Dancing queen
kate on June 26, 2008 at 2:22 pmAt the wedding we attended a couple of weeks ago, Ruby surprised everyone by dancing up a storm. Steve twittered: “Blown away by the sight of Ruby taking to the dance floor like it was her natural home. She hopped for three hours. I am even smittener.”
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Review round-up
kate on June 19, 2008 at 6:34 pmHere are some items that we enjoy that I’d like to recommend (click photos for more info):
Edith & Mr. Bear by Dare Wright: I had an Edith book growing up, and still remember the lovely photos vividly. When I noticed this book at the library, I grabbed it for nostalgic reasons. However, the story affects Ruby like no other book we’ve read. In short, Edith breaks a valuable clock and lies about it. It bothers her so much she runs away, before coming back home to confess (at which point all is forgiven and she feels much better). Every time we read this book, Ruby cringes at the clock-breaking scene, and always points out that Edith is happy again once she comes clean. I think the moral is actually sinking in!
Our Tree Named Steve by Alan Zweibel: If, like me, you respect The Giving Tree but have read it a few too many times, look for this book. It covers the same basic theme, the relationship you can have with a tree as you grow up. It’s warm and real, and the end makes me choke up a little every time I read it to Ruby.
Radio Flyer All-Terrain Wagon: The day Steve went to buy a wagon, the only available one was this model. He hesitated at the cost but got it anyway, and we haven’t regretted it once. This thing will last forever, and the air-filled tires not only give a softer ride, they make the wagon much quieter. We left off the included wooden sidewalls so the wagon would fit in our car. It’s already replaced our stroller in most circumstances. Best use: the zoo, where kids are always hopping in and out.
Veggie Patch Spinach Nuggets: Imagine a tater-tot-type nugget, but instead of greasy potato bits, it’s entirely filled with spinach! The battered exterior (and ketchup on the side) is enough to make Ruby think spinach nuggets are a special treat. This brilliant, freezable snack is available at our Safeway, so we don’t even have to go out of our way to get it.
Fisher-Price Healthy Care Booster Seat: We have never owned a highchair; this compact booster seat has been all we needed. We just strapped it to a chair in the dining room and put an office chair pad underneath to catch the crumbs. During Ruby’s messiest, table-licking phase, we even brought it to restaurants, where it was a much better alternative to the standard restaurant highchair (which has no tray). It’s height-adjustable, dishwasher safe, and relatively easy to carry around. Ruby’s still using it with the tray, and I expect she’ll use it as a booster seat even longer.
The First Years Take & Toss cups: The spill-proof cups are the best sippy cups we found. They’re sturdy, easy to hold, and give the right amount of flow. Later, Ruby graduated to the straw-top cups, which are surprisingly leakproof. They’re BPA-free, inexpensive, and Ruby enjoys choosing her cup and top colors. The suggestion that these cups are “disposable” makes me shudder. They actually last a long time (we’re still using our first set).
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Lots of new photos
kate on June 17, 2008 at 5:17 pmI posted pictures from the second part of May here.
I also posted pictures from two recent weekends, first a wedding weekend we attended with American and Indian ceremonies:
Finally, I posted pictures from a Fathers’ Day camping trip we took to Alder Lake:
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May photos part 1
kate on May 22, 2008 at 5:45 pmI posted some photos from this month on Ruby’s gallery. Highlights include visits from her friends Ben and Esmé, and a visit with her grandparents and cousin in Canada.
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April Photos
kate on May 12, 2008 at 12:03 pmI posted the rest of the pictures from April on Ruby’s gallery, including a nice set of her running around naked in our daisy-filled backyard.
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Recent Twitters about Ruby
kate on May 8, 2008 at 3:01 pmSteve and I both Twitter, and although we’ve decided not to set up a separate Twitter account for Ruby, we tweet about her a lot. Tweets are generally considered disposable, but some are worth remembering. I went through our recent tweets about Ruby, and pulled out some I’d like to highlight and save here. Click through to read them if you’re not already following us on Twitter.
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Conversation
kate on May 7, 2008 at 2:19 pmRuby is really starting to understand the art of conversation. She will even explicitly ask, “have a conversation?” sometimes. Her favorite topics are: her big girl bed, things we did recently, and things we’ll be doing soon. She also has a very caring (and optimistic) way of inquiring about how Steve and I are doing, asking about our moods and injuries. Some recent questions:
- “How was your day?”
- “How your working?” [How was work?]
- “Your back is all better?”
- “You are feeling happy?”
- “Your arm doesn’t hurt?”
- “Your watermelon juicy? You like it so much?”
Tagged with: personality, language | 1 Comment »
Morning chuckle
kate on May 4, 2008 at 8:03 pmThis morning, when Steve went to get Ruby, she was sitting up in bed. When he came in, she announced: “I’m spelunking!”
Tagged with: personality, play, language, life | Comment now »
Operation Big Girl Bed is a success!
kate on April 24, 2008 at 4:42 pmThis week while watching the napcam, we noticed Ruby doing something new:
Uh oh. Time to accelerate plans for a big girl bed! We had been thinking of upgrading her in a couple of months, but now it was urgent. Yesterday, I talked it up to Ruby all day (she’s very interested in becoming a big girl). We went on a special shopping trip where I bought a vinyl mattress cover, and she selected a quilt and sheets. I gave her a couple of options in each case so as not to overwhelm her (and so we didn’t hate it).
Because of the short notice, we decided to give Ruby the futon in our guest room. This is a temporary hack to give us time to buy her a real bed, but it’s also a good transition bed, since it’s low to the ground. Last night, Steve disassembled the crib and the futon and we set up the futon in Ruby’s room. She was very eager to test out her new bed:
As part of the furniture rearrangement, we were able to create a little reading nook for Ruby in the corner of her room:
After taking a photo of the new bedding, we tucked Ruby in for her first night in a big bed:
Ruby was very happy about the big girl bed and didn’t show a moment of fear, hesitation, or crib nostalgia. We told her that she must stay in her room until we came to get her in the morning, and that if she didn’t, we would put up a baby gate. This morning, as asked, she stayed in her bed after awakening and played quietly until we came up.
The real test of the open doorway will be naptime. Today she’s at my parents’ house, so the first naptime in the big bed will be tomorrow.
Tagged with: milestones, photos, blankets | 1 Comment »
Reading update
kate on April 24, 2008 at 3:14 pmThis morning, I did the alphabet puzzle with Ruby and she named all the letters, no problem. For most of the letters, she asked me what it was “for” (meaning, what words start with that letter). She’s starting to remember these as well. The first one she remembered and repeated later was T for Tripping (from her hockey alphabet book). The second was D for Doughnuts (from the doughnuts we had in Hawaii).
