RubyViolet

Somebody loves the beach.

We spent a few days at the ocean with Aunties Natalie and Lyn, you'll have to believe me, as there are few pictures to prove it. 

First reunion with the sand. Happy. happy. girl. 

Most beautiful girl on the beach

Naked toddler with sandy butt. Need I say more?

 

In a surrey with the fringe on top!

Fort Stevens State park, lovely!

Mid Jump, hair flying, that's my girl!

Party time!

Ruby had a joint party with her little friend Jake who was born a mere 12 hours before her. It was great as we're friends with many of the same families, so no one had to choose between two parties and we got to share baking responsibilities! We had a simple park party, cupcakes and friends!

Heading in to the party with Mama and Grandma

Cake time! Ruby has been singing "hoppy bu-day" every day for a while, but somehow didn't want to blow out her own candles!

but somehow didn't want to blow out her own candles!

Friends and cupcakes, what more could a 3 year old ask for?

Ruby and Jake devour one of many mini cupcakes

mmmm frosting!

Cute cute cute. Chicken dress courtesy of Nana. love the chicken dress!

After the party, we picked up mexican food for dinner and headed home. We had delicious food and then Ruby sat with Grandpa and read book after book, she even got him to sing her favorite book Paint!
Nana made her a bean bag throwing game and an adorable dress, and Nana and Grandpa brought books and a new OMSI pass. Love the gifts that keep on giving!

The next morning we all had fresh juiced carrot/apple juice and went off for a photo shoot with the awesome Nicole of Nicole Renea Photography (pictures coming soon). Then we came home and Ruby opened a few more gifts:

An awesome toddler friendly mp3 player that we filled with Ruby's favorite music

And maybe some she might not like after all...

A curious george tea set from Auntie Katy and Uncle Kurt. Ruby likes to pour your tea while she says "SLURP" I don't know where she gets it, but it's hilarious!

Birthday!

Ruby started out her 3rd birthday by getting her fabulous present from mama and daddy: 

Her first glimpse of it

Daddy looks on

Playtime! Mostly ruby moved all of the pieces into the bedroom, and then told everyone to 'sleep to go!'

Then she was off to the playground with Grandma:

She makes Grandma to all the heavy lifting.

She insisted on wearing her pj top around her neck. Toddlers are weird. 

Silly Ruby, shoes are for feet, not for teeth!

Playtime!

Next post, Party time!!

36 months

June 20th, 2009

My dear sweet Ruby, 

Today you are 3 years old. THREE YEARS OLD. I know I say this every month, but... how did this happen? It seems like 10 seconds ago you were a tiny nursling and now you're a huge little person. 

Days after we brought you home

Ruby at three 

Watching you sleep is still one of my favorite things to do, but since you quit napping 8 months ago, I don't get to do it unless I sneak a peek before I drift off. I love smelling your sweaty head as you slumber, it's this strange perfect smell that I can't describe, and just can't get enough of.  If I could bottle it, I would huff it on days I need a pick me up, and times I need to feel grounded.  I know every mama says this about the smell of her kids head, but it's so very true. 

So much has changed in the past three years, and yet in some ways, so much has stayed the same

Days after coming home from the hospital

May 2009

As you turn three, you are still a wildly hilarious little person. I laugh every day at least once from the bottom of my soul, and I can't count the number of hugs, kisses and smiles I get from you. You are a very loving, sweet child and your "mmmm kiss! mmmm kiss!" is always a winner. 

We've come to realize that you have a mild to moderate speech delay. You don't talk as much as your peers, and when you do, it's often hard to understand and contains a lot of babble. We've scheduled you for an evaluation, and to find a way to get you the help you need to communicate, and for us to learn how to help you at home. You get so frustrated when you can't tell us what you want, or when we don't understand. Sometimes your frustration is heart breaking, and as your mama I just want to hold you and make it go away, but the only thing I can do is hold you and let you cry until your frustration wanes and we can work it out together. There is nothing harder for a mama then seeing her child struggle or suffer. I know this won't be the last time I have to watch you struggle, but it still breaks my heart.

You are madly in love with Max and Shoghi, asking for them daily and when we walk to their house, or go to meet them on a walk you run down the sidewalk shouting "Shooooooghi!!!" Some days you'll go to the room they used to live in and knock on the closed door, saying "The babies are here!" and I have to remind you that the babies live down the street now, then most of the time you want to go see them.  When you do see them you always say "Hi! Hi! shoghi! HI!" and then at some point you'll smother Max with kisses saying "mmmmm kiss max mmmmm kiss!" It's almost too much to bear. Of course you also hate sharing toys with them and love to dump water on their heads in the pool... so it's not all a love story. 

One of your favorite things to do these days is reading. Some days we read the same book 10 times before second breakfast, and some times you'll 'read' 10 books in a row before moving on to the next thing. You also love puzzles, especially your bear dress up puzzle mostly so you can pick out each face of the bears and mention which one is sad, and which one is happy or hurt. Mostly you love being active. Running around outside, getting dirty, going for walks, exploring. You're the kid who wants to see everything, touch everything, look at everything. 

Ruby in the garden

You love being outside, rain or shine, warm or cool, wind or rain, and you could care less about wether or not you are wearing shoes or clothes. Truly a nature girl you are. Some days you want to go for 3 walks before second breakfast, and mama hasn't even had her coffee yet! 

I've mentioned second breakfast twice, well, it's because you are an EATER. You may not have much to say, but you sure love to eat. Most days start with you having fruit or cereal while I make coffee or tea and then an hour later we have 'second breakfast' which is really the first big meal, of sausage, potatoes more fruit and toast. By 10:30 am you're ready for another snack of fruit, yogurt or something savory like chips. I usually make you a snack plate you can graze on all day, and then of course there is lunch, and a couple of afternoon snacks before dinner. Dinner is the one meal you struggle with. You tend to be tired by then and eating can be a chore. But then there are nights you run in from playing outside and climb into your chair and just start eating whatever we offer.

Like asparagus!

I''m very thankful you're not a picky eater, because i know kids who are and it's incredibly exhausting for their parents. You'll eat just about anything we offer you, although some days you're a tiny bit picky and refuse some of the offerings. It's pretty awesome to watch you devour zucchini, or a red pepper, or a bowl of olives. 

Ruby and Mama on her BIRTHday

My dear sweetest of Rubykins, I can't believe that it has been three years since you were a pink cheeked cherub with long fingers and dark hair. Some days I just don't believe you are the same person that kicked me from the inside and then snuggled me from the outside. I feel so very blessed to be the one you chose to be your mama, so blessed and so very challenged to rise to the occasion. Some days I love you so much that I almost can't stand it. I love you with so much of my heart that I feel I will burst from the intensity of it. I love you to the moon and down again, and around the sun and back again. Thank you for coming into my life and cracking my heart wide open and filling it up with such wonder and showing me how to pour out my very best into yours. 

All of my love, mama

Strawberry picking season!

I can't find pictures of strawberry picking last year, probably because the season was late and short and we bought most of the strawberries we processed. However Ruby and Ryan went strawberry picking this morning and in less than an hour they picked 15 lbs of delicious ripe strawberries... that have now become 12 pints of jam, shortcake and vinegar (and 6 pints left!). We are hoping to put up about 60 jars of jam this summer, so 12 pints in one afternoon in mid-june is a good start! The funny thing, is after I was finished canning the second batch, I found 3 pints of jam from last year this time: one strawberry, one strawberry rhubarb and one strawberry blueberry. Looks like we won't be cracking into this years jam for a bit!  Last year we didn't get past blueberry and raspberry season... things got a little crazy around here in July and August! However we have high hopes for success this summer! 

With a kid who loves berries this much, it's a wonder any of them make it into the jam jars!

Fortunately sometimes she looks the other way and we can sneak some in for processing!

Sometimes it's too awesome not to share

If this doesn't make you smile, nothing will. 

Moments of perfection

Ruby has taken to loving being worn again. I thought my days of babywearing were over (until we're graced with another baby) but one day when Ruby saw me with Max on my back she realized that she was missing out on some good stuff! so almost every day, at least once a day she brings me a carrier and asks to be on my back. Sometimes we go for walks and she directs me where to go: "this way! that way!" sometimes it's just around the house as I cook or clean. Sometimes we water the yard:

She's a heavy little thing, and gets squirmy, and sometimes when she's irritated or frustrated she hits me on the back of the head. Wearing her for a long time makes my back hurt, but then there are these moments of complete perfection and nothing else matters.

This morning after changing her first diaper, she threw her arms around me, put her cheek to mine and we looked at each other in the mirror. "I love you!" I said. "I LOVE you TOO!" she replied, and my heart was so full of her that I almost couldn't contain it. 

35 months

Dear Ruby,

Today you are 35 months old (ok it was yesterday, but we took some fun pix today!). In a month you're going to be THREE years old. How did that happen?? 

In so many ways you are such a kid.

You make kid faces while helping me bake cookies.

Your idea of helping is very messy, yet usually very fun (for you, at least)

You can run far and fast from me, yet you always stop to look back, making sure I'm still here. You know, I'll always, always, always be here. 

You are mischievous and silly and delightful. You make me laugh hard every day, and smile even harder. 

You sing songs about cooking, and birds and poop. What kid doesn't sing about poop? (well I admit, I made up the poop song when you were a baby, but you sing it too!)

You can spend endless amounts of time playing in the water, or the mud, feeling it's texture in your hands and finding ways to manipulate it, or send it flying. 

You spend your time either deep in thought, playing and observing your world

Or telling us crazy stories about your day. We can't always make out what you're saying, but boy can you spin a yarn. 

In many ways you are such a kid, but in my heart, and in my arms you will always be my baby. When you crawl into bed with me at 2 am, and collapse your sleep heavy body on my chest, nestling your face into my neck and breathing deeply... my heart fills with contentment and completion. If you had never arrived in my life, where would I be? WHO would I be if I weren't your mama now? 

You've always been a very loving kid. You're free with kisses and hugs and some days are incredibly cuddly. I know every day how much you love me,  however you haven't ever been one to say 'i love you'. I have wished you would, but since you're the kind of kid who will say what you want to say WHEN you want to say it... I knew it would happen when you wanted to. A few days ago, I thought I heard you say 'I love you' (altho it sounded more like "I liiive you"... and wasn't sure. And then again yesterday. But today, a day that we spent entirely together, having fun and experiencing the world around us... there it was. You'd thrown a toy and I got down to your level and asked you to pick it up and bring it to me. You readily brought it over, handing it to me saying "thank you" and hugging me. As your cheek brushed against mine you said " I liiiiive you, too!" and for a moment, I thought my heart would explode with the bliss. 

Today was nothing short of a perfect day with you. We had a lovely walk with Laurie and the twins in the morning, ending at their house where we played and laughed. Then we had lunch and went to the zoo with Celeste and the boys, where you were so happy to watch the ducks cleaning themselves, splashing and quacking, and then you delighted in just running on the grass and sharing snacks with the babies. We came home, had another snack and ended up making mud pies in the back yard. Nothing exciting, but we were so connected and together. I wish every day could be this simple and fun, but I still have to work 3 days a week so we do what we can. 

I can't believe you're going to be 3 in just a month. How did this happen so fast? It feels like 10 seconds ago you were still kicking me from the inside. Watching you grow and learn has been the delight of my life. I can't wait to see what you do next. 

I Liiiive you, mama

Easy like Sunday morning

Not a bad way to start to start a sunday, no? Tea in the garden with an adorable toddler (who is pulling garlic chive flower heads off)

And this wasn't a bad way to spend sunday afternoon, a long bike ride with daddy! (that took them down to the waterfront and lunch at burgerville!)

Quiet time with mama

Some times Ruby and I like to run around crazy, and other times we spend our time quietly watching the world around us. I'd like to tell you this is a picture of a quiet time... which it was, but as soon as she wraps her arms around my neck she starts shouting "horse horse horse!!!" which eventually leads to me running around with her hanging from my back laughing hysterically. Never a dull moment with this one.