Now I Can't Sleep

Ruth is doing well. She did cry out a few times in the night but went right back to sleep. However, I woke up at 6:02am and have not been able to sleep. The house is warm, Brian and baby are sleeping, but here I am, at the computer. I could not stop thinking about burp cloths (I am trying to make my own) and kept singing this horrible song we sang in music class on Tuesday "Let's put our instruments up" to a techno beat. It drives me crazy.

Tonight we are taking Ruth around to a few houses of my students in a neighborhood close by here. Brian is all for taking people's candy, but I told him it would look like we were using our daughter to get free candy. I sense many years of Brian offering to take her trick or treating.

We will post pictures of her adventures!

Now I Know How My Mother Felt

My poor mother had five children. That means five children to worry about and five children to be up with at night when they are sick. Hence, this post.

This is the second night in a row that little Ruth has not slept well. She has a stuffy nose and can not suck on the pacifer and breathe at the same time. So instead, she cries. Tuesday night she was up many times and I tried her in bed with us but that only ran Brian out of the bed. Tonight, I went to the nursery and got in the guest bed with her. No luck. The good news is that she sleeps better by herself now, but the bad news is that she is just not sleeping. I have given up myself tonight and just hope to get a nap in today. I wasn't able to nap yesterday and on Monday when I tried to sleep with Ruth, she only proceeded to try to crawl so much that I gave up then too. Alas, sweet sorrow.

But since I am up and there is no going back to sleep for this weary traveler, let me tell you more about our trip to South Carolina. As I said, I had a residency at Coker College. Brian became the primary caregiver to Ruth and I became the worker out of the "home". We had a total role reversal in terms of emotions, interactions with the baby and with each other. It really helped me to understand what Brian goes through when he "gets to go to work" and for him to understand what I go through on a daily basis with Ruth and having to have all the answers for him. It was definitely an eye opener for each of us.

I don't hear any more sounds coming from the crib so I guess she has finally gone back to sleep. I don't think I will be able to so it is time to check your blogs. If you have a blog that you haven't told me about, please send the address this way.

Ruth the Rabbit

I'll write later, but for now, here are some pictures of Ruth from music class. What a sweet little Rabbit!!!

Pictures of Ruth in South Carolina

Here are some more pictures. I have time to update the blog tonight while I burn Cd's for my students.

It's Been A Cold Day's Night

For those of you who did not know, we were out of town last week. We left on Sunday and returned on Friday. I (Natalie) had a residency at Coker College in Hartsville, South Carolina. I taught classes and set a piece of choreography on their students. It was a good week and nice to teach different students for a change of pace. Brian was able to take the week off to watch Ruth in the hotel. When we originally planned this trip, I was still pumping. But two weeks ago I stopped pumping. Ruth got six months of exculsive breast milk and one month of supplemental but now I am done. It was a little sad but I do have more time!!



Hartsville doesn't have a whole lot to do but they do have this old mom and pop restaurant called Ruth's Drive In. It is next to the old high school. I found it on the chamber's webpage before we went and was determined to eat there but everyone we asked made a face. I told Brian we were going anyway. We had a snack there of sweet tea and the best cake I have had in awhile. It was homemade and tasted like our grandmothers used to make. We were there around 3:00PM in the afternoon so the owner had time to talk. The only other customer was a young man a few years younger than us who had gone to school (then it was an elementary school) next door and had spent every afternoon doing his homework in one of the booths while he waited for his mom to pick him up. He lives out of town now but was back for some "home cookin'." Let me tell you, there food was good but the kind that will give you a heart attack. The restaurant has been around since 1945 but if Obama is elected, then the restaurant will probably be forced out of business due to his un-American "re-distribution of wealth." program. Anyway, the restaurant was started by the current owner's grandmother (Ruth) and was then run by her mother and father (the father was a Virginia native and there were pictures of him in the restaurant wearing a Virginia Tech hat). I bought a t-shirt but they didn't have any in children's sizes.

Another thing we did was visit these wonderful gardens that are open to the public. I will attach pictures of our hike next. We took Ruth in the stroller down steps and over a fallen tree in the path. It was a really beautiful park with walking trails next to a creek.

To get to the title of this post, when we returned, it had turned cold here in Georgia. It had been cold in South Carolina as well and Ruth got to try out some of her winter clothes. I tried to turn the heat on in our house upon our return on Friday afternoon but we learned shortly thereafter that our heater was broken. Ruth had to sleep with us that night because the house was 59 degrees before Brian turned on the fireplace. We had to buy a new system. A big chuck of change of was spent on Saturday to get the house warm again and to get our bed back sans baby.

Sleep was good last night. Even though the Razorbacks lost to dang Ole Miss. The only game I wanted to win this year was to beat traitor Houston Nutt. The season might as well be over now.

Thank-you Granny and Grandpa

Thank you Granny and Grandpa for the Halloween card. That pumpkin on the front looks just like me with my round head and little sprig of hair sticking up in the back. Daddy wants to use the magnetic frame to stick a picture of me onto the side of his truck but Mommy says he is crazy. It looks like I will be a bunny this Halloween and maybe Easter too. I will be sure to make Mommy and Daddy take lots of pictures for everyone but don't expect to get any of my candy. Daddy says I get to keep what I earn...so I expect to eat it all myself.
Love, Ruth.

My 7th Month Pictures

Here are two links to Ruth's photo shoot. They contain different pictures. They were supposed to be on the same order but somehow ended up on two orders. We hope they don't make us pay twice!!!

https://www.thesmilestation.com/home.asp?AC=LTTT0787101507TAR
guest name: Natalie lBerry (that is a lower case L...they made a mistake obviously)

https://www.thesmilestation.com/home.asp?AC=LTTT0787101506TAR
guest name: Natalie Berry

The green dress Ruth is wearing is the same dress I wore in my seven month photos. These didn't turn out as well as I had hoped. Ruth was tired and fussy and the photographer was loud and in the beginning people kept coming in and out. We were going to go to a "real" photographer instead of a photographer in a box at Target but the prices are crazy!! We decided to wait until she is one year old to go to a "real" photographer.

Enjoy the pictures!!!

Thank You Ms Leigh Ann

Ms. Leigh Ann has just left my house on this beautiful Saturday. The weather has a slight chill in the air making me miss the football game days in Fayettville. Even though we always tell Ms. Leigh Ann how thankful we are, I wanted to publicly thank her again. I know she checks this blog as do others and want you all to know how blessed we are.

I have told you that the person Ruth was named for was my grandmother. That is not technically true. However, I just say that she was to save explaining the whole situation. Let me explain here. My mother's mother lived in Kansas when I was little and then when she moved to Arkansas, she wasn't able to do much because of strokes. My father's parents lived just three miles from us but weren't that emotional (I guess due to the times and also due to their natures). But the woman, Ruthel, and her husband, Stanley, who kept us became our grandparents. We called Ruthel Jenny for whatever reason and spent holidays with them. They kept all of my sisters and me when my mom was teaching at school and when we were sick. We would spent the night at their house sometimes and visit them all the time. Jenny was the best cook and was everything a grandmother should be. They didn't have any children so we became their grandchildren. We were in the eulogy (spelling?) at the funeral and even in the will. We carry their memory with us. I can still hear her laugh and remember how soft her hands were although worn from years of hard work. My earliest memory in life is at their house. (My sister Malory was patting my huge cheeks while I tried to sleep and Stanley from across the room said "Now, Malroy, you leave that baby alone." Malory did not comply.) We were so lucky to have been given Jenny and Stanley.

This brings us to Leigh Ann. She treats Ruth so well playing with her, reading to her, singing songs with her. She rocks her and does everything she needs. It is obvious how much she cares for Ruth in her actions and when she talks about Ruth. Ruth lights up when she sees her too which makes Brian and me feel good about leaving Ruth with Leigh Ann. Leigh Ann has opened her house to Ruth sharing with her the joys of living in the country, something we want Ruth to have since we both grew up in the country. Leigh Ann has a beautiful daughter of her own who will play with Ruth and gives her great care when she sees her. Ruth doesn't even cry when Leigh Ann's husband makes funny faces at her!! We are so blessed to have them in our daughter life.

Thank you for sharing in our joy over Ms. Leigh Ann. We love her!!!

Some more pictures!!!

I will post some video later. I need to get up and get my work done while Ruth is sleeping. Laundry and dishes seem to never be done because as soon as you get caught up it is feeding time again and more dishes and laundry appear soon after you are done!!! By the way, several of you have told me in person, sent word with someone or e-mailed us and said you keep up with the blog. Thank you so much for doing that. Feel free to post a comment anytime. We would love to hear from those of you who do not e-mail regularly.

Little Pumpkin

Brian and I are still learning how to work around and through Ruth's albinism. Today at the pumpkin patch Ruth didn't want to look at the camera (partly because she was immersed in a sea of orange and partly because she could not see us very clearly from a distance. Brian pulled out a large umbrella from his truck to block the sun and the movement of the umbrella helped draw her eyes up to the camera.

Yesterday, we had a similar problem. We had her seven month pictures taken. I had been looking forward to this day for months. I had my pictures taken at seven months and Ruth was going to be wearing one of the same dresses I wore in my picture. And it was my birthday so I thought what a great day to have my baby's picture taken. Well, she didn't get a good nap in and the picture studio inside Target must have been at shift change because the women kept walking in and out of the room and bothered Ruth so much. Strangers dressed in black walking in and out of the door and around the room distracted her and upset her. Plus, the photographer kept trying to talk to Ruth and since Ruth could not see her very well, her voice also made her upset. Brian and I would get her to smile and then the photographer would make a sound and Ruth would cry. Needless to say, the pictures did not turn out as well as I had hoped. But, I think Brian and I have decided to purchase a good camera for me in the next few months and see what I can do. I have always wanted to be a part time photographer anyway and think I could do as good a job as they did yesterday.

Pumpkins for Our Little Pumpkin

Today Ruth had her booster shot for the flu vaccine. Afterward, we took her to a little pumpkin patch at a local church. Brian and I went to this same patch last year. It was fun to take Ruth today. I had envisioned a cool, fall day but Georgia weather did not cooperate. It was close to 80 degrees. Ruth was fairly good even though she had not napped and it was getting close to lunchtime for her. Here are some pictures to enjoy!

Ruth with Grandpa

Again, Brian is the director of this film. Why he did not get his dad in the frame is outside of my artistic control. Enjoy little Ruth!

Ruth with Grannie

Brian's parents came down for a visit this past weekend. Even though it was a short visit, it was a good one. Brian filmed this, cutting his mother's head out of the shot . I can try to tell him the point is to capture Ruth with her family not just Ruth but director Brian sees things his own way!

The Ballards and the Berrys

This is my friend Erika and her two children: Ashur and Aylin. (I hope I spelled them right, please comment if I did not and I will change them). It was so great to see them even if it was for a short time. Aylin is a month younger than Ruth. You can see how different there are in these pictures. Aylin seems content in every one and Ruth is either crying or borderline there. I love how she is checking out Ashur in some of them. And why not, he is a cute kid!

It was during this visit that I finally believe that Ruth has vision problems. From a good distance away Aylin saw me for the first time and smiled. I could tell she was really looking at me and could see me. Ruth never does that. Soon after I noticed in music class kids doing the same thing as Aylin and Ruth only looking at things close to her or at nothing in the distance. I have been a little sad. I used to love to make faces at babies and toddlers in the store and see how they would watch me and realizing that Ruth will probably not be able to do that is a little sad. But Brian and I are trying to remember that we have a beautiful little girl who is healthy for all intensive purposes. Please remember Adam Lewis in his fight against cancer. This three year old little boy is in remission early, praise be to God, but is having to continue cancer treatments.

And, yes, I realize I have the same picture twice. I couldn't delete it.

Ruth and Stella

This is a my friend Heather with her three month old Stella. I like this picture because you can really see how much a child grows in three and a half months. I also think it is cool that Heather named her baby girl Stella. You see, Ruth was named after a woman named Ruthel who happened to have a sister named Stella. Isn't that neat!!??!! Stella and Ruth are also in the same music class at church.

Ruth and Tippy

Oh the joys of pulling hair! I know it looks like Ruth is kissing Tippy but I assure you she is not. Tippy is an outside dog on a farm so isn't the cleanest of animals. But Ruth loved her all the same.

More Pictures

Above, Ruth and I are pictured here with Alvin and Barbara Wiles. Brother Alvin was the pastor of my childhood and the one who performed my baptism. He also married Brian and me.

This picture of Ruth is with her Aunt Olivia, my little sister. I love the look on Ruth's face as she studies Olivia. Olivia was just as uncomfortable with Ruth I think!!!