your sister's hand and walk with her at stores.
-can count 3, 5, and sometimes 7 when we are doing numbers with gracie. you also can point out some letters in words. genius baby.
-still are such a great eater. you try most everything and usually like it. if not you just spit it out and say yuck. you love crackers, cheese, almost every fruit, and all desserts.
-are such a naughty imp at times. you are so funny about it and so darn cute that you just get away with it most of the time.
-are still a mama's girl through and through. you are much better with people you know and are fine if i'm not there, but if i am there then you are my little kangaroo baby.
-are on and off as far as sleeping. some nights you only wake up once other nights you are up three times. a lot of times you say "boob" in your sleep which your daddy thinks is hysterical. i try to get you asleep by nine but you try to fight me most nights. you still take a two hour nap each day around one.
-have the most beautiful white blond straight, thick hair. i still think you are going to have strawberry blond hair when you get older, but i really have no idea.

Ruby D at Sixteen Months

At sixteen months you:
-have two more teeth. Your one in the middle on the top finally poked through (11/19) and you got one of the ones on the left side (11/17). It takes you a very long time for your teeth to get through the gum, and you don't sleep very well during the process.
-are into everything! You love to get under the bathroom cabinet and pull all the cups out, steal toothbrushes, open the kitchen drawers, try to climb the bookcase shelves, and drag the stool around with you to get to things that you shouldn't. Oh Ruby D!
-Speak in sentences all of the time and are forever adding new words to your vocabulary. Words you use a lot: sucker, Gracie, Mommy, I want a bite, I need that, kiss, hug, puppy, cracker, Oreo, poop.
-Are a very messy eater just like your sister was. Even if I put a bib on you if I don't take your shirt off you get everything on your collar. I have just started to give you a fork/spoon with some foods and you are doing a great job.
-Your favorite foods are: suckers, cheese, spinach artichoke dip, mashed potatoes, baked apples, crackers, and pineapples.
-You still breastfeed a few times a day (when you wake up, sometimes after nap, before bed, once a night). You are so funny about it before bed. As soon as we finish reading Gracie's stories you start screaming, "I want boob." You also want full access of both and randomly switch off. Silly baby. You are only this way at bedtime, at your other feedings you take around five minutes and sometimes eat on only one side.
-You take one nap a day from around 1-3.
-You only use your pacy for nap and going to sleep at night. You usually spit your pacy out after you fall asleep and don't use it for the majority of the night (but you do keep it in at naptime).
-Have the cutest little stick out pigtails on the side of your hair. If I put your hair in one piggy it is long enough to make a little knob.
-Kick your shoes off the minute you get in your car seat. You also make your legs stick straight when we put you in your seat and start giggling, because you think it's a game.
-Take your pants and socks off all the time. You also try to take off your diaper.
-Are very helpful at clean up time. You put things back in their place and bring me what I ask for.
-Want to "color" and paint with big sister. You also want her Gabbas, her "Minies" (your word for My Little Pony), and her stool. This can lead to a few fights. Usually both you and your sister are hugging and kissing and playing with each other though.
-Love peace time at church. You stick out your little hand and say "peace." So so adorable. Now if only I could keep you quiet during church!
-I love your dimple, but I tell you that it makes you naughty, because oh my goodness you have a naughty face little miss. Cutest thing ever, but you can tell that you are trouble.
-Want Minnie stuff for Christmas.
-Love to dance and shake.

Oh Ruby D D! What would we do without you? You make me laugh, you make me smile, you amaze me with your smartness, your spirit, your silliness. You have such a big heart in your tiny body. Even when you are being naughty you still have Mama wrapped around your finger. I am so thankful for you every single day.

 

 

 

 

Family Photo Fail

So we got our pictures taken for the church directory tonight. They did not go well, but I wasn't surprised at all. Andrew scheduled our appointment for 8:20, because he didn't know how late he would get home on Fridays. Gracie and Ruby are usually getting out of the bath or reading stories at that time. Gracie actually was very excited and took great pictures (she is the photogenic one in the family). Ruby was hysterical the entire time I was straightening my hair and never really recovered. She would smile if I was looking at her, but she didn't want to look towards the camera or do anything except cuddle into me. I basically knew going in we were just going to get the free 8x10 (Merry Christmas Mom), but for some reason Andrew was disappointed. Whatever. If he wants to dress up in a few weeks when we go to Portrait Innovations and get Gracie's four year pictures/Christmas pictures of both girls I suppose I could do that. Maybe I would even be able to get a professional to straighten my hair. The girls outfits are adorable. Gracie has a grey sweater dress with a purple flower and Ruby has a purple sweater dress. They both had glitter tights and fancy black shoes. Wanda came over the other day and picked up the Raggedy Ann fabric I've had forever (it was Mary Ann's moms) to turn into pillowcase dresses for the girls. Yeah! That is what I plan on having their pictures taken in. I wonder if I could find red and white stripped tights. That would be cute. I love dressing little girls.

NaBloPoMo

I am attempting to participate in NaBloPoMo (what the? National Blog Posting Month, but I'm not sure the abbreviation takes less time or is easier to say than the actual phrase). What this means is that I should have a post everyday. Should being the operative word. A certain little girl keeps me on my toes. Ruby D I'm talking about you.

Putting sister's underwear on her head.

 

LOVE!

Trick or Treat

I love Halloween. It is one of my favorite holidays. I am so happy that I have two little girls to dress up and take trick or treating. Gracie wanted to be a Gabba this year, but I vetoed that (umm, over thirty dollars for a costume-I don't think so). After a lot of consideration she decided that she wanted to be the tooth fairy and that Ruby D needed to be a tooth. Adorable! Gracie's costumes was pretty easy; I gussied up a cheap princess outfit with teeth I printed out and added glitter too. Ruby D's costume wasn't hard, it was just a pain. I drew a tooth on cardboard, Andrew cut it out, I sanded the edges, glittered it, punched holes in the sides, and then we used ribbon to attach it. I looked everywhere in town and couldn't find white pants (if you sell white sweat shirts you should at least have the option of white sweat pants-I get that kids are messy, but my girls have always ruined their shirts way before their pants.) So Ruby D ended up just wearing white tights, but her tooth mostly covered that up. I glittered their hair and put makeup on Gracie right before we went out. Gracie was so so excited. She kept asking to go to another house immediately after we would leave each doorway. We went around both our neighborhood and Mimis. They both came away with a huge loot! Their pumpkins got quite heavy. Ruby wanted to walk everywhere in our neighborhood so it took a long time to get from house to house. She was so funny picking out her candy, because she would just randomly pull something from the bowl while staring at the person giving out the candy. She was most excited when we walked by a "doggy!!!" After trick or treating we went to a friends house and put the girls in their pjs. Poor Gracie wanted to wear her costume "for the next three days." She woke up this morning and wanted to pick a piece of candy from her bucket for breakfast. Silly girl. I think I have all of the glitter out of their hair, but my bathroom is sure sparkly right now. 

Gracie was not sure she wanted to help scoop seeds out of the pumpkin. Daddy will carve, but he also won't touch the insides. Maybe Ruby D will help me someday. I finished scooping all the seeds out, and Gracie informs me that we need to roast them. Umm, what?! I have never in my life done this and have no idea where she got this idea. So I ask her, and she tells me, "Paula Deen did it on tv the other day Mommy." Oh of course, if Paula Deen did it then I guess we must. I Googled what to do real quick and shoved a baking tray of some in, but they came out pretty tough. Luckily Gracie mostly just wanted to "feed" them to her ponies.

She may not have wanted to touch the "goo" herself, but she sure thought it was funny watching Mommy.

Our finished pumpkins! Gracie picked out square eyes, a square nose, and a heart mouth. She also wanted a pony pumpkin, but we are not that talented in this house. She loved her pumpkin so much that she kept kissing it.

Ruby D is ready to get some candy!

The cutest tooth ever!

 
The beautiful tooth fairy. Although she told me and everyone who asked her what her costume was that she was, "a scary Tooth Fairy." I don't think giving out money makes you scary, but she was rather insistent. 

 
Mommy and her girls. Our neighborhood apparently has a ton of trick or treaters, but my treat bowl must have lasted for awhile. When we came home for the night there were two Whopper packages left in it and one on the ground. So far I have been very good about not stealing the girls candy except for Snickers which Gracie doesn't like and are too chewy for Ruby D. I don't want their candy to go bad though so I may have to help a little more. ;)