Cousins & Fathers

Daddy Post: hope everyone had a great memorial day weekend. amidst our mundane chores around the house we were able to visit little holden who is now a week old. congrats to dave and erin. we're looking forward to many memorable affairs with our expanding family. the link to holden's web page can be found on the sidebar. in other news, ruby has continued to become more mobile. she is now able to get up on all fours and rock to and fro with glee. once she figures out how to connect the dots it will quickly become...um, interesting. ruby can't wait for grandma joan to visit this week. she says she is tired of having her parents around all of the time and she thinks that they should get out alone for a night. hopefully, the baby vulture lives up to her name. much love to all.

Five Months and Fabulous

Momma Post: Ruby's five months old today and to show how much she's grown, the photo on the left (or on the bottom depending on your computer screen) is her at one month, while the photo on the right is Ruby today. Ruby, you've come a long way, baby.

Missing a Generation

Greetings from the Great-Grands

Momma Post: We got a lot of visiting in this weekend, down in Southern Oregon. Usually, we try to cram too much in, but this time we were determined to provide Ruby quality time with my Grandpa (Papa) Jack and Grandma Martha and Matt's Grandpa Doyle, although in Ruby's case, she'd have to add a "Great" to each title. Grandpa Jack was impressed with what a "nice, happy kid" Ruby is. Both Grandma and Aunt Joan took turns feeding Ruby her new favorite, rice cereal. Grandma had the magic touch and feed Ruby the entire bowl, a first. Grandpa Doyle introduced Ruby to a game of "horsey" and can't wait for "paddycake" later this summer. Uncle Tom showed Ruby the tire swing in my grandparents' backyard. Ruby enjoyed all the special attention and showed off her vocal skills and her new scooting around on the floor abilities.

Super Mom & Super Baby

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL OF THE GREAT MOMS IN OUR FAMILY.

Open Wide Baby Bird!!

Daddy Post: The princess now has her throne albeit one of questionable style. As you can see, Ruby is now "high chair capable". This morning we had a great mother's day breakfast at "Mothers" in downtown. Ruby seemed envious of our eggs benedict and lemon-poppy seed pancakes. Yesterday, Ruby started to eat some semi-solid food consisting of rice cereal and breast milk. Not quite as exciting as our breakfast. No problems with the transition thus far as she took right to it. Evidently, she has been paying a lot of attention to mom and dad. Today we'll start trying some different types of food. Marty is out getting the device to puree a pear concoction. I will stick to my duties as "food distribution specialist". Hopefully Ruby can get more food in her mouth than her down her shirt. In other news, she has started "migrating" about 2 feet in any given direction on the floor via a sort of shuffle. Crawling can't be far behind.

Noontime in the Nursery

Momma Post: Thursday is my day at home with Ruby. I find that these days are either quiet with simple tasks or busy running errands. Today was a quiet day. After breakfast, I placed Ruby in the bouncy seat in the kitchen while I washed dishes and cleaned. We listened to Cat Stevens and other songs off Daddy's Ruby Mix (the song list Matt put together for setting the mood and distraction during my labor). This morning time is special with the natural light coming through the kitchen and Ruby being in a calm, happy mood.

This afternoon, after her nap, Ruby and I played in her nursery. Yes, the nursery is not just for diaper changes and crashing in the crib. Ruby's at the age where everything is interesting, although her attention span is good for maybe 10 minutes and then we move on to the next activity. As shown above, mirrors are cool. "Who's that cute baby, Ruby?" I said, while Ruby pivoted to get a closer look and pawed at her reflection. Even Jabroni wanted in on the action, as shown above.

je t'aime grand-maman et grand-papa!

Zoo Daze

Momma Post: We ventured to the Oregon Zoo this afternoon. Due to recent gas prices, we walked down to the MAX station and took the train. Ruby's first public transit experience. Joining us were Tom, Kristin and Karen. Ruby and Karen are beginning to acknowledge one another's presence and were reaching out to each other as shown by the picture above. Both girls quietly absorbed all the sights and sounds - watching the other families with kids of all ages and listening to the Zoo Train and peacocks. The girls napped during the Elephant Show, where children filled the indoor area with carrots, sweet potatoes, etc. for a treat for "Packy". Ruby got up and personal with a crocodile, otters, fish, bats and several other Capricorns. At the petting zoo, she was able to meet and greet a white billy goat. An easy daytrip that will be a whole new experience when Rubes becomes a little walker - something to look forward to...