Ruby at 8 Months

Hey All,

So, today Ruby turned 8 months. I really don't know how that is possible! My sister in law just had an adorable little girl and when I held her I couldn't believe that Ruby was once that small. I'm sure that feeling never goes away when you see or hold a baby younger than yours. Ruby continues to bring Ben and I so much joy. I thank God every day that he allowed Ben and I to be parents. It is definitely the hardest thing I have done to date, but also the most rewarding thing I've done. There are definitely days that are harder than others and I often find that on those days, I try and do it on my own. I don't even acknowledge God. Yikes! The first thing I do every morning is read my bible. (I'm reading the bible in a year currently.) I start the day off in the word and in prayer. Then...well, then Ruby wakes up and the day gets going. It is my prayer to remember to choose God throughout the whole day. I can't do it on my own.

Ruby has been SUPER busy. She is crawling all over the place. She has started pulling herself up on things. She has an exersaucer that she has started climbing onto the bottom portion of. Her favorite hang out spot is our entry way. I've had to start putting up all the shoes and sweeping on a daily basis in there. She loves getting her hands on paper when I'm not looking. She knows when she is doing something that she shouldn't be. For example, she starts crawling towards Moose or shoes and is all I have to say is, "What do you think you're doing?" She immediately starts booking it until I run and grab her. She has this big smile on her face the whole time. Right now I think it is adorable. I'm not sure I will always think that. ;) She has been eating pureed food twice a day. Not a whole lot at a time, but some. Ruby reminds me so much of her dad it isn't even funny. She looks like him and a lot of the things she does is just like him. She is one determined and curious little girl. She is always discovering the world around her and always figuring things out. She will watch you do something and then try and copy you.

Last week we were driving and I looked back and saw that she was tugging at her ears. UH oh! I knew I needed to take her in and get her checked out. A part of me was relieved when I found out she had an ear infection because she has been sleeping so horribly. Ah hah! The culprit to bad sleeping was an ear infection. Oh, but just kidding. She's been on antibiotics for about a week now, so her ears should be better and she is STILL sleeping horribly. Booooo! A couple of nights ago she went 5 hours and it was wonderful. Last night, she woke up every two hours. Not cool Ruby, not cool! I know what I'm doing is probably wrong. I do go in and I nurse her back to sleep. Here is the thing though people. When I nurse her back to sleep it takes a total of maybe 10 minutes. When I go in and rub her back and assure her I'm there she usually screams louder and an hour later she is still not back asleep and I end up nursing her anyway. I keep making excuses like maybe she is getting another tooth and that is why she keeps waking up. I don't know what to do. What I do know, is that she is super happy during the day. We have to get her ears re-checked on Friday, so maybe I will see what the doc says. I was telling Ben that I honestly don't know how I could teach Kindergarten and have a little girl who wakes up every two hours at night. So, Lauren...if you're reading this. I give you all the kudos in the world. You are such a great Mommy and teacher!

Ruby is 8 months, smiles all the time, has two bottom teeth, is extremely ambitious, and loves life. We love our little girl!

She loves reading! 

Ruby Lately

Hey Everyone,

It's been awhile since I've blogged. Maybe it is because Ruby has been busy crawling and getting into everything she shouldn't be. She has a plethora of toys, yet she goes for outlet covers, the rug with all our shoes, and best of all...she goes after Moose. I'm thinking this is only the start. Am I right, Mamas? She has also cut two bottom teeth. Let me tell you, that was not fun. She was fussy almost all of the time. She wanted to be held all the time. Now, most of the time I don't mind holding her, but she is getting heavy AND she always wants to face out. I wish sometimes she could be that sweet cuddly melt into you cuddly. Oh well, I can't complain. I think she is so curious about the world around her and she has a serious case of FOMO. (Fear of missing out.)

Over Labor Day weekend our family took off to Big Stone Lake and went camping in the RV. We met up with my mom, Sarah, and Liam. We took a nice swim. Ruby LOVES the water. She splashes away and always ends up drinking some of the water. Yuck! Ben, Ruby, and I stayed in the RV that night. Ruby's pack n play fit nicely and Ben and I were able to sleep on the bed. Ruby slept better than she has EVER slept. Mama, not so much. I woke up around 3 wondering if Ruby was ok. I never got out of bed, but I basically stayed awake until she woke up around 5:30 to feed. We spent the rest of the weekend in Watertown.

Now, on the topic of sleep. Maybe some of you Mama's can help me out. Ruby's sleep schedule is SO inconsistent. During the day is just fine. She usually takes a nap about every 3 hours. At night however, ought. Sometimes she will sleep for 11 straight hours. Ok, she did that once. But sometimes she will sleep for nice long stretches. Other nights she wakes up 2-3 times a night. What gives? Here is what her typical schedule looks like. She usually goes to bed around 6:00. (Maybe that is too early, but that is when she appears to be tired.) On a bad night of sleeping she will usually wake up around 11:30, 4:30, and then up for the day around 7:30. Lately I have been going in and feeding her when she wakes up. Even though, I know she isn't waking out of hunger. I think she is comfort nursing to fall back asleep. Last night I sent Ben in at 4:30 and he held her and rubbed her back and she went back to sleep. Hurray! I think I'm going to stop feeding her in the middle of the night and see if that helps anything. I also know she is capable of falling asleep without nursing. When I lay her down for naps during the day, I always lay her down awake. When we put her to bed at night I will feed her in the living room, we will go read some books, and we lay her down awake. She also sleeps for about 12-14 hours total each night. I'm definitely NOT a fan of the crying it out method. I know this has worked for many, but I can't do it. I do let Ruby cry for about 10 minutes before going in. I guess, for you seasoned mothers out there. Any tips? Is this normal for a 7 month old? I read in a lot of places that they should be able to sleep through the night.

I haven't been able to go to many MOMS club events lately because they are usually scheduled in the morning when Ruby is sleeping. Big time bummer, but when we can go, we do. It does get kind of lonely during the day without Ben home. We try to get out on as many walks as we can or just sit outside and enjoy the nice weather while we can. Anyway, that's all I have for now. I hope all is well with all of you!

My brown eyed girl. If you look close enough you can see those two teeth on the bottom.