A Day in the Life of an Engquist Kid

Bringing Baby Home

2012-01-27T09:13:00.004-06:00

Yesterday was sort of a long day at the hospital for me and Miss Nora. Daddy stopped by in the morning on his way to work after spending the night at home with Ruby. Then, it was just the two of us until about 2:00 when daddy arrived to take us home. We took lots of walks through the halls of the birthing unit, rocked and read books in our room, and got dressed so that we could exit the hospital feeling like human beings. We also met with the pediatrician who discharged Nora and the OB who discharged me. We both received great reports, so it was a good way to be sent off. Once home, we hung out for a while, grandpa Bob stopped by and we waited for Ruby to get home from school and dance class. The first thing Ruby said as she walked in the house was, "where's baby Nora?" She completely bypassed my request for a hug and went on a search for her sister. She wanted nothing to do with dinner, because that would mean not being able to hold Nora. She definitely loves her little sis- I wonder how long until the novelty wears off?! Our first night home was exhausting. We forgot how tiring it is to care for a newborn! It really wouldn't be so bad, but because I'm nursing, we have to feed every 2-3 hours, which meant setting the alarm. I'm pretty sure Eleanor would sleep several hours in a stretch if we didn't keep waking her up to eat. In fact, she didn't cry once all night! Tyler and I spent a lot of the night laying in bed analyzing the sounds we heard coming from the monitor and getting up to check on Eleanor... just in case. At one point, I thought I heard her gagging so I ran into her room and sure enough, she had spit up. After that, it was very difficult to sleep. So far, she is such a good baby! She pretty much goes with the flow of things. For that, we are very lucky. Here are some photos from the past 24 hours:

Daddy and Eleanor before leaving the hospital

Mommy and Eleanor before leaving the hospital

Eleanor, ready to go home

Her grand entrance

The first night in her own bed. She looked so tiny!

Eleanor has arrived!

2012-01-25T20:10:00.011-06:00

Eleanor,

Below is the story of your birth...

40 weeks and 6 days. It was a Monday. Mommy had hoped to work up until the day you were born, but I became pretty uncomfortable for the last few days of pregnancy, so I spent the day getting rested up for your arrival. I picked up your big sister at school at 4:00 so we could have some time to play together one last time before bringing you home for good! Daddy came home from work and went out to shovel snow- it had been snowing all day and there were about 2" on the driveway. Grandpa Bob and Grandma Suzie came over to watch Ruby while we were at the hospital with you. Mommy and daddy gave Ruby a quick bath and got her ready for bed before we left.

Family of three for the last time!

We checked into Mercy Hospital at 8:00 PM to be induced. You had no interest in leaving the comfort of mommy's tummy. We got settled into our room and I changed into my hospital gown. I was so excited to meet you that I immediately started out as a bad patient... the nurse gave me a cup to pee in, and instead I went into the bathroom and emptied all of my pee without putting any in the cup! I just had to laugh about it- it was the last time I could blame my mishaps on "baby brain"! After that, I climbed into bed and we waiting to get started... and waited... and waited. Daddy watched the GOP Presidential debate on TV, but that of course could put me to sleep (except I was too excited to sleep).

Finally, at 9:30, the nurse administered the first dose of Cytotec to get things going. I began feeling contractions, but nothing real significant yet. The biggest problem was that I had drank so much water throughout the day that I had to pee every hour! That makes for a long night- especially when you're hooked up to blood pressure cuffs and heart monitors! We hoped and prayed that the Cytotec would take effect and I would be dilated by 12:30 AM. I also took some sleeping pills, thinking that if I had any shot at sleeping throughout the night, now was the time! My contractions began getting stronger so I thought for sure we'd see progress. I was so tired from the sleeping pills that your daddy said I looked like I was drunk. How frustrating it was that I was so tired and had drugs in me to make me sleep, but I couldn't sleep a wink since I was having contractions every 3-4 minutes! When the nurse checked me at 12:30, I was barely dilated to a 2. Darn! At about 1:00, I was given an IV to begin the antibiotic that is required since I tested positive for Group B Strep. I would need to be on this drip for at least four hours before you were born in order to pass along the antibodies to you. I sat on the stability ball for the next hour to try to get you to drop further into the birthing canal. During this time, my contractions continued to get stronger and stronger. I was checked again at 1:30 and still, no progress. I was extremely discouraged that I had been having these painful contractions but without effect. At 2:30 it was decided that I would receive Pitocin, since my contractions were less than 5 minutes apart. She started the drip and the drug kicked my butt. The contractions were so bad, I was pretty sure I wasn't going to survive. At 3:15, I was dilated to almost a 3 (yay, progress!) I asked if I could have an epidural at that point. The nurse consulted with the doctor who came back with her to break my water first. My water was broke around 4:00, which meant even more painful contractions. At 4:30 the anesthesiologist came in to do my epidural. I recall him introducing himself and me saying, "hi. I love you."

By the time the epidural was administered, I felt a lot of pressure. As the anesthesiologist was packing up his equipment he commented, "well, this wouldn't be the first time it happened right away for me!" As he walked out of the room, your daddy went to use the bathroom, and I had so much pressure that I more forcefully told the nurse, "Sheryl! You have to check me. I have a lot of pressure and I need to push!" She thought it might be the real deal so she was moving things around the room in preparation for delivery as I laid in bed trying my hardest not to push. She called for the doctor who took forever to arrive. Because when my water was broke, it was full of meconium (your poop), we had to have a special person in the room to take care of you in case you didn't cry right away. In cases where there's meconium in there, they don't stimulate babies after birth because they don't want them to inhale the poopy. So, there were three nurses in the room but no doctor. My nurse asked me to give one "test push" and you almost came out! At my next contraction, the doctor walked in the door and as she sat down to put her second glove on, out popped your head. One more push and you were born. It was 4:56 AM and you cried right away... no poopy meconium worries for you! However, you were completely full of meconium- in your ears and everything! It took quite a long time for the nurses to get you cleaned up.

You weighed 8 lbs, 1 oz and were 21 inches long... exactly the same as your sister! Your head measured at 14 1/4, which the doctor said is a pretty big head. We said it means lots of brains. Your chest measured 13 1/2 and your first APGAR score was 8; the second was a 9. Mommy is pretty proud.

We spent the next several hours admiring your beauty. You looked so much like Ruby, yet had many of your own features. I was able to move fairly soon after you were born, since the epidural never took effect. This was nice because I could then shower up and feel good before we switched rooms. We were moved into a newly remodeled suite, which is where we would spend the next 48 hours. Yup. 48 hours. Because you came out so fast, we ended up being 10 minutes short for the required 4-hour antibiotic for Group B Strep. Therefore, you were required to have a longer hospital stay.

You had your own bath, too. You especially enjoyed having your hair washed... but what girl doesn't, right?!

All cleaned up and content, you looked like an angel.

We just loved you instantly and took turns passing you back and forth throughout the day. We knew that we were going to name you Eleanor but hadn't decided on a middle name. We tossed around a few ideas, but none of them really "worked". We still love the name Grace and thought it would be pretty cool for you and your sister to have the same middle name. Eleanor Grace Engquist. What a pretty name!

That evening, daddy picked up Ruby at school and brought her to meet you. She asked to hold you almost right away. I'm pretty sure it was love at first sight.

Ruby's teachers celebrated your birth by making Ruby a crown that said, "I'm a Big Sister!"

We got you all dolled up for your visitors. In addition to your sister, Grandma Therese, Grandpa Bob and Grandma Suzie all stopped by to meet you. You wore a very special hat that was crocheted by your great grandma Carol.

The next day, it was just you, me and daddy at the hospital. We walked around the birthing unit (we even set off some alarms- there's a new security system that required you to wear a band around your ankle. If we went near the elevators or an exit, it would set off the alarms. We set off two during our walks. Oops.), read books and tried to catch up on some sleep. Daddy left at about 2:30 to go to work for a little while and to pick up Ruby. You and I spent the alone time reading and singing songs.

When Ruby got to the hospital, she wanted nothing more than to hold you and look at you. We took a walk to look at the fish down the hallway and hung out in our room. It was wonderful to have some family time- just the four of us!

Little Miss Stubborn

2012-01-21T07:04:00.003-06:00

Wow, I guess my girls are a lot alike so far! They are both stubborn like their daddy. I had a doctor appointment yesterday to find out if I've progressed at all. I was nervous going in, praying that she would tell me that I'm dilated at least to a two, but was cautiously optimistic. Good thing I was cautious. I'm still a one. Induction has been scheduled for Monday night at 8:00 and the hope is that I will progress quickly with Cytotec and will have a baby by early morning! Ruby is excited and ready to be a big sister. Every day she lifts up my shirt to hug and kiss her baby sister and she tells us that she wants to hold her hand and "hold her like a baby", as she demonstrates with her arms how one holds a baby. We've had lots of good talks about what to expect, so Ruby is well versed on the fact that baby will poop and cry a lot. The good thing is that The Rubes says she is going to change diapers!

Baby? What baby?!

2012-01-19T20:20:00.002-06:00

40 weeks + 2 days. Nothin. Today I stayed home from work. I didn't sleep well last night and was very uncomfortable. My long-term sub is situated and ready to go, so I decided at 3 AM that I had worked my final day before Baby E2 arrives. After relaxing for a bit this morning, I headed off to the gym for a brisk walk on the treadmill. I'm sure I looked completely foolish waddling throughout my mile-long walk, but oh well. I was determined it would set off some contractions. Nothin. Next, I went to get a pedicure. I had had a few pedicures throughout the pregnancy and they always avoided rubbing certain areas of my feet so they wouldn't' induce labor. Today I requested that they pay particular attention to those areas. Nothin. I came home and did some work around the house. Nothin. I took a nap. Nothin. So... tomorrow is my next doctor appointment and I'm hoping the doc will do something to get things rolling for me. I'm ready to meet our girl.

Kiwis and computers. This is our life.

2012-01-19T20:09:00.003-06:00

Ruby is a fruit fanatic. Honestly, she is a good eater and will at least try almost anything we put in front of her. Sometimes we have to talk her into finishing her food, but fruit is one item that we never have to push her to eat. It isn't unusual for this girl to down 2-3 pieces of fruit per meal and still request more! Tonight before we even got out of the car after dance, she asked me if she could have applesauce for dinner. After she finished her tuna sandwich and part of my pasta and part of daddy's pizza (it was a leftover night), she spotted the kiwis on the counter and asked for one. The lucky little girl didn't want it cut up, so daddy peeled it and gave it to her whole and she dominated it in about 3 minutes before she ate a banana and then requested another kiwi. We drew the line there.

After dinner, I was cleaning up a bit and then looked over at my fam and realized the way of the world. Tyler was busy working on his lap top and Ruby was playing a Spanish game on the iPad. Good grief. So techy. At least there is always song coming from Ruby, regardless of what she's doing!

Dance class: Week 2

2012-01-19T20:01:00.002-06:00

Ruby had her second week of dance tonight, and we're pretty sure she loved it. She did her share of not participating, but for the most part, she was on task with the group. I think we are going to have to do some practicing at home so she can keep up with the basics, since she was mostly interested in the parts where they pretended to be animals (ducks and bunnies, in particiular).

Oh yea, I almost forgot... we had the nose picker tonight. At one point, Ruby stopped what she was doing and started digging for gold. We were so proud.

I believe in Jesus

2012-01-18T08:11:00.002-06:00

Ruby's favorite song for the past month or so is one she learned during one of her drop-ins to our church's Children's Choir practice: "Baby Jesus, we love you!" She sings it A LOT. And I love it. Sometimes she sings it with such passion that her face turns bright red and and she scowls. So cute. Anyway, another favorite song on any given day is Happy Birthday. It doesn't matter whose birthday it is (or isn't), she's singing it. Sometimes we'll say, "it's not mommy's birthday today", so then she'll repeat it but change the ending to make it Jesus' birthday. Now we're working on a new song for her. Ruby has been reminding us a lot lately to say "thank you, Jesus" before we eat. Such a helpful reminder! We have decided that our before meals prayer will be in the form of song, and Ruby is delighted whenever we sing it: "Oh, the Lord is good to me. And so I thank the Lord! For giving me the things I need: The sun and the rain and the appleseed. The Lord is good to me. Amen" We end up singing it a few times each meal. Such a sweet girl to help us remember to be thankful for what we have!

Today is the day

2012-01-18T08:09:00.003-06:00

For weeks, I have made it my goal to deliver Baby E2 on this day, January 18th. I said lots of prayers last night before bed in hopes that God would deliver (literally). Sadly, I don't feel much different today than I have in the past week. One of my coworkers did have a dream last night that I gave birth in my office with the help of our school nurse. I'm not THAT desperate, but maybe it's an indication that today really IS the day!?!

"The Bears are Coming!"

2012-01-18T08:04:00.002-06:00

Ruby's imagination has developed so much over the last week or so. This past weekend, our family on many occasions had to hide from the bears. We were sitting in our living room, and suddenly Ruby would pop up from whatever she was playing with- wide-eyed- and yell, "The bears are coming! We have to hide!" The three of us would dash under the nearest blanket or run around in a (pretend) panic until we were able to find protection. When it wasn't bears, it was crocodiles. It's so fun- and funny- to see her imagination at work. Another story about her imagination... yesterday when I picked Ruby up from school, the toddlers were playing in the gym. Ruby ran over to me and stopped about two feet in front of me and said, "I got one!" She began moving her hands as if she were reeling in a fish. She then (pretend) held up her catch and said, "that's a big one!" Love it.

Ruby story from Daddy

2012-01-17T11:12:00.002-06:00

An email Tyler sent me this morning about when Ruby woke up. Each morning, she wakes up and opens her door and then gets mad and cries when she discovers that we have put the baby gate outside of her door so she can't escape... This morning when Ruby was crying I went in her room and picked her up… of course she asked for you, but I was ableto calm her down. She said to me, “I wanto go back to sleep.” So we crawled into her bed to close our eyes for a few more minutes (which daddy did not argue about). At one point Ruby had laid her head down right next to mine, her face about 3 inches from mine, breathing something terrible right into my nose. So I opened my eyes to see what she was doing. When I opened my eyes all I could see were two of the biggest dark eyes staring right at me. When she saw me open my eyes she took both of her hands and grabbed my cheeks and pulled her head closer and kissed me.

Snow much fun!

2012-01-14T16:05:00.003-06:00

What Ruby wants, Ruby gets. Most of the time, anyway. When we got home this afternoon, she wanted to go outside. Even though mommy and daddy weren't interested in going out in the cold, the little gem who has daddy wrapped around her finger convinced him to go outside to play. She came inside afterward and told me all about the fun they had in her car, daddy pushing her in her wheelbarrow, shoveling the sidewalk and getting the mail. Lucky girl.

A morning at Sea Life

2012-01-14T15:45:00.002-06:00

We woke up early this morning looking for a fun way to spend our day. After a little research, we decided to drive down to the Mall of America to visit Sea Life. This was a nice follow-up to Ruby's Christmas request of a whale. Auntie Deda gave her not only a whale, but a starfish, sting ray, crab, lobster and lots of of other sea creatures that we were able to see today! Ruby was in heaven.

The walk-through aquarium was especially exciting for The Rubes.

Mommy's favorite part was the jellyfish

Ruby got to hold a starfish!

Due date explanation

2012-01-13T15:33:00.002-06:00

I spoke with my doctor today and inquired about my actual due date. She said that they go by the very first ultrasound I had which gave me the due date of 1/17/12. Sadly, she said there is no possibility of being induced before 41 weeks (1/24/12). Apparently it is the policy of Mercy Hospital, due to the fact that patient dissatisfaction is higher for people who are induced prior to 41 weeks because it typically leads to a longer hospital stay and longer labor. The bad part for me is that she thinks I will likely need to be induced regardless, since my body just likes to keep babies in! I have now made it my mission to disprove this theory and go into labor on my own on Tuesday. Therefore, I have scheduled myself for a massage on Monday and even got a doctor's note to give to the masseuse allowing them to not avoid "trigger points" that are said to induce labor! Lets hope it works! I plan to follow up this massage with a spicy hot meal. Wish us luck!

Ruby's first dance class

2012-01-12T18:40:00.001-06:00

Atmospheric predictions

2012-01-12T13:34:00.002-06:00

The full moon came and went on the 9th. No baby. The temperature fell over 40 degrees in two days. No baby. All of these reasons to predict that labor will occur are passing us by without any signs of Baby E2 arriving anytime soon. I just checked the lunar calendar. There is a new moon on the 23rd. I hope I'm not still pregnant at that time, but all of my counselor friends who might be reading this know... things happen with the new moon!

Lovin Summer (in January)

2012-01-10T20:37:00.002-06:00

54 degrees in January?! This is unbelievable! Today we went for a lovely walk outside. It is January 10th. Love it!

"Daddy doesn't have any hair"

2012-01-10T20:25:00.003-06:00

Tyler got a hair cut. This was the second cut he's gotten since he's decided to shorten it up a bit in an effort to not look like he's trying to hide the fact that he's... well... thinning. The first cut was a bit of a buzz cut and he really liked it. On Friday, he went to his mom's for the same cut but came home with a bit shorter 'do (she recently got a new clipper, so perhaps that's what caused the buzz to be more buzzed). Anyway, Tyler's hair is now nearly nonexistent. So the other day, Ty was helping Ruby put her clothes on, and Ruby started rubbing the top of Tyler's head. He said, "hey! Stop that! You're messing up daddy's hair!" Like any good daughter might say, she responded with, "you don't have any hair up there, daddy!" Thata girl.

"I love my daddy SO MUCH!"

2012-01-10T20:21:00.003-06:00

Ruby has a favorite new phrase. It starts out the same but has a different topic each time. So when we first heard her say with serious conviction, "I love my daddy SO MUCH!", we thought, "well how sweet is that?!" Then we heard, "I love my applesauce SO MUCH!", so the first proclamation seemed a bit less exciting. Since then, I've heard this repeated about her monkey (Banana), her jammies, her baby (Rosie) and her Key Lime Pie yogurt. First timers hearing her share her love will be surprised with how much conviction Ruby has over her things. We just know that Ruby's got a lot of love to give.

We are so confused!

2012-01-10T20:07:00.002-06:00

Yesterday we went in for another doctor appointment and were informed that I am only 38 weeks, 6 days. We were surprised, since our 20-week ultrasound indicated that I am due this Thursday, the 12th. Little did we know that ultrasound #3 (a "specialty" ultrasound) indicated January 20th as the due date. So... we're no long sure when this baby is supposed to arrive. I was feeling quite uncomfortable yesterday and was certain that we would learn that I am dilated. Suffice it to say, I am still barely a 1, but have progressed in other ways, which is likely causing my discomfort. We talked with the doctor about the possibility of induction on the 18th which has been my "goal" delivery date, but she's not so sure we can plan for a D-day that soon. She also ordered yet another ultrasound to be sure I have enough amniotic fluid since my belly hasn't' grown much and I haven't gained much weight recently (even though I feel like I've doubled my weight in the last week). We went in for US #4 this morning and learned that while my fluid level is in the "normal" range, it is on the very low end. We also learned that Baby E2 is approximately 7 pounds, 12 oz but there is a 1 lb margin of error at this stage in pregnancy... WHAT?! With modern technology and the ability to do nearly anything we can't get a better clue as to how much the baby weighs? Huh. Soooo... we now wait for a call from my doctor to find out A. What my actual due date is (I don't even know what to tell people anymore. I was at a meeting this afternoon with a bunch of counselors from the area and they asked me when I'm due and I'm not sure what to say), B. If I'll be able to be induce on the 18th, and C. If not the 18th, what is the very latest date that I will still have this baby inside of my belly? The good news is that I felt a bit better today. Not great, but better. I'm suspecting that part of the reason I didn't feel as good yesterday may have been something to do with the heels I wore. Not sure though. Other interesting news from the ultrasound: we're not so sure Baby E2 has hair! Typically you are able to detect hair at this stage but we didn't see any floating around. The ultrasound tech said it could be because of the low level of fluid so any hair wouldn't' really have a chance to float around, so that's one possibility. That, or we will have a baldy this time! One thing to put my mind more at ease: it is unlikely that my water would break with a gush since A. my body likes to keep babies inside until I get a little assistance from modern medicine and B. I don't have a lot of fluid to produce a "gush". This is a positive thing for me because I am scheduled to present to a room full of 8th graders for three hours tomorrow and I have been dreading the idea of my water breaking in front of them! Like THAT wouldn't be embarassing. At least now I'll be able to walk in, pull a chair in front of the room and do my deal with more sense of calm. At any rate... we are so excited to meet our little thumb-sucking peanut (as evidenced in the US today). Soon enough!

Mission: Baby Prep

2012-01-08T11:33:00.003-06:00

Status: Almost complete We have made good progress this weekend toward getting ready for the arrival of Baby E2. Evidence:

Baby Action

2012-01-06T17:27:00.002-06:00

We are down to six days before my due date and until today, I was feeling really good. I was a bit uncomfortable today, as it felt like the baby was lower in my pelvis and pushing my hips apart. Uh-oh. Walking and bending over were challenging today, so I was concerned that we might see some action. However, since I've gotten home from work I've felt a bit better- not comfortable- but better. And, no contractions at all today. So I think it's safe to say that Baby E2 will NOT be born on 1/6/12. Tyler was kind enough to give me a break tonight. He picked Ruby up from school and they went to Forest Lake to get hair cuts so that I can relax and put my feet up. They also plan to have father/ daughter time tomorrow at the swimming pool. The problem is, the house feels so empty without my loves here! And with so much to do, I am having a hard time relaxing! I'd love to get all of my little projects done, my house clean and my mind clear! So... six days until the due date, but still hoping for another 12 days until D-Day!

New Years Eve

2012-01-04T13:17:00.003-06:00

We rang in the new year a bit differently this year than in previous years... kids included!

It was fun to hang out with our college friends again, and this time we celebrated at the Strommer's. It was a color-themed party in which each family was assigned a color to wear and provide food/ beverage in that hue.

Engquists: Red

Strommers: Orange

Rentschlers: Yellow

Kassels: Blue

Kuel: Green

Simons: Violet

All of the kids; Front row: Alivia, Charlie & Ruby; Back row: Xander, Veda & Malison

Ruby and Alivia saying before-meal prayer

The result of the Bounce Depot

2012-01-04T12:32:00.004-06:00

Here's a photo of Ruby as we were leaving the Bounce Depot: Happy, a little disheveled and feeling good about her experience.

Five minutes later: completely disheveled and fast asleep. I call that a successful day.

She totally gets it!

2012-01-03T14:28:00.003-06:00

I just received a call at work from Ruby's teacher. She was calling to find out if I was at work today because Ruby told her teachers that I was at the hospital having a baby. They didn't think this seemed quite right since Tyler didn't mention anything this morning when he dropped her off, but Ruby insisted, "yea, mommy's at the hospital with baby sister". Wow. I was stunned that she has picked up on this- we talk about it, but I didn't know if it actually "sunk in" that that's what will happen. Sandy warned me to be careful about what we talk about in front of Ruby because EVERYTHING "sinks in" with her! The good news is that she didn't seem upset or scared that this is what would be happening. It was very matter-of-fact. Rubes, you send me into shock and awe every single day.

Bounce Depot

2012-01-03T11:07:00.004-06:00

Ruby and I spent part of my Christmas break bouncing with cousin Wyatt at the Bounce Depot in Waite Park. Papa and Nana gave both kids a gift certificate for this place for Halloween, so we took advantage last Wednesday. They had a blast!

Wyatt pretty much tackled Ruby and the top of this giant slide and they came down together, loving every second of it.

It took her a while to get to the top of the slide (she held up the line several times) and then would lay down and scoot her way to the top of the slide. It was a process, but she enjoyed it in her own way.

Baby Update

2012-01-03T10:57:00.003-06:00

Doctor Schoel says it's unlikely I'll go into labor prior to my January 12th due date. This is great news to me! I'd love to wait until January 18th, and now that we've hit a snafu with my long-term sub at work, I'm even more adamant about holding off an extra week. Besides, we still have work to do. The new guest bedroom has yet to be cleaned out, and I have organization projects to complete. The car seats did not make their way into our cars this weekend, so we need to check that off the list. It also occurred to me this morning that while we didn't change the decor of the nursery, we DO need to add another branch to the family tree on the wall, which requires the skill of Auntie Deda. I also need to finish making the tutus that my girls will wear for their first photo session together. However, all of our baby clothing is now washed, folded and neatly placed into the dresser drawers in the nursery, so that feels like quite an accomplishment. I have also started Baby's "before birth" scrapbook, so that is one less thing to have to stress over. I've still been feeling good, considering the fact that we are now in single digits to my due date! My weight gain is appropriate which is shocking since I do feel like I weigh 300 pounds. And apparently I've gained less this pregnancy at this point in time than I did with Ruby. We are so excited to meet our newest addition... but not too soon!

Baby Update: 37 weeks + 2 days

2011-12-29T12:05:00.003-06:00

Baby is doing so well, and for the most part, so is mommy. While I am now considered "full term" and the baby could healthfully come at any time, I am hoping to wait until January 18th to deliver for three reasons: I want to work through the 16th (I have the day off anyway, so it would be like a "free" day), I'd like to get as far out from Christmas as possible, and my doctor happens to be on call on the 18th. Saying prayers and pulling for the best! However, Tyler is still hoping for the 2011 tax write-off. I had an appointment yesterday and I measured at 36 weeks, but the doctor is keeping my due date as the 12th. Everything is going very well; strong heart beat, good movement and (thankfully) appropriate weight gain. After my food consumption through the holidays I was afraid I may have gained too much last week! Because I am off work this week, I have taken advantage of the time to do some much-needed nesting. Newborn clothes are washed, as well as the bouncy chair and swing. I carried the car seats up from the basement this morning and hope to have Tyler install them in our vehicles this weekend. I also began packing my hospital bag and finished my checklist for last-minute items to be added. If God decides she needs to come sooner than my January 18th plan, we will be ready. As I was folding newborn clothes this morning, I couldn't believe how LITTLE they are! It seems so long ago that I dealt with such tiny garments, but I cannot wait to make us of them again.

More Magic of Christmas

2011-12-29T11:33:00.012-06:00

Working our way backwards...

Monday morning we were finally able to have our little family Christmas... just the three of us.

However, Ruby DID get to open one special gift from Santa on Sunday night.

Sunday we celebrated at Grandma Therese's house.

Cousin Love

When asked what she wanted for Christmas, Ruby consistently said one of three things: A giraffe, a whale, or a starfish. Auntie Deda came through for us on the sealife.

Sunday morning church service

Saturday night at Nana & Papa's house

Ruby LOVED wearing auntie Teeny's patent shoes!

Goldie Gopher from Jeff, Jean & Wyatt was a major "hit".

Cousin Love

Just the 3.5 of us

The Kaproth side

My favorite girl and my favorite boy

The fascinator I made turned out so well that she wore it twice. :-)

Ruby got a doctor's kit from Gpa Bob and Gma Suzie. She then suckered Gpa into wearing a tiara while she checked his health.

Shoes are always a "hit" for this girl

Tyler loved the idea of watching both Frosty and Rudolph with his girl. She lasted about 10 minutes for each.

Doing a little Christmas baking

Cousins E & B came with us to visit Santa at the Y and then decorated Christmas cookies

Just a typical Friday night in the Engquist Household

2011-12-19T08:35:00.002-06:00

The magic of Christmas

2011-12-06T14:46:00.003-06:00

Ruby received her first Advent calendar yesterday! She was thrilled to find the chocolate snowman inside! CANDY on a Monday night! Wow, what a lucky day! And so is the spirit of Christmas...Also last night, cousin Katie stopped by for a visit and brought Ruby a pair of Christmas socks. She LOVES that they have Mickey on them!

This morning we woke up to find that St. Nick had stopped by during the night and left a little something in Ruby's school shoes. What a lucky girl.

Ruby's new room

2011-12-06T10:38:00.007-06:00

She switched rooms a couple of weeks ago while the finishing touches were being made to her furniture and decor.

Her first night: out like a light!

Ruby's art, which is now displayed in her room

The ALMOST finished product. We still need to add the chair rail and a few finishing elements

Ruby Randomness

2011-12-06T10:07:00.006-06:00

Oh, Ruby. What a character. She makes us laugh so much yet confuses and frustrates us on a regular basis! Welcome to toddlerhood, I guess!

We have undergone some big changes lately. Ruby moved into her "big girl bedroom" two weeks ago and is doing fantastic (see future posts)! On only a handful of occasions has she woken up during the night or before the sun wakes up (that's our rule- stay in bed until the sun wakes up). It was a transition that I was very nervous about but she has done tremendously well!

On the other hand, she started out so well with potty training that I had high hopes for that. Well, we have now backed off from that a bit for various reasons. Ruby never really showed interested in consistently going #2 in the potty which meant A LOT of laundry for us every night for over a month! Also, over Thanksgiving weekend she really regressed a lot and was having frequent accidents. We assume that this is due to the change in her bedroom and the fact that she knows that there are some big changes coming soon for our family. In consultation with her teacher, we decided that if we continue to push Ruby to potty train now, she will likely regress once the baby arrives anyway, so why not just give her a little break now? Her teacher thinks Ruby knows that this is what we want and yet it is one of the only things within her control so she uses the stubbornness she has inherited from her dad to NOT do what we want!

So, we are now using Pull-Ups full-time and it is a much less stressful household.

Academically, Ruby wows us with her cognitive abilities. She knows all of her colors in English and most of them in sign language and some in Spanish. She counts to eleven, but then consistently jumps back to 8 and then it's a broken record: "8, 9, 10, 11, 8, 9, 10, 11, 8, 9, 10, 11..."

Athletically, she is hard-core into her yoga, and over the weekend, Tyler taught her how to spike a ball and then do her touchdown dance. It is absolutely hysterical. She is still such a monkey, climbing on everything which makes mommy nervous and has warranted some furniture being screwed into the wall! She is also incredibly fast- too fast for an almost- 8- month- pregnant mommy!

Musically, the girl is a genius. She can start out singing one song and smoothly segues into a different song almost without her audience realizing it! She loves singing Happy Birthday- it could be anyone's birthday on any given day, but now that Christmas is coming, there will be quite a bit of singing on behalf of Jesus' birthday.

Such good buddies, Ruby & Wyatt reading books at Grandpa & Grandma's last weekend

Matchy-matchy with cousins E & B

Checking out the sale ads for her Christmas wish list

A couple of weeks ago we went to Andover High School with friend Rian and his mommy for a Disney-themed open house. They had games, face painting and they got to meet lots of the characters!

This is such a Ruby moment

2011-11-18T14:55:00.003-06:00

I can totally see this being Ruby someday.

http://msn.foxsports.com/video/shows/what-the-fox?vid=cc07d623-dc8c-4e73-b856-87ab7a5ebf36&videoId=cc07d623-dc8c-4e73-b856-87ab7a5ebf36&src=v5:pause:email:&from=email

Ruby Grace: Future Counselor

2011-11-18T14:34:00.006-06:00

From 11/18/11:

I just received a call from Ruby's teacher at school, who wanted to share this story with me...

When the kids at school refuse to put their coat on before going outside, they are required to carry their jackets out and sit on the sidewalk until they get cold and are ready to put their coat on.

Today there was a little boy who was in refusal mode, so he went outside and sobbed on the sidewalk. Ruby noticed him sitting by himself, so she went over and sat next to him to console him. She rubbed his back and told him, "just put... your coat...on". He continued crying and refusing for a while, and Ruby's teacher told Ruby that it was okay for her to go play and have fun. Ruby shook her head and said, "no, I stay here". My little empathetic sweetheart stayed next to her friend on the sidewalk until he was ready to put on his coat and go play.

I'm so proud of my sweet girl!

"I spilled"

2011-11-16T12:37:00.003-06:00

We jinxed ourselves. On Monday night Tyler and I were commenting about how lucky we've been to not have to deal with too many disgusting bodily functions as parents. That is where we went wrong.

Tuesday morning there was a bathroom incident that doesn't need to be explained in this forum, but then this morning at 12:30 AM, I hear the pitter patter of little feet before her bedroom door opened. "Mommy! Mommy come in here!"

I went to Ruby's room and she said, "I spilled". For a moment I thought she must've been still dreaming, but then I smelled what she was referring to. The three of us spent the next hour cleaning up vomit from Ruby's bed and stuffed animals. The poor little girl wasn't upset or anything; in fact, she said she felt fine. The hardest part for Ruby was having to go back to sleep without her beloved monkey as her pillow. No matter how many times we explained that Banana was taking a bath, she just wouldn't have it.

Needless to say, it was a sleepless night in the Engquist Household.

For the record, Ruby really is completely fine. She hasn't had a fever at all and was happy as can be this morning, so Tyler took her to school a little while ago.

A weekend of firsts

2011-11-14T09:13:00.005-06:00

We successfully made it through the first weekend of Ruby sleeping in her new bedroom. I thought for sure we would be dealing with the little gem jumping out of bed and wreaking havoc, but on Friday night, Tyler left her room with little Ruby all tucked in. A minute later, she opened her door and yelled for her daddy to come and cuddle her for "one more minute". Once he did that, he tucked her in again and we didn't hear from her until 4:15 AM. She yelled for daddy, so he went into her room and explained that the sun wasn't awake yet, so she need to go back to sleep. So she did!

On Saturday night, she was completely wound up after we got home from the Gophers game, but she was able to quickly settle down and fall asleep without incident and slept until after 7:00 on Sunday! What a big girl. I am so proud of her for such an easy transition.

Another big step this weekend: Ruby had her first haircut! We stopped at Grandma Therese's house after church on Sunday and we asked Ruby if she wanted to have her hair cut while we were there. She said she did, so a little trim is what she got. Now, her hair just looks like a more purposeful mullet. Poor thing. To be two years old and still not much hair on the sides of her head... but she sat very still and smiled while she got her new 'do.

Big News for our Big Girl!

2011-11-11T11:28:00.003-06:00

Last night was Ruby's last night in her crib, as she will move into her new "big girl bedroom" tonight! Tyler finished painting last weekend and her new mattress and box spring were moved into her room earlier this week. Last night we spent some time playing in her new room and she was very excited when we told her that she would be sleeping in there tonight. While it will still be a couple of weeks before her furniture is finished, we want to get her transitioned to her new room ASAP to give her some time to adjust to this big change before the arrival of her baby sister in January.

This will be a big, big night for us! Photos coming soon.

Growing belly: week 28

2011-11-03T08:55:00.001-05:00

Ruby Grace: Strong, smart and healthy!

2011-10-27T08:41:00.004-05:00

We took Ruby to see Dr. Weininger for her two-year check up and confirmed that Ruby is doing very well. She scored in the three-year-old range for many of her cognitive abilities! She is also growing very well without any concerns. Ruby is in the 80% for height and 40% for weight. We received some good advice on transitioning her to her big girl bed within the next few weeks, and Ruby impressed the good doctor with her manners.

Parents of the year: Ever since we went to the Saints Football Game last Wednesday, Ruby has been asking to go to another football game (the girls LOVES football and whenever it's on TV she stops briefly to give some good cheers: "Go Gophers!" "Throw that ball!"). Anyway, I began telling her that we would go to a football game after she goes to the doctor. Throughout the weekend when she'd request to go to a game, I'd remind her that Tuesday was the day, as the Saints had their first playoff game.

Ruby did great at her appointment and cried for approximately 10 seconds after getting her shots. She then sat up with big alligator tears, grabbed her sticker and said, "go football game now?"

Great. It was 45 degrees and raining outside.

Poor Ruby. I told her that the game was cancelled because it was raining. She understood but was clearly disappointed and the whole way home she sang, "Rain, rain go away..."

Sorry big girl.

Ruby's 2nd Birthday

2011-10-25T07:51:00.005-05:00

On Sunday we celebrated Ruby's second birthday with a Bumblebee Birthday Party. Our immediate family buzzed over for a soup lunch, cake and ice cream. Our little Queen Bee had a wonderful day and truly felt like a queen- especially when we sang to her!

All 3.5 of us

Growing belly: Week 27

2011-10-25T07:49:00.001-05:00

Growing belly: Week 26

2011-10-15T19:51:00.003-05:00

While I feel like I finally have my energy back, that really means nothing when I am caring for a potty training toddler all day... I'm feelin it! My body aches after lifting and chasing and wrestling from a long day of single parenting, since Tyler was up at the cabin. But, all in all, things are still going really great with the pregnancy and we are looking forward to meeting our baby girl. We have been working on names. Right now, we are just adding to our list of about 20 prospects and then we will start narrowing our choices. We are in search of a baby swing and monitor right now, and anticipating Ruby's move out of the nursery soon so we can baby-prep the nursery again.

A VERY good day!

2011-10-14T09:55:00.003-05:00

Potty training update

Yesterday was day #12 of potty training for Miss Ruby, and I am so excited to share that she went the ENTIRE day without ANY accidents!

We have been having most of the problems at home, but yesterday we came home from school and I set her on the potty... she went. After dinner, we were playing in the living room and Ruby jumped up and told me she had to potty... she went again. Last night at the end of her bath, Ruby stood up and urgently told me that she had to pee. I took her out of the tubby and toweled her off, asking her to "hold it! Don't pee yet!" She successfully waiting until she sat on the potty and... went again.

I'm so proud of my little potty trainer!

Next up: big girl bed! Grandpa Joe is working on that and we hope to transition Ruby to her new bedroom shortly so she has time to adjust before being kicked out of her crib by Baby Sister. I have ordered her new bedding and we are deciding on paint colors.

"I do it!"

2011-10-11T08:39:00.003-05:00

Ruby Grace: two, going on twelve.

A frequent battle in our household has begun with Miss Thang wanting to do everything by herself. Putting on her clothes, wiping her butt, pouring her milk, getting her vitamin, zipping her jacket... it's all Ruby's job now. I'm proud of her for being such a go-getter and determined to accomplish tasks on her own, but this has been a real practice in patience for her parents. In fact, the other day when I was getting a bit frustrated after waiting 10 or so minutes for her to get her pull-up on before bed I sighed under my breath, "patience", to which Ruby looked at me with her giant eyes and said, "patience, please".

Oh boy. Here we are. In just a week and a half my little Ruby will turn twelve... I mean two.

Baby Engquist: It's a _________!

2011-10-10T19:48:00.004-05:00

We have had a chance to share the gender of our baby with our family, so it's time to make it Blogger-official. First, a few shots from my 20-week ultrasound.

I am fascinated when I see US pics like this. It's amazing to see all the vertebra at only 20-weeks!

Either Baby likes to talk or wants to eat, but in both my 2nd and 3rd ultrasounds, we've gotten good pics of baby opening and closing it's mouth. Baby kept pointing during this ultrasound and also arched it's back and neck really far, as if to get a better view of something. Perhaps responding to daddy's voice next to us.

Yep, definitely Ruby's sibling. We have an ultrasound pic of Rubes that looks exactly like this profile.

And now, I share with you, it's a...

GIRL!!!

We had the ultrasound tech write it on the appropriately pink card. Ruby opened the envelope a week and a half later on a Saturday morning to reveal that she will have a baby sister. There were also a couple of photos as evidence.

To share our news with my coworkers, I baked a pink cake that we cut open at lunch. But first, they were all invited to place their bet as to whether Baby E2 is a boy or girl. The majority guessed "boy", 5-4.

Cutting the cake to reveal the pink inside, beaming with joy that Miss Ruby will have a little playmate!

Potty Training update

2011-10-03T19:45:00.002-05:00

Well, we have been at it for 2.5 days, and it is going very well! Yesterday was a bit of a struggle, as we dealt with several wet pairs of underwear and two other poopy surprises, but not to give up! Today at school, Ruby had only TWO accidents in the nine hours she was there! Then she had another one within an hour of getting home. But, I'm so proud of our big girl! Good progress!

Football!

2011-10-02T08:41:00.003-05:00

Ruby has really developed a passion for football. She LOVES going to games, and we've been to one every Friday night so far this season. On Thursday night, she thought we were on our way to a game (because we had been discussing earlier that we would go to one the next day), when we were actually on our way home. We pulled into the garage and Ruby completely flipped out, screaming "I want... to go... football gaAaAme!" She got her wish on Friday night.

Below are some photos from recent football games we've attended and watched on TV.

General Fun part 3

2011-10-02T08:38:00.000-05:00

General Fun part 2

2011-10-02T08:04:00.002-05:00

Going to the zoo, zoo, zoo

2011-10-02T08:00:00.001-05:00

Ruby and I spent an afternoon at Como Zoo with our friends Amanda and Alivia at the end of August

General Fun

2011-10-02T07:55:00.001-05:00

This summer, Ruby and I made several visits to the Farmer's Market. This first photo was Kids Day at the Market in Minneapolis where Ruby made this awesome visor, saw Elmo and watch a street performer. Enjoying the water at the cabin in August

After a visit to our local Farmer's Market. Ruby was SO excited to go buy veggies!

Somersaults

2011-10-02T07:51:00.002-05:00

These pics go way back to early August when Ruby first learned to do somersaults. She was practicing her new skill in the front yard.

Potty training: Day .5

2011-10-01T19:45:00.002-05:00

The other day I was talking to Ruby's teacher on the phone and mentioned that she has fairly consistently been asking to go potty at home, so I thought potty training might be right around the corner. Ms. Sandy said, "well, lets start on Monday!" She directed me to send lots of pairs of underwear, pants and socks, as well as some pull-ups for nap time and they'd get her going. So, I thought we'd give Rubes a couple of days head start, so this afternoon- after doing some shopping and nap time- I put her in her Elmo underwear and we went outside to play. After about two minutes, we were back inside so she could go potty. We ended up staying in for about the next three hours because she was going potty- and actually tinkling- every two minutes or so! She is now in her crib with her very first wear of pull-ups on. This is very exciting for us. The thought of NO DIAPERS for the next 3.5 months is very fun. However, the necessity of sitting in our bathrooms for much of our day and having to always be conscientious about where the nearest bathrooms are when we are out will have it's challenges, too.

Engquist Baby #2:

2011-09-24T10:07:00.004-05:00

The first edition of this post occured on April 30, 2009. Here we are, two years later, writing about Baby #2.

"Questions answered"

I have learned that there is a common list of questions that people ask when teh find out that one is pregnant> While I enjoy talking about our new addition, I thougth it might be easy to go ahead and answer these questions blog-style for our far-away friends...

Q: "How are you feeling?"

A: Good, now! This pregnancy has been very different from my first. I had some nausea at the beginning of this pregnancy almost every day. I had to be very careful to eat first thing in the morning and pretty much constantly throughout the day. I even got sick at work once! I was also very dizzy for the first 3 or so months and was tired until just a couple of weeks ago (I am now almost 24 weeks). The heat this summer also affected me. As a person who loves sun and hot weather, I tried to avoid being outside when it was over 75 degrees, which was a bummer for Ruby, too, who wants to live outdoors. I wish it could be 72 and sunny every day.

Q: "Have you had any cravings?"

A: Many. Nothing extremely out of the ordinary, but I have craved things and when I do, I need them right NOW! My first craving occured early on, when I was laying in bed and started craving pancakes. I craved them so badly for about two hours that finally Tyler jumped out of bed and was going to run to IHOP to fix my issue. I convinced him that I would be fine once I fell asleep and he eventually got back into bed. The next morning, I woke up still craving pancakes, so I had to stop at McDonalds on my way to work to get hotckaes (something I would typically never do). The oddest thing I've craved are those Little Debbie Star Crunch snacks. I hadn't had one in probably 15 years, and I'm not sure how it popped into my head one day, but I had to stop at the grocery store to buy a box. Other than that, I have craved pickles (which isn't out of the ordinary for me, as I always love pickles), cereal, Nutty Bars and chocolate.

Q: "Are you going to find out what you're having?"

A: We DID find out what we're having! We couldn't decide for the longest time, and when we had our ultrasound at 21 weeks we still couldn't make up our minds. We had the ultrasound tech write it on a card and put it in an envelope so we could bring it home to open IF we decided to do so. That night, Tyler was dying to open it, but we resisted for four whole days. On Saturday, September 10th we gave the envelope to Ruby to open and we found our answer. But you'll have to wait to find out. Cruel, huh?

Q: "Do you have names picked out?"

A: No. We have a running list that we add to and delete from. As of now, there are no real front runers.

Q: "Where are you planning to deliver?"

A: I will once again delivery at Mercy Hospital, hopefully with my own doctor again!

Q: "How much time are you going to take off work?"

A: It depends when the baby arrives. I plan to go back on Marcy 19th, since my six paid weeks will likely end right at the end of a trimester which is the most hectic time in our office. To avoid that, I plan to take an extra week or so to go back the week after the first week of third trimester. However, if Baby comes early, my entire plan could be messed up and I may end up going back before the end of second trimester. So... we'll see.

Q: "What will you do for bedrooms?"

A: Ruby will be moving to the guest bedroom upstairs within the next couple of months (as soon as Grandpa Joe builds her new, pretty white bed) and the baby will be in the nursery. We are going to make the bonus room above the garage a guest bedroom.

Q: "What does Ruby think of the whole idea of a new baby?"

A: She is obviously too young to fully understand that her world is about to turn upside down, but for now, she points out that there is a baby in mommy's belly (she sometimes lifts up my shirt and insists the baby is in my belly button). We frequently talk to her about being a big sister and she reports that she will be a good one! When she drops her baby doll on her head or carries her by the feet we ask if she is going to carry her baby brother or sister that way and she says she will not. All good signs.

I will post a baby bump photo soon.

The post I wrote last week but never got around to publishing

2011-09-15T08:08:00.003-05:00

One of my favorite moments of each day is when I pick up Ruby from school. Once we're settled in the car, we begin the same conversation every day: Mommy: "Ruby, what did you do at school today?" Ruby: "Play with my friiieeends...." Mommy: "Oooh! That sounds like fun! What did you play?" And this is where there is variation. Until recently, it was like she was reading from a script when she told me about the purple shovel and keeping sand in the sandbox. But lately, she tells me actual stories from her day! It's so much fun to get real information from her now. Yesterday's story: Ruby: "Yellow slide with Carson" Tuesday's story: Ruby: "Ride purple bike" I wish I could remember her stories from every day of her life, as she cracks me up every single day. Another "friends" story: When Tyler dropped Ruby off at school on Tuesday, he called me right away to tell me this one. So cute. Let me preface this story by saying that Ruby, a little girl named Addison and a little boy named Jace are apparently three peas in a pod at school. They love playing together. They walked into Ruby's classroom, and the teacher directed Ruby to put her stuff into her bin and then take a seat for breakfast. Jace was already there, enjoying his breakfast at the table. So, Ruby toddled to her bin and put her things away, when Jace said as he pulled out a chair for Ruby, "Hey, Ruby! Over here! Come sit by me!" Ruby walked over and took a seat next to her buddy and they enjoyed their french toast sticks together. So sweet. The next couple of weeks will be an adjustment for Rubes at school. The infant room at her school experienced a flood earlier this week, so the infants were moved to the gym in the building. But yesterday we were notified that they will need to cut off the bottom of all of the drywall throughout the building to prevent any future mold issues and will be replacing all of the carpeting. What this means is that Ruby's school will temporarily be moved to the YMCA. This is excellent news for us, as Tyler and I now have no excuses not to go work out every day! Additionally, we get a discount on our daycare bill for the inconvenience. The downside is that Ruby is going to be so confused... every time she goes into the Y, it means swimming! She will be so disappointed when Tyler takes her to the multipurpose room instead of the locker room.

Adam & Steph's reception

2011-08-28T07:56:00.003-05:00

Adam and Steph were married in July but had a picnic reception yesterday afternoon at a park near our house. Ruby had a great time playing games with her cousins and daddy and she kept us running all afternoon!

Tyler's dream come true. Ruby actually wanted to play catch with the football!

"Ashes, Ashes, all fall DOWN!" This song/ game never gets old for The Rubes.

"Who is this?", you may ask...

2011-08-28T07:52:00.003-05:00

Who else? It's Bah Bah Black Sheep, formerly known as, "Bah". Ruby recently renamed him. Does that seem like an odd name for this guy?

New Neighbors!

2011-08-25T19:49:00.002-05:00

Tonight Ruby and I went for a little walk down to the end of our cul-de-sac where we discovered that the house that has been for sale all summer has new occupants. As we were walking by a man carried a pink rocking chair into the house so I shouted that I liked to see the pink moving in. He responded, "yea, there's a lot of pink happening in this house". I told him that was good to hear, and he went on to tell me that he had a 2-year-old daughter. Just then, the mommy walked out, and I recognized her... low and behold, our new neighbor girl is Ruby's best friend from school, Addison! They were in the infant room together and are now in the toddler room together. The two girls and a little boy named Jace are apparently the best of buddies, and when we say prayers at night Ruby says both of their names when it's time to pray for her friends. I'm so excited to have a little friend for Ruby to grow up with living just down the road!

Big girl is getting bigger!

2011-08-25T17:56:00.002-05:00

Today when I picked Ruby up from school I couldn't locate her bin on the shelf where it normally is. After a while, an aide informed me that Ruby has officially moved to the "big toddler" side of the toddler room! She now sits in a regular toddler chair as opposed to a chair built into the table. She also gets to use a big girl cup (without a lid) and is required to bus her own dishes. Ruby will also be assigned some tasks to take care of in the room and will get to participate in all of the Montessori activities. This all makes sense now... lately, Rubes has requested to "dump my tray" when she's finished eating, has wanted to drink without a lid on her cup, and yesterday when I picked her up her daily activity sheet said, "Ruby worked very hard on the peg board [a Montessori activity] and refused to give up until she got all the pegs in the board". I'm so proud of our little "big" toddler!

Dang Monkey

2011-08-23T09:09:00.004-05:00

When Ruby was born, our friends Nicole and Paul brought over a big monkey for her when they came for their first visit. I had stashed him away for a while until recently, and Ruby has been infatuated with the dang monkey ever since. We have given him the name, "Banana", and Ruby treats Banana like a child. Well, mostly.

Sorry the photos are bad, but they are all from my phone.

1. Ruby likes to put Banana on her head while we are driving in the car. She laughs and laughs at herself when she does this and wants to show EVERYONE how funny it is

2. I mean it when I say that Banana travels everywhere with us. On a recent shopping trip to Costco, I voted to leave Banana in the car while we went inside. Ruby won, and Banana came into the store with us, strapped into the cart right beside The Rubes.

3. That's right, folks. Banana is wearing a diaper. This is a common request, and Ruby is happy to get all of the supplies prepared for mommy or daddy to change Banana whenever necessary. As you can see, Ruby takes Banana for frequent walks, straps him into the high chair, gives him rides on her scooter, spins him around on the office chair, burps him like a baby and insists on pushing Banana in HER stroller when we go for walks (as opposed to her sitting in the stroller and being pushed, like normal children). Each day, we all have to take turns giving Banana hugs and kisses, and sometimes the mood calls for a group hug, which of course, includes Banana. Really, Banana is a member of our family.

4. Such a mother hen. I think Ruby is going to be an excellent big sister and if her caretaking of Banana is any indication, she will care for and protect her little brother or sister very well!

Concert in the park

2011-08-16T19:54:00.002-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, Ruby and I went to see Bob the Beachcomber at a park in Maple Grove. Here are a few photos, but I really wish I could figure out how to post the video I took on my phone. Ruby was dancing and got really into it and ended up falling backward onto the grass 3 feet below us. It was very funny (no tears; she laughed, too), and she got up and started dancing again! It was a fun afternoon.

Time to make it Blogger official!

2011-08-14T20:29:00.003-05:00

Ruby is excited to announce that she will be a big sister in January! She has been to two appointments at which she has been able to hear the baby's heartbeat on the doppler, and she tells everyone for the rest of the day, "heard... baby" or "heard...baby...heart." While I know she doesn't quite "get" the whole deal about how her world is about to change forever, she does understand that there is a baby in mommy's tummy and she is already coloring pictures for the baby. We have finally moved past her insisting that "no", she wasn't going to get a baby brother or a baby sister, but that she was going to get a baby puppy. In her dreams! Please keep us in your prayers as we hope for a continued healthy pregnancy and good, strong, healthy baby in January!

"Gossie heartbroken"

2011-08-14T20:26:00.002-05:00

Tonight when putting Ruby to bed, we read a book that we hadn't picked up in a few weeks, "Gossie". I was "reading" by memorization and looking at the pictures rather than the words. When I got to the part when it said, "Gossie was heartbroken", I (not reading the words) said, "Gossie was sad". Ruby looked at me like I had three heads and corrected me by stating, "Gossie was heartbroken". How can a 21-month-old have such a stellar memory?!?!

Night to Unite: Neighborhood Block Party

2011-08-02T20:29:00.002-05:00

I'm so excited that our neighborhood participated in this national event this year! We attended the block party and met lots of our neighbors, watched a bike parade, dunk tank and firefighting demonstration. We also participated in the pot-luck. What a great event!

Ruby was enamoured by the bike parade and loved her new sticker, beach ball, bracelet and necklace.

Some of the party: potluck, dunk tank (pink thing in the back) and fire truck On our way to the party. Ruby had to wear her sunglasses, just like mommy.

Ruby was such a great helper getting ready for the party. We rushed home from school and started cooking. She was in charge of the grapes. I think she may have eaten a lot of the product, but it was the thought that counts.

Like sand stuck in diapers, these are the days of our lives

2011-08-02T20:15:00.007-05:00

We are enjoying the last days of our summer vacation so much! This past weekend we went up to the cabin, so Ruby was in heaven. Some recent photos below:

Ruby's first ice cream cone

This was cause for a lot of excitement in Ruby's world this weekend... we had two huge birch trees taken down at the cabin and watched the whole thing, cover-to-cover. Ruby was stunned and kept repeating, "what happened, tree?" Ruby helped Grandma Therese wash dishes at the cabin

These are a couple of old ones... a few weeks ago, Ty was getting Ruby ready for bed and took off her dress. Apparently there was sand in her pockets, and when they pulled it over her head, all the sand stuck to her sunscreen-lathered face!

Good grief, the girl is a fish. Here we are, swimming at the cabin.

So much going on

2011-07-18T12:05:00.003-05:00

The chaos of summer has forced Ruby to be very flexible lately, and she's done quite well with the transitions she's had to make. Last week, Tyler and I went to Bermuda so Rubes stayed with Papa Joe and Nana for the duration, which was nice, as she was able to play with her friends Macy and Mya and go on their swing. She also visited great grandma Loris. A fun week for the little gem, I am sure.

Coming home was a whirlwind for us, as Ty and I unpacked and then repacked for our annual college friends weekend at the cabin. We hosted at our cabin this year and we had a great time as always, while Ruby split her time between Papa Bob and Grandma Susie and Grandma Therese. She also visited great grandma Dee and played with Erin and Brita.

Now that we are all home, we are enjoying our last days of summer vacation. I go back to work one day this week, three next and two the following. After that, I'm back full-time. Where has the summer gone?! Rubes and I will be spending our remaining days swimming, going to the library and taking her baby doll on countless walks around the cul de sac. I feel so blessed to have my summers at home with Ruby, but it will also be nice to get back into a routine.

Some of Ruby's latest tricks include many 4-word sentences, climbing on EVERYTHING, counting to 11 (I was shocked and thought my ears had tricked me the first time I heard her do this), saying her first, middle and last name, knowing most of her colors and fashion (identifying flowers and embellishments on her outfits- including "diamonds"). She is still very much into shoes- especially her pink cowboy boots that are two sizes too big.

Two funny Ruby stories from today:

Today Ruby and I were heading out the door to go for a swim at the YMCA. I asked her to put some toys away in her toy room first. She was in there a while, so I said, "Ruby! Lets go swimming!" She emerged from the room in a wide brim pink straw hat, a pink purse on her shoulder and two bracelets, and nonchalantly said, "o-kay!"
Tonight Tyler was reading stories before bed, and they were in the middle of her counting book (I've mentioned it before- Tyler and I despise it; Ruby loves it, but we read it because she learns a lot from it). Anyway, I was sorting some laundry in the next room and could hear them counting. Tyler suggesting that she count the seashells in Spanish. I heard Ruby get off to a successful start, so I listened a little more closely and was shocked at what we discovered... Ruby can count to eight ("ocho") in Spanish! WHAT?! Who knew?

Other fun stuff

2011-06-29T22:33:00.004-05:00

Today I was wearing a necklace that Ruby was VERY interested in having for herself. Instead, I suggested that she wear her own necklaces. She came out of her play room in two necklaces AND a bracelet, proudly parading her accessories. A good opportunity for a self-photo. Note her bracelet on her bicep.

Imagine Ruby's joy this morning when we discovered that sod was being delivered to the house behind us. Tractors galore! I set a step stool in front of the window of my bedroom so she could stand on it to watch, and I actually got to take an uninterrupted shower! The only downside: the tractors were done and gone by noon, so Ruby's broken record turned on: "tractors go? tractors go? tractors go? tractors go?.....

She is really getting the hang of using the potty! I'm not saying we're "potty training" right now, but she definitely is interested and we are taking small steps. I plan to hit it hard at the end of July when our hectic schedule slows down a bit. For now, Ruby works for a sticker once or twice a day.

I supposed I could've posted this one on "Cabin Fun: Part II", since that is where this messy-faced pic was taken, but I just came across it and like how you can see all the details of her sweet little face. Make you want to smooch those cheeks, doesn't it?

Foley Fun Days 2011

2011-06-29T22:18:00.004-05:00

Fathers Days 2011

2011-06-29T22:11:00.002-05:00

A trip to Ruttgers

2011-06-29T21:34:00.004-05:00

Cabin Fun: Part II

2011-06-29T21:20:00.006-05:00

Anytime Ruby gets to be outside, her world is full of rainbows, cuddles and rainbow sprinkels. There is simply no place she would rather be. So when we go to our cabin, she is absolutely in heaven. Below are a few photos from our recent weekend trips up north. As you can see, Rubes hasn't been afraid to really get in and get dirty!

1. Ahhh- finally! Furniture! 2. Wyatt and Ruby playing in the dirt; 3. Lunch time (pre-furniture); 4. After a long day of playing outside

Ruby loves all types of transportation...

2011-06-10T11:53:00.004-05:00

The other day when I picked Ruby up from school her daily info sheet said, "Ruby loved working on the transportation puzzle today".

I sort of laughed to myself when I read this, because Ruby really does have a thing for machines that move: trains, buses, airplanes, boats, trucks and the latest: helicopters.

On Tuesday we went to the splash pad in Elk River with some friends, and I'm pretty sure it was the best day of Ruby's life; not because the splash pad is so much fun, but because this is what our drive to Elk River consisted of:

Pulling out of the parking lot from school, we spotted several school buses. Ruby giggled and squealed with glee.
When we stopped at a light, a big garbage truck stopped next to us, so we had a long talk about the "big truck".
Leaving town, Ruby noticed an airplane flying overhead and turned on her broken record: "airpane, airpane, airpane, airpane, airpane, airpane, airpane, airpane, airpane, airpane..."
Approaching Elk River, the Northstar Commuter Rail passed up, so Ruby's fist shot up to give a "choo choo!" That train was followed by two more. She couldn't be happier.
When we crossed the bridge that leads to Lake Orono, Ruby spotted some boats in the water, which capped of the car ride perfectly.
The cherry topping: one more airplane seen as we arrived safely back into Andover after our outing.

Last night as I was cleaning up dinner, Ruby was looking out the sliding glass door when I noticed her pointing. Pretty soon, she squealed, "hellacoppers! hellacoppers!" I thought, "yea, whatever, she sees an airplane". But then I thought, "how does she know the word, 'helicopter'"? I looked out the window and sure enough- two helicopters were flying in the direction of our neighborhood.

It's a lot of fun to see and hear about these everyday things that bring Ruby so much joy.

Cabin Fun

2011-06-07T09:16:00.004-05:00

I mentioned in an earlier post that Ruby absolutely LOVES being outside. Therefore, our cabin is the best place for her to go. She likes to sit and watch the boats on the lake, and helps us with yard work. We are working on teaching her to stay away from the fire pit which could be a difficult lesson throughout the summer.

Ruby and Papa playing with the neighbor dog, Lizzy down by the lake

Ruby has been so patient as we've been trying to get work done inside the cabin. She just darts around the place, exploring her new territory

It was a long day outside for the little chick.

Loving the summer weather!

2011-06-07T09:08:00.003-05:00

Ruby's class was unable to go outside yesterday due to the hot weather advisory, but we did take her out for a little while last night at home. She helped daddy fix a sprinkler head, then they played ball for a while. Interesting, though... we had all taken our shoes off, and when she discovered her mommy and daddy's shoes unoccupied, she decided it would be more fun to play with them instead of her ball. Silly girl.

We have just six days of school left before we start our Summer of Fun! We are SO looking forward to spending some quality time together over the next couple of months.

"Puppy, sit!"

2011-05-26T12:50:00.003-05:00

One of Ruby's favorite things to say. And it is so random when she says it. Sometimes, when we are on a walk we'll see a dog and she'll put up her index finger and say, "Puppy, sit!" But other times she'll say it out of nowhere. Yesterday we were on a walk and I had my eyes peeled for a nearby dog, as it is a definite of Ruby's day when she sees one. Well, I couldn't find a single, solitary dog in the neighborhood, but still, Ruby was giving orders, "Puppy, sit!" She also said it the other night when Tyler was putting her to sleep. They were rocking for a while in her dark room and after about a 5 minute silence, she was telling some imaginary puppy to sit. So funny. Another obsession of Ruby's: "yyyyyeyow!" (meaning, "yellow"). "Ruby, what's this?", (pointing to the sky or some other non-yellow object) "Yyyyyeyow!" "Nope, blue." "Bue." "Ruby, what's this?", pointing at another non-yellow object "Yyyyeyow!" "Nope, green." "Geen." That being said, when she wants to play along, Ruby is getting very good at her colors. She just seems to love saying the color yellow. In other Ruby news, we have been enjoying bike rides in her new Burley, lots of walks around the neighborhood, and fun summer-like activities, like bubbles, sidewalk chalk and kicking a ball in the front yard. The two of us also enjoy sitting in our camping chairs in the driveway watching daddy mow the lawn. Ruby has just 10 days of school left before summer vacation begins. She will still be going to school on Tuesdays so she can keep up her social life with her classmates and mommy can get some things done without toting a toddler along. We are also planning some fun one-day outings to the zoo, water park, library, farmers markets and bike rides around Anoka County. We will be spending a few days at Papa and Nana's for Foley Fun Days and will go to our cabin most weekends throughout the summer. This girl bring so much joy and laughter to our life, and her ability to entertain us without even trying is amazing.

It's finally nice outside!

2011-05-17T20:19:00.002-05:00

Ruby can NOT get enough of "outside!" The minute she feels like she's had enough to eat for dinner, she looks at me with hopeful eyes and says, "outside?!" How do I say no to that!?

I took off Ruby's shoes and socks so she could feel what it's like to walk in the grass. She took one step, then froze. She then plopped her butt down on my lap. I guess she's not quite used to it, yet. Baby steps (pun intended).

The little gem DID enjoy rolling around in the grass, though! Good thing daddy has such a perfectly manicured lawn. It's like laying on soft carpet.

On Saturday our family participated in the first annual St. Francis Staff Wellness 5k. It was a tad cold, but Ruby was a champ. Still loved to "help". She rakes, waters the plants and even "helped" me roll the garbage cans up the driveway and into the garage yesterday. What a gal.

I think this may go down in history as one of my all-time favorite Ruby moments. She loves this counting book and wants to read it EVERY night. On this particular evening, she didn't want to stop reading it, so I let her take it to bed with her. When Tyler and I stepped in to peek at Ruby later on, we found her asleep on top of the book with her but in the air. What a little book worm!

Mother's Day 2011

2011-05-09T08:41:00.003-05:00

Ruby, my mom and I did something very special this Mother's Day. We completed the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure at the Mall of America. I hope this was the start to a long-standing Mother's Day tradition for us. It was amazing and inspiring to see all of the pink "Survivor" shirts among the mass of 50,000 walkers.

18 month update

2011-05-02T19:46:00.011-05:00

I completely forgot to make an official 18-month post! Ruby didn't need to visit the doctor, so I don't have any real stats to share, but thought I'd fill you in on her recently developments and social happenings:

Running, hopping and bouncing like a frog are some of her most frequent hobbies, but she also likes to climb. She can get up onto couches, chairs, and even the slides at the park and at the pool.
She has a lot to say, and we can usually make out at least part of whatever she is telling us. She can piece together a few 3- and 4- word sentences, which is very fun! Some of her more recent words are "mornin!", "bless you" and "thank you".
Ruby LOVES doing puzzles. She is very good at them, too! She is also a fluent user of my ipad and knows how to get- and use- the apps I put on it for her. Her favorite apps are petting the animals and identifying shapes. She doesn't cease to amaze me when she correctly identifies shapes like a crescent, pentagon and octagon.
We are so ready for it to be nice outside, and we have a pack of sidewalk chalk ready to go for that day. In the meantime, Ruby helps us outside with the landscaping and has her very own Ruby-sized rake. We also picked up a ball for her, and she is getting very good at kicking it.
Skype is a daily event in our house with either "Wy-tat" or Nana and Papa. She loves it.
I am so glad I do not have a picky eater. Ruby typically eats pretty much anything we set in front of her, with the exception of potatoes, eggs and white rice. She surprises me sometimes with what she will eat. Last night she ate a salmon cake with dill sauce, and last week she downed an adult-sized turkey panini sandwich, two glasses of milk, two helpings of green beans and a whole banana in one sitting. She is going to eat us out of house and home.
Ruby chooses her own outfit each morning after her daddy gives her options. However, lately she's been making choices without prompting. Last week, she went to school wearing her Gopher cheerleader dress. Today she is reportedly sporting a short sleeve shirt with a puffer vest over it. We are working on fashion faux pas.
It is fun to see and hear Ruby develop friendships. She is definitely BFFs with her cousin Wyatt, and she frequently talks about her cousin Brita. But when we say prayers at night I'll say the names of some of her friends, and she normally repeats me. Lately she contributes names on her own after I say, "God bless our friends..." and she pipes in, "Addison! Jace! Alivia!" It is so cute to learn who and what is on her mind and random moments. Also, the other night during prayers I said, "God bless Uncle Jeff, Auntie Jean..." and Ruby said "Wyatt". I thought it was a fluke, but then I said, "God bless Uncle Tom, Auntie Deda..." and Ruby said, "Brita!"
Some of the other most exciting things in Ruby's life are seeing school buses (she yells and points, "BUS!" whenever we see one) and puppies. She expects to see one every time we leave the house- and we often do- but it is a highlight of her day.

Ruby and I will be spending Mothers Day participating in the Race for the Cure with Nana on Sunday. I'm hoping for good weather, as I think this will be a very fun way to celebrate the day.

A very "hoppy" Easter

2011-04-26T15:46:00.003-05:00

The Easter Weekend was a busy one for the Engquist Family. It was fun to watch little Rubes participate in the Easter fun this year. On Friday we drove up to St. Cloud for our favorite fish fry, and it was well worth the drive! We spent the night in Foley and were able to see Jeff, Jean and "Wy-tat" on Friday night and Saturday morning, which was especially fun for Ruby. She and Wyatt are such good buddies. We came home late Saturday morning to have lunch and a nap before heading to Forest Lake to celebrate Grandma Dee's birthday with her. Sunday morning we went to church and then to Grandma Therese's for Easter Brunch and an egg hunt. Ruby was great at finding eggs with special little surprises in each one. The bunny was very nice to our little girl, too! She got cute dresses, shoes, boots, an umbrella, books, socks and toys. Such a spoiled girl. We are now looking forward to more sunny days so we can get outside to play with her ball and sidewalk chalk.

Family photo at Faith

My little Ruby With cousins Erin & Brita on Saturday

Rowing her boat with Wyatt on Saturday

Trying to capture the perfect shot with two toddlers is near impossible.

Coloring Eggs

2011-04-16T20:05:00.004-05:00

Since it was so gross and cold outside today, we skipped the Easter egg hunt that we had planned to go to, and colored eggs at home instead.

Before: Pretty farm-fresh eggs

Ruby's first experience with coloring eggs

She likes what she sees

She's pretty much a pro

So pretty! A special egg for Daddy, Mommy and Ruby each!

Little Master Gardener

2011-04-12T19:52:00.004-05:00

Sunday morning, Ruby and her daddy sat and looked out the window as they plotted their summer landscaping projects. We also watched a beaver swim around in our pond! Ruby kept calling it a puppy, which is no surprise, since anything she sees moving outside is a puppy to her. We spent part of Sunday working in the yard and were a bit surprised at how much Ruby wants to help. On our trip to Lowes to pick up some supplies, Ruby got her very own Ruby-sized rake. Last night (Monday), it was so beautiful out, so we continued our landscaping. Ruby and I worked on the pots for the front porch while daddy filled in the patches of sod that were ripped up by the snow plow. We also planted our little herb pot!

Rubes really got into the outdoor projects, and before we knew it, she was pretty dirty; but the real kicker came when she took her very first tumble down the front steps. She was trying to navigate her way down the stairs and leaned too far forward and soon found herself heels over head over heals onto the ground. I'm pretty sure it hurt me more than her, since she only cried for about one second. I shook for about one hour. She's fine; just a little scratch and goose egg on her head. She's tough.

Ruby had her pictures taken with her cousins E & B on Sunday and we stopped at Grandma Therese's afterward so daddy could watch the end of the Masters. Ruby loved that her cousins know her very favorite song, Ring Around the Rosie.

We must be careful

2011-04-04T20:15:00.004-05:00

It has become more clear to us recently that we really need to be careful what we do and say, because before we know it, our little shadow will be repeating it.

Tonight while Rubes and I were enjoying some cannelloni and garlic toast for dinner, I set my piece of toast on my napkin. Ruby spotted this, then asked me for a napkin. I gave it to her, and she promptly place her toast on her napkin.

Kids say the darndest things

2011-04-04T20:04:00.004-05:00

Some of the sounds we've heard come from Ruby's mouth recently: - Firetruck noises (complete with a horn honk at the end) - Train sound - Buddha (I was showing her a photo from Hawaii and our friend Ann and I are running a buddha belly. I asked who was in that photo and she pointed and said, "Buddha!" Huh. Who knew she knew that?! - Most animal noises and mommy noises: "Ruby, what does a snake say?" "Hisssssss." "Ruby, what does mommy say?" "Shhhhhh" (with finger at her lips). - Last night in the tub I held up the letter "E" and she said, "E!" I thought it was a fluke. Then I held up "O" and she said, "O." - "Mess". As in, the gross-looking pond in the back yard, the muddy water along the road and of course, mommy's hair. Thanks, Rubes. - "Yea." This is one of Papa and Nana's favorites. Tonight we were skyping them and they would ask her a question and she would respond, "yea" to everything. However, when asked if she wants to go to bed, she quickly says, "no". - "Ilayou!" When we tell her we love her, Ruby echoes back, "Ilayou!" Or, we play a little game that I say, "Ruuuuuuuby!", to which she responds, "Ilayou!"

Still a shoe addict

2011-04-04T20:02:00.001-05:00

I'm not sure if it's DSM-IV diagnosis-worthy, but honestly, this girl LOVES shoes!

Most kids would want a RIDE on their trike...

2011-04-04T19:35:00.005-05:00

...but not Ruby. She is no longer interested in trike rides unless she's the one doing the pushing. I don't know. I guess she likes to be in control.

Happy St. Patty's Day!

2011-03-18T11:48:00.002-05:00

The trouble with trying to capture some outdoor photos: 1. Ruby loves puppies, and they were all around the neighborhood yesterday, so that's all she was interested in. 2. A shadow can be a very interesting thing.

BIG news!

2011-03-13T15:27:00.002-05:00

Ruby went pee in the potty this morning... Ruby is a bit under the weather today, so she slept in late. After I finally woke her up, I asked if she'd like to sit on her potty (one of her favorite things to do lately). We removed her jammies, and off she went to the bathroom. A few minutes later, she walked up to me, so I asked her if she went potty. I recieved the response of "yea", so we checked it out and sure enough, "yea" is right! Way to go, babe! This is a great follow-up from an event that took place on Thursday. Here's the email Tyler composed on Friday to describe it: "So last night as we were on our way upstairs to take a bath Ruby kept saying, "Potty" over and over and over... that's what she does. So we went into her room to take off her diaper and get her ready to take her bath. The whole time she is repeating "potty" in a very excited tone and expression on her face. So I take her off the changing table and say, "do you have to go potty?" She took off running (in the buff, which is funny in iteself) to the bathroom and plops herself down on her potty chair. She was so proud to be sitting on her throne. So I went over and started her bath... She got up to check on me and I would say, "did you go potty?" and she'd reply, "no>' that process repeated itself about 3-4 times. finally when I asked her, "did you go potty?" she said, "yea". So I walked over to see what she had done. Nothing. So as all good fathers will do, I accused her of lying to me. Then I looked down and saw something glistening on the floor, and about 1 inch from my foot was Ruby's "potty"! She was right. She had gone potty! Hooray! Unfortunately she missed the potty... I did feel better as I was wiping it up when Ruby gave me the consolatory, "uh-oh". Ah, a day in the life of a parent.

She's a big girl... and now we have proof

2011-03-13T15:13:00.003-05:00

Recently, Ruby has been refusing to remove her coat when we get home from school. I think it's because she wants to badly to go for a ride on her trike outside.

Earlier this week, we got home and once again, Ruby wanted to keep her coat on, so we removed her hat, mittens and shoes and placed them on the steps. As I began to prepare dinner, she picked up her belongings and brought them to me and repeated, "on, on, on, on, on..." I told her that we could go outside if SHE put them on herself. After about five minutes of grunting, Ruby walked back over to me with her hat on (albeit, backwards) and her shoes on AND velcroed. So what if they're on the wrong feet?!

This is a face that Ruby makes quite often these days. She likes to ask, "where go?" and ends her "go?" with duck-like lips. Pretty funny.

Another note about Ruby refusing to take off her coat: she is so dead-set on keeping her coat on that she even feels strongly about it in her sleep. Last night we were at my parents and planned ahead for her to fall asleep in the car on the way home. She had her coat on over her jammies. When we got home, Ty carried her in and laid Ruby in her crib, then unzipped and began removing her coat. He unzipped it and removed one arm, but when he began to pull the left arm out of the coat, Ruby grabbed onto the coat, opened her eyes from a sound sleep, and began whining to keep her coat on.

Seriously, between coats and shoes, this girl is becoming quite a diva...

Ruby's teachers noted earlier this week that she LOVES shoes. Each day after her nap, Ruby walks to the shoes and tries on any shoes that have some type of bling or sparkle. In addition, she likes to slip her feet into a pair of Buzz Lightyear boots that a little boy has at school. This was no shock to us, as it is a daily occurrence that she likes to go to her shoe basket and try on her favorite shoes and is partial to her shiny blue ones.

Ruby Randomness

2011-03-06T13:18:00.002-06:00

Ruby has been obsessed this weekend with getting "dressed up", but her favorite thing to put on is her Elmo swimming diaper... over her pants. She constinuously asks us to put it on her. Last night, she also sported a vest, her swimming shoes and a plastic swimming diaper cover. All at the same time. Silly girl. Rubes loves being read to. She was so happy on Friday night when it was storytime with daddy!

She must be Irish

2011-03-06T13:13:00.001-06:00

Last week I gave Ruby a reuban sandwich. I didn't think she'd be interestd in the taste of saurkraut, but as it turns out, she LOVED it! Good little Irish girl.

Meeting Kane

2011-03-06T13:05:00.003-06:00

Ruby met her new friend, Kane, last week when he and his mommy came for a visit. I'm not sure she was a huge fan of him, but we still tried (unsuccessfully) to capture some photos of the two of them.

E & B's Under the Sea Tea Party Birthday Bash

2011-03-06T12:51:00.004-06:00

Ruby had a great time at Erin & Brita's birthay party on February 19th. Auntie Amanda outfitted each girl in mermaid fins, a pearl necklace and a flower in their hair. She was by far the youngest mermaid in the sea, but Ruby loved hanging out with the 4- and 5-year olds!

Miss Self Sufficient

2011-02-27T10:09:00.002-06:00

While I was at the gym on Friday night, I received a text picture from Tyler with the following explanation: "I left the room for one minute and when I returned she had gone into the kitchen drawer and filled a bowl with cheese fish and was eating them". We briefly considered letting her come downstairs by herself this morning to fix herself a bowl of Cheerios while we slept in, but thought better of it. Soon enough.

The trike makes an appearance

2011-02-27T10:03:00.003-06:00

A few weeks ago we decided to hide the trike in the garage so that The Rubes doesn't insist that we go for a ride each and every day. This worked pretty well until this week, when she spotted it when we pulled into the garage after school. She pointed and shrieked as we walked into the house. When we got into the house, she threw a bit of a tantrum as she pointed at the door leading to the garage. I gave in, and we bundled up and went for a ride, and Ruby was delighted as we strolled through the neighborhood.

Happy (belated) Valentine's Day!

2011-02-21T20:23:00.000-06:00

Are we raising a cheater?

2011-02-17T13:21:00.004-06:00

Last night while I was out with some gal pals, Ruby was playing puzzles with her daddy. When I got home, I learned about some questionable puzzle-playing that my little Rubes has been doing. Ruby was sitting on Tyler's lap, and he would hand her a piece to put onto the puzzle. Instead, she would shove the piece under her leg until he would hand her another. She would then shove that one under her leg. Tyler would hand her another. Sure enough, it went under her leg. This game repeated until all of the pieces had "magically" disappeared, and Ruby would then put her hands in the air and proclaim, "All DONE!" She's a little stubborn, too (she gets that from her dad)... Last week at school they went outside to play. I cannot imagine getting 20 toddlers bundled in their outdoor gear and filed onto the playground, but I digress. So, Ruby walked outside, stepped foot on the snow, and... nothing. She stopped, stood and didn't move anything but her eyes. Her teachers tried to coax her over to the swings and balls, but Ruby just stood motionless and watched. Ms. Sandy grabbed Ruby's hand and tried to lead her to fun, but Ruby refused. Apparently this was a solo protest by The Rubes. She absolutely was NOT going to play outside, and by gosh, she would NOT be having fun while they were out there. Good grief. Like I said, she gets this from her dad.

It's bEaUtIfUl outside!

2011-02-14T08:51:00.003-06:00

First, Happy Valentine's Day! Today Ruby is sporting her heart shirt, red skirt and fancy shoes for her party at school. Below: "if you're happy and you know it, clap your hands!" Ruby actually claps two times. She also kicks her feet, touches her nose and taps her head. We're still working on, "...blow a kiss!"

Oh, WOW! What a lovely day it was yesterday. We decided to take Ruby on her first trike ride outside. Contrary to what this photo indicates, she loved it.

Daddy does hair

2011-02-11T12:18:00.002-06:00

I was giving Tyler a hard time because lately Ruby has been the most discheveled looking child in the Toddler Room at school. After requesting that he do something with her hair in the morning, he texted me these two photos this week:

Thursday: Tyler proclaims himself "Dad of the Year" after securing pigtails in Ruby's hair.

Friday: "Try number 2: Success!" after The Rubes leaves the house with a cute pony on top.

Well done, daddy!

A real treasure

2011-02-05T10:21:00.003-06:00

This morning I decided to follow Ruby around the house for a while to see where her curiosity would take her. She opened some drawers in the kitchen, then stopped to touch the leaves of a plant, then looked out the patio door window, pushed in a chair at the dining room table, took off her shoe, asked me to put her shoe back on, handed me a book then decided she didn't want to read, lead me into the toy room and picked up a ball, threw the ball, then walked into the office and opened the top drawer of the desk. This is where she found the treasure:

Drawer opened, look inside

Pull out the treasure and take a closer look

She likes what she sees... it's a picture of daddy!

"Mommy, check this out!"

"No, really... you gotta see this!"

"What is it?", you may ask... it's daddy's student ID from college!

Honestly, Ruby was SO happy to discover this little treasure. She proceeded to run around the house squealing in delight, then would stop to take another look, then run with it some more, etc, etc, etc.

Who knew Southwest State University could produce such a treasure?

A well-baby at 15 months!

2011-01-28T08:40:00.002-06:00

Yesterday afternoon we took Ruby for her 15-month well-baby check. She is doing remarkably well- in fact, Dr. Weininger said we didn't need to come back for an 18-month check if we don't want to! He doesn't need to see Ruby again until she is 2. Wow. It's pretty amazing that we are already talking about "when Ruby is 2..." Here are her stats:

Height: 2'8" (90%)
Weight: 22 lb 6.2 oz (42%)
Noggin: 46.7 cm (73%)

Below are a few recent photos of The Rubes. The first two were taken on Wednesday when we went sledding for a few minutes in the balmy 30 degree weather. She LOVED the sled this time... until mommy got ambitious by going down the hill in the back yard and ended up getting stuck and broke the rope to pull the sled. That's when panic set it and Ruby was done sledding for the day.

The bottom photo is a quick one I took on my way out the door this morning. Ruby wore pig tails to school today and felt pretty confident in them, so I had to snap a photo.

We received a call from school a little while ago stating that Ruby has a fever and cough. We're not surprised, since she has four teeth coming in... hopefully she can make it through the day!