Jaedeanne and Baby Ruby

Tiny Dancer

2012-01-31T13:12:00.000-08:00

Ruby has begun taking ballet classes with Texas Ballet Theater! I've been a big supporter of TBT for a few years, offering to help whenever I can, not only because some of their staff and their dancers are my closest friends, but also because I believe in promoting the arts in our community!

To say that Ruby loves her ballet class is an understatement. She now tip-toes through the house in her tutu and will gladly show you some of her latest moves (most of which involve running quickly in a circle).... Hey - the name of the class is "Creative Movement," so I wasn't anticipating an early admission to Juilliard at this point. The smile on Ruby's face shows me that it is worth it.

Ruby seems to be quite well known up at the TBT Studios - the dancers recognize her and Ruby just basks in the attention. I hope that Ruby grows to have the same appreciation and love of the arts that I do - it's amazing how much beauty is in our world if you take the time to notice it.

"Tiny Dancer.....you had a busy day today."

A "Yellow" 3rd Birthday

2012-01-17T06:41:00.000-08:00

A few months ago, I asked Ruby what kind of birthday party that she wanted for her 3rd birthday. Her reply was simply "Yellow." I thought "Yellow? Well, that's.....obscure....."

After a few weeks of re-confirming that she did, in fact, want a yellow birthday party I did what any sane parent would do and I turned to Pinterest. Obviously. So, it turns out that color-themed birthday parties for toddlers is a thing (who knew), and I was able to find some cute ideas and inspirations.

Ruby's birthday is December 22, but to avoid the Christmas hustle and bustle and other obligations we always have her party the second weekend of January. January in Texas can be hit-or-miss. Sometimes it's a frigid, miserable, windy, wet wasteland, and sometimes the heavens open and the angels sing and the weather is absolutely gorgeous. The weekend of Ruby's party, the angels were singing. It was about 65 degrees, sunny, and wonderful.

I ordered a custom party package from a great company that I found on Etsy, called Anders Ruff. They designed the invitations, all of the paper decorations including the bunting banner, and the thank-you cards. It was so fun to have the custom designs and decorations!

She wanted Yellow, so I gave her Yellow!

All of the food was yellow - we had curried chicken salad, mac-n-cheese "cupcakes", fiesta corn dip, yellow cupcakes, yellow sugar cookies, yellow candy, goldfish, and bananas.

Close up of the mac-n-cheese "cupcakes"

Feel free to judge me, but these are not homemade cupcakes. Sure, I love a good homemade cupcake any day of the week, but if I have a choice I'll always pick these store-bought ones with whipped icing. I could eat that icing by the bucket-full. I only wish I was kidding.

In addition to the custom water bottles, we had lemonade and orange juice.

The party favors for the guests were Nana's homemade (yellow) meringue cookies. Ruby helped to make them and they are some of her favorite cookies.

Some of the pretty birthday flowers.

Without realizing it, I even coordinated the outdoor landscaping to match the theme.

When it was time to sing Happy Birthday to Ruby, she wanted us all to stand in a circle and hold hands while we sang. And she sang to herself also. Aaaaaadorable.

The birthday girl and her cupcake. That hat is from her first birthday, but she was very insistent that she wanted to wear it for her third birthday as well.
Her dress is from an adorable shop here in Fort Worth called Snug as a Bug. If I have anything to do with it, Ruby will wear smocked dresses until she's in college. I love these things.

Ruby had so many gifts that she had to enlist some assistance.

Getting some good help from her friends Hazel and Frances.

The trampoline was a HUGE hit - the kids played outside in the back yard for most of the party. I have a ton of pictures of the kids with their hair standing up like this - pretty darn cute if you ask me!

This is Ruby and her sweet friend Isaac from church.

I didn't realize until after all of the guests had left that in the craziness of the day, I hadn't even gotten a picture with the birthday girl. So before Nana walked out the door, I had her snap this shot. We're two very tired and very happy girls.

I can't say enough how blessed we are with such amazing friends and family. I was absolutely overwhelmed with the number of people that were able to come and celebrate with us. As a single mommy, sometimes things feel pretty isolated and lonely. But then moments like this weekend come along when the outpouring of love and support reminds me that I don't always have to be superwoman - my friends will love me regardless. I appreciate each and every one of you for helping to make my princess's day so special. My face is still sore from smiling so hard all day.

And to Ruby - Happy Birthday sweet baby. I love you more and more every minute. I am continually amazed how each day you bless me in a new way. I am so lucky to be your mommy. I love you with all of my heart.

Watch out, HGTV

2012-01-03T18:28:00.000-08:00

As many of you may know, Ruby asked Santa for a big-girl bed for Christmas. Well, Santa delivered. Not only that, but she got new bookshelves from Ikea, as well as a 32-inch LED LCD TV. Lucky duck!

Here are the before pictures of her cluttered nursery. It's organized chaos. Don't judge, ok?

The Ikea instructions were very clear that if you assembled these alone, you would end up sad and confused. If you had a partner, you would be happy and successful. So (of course) I decided to do this all by myself, while drinking a glass of wine. This should go well, right???

Aaaaaand the glorious AFTER picture!

Watch out, HGTV. I'm coming for ya! She loooooves it, by the way.

You'd better not pout...

2011-12-21T13:34:00.000-08:00

Things have been a bit hectic this month with Christmas right around the corner! Ruby has absolutely been loving all of the Christmas decorations, the music, the cookies, and her Elf on the Shelf. If she's not carrying around her Baby Jesus from the nativity, singing Frosty the Snowman, or helping someone bake cookies, then she's snuggled up with visions of sugarplums dancing in her head.

She wakes up in the morning and immediately wants to go find "Chaaaaaahlie" her elf. You pronounce the elf's name like Audrey Hepburn says "Dahling" (*side note - whoever invented the Elf on the Shelf is brilliant. I want to give them a big Christmas Kiss). And, since she knows that Chaaaaahlie visits Santa every night with a behavior report, and she also remembers that Santa sees you when you're sleeping and he knows when you're awake, she has been on her BEST behavior. I'm tempted to keep Chaaaaaahlie around all year long. But in the mean time, I thought I would write a letter to Santa on Ruby's behalf.

Dearest Santa,

I hope that you and the Mrs. are doing well. Ruby is very excited for your visit this Christmas. I thought that I would fill you in a bit on how she has been doing this year.

Ruby is extraordinarily smart. I know, I'm her mom so that's something that I should think about my kid anyway. But honestly, it's kind of baffling. You can read her a book twice and she will recite it, word for word, back to you. She can put together complicated puzzles easily and quickly. And she can say various words and phrases in Spanish, French, and Mandarin Chinese. Half of the time I don't know what she's saying..... I need a translator app for my daughter (and an iPad for me while you're at it)!

She is really tall - the girl has almost outgrown most of her 4T clothes already. Her hair is stunning - people stop us when we're out in public and comment on her hair all the time. When it's wet, it goes 3/4 the way down her back. :) She loves bows, dressing up in her princess dresses, wearing her cowgirl boots and cowgirl hat, and wearing her raincoat. Not all at once, obviously.

Most importantly, Ruby is the most kind and loving kid that I've ever seen. She has the sweetest heart and is always ready with a smile and a big hug. If she can tell that I am upset or stressed, she'll tell me "It's ok, mommy. I love you." And then everything is magically ok. She is the biggest blessing to me and my family. She truly is a very well-behaved little girl - she likes to follow the rules and she loves to make other people happy or proud of her. Don't ever tell Ruby that she can't do something, or she's doing it incorrectly, or really to just offer her help in general. She's incredibly independent and will spend hours trying to prove you wrong. I have no idea where she gets that characteristic....

Ruby turns 3-years old tomorrow. She wants a big-girl bed for Christmas so badly. She has been asking for one for a while, and really has her heart set on one. I'm fully confident that you'll come through on this one, Big Guy.

We're looking forward to your visit on Christmas Eve. Ruby isn't sure if your reindeer prefer carrots or glitter, so if you could let us know what to put out for them that would be great.

Fa la la la la,
Jaedeanne

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Thankful

2011-11-24T08:32:00.001-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

I have so very much for which to be thankful this year. That little girl in the picture above - well, I count her twice.

I am so thankful for the many blessings in our lives. I am thankful for my amazing family, without them I wouldn't be the person that I am today. I am thankful for my wonderful friends - each of them continues to be such a bright spot in my life and brings a smile to my face even when I sometimes don't feel like smiling.

I am thankful for my great job where I am continually learning and getting the opportunity to help to make the world a better place for some people. I am thankful for my home and my health and my comfort.

I am also thankful for the difficult times and trials that I've been through in my life. They were tough and terrible at the time, but they were a great time of growth, development, perspective, and humility.

I am thankful for God's grace, mercy, sovereignty, and faithfulness. Very thankful for that.

I hope that y'all have a fantastic Thanksgiving too, and that you're able to count your many blessings.

Psalm 107:1

Hey Nana, you're kind of awesome.

2011-11-14T05:43:00.001-08:00

So, it's a well-known fact that my mom is probably the most amazing woman that has ever walked this planet. Seriously, she's pretty awesome.

I wrote something about her awesomeness, and IT GOT PUBLISHED, Y'ALL!!!!

So, go check it out. I'm super proud of her - and frankly, I'm a little proud of myself too.

http://www.curvygirlguide.com/parenting/nana-knows-best-co-parenting-with-the-grandparents/

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T20:57:00.000-07:00

Ruby had so much fun at the Morris's Annual Pumpkin Party!

My little angel

Follow the Yellow Brick Road....

Fun times at a Trunk or Treat in Aledo!

Sugar rush commencing......

Ready to hit the road for more candy!

The most beautiful Dorothy ever!

No Dorothy would be complete without her Toto! (Actually her name is YoYo, but she answered to both).

Strength and Dignity

2011-10-31T08:51:00.001-07:00

I need this today. Strength and Dignity.

Fun fall weekend!

2011-10-11T07:09:00.000-07:00

We had such a fun weekend last weekend! After making an executive decision on Friday and skipping out from work during the afternoon, Ruby and I had a fantastic lunch with a huge group of our friends - Allie (who was in town from Austin), Lauren, Francis, Lindsay, Nanny Kelly, Addie, Jack, Carter, Blair, and Hogan! We didn't happen to get a group picture - it was hectic enough trying to wrangle all of those kids. We also ran into tons of friends there that we haven't seen in a while! We miss Ashley and Tinsley and need to have a play-date soon!

After our fun lunch, we went to get a quick mani/pedi - and Ruby got her first pedicure with Francis! They just loved it and were such good girls.

The cheese-balls and their twinkle-toes.

On Saturday we went to a cookout at the Triplets' house. Paul cooked some serious BBQ and the kids played for hours! Ruby was super sweet with Addie. It's so funny, when you talk to Ruby about her friends she becomes incredibly possessive. "It's 'MY Addie." Not just Addie, but her Addie. She will correct you each and every time unless you say it the way she instructs you to.

Representing the Big 12

All four kiddos swinging at the same time!

Ruby with Carter, Addie with Jack

Whee!!!

Peek-a-boo!

It was quite the sports-fest that evening too - thank goodness for digital cable multi-view. Honestly, I don't know how people functioned 15 years ago. We were able to simultaneously watch the Baylor game, the A&M game (WHOOP!!!!!!!), and the Ranger's game! To top the night off, a big storm blew in and we got a glorious full night and day of rain!

We always have the best time at Lindsay & Paul's house - we are so incredibly blessed to have them as friends and love them so much!

On Sunday night, Ruby hosted her first Pumpkin Carving Party! I'll post pictures of it soon.

Ruby's First Ranger's Game

2011-09-16T12:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I took Ruby to her very first Texas Ranger's Baseball game! It was the perfect evening - beautiful weather with temperatures in the 70's, good friends, and the biggest part of the night.....

One of our best friends, Lee Anne, sang the National Anthem! Ruby and I are SO proud of her! She did an amazing job and is so blessed with a beautiful voice. I admire her strength and courage to get out there and do what she did in front of a crowd of almost 45,000 people. If you missed it, here is a video of her performance on YouTube. It gives me chills every time that I hear it.

Me and my Mini-Me.

Oversized glasses? Check.

Curly hair? Check.

Rangers T-Shirts? Check.

Coordinating Cardigans? Check.

Good to go!

Ruby and I in our seats, while she enjoys a ballpark hotdog.

She was absolutely terrified at first - I think it was a combination of the crowd, the heights, the loud noises, and really anything else that wasn't "normal" for her. She even admitted at one point as she was holding her hands over her ears, "I'm scared of everything!"

She warmed up to the idea before long and was dancing and clapping.

Ruby and the guys - Kayleb and Tom.

She loves them!

Ruby with the Woman of the Evening - Lee Anne (or LeeLee, as Ruby calls her)!

Completely unrehearsed or unscripted, when Ruby saw Lee Anne, she said "You did a really good job!" She later told everyone how beautiful LeeLee looked.

Group shot of the "Veranda Society".

Ruby and I are so blessed to have such amazing and talented friends in our lives.

We love our little Veranda Family so very much!

Fall is here

2011-09-07T06:46:00.000-07:00

Temperatures below the 100+ range, shorter days, college football (Gig 'Em Ags!), and Pumpkin Spice Latte. All signs that Autumn is upon us.

Ruby is clearly enjoying the opportunity to spend more time outside without risk of a heat stroke.

Seriously? This face? And I wonder why she always gets what she wants. Well played, Ruby. Well played. Keep being cute.

Shameless Request

2011-09-06T06:45:00.000-07:00

Do you want to really make me happy? Well, of course you do. Silly question.

It would make me SO incredibly happy if you would vote for me on the Cheap $ally "Bring home the Bacon" competition! It's a contest where one lucky person will win a "job" as a blog correspondent for a year with a sweet $100k salary!

I know that I would be the perfect person for this job. I can form gramatically-correct complete sentences. I am cheap as heck. I can get creative when needed. And I am cheap as heck. Yes, that one point deserves being mentioned twice.

So, how do you go about making me blissfully happy? Click here: http://www.cheapsally.com/profile/jaedeanne-shaver/ and then click "VOTE". Easy as pie. And if you're feeling especially benevolent, please feel free to "like" my page on Facebook, RT on twitter, or let all of your family and friends know to vote as well.

Thanks in advance! xoxo

A day in the life...

2011-08-18T07:16:00.001-07:00

Welcome to a typical "Day in the Life of Little Miss Ruby." My name is Mommy and I'll be your host today. The people closest to Ruby also refer to me as the "hired help."

Ruby's day typically begins between 6:00am and 6:30am. I am tip-toe-ing through the house, trying to make a cup of coffee on "stealth mode," and mentally willing my shower to be silent. For the most part, this usually works and I can successfully get ready for work independently. When Ruby wakes up, this girl wakes up. It doesn't matter where I am in the house, I can her the resounding "MAMA, WHERE ARE YYYOOOOOOUUUUUUU????" I spring into action.

After her wake-up notification, Ruby enjoys a leisurly pre-breakfast breakfast of a sippy-cup full of milk enjoyed with a banana. She insists on eating her milk & banana combo in mommy's bed while watching Finding Nemo (for the eleventy-billionth time). It works out well, because I enjoy putting on my makeup while recieving compliments such as "Mommy, you are soooooo beautiful." Great way to start any day!

After this, she excitedly waits for Nana's arrival. I know that Ruby loves me, but Ruby loooooves her Nana.

Ruby and her "Vewy best fwiend in the whole wide world"

I don't have any pictures of what happens between the hours of 6:45am and 5:45pm. During those hours, I'm at work. My day consists of audits, emails, science, meetings, report-writing, grown-up boring stuff, blah blah blah...... Ruby's day consists of FUN! MUSEUMS! STORYTIME! SNACKS! CANDY! WATCHING WHATEVER I WANT ON TV! MORE FUN! BOOKS! TOYS! NANA! FUN! FUN! FUN!

When I finally walk in the door, Ruby greets me with a big grin and a hug. She tells Nana "Adios, Nana! See you manana!" (Yes, she know a significant amount of Spanish at this point - much more than I do.) Then she goes right back to watching Little Einsteins or Dora while I fix dinner.

Yay! It's dinner time!

Oh, mommy, you're so funny!!!

Ruby "taking a picture" of mommy who is taking a picture of Ruby.

Silly faces

After dinner we head out to the trampoline in the back yard. Yes, I brave the 110+ degree temperatures because this face? Totally worth it.

Another self-portrait of the two of us. Single moms definitely need a third arm. Someone needs to work on that....

Bath time! We're both a sweaty, hot mess at this point, so we (I) tend to look forward to this part of our day.

Ruby's "thinking face." You can almost see the wheels turning...

Clean and dry! My little duckie.

Yes, Ruby can scale her changing table. Yes, she can virtually diaper herself. No, she shows absolutely ZERO interest in potty-training. Bribes don't work. Peer pressure doesn't work. Forcing her doesn't work. I think in her mind, she honestly believes that's what the "hired help" (aka Mommy) is here for. I figure, she won't head off to kindergarten in diapers. We'll get there eventually. Probably right after I buy a jumbo-box of diapers at Sam's. Isn't that how it always works out?

All ready for bed!

Ruby tells Baby Ruby goodnight every night.

Eskimo kisses with Mommy.

Ruby in her crib with her entourage. In the corner is Tabby, who was my teddy bear when Iwas growing up. She doesn't really play with him but likes for him to keep watch over her at night. Left-to-right in her arms is Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, and her "Bunny" which is actually a little lamb lovee. She's always called it her bunny. I pick my battles. She has a mini-pillow, which I have to fluff every night. She covers up with her Blankie (I have 2 back-up blankies after hearing horror stories from friends). It has to be exactly like this every night, with each stuffed animal in their designated positions, otherwise we ARE NOT going to bed.

We don't like to think of it as O.C.D. We prefer "attention to detail".......

We say our four prayers, then "Sweet Dreams" "I love you" and "Night night". Hearing "I wuv you too, mommy," as I walk out the door puts a smile on my face as I go to bed.

Horseshoe Bay

2011-08-16T13:04:00.000-07:00

Last weekend my dad was one of the speakers at the Texas Equine Veterinary Association annual conference. The conferences are typically in pretty fun places, so - naturally - we tagged along! This year's conference was down in the Texas Hill Country at the Horseshoe Bay Resort. So much fun!

Since we have a history (and by history, I mean the last 31 years of my life) of attending vet conferences with my dad and hanging out with the other families, we've grown very close to some of them. Gary and my dad met in Vietnam and became fast friends. They've remained close throughout the years - his daughter, Kelly, used to baby-sit me. When we got a little older, Kelly and I became close friends. Now, she and I both have daughters (Elizabeth is almost 4, and Ruby is 2 1/2) who have declared themselves as "best friends." Cutest thing ever.

We spent most of our time playing at the pool, building sandcastles on the beach, and enjoying time with our friends. One day we also ventured out of the resort - we had lunch at the famous Blue Bonnet Cafe in Marble Falls (yum!) and saw the Southern Living Idea Home (beautiful!).

On Friday evening, there was a Western BBQ for the conference. We all put on our boots and headed to dinner. Holy cow, was it ever hot! But the food was good, music was fun, and the company was great! Ruby danced her little boots right off.

Remember this....

2011-08-01T06:46:00.000-07:00

I have this up on my wall in my bathroom. I like the reminder, because sometimes I can get so wrapped up in myself that I forget. But wow - when I do remember it makes all the difference in the world.

Ruby's First Movie

2011-07-27T06:15:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, Ruby went to see her very first movie! We went to the local Movie Tavern for a special showing of Winnie the Pooh - they show a kids movie every Saturday morning at 9am and serve breakfast. Genius!!! We went with a pretty large group - Ruby (and me and Nana), the triplets (and their mommy and DD), Ella (and her mommy and GG), and Hazel (and her mommy). Ruby was SOOOOOO excited to see Winnie the Pooh! She's always loved the movies (she has been watching old VHS movies that I grew up watching) and she's had a stuffed Winnie the Pooh doll for about a year now. The week leading up to the movie, she would have serious conversations with her Pooh, telling him that we were going to see his movie soon and we were really excited. So very serious, yet highly informative. :)

In anticipation of the movie, I got her a stuffed Piglet as well. She (obviously) brought both of them to the movie. A few days after the movie, Tigger was purchased as well. You're welcome, Disney Company.

Ruby wasn't quite sure what to think when the movie theater darkened and the previews started. We had to ask them to turn the volume down because most of the kiddos were holding their hands over their ears with panicked looks on their faces. Ruby kept asking if it was all done. She was ready to get the heck outta there. But once Winnie the Pooh started, she was enthralled. I'm sure that her big stack of pancakes had nothing to do with that either.....

Addie, Jack, and Carter were adorable - they were all dressed in red (just like Winnie the Pooh) and Addie had little bees on her dress. They were all SO good throughout the movie!

Ruby and Ella getting settled in their seats. Ruby wanted to make sure that Pooh was able to adequately see his own movie.

Ready to watch the movie!

Addie and Ruby after the movie

Hazel and Ruby playing on the steps in the theater

Ruby had a great time and has been asking when we can go back again! The movie was absolutely adorable - I wouldn't mind seeing it again! But next time, I think that Ruby will need an extra seat for all of the other stuffed animals that we will have purchased by then....

Ruby's First Haircut!

2011-07-25T14:56:00.000-07:00

If you're a new reader to my blog, let me just say that my kid has curls. Crazy, soft, gorgeous, dreamy curls. That have never been cut in her 2-1/2 years of life. Until now.......

I've been reading a lot about the best products to use on her hair, the best tips and tricks to keep her hair looking amazing with her ringlets and not like she just stuck her finger in a light socket (speaking from experience, this is a very, very fine line). A recurring theme was that every mom said that they swore by regular haircuts. Not just a quick chop from one of the kid cut places on the corner, but they specifically recommended Aveda stylists that specialized in curly hair.

Well, Ruby hit the jackpot by having me as a mom. I was able to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak, because I also use an Aveda stylist that specializes in curly hair. So we went in last Friday for our appointments.

I got my hair cut first, while Nana and Ruby toured the salon and surrounding shops in the West 7th area. When it was Ruby's turn, she was none too pleased.

"NOOOOOO MOMMY! IT'S GOING TO HURT!!!!!! PWEEEESE NO!!!!"

Lauren, the stylist, was incredibly great with her and showed her with one quick snip that there wasn't any pain associated with it.

"See - did that hurt?" "Hmmmm........nope!"

With that, we were off and running with her haircut. She just got a quick trim to even out her ends (we haven't even remotely begun thinking about the concept of layers at this point - her hair is naturally layered pretty well right now).

She was all smiles after she was finished and made a point to turn in circles for everyone to see her new 'do. She's asked me a few times since then when her next haircut will be.

Success!!!

Girl's Trip

2011-07-19T05:55:00.000-07:00

I just got home from one of my very favorite annual traditions - the Girl's Trip! There's really nothing like having the opportunity to get away from your day-to-day life, being around the people who always make you laugh so hard that you cry, and stocking up on some much-needed R&R.

The girls that I'm talking about are some of my best friends in the whole world. I love these girls to the moon and back. I have been friends with most of them since fourth-grade, with a few of the girls joining our group along the way. Even though we might not always have the opportunity to talk to each other on a weekly basis, when we do talk it is easy to pick up right where we left off.

We met at my house and loaded up my car on Friday afternoon. We were a car full of moms (5 moms with 8 kids between us and 2 more on the way!) leaving all of our cares behind. I had considered making a play list for the drive to Austin, but who was I kidding - we were going to be talking the whole time! We put on Willie Nelson playing in the background and hit the road.

We drove down to Austin to visit Allie and see her new (gorgeous) home. Allie was the most gracious hostess - ready with glasses of wine, snacks, and hugs for us all. Saturday was spent at Barton Creek Spa - getting massages, spending time in the steam room and sauna, resting in the tranquility room (note to self - I need my own tranquility room), and getting cabana service pool-side. Pure heaven.

After our afternoon naps, we went to dinner at a great little Mexican place on Lake Austin and then headed back to Allie's, where we ate birthday cake to celebrate Lindsay's upcoming birthday and watched episodes of that show about gypsy weddings (seriously, that sub-culture is just fascinating. I decided that if I ever get married again, I want a gypsy wedding - ha ha).

Sunday morning brunch was followed by goodbye tears and hugs, then the long drive back home. We were all anxious to see our sweet babies, but sad that the weekend had to end so quickly.

I hope that one day Ruby has a group of girlfriends like this. Girls that will make her laugh till her belly hurts, hold her hand while she ugly-cries, encourage her to be a better person, teach her new things, celebrate her accomplishments, pray with her, and make special memories like this. These girls are true blessings.

Concerts in the Gardens

2011-06-28T08:03:00.001-07:00

Every summer I am finding myself becoming more and more thankful for things in my life. I've mentioned it before, but I am beyond thankful for my amazing friends. I am so thankful to live in such a fantastic city that has so many fantastic cultural events and that we live in a neighborhood that is almost walking-distance to the majority of them. And air-conditioning....I am thankful for air-conditioners......holy Texas heat.
Our dear friend Kayleb recently accepted a position with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, so we have gotten the opportunity to attend a few Concerts in the Gardens performances, which are held at the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens. It's always been a favorite summer-time activity for me and I was excited to get to share it with Ruby. Ruby, Me, and Kayleb at the Old 97's Concert - super excited that Kayleb was able to join us for the performance!

Saying that Ruby "loved" Concerts in the Gardens would be a drastic understatement. That is all this girl has talked about for the past several weeks. Most of our conversations go something like this:

"Mommy, remember the concert with all the muuuuusic.......and all the laaaasers.........and all the coloooorrrrrs.......and all our friennnnds.........AND THE FIREWORKS?!?!?!?!"

"Yes, Ruby, that was so much fun, wasn't it?"

"Mommy, it was so fun and so beautiful and so music-y. Can we go again tonight?"

Dancing the Night Away

Ruby has attended two performances this year - the first one was the music of John Williams (i.e. Star Wars, Harry Potter, etc)performed by the FWSO, and the second one was the Old 97's Concert. For each of them we had a VIP Table and valet parking (thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou Kayleb!). Ruby loved both of them, but really had a ball during the symphony performance. She was imitating the conductor - and had everyone near us cracking up! The girl has got some rhythm!!!

Future musical prodigy? Most likely.....

With Tom, who is totally normal, I promise.

Ruby, Me, and LeeAnne ("Lee-Lee")

Silly Ruby, sippy-cups are not for Cabernet!

We had such a great time! Hoping that we will be able to fit in a few more concerts before the season is over! Fireworks during the finale

Mini Summer Vacay

2011-06-15T09:44:00.000-07:00

Visiting family on vacation is always so much fun! We just got back from an extended weekend in New Mexico. Land of Enchantment. And just for clarification, "Enchantment" is clearly synonymous with "dusty" "drought" "dry"....well, you get the idea. The poor state hasn't seen a drop of rain in over a year. Fires all over the place. I was shocked that I hadn't heard about the drought and/or the fires on the news - and then I remembered that I don't watch the news anymore......

Thankfully, most of the places that we went in New Mexico were just as beautiful and special as I remembered. My family would summer in Ruidoso every year, so I've spent many a school-free day swimming, hiking, horseback riding, picnicing, and frolicking in the mountains and deserts of New Mexico. I was beyond excited to take Ruby back to where I had made so many fun memories.

We started the trip on Thursday evening after I got off of work, and we drove to Artesia where my Aunt and Uncle live. Driving at night with a toddler was genius. The little angel slept the whole way. Score one for me. And then the next morning at 5:47am, Ruby woke up well-rested and excited to take on the day! "Let's go exploring! I want a banana! I want to watch Dora! No, Little Einsteins! I don't want the banana any more! Raisins! I want Raisins! Why are you sleepy, mommy?!?!?!" Score one for Ruby.

After a pot and a half of coffee, we drove to Alamogordo, where my Granny lives. Granny's house is one of my favorite places. First of all, Granny is probably the nicest, sweetest, kindest, most loving women in the entire world. She gives the best hugs, and is always SO EXCITED to see you (even when you're shaking from the caffiene high you've been on all morning and your bladder is about to explode because you didn't stop after the 1.5 pots of coffee).

SUPER GRANNY!

We swam at her community pool for a while in the afternoon. I'm not sure how it's possible, but that pool has been shrinking over the years. It was HUGE when I was 5. Pretty big when I was 10. Good sized when I was 15. And a whole heck of a lot smaller now that I've had the 3rd anniversary of my 28th birthday. But it was just as fun as I remember. And I'm pretty sure that it was huge to Ruby.

After a long nap with Ruby (thank you, sweet baby Jesus), we loaded up the family, grabbed a picnic, and headed out to White Sands National Park. If you've never heard of White Sands before, you need to google it now. I'll wait.... This place is so fantastic! I remember always having picnics out in the dunes, burying each other in the sand, looking at the stars and the full moon. It truly is breathtaking.

The next day, we drove up to the mountains of Ruidoso. We visited some old friends and more family, did a bit of shopping, and ate lunch at one of our old favorite restaurants.
Later in the evening, we went to a wedding reception for a dear friend. The reception was held at her parent's mountain ranch and was just beautiful. During the summers when I was little, I spent so much time there that I practically felt like that was my second home. She and her little brother would take me out to play in the creek and pick fresh mint (where I would be terrified of the possibility of seeing a snake), teach me how to jump horses (where I fell off and sprained my wrist), roast marshmellows on a campfire at night (where I was thisclose to being abducted by the ghosts on the ranch). Those two were a lot tougher than I was. But we had a great time and made some great memories. Now we're all grown up. I was happy that Ruby got to play in the same creek that I did (until I remembered the snakes), and she picked some fresh mint for me. I think she liked it just as much as I did.
The next morning we had a breakfast picnic out at White Sands, per Ruby's request. It is amazing how HOT it gets during the day, but how cold it gets at night. The air was already starting to heat up, but the sand was still nice and cool. Ruby had such a great time playing.

That afternoon started our long trek back to Home Sweet Home. Overnight spent at Aunt & Uncle's, then on the road again in the morning. It was a terribly long drive, but the vacation and time spent with family was worth every second. I wish we could get up there more often....

Fun day at the zoo!

2011-05-16T09:59:00.000-07:00

On Saturday morning, bright and early (had to beat the crowds), Ruby and I loaded up and went down the street to the Fort Worth Zoo. We are so incredibly lucky to have such an amazing zoo close to our neighborhood!

Ruby absolutely adores the zoo and this Saturday was no different. She had a perma-smile on her face the whole day - well, until it was time to say "bye-bye" to the zoo and ooohhh, those tears were real.

She's already talking about our next trip, which she had mentally scheduled for today. She was none-too-pleased when she realized that I was off to work instead. It looks like a season pass is a purchase that will be in my immediate future. Ruby and the Meerkats. She kept asking where Diego was. Note to self: don't let Ruby watch quite so much tv.

Ruby explaining to me which giraffes were the mama ones and which giraffes were the baby ones. She's quite the subject-matter-expert.

Ruby and the "ew-wa-pant"

Ruby loved watching the jaguar. She made me take about 10 pictures with her and the jaguar. And she screamed "Mrow Mrow!" at it the entire time.

At one point, I believe near the hippos, Ruby was so incredibly excited that she broke out into a spontaneous dance.

Outside the Museum of Living Art (MOLA). Such a cool exhibit. I knew this could've gone one of two ways. Either Ruby would leave crying and terrified after seeing the animals and bugs inside, or I would.....

Ruby was quite impressed with the big "croc-e-dyle". But more impressed with the turtles. She asked if I would let her get in there to hug the turtles. Nope, sorry kiddo.

She makes my heart so happy.

Arm's Length

2011-05-02T20:05:00.001-07:00

*Deep breath*

I feel like I need to give an apology to pretty much everyone that I know. I've recently realized that I've purposfully been distancing myself from you. Family, friends, coworkers, acquaintances. And I'm not sure why, which is the most frustrating part.

I've been keeping people at an arm's length from me. When I feel like someone is getting close, I back further away. I make excuses a lot about why I can't do something or why I can't talk.

Granted, a lot of the time the excuses are valid. Keeping a 2.5 year old from destroying my home can be a full-time job sometimes. As angelic as she looks, I'm pretty sure that Ruby-issued-destruction wouldn't be considered an "Act of God" by my insurance company....

Other times I rationalize the fact that I rarely return phone calls by thinking "Oh, I have to pay some bills," "I'd really like to listen to this thing on the radio," or "This laundry isn't going to do itself."

When I do actually talk to my friends or spend time with them, I try incredibly hard for that to be "quality" time. But I've noticed that I tend to guide the conversations towards relatively neutral topics like what our kids have been up to, how work is going, and if they watched Glee last week because OMGmyDVRhatesme&didn'trecordthewholething.

But some of my close friends - the ones who feel like they're the other half of me - notice that I'm pulling away and call me out on it. I get all defensive and inevitably end up asking what their plans are for the upcoming weekend, or something along those lines. Deflection.

Even though I feel like I'm running a zillion miles an hour when I'm with Ruby (clean, play, clean, cook, play, clean, diapers, sing, clean, eat, dance, clean, etc.) - that's really the only time that I feel like I'm at peace. When things get quiet - when she's fallen asleep for the night - that's when I start to feel panicky.

If you know me, you know that I'm a very scientifically-minded person. Everything can be explained, one way or the other. Which is why this has been bothering me so much. I can not, for the life of me, figure out why I am pulling away and why I feel so unsettled.

Maybe it's because if I keep everyone at a safe distance, there's a less likely chance that I'll get hurt. Again. Who knows. It's probably some sort of defense mechanism that would make sense if I had time to read some self-help book about it. But y'all....I'm so excited when I have time to do something like even take a shower, books aren't even on my radar.

So, for whatever reason, I'm sorry if I've made you feel like I don't care or I don't want to spend time with you. I do want to spend time with you and I do care. A lot.

A friend from college, I literally haven't seen her since then, told me last weekend that she reads my blog because I inspire her. That floored me. I feel so incredibly honored that I've inspired even one person out there to be a better parent.

Ruby is my happy-place - the thing that makes me want to be a better person. She is my inspiration. If you have kids in your life, I can only pray that they are your inspiration as well. There's not a whole lot better in the world than banana-and-milk-scented kisses as you're walking out the door to go to work to give you motivation to do what you have to do.

I hope that some day she can see me as the role-model that I want to be. I want her to see me as a strong, independent, successful, loving, faithful woman. But I'm scared that I'll teach her to guard her heart too much. I'm scared that she won't be willing to take those necessary risks in life.

Maybe it is time for change......

Bluebonnets

2011-04-19T18:00:00.001-07:00

Grandpa took these pictures on a beautiful spring day in Texas. They make me smile.

Wheeeeee!!!!!

Springtime in Texas

2011-04-07T07:26:00.001-07:00

I took Ruby to the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens the other day with one of my best friends, Tom, who is a really fantastic photographer and also a dancer with Texas Ballet Theater. He took some great pictures of Ruby enjoying the beautiful weather.

I love this sweet girl more than anything.

The weather has been beautiful, so we will enjoy our spring by walking to the park in our neighborhood, grilling for dinner just about every night, shopping at the farmers market and pretty much spending every minute of daylight outside. We hope that you have a fantastic spring too!

Time makes you bolder...

2011-04-07T07:01:00.000-07:00

Today is my 2-year anti-versary. This one kind of snuck up on me, unlike the last one. I've decided that I'm going to celebrate rather than mourn. We shall see how that works out throughout the day. This past year has been solely focused on me and Ruby. I chose to remove all of the other accoutrement that had been cluttering up my life. And it has been glorious.

I have officially been on zero dates in the past year. Zilch. Nada. And I couldn't be happier about it. This has given me time to strengthen relationships with my friends, rebuild my damaged self-esteem, and spend every waking minute that I'm not at work with my little munchkin. You know what? I really like my life just the way that it is. I get an entire closet to myself - how could this possibly be bad? I don't anticipate this situation changing any time soon. Like they always say, if it ain't broke.....

Ruby has grown up so much in the past year - she's now using words like "treacherous," "constellation," and "dramatic," which is pretty hysterical to hear coming out of a 2-year old's mouth. She keeps getting cuter every day. Seriously - I don't know how it is possible. The best part about it (selfishly, I'll admit), is that I don't have to share my time with her. It's all mine. I love it. We make quite the little team.

In the past year, I was laid off from a job that I loved and was incredibly passionate about. It was sad on both sides, but a business decision is a business decision. The biggest blessing was that I found a new position that happens to be much closer to home with an animal health company. It is working out really well and I'm enjoying learning about a different side of the industry.

I've grown tremendously in my faith over the past year. It's amazing what God can do in your life if you just let him. I realized that he probably had a better idea of how everything was supposed to work out than I did, so I quit trying so hard and focused more on praying. That was a good decision.

So, although this past year wasn't quite the dramatic roller-coaster that the previous ones had been, it was perfect. Sure, it had challenges, because come on - this is life. But the challenges were easy to take on with Ruby's hand in mine. I am so proud of how strong and confident that I have become - and Ruby is a lucky girl to have a super-woman as a mommy.

After writing this post, I've decided that today isn't my anti-versary. Today is the 2-year anniversary of the purchase of my sweet little home and the 2-year anniversary of the start of my life.

Watch me prove you wrong.

2011-03-22T08:03:00.000-07:00

"Most single moms are very poor, uneducated, can’t get a job and if it weren’t for government assistance, their kids would be starving to death and never have health care."

This is just one of many quotes regarding single mothers that have come out in the media lately. This particular one is from the politician, Mike Huckabee. I'm not offended because I'm not naive - I do understand and am fully aware that there are single mothers in this world that fit that discription. But there are also single fathers that fall into that category, as well as married couples.

Stereotypes are always frustrating - but they are, and will continue to be, a part of life. The only thing that I can do that is within my control is to be the exception. Everyone can sit back and watch me prove them wrong.

I'm not going to post my resume up here and brag about my professional accomplishments. I'm not going to talk about my education, my salary, or my career.

Instead, I'll show you this.

See that on her little face? That's pride. This was after we finished eating a healthy, homemade dinner together. Ruby had just finished planting her little basil plant. She did it all by herself. She picked out the seeds, watered the soil very carefully, showed me where to set her pot on the window sill, and then explained to me that if she watered it and loved it enough it would grow up to be big and tall like Ruby.

I'm a working single mom. I'm nowhere near perfect. But Ruby gives me the motivation every day to try to get there.

If you know someone who is a single parent, drop them a word of encouragement every now and then. It gets tough and lonely and overwhelming sometimes, and it can be encouraging to know that the entire world isn't just sitting around waiting for you to fail.

But don't EVER suggest that we can't do something. Because then you'll have to sit back and wait while we prove you wrong.

One of my favorite nights

2011-03-17T06:49:00.000-07:00

I'm back! Save your lectures, I know that I've been a terrible blogger. I've been trying to get into the swing of things with my new job where I'm actually in an office all day long, five days a week. This "single-working-mother" thing is hard, y'all.

So I don't really have too terribly much to update. Other than the fact that my daughter could not possibly be any cuter. I realize that there may be a fair amount of bias on my opinion, but I submit the following evidence. You go ahead and tell me you don't agree. Go ahead and try.

Last night was one of the very best nights that Ruby and I have ever had. She was still napping when I got home from work, so I quickly got dinner in the oven and paid some bills before she woke up (in other breaking news, I have not yet won the lottery). When Ruby typically wakes up from her nap, her mood will either go towards one extreme or the other. She will either wake up with her little halo and angel wings on, or she will have sprouted horns and a forked tail - she's lucky she's cute.... Yesterday was definitely the halo and angel wings.

So after about 30-minutes of Ruby announcing that she would give me the "best hug EVER" followed by the best hug ever, and the "best kiss EVER" followed by the best kiss ever, we ate dinner. She can sometimes be a bit of a drama queen when eating - if she doesn't want to eat a bite of something, she'll put the back of her hand on her forehead and turn away. This little one can be stubborn. No idea where she got that....... Anyway, last night she used her manners and said "No, thank you" when she didn't want a bite. Manners! From a 2-year old! :)

After dinner we walked up to the ice cream shop on the corner since she had definitely earned this treat from her good behavior. We played in their courtyard and Ruby enjoyed her lemon frozen custard. It was a beautiful evening and we were both so happy.

The rest of the night was uneventful, but was still just as fun. Bathtime, followed by books, snuggles, and finally bedtime. How did I get so lucky?

Happy Second Birthday, Ruby!

2011-01-11T17:59:00.001-08:00

We had Ruby's Second Birthday party last weekend at our house! I do realize that it was a couple of weeks after her actual birthday, but just like last year it worked out better logistically to have her celebration the second weekend of January. In fact, I'm thinking that this might become a regular thing (until Ruby decides she has an issue with it), so if you're on her invite list pencil in next year's date!

The day was pretty much perfect. One of Ruby's very favorite things right now is to have tea parties with me, Nana, Grandpa, Dora, Ethel (her favorite doll), teddy bears, Elmo, etc. - really anyone or anything that happens to be around. So what better way to celebrate her turning two years old than to throw her a tea party!

We served proper tea sandwiches (and a selection of PB&J sandwiches for the kids with a slightly less refined palate), a fruit and cheese tray, a breakfast strata, and pink cupcakes, almond tea and pink raspberry lemonade. We displayed all of Ruby's tea sets and had the kid-friendly ones easily accessible.

Ruby had over 30 friends come to her party! My little house was filled to the brim with kids and smiles. It was so wonderful to have so many of my dear friends there, and a lot of them came with their darling kids. Ruby was extremely excited to play with Addie, Jack, and Carter (the triplets), Hazel, Ella, Caroline, Elizabeth, Vivienne, Braden, Trevor, and to meet little Tinsley. Ruby seemed to be a very gratious hostess and was running from room to room to check on everyone and make sure that they were playing well together.

Nana, Mommy, and the Birthday Girl

She didn't seem to eager to smile for Grandpa's camera that day, but rest assured that she was beside herself with happiness!

Mommy and Bee.

Birthday cupcake

(my tradition for Ruby is to get her a cupcake from the Cupcake Cottage down the street. It was strawberry, and she loved it!)

SOOOOO Excited about the dress she picked out for herself! She had been carrying it around with her for the entire week prior to her party.

Happy Birthday, sweet girl. I love you more than rainbows! I'm so excited to see what Year 2 has in store for us, and what exciting things that we can teach each other.

XOXO-

Mommy

Nutcracker Party

2010-12-12T15:29:00.000-08:00

This year I was lucky enough to be able to take Ruby to Texas Ballet Theater's Children's Nutcracker Party. "Magical" doesn't even begin to describe the day!!!

The luncheon was complete with tables overflowing with candy, characters from the Nutcracker talking and dancing with the kids, a fabulous lunch (with a kid-friendly version of it for Ruby), and live music. She made some great new friends and got to have her picture taken with the Sugar Plum Fairy!

After the party, we went over to Bass Hall for the performance of the Nutcracker. I was a bit nervous about Ruby attending her first ballet performance, so I made sure that we were seated near a door and on the aisle. We had fabulous seats in a box on the orchestra level and it was the perfect location in case I had to rush a talkative toddler out the door. Much to my delight, Ruby slept in my arms through the first act. During intermission she woke up and made friends with all of the ushers in the area. I was keeping my fingers crossed for an uneventful second act as well. I couldn't have been more proud of her! She stayed awake through the whole act, snuggled up in my arms, and would occasionally point to the dancers and gasp, exclaim "wow!" or whisper "bow-a-weena". After the performance she got a lot of compliments on what a good little ballet patron she was!

Today was absolutely perfect. :)

Tis the Season!

2010-12-12T14:50:00.000-08:00

We are really getting into the Christmas mood! It seems like we're going to Christmas parties left and right, and are having SO much fun! Ruby is at such a fun age - she gets so excited when she sees Santa, or if there is a potential to see Santa somewhere. She's catching on to the Christmas songs and will start singing occasionally. She is really verbal - talks my ear off all day long and I love every second of it! I've made the majority of my Christmas presents this year, so I've been pretty busy the past couple of months. I never really thought of myself as "crafty", so we'll have to see how well they are recieved!

Here are a few pictures from a Christmas party benefiting SafeHaven charities at University Park Village. Ruby had a great time mingling and dancing, until the Santa Cow from Chick-fil-a showed up. She really doesn't like people in costumes, much like her mother.

(Santa Cow is directly behind us here, hence her terror)

I've also been volunteering as much as possible with Texas Ballet Theater - either with the Special Events director or with the box office. I enjoy my time so much when I'm helping them out. Here is a picture of the fabulous box office (me, Kayleb, & Lee Anne) from the Nutcracker performance the other evening.

Strength

2010-11-18T19:23:00.000-08:00

I've been really strengthened by two things lately, at a time in my life when strength is really needed.

The first thing that has given me strength and has blessed me in more ways than I can explain is my amazing Bible Study group. I have grown in my faith so much over the past few months and am so thankful of each of the amazing ladies in my group. One Bible verse in particular has really caught my attention and has impacted me tremendously.

"I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world." John 16:33

Seriously, how amazing is that?

The second thing that gives me more strength than I could've ever imagined is this little munchkin. She is so much fun to be with and I am so thankful that I'm getting to spend quality time with her right now. When she snuggles up to me or reaches for my hand, my heart almost bursts with love.

I know that things have been challenging in my life, but I honestly feel like the luckiest person in the world.

My Little Bee

2010-10-18T19:21:00.001-07:00

Up until recently, Ruby hasn't said her own name yet. I wasn't worried - she's been able to spell her name for a few months now so I knew it was only a matter of time until she picked it up. One night Ruby was admiring herself in the mirror, so I asked who that was. She pointed to me and said "Mama", so I pointed to her and said, "But who is that?" Her response....... "Bee". I was stumped for a moment until I figured it out. "Oooohhhhh, Ru-bee!" I thought it was adorable that she called herself Bee. It's a nickname that just might stick.

I've been debating what to dress Ruby as for Halloween (I'm enjoying one last year of getting to pick her costume myself). It just made sense - what better way to remember where she was developmentally at this time than to dress her as a bumble bee! I'll always remember the first name she gave herself when I look at these pictures. :)

Nana and Grandpa came with us to the pumpkin patch at the church down the street from my house to take pictures today. My dad, the amazing photographer, got some really cute ones! I'm sure that he'd kill me for posting his "non-post-processed" photos, but they were too cute and I just couldn't wait! I'll post his edited photos once he's finished with them. Ruby had such a blast at the pumpkin patch playing with the "punkins".

Here are a few of my favorites! Thanks Dad! You're the best Grandpa ever!

This one makes me laugh every time I see it!

I think that she was trying to flap her wings here.

Me, Bee, and beautiful Nana

Summer days drifting away...

2010-09-27T08:43:00.000-07:00

We've had such a fun summer! Every single day has been a new adventure with little Miss Ruby. I will admit though, I am SO excited that fall is finally here! This is my absolute favorite time of the year and I plan to enjoy as much of the wonderful weather outside with Ruby as possible.

I took Ruby to "A Day in the District" here in Ft. Worth - if you're not familiar with this, a lot of museums in the Cultural District offer free admission and several performing arts groups give free performances. We braved the torrential rain and started at the Modern. There, we saw a short performance by the Fort Worth Opera of Billy Goats Gruff - it was about a 30-minute opera that was geared towards kids. And I have news, Ruby loves the opera! She was enthralled the entire time watching the people sing and dance and also trying to imitate the pianist. After the opera performance, we headed over to the Fort Worth Science & History Museum (our second time to visit). Ruby had such a big time in the Children's Museum section. She spent over an hour in there, running around like crazy.

That afternoon, she and I snuggled up on my bed (while college football was on in the background) and took a two-hour nap. It. Was. Glorious. There's really nothing better than having Ruby snuggle up to me and hearing her sweet sigh. Loved it! That evening, Kayleb and I took Ruby on a walk to Curly's for ice cream. It was the perfect end to the perfect day.

I'm sure I've mentioned this a million times before, but I have the best friends ever! I was invited to the opening of Blue Sushi (it just opened up near Eddie V's) for a complementary multi-course dinner. It was soooooo yummy! I can't say enough great things about that restaurant. Delicious food, cool atmosphere, friendly staff, and it's just right down the street! It's very reasonably priced too, so I'll definitely be back! Here are a few pics with Kayleb, me, LeeAnne, and Tom.

Last night we took dinner over to Lindsay & Paul's. I told Ruby earlier in the day that we were going to have dinner with the triplets - to say that she was excited would be a drastic understatement. When she woke up from her nap, I heard her on the baby monitor jumping up and down in her crib saying "Addddddiiiieeee, Tartarrrrr, Dack! Yay! Fun! Yay!" (Addie, Carter, and Jack). She had a fun night playing with the babies - but they're almost not babies any more! Their 1-year birthday is coming up soon!!! They are doing so great and have the funniest little personalities. Ruby really enjoyed getting to share her food with the babies. She also had an absolute blast dancing with Linds - she's a pro at marching, clapping, and doing this funny little twist move.
Check out this hair!!!!

It's been a great week - looking forward to yet another one!

Fantastic Fort Worth!

2010-09-08T17:36:00.000-07:00

Ruby and I have been having such a great time together lately! She's getting to the point where she can communicate pretty well, so it's really fun to have a "conversation" about what she wants for a snack, which bow she wants to wear (and then promptly rip out of her hair), or why she prefers one blanket over another. She is the most affectionate child - always ready with a big hug or a kiss. I honestly love her more than I can explain!

We have been so lucky lately to get the opportunity to do some fun Fort Worth activites for free/very cheap. Ruby took her first trip to the zoo a few weekends ago! The Fort Worth Zoo is consistently rated as one of the best in the nation, and there's a really good reason for that - it is AMAZING! We lucked out and happened to go on the one day in August that it wasn't a zillion degrees. We got there right as the zoo opened and didn't have to fight any crowds. The monkeys, elephants, turtles, penguins, and kudu were a big hit with Ruby. She spent some of the time in her stroller and the rest of the time running around with her backpack on. Don't judge me when you see that her backpack is kind of just a glorified leash. You try being a single mom to an incredibly mobile (and fast) toddler who usually refuses to hold hands. I'd rather get a few sideways glances then have her running in to give the lion a hug.... :) Our visit lasted about 3 hours, but Ruby tuckered out right before we got to the MOLA (Museum of Living Art) exhibit. I happened to get a few cute pictures of our trip. It was such a fun morning to spend with my best friend. I'm definitely getting a membership next year and we're going to go all the time!

That evening I was invited to go to the Casa Manana's Annual Gala with one of my best friends, Kayleb. It was such a great evening with great friends complete with tons of laughter, fun cocktails, and lots of dancing. It was so fun to get an opportunity to get out of my pajamas for an evening and act like a civilized lady!

I took Ruby to the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History for the first time on Labor Day - it was the last day to see the DaVinci exhibit that was there and I haven't gotten an opportunity to go since they renovated the museum. WOW!!! It is such a fantastic museum that has such great exhibits for all ages! Ruby had a great time in the Children's Museum part (she looooooooved the bubble tubes), and my friend LeeAnne and I enjoyed literally every second from when we walked in the door. My inner nerd was entirely too excited!

Ruby would walk in front of the bubble tubes and touch each one and count (spelled the way she says them) "One, toooo, free, fou, five, stix!" and then on the way back would count "Uno, dauuus, taes, baa-bro, tin-to, steees!" As she was doing this, another little boy who was about a year older than her was repeatedly banging a wooden toy on his head - his father was looking back and forth between Ruby and his progeny with the most defeated look on his face. LeeAnne had perfect comedic timing, as always, and started to whisper in a sing-song voice "Our kid is smarter than your kid! Our kid is smarter than your kid!" Trying not to laugh out loud was pretty difficult. In all honesty, Ruby is pretty remarkable. She can count to 10 in English and Spanish (although she can't say "7" in either language), she can spell her name, and she knows all the colors of the rainbow and can say them in order without any prompting. Also, in the bathtub the other night, she said the majority of the alphabet without any help. She is SO stinking smart! I'm not trying to brag, I'm just absolutely amazed with this little girl.

My dad took some pretty amazing pictures of Ruby the other day. He is such a talented photographer! If you happen to go to the Texas Ballet Theater's production of Cinderella this year (which you definitely should - it will be phenominal!), you might see a familiar face on some of their marketing material!

Ruby has blessed me in so many ways. I am the luckiest person in the world to be her mommy. I love her with every fiber of my body and enjoy every single second that I get with her!

Much love-

Jaedeanne and Ruby

Slight resemblance?

2010-07-22T20:12:00.001-07:00

One of these pictures is from dinner at my parent's house last night. The other picture is from dinner at my parent's house in 1981. Hmmm.....

Summertime, and the living is easy...

2010-07-22T09:03:00.000-07:00

We had a fabulous weekend with our besties! I am so lucky to have stayed so close to my best friends from high school - Lindsay, Allie, Andrea, and Blair. They mean the world to me and I am so blessed to have such amazing ladies in my life! On Saturday afternoon we had a swim party at Sweet Blair's house. We had quite the full house - Blair, Jacob, and Miss Ella; Lindsay, Paul and the triplets; Andrea, Robbie, and baby Hazel; Allie and Elliott; and me and Sweet Ruby.

Ruby enjoying the beautiful view

Ruby LOVES swimming now! Lindsay helped ease her initial fears with some creative techniques that she and the triplets learned in their swim lessons. It also helped that we were in a beautiful saltwater pool with water that was about 85 degrees. We swam for about an hour and Ruby didn't want to get out! :)

Getting a group picture of this bunch is very similar to trying to herd cats. Ruby is absolutely terrified in this picture because of what you can't see behind me - all of the dads were jumping up and down, screaming "HEEEEYYY, LOOK OVER HERE!" "SAY CHEESE", etc. Not only is Ruby slightly frightened of men in the first place (not much exposure), she was probably wondering why they were all screaming at her. She quickly recovered from her trauma though and was happy like always.

In the photo, from left to right, Terrified Ruby, Terrified-by-proxy Hazel (in the blue), Addie the climber, Ella who was by far the best behaved, Precious Jack, and Carter the Flirt - yep, he's flirting with the girls over to the side of the room and can't be bothered with pictures.

Ruby and I got these cute Hawaiian outfits the last time that we were in Honolulu. They've gotten some good use this summer!

Aunt Allie holding Addie, me and Ruby. Addie & Ruby were matchy-matchy and it was adorable.

Ella giving Ruby a BIG hug!!! They were so sweet together!

Jack and Carter - love those big blue eyes! They're gonna break some hearts one day!

Beautiful Hazel - she is such a happy and sweet baby and always dressed to the nines!

Here's a fun video of Ruby walking in my shoes after I got back from work. She thought that she was hot stuff!!

Night-night, sweet angel.

2010-07-06T17:27:00.000-07:00

Ruby continues to amaze me every day - she is learning so much so quickly! She is so sweet when she's getting ready for bed. She insists on saying "ni-ni" or "bye-bye" to literally everything in the world before she goes to bed. She doesn't discriminate - she says it to me, all of her dolls, her shoes, her boo-boo's, her water, really everything that she can think of. Each night we say our nighttime prayers right before I put her in her crib. She's picked up on the words "Jesus" and "Amen" and frequently reminds me of both words during our prayers. The other night we had finished her prayers and I put her in her crib. Here's our conversation.

"Bye-bye Mama"

"Good night sweet baby, I love you"

"Ni-ni Desus"

"Oh, how sweet. Night night, Jesus."

"Bye-bye Amen"

"Hahahaha! Oh, so very thoughtful. Good night, Amen."

I snuck in the other morning and got a picture of her sleeping. This is her favorite position - arms tucked underneath her with her little tush up in the air. You can also see the back of her favorite doll - the Dora doll. She's officially obsessed.... I know it's not the best picture, I took it on my phone and then brightened it a lot so you could see her. She is just so sweet and so funny!

Dancing Queen......almost.

2010-06-18T16:04:00.001-07:00

Ruby looooooooves watching the Wonder Pets on TV. She loves the music, loves the duck, and loves to dance while she watches it. Here's a video from this afternoon (it's also proof of our first try with pigtails). Bless her heart, she just gets so excited that she can't hardly stand it! Oh, and the snort is coming from her. :)

Ruby also started music lessons this week! She's in a summer class at the Arlington Heights Music Academy and they meet once a week for 30 minutes. She loves it! They sign, dance, play the xylophones, the timpani drums, and the keyboard. My little musical prodigy.

I love this little stinker SO much!!

Quite the conversationalist

2010-06-13T16:57:00.000-07:00

Ruby and I had, what I believe to be, our very first conversation the other night! She had taken a bath and we were putting her into her pajamas, which were pajama pants with pink & blue hearts and a pink t-shirt with a bulldog on it wearing a princess crown. She absolutely loves that shirt (see previous posts about her love for dogs) and was a tad over-excited about her eveningwear.

Me: Ruby, what is on your shirt?

Ruby: *pause and look* DOG!!!!

Me: Good girl! What is on the dog's head?

Ruby: *pause and look* HAT!!!

Me: Very good! What color is the hat?

Ruby: *look again* PINK!!!

Me: You are so smart!! *begin to put her pajama bottoms on*

Ruby: Dog, eat?

Me: Your dog wants to eat? She's hungry?

Ruby: Yes.

Me: What does your dog want to eat?

Ruby: *thoughtful pause* Cheese.

Me: So, let me get this straight. The bulldog with the pink hat on your pajamas has let you know that she is hungry and would like some cheese?

Ruby: Yes.

She is so funny! And she is getting more and more opinionated each passing second. We also had our first fight the other day - it was regarding which bow she would wear to church. We had differing opinions, and I lost.....

I'm eagerly awaiting to see what else Ruby has to say!

Spring Catch-Up

2010-06-01T11:16:00.000-07:00

I know - I'm the worst blogger ever. Ruby and I have been so busy lately just living life! She's such a handful now and is officially opinionated. She has very strong opinions about the oddest things - she insists on selecting her bow each morning and actually does a pretty good job of matching to her outfit. She prefers mushrooms sauteed in butter and sherry as opposed to those sauteed in olive oil and garlic. She loves risotto but isn't crazy about couscous. She'll eat grilled asparagus like it's candy. And yes, several people have commented on the fact that it's weird that she likes these things, but I'm not complaining! She hates her swimming pool (see evidence below) but loves taking a bath and cries when bathtime is over. Her favorite color is now pink (shocking) and her favorite animal is still a duck. She is absolutely terrified of school busses and loves to have her back rubbed. It's so fun to discover her little quirks as her personality is really developing. We have so much fun together and she's still the funniest person that I know.

Ruby is getting really vocal and tells me stories all day long. I catch a word or two here and there, which is pretty amusing. She knows a lot of animal noises (meow, woof, quack, baaa) and some colors (pink, yellow, bue, and green). She can say the entire alphabet with you and is able to recognize about 10 letters on her own. I have an adorable video of her in the bathtub saying her ABC's, but I'm sure that if I posted it she would potentially kill me 20 years down the line when her boyfriend sees it. But take my word for it, she's got the hang of the whole alphabet thing.

Ruby has also begun to discover her artistic talents. We did a few of these original pieces of art for Mother's Day this year and Ruby had a ball. We also made a corresponding photo book to go with the painting for Nana - she loved it and shows it off to all of her friends! Here are a few fun ones.

It's getting way too hot, way too early here in Texas. As we will most likely be confined to the air-conditioned paradise of our home I should get better about updating the blog....but no promises!

Happy June!

Love,

Ruby & Jaedeanne

Making wishes...

2010-04-15T19:49:00.001-07:00

Anti-versary

2010-04-15T19:12:00.001-07:00

My one-year "Anti-versary" has come and gone. A year ago, I was given the unique opportunity to start my life over again. Thinking back, it was the most heartbreaking, painful, and scary situation that I've ever gone through. Everyone would say things to me like "What doesn't kill you will make you stronger", "You'll be so much better off...", and the one that I heard the most often was "I'm so sorry." I got so tired of hearing that - I know that everyone was trying to be nice and they didn't quite know what to say or what to do. It was awkward for everyone.

I was given an option. I could let my situation define me as a person. I could be known as the sad girl whose husband left when she was six months pregnant because he had an affair. How. Very. Sad.

I chose not to select that option. I picked myself up, broken and tear-stained, and forced myself to put one foot in front of the other. I know it sounds admirable, but really I just didn't know what else to do. I've always been a relatively "obedient" individual, so I just gave myself rules to follow. Get out of bed when the alarm clock goes off. Shower, get dressed, and put on makeup. Go to work. Fake a smile. No other options. Thankfully there was a little angel named Ruby who helped me get this accomplished as well. Ruby became the center of my universe. She was my happy-place. I know that I was being a good mom by comforting her and meeting all of her needs. But the thing about it is, she was the one who was unknowingly comforting me. I would nurse her and tell her how fabulous her life would be with me. After a while, I found myself starting to believe it. I officially had a new best friend.

I bought my perfect little dream house. All by myself. This house has become so special and important to me - it not only serves as proof of my independence and success, but it is a home for Ruby and me. It is a happy, warm, loving home where we are safe and we know that nothing that happens within these 4 walls will ever be more than either of us can handle together. Buying this home has also brought me closer to my family at a time in which we all needed it. My dad was battling Stage 3 cancer, and my mom was supporting everyone else around her emotionally and physically. God doesn't make mistakes. This situation brought us together and I'm now closer with my family than I've ever been before. Ruby certainly hasn't hurt the situation either - she's not only the center of my universe, but of my parents' as well. And I'm quite certain that she knows it. I have an incredible, yet challenging career, and I honestly enjoy every single day of it. I was able to re-prioritize, re-focus, and have enjoyed several professional "wins" along the way.

Life handed me lemons. I busted out the salt and tequila for a little while, enjoyed that, and am now savoring the most lovely lemonade ever.

So, you might ask, how is Jaedeanne different than she was a year ago? I am happy. Not fake-smile, periodically happy, but genuinely and truly happy with every aspect of my life. And I'm more proud of myself than I've ever been. I know what a strong, smart, independent woman that I am because I was able to prove it to my biggest doubter - myself.

However, I've recently noticed some other changes that aren't quite so conspicuous. I'm now a contingency planner. I can literally count on one hand the number of people that I trust. Not that I necessarially dis-trust others, just don't be offended if I have a contingency plan that involves you. I was in a situation where the one true, certain thing in my life blindsided me and then kicked me when I was down. Do that to me once, shame on you. Do that to me twice, shame on me. So now I contingency plan.

Yes, I've been on dates. I have found that I am now unable to hold hands and snuggle - it makes me feel too vulnerable. So now I'm thinking that I should stop considering having a boyfriend and start work on marketing proposals for a corporate sponsorship. That seems more my style right now. If you, or any corporations that you know are interested, please feel free to contact me directly.

Another thing that I've noticed is that I very rarely cry. The only thing that I can relate it to is a chef who is constantly cooking in the kitchen, burning his hand repeatedly, day after day, year after year. After a while it stops hurting and he eventually gets to a point where he doesn't even notice it. However, the one thing that will bring me to tears every time is if I really stop to think about and feel the love in my heart for Ruby. But they're happy love-y tears and I don't mind them at all.

But the biggest change in my life is that I'm probably one of the best moms in the universe. It coincidentally works out well because I have one of, if not the best daughter in the universe. God had good planning on this one. We're a great team. No one makes me smile bigger, laugh harder, hug longer, or try harder than she does. I said it earlier - she's my angel. I can't imagine my life without her and I am so incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to share this adventure with her.

So, happy Anti-versary to me! Jaedeanne, you're pretty incredible. Well done.

Spring is here!

2010-04-05T07:00:00.000-07:00

The last weekend in March we took Ruby to the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens to snap some pre-Easter pictures and so that Ruby could see the butterfly exhibit. She had such a great time! The gardens were absolutely beautiful and Ruby had a great time running around and making friends. We had a big group with us that day too - my granny was in town from New Mexico, and my aunt, uncle, and cousin were here from Oregon. Ruby had quite the entourage that afternoon!

I feel like I say this all of the time, but Ruby has quite the little personality. She is officially the funniest person that I know - her comedic timing is spot-on. She is learning a ton of new words every day and it's cute to see her point at something and say the word. She's getting good with her manners too - she will say "Thank You" every time you give her something! Such the little lady.

And yes, her hair is REALLY this curly! The back has a lot more curls than the top, but my mom says that is exactly how my hair was when I was little. Ruby is lucky that she has a pro on her team to teach her how to manage this mess. :)

The Triplet's Baptism

2010-03-14T13:38:00.000-07:00

Ruby and I attended the baptism of the triplets today! In the picture above, left to right (I'm pretty sure) is Jackson, Adelaide, and Carter. They were such sweet little angels all day long. After the ceremony, there was a reception over at Lindsay & Paul's house. Here are a few pictures from the party. It was great, as always! Check out their blog - the link is on my list - "Hat Trick". They are the sweetest babies ever and Ruby is so excited to have her three friends in the neighborhood! She also got to spend some time with Hazel, who is Andrea & Robbie's beautiful baby girl. Ruby had a ball at the party - talking to Norman (their pug), opening & closing doors over and over again, and doing whatever she needed to do to ensure that she was the center of attention. She is such a little ham!

The best friends I could ever ask for!

Ruby doing some Quality Control checks on the Trio's bouncy seats. She's such a good helper!

Mommy and Ruby - cute picture, but I didn't realize that her hand was down my shirt... Sorry! :)

Hazel, Ruby, and Addie - BFFs!

Winter Wonderland

2010-02-12T20:23:00.000-08:00

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably heard about the record-breaking 12 inches of snow that Fort Worth got a few days ago! We've been enjoying our winter wonderland from the cozy confines of our heated home. Ruby likes to look out the window and yell "No! No! No!" (she's not good with the S's just yet). My parents stopped by on Thursday afternoon and we bundled Ruby up and took her out in the backyard to play. I built her a mini-snowman, which she didn't enjoy nearly as much as I did. She loved the snow! Well, for about a minute and a half. Then she was done. I'm really happy because it sounds like the snow will stick around for a few more days - it is so beautiful and really makes me miss Colorado. We've been really lucky that our power has stayed on - the neighbors across the street have been without power now for a full day. Hope you love the picture of my little snowbunny as much as I do!

Ruby can read!!!

2010-02-09T19:30:00.000-08:00

It's official - I have a genious baby. At 13.5 months old, she can read. Well, we haven't exactly gotten into War & Peace or anything just yet, but she's completely getting the hang of the Baby Einstien Alphabet books. There is one board book for each letter of the alphabet (see the previous video of how much she loves the letter D) - I highly recommend them to any parents out there. She's to the point where when I hold a book up, she says the letter! She doesn't have all of them down yet, which may be a function of how tricky some of them are (W doesn't exactly roll off of the tongue), but she can say about 12 letters so far including A, C, D, E, G, I, J, and O. When we read the T book, there is a page for "toothbrush". Yesterday I turned to that page and didn't read it out loud to her. She looked at the word and then reached for her toothbrush! She can also recognize the words for clock and banana. Genious baby.

Ruby can run now, which may be one of the cutest things ever. She's not the most graceful little thing just yet, but it is darn cute. Her hair has also really decided to grow in the past few weeks. It's straight as a board on the top, but curls in the back. My mom said that my hair was like that as a baby too, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that she gets my curls!

Well, I'm reluctantly posting some new pictures. They were all taken with my iPhone, so they're not quite "professional" quality... You can still see how stinking cute she is though!She's entirely too cool in her sunglasses. She loooooves wearing them, but stumbles around like crazy when she has them on.

Sorry for the lack of make-up. Ruby and I were matching in this picture, so I thought it was cute. :) Just look at the one on the left!

Ruby is ONE!!!

2010-01-18T09:16:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday, sweet baby!

Ruby turned one on December 22. We had a fun birthday party out at Nana and Grandpa's house that evening for all of Ruby's weekday friends - she and Nana have quite the busy social schedule during the week. Ruby had a ball and enjoyed her cupcake!

I had my birthday party for Ruby on January 9th - we wanted to wait until after the holidays were over. It was such a perfect day! Ruby was a little smiley angel and had so much fun playing with all of her friends. I think that I learned the physical capacity of my house - we were crammed in there! It meant the world to me that so many of my friends were able to make it to Ruby's party. I can't believe how lucky that I am to have such amazing friends.

My best friends surprised me that night with a birthday party to celebrate my 30th! We went to Times Ten Cellars in Ft. Worth. I was SO surprised and so happy to get to spend some more time with my friends! I love you girls so much! Thank you for making my day perfect

Ruby's Second Christmas

2010-01-18T09:10:00.001-08:00

This was Ruby's second Christmas (officially), however, this is the first one that she's actually been able to enjoy. I brought Ruby home from the hospital on Christmas Eve last year, so she was much more concerned with the eat/sleep/poop routine at that time than the Christmas festivities. Ruby had a ball this year! She was such a good girl with the Christmas decorations and loved to look at our tree. Yes, all of the gifts under the tree are for her. No, she's not spoiled at alllllll! :) We had Christmas Eve at my house, and then spent Christmas day out at my parent's house (after the roads cleared). Ruby got to experience her first White Christmas! I hope that she doesn't begin to think that every year will meet her expectations for one....we do live in Texas, after all. She was fascinated by the snow and spent a lot of time looking out the front window at the winter wonderland. Granny was also here for Christmas, so Ruby had a great time playing with her. No one reads books quite as well as Granny does - I even found myself getting into the plot of "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See" when she read it. We got another special 4-generation picture together. It was such a special holiday and it was so wonderful to spend such good quality time with my family. I am so very blessed! Hope that you enjoy some of our pictures. Counting down the days till next Christmas!

Ruby's first time to visit Santa!

2009-12-16T19:22:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend, we took Ruby to Sundance Square in downtown Fort Worth to visit Santa! I was a little nervous about how she would react - she's always been so good with strangers, but lately has been getting a bit skeptical of them. We bundled her up over her little Christmas dress because it was a bit chilly. Luckily, there wasn't too much of a line. Finally, it was Ruby's turn to sit on Santa's lap!

Checking out the jolly old man....

Nope, we're done.

But her mood quickly turned around once she realized that Grandpa was taking pictures. She's such a ham!

It's Christmas Time!

2009-12-06T10:26:00.001-08:00

I decorated the house for Christmas right before Thanksgiving. I just couldn't wait! Everything looks so festive and cozy, and Ruby just loves looking at the Christmas tree. So far, she's been really good about not touching it. I have a few strategically placed bells on the lower branches of the tree to give me a heads-up if there is a little elf in there.

This is what I love to see on her face - she's so happy all of the time! We sing Christmas songs when she's eating (I've found that the easiest way to get her to eat anything is to distract her with some animated songs - and no, I won't be posting video of that!). I can't wait until Christmas morning so that she can open her presents. I'm entirely aware that there's a likely chance that she won't want anything to do with the gifts themselves, but will be much more excited about the paper and the boxes. Whatever makes her happy!

Hope that everyone is having as much fun "fa-la-la"-ing as we are!

Ruby is walking!!!

2009-11-22T15:42:00.000-08:00

Today Ruby is 11-months old. Today is also the day that she officially turned into a "toddler"! That's right, she took her first wobbly steps today!

Ruby's beginning to go through a phase where she loves to share. If she is happy with something, she wants you to have it too. When we were playing in her room this afternoon she was holding one of her toys and she wanted to share it with me, so she just started walking towards me with it! I made her do it a few times before I grabbed the camera just to make sure that it wasn't a fluke.

Of course, I immediately started crying. I'm happy that she just accomplished another big milestone, but I'm sad that the time is going by so quickly. And maybe I'm a little bit nervous because chasing around someone on their feet sounds a little more challenging than chasing someone on their hands and knees.... Well, another adventure begins!

Happy 11-month birthday, princess. I love you more and more every day.

Little Miss Sassy Pants

2009-11-20T16:32:00.000-08:00

Ruby keeps getting cuter and smarter every day! She has a handful of words in her repertoire including: duck, dog, mama, grandpa, down, no, and baby. I think that she's a little too smart for her own good - she has figured out how to get into anything and everything around the house! I buy her all kinds of fun, educational toys and all that she wants to play with are my cell phone, the remote control, my laptop, and my toes....

I honestly have no idea where she gets this trait, but she is so stubborn and definitely is beginning to have her "diva" moments. No clue. 99% of the time she's the sweetest smiley little girl in the world. Then there's that 1% of the time when she doesn't get what she wants and everyone better watch out! She'll make herself cry so hard that she throws up. So essentially, she has us trained to give her exactly what she wants, when she wants it. Again, no earthly idea where that could've come from. ;)

Ruby has been sick the past week or so - she was diagnosed with viral pharyngitis, an upper respiratory infection, and a viral-associated rash. Not fun. She's a tough little baby though and has been smiling through the pain of her sore throat. Hopefully she's on the mend, but she'll still be contagious for a few more weeks. Which means that now me, my mom, and my dad all have the same bug. It's honestly the most helpless feeling to have a sick baby - I would do anything to make her feel better. Here's a picture of how we've been spending a lot of afternoons. Luckily she has been very snuggly lately.

Hope that you enjoy the cute videos of Ruby (please excuse the snotty nose, it's kind of a mainstay this week). We got her a set of alphabet books - her favorite is the letter D - watch her reaction to Page 2 - she does this every time and it never gets old. She spends hours each day reading with me and Nana.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving next week! Hopefully Ruby will be feeling well enough to enjoy some new menu items.

My little pumpkin

2009-10-25T12:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we took Ruby to a pumpkin patch at a church near my house. My dad took some really great pictures of her - he is such a great photographer! Ruby wasn't sure what to think when we set her down with all of the pumpkins at first. But being the little ham that she is, as soon as she realized that we were taking pictures she started flashing that grin like a pro. We are going to a Halloween party next weekend with some family friends, so I'll have more pictures then!

Ruby is doing great - she's 10 months old (I can't believe how quickly this year is going by!). She now has 8 teeth and is figuring out how to use them to her benefit. She can stand up by herself, but hasn't taken those first steps yet. She loves to push her little baby stroller around the house though - she'll go 90-mph with that thing until she runs into a wall or other obstacle.

She is still as sassy as ever. Now, the one thing that will make her cry is getting out of the bathtub. She looooooves taking a bath, and repeatedly says "duck duck duck duck duck". She's the sweetest baby in the world, and I am such a lucky mama!

In other big news, one of my best friends, Lindsay, had her triplets last week!!! Everyone is doing really great and I am so excited to meet Ruby's new BFFs. Check out her blog on the right side of my page - "Hat Trick".

Aloha from Ruby!

2009-09-15T07:28:00.000-07:00

Aloha everyone! We just got back from a 2-week visit to Honolulu! Before you get entirely jealous, I was there for work. However, we were there over the Labor Day weekend and had some time to do some fun stuff on the island! My mom and my Granny also came with us, so it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have 4 Generations in paradise!!! We had such a great time and 2 weeks seemed too short.

During the day while I was at work, Ruby hung out with Nana and Granny. They went shopping, walked along the beach, did some more shopping, napped a bit, and shopped some more.

After I was done with work for the day, we went to some great dinners. Some of our favorites were House Without a Key and Orchids at the Hotel Halekulani, Azure at the Royal Hawaiian, and Mariposa at Neiman Marcus.

September 5th was also my mom's birthday! We had a great day, filled with a visit to a Macadamia Nut Farm, a scenic drive on North Shore, playing for a few hours at the beach, lunch at Giovanni's Shrimp Shack, shopping at a craft fair, a tour of the Dole Pineapple plantation, and a celebratory dinner at Orchids and a relaxing walk on the beach. It was an eventful day and was so much fun. I am so blessed to have such an amazing mom - I wanted to show her how much that she was loved and appreciated. She was Queen for the Day! I even went as far as letting her control the A/C in the car - hahaha - so we all froze to death! Ruby is a very lucky girl to have such a wonderful Nana. Happy Birthday, Mom! We love you very much!

I can't believe what a difference a year makes. Reading my blog entry from a year ago, I am surprised how happy that I am today. I didn't believe anyone who told me that I would eventually be happy, but I'm glad to admit when I was wrong! Thanks to all of my amazing friends that have helped me through the past year.

I hope that you enjoy some of the fun pictures from our trip! Ruby is getting bigger and bigger every day. She's so funny - she's learned to play patty-cake (which involves a big grin and rubbing her hands together), and she's crawling about 90-mph. I think that she's minutes away from taking her first steps and you can tell that she wants to talk so badly! She's still such an angel - she was perfect on the 8-hour flights, she's still SO happy, and such a fun baby.

Little Miss Jet-Setter

2009-08-28T06:27:00.000-07:00

I just got back from a two-week trip to Madison, Wisconsin, for my work. Thankfully Ruby and my mom were able to travel with me! Madison is such a great town - the weather was absolutely gorgeous, the people are great, and there is so much to do. We had a really fun time while we were up there!

Ruby was a champ on the flights again. I am sooooooo thankful that she's a good baby on the plane. But I don't think I'm nearly as thankful as the people sitting around us! She got so many compliments on what a good baby she was - it made mama proud!

A little travel tip for any moms out there - if you're going somewhere for longer than a week, don't bring any toys! I know that sounds strange, but I have the best thing to do. We found a cute little resale shop up in Madison and worked with the manager. We explained our situation and he let us purchase enough toys for two weeks, then sell them back to him at the end of the trip. We shipped some of Ruby's favorites home, but sold most of the big stuff back. It worked out great! She had a TON of toys - our hotel room looked like a daycare! Saved a lot of $$ too compared to some of those toy rental services that you see on the internet.

While up in Madison, we spent a lot of time in the downtown area near our hotel and the capital and we spent a few evenings over at our friend Teresa's beautiful home. Ruby and Nana went to the Madison Zoo one day (Ruby was more interested in the other kids than anything else). On Saturday we were official Wisconsinites - we went to the amazing farmer's market on the square, ate fresh cheese curds and sweet corn, had lunch at State Street Brats, then ended the evening with some Spotted Cow (Wisconsin beer) and watched the Packer's game!

I haven't put our suitcases up yet because we are leaving on Tuesday for Honolulu for almost two weeks!! I am so excited about this trip - I can't wait to see Ruby at the beach. This will be the first time that I've ever had any free time while I am in Honolulu too, so it will be nice to get a day or two of rest & relaxation (or frenzied sight-seeing and shopping while wrangling a very mobile 8 month old....)

Which reminds me, Ruby now has 4 teeth - her two top ones came in last week. Good for her, bad for me - she drew blood the other day when she was nursing - ouch! She is on the move too - we can't keep up with her! If you set her down in one room and turn around to do something, she's gone by the time you turn back around. She's also learned how to wave at people which might be the cutest thing ever because she's actually just waving at herself. And the biggest news of all - she said "mama" for the first time!! It brought tears to my eyes and I was so happy that was her first word! I know that some people might think I'm crazy, but I swear her second word is "grandpa". You have to hear her say it - it is hysterical! It ends up coming out more like "bumpa", but it's her favorite word. She knows what she is saying too - she says it all the time around my dad or when we're talking to him on the phone. I have a genious baby. Very sweet!

Stay tuned for photos from our Honolulu trip - I need to clear off my memory card and charge my batteries because I know I'll go picture crazy!!

Seven Whole Months!

2009-07-27T07:25:00.001-07:00

Wow - seven months has flown by!!! I can't believe how big that Ruby is - I can honestly tell that she grows every day. To put it in perspective, here's a picture of her from the other day and one of her on the day that I brought her home from the hospital.

I bought her a "big-girl" carseat - a Britax Marathon. She's pretty much outgrown this one, so it's time to move on. Just in the nick of time too - carrying around her and the carseat has to be easily 50 lbs. Great for an upper-body workout, but it wears me out! I'm hoping that she likes her new one.

In other Big Ruby News, she has her first tooth! It came in yesterday - it's the bottom front left tooth. Her other front tooth should be coming in any day now too. I guess that I missed this in all of my reading, but I didn't realize how jagged baby teeth were. It's like I'm breastfeeding a shark. Not sure if you can see her new pearly white in this picture, but it's definitely there!

Ruby is getting the hang of baby food. She still hates squash, carrots, and rice cereal (with a passion). Oddly enough, the one food that she actually likes is prunes. Yuck - she can have them! :)

Here's a fun video of her crawling. She's still a little awkward at it, but she's getting the hang of it. I don't think it's possible for her to be any cuter!

Lazy Saturday Morning

2009-07-18T19:55:00.000-07:00

Here are a few fun pictures from our lazy Saturday morning.....if you call waking up at 6:00a.m. and entertaining/chasing after a 7-month old "lazy"!! I still have the happiest baby on the face of the earth. She's pretty much crawling now (however, she's still working on the forward-motion), and her two bottom teeth should be coming in any day now.

Ruby's First 4th of July!

2009-07-07T12:42:00.000-07:00

Ruby had a very fun 4th of July! We went over to Aunt Lindsay & Uncle Paul's house for a cookout. They live in our neighborhood and have the best yard for watching fireworks - we could see three really good shows from their front yard. Ruby had a blast spending time with everyone. She made a new best friend - Milton the Bulldog. She was hysterical with him - she was absolutely infatuated.

Ruby got to give the "Stretch Limo Stroller" a test for Aunt Lindsay - she's pregnant with TRIPLETS! Check out her blog - "Hat Trick" - the link is to the right. Ruby is very excited to meet her new friends.

Ruby also danced to some George Strait with Lindsay's dad, Doug. She didn't stop smiling all night long.

She loved the fireworks, but didn't last through the first show. She fell asleep in her carseat watching them. She wasn't scared of the loud noises at all!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Six month pedi appointment

2009-06-30T18:43:00.000-07:00

Ruby had her 6-month pediatrician appointment today, which meant more shots. Boo. I hate to see my baby girl cry, but at least thist time I cried less than she did. Her physical exam was perfect (as if we'd expect anything less). She's in the 55th percentile for head circumference, 75th percentile for weight, and 95th percentile for height!!! She's a tall girl!

What a month!

2009-06-30T07:07:00.000-07:00

It's been quite an eventful month for Ruby, who is now officially 6 months old! She's now sitting up on her own and is very close to crawling. Her favorite thing to do is bounce. And bounce. And bounce. And bounce. See video below to witness how dang happy my baby is - I wish I got that excited about anything!

Ruby not only started on rice cereal this month (yes, the look on her face is one of sheer terror)......

But she also had her first food! We tried squash for the first time on June 28th. She helped me pick out the exact one, we talked about it, and she was very excited about it! Yay Ruby! She's very proud of herself here.

But unfortunately she didn't like it either. I'm not sure if it's the taste, or just the fact that it's on a spoon. I've heard that we just have to be persistent, so squash it is until she gets the hang of it! In her defense, I tried a bite and I would've hated it too...

Ruby also took her first out-of-state trip! We went to Madison, Wisconsin, for a week for my work. My mom and Ruby came along and enjoyed the slightly cooler weather up north. It was Ruby's first time to fly and, I'm not going to lie, I was a bit nervous. I've heard such horror stories and I know that feeling of defeat when you realize that a mother with a small child is sitting next to you on the plane. I didn't want to be "that lady". Well, lucky for everyone, Ruby is a champion flier! I nursed her on take-off and landing, she slept most of the way, and was just smiling at everyone the rest of the time! She makes friends quite easily. In fact, on the flight home, a woman stopped us as we were boarding and said "Hi Ruby, have a good flight!" She was on our flight up to Madison and remembered Ruby! Everyone at the hotel in Madison just loved Ruby. She even got some gifts from the hotel management! Shameless plug - if you're ever in that part of Wisconsin, stay at the Concourse Hotel - it's wonderful! Here's a picture of Ruby and I at dinner at the Old Fashioned in Madison next to the capitol - and of course, we had to have fried cheese curds - yum!Ruby had a big play-date on that Friday morning too - she got to play with her new friends Emily, Zander (who was one week old!), and Oliver for the morning. Here's a cute picture of Ruby and Emme. I wish we lived closer together - Ruby had so much fun with her! Big thanks to Teresa and Kacey for baby-sitting her that morning, and congratulations to Kacey on her new baby boy!!

The worst blogger ever....

2009-05-30T06:39:00.000-07:00

After receiving numerous complaints and some downright threats for not updating my blog in over two months, here it is! I'm going to fit a lot in this post, so I hope it keeps you interested. Sorry to everyone who has been checking in on us only to be dissapointed that there wasn't an update. I promise that I'll start to do a better job again.

So much has happened in the past two months. We said goodbye to our house in Carrollton and moved into our new home in Fort Worth! My divorce was finalized in early April and I'm moving on with my life. I really don't remember the last time that I was this happy. Work is going great - I'm beginning to travel more and Ruby and my mom are my travelling entouage, so they go with me everywhere. I'm having such a fun time with Ruby, with my wonderful friends who have been there for me through everything, and with my new friends that I have made here in Fort Worth. I'm a very firm believer that everything happens for the best.

It's the sweetest home - it was built in 1926 but has been completely updated on the inside. It's the perfect house for me and Ruby - lots of character with hardwood floors and the sweetest nursery you've ever seen. It's a really great neighborhood and I just love all of my neighbors. If you're ever near the Arlington Heights area in Ft. Worth, stop by and visit us!
Ruby is doing really well - I can't believe how BIG she is getting! She is very sassy - she always crosses her little legs in her carseat and really only gets angry if you remove any accessories such as bows, etc. She is still just a rediculously happy baby. I think that she is starting to teethe so she slobbers like a bulldog right now. So she always has this big drooly grin on her face. She is the sweetest little girl and is my absolute best friend. We have so much fun together! I think that she'll be sitting up on her own any day now and she has started to roll over. She loves her exersaucer and can spend an entire teleconference in there, which is great when I get to work from home!

Like I said, I'll start to do a better job of updating our blog! Ruby and I love y'all!

Three whole months!

2009-03-23T18:58:00.001-07:00

Ruby is three months old! I can't believe how quickly the time has gone by. I started back to work last week - I cried the entire way to work last Monday. It broke my heart to leave my sweet sleeping baby. Thankfully I've been so busy trying to get caught back up that the days seem to go by quickly! Ruby has been having such a good time during the day with Nana. I am so thankful that she has been here to help me (and very appreciative of the packing that she's been doing)! Here are a few pictures of the sweet girl. She's still such a good baby - hardly ever cries, sleeps relatively well, and is always ready with a big gummy smile and a giggle.

Ruby's playdate

2009-03-13T21:00:00.000-07:00

We spent the rainy afternoon yesterday up at Jonnye Bower's house - we ordered Chinese delivery (Jonnye and I) and had a fun playdate (Ruby and Alina). If you remember, Alina was born within minutes of Ruby on December 22. Ruby's first-ever playdate was with Alina during her newborn photo shoot. It was great to get to sepnd time with Jonnye - I always leave so much more knowledgeable than I was before. My big take-home from this last visit was that everything isn't always life-or-death with your first born, contrary to the new mommy instincts. I had a great time, as always, and can't wait to do it again!

Here are a few fun pictures of Ruby and her friend Alina. So cute!! Any new moms out there, check out Jonnye's blog and website (link to the right of my page) - she's an amazing photographer and the sweetest person in the world!!

Other big news!!!

2009-03-07T07:48:00.001-08:00

We got an offer on our house! I couldn't be happier about the whole situation. The couple that is buying it is so sweet - they've been married 2 years and this is their first home. It's such a small world and it turns out that I met her mother at a church in the area last year! We're supposed to close on the house on April 6th.

Also, I put an offer on a house in Fort Worth yesterday too! Say some prayers for me - that the sellers accept an offer that I can live with! The house is soooo sweet - it's a bungalow-style home that was built in the 1920's, complete with hardwood floors and stained-glass windows. It has been completely renovated, so the kitchen has granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. I think it would be the perfect house. We will be so much closer to my parents and Damian's parents so that they can help with Ruby while I'm at work. It will be nice to get a fresh start for myself.

I don't know how I deserve to have such amazing friends. My roommate, Ashley, is going to be moving with me! She's one of the biggest blessings in my life and I'm literally in tears when I think about what a wonderful person and friend that she is.

Finally, I'll post and update and some more pictures!

2009-03-07T07:16:00.000-08:00

I know, I know. It's been entirely too long since I updated my blog! But in my defense, if given the opportunity of typing on a computer or spending time with sweet little Ruby, can you blame me?

So much has happened! We took Ruby for her 2-month pediatrician's appointment and shots at the end of February. One of the vaccines is oral, and due to her 'overly-sensitive gag reflex', she ended up throwing up all over one of the nurses. But she managed to keep most of the vaccine down, so that was the main point. Ruby is so sweet and trusting and innocent - she was smiling SO big at the nurse, she thought that she had made a new friend. When out of nowhere the nice nurse jabbed a needle in Ruby's thigh - the look on Ruby's face just broke my heart! She only cried for a minute though and was back to smiling in no time. Here are Ruby's 2-month stats:

Height - 24 inches (95th Percentile!!!)

Weight - 12 pounds 2.5 ounces (90th Percentile!!!)

Head Circumference - 39cm (60th Percentile)

She's still a tall baby!!! I've been saying that I can't believe how big she has gotten, but I really can't! At the time she was close to outgrowing her 3-month clothes!

Ruby's Baptism was the next weekend. It was a beautiful ceremony - she was baptized by Father Matthew at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Carrollton in a private ceremony after mass on February 22 (Ruby's 2-month birthday). Ruby has 7 Godparents! Grandpa (my dad) is our token Catholic Godparent, and the others are Allie & Elliott, Lindsay & Paul, and Andrea & Robbie. Ruby is going to be so very blessed to have these people in her life. I honestly don't think it's possible for a Grandpa to love his granddaughter more than my dad loves Ruby. Ruby's face lights up every time she sees him - it's so sweet. Allie has promised to teach Ruby about grace and to make sure that she is an accomplished dancer. Lindsay is responsible for Ruby's athletic development (if anyone knows where we can find a toddler-trailer for a bike, let me know!), and Andrea will make sure that Ruby has an incredible sense of style! Their respective husbands will prove to Ruby that there are good men in the world. Paul is already researching the tournament schedules for Ruby's golf career, and Elliott and Robbie will be able to teach her how to manage her finances, or at least her allowance. The preist kind of chuckled when he saw the group of Godparents heading up for the ceremony, but it was clear to everyone how special that Ruby was and how loved she is by everyone.

Here are a few more fun pictures. Daddy bought me and Ruby matching pajamas - they're just adorable! Ruby is growing like crazy! She still won't take a bottle (Little Miss Drama always gags and screams when we try to give her one). I go back to work in a week, so I'm sure that the first week back is going to be rough on poor Ruby - but probably even more rough on poor Nana who is going to be watching her!!! If anyone has any advice, please let me know! We've tried all of the typical "tricks" - having someone else give her the bottle when I'm not around, giving it to her when she's not fussy, we've tried 3 different types of bottles, etc. Nothing works. She's stubborn (I have absolutely no idea where she got that!).

Kisses from Ruby!

2009-02-15T12:48:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Here's a picture of my little sweetheart. Waking up on Valentine's Day knowing that I was loved absolutely unconditionally by someone was such a great feeling, and one that I haven't felt in a while. It's crazy how a little smile from this baby can completely melt your heart. We had a great day with the family - it's wonderful to spend the day with people that love you. We wanted to wish Gramps a Happy Birthday as well!

Ruby sends everyone big hugs and kisses!

Visiting Nana and Grandpa

2009-02-15T12:42:00.001-08:00

Last weekend we went out to Aledo to visit Nana and Grandpa. It was Ruby's first overnight-visit! I quickly realized that packing for me and a baby is not nearly as easy as it sounds. We had my car filled to the brim with swings, extra clothes, and anything else that we could possibly need. We had such a fun time!

Grandpa is really getting into photography and here are a few of the great pictures that he took of us.

Ruby is 6-weeks old!

2009-02-02T16:13:00.000-08:00

The time is flying by! I get sad when I think that my maternity leave is officially half-way over - it's going to kill me when I go back to work!

Ruby is growing so much - she's almost grown out of her Newborn outfits. She's really long! Since we officially made it 6-weeks, I tried to introduce the pacifier (all of the lactation consultants said that introducing it prior to that could cause "latch confusion"), and Ruby absolutely HATES it. I don't know yet if that's a good thing or a bad thing. This picture was taken in the 2-second window when she had it in her mouth right before she spit it out and screamed at me!

We're having so much fun together! I am so in love with this little girl.

Brunch with the Ladies

2009-01-23T12:04:00.000-08:00

Ruby and I had brunch with Aunt Lindsay, Aunt Allie, and Aunt Andrea (Ruby's Godmothers) at Breadwinner's in Uptown. We had a great day with the girls. They are some of the very best girlfriends I could ever ask for, and Ruby is so blessed to have such wonderful, beautiful, and strong role-models! I love you, ladies!!!

Here's Ruby with her Beautiful Godmothers.

"You have a baby....in a bar!" (they open up the Quarter Bar for overflow brunch seating). Ruby got hungry too!

One Whole Month!!

2009-01-23T11:53:00.000-08:00

Happy One-Month Birthday, Sweetpea!

Here's the Birthday Girl with mommy.

Birthday Kisses

Isn't she getting SO big!!!

No more pictures, please!

Having fun playing and listening to music.

Sleeping beauty - napping in mommy's bed.

Ruby co-hosts her first party!

2009-01-11T11:58:00.000-08:00

Ruby and I co-hosted an Engagement Shower for our friends Ethan & Ashley. It was an all-out Fiesta, complete with fajitas, margaritas, and lots of friends!

We had a great time and it was so fun to get to see everyone! Congratulations Ethan & Ashley! We can't wait until the big day!

Here we are with the beautiful bride-to-be.

Ruby's First Bath and First Walk

2009-01-11T10:12:00.000-08:00

Ruby's First Bath (her umbillical cord fell off on January 7th). We'll get the hang of this eventually!

We also took the first walk through our neighborhood! It was a beautiful day, but a little chilly, so Ruby was bundled up. Her pediatrician recommended getting her outside during the morning to get some light sun exposure in order to help regulate her sleep cycle. It seems to be helping a little bit so far! Here are a few pictures of Ruby and Mimi on our walk.

Ruby's 2-Week Doctor's Visit

2009-01-11T10:06:00.000-08:00

Last week we took Ruby to her 2-week Pediatrician appointment. Her Doctor, Dr. Yaeger, said that she is perfect!

Ruby weighed in at 8.0 pounds (almost a full pound of weight gain!) and she had grown 1.25 inches since her 2-day visit! She's a growing girl!

Here are a few pictures. I'm not too sure that she likes Dr. Yaeger - she cries louder at these visits than she does any other time. She also had to have another PKU test where they prick her heel to collect blood for testing. We were both crying during this one, but we lived through it. I'm sure it was much more traumatic on me than it was on her!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T15:43:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! Happy New Year! I'm really looking forward to this new year. As my mom has said - 2008 wasn't great, but 2009 will be just fine! I'm so excited about all of the fun adventures that Ruby and I will have together this year.

I wanted to share a few pictures with you from Ruby's newborn photo session. My friend Jonnye Bower is an AMAZING photographer (the link to her blog is over on the right side of this page). She did a newborn photo session for Ruby, and the pictures turned out beautifully.

It was also Ruby's very first play-date - Jonnye's little girl, Alina, was born 50 minutes before Ruby was!! We had to document the big occasion in pictures too. I think that they had fun (although they both slept through most of it).

Jonnye - thank you so very much, from the bottom of my heart. You are so amazingly talented and I'm honored to have you as a friend!

Ruby's First Christmas!

2008-12-28T13:59:00.000-08:00

Just a few days late, but here are some adorable pictures from Ruby's first Christmas. She had a fun day, starting with her first sponge bath (which she actually loved). We celebrated with my parents and my Granny who was visiting from New Mexico. It was a great day, and I couldn't have asked for a better Christmas gift than a happy, healthy, beautiful baby girl.

Ruby comes home

2008-12-27T11:32:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures from Christmas Eve - we got to bring Ruby home that day! I loved her little outfit, although it was a bit big on her still. She was great in the car - she was awake for a bit, then quickly dozed off. I've never been more paranoid during a car ride though - Damian, sorry for flipping out when you "changed lanes in an intersection". :)

We came home to a surprise too - Ruby's Aunt Lindsay, Uncle Paul, and Aunt Ashley had put up my Christmas tree and decorated it for baby Ruby's First Christmas. It was such a sweet and thoughtful gesture - I can't believe how blessed that I am to have such amazing friends.

I know I'm a bit behind with my posts - I'll catch up when Ruby's napping though. We have some cute ones from Christmas!!!

Happy Birthday Ruby!

2008-12-23T13:41:00.000-08:00

Ruby Catherine is finally here! She was born yesterday at 3:14 p.m., weighing in at 7 pounds 3 ounces and was 19.25 inches long. She and I are doing great and are getting to know each other, although I'm getting a good dose of sleep deprivation already! I'm probably a little biased, but I think that she's the most amazingly beautiful little girl in the world. She's passed all of her milestones with flying colors and all of the nurses up at the hospital just love her. She's really quiet (knock on wood) and is content just snuggling up in our arms and sleeping. Here are a few pictures from yesterday and today. Thanks for everyone's well wishes. We hope that you have a blessed Christmas - I know that I got the best Christmas present ever.

I'm going to be a mommy tomorrow!

2008-12-21T12:53:00.001-08:00

I really can't believe that it's here already! I'm going to be leaving in a few short hours to head to Dallas Presbyterian Hospital and I'll get to meet Ruby Catherine Shaver sometime tomorrow!! Hopefully I'll be hearing from Labor & Delivery in a short while and they'll tell me to head that direction. I'll keep the blog updated if anything changes though. My next post should be one with pictures of my beautiful baby girl though!!

Keep us in your prayers tonight and tomorrow. I keep telling myself that countless other women have actually lived through this whole childbirth process, so I probably have a fighting chance. I'm really nervous though! Wish me luck!!!

Ruby's Big Day is almost here!!!

2008-12-17T05:48:00.000-08:00

I had another appointment yesterday with Dr. Dully, and we've scheduled my induction!!! I will be checking into Dallas Presbyterian Hospital on Sunday night (yes, THIS Sunday), and will be induced on Monday, December 22nd! I can't believe that it is almost here!!!

Ruby was measuring at 40-weeks for her fundal height (she's been ahead of the curve for most of the time). I am 2 - 3 cm dilated and 25% effaced, so Dr. Dullye thinks that if I keep making progress that the induction should go well. She sent me in for another unscheduled sonogram to make sure that Ruby's abdominal measurements were closer to what they should be. If they weren't, she was going to schedule me for a "medically necessary" induction. But thankfully, she was right on target! They think that she's going to be about 7 pounds when she's born.

I am so nervous and scared, but really excited to finally get to meet her! It's nice to be able to see a light at the end of the tunnel. This pelvic pain has been really tough on me, not to mention having to go through all of this alone for the most part.

Ruby Catherine Shaver will be the best Christmas present that I could have ever asked for. She's going to be such a blessing and I know that she's going to bring so much joy into my life.

Keep us in your prayers on Monday!

A much-needed update!

2008-12-12T13:19:00.000-08:00

It seems like I haven't updated this in forever! Sorry for that - it's hard to keep me out of bed once I get home from work! Here's what's been going on the past few weeks.

We had what will probably be our last sonogram about a week and a half ago. Here's little Miss Ruby's most recent picture - she's still beautiful! Also, notice the whispy white marks around her head - that's her hair!! Fingers crossed that she has red curls!

She's very long and lean, from her measurements (one guess from where she gets this trait). At the time (36 weeks) she was measuring over 19 inches long and just over 5 pounds. The only measurement that they were concerned about was her abdominal measurement - they want to be sure that I'm still getting enough calories during the day. They said that at the rate that she is growing, she'll be about 7.5 pounds if she goes full-term.

The next week (37 weeks) I had my first cervical check. I was already 2 cm dilated, 10% effaced, and Ruby was in a -3 station. This probably doesn't mean much to anyone who isn't a recent mom, but it just generally means that Ruby and I are both getting ready for the big day! Dr. Dullye talked to me about scheduling an induction. I'm considering this for two reasons - primarially because my pelvic pain is just about unbearable at this point. My pelvis has started to crack really loudly when I move and I'm unable to get out of bed sometimes. Also, Dr. Dullye is going to be out of town for the holidays. She gave me the option of picking a date of December 22nd, 23rd, or 26th. I've talked to Damian and my family about it, and I think that we are leaning towards December 22nd!!! It's crazy to think that I might be a mom in 10 days! We won't be able to difinitively schedule anything until next Tuesday's appointment, but as of right now that's what our plan is!!!

Here are two of my most recent Belly Pictures - I'm about to pop! As of this morning, I'm officially at 7 pounds weight-gain.

I promise that I'll do better about keeping my blog up-to-date as Ruby's Birthday gets closer and closer!

Ruby's "Nursery" pictures

2008-11-23T16:16:00.000-08:00

I've gotten a few requests to post some pics of Ruby's "nursery". I use that term loosely since half of her stuff is in my bedroom and the other half is in our guest bedroom. But it is all adorable nonetheless! I'm also not painting anything just yet because we're starting to get offers on the house (fingers crossed that I'm not "homeless" when Ruby's born!). Anyway, here are a few fun pictures of her things.

Ruby's last baby shower with the Pink Ladies!

2008-11-23T16:10:00.000-08:00

My work has blocked this site now, so I don't have much of an opportunity to update now. Sorry for the delay!

Here are a few pics from the baby shower that Ruby's Godmothers and their mom's threw us. It was at Lindsay's house in Fort Worth. Everything was so adorable and we had such a great time. I love you ladies!!!

Mini-Vacation to Colorado

2008-11-12T10:41:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend I was lucky enough to get to go to Denver, CO, for what will probably be my last vacation for quite some time (yes, I got my OB's permission first). I went to a wedding of a close family friend, Roy Swanson. It was so great to be back in Colorado - somehow it still feels like "home" even after almost 19 years.... It was good to see our friends and their families and I had a great time. The trip was too short though and I was back in Dallas before I knew it. Here's a picture from the reception. Ruby was a good traveler - I can't wait to take her back to Colorado when she can actually enjoy the trip herself!

I've been kind of feeling under the weather ever since I got back - I think it's a combo of expected pregnancy stuff and the "Fall Bug" that's been going around the office. I'm actually borderline miserable, and spend most of my day dreaming about being back in bed. Hopefully this will pass soon!

Ruby's First Maverick's Game

2008-11-04T13:15:00.000-08:00

I got to go to a Mav's game last night with our guy-friends (Damian has season tickets with them but was out of town on business, so I got to go)! We had a really fun time, despite the fact that the Mav's lost in admirable fashion. This pic was in the 4th quarter - notice how everyone has already cleared out!

Big thanks to Greg, Josh, & Caleb for taking such good care of me at the game - I felt like I had my own private entourage! Ruby liked the music - she would start kicking when it played. Hopefully I'll get to go to some more games in the next month or so!!!

Another wonderful shower!

2008-11-04T13:04:00.000-08:00

Last weekend was the shower that my mom and her girlfriends had for me. It was so much fun! The food was fantastic and it was so neat to get to see our family friends. The lovely hostesses did a wonderful job and I'm pretty sure that they might have had a little bit of fun doing it. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time! We had a raffle for a spa gift certificate for everyone who brought a package of diapers (I filled my entire car with diapers!), we played some fun games (Nana, you need to brush up on your nursery rhymes...), and got to gab with friends that I haven't seen in a while.

Thank you to everyone who came! It was so much fun. Each of you are such a beautiful blessing in our lives - words can't express how appreciative I am that you have been there for my family. I love you all!

Here is the glider (and ottoman) that the Shaver family gave me, as well as the custom changing table that Liz made - it matches Ruby's nursery perfectly!!!

My first baby shower!

2008-10-29T05:27:00.001-07:00

Last weekend was my first baby shower and it was so much fun! It was a shower for most of my "Dallas" girlfriends. Here's a picture of me and the beautiful hostesses - Sarah D., Ashley Z., Jill C., Raegan H., Sherry R., Ashley M., and Amy P. You did a fabulous job, ladies!

It was so great to see all of my friends and family. My mom, Damian's mom, my Granny, and my Aunt Donna were all able to come. I can't thank everyone enough for being there - it truly meant the world to me. Ruby is going to be such a lucky girl to have so many wonderful women in her life.

Ash - you did a great job on the decorations! You are definitely the "Shower Planning Queen". I'm sad that we're going to take them down today (yes, I made her keep them up since last weekend - I'm still enjoying them!).

It was such a fun weekend! Thank you again to the hostesses and to everyone that came - it is so nice to make happy memories during my pregnancy, I will cherish them forever. I love you gals!

Baby Ruby's first Aggie game!

2008-10-20T10:49:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I went with Ashley down to Aggieland for the Texas A&M vs. Texas Tech football game. We went fully expecting a blow-out, and were pleasantly surprised with the Ag's performance in the first half. Not too surprised about the outcome though. Thanks so much for letting me go with you, Ash! I had a blast!

I think that Ruby liked the game - she was kicking like crazy most of the time - especially during the yells and when the band was playing! I can't wait until I can take her to her first game in person. I bought her a cute little Aggie onesie for next season - hopefully the Aggies will have a little bit better of a team by then....

It was a fun weekend, but it was tough too. Damian proposed to me 6 years ago after the Tech/A&M Game under the Century Tree on campus. It was one of the happiest days of my life. It was hard not to think about that day and get sad. I still miss him every day.

7 months and counting...

2008-10-16T06:43:00.000-07:00

Here's my belly pic that we took last night - 7 months along!

She's really grown in the past month! I'm finally headed in the right direction - as of this week I've officially gained (re-gained?) my first pound from my pre-pregnancy weight! In all actuality, it fluctuates between 0.5 - 1 pound, but I'm rounding up. Which is weird to me - looking at this picture I feel like I'm as big as a house! She likes to kick me under my ribs on my right side, over and over and over again. I'm getting so excited about her - I can't wait until I get to meet her! On a side note, the prenatal vitamins have obviously been helping my hair growth - I'm getting a haricut in a week and I can't wait!

AHS 10-Year Reunion!

2008-10-15T09:34:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we had our 10-year class reunion for the Aledo High School class of 1998. Allie, Lindsay, Andrea, and I planned it with a little help from a few invaluable people. It turned out really well - it was great to see everyone!

On Friday night, we had an informal get-together up at Railhead BBQ in Aledo. It was also AHS's Homecoming - click this link for a really great article and 2-minute video clip about homecoming. It makes me proud to be a Bearcat! http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=6025166&page=1

On Saturday night, we had our official reunion at the Stockyard Station in Fort Worth. It was a great venue and everyone had a fun time. We showed the old prom video (brought back lots of memories!) and our Senior video. Afterwards a group of us went to Fox & Hound in downtown.

It was a fun weekend, but it wore me out!!! We graduated with such a great group of people. It was so much fun to get to see everyone. We're going to try to begin planning more frequent events for our class - 10 years is too long to go without seeing some of our old friends.

Friday Night at Railhead in Aledo

The Beautiful Planning Committee!

The AHS Girls of 1998

Pretty girl...

2008-10-07T12:08:00.000-07:00

I just got back from my big doctor's appointment, and good news all around (thankfully)! Baby Ruby is doing great - she's right on target for her growth, she's flipped around and is no longer breech, and I think that she's the most beautiful thing in the world. During her sonogram, we were able to see her suck her thumb, wiggle around, and blink at us! The nurse said that she's never seen a baby be so alert this early. I had all of my bloodwork done today, including the glucose tolerance test, got a flu shot and a rho-gam shot, and was able to ask Dr. Dullye many of my questions. I got all of the rest of my appointments set up through the end of the year (7 more to go!).

At our Lamaze class last night we got a tour of the hospital's Labor & Delivery area and were able to see some of the types of rooms and the nursery with the new babies. I am so excited for Ruby to be here - I can't wait to hold her and kiss her!

I put together Ruby's crib this weekend - it is so perfect. I like to sit in the room and just look at it. My friend Ashley said "Just think how cute it will look with a baby in it!"

Thanks so very much for everyone's prayers for my dad. He is doing much better and is back at home. He says that he's feeling better than he has in a long time, and he's getting cranky and bossy again (which is a good sign).

Here are four sonogram pictures that we got today. I might be a little biased, but I think she's the most beautiful little girl in the world.

Below is the picture of the front of her face - this is where she was blinking at us! I think that she looks like me.

Here is a picture with her hand in front of her face - she was sucking her thumb right before this shot.

Isn't she cute?

Weekend Update....

2008-09-29T06:41:00.000-07:00

Well, this weekend was a little more eventful than I had hoped it would be! As most of you know my dad is battling late-stage cancer and has been undergoing very intensive chemo treatments, which haven't been making making him feel just 100% to say the least. On Saturday morning he passed out multiple times and began to go into convulsions. My mom called 911 and they took him to Baylor Hospital in downtown Fort Worth. He was severly anemic, so they began giving him fluids in the ER while they waited for the shipment of blood to arrive. I got there as quickly as I could. I kept thinking to myself "stay calm" - everyone has been telling me how important it is to stay calm right now. Well, that's much easier said than done. While driving to Fort Worth I had 5 painful contractions, was in a cold sweat, and was just praying that I could make it there in one piece.

The human body typically holds 9 - 10 units of blood total. My dad had to receive 6 units of blood. The doctors said that they've never given that much blood to a non-trauma patient before. So Saturday was primarially focused on pumping as much blood and fluids into my dad as they could, but at a safe pace. He also had a CT scan. By Saturday evening his color had returned and he said that he was feeling much better. On Sunday, they ran several tests including an echocardiogram, ultrasound on his heart, and full endoscopy. We haven't gotten the results of anything except for the the endoscopy - I was able to speak to the physician immediately after the procedure. My dad has a large duodenal ulcer that he believes has been the primary source of his blood loss. He said that it is a result of the large amounts of ibuprofen that he has been taking, in addition to the stress from chemo. They're going to put my dad on a treatment program for that, so hopefully that will help. He also said that my dad was "one half of a horse," and he'd let me figure out which half - good to hear that my dad is giving everyone a hard time right now!!

I only have had a few additional contractions since Satruday morning - about half of which have been painful. I'm going to call my doctor today - hopefully everything is fine. I'm sure that it was just stress-induced. I'm in my 27th week of pregnancy - I read this morning that most women at this point have gained 16 - 22 pounds. I'm still at negative 3 pounds as of this morning..... A little discouraging to say the least, but it should be relatively easy for me to shed my baby-weight! I just hope that Baby Ruby can't tell how stressed and how sad that I am. I'll post a new belly picture soon - she's definitely growing.

Please keep my dad in your prayers. He has some great doctors working on him, but he's not out of the woods yet. Say a prayer for little Baby Ruby too - I want her to know how special she is and how much everyone loves her.

Anyone want to buy our house?

2008-09-17T06:23:00.000-07:00

We made the sad decision to sell our beautiful home. It's really the only logical option given the circumstances, but it absolutely breaks my heart. Our house is officially "listed" now - here's the link: http://ntreislistings.marketlinx.com/SearchDetail/Scripts/PrtBuyFul/PrtBuyFul.asp?emailGUID=e8e59290-16ab-4734-b36a-20ba3c95329a&AgentId=0555945. If you click on the picture of our house you can see additional pictures. I'm sad because I feel like so many other things in my life, no one will ever love it as much as I loved it.

6-Month Doctor Visit

2008-09-09T11:37:00.001-07:00

I just got back from my Dr's appointment. She had some good news and some bad news. The good news (actually, great news) is that the baby still looks ok. She's not overly concerned about her - she says that as long as I'm trying my hardest to eat, staying hydrated, and taking my prenatal vitamins, that she should continue to take what she needs from me. She said that babies are like leeches - they get whatever they need from you at your expense, and that this doesn't stop until they turn 18. Haha. She gave me a prescription for anti-nausea medicine that should hopefully help both with the sickness and help me to sleep at night. The bad news is that I lost a pound from last month's visit, which puts me at 5 pounds below my pre-pregnancy weight. And that was after I drank copious amounts of water this morning and wore heavy clothes..... She also said that what I've been experiencing the past few days are probably Braxton Hicks contractions. They were pretty painful this morning, but she said that as long as I don't have more than 6 per hour and as long as they don't get increasingly more painful, I should be fine. If they do, I have to come in to the hospital and they'll admit me for monitoring.

She measured at 28 weeks for her Fundal Height (I'm only 24 weeks along), so Dr. Dullye sent me in for an unscheduled sonogram to make sure that everything was ok. The sono showed that Baby Ruby is in the "Frank Breach" presentation - http://www.americanpregnancy.org/labornbirth/breechpresentation.html - it's not a problem just yet, but it could be if she doesn't flip around in the next month or so. The sono confirmed that she is 24-weeks, and our due date is still the same. It also confirmed that she's still a girl!

Here's another picture of her beautiful face from today. Seeing her today was such a blessing. I wasn't scheduled to have a sonogram, but it made me so happy to get to see her, her little beating heart, and to watch her move around on the screen as I felt her in my belly. Damian came with me to the appointment and held my hand as we watched her. It was so nice, but my heart is still so very sad. I hung the few baby clothes that we've gotten up in my closet last night - in the empty half where Damian's clothes used to be. It makes me happy now to walk in there, I see something that makes me smile now instead of just emptiness. I'm praying that each day gets easier, that each day will hurt a little bit less than the previous day. That's all that I can hope for.

Back to Zero.

2008-09-08T11:54:00.000-07:00

A lot has happened over the weekend. More than I had hoped for. I've not only lost the one single pound that I had gained, but I'm actually down 4 pounds. I have a Dr's appt. tomorrow, so hopefully she'll be able to ease my mind a bit. I've been having trouble keeping down any food at all and have been fighting off panic attacks.

Damian decided on Friday that he didn't want to stay with his wife and his unborn baby girl. I truly thought that the other woman was out of his life all together, but it turns out that she is not. He moved all of his stuff out in a matter of hours yesterday. I love that man with all of my heart, and I always will. I hope that we will be able to get through this terrible process in one piece and that he will uphold his promise to be there for me and Baby Ruby.

I know that this is for the best. I keep telling myself that I'll be better off. But I feel silly ever giving him a second chance, silly for trusting him again, and very silly for falling back in love with him. The one thing that I can say is that I can go to sleep every night knowing that I gave it my all. I have no regrets. I know that God doesn't make mistakes and that He doesn't give us more than we can handle. I am so very blessed with so many things in my life - my family and all of my beautiful friends, who I can't thank enough for being there for me. Say a prayer for me and my sweet baby girl today - we need all that we can get.

Belly Pic!

2008-09-05T07:21:00.000-07:00

Here's a new picture of me from this morning - 6 months along! I noticed last night that I can no longer see my feet when I'm standing up. I finally caved in and have started buying some maternity clothes - they're so cute! I read that our baby girl is about the size of a large papaya this week and is a little over 1lb. Works out well since that's all that I've gained so far (although I have no idea how considering that I can't go an entire night without some kind of dessert).....

Today is also my mom's birthday! Happy Birthday Nana!!!

Aloha!

2008-09-03T13:01:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures from the Honolulu part of our Babymoon. It was beautiful and we had a fabulous time!!!

Our baby girl has been really moving around a lot! She's very active at night - Damian felt her move last weekend for the first time, which was really neat. We bought her crib last weekend (yay for Labor Day Sales!) and are in the process of picking out bedding/paint colors/etc. I'm really trying not to go overboard with it, but it's just so much fun! I also took the soon-to-be-Grandmas ("Nana" and "Mimi") to Babies-r-Us and we registered - talk about overwhelming! I had no idea what half of the stuff was. I have a lot to learn still, but we had a great time. I'll post a new belly pic soon - she's growing like crazy! As of yesterday, I've officially gained my first pound since I've been pregnant!

At a Luau on the North Shore

Sunset at the Hotel Halekulani

The most amazing view from breakfast one morning!

Pineapples at the Dole Plantation

On a Sunset Catamaran Cruise off of Diamond Head

Honolulu sunset

Hawaiian band and hula dancer on the beach

Babymoon!

2008-08-26T12:51:00.001-07:00

Well, we know it's a little early, but we thought that we would take advantage of a great opportunity that presented itself through my work, and we've gone on a Babymoon! I am spending a week in San Diego and a week in Honolulu for work, and Damian met me for the weekend in San Diego and then came with me to Honolulu. Needless to say, I'm a little jealous while he's sitting on the beach drinking a mai tai and I'm in an office, but we're really enjoying our time during the evenings. I'm sure I don't need to be out in the sun anyway, and he's getting to eat all of the seafood he likes while I'm not around him (I've developed a terrible seafood aversion that hasn't gone away yet)!

In San Diego, we explored Old Town, Hillcrest, Pacific Beach, La Jolla, and the Gas Lamp District, and we spent the day at the San Diego Zoo. It's such a beautiful city with so much to offer - we had a really great time. Picture below is on the beaches of La Jolla - baby bump is definitely getting bigger!

I'll post some pics from Honolulu next week sometime, once I adjust from the jet lag!! And yes, I've been buying our baby girl cute outfits and fun stuff at each place - she's technically on this trip too!

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice...

2008-08-13T06:37:00.000-07:00

It's official folks! We're having a baby GIRL!!!!! Damian and I both had a strong feeling that we were having a little boy....so much for mother's intuition! I couldn't be more excited about it! I can't wait to start buying all of the fun girly stuff - ribbons, bows, tu-tus, and anything pink!

When I was getting the sonogram, the nurse couldn't get a good shot because the baby had her legs really close together. She finally moved around a bit and we were able to get the difinitive view. I jokingly said later "Let's just hope that she keeps her little legs like that the rest of her life!" Damian was quiet for a second, then under his breath he said "Looks like I need to buy more guns...." Hahaha! He's going to be wrapped around that little girl's finger before he knows it. He said that she will still know how to rebuild a go-kart engine and work on a lawn mower. And she'll know the best place to go for her manicure after that too! Our little renaissance woman.....

Our doctor (Dr. Dullye at Dallas Presbyterian - love her!) said that she is growing well - her heart and brain both look good. My due date is still December 31st - the accountant in Damian is hoping that she's here before the end of the year for the tax deduction! Here are two cute pics of our baby girl. I think she has a beautiful face!

Belly Pics

2008-08-01T08:18:00.000-07:00

Here's my belly pic from this morning (4.5 months along). I really can't wait until I start looking more "pregnant" and less "I ate too much pasta"! :)

Still haven't felt the baby move yet - hoping that I should any day now!

I'm luckily out of Texas for the majority of August, and therefore out of this rediculous heat! I'll be spending a week in Wisconsin, a week in San Diego, and a week in Honolulu. I know - I have a really rough job..... I'm honestly just trying to cram this round of travel in before my Dr. says that I need to stay close to home.

Save the Date!

2008-07-15T09:50:00.000-07:00

Mark your calendars - we have our sonogram scheduled for August 12th - we will hopefully be finding out if we are having a boy or a girl!!! I can't wait to find out!