Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Fever

We had to take Ruth to the doctor yesterday and she has an ear infection in one ear. She never really seemed sick except for fever one day last week and a runny nose and runny eyes. In addition, I came down sick yesterday.

I had felt bad starting around lunch but around 4pm I decided we would go on a walk. (No work due to picture week). When we got back from the walk I started to feel horrible. I was cold to the core and just felt awful. But Ruth was great playing a great deal on her own. Brian got home at 7:30 and I was in bed by 8:30, although I woke up several times in the night with body aches. This morning I caught myself kissing Ruth's eye, so I guess that is how I got sick. It became a habit for me to kiss her eyes and pray a short prayer when we first learned about her vision issue.

This morning I just feel so tired and sore. Ruth is doing great and just went down in her crib. She is really such a fun kid. She is saying okay now and it is very cute. She took 11 steps about two weeks ago but stills seems to enjoy crawling. She will walk a few steps at a time and thinks it is very funny.

I need to take this time while she is asleep to clean up a little. Everything is taking so much longer today since I still feel weak. I have to go to work today and I don't want the house to be such a disaster for Ms. Leigh Ann.

Friday, March 27, 2009

Mr. Sandman, Send Me A Dream

That was our thoughts last night when Ruth woke up shortly before 2am and would not go back to sleep when Brian put the paci in her mouth. I went in to rub her forehead and realized she was very hot. So I got her out of the crib and called to Brian to come and help. We stripped her down to her diaper and took her temperature under the arm. The way that child screamed you would have thought that we were part of the Others (from Lost) and were asking her to give us intel that would lead to the capture of her friends. She had a fever of 103 (once we added a degree). So we gave her medicine, changed her diaper and I tried to sleep with her in the big bed in her room. No luck. After an hour I put her back in the crib where she seemed to drift off and I got back in bed thinking I would never get back to sleep. Just as my eyes started to close and my mind started to forget all that had to be done today, Ruth cried out again. I got up with her and then Brian did and then I don't remembe what happened. I know I woke up several times thinking I would roll over on her (even though she was not in bed with us).

Needless to say I have been too exhausted to do anything that really needed to get done besides buy groceries. And tomorrow will be very busy with us shopping for new facuets in the morning, me attending a show in the afternoon and then the normal dinner and bath routine at night. Whew!!! In fact, Brian is at the gym right now and while I should be cleaning and/or working out myself, I am just lying in bed writing to you all enjoying the fact that Ruth is asleep.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Wipe Out

This is the most awesome video ever. Period.


Monday, March 16, 2009

Pictures from Natalie


204 pictures
View Album at Shutterfly

Takin' Care of Business

Okay, I am trying something new. As poor little Ruth sleeps (I had to go pick her up from Mom's Morning Out because she had a low grade fever - due to teething, she is cutting molars - well, they said I didn't have to get her but I did anyway. Plus, I found out this morning I have to have a root canal. How about that, Mom, for a run-on, grammatically incorrect sentence?), I am trying to upload pictures to Shutterfly to share.

Below you will see a link to Shutterfly. I hope it works. I am currently uploading over 100 pictures on the desktop while I update the blog on the laptop (in bed, we got little sleep at the Berry house last night). Currently, I see only 27 pictures have made the upload. Hopefully, if you click on the link later you will get to see all the pictures. They range from her actual birthday (celebrating with ladies at our favorite Regions Bank branch and eating cake with Daddy) to her birthday party to Sunday morning with Maw Maw and Paw Paw to her one year appointment with our favorite doctor, Dr. Ruth Brown. Dr. Brown tells us every time that she and Ruth have the same name and we are like, that's one reason we chose you as our doctor within the practice.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy. I am in a better mood, if you can't tell. I love rainy days. And although I had dreams of going to the bookstore and losing myself in stacks of books and drinking some good hot coffee while Ruth was at MMO, this is pretty nice too. Besides, hot and cold hurts my tooth too much to drink coffee anyway.

Pictures from Natalie


27 pictures
View Album at Shutterfly

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Oh my stars!!! My students would know what this means. It means I am unhappy with something. And today it is still the picking eating and the addition of not sleeping.

Ruth used to (and I stress the used to) sleep through the night. Then she started going through a phase where she would wake up and one of us would have to put the paci in her mouth again and she would go back to sleep. Then she added waking up earlier. Last night she woke up at midnight and refused to go back to sleep.

We break all the rules of so called parenting books. We fed her at 12:45am, and I slept with her the rest of the night. Using the word slept is actually exaggerating. More like I shared a bed with her while she tossed and turned and cried out throughout the night.

As far as eating, she has again accepted fruits and cheese. Saturday she did okay on chicken. I don't think she has had a vegetable in days and will not drink milk out of the sippy cup. This is no big surprise. The sippy cup is always on the tray and she always throws it off the tray. She will drink water out of the cup throughout the day if it is around her. But I can't have her drinking milk all day because it will go bad and then won't I be messing up her eating cycle?

Brian and I are at a loss. Partly because we are so tired. This is when it would be so nice to have grandparents live close by so we could send Ruth for the night. But alas, we don't.

On a happier note, Ruth did take two steps on Thursday by herself and four on Friday. She also has become more adventurous in trying to walk although we have only seen two steps together since Friday. At least we can say we got to see her first steps. (We told all child care givers not to tell us if they saw her walking!!)

Well, I hear Ruth fussing as Brian tries to get her to eat. You would think that if she wakes up at 6:15am she is hungry. Not the case. She just wants to be around other people and pull at their face, hair, clothes, whatever she can get in her little hands.

Here are some pictures from the birthday party. I will attach more later.

Friday, March 13, 2009

Ring Around the Rosy

Around and around I go. I feel sometimes like Ruth is on a cycle that I can't break. First, please know that I love my child. But she is slowing stealing our life.

Ruth wakes up every morning around 6:15am. We tried doing what a friend whose baby sleeps until 8am and is content said to do: let her cry and eventually she will get the hint. We tried that for almost two weeks. We would go in, pat her back, put the paci in her mouth and let her cry. She would calm down when we were in the room but as soon as we left, she would throw the paci out of her mouth and cry her head off until 7am when we would pick her up. The only thing that it accomplished was to make Brian and me very mad in the morning and start our day out mad at her, each other and the world and to teach us that Ruth wins again. So now we get up at 6:15am every day and just try to make it through the day not thinking about sleep.

Second, Ruth is currently refusing to eat with the spoon. Now for followers of this blog you know this is a reoccurring theme for us. Every since we couldn't breast feed and she lost weight, feeding has been a source of stress and pressure. In fact, when we went to the doctor this week for her year check up we were told that she doesn't weigh enough to sit forward facing yet. So even though she is long enough and almost too long for the chair, she doesn't weigh enough so she has to continue in the infant care seat.

Ruth also is not really caring for the bottle. At the doctor's office they were very stern with us when they said that by 15 months she needed to be off the bottle. How the heck am I supposed to get that to happen? She will drink out of a sippy but not enough, she is not eating food and most of the self feeding food she is throwing on the ground. Now, she used to love to feed herself and would eat all kinds of things but now it is a fight to get her to eat anything!!! Both my mother and Brian's mother basically said the same thing: don't force her. If we don't, she will not eat!!!! My mother said she will eat when she's hungry. Brian and I do not want to create a child who eats whenever she feels like it. We want her to eat three meals a day (AT MEAL TIME) and two to three snacks a day. In fact, you would think that waking up at 6:15am would mean she is hungry. Nope, she usually doesn't want the bottle then either other than to have a sip.

I am losing my mind. And, I can clean a room and one hour later it looks like a tornado has hit it. Ruth is now screaming because I will not let her play in the trash behind the desk. In fact, she is literally throwing toys around pitching a fit.

Thank goodness I have sewing class today to get a little creative break from this madness. Does anyone child act like this because everyone at church talks about how great their child is sleeping HOURS a day and giving them no problem. Ruth can't be the only kid with a mind of her own.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Happy Birthday (And Many More!)

I love what Ruth does when Daddy tries to offer her a taste of icing. I can't write anymore right now. I have to run and pick up Ruth from "school" and then we are off to shop for fabric for my sewing class on Friday. I have learned I love to sew. It is a great way to be creative and a nice break from ballet at the moment.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

It's My Party and I'll Cry If I Want To

Here is Ruth "blowing out the candle on her cake" at her birthday party.
Ruth and her smash cake.




I started this post this afternoon around 4:30pm and here it is 11pm, and I am finally finishing it. Brian has instituted movie night every other Tuesday so after Ruth goes to bed we buy a movie on Comcast On Demand. Tonight we watched Ghost Town, a funny movie that actually is more sad than happy, I think. So if this post is a little sappy, that is why.

We had homemade cake on Friday, just Brian, Ruth and I and she really seemed to like it. However, as this video shows, her store bought cake wasn't such a big hit. Actually, I think it was the crowd and the mess on her hand (I am so proud) that caused more trouble for her. We put her on the floor to let her smash her smash cake. Ruth gingerly touched the cake (not shown in the video) and left a beautiful little hand print on her cake as if she were creating a tile for the Hollywood sidewalk. Then, she proceed to cry. She did not like the cake on her hand. Usually she would put anything and everything in her mouth, but not this time. You can see that even after I wipe it off she is still upset and looks at the hand.

So many of you have asked about Ruth and if I can believe she is one. The answer is no. She changes daily in front of my eyes. I find myself becoming quite emotional at times when I realize that this stage will pass and it won't be long before I forget her baby/toddler antics and sounds. I so wish each of you could experience the Ruth more often. She is really becoming such a fun kid to play with, not just around. The games that she plays with us, often beginning the games herself, seem very mature to us. She loves to offer us something (today it was a coupon while in the shopping cart and a birthday card later while sitting in her new chair) and then as we reach for it, take it away very quickly. She also loves to tilt her head back so we can "get her neck" and then giggle as we get close. She is bouncing as Elmo sings his song. She has long enjoyed Cademon's Call (a band) but has recently started to enjoy the jams of the Dave Matthews Band. I didn't want a dancer, but I have a child that loves music and loves to move. Maybe I can get her to play the piano although the drums seem more likely at this point.

I guess I should go to bed. I am having my hair colored for the first time tomorrow and I can't be late.

Friday, March 6, 2009

Happy Birthday to Ruth!!!

I will try to post some pictures later today. Right now I just wanted to announced to the world (or blog readers, at least) that today is my little girl's birthday.

She will have a piece of cake today when Daddy gets home from Nashville. Yeah!!!!

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Attention Mr. and Mrs. Chapski

Philip and Carolyn,

I sent an e-mail to Philip at work but Carolyn I have lost your e-mail address. Please contact me via natalieianne@hotmail.com for directions.


Thanks!!!!!

Sunday, March 1, 2009

I like to Giggle (do do)

If you go to Johnson Ferry Tiny Tots and Tunes, you know the above song. If not, enjoy Ruth's giggle anyway. I am still sitting in the office while Ruth sleeps hoping that the snow outside will stick. It was sticking in Marietta (big time) when we left but up here the snow is mocking me.

I can't remember if this video has been posted before. But even if it has, it is good enough to see twice.



Snow! Snow! Snow! Snow!

Today's song title comes to us from the movie White Christmas. Yes, on March 1st it is snowing here in Georgia. When we left church down in Marietta, it was a wintery mix. But by the time we got Ruth into the car and loaded up our breakfast stuff (we made pancakes for the class today), it had turned to a full out snow. As we drove north to go home we watched the beautiful snow fall and accumulate on the ground. But as we got closer to home the snow turned more to rain until finally it was all rain only a few miles from our house. But now, as I sit at the desk looking out the window I see snow falling here. It is not as much or as heavy as in Marietta, but one can hope.

I was supposed to have rehearsal this afternoon but now it is cancelled. I hate to miss rehearsal with the girls but how nice to have a snowy day at home with my family.

And my throbbing tooth.

I went to the dentist on Wednesday to have a crown taken off because of a suspious x-ray. The tooth was fine with no decay underneath but of course I had to have a temporary put on while I wait for the new crown. My tooth has been hurting since Wednesday and is getting worse. Today is the worst!!! It is actually throbbing eventhough I keep putting orajel on it. And the worse is my dentist keeps very limited hours and probably will not be able to see me tomorrow, or if he can, Brian has to work. Did I mention my tooth is actually throbbing. I keep thinking this must be how Tom Hanks character felt in Cast Away.

Here is a video of Ruth just for fun. This video, by the way, is from December 26. Hard to believe her birthday is Friday.