So Excited And Just Can't Hide It

These pictures were taken at baggage claim at the airport last Sunday. Brian was so excited to see Ruth. He said he was happy to see me but you don't see any pictures of Brian holding me smiling do you. (And Brian, if you write a comment about my weight you are in for it). Ruth was equally excited to see him. She started smiling and kicking her legs and doing her little quick breathing laughter that she does. It was very sweet.

I decided to post this morning because Ruth just got done throwing a fit of massive proportions. She is finally asleep but we shall see how long it lasts!

Ruth Kisses

The following videos show how Ruth gives kisses. Until our trip, I was the only one who got to experience these delights. But at the airport when my mother picked us up, Ruth instantly started giving her kisses. I guess my mother and I look and sound enough alike that Ruth felt comfortable. She also gave my little sister these kisses but Olivia didn't like them as much. For those of you that know Olivia, this is not a surprise.

Memommy and her two favorite grandkids

This was taken last weekend at my parents house with my mother (Natalie) and her two favorite grandkids: Ruth and Tippy. Tippy is an old, gentle dog. She was rescued by my little sister probably ten years ago. Some boys at school were using Tippy as a football and Olivia marched over there and said, "I am taking this dog home." Tippy is much beloved by both of my parents and now by Ruth. Ruth, much to my chargin, seems to love animals.

Ruth Walking

This video was shot about three weeks ago. Enjoy!

And We're Back

Sorry to be radio silent for so long. I took Ruth on her first plane ride. The two of us went to visit my family in Arkansas. Ruth did GREAT on the plane. She did not sleep, of course. But ate very well during take off and landing and did not cry. She did fuss a little but because she was bored. But there was no fit throwing or yelling. I was so proud. Here is a photo of Ruth (and me) with the pilots on our flight out there.



Today is Daddy's birthday. We took him to breakfast and went on a small hike and saw a deer and maybe a snake. Ruth sang to him all day long, although I don't know the version of "Happy Birthday" that she sang.

For those of you that have asked about her eating. Our appointment with the OT at the children's hospital went well. Ruth did not want to eat for her so she got to see what we were talking about. She said it was okay to distract her if that's what it took for Ruth to eat. I would like to tell you that Ruth rarely needs distraction now and has increased her eating on average 4 ounces a day!!! I have no idea what turned it around, but Brian and I are very excited.

Ruth with Mommy's Students

This is Ruth at a pool party with some of my students. Ruth seems to understand that this is my "chosen" group of students. Ruth was a great baby at the party and my students kept saying "Ms Natalie, I think you make up those stories about Ruth crying." Does this child do these things on purpose? The short answer is yes, she does.

Pictures of Ruth

Enjoy!!!

Holding Court

Sorry, no pictures. Today I had to go to the dermatologist to have a mole check. It was feeding time so I rushed in right before my appointment and pulled out a bottle to feed Ruth before I was called back to see the doctor. As you know, Ruth's eating is hit or miss. Today, it was a hit and not just in terms of the amount she ate. Ruth managed to capture the attention of a waiting room full (I would say around 15 people) where all but maybe 4 were over the age of 65.

All eyes and ears were on Ruth as she ate a little and then tried to talk with milk in her throat. She seems to really like gurgling liquid in the back of her throat. As I talked to one lady about Ruth's eating and how I had to give her a focus for her to finish a bottle, the whole room seemed to listen intent on the good baby in my lap. When she finished her five ounce bottle, some people let out little cheers. Ruth also proceed to show off when I burped her by giving me her infamous "mommy kisses". Ruth loves to take my face in her hands and either bite down on my chin or talk on my face so it sounds muffled. She was a great baby!

We have an appointment next Wednesday morning at Scottish Rite (the children's hospital) for them to observe me feeding Ruth to see what they think. I am sure that she will eat well just like she used to for the nurse when I was trying to get her to latch on. But we shall see.

Please don't forget to pray for little Adam Lewis. I can't even begin to imagine what he or his parents are going through and hope I never have to. His parents' names are Debbie and Mark. Join Adam's Army with me in lifting them up to our Lord for strength and healing.

More on Ruth

While Ruth seems to be doing very well, her eating has dropped off again. She was eating on average of 22 ounces a day and then dropped off to an average of 17 over several days. Yes, I think teething is an issue but when I called her GI doctor just be to sure, he was more concerned that we have to give her a toy to focus on to eat after she eats and ounce or two. So, we are being sent to Scottish Rite (the children's hospital) for evaluation. I don't know when this will be as they are very busy and will call us to schedule an appointment. However, right now my little girl is happily playing on the floor kicking her legs up behind her.

In other news, a friend of mine from college recently learned that her three year old boy has cancer. He is in Arkansas Children's Hospital getting treatment right now. Please, please, please pray for them. The boy's name is Adam and they are calling out for people to join Adam's Army in prayer and donations to research for children's cancer in your yearly giving.

Does This Look Sane to You?

This is one of my favorite pictures of Ruth. We don't know what she's laughing at but we are sure that whatever it is, it's hilarious. This was taken at Atlanta's Hartsfield Jackson airport. As of 2006 (?) it was officially the nations busiest airport (TNBA). Natalie and I decided we would brave the airport to see if we could find my uncle who was going to be in the ATL for a layover on his way back to Arizona. We knew that it would be a harrowing journey but, since he probably would only see Ruth in pictures, we felt like it would be worth a shot. As part of our strategy we went to India...I mean we called India when we called Delta's help desk. In order to know when his plane got in we called Delta to see what flight number he was going to be on and, surprisingly, they told us. That does not boost our faith in the airline industry but we needed the help so they did us a favor.
Berry's 1 - Hartsfield Jackson 0.
When we go to the airport and found that his flight was on time the next step was to have Delta page him to meet us. They did, but he didn't. Apparently, he had heard his name but did not get the rest of the message. My poor uncle was lost in TNBA.
Berry's 1 - Hartsfield Jackson 1.
It was a dead heat and we were not to be defeated by TNBA so we had to take drastic measures. We called Ruth's grandma (my mom - sheesh people stay with me) to get my uncle's home phone number where I had to explain why I was calling for his cell phone number. Once we had the cell phone we were able to direct him to us and (success) had quite a nice visit during his layover.
Victory Is Ours!
We snatched victory from the jaws of defeat just in the nick of time. Finally, a good use for cell phones! Ruth was in a great mood during our visit and my uncle Billy got some great pictures of her including the one shown here. (If you look closely you can see her two little white chicklet teeth in the bottom of her mouth.) We were very glad that we made the trip and are thankful that we were able to spend that time together. (Plus we got a great picture of Ruth out of it...proof that she's a little off. I mean really, who in their right mind laughs like that?) Besides, everyone should battle Hartsfield Jackson at some point in the their lives. It helps keep you young.


Until next time on 'Don't They Post Anything Worth Reading?' - Keep Laughing!

Ruth Speaks

Ruth got most of her personality from her father (crying like he did as a baby often, short attention span, etc) but she got her love of talking from me. Ruth talks ALL the time - during feedings, during bath time, during playtime and during nap time. She skipped over saying words like gaga and baba and went straight for blah. She would say this word over and over and over. I thought we had a regular genius on our hands until Brian pointed out that he favorite toy, Manual, says Blah. So Ruth must have learned this word from him. So I started saying mamamamamam to her over and over and last night she said it!!! This morning, without any prompting, she said dada.

She can now roll over from her stomach to her back and can, while she doesn't very often, roll over on her right side. (She prefers her left side - great, another trait like her father). She was pretty fussy yesterday so I don't know if she doesn't feel well or is cutting another tooth. But to be on the safe side, we stayed home from church today. But as I watch her on her tummy kicking both legs, propped up on her elbows talking to whatever is in her eyesight, I think maybe we could have gone to the nursery after all. I bet the nursery workers are breathing a sigh of relief that the "Spit Up Queen" is not there today.

Bath Time With Mommy

Well, today's entry does not have a picture or a video. Ruth took a bath in the big bath tub tonight with Mommy. She seemed to have a great time kicking the most water she has ever had in bath time. I didn't even have to splash water on myself since Ruth took care of that job for me!

I have a question to all the mothers who bottle fed or ever used a bottle: did your child chew on the nipple instead of eat? Ruth is going through another non eating phase and would rather chew on the nipple than eat. I don't understand how she cannot be so hungry all the time. In order for her to eat, I sometimes have to hold the bottle with my left hand wrapped around her head and have a puppet on my right hand for her to focus on. It can be very frustrating.

Virginia Tech pulled a win this week against Furman. Arkansas is currently playing so maybe we will have two wins this week.

This Week With Ruth Berry

This photo was taken last week before the Hokies choked. (sorry, Brian). You can tell it is early in the game because Brian is smiling. Ruth has learned that if she wants to get away with anything, all she has to do is smile. She smiled plenty during the first quarter and Brian missed a good bit of the game smiling back at her.

Ruth and I have finally made peace with one another. She now sleeps during the day but I have to put her on the big bed with me and lie down with her. When she finally gets to sleep, I sometimes can move her to the crib and she will stay asleep. Night time is usually an easy transition to sleep but not tonight. She is still fussy next door. Today she has tried to chew everything and anyone in sight. And after a week of eating very well, today she has decided that she doesn't need to eat and has increased her activity level. Michael Phelps may be the fastest swimmer but Ruth Berry has been in training all day kicking her legs and turning her head side to side preparing for her Olympic race in 2032. She makes me tired just watching her.

Well, since she is still fussy I guess I should go be more proactive in getting her to sleep.

And So It Begins

Welcome, College Gameday!! As we all know there is no better time of the year than college football time. Nothing is better than seeing (or hearing) your team take the field for the first time of the season. The past is history and now everyone is a national champion. So I got up Saturday morning and dressed Ruth in her VT onesy which I wasn't sure was going to fit because she has really packed on the pound (note: singular) this last month. We posted on the couch for the noon kickoff of my beloved Hokies against Easy Carolina University. I swore I was going to tone it down today since I had Ruthie on my lap this time. Her fragile ears shouldn't hear my game day trash talking and I couldn't justify 'ear-muffing' her for the entire game. Fortunately, she didn't have too much to worry about and we really enjoyed the game. That is until ECU blocked a punt with 1:52 left to beat the Hokies by 5 points. This picture is Ruth's reaction to hearing Daddy say "Awww S**T!" Kidding, I didn't really say that. I wasn't too upset because it is a rebuilding year for VT and Ruth is too young to remember this year...so next year she will be able to root for a winner. On the up side, I won't ever accidentally spike my child when my team scores an offensive touchdown. By the time they actually do she will be too heavy for me to pick up.

Oh, and Arkansas beat some no-name team by a close margin to welcome in the Petrino era. Go Hogs!

Next Saturday go outside and take in a deep breathe. That, my friends, is optimism in the air, the end of summer, the beginning of fall, and college football. When anyone ask what day it is...you tell 'em "It's Game Day!!" And when the teacher asks where Ruth heard that; it was from me.