Sensible Dreams

Oh man, have things changed! This is the conversation that Brandon and I had the other day.

B: I can't wait to have my car back again. (Side note: When Ruby was born we switched cars and he now drives my 2 door 1999 red escort zx2. It has well over 100,000 miles, makes strange noises, and is pretty much a "chick car;" however, insurance is cheap, we don't have a car payment, and since it's mostly reliable it's still around.)

J: I really hope our cars can last until we move back to Utah (sometime in the next few years).

B: When we move back to Utah I'd really love to get a Subaru Outback wagon. That's my dream car.

J: That's your dream car? Wow, things have changed a lot in the past few years.

B: It's not my "dream car," but it's my affordable dream car. You know.

Sadly, he's right-- I didn't even have to ask why he wants an all wheel drive wagon-- I already know it's about transporting his mountain bike and getting to awesome off-road trails.

9 months...almost

Next week Ruby Roo will be 9 months old!!!! What???!! I can't believe how fast she is growing up.

This week while we were at the doctor's office for her flu booster shot (which they ran out of before we could get it...ugh!) we did her official 9 month check up. Here are her stats:



height 28 1/2 inches (75%)
weight 17 pounds, 12 oz (30%)
head 17 1/2 inches (65%)

She has eaten about every stage 2 fruit and vegetable in the baby food aisle. Currently she is experimenting with stage 2 meat combinations (usually 2-3 bites is enough to satisfy her curiosity). Her favorite food by far is banana yogurt. She still refuses to eat cheerios or yogurt melts. I'm persistent, though and always put a handful on her tray at the beginning of her meal. Scout doesn't mind my persistence. He has come to recognize the sound of falling food. He is usually under her high chair in nano-seconds eating whatever has fallen. I guess he's finally earning his keep! Maybe someday Ruby will acquire a taste for something other than baby food...



Our girl is on the go. She loves to crawl and pull up on everything and everyone in her way. She also loves to wrestle. Her signature move is the snow plow. All you have to do is lay down on our floor for a demonstration.



Just the other day she discovered the dog door. She doesn't try to crawl out it, but she could spend hours pushing on it with her hands. Today she started playing with it while Scout was outside. She thought it was hilarious to see him poke his nose into the house. He was less than amused that she was in his way.



A few days ago she said "Dada." Of course, as soon as I grabbed the video cam she went silent, but Brandon is my witness... she said it several times while sitting in her high chair.



I am still teaching her baby sign language. A week or so ago I swear she made the sign for milk, but when I brought her a bottle she refused it. Brandon thinks she just had something sticky on her hand. Today while I was singing the special pizza song (while using baby signs) she signed apple to me after I signed it; which leads me to believe she is experimenting with signs and it won't be long before she catches on.



I feel like I say this all the time, but being Ruby's mom is so much fun. Every day I find new reasons to fall more in love with her. She really is a light in our lives and home. We love our little Roo.

New Orleans

Last week Brandon had a professional conference in New Orleans. Since our good friends were also going, Ruby and I couldn't resist the opportunity to tag along.


Attacking Daddy after a long day at the conference

It was our first time in the Big Easy and we had a great time eating and walking around. Everyone warned me that N.O. would be dirty and dangerous, but I found it to be pretty clean for a big city (and surprisingly deserted).


Random candid picture...this is what happens when Brandon gets to hold the camera

I'm sure part of my opinion was based on the fact that we stayed in the business district and didn't live it up on Bourbon Street, but from what I've heard and seen I think the city must have changed a lot after Hurricane Katrina.


The Cathederal

The architecture in the French Quarter was amazing! Being a California girl, all I could think about was how spot on New Orleans Square is at Disneyland (dorky, I know!).


Riding the street car

Anyway, we rode the street car to Jackson Square, walked around, checked out the beautiful stained glass at the Cathedral, and ate Beignets at the world-famous Cafe DuMonde.


Ruby loved playing with the powdered sugar

If you get a chance to go be sure to bring cash. Our waitress reminded of this when we tried to pay for our french doughnuts with a credit card--"Sorry man, cash only" (imagine a 90 lb Asian girl saying this...maybe you had to be there, but it was pretty funny to us).


Tasty and messy

While we were there my friend Lesley and I took our kids on outings (between nap times).


Lesley's little man loved this "music truck" so much that we visited it twice while we were at the Riverwalk.

We shopped around the Riverwalk, played at the aquarium, and splashed in the pool.


Look how sweet Little Man Jospeh looked in his stroller at the aquarium

It was so great to have a friend to pal around with while Brandon was at the conference or out with customers.


Ruby and her friends chillin' out at the pool.

It was especially nice having adjoining rooms.


Close encounter at the aquarium

Because of that we each got to spend a few hours on the town with our spouses with out the kiddos.

On our last afternoon there Brandon and I took some time out for the WWII D-Day museum (which was very moving). If you plan a trip to N.O. you HAVE to spend a few hours at the WWII museum! Luckily, Ruby slept the majority of the time we were there, so we got to really soak it up.

The main focus of our trip was food, though. Every morning we had an amazing breakfast buffet at the hotel (over the course of the 3 days we ate there I'm pretty sure I tried everything but oatmeal).


Ruby's favorite dinner choices: shredded napkin, paper table cloth, and rubber ducky

We also ate fried shrimp and calamari at a local joint (Masperos), dinned on sushi, fresh crab salad, po'boys, tuna steak, and charbroiled oysters (so amazing that we ate them twice). And the every night was an opportunity for a new dessert!

The only drawback was that we didn't get any sleep. Ruby really needs her own space to be able to sleep well.


Poor baby in her orphan crib

If she can see us when she's tossing and turning chances are that she'll stare us down and cry until we let her sleep in between us (which wouldn't be so bad if she didn't want to crawl all over us at 5 in the morning).

It was a fun little adventure, but I have to admit that it's good to be home again.

One last thing...



with all this traveling I haven't had time to write an offical 8 month update on Ruby. This will have to do: the girl is crawling machiene. She also started pulling up on everything and everyone in sight about 3 days ago. It won't be long before she's truly into everything!

Week in Review

This past week I took Ruby up to Utah while Brandon and Scout held down the fort (more about their adventures together in my next post). A few weeks prior my grandma had extensive back surgery. We flew up just to spend time with her and help out around the house. Grandma is fiercely independent, though, so most of the time we just kept her company. It was a good little visit.



We even squeezed in a few visits with my in-laws and dear family friends. Here are some of the highlights in pictures:


Being captured by Grandpa at Uncle Chris' soccer game. Just before this picture was taken he snatched Ruby from Aunt Chelsea and proclaimed it was his turn to hold the baby...so cute to watch the fam. dote on RooBear.


Playing with Grandma...look at those crawling skills!


Playing at the park with Grammy.


Apple snatcher! She couldn't resist Grammy's basket of fake apples.


Clearly excited to see her Great Grandma moving around.


Enjoying a fine lunch of sweet potatoes...


Chillaxing in her fall/winter clothes (Hey, gotta use it when we can since we live in Tejas). Notice the duck. Mr. Ducky went everywhere with her...to bed, on walks, in the car, in the tub, on crawling adventures, on the plane, etc...


Checking out the cat. Get a good look Ruby, because Mommy and Daddy will never own one!


Grandma Ruby and Baby Ruby...mutual love and admiration.


After a long day of traveling Ruby had to be thinking, "There's no place like home."


Even though she loves her family, I can't help but think that she missed her Daddy.