Get out of mah belly

If I ever said that time flies before becoming a parent, I had no idea what I was talking about! I’ll admit it, I was clueless. These last eight weeks have passed in the blink of an eye (or, more acurately, a camera lens, click here to check our site for lots of pictures of Ruby from birth to present) and it shows no signs of slowing down. But all three of us are enjoying every second we have together. Parenthood is even better than we had imagined, probably because Ruby is such a sweet and adorable baby girl. Chad and I have never been happier (though more rested is another story…..).

We went for Ruby’s two month check up yesterday and she is doing great. She currently weighs 10 pounds and 13 ounces, which is over 3 pounds more than she weighed at birth. That doesn’t come as any surprise to me (or my breasts) as she certainly loves to eat! At that weight and only 21 and 3/4 inches long, though, she is considered a “petite” baby. That is so funny to me because I was expecting a BIG baby, which is what my family usually produces. My brother and I both weighed in at about 10 pounds when we were born, not at two months old! She may not take after my side of the family in terms of size, but she is definitely my daughter – the doctor thinks her language skills are quite advanced! Haha. She does coo and try to use sounds beyond crying to communicate with us, and it is earlier than most babies start to do that. While I am hoping she’ll bust out with a full sentence next week, I think Chad would rather she put it off so he can enjoy the quiet while he can – especially when he hears me gabbing on the phone for hours with my mom and imagines Ruby and I doing the same! Ruby also came in slightly above average with her strength and mental development milestones such as smiling, holding her head up, rolling over, following objects with her eyes, and weight-bearing with her legs. It would have been a really great appointment if it weren’t for the damn shots! The poor baby had to get four vaccinations in three injections and was NOT happy about it. She screamed her head off during the shots, but luckily was so tired that she cried herself right to sleep when I picked her up after it was over. Her legs are still a bit sore, but I think in the end I was more traumatized by the experience than she was!

Chad has been back to work for a month now and I am still home with Ruby. She and I spend our days playing and reading and napping. Well, she naps, and I take that time to do dishes or laundry or other chores. It’s hard to do housework – or anything – with a baby around that needs attention. Especially such a cute one! Everyone always says that being a stay-at-home mother is harder than having a fulltime job. I am not sure I believed that before, but I have definitely found that to be true since she was born. But it’s also 10 times more fun and rewarding than any job I’ve had. I am probably going to be going back to work part-time in a month or so, and while it will be nice to get some adult interaction, I am not really looking forward to it. For now I am loving being home and caring for my sweet girl!

Below are some pictures of Ruby taken a few days ago on Mother’s Day. We celebrated with my mom and grandmother at my brother and sister-in-law’s house. We will be travelling to Illinois to celebrate Chad’s first Father’s Day with a visit to his family and a golf tournament. And, next week Ruby will be taking her very first plane ride when we travel to Arizona for a family gathering of the Kleins and Boiks. Ruby can’t wait to see her Grandma and Grandpa Klein again, or to meet her uncles and the rest of the family. Ruby has already been quite the social butterfly spending time with our local friends and family and will no doubt continue to win many hearts.