Confession

I was born in Springfield, Virginia. We lived there until I was 4 before moving to South Dakota. My moms best friend in Virginia was Sharon Hewitt. We always called her Fluto. My mom and Fluto called each other Mun. I soon became little Mun. I then termed Ruby-Mini Mun. Anyways, In November, Fluto found out she had cancer and it spread throughout her body. I don't want to say that she lost her battle because she didn't. Fluto knew God and now gets to spend eternity in Heaven. That my friends is a great victory....not a lost battle. 

I started this blog when I was pregnant because Fluto said my updates on Facebook gave her great joy and sometimes got her through the day. I'm SO happy that Fluto lived to see Ruby (in pictures.) I would send her pictures every day of Ruby and send her updates and keep this blog going. 

Fluto truly is a very special person. She was absolutely hilarious and cared about people to no end. Her and her husband came out to Ben and i's wedding and I feel so fortunate! She brought decorations, she helped decorate the venues, and she was there to provide comedic relief. I'm so happy that our last memories in person were at the wedding. Fluto would always get my mom to be more spontaneous. She would would make my mom laugh harder than I've ever seen her laugh. That's just the kind of person Fluto was. 

I sent Fluto a picture of Ben holding Ruby and her response was, "We all have something in common-no hair!" Even through cancer, Sharon kept her humor. She will definitely be missed, but our memories of her will always be happy memories that will bring smiles to our faces. That is her legacy. Love you Fluto!

Ruby's Life at 3 Months

Hey Everyone,

Life has been pretty busy since Easter. Time is a funny thing. Given that we get the same amount each day, time can seem to go really fast or really slow. Last month went super fast. I can't believe Ruby is 3 months. She changes every single day and I'm so happy tha I get to witness this! The love we have for our little girl is unreal. I don't think you can possibly know what this love feels like until you become a parent. Here are some fun facts about Ruby.

1. She hates her car seat. If she isn't asleep in it she cries. In fact, the only time she really cries is when in her car seat. Any tips are welcome!

2. She continues to roll over from tummy to back, but it is very sporadic.

3. I heard her giggle twice and my heart melted. I then proceeded to act like a fool in order to get more. It didn't work.

4. She sleeps from 7 at night until 3. I feed her and she sleeps again until 7ish. It's wonderful!

5. She still loves baths.

6. She has discovered how to "yell." I always put her in her pack and play as soon as she shows any signs of being tired. She sometimes will yell at me before falling asleep. It's kind of funny.

7. She has started sucking her thumb and it is adorable! If only she would comfort herself in the car seat.

8. At church last Sunday I accidentally shocked Ruby on the nose and she went ballistic and cried until I picked her up. Oops. Lesson learned there.

9. We are going to start transitioning Ruby to her crib. I'm quite sad about it actually.

10.  She is roughly around 12 1/2 pounds.

Ruby has a doctors appointment on June 1st. She will get her second round of shots then and get weighed and all that fun stuff. Ruby is generally a happy and content baby, but she is not a fan of going to the Doctor. Our Doctor is GREAT, but she is very popular. Therefore the nurse will usually do all of Ruby's vitals and then it takes a long time for her Doctor to come in, so she gets a little fussy.

I have grown to love breastfeeding and become more comfortable about it. It is very convenient. Two weeks ago we were coming home from church and there is a train track near our house. Well, Ruby was hungry and screaming. All of a sudden the train got slower and slower and eventually stopped. Having no idea when it would start again I crawled in the back, took her out of her car seat and fed her. About a minute later the train started moving again. I won't say whether or not Ben just drove home while I continued to feed her. (We only live a couple of blocks away)

Ben hast just over a month left of school before summer break. We are SO excited about this. It will be so great to have him home more during the day.

Fear

I fear the day Ruby falls and breaks a bone. I fear for the times she will get her feelings hurt. I fear for when she gets her heart broken for the first time. I fear when I turn around and can't find her at the store. I fear the world that Ruby will grow up in. As a mom I want to protect Ruby and shield her from all things that will hurt her in some way. I know this is impossible and actually not good for her. God actually tells us to not have fear. So, as Ben and I parent Ruby and Lord willing other kids we may have, I pray that we don't parent in fear, but we parent resting in the Peace that God gives us. Ben and I can and will do the best we can each day to raise children who walk with the Lord and know that their protection comes from God. He is in control. On the days that parenting is really hard and we may try to do it on our own, I pray that we continually seek Him for answers, peace, understanding, and forgiveness. I also pray that we always give thanks for what He has given us.

Swaddling....duh!

I remember the first week when I would have to wake Ruby to eat every 2-3 hours per Doctors request. It was exhausting, but when you become a mom life is no longer about you. You would do absolutely anything to make sure your baby gets what she needs. After Ruby gained past her birth weight we were able to let her sleep as long as she wanted an feed her when she woke up. Well, our little girl would grunt through the night moving her head back and forth. I thought she was nuts. I would go over to her to feed her, but she was "sleep grunting." It was so strange. That's when we introduced the pacifier. The pacifier works off and on. Sometimes when she is fighting her sleep you just PPP that sucker in and she is out like a light. It comes in pretty handy.

Well, we always thought Ruby liked having her hands out of her swaddling sleep sack, until I realized she would startle and wake herself up by hitting her face with her hands. At around 7 weeks she was still waking up every two or so hours grunting. I posted something on Facebook about trying to figure out Rubys sleeping and sweet Meredith sent me a message about a book called Babywise. Now, I didn't read it, but I did Google Babywise tips. One of the first things I read was to swaddle your babies arms in. Duh! That is just common sense. So, Ben an I went back to swaddling her arms in and sure enough, Ruby slept through the night. At one point Ben woke up and had to make sure she was breathing. Since last Thursday, (knock on wood) Ruby has been sleeping mostly through the night. We will put her down around 8 and then she wakes up around 4 to eat and then again around 8. Seriously. It's fantastic!! I hope I don't eat my words by typing up this blog.

So, all you soon to be mommas or mommas with babies who aren't sleepig too well.....try swaddling them! If that doesn't work, go to Barnes and Noble and buy Babywise!

Back to work?

Hey Everyone,

For the last 9 years I have worked with children. I worked at a daycare all through college and I have taught Kindergarten for the last 5 years. I love working with children! As you may or may not know, Ben and I knew when we got married that I would eventually stay home when we had kids. It was hard to make that decision and I went back and forth on whether or not that would be best. After having Ruby, God definitely confirmed that decision. As I sit here an look at my 9 week old daughter sleeping in her swing I simply can NOT imagine leaving her for 9-10 hours a day at a daycare. Please know that I do not judge those who chose this option. I know incredible moms who do.

I'm reading a book right now called Bringing Up Girls by Dr. James Dobson. I'm only a couple chapters in, but the more I read the more I learn about how horrible our culture is and how important Ben and i's role is in raising Ruby. Ben and I are both teachers. I can tell you after our first day of school which children are loved well at home, which children play a lot of video games, which children who are neglected. Ben and I have also noticed from Kindergarten to High School the amount of disrespect that children show. They do not fear consequences, they do not respect adults, and they just don't care. I feel like it has gotten worse over the last couple of years. I think a lot of it comes from parenting. When I have been hit by Kindergarners, cussed at by Kindergartners, and flat out disrespected by Kindergartners, that doesn't just happen. I had a little girl call me a fag when I wouldn't let her jump on the chairs. Where did she learn that word? She clearly did not know the meaning. What I'm trying to say is if you don't raise your children than the world will. If you don't teach yor children about Jesus who will? We can't take our children to church on Sunday's and leave it at that. We need to practice faith at home. I've been reading through Proverbs lately and have been convicted on wisdom. Wisdom comes from the Lord and if we don't seek Him we lack wisdom. If we are in His word we find wisdom. Simple as that. Ooofta...I think I'm getting on a rabbit trail here.

Ben and I were talking the other night about how nice it is to have the weekends not spent cleaning and running errands. I'm able to get the cooking done, laundry finished, cleaning done. By doing this during the day, Ruby and i's time is maximized with Ben. Same goes for the weekends. Ben and I also discussed how if I was back at work, it would probably be harmful to our marriage. Again PLEASE understand that I'm talking about Ben and I specifically and not judging anyone.

I love teaching, but I truly think that God used teaching to teach me what is important. What is important for Ben and I is for me to stay at home with our kids. It is a job that we find so important and I can tell you with 100% confidence that I have never been happier in my entire life.