The Daily Dunlop

safety first...

2012-01-26T20:04:00.000-08:00

As you may remember, Ruby got a Plasma Car for Christmas this year. She's really good at it. Like, too good. Josh and I will set up lawn chairs at the end of the driveway and just let her go to town up and down the driveway. We have a little downward slope heading towards the street and man - she picks up speed. So... we did what any safe (read: over protective) parent would do and got her a special hat to wear while riding (read: helmet). Nerdy? Perhaps. So funny and cute to see her riding around in it? YES.

my apologies...

2012-01-22T20:53:00.000-08:00

Only 2 posts in January? Sad, sad month. We've been busy. And sick. Josh just got back nearly 2 weeks ago from Canada and that first weekend he was back, Ruby generously gave us all a stomach bug. The bug had both Josh and I very friendly/familiar with our one family toilet and Ruby going through outfit changes quite frequently due to... er... spillage? Yuck. Anyway. We are all better. And now we will hopefully pick up a camera so we can document just how big that Rubybird has gotten... promise to work on that!

Stay well!

TWENTY months!

2012-01-07T12:58:00.000-08:00

Ruby is 20 months old. And it's like a switch flipped and she's all of a sudden this talking, imaginative, creative, self-sufficient little GIRL. Not a baby anymore. She's practicing new words all the time, having conversations in jibberish with me and all 3 of her babies, coloring while laying on her little belly, balancing on her cute little elbows, and having tea parties with Mr. Bunny and Daddy or Mommy quite frequently. She got a stroller for her babies at Christmas and that thing is worth its weight in gold. She could play with it for HOURS. Unloading the babies and random objects, reloading it, moving it from room to room always yelling "BYYYYYEEEEE!" before leaving the room. It's just the sweetest thing to watch her in her own world. Oh. And she's like the happiest thing ever. Just look at that face:

She's just the best thing. Ever.

Happy 2012!!

2012-01-06T21:44:00.000-08:00

Wait... am I late? Oh, it's already the 6th? Sheesh. Well, the Dunlop family is alive and well... although in 2 separate countries. We were just in Canada last week for a belated Christmas and it was great! The weather was "seasonably warm"... which means a balmy 25 degree average. Yeah. Downright swimsuit weather. Needless to say we spent a lot of time inside which was great - because it was like a whole new playground for Ruby with grandparents and a dog even. She was in heaven. Ruby and I came home on Wednesday and Josh is staying up there until Tuesday with his separated shoulder... oh, have we not discussed that?

Josh separated his shoulder about 3 weeks ago playing rugby. He was in a sling for awhile and now doing physical therapy. We're hoping to avoid surgery because the recovery time is about 3 months of immobility - like not even lifting up that daddy's girl of his. He's going in for an MRI next week to make sure nothing more is torn than the main ligament that was annihilated when he separated his shoulder initially... wish him luck!

That daddy's girl is sad her daddy is gone. Every day she's asked me about 14 times "Dada? Daddy?" She's going to be SO EXCITED come Tuesday. Come home soon, Daddy!

Update (hopefully) tomorrow on 20 month old Ruby!

merry merry!

2011-12-25T22:41:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a lovely holiday! We had a great Christmas Eve and Christmas... Christmas Eve was took a stroll in San Jose's Christmas in the Park - they decorate hundreds of trees, have Christmas music playing, and other fun moving (kinda creepy) elves and trains and little stations set up that Ruby was mesmerized by! At 9AM, we had the park to ourselves. Afterwards we needed to warm up so pastries and coffee were in order. Ruby was a huge fan. Obvi.

Christmas day was a tradition in the making... it was our first Christmas with our own little family so we needed to start out with a bang. Homemade cinnamon rolls? Of course. They were SO good. And SO bad for you. Good thing Christmas only comes around once a year! Ruby got some pretty sweet gifts from aunties and uncles and Nonna and Papa but I think the favorite of the day is her new baby doll stroller. She pushes that thing everywhere. That, and her Plasma Car (demonstration below...).

Experiencing Christmas through Ruby's eyes is a joy in itself - the lights, the music, the food... everything is exciting again. And I think it'll just get better from here!

happy tuesday!

2011-12-13T20:29:00.000-08:00

My parents are leaving for Paris tomorrow... that is worth a picture.

Have a great rest of your week!

HO HO HO

2011-12-09T21:07:00.000-08:00

We went to go see Santa today...

It didn't go well.

We even prepped her for a few days. "Ruby! You're going to see SANTA!" "What does Santa say, Ruby? Ho ho ho!" And she'll say "HOOOOO!" when we ask her. But even with all the prep work, she still wanted nothing to do with the man in red.

NINETEEN months!

2011-12-05T20:16:00.000-08:00

Ruby is closer to 2 years than 1 year old now... and I'm diggin it. She's so vocal and active and her imagination is so fun to watch develop. We have an ottoman in our living room that has some fleur de lis/flower embroidered stuff on it (trust me - it's not as tacky as it sounds...) and one day I watched her take this closed bottle of lotion and pretend to water the flowers and then she reached down, "picked" one of the flowers, and pretended to eat it... and then continued to do this numerous times and then started to offer me samplings of her garden. It was amazing. She's super into airplanes right now. When she hears one overhead she points to the sky and yells some word that kinda sounds like telephone, but it's the same word every time, so it's definitely her word for airplane. Right now the whole family is under the weather - and she hasn't been the happiest - but oh does she snuggle when she's sick. We love that little Bird!

friday fall foto

2011-11-26T07:48:00.000-08:00

Just because. It's fall. It was Friday. It was gorgeous... LOVE fall!

so thankful...

2011-11-24T19:54:00.000-08:00

This year was a quiet little Thanksgiving. Just me and my 2 babes. Thankful we were. Walks we took. Eat we did. Skype we conquered. Happy Thanksgiving!

pick up the slack Sunday

2011-11-20T21:57:00.000-08:00

Seriously? November 5th? That's the last time I posted?? Well, I guess I'll summarize...

Ow. "Ow" is the big word of the moment. She drops a book. "Ow!" She tries to lift a heavy book. "Ow!" She can't fit the shape into the puzzle. "Ow!" She did happen to fall this weekend and bumped her lip/nose pretty good and said "Ow!" and my response was "Now THAT'S the right context!"... you know, after being sympathetic and all... :)
She runs. She runs all over all the time. She runs and screams and runs more and screams more. She's so entertaining! We facetimed with Joey and Lindsey the other night and they got to witness it. Pretty awesome.
Her vocabulary is sky rocketing... I just can't understand any of it. I'm already bad at deciphering accents in general, throw in toddler non-english and I'm just confused. But I have to say, I just love when she talks and talks and talks to me and all her inflections, and hand motions, and adorable little babbles. She's so freaking cute.
We made it out of daylight savings pretty unscathed. There were 3-4 days of 5/5:30 wake up calls, but now we're back to our good ol 6:45.
She's really good at saying "cheeeeeese!!" when she sees the camera... all on her own.
Our after dinner routine is to strip off her shirt, let her run around screaming. She eventually wants to go up in her crib and then asks both of us to come in. We both probably could fit, but haven't tried... but each of us has sat in that crib with her, the other throws the stuffed animals back into the crib as she throws them out... it's quite a scene.
Josh and I are obsessed with Parenthood. That has nothing to do with Ruby - we're obsessed with the show Parenthood. Oh man.

She's wonderful... but of course you already knew that. I promise I'll try to post more!!

EIGHTEEN months!

2011-11-05T10:00:00.000-07:00

"How old is your daughter?" "A year and a half..." Did I just answer "a year and a half??" WHAT?? A year and a half. Crazy.
This girl is AMAZING. So funny. So smart. So cute! Yesterday I said "We need to do laundry, Ruby!" and she grabbed an armful of her dirty clothes, took them to the washer, and got on her tippy tippy toes to try to put them in the machine. She's a doll... AND a helper! She's still really into books. Loves to say "BYYYYE!!" when someone puts on their jacket or starts up a car engine. New words and sounds are coming daily and she adores hide and go seek/chasing games... it's hard to imagine that the 2 year mark is now closer than the 1 year mark... we have an official toddler on our hands! She's our whole world and we adore every slobbery kiss she gives us!

happy cow-loween!

2011-10-31T20:27:00.000-07:00

Move over RuBEE, there's a new calf in town...

Ruby went trick or treating for the first time this year! We went with our friend Daphne aka "Dumbo" (and her parents Jon and Camille) from down the way. When I started taking pics of the precious little ones and a friendly black cat, my camera inconveniently told me I needed to charge the battery pack... CURSES!!

Ruby didn't quite get the "trick or treat" but she was great at the "thank you" and "bye bye"... and Josh and I made out with a nice little stash of candy stored safely in our freezer!

Sir Dominic

2011-10-27T20:30:00.000-07:00

Uncle Dominic was in town for a visit... unfortunately Sunday we had to say goodbye. He's off on many more adventures but we were lucky enough to have him here for a few weeks and it was so fun watching him interact with Ruby. We love watching our friends play with her... and maybe even more so when they have a British accent and call her "a little princess." I mean - he would know, right??

officially fall!

2011-10-24T21:33:00.000-07:00

We made it to the pumpkin patch today! It was GORGEOUS out and since we went at an off time, we had the majority of the patch to ourselves. Hay mazes, pumpkins galore, goats, chickens, bunnies, and a train with their own Old Faithful... pretty great...

surprise!

2011-10-13T20:50:00.000-07:00

30 is a milestone. And this year, my older brother is 30. Say what?? So what did the family do? Flew up to Portland and had a party for him... without him knowing a thing about it! Nonna, Papa, Little Bro and Girlfriend, and the Dunlop crew made our way up to Oregon and with Older Bro's Girlfriend's help, we pulled it off!

Portland is an awesome city. The siblings and significant others took a day to tour the city and eat our way through it... local coffee shop, local beer sampling, local burger joint, local bakery, local food trucks... notice a trend? I love it. Portland is all about things being local. And the neighborhoods are so quaint and just gorgeous.

And oh did we eat...

The house my parents rented was huge... so of course Ruby loved exploring...

(yes, we put a coffee filter on her head...)

Overall, a great family trip. Can't wait to do it again! Happy birthday, brother!!

stamp of approval

2011-10-06T14:47:00.000-07:00

Ruby REALLY approves of the new truck...

Ruby can't get enough time in the driver's seat of Daddy's new car... don't grow up too fast, baby!! *sigh* 17 months old to 17 years old will happen too quickly I'm sure!

SEVENTEEN months!!

2011-10-04T10:35:00.000-07:00

Time is flying by and Ruby is now a little girl! She is so smart and such an explorer. She understands SO MUCH. She can point out characters in books. Answer questions. Act out orders. She dropped some graham cracker on the carpet and when I said "Ruby, you dropped some" she looked around to find the dropped piece, picked it up, went to the garbage can, and threw it away. I mean, monkey see, monkey do, right? Yesterday was another example - she was wearing Uncle Dominic's hat (more on his visit later!) and then dropped it on the floor. I asked her "Ruby, can you give Dominic his hat?" and she looked at me, at Dominic, and at the hat and did just what I asked... of course she got a BIG round of applause after that :) She has had a rough month of sickness, and also a busy month of traveling (I think the two go hand in hand)... but is on the mend.

(poor sick baby...)

seriously! so sick... poor thing...

remember when...

2011-09-25T19:46:00.001-07:00

Remember when...
... I used to actually take pictures...? Like with a camera that doesn't first serve as a communication device? Yeah. Those were the days. Working on it...

... my little baby was actually a baby??? She's a full fledged toddler these days. Her latest trick is to grab the dishtowel bar on our island (which, mind you, is about 5 inches above her head) and pull herself up so she can stand on the first shelf and then lean back, elbows locked. All the while looking at us like "Isn't this great??!!??" Yep. Not a baby anymore.

... I used to think sleeping in was sleeping until 9 or 10AM? HA! Yesterday Ruby woke up at 7:30 and I nearly jumped out of bed I had so much energy! 7:30 = MIRACLE! (Granted this was after 4AM and 5:30AM wake up sessions. I don't care though. 7:30 is just fine on a Saturday morning)...

... my house used to be clean? We had a couple friends stop in on their way back from Santa Cruz and when they walked in they took one look at our living room and said "Wow - Ruby sure did tear apart this room!"... this was AFTER I had tidied up a bit. Yeah... my standards have dropped.

... Ruby pooped in the tub? Oh yeah. That was tonight. Off to clean the tub! Oh the joys...

a day at the playground...

2011-09-19T11:15:00.000-07:00

Around the corner from our house is a little school/preschool with a full playground that is Ruby's personal kingdom on the weekends... we love it!

shiny and new!

2011-09-18T19:56:00.000-07:00

Guess who has a new truck!!!

That guy. And he loves it.

... and Ruby gave her final approval on it...

museum day

2011-09-14T13:10:00.000-07:00

Museums are free in DC. AMAZING. We had a great day - starting with brunch (with homemade pop tarts and Benjamin and Laura)...

... a morning at the Air and Space museum...

... an afternoon at the Natural History Museum...

... and a pre-dinner stroll through the fountains and a night cap of fro yo and PJs...

Ruby was such a trooper - so good and well behaved. I mean, we were gone from 9AM to 9PM just about every day and it was about 1000 degrees. Ruby's a champ.

To make a good trip great, we were able to see Sam, Laura and Benjamin, and Kristin and Ben! It was a trip to reconnect, see new things, and just experience traveling together as a family. That's it for DC pics... back to real life!

if only....

2011-09-13T21:36:00.000-07:00

... if only you could take the architecture and neighborhood feel and green trees and cobblestone walkways of "the hill" in DC and transport it to the west coast... I would move there.

... in a heartbeat...

but where was martin sheen?

2011-09-11T10:13:00.000-07:00

We're in love with The West Wing. In fact, on this very trip we brought back all 7 seasons to Sam who first shared that magical show with us over 2 years ago... Full circle. Anyway, we made it. No sign of Toby, CJ, or President Bartlett, but Josh and Sam (and Ruby and Audrey) made it!

double decker please!

2011-09-09T19:20:00.000-07:00

Hop on hop off touring... we took a big double decker bus around the city to get a lay of the land. A perfect way to spend the day and check a lot off our "gotta at least see that" list... It was like 1000 degrees in DC with the humidity but we survived. And now the 85 degree California weather seems like nothing!!

Union station - the pick up/drop off of our tour... Ruby loved the wide open spaces to wander...

Bus...

Monuments...

Sam lives 5 blocks from here!

The Canadian Embassy... of course we had to document it.

Josh being just in front of the Supreme Court...

day one! dc!

2011-09-08T21:55:00.000-07:00

We just got back from Washington DC! What a trip! 5 hours on a plane with a 16 month old? Totally doable. In fact - best baby on the whole flight (and there were a few!). That said, I wouldn't make it a weekly activity or anything...

We got to DC on Thursday night and Auntie Sam picked us up from the airport and took us back to her ADORABLE neighborhood and to Spike's restaurant(s) for dinner. Oh Top Chef. It was delish!

Our first full day in DC was spent at the zoo. The zoo is owned by the Smithsonian so it's free. Free! There's so much to do in DC that is free. Like ALL the museums and monuments. It's wonderful.

Anyway - the zoo. We traveled by metro to the zoo and met up with Laura at the gorillas. Ended the day at the zoo with some fro yo and then off to the Nats game with some of Sam's friends!

The game had post-show fireworks and Ruby was all over them. By all over them I mean intrigued to the point of stillness. And when it was all said and done, she pointed to the sky where they were shooting off and asked via sign language "please?" Breaks my heart. So cute.

good men.

2011-08-29T20:45:00.000-07:00

When large men do great things for small girls.

Exhibit A: Papa John

Exhibit B: Daddy

All for her...

Photos from Nonna and Papa's visit this past weekend... Ruby is so blessed!

can you say crazy?

2011-08-25T14:36:00.000-07:00

It's been crazy - hence the no posts in over a week! I apologize. Ruby is just as cute as ever, but we are just as busy as ever and our netflix with Dexter took priority over blogging this week... oops. Here a few randoms from the phone... sorry for the blur... but enjoy!

Josh and I are off to our anniversary weekend! Thanks mom and dad for taking the girl and giving us a morning to SLEEP IN. Oh man. CANNOT WAIT.

ps. Love skinny jeans on this girl. Too cute!

from mighty to mouse...

2011-08-16T20:01:00.000-07:00

So... Josh was in an accident last week. Like, as in, the day we left for LA. He's totally fine. The truck? Not so much. We found out today that the truck most likely will be written off so we've been in search mode for a new mode of transport for him for a few days now... until we find that new member of our family, he's in a rental. A rental truck? I'll let you be the judge... meet Josh's new work truck (hopefully just until Friday)!

Josh: "I love it! It's just so zzzzippy!"

the happiest place on earth... in a couple years...

2011-08-14T11:13:00.000-07:00

We are in LA! We spent the weekend in LA with Joey and Lindsey and baby O. We flew in Thursday night and went to some food trucks for dinner (I wish San Jose had food trucks! so fun!).

Friday was a busy day... we went to Disneyland to meet up with Josh's cousins for the day. Ruby was... well... pretty fussy. I think she's too young for Disneyland. Too old just to be held the whole time and too young to even realize that she's in the happiest place on earth! Don't get me wrong - she was a trooper. But she's not a fan of waiting in lines and, well, that's all you do at theme parks! This picture pretty much sums it up:

Josh's cousins:

They love "baby Ruby"... :)

Saturday was a day at the park and some chillaxing at home. We even made a fort!

Heading home later today... thanks Auntie and Uncle for a wonderful weekend!

ski bunny in summer...

2011-08-07T13:42:00.000-07:00

oh man. too cute.

FIFTEEN months!!

2011-08-05T20:50:00.000-07:00

We officially have a walker on our hands. I think I can say that because she prefers to be upright now - before (as in, 5 days ago) it was "yes, I can do this, but I'd prefer to crawl thank-you-very-much..." She's recognizing all sorts of words and can act out simple tasks when asked. "Ruby, where are your shoes?" ... she'll walk over to her diaper bag, pull out her purple Keen's (thanks mom and dad!), show them to us, and then signs "please" for us to put them on. She's a smart cookie that one. She has a big month ahead... we're heading down to LA next week to go see Auntie Lindsey and Uncle Joey and meet up with some of Josh's cousins at Disneyland. Three weeks from now, Ruby will have her first night at home WITHOUT mom and dad. Say what? (Nonna and Papa have given us the anniversary gift of sleeping in. In a wonderful hotel room. In Napa. Oh bliss.) Then, in a month from now, we'll be in Washington DC. Wow. I'm exhausted just thinking of the next month ahead of us! Time flies and before you know it I'll be posting 16 month old pics, first day of kindergarten pics, graduating highschool pics... but before I start sobbing, let's take a look at Ruby at 15 months!

our little chimp...

2011-08-01T22:04:00.000-07:00

Compare this...

To this...

Somewhat similar, huh? :) After dinner mess calls for no shirt for our little monkey.

PS - When there were 2 chimps in the first video, it absolutely reminded me of Ruby and Levi at daycare together. Just precious those two.

PPS. Remember when you used to step on legos. Those suckers hurt!

Babushka!!

2011-07-27T18:06:00.000-07:00

Ruby the little fearless dishtoweled babushka...

We've been on a video kick... can you tell? More pics to come soon hopefully!

oh yeah...

2011-07-25T20:46:00.000-07:00

... forgot to mention... she's walking! Since we got back from Tahoe, Ruby has become braver and braver and is starting to walk! It may help that we bribe her with cookies...

FYI - we don't always bribe her... I just really wanted to document it for you and she needed a little encouragement. It's all about capturing the (forced) moment, right? :)

i could watch her play all day.

2011-07-22T22:36:00.000-07:00

one more...

2011-07-22T10:42:00.001-07:00

whirlwind!

2011-07-21T20:16:00.000-07:00

Nonna Donna buzzed through town. Like, as in, was in California for less than 21 hours. And of course she had to see her favorite 3 Californians while in the state! Thanks for stopping in, mama! And next time, say longer!!

wild life

2011-07-19T21:37:00.000-07:00

We had a raccoon friend!! Nordy (short for Nordstrom... he's a raccoon, we were calling him Coony, then Racky, Rack, Nordstrom Rack, Nordstrom, Nordy... And there you have Lindsey's thought process :)) He swung by our place in the morning and evening, just to check out what we may have left behind. We didn't leave anything behind... but we may have put out a few pieces of steak, chicken, zucchini bread, grapes, and hamburger remains whenever he came around.

He would put his little paws up to the window and high five us. None of us were brave enough to even open the door when he was outside... then Josh had to go and one up Lindsey, Joey and I and went out and got all close to him. Show off.

Emerald Bay

2011-07-18T20:54:00.000-07:00

Tahoe is gorgeous. Love love love.

eating in Tahoe...

2011-07-17T20:30:00.000-07:00

We love to eat... and we found ourselves at a few great places!

our favorite - Fire Sign Cafe...

Tahoe House for pastries/coffee...

Dining right on the Truckee River. Dining with a view!

vacation. documented.

2011-07-16T20:00:00.000-07:00

We vacationed! It was fabulous. We had a great time and are so so thankful we had a whole week to just hang out with our dear friends and our lovely baby. Our first annual vacation with the Olsens (t-shirts to be introduced to next year's trip... I'm sure it'll say something like"2nd Annual Dunsen trip. If it ain't broke don't fix it. 2012." Josh is in charge of t-shirt design so who knows what he'll come up with! :)) started with a night at Lindsey's mom's house (hi, Connie!) in the Sacramento area. Ruby got to enjoy her new pool toy and enjoyed Connie's fun big house with lots of things to explore. The grown ups enjoyed air conditioning and garlic chips.

The next morning was a flurry of packing the Land Cruiser. We thought "we'll have more than enough room!"... we ended up putting on the roof rack. A LOT of luggage for one little girl. Imagine when Joey and Lindsey have their little one!!! Two cars will be needed FOR SURE.

Tahoe was gorgeous. And so relaxing. We kept to the shores with beach time, pool time, restaurant time, nap time... pretty fantastic.

The beach by our condo...

King's beach post-breakfast...

An afternoon at the condo pool...

(the pool was a little cold at first...)

A little site seeing at Emerald's Bay, but for the most part, just quality time with good friends. Those pics will go in a separate post. As will our raccoon friend photos... say what?? :)

We left Tahoe on Thursday afternoon and stayed at Connie's house again until just this morning. (Thanks, Connie!)

Looking forward to next year already!! More posts to come about our stay...

vacation!!!

2011-07-12T11:08:00.000-07:00

Vacation! 2011! We're currently on a family vacation... we're in Tahoe soaking up the GORGEOUS views, great weather, and much needed down time. That, and our wonderful and lovely friends, Joey and Lindsey. Pictures to come (we actually brought our camera!). Hooray vacations!!

bubble bubble bubble

2011-07-08T08:54:00.000-07:00

Bubble romper! Oh summer. To be cute and little and just chunky enough to pull this look off... THOSE were the days... :)

4th on the 5th...

2011-07-05T20:05:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July (yesterday)!

"Hooray! I love the 4th!"

We had good company...

Good food...

Yes, I made that (say what??)...

And that's the husband... pouting because we didn't have fireworks on Canada Day... sorry, Boo!

It was a wonderful day! Hope everyone had a great 4th!!

FOURTEEN months!!

2011-07-04T10:08:00.001-07:00

Ruby is 14 months old today! She is just a little busy body. All over. Never sitting still. Loves to walk around although still no steps on her own. She'll do a few in between Josh and I when coaxed but why walk when she has our fingers to hold onto, right?? Ruby's vocabulary is growing, growing, growing... she can identify her, yours, and her animals' noses, eyes, mouth, head, feet, toes, belly button... she makes a fish noise when you ask (CUTEST THING EVER) and is quickly learning monkey noises. Still a book worm... always has her head in a book. Loves peek-a-boo games and to "knock knock knock" on anything (that's what she's doing in the 2nd picture below). She's amazing. She thrills us and makes us proud everyday...

Oooh Canada!

2011-07-01T20:45:00.000-07:00

Happy SECOND Canada Day to you, Ruby! Remember last year? You were TEENY! Could barely hold up your neck and Quachi was almost bigger than you...

Now you can throw Quachi clear across the room and won't stay still for a single picture. Oh Ruby. The places you will go.

Literally - will not stay still.

everybody say jump! jump!

2011-06-29T09:15:00.000-07:00

Ruby loves to jump with daddy!! Before I got out the camera, she was all giggles, giggles, giggles... then the camera came out. Oh Ruby, don't be camera shy!!

ps - I guess I should start shooting videos with my phone horizontally to avoid the black spaces on the sides?? Anyone know how to avoid this??

5 years!

2011-06-24T23:05:00.000-07:00

Josh,
Happy Anniversary! Five thoughts for five years.

1. Our wedding day was magical.
2. I still get butterflies when we go to the airport - I'm so glad our days of dating via long distance are over!
3. I always knew you'd be a good dad but I was wrong - you're a fabulous dad.
4. I may mock you for your new long hair look, but your little wings that form around your ears with your baseball hat are just adorable...
5. We make beautiful babies.

just because...

2011-06-23T10:33:00.000-07:00

fahrenheit 451

2011-06-21T19:44:00.000-07:00

literally. in our house. right now. it is a SAUNA. I think Josh may melt.
Today I picked up Ruby from daycare, came home, turned on our little AC unit (you can see the bad boy in the pics below), and then Ruby and I left for about 30 minutes in our nice, cool, air conditioned car in order to let our house cool down. When we got back it was 90 degrees in our house. And that's after the AC ran for awhile. It's pretty ridiculous. Josh's thick Canadian blood is getting to him. Today he got home, showered, pointed the AC vent at the floor, and then laid in front of it with no shirt on and just his undies. It was quite a site. Especially with Ruby crawling around him to get to her toys.

Ruby doesn't seem to mind. She just wears tank tops and her diaper around the house and at this rate her first word will be "water" because we ask her if she wants water about every 3 minutes. Plus, with these temps her daddy busts out the spray bottle, so this is like Christmas for her! :)

ps - never read the novel with the same title as my blog post. I googled it. apparently it is about a hedonistic, anti-intellectual America that has abandoned self control. while that was not the point i was trying to make with my title, if this heat keeps up, that may be the result here at the Dunlop household.

Happy Father's Day!!

2011-06-19T08:36:00.000-07:00

I am so in love with my daddy. I love that he is silly. I love that he chooses to tickle and play over anything else. I love that he says "I think you need a hug..." (when really I know it's him that wants the hug!) I love that he tries fun new things with me all the time - like drinking from a spray bottle and introducing me to the blow up pool in the backyard! He reads to me and sings me songs. He shows me his tools and gives me piggy back rides. He's the best dad in the whole world!!

and here's a shout out to the grandpas too! Happy GRAND-Father's Day to you too!

stair master...

2011-06-17T08:41:00.000-07:00

Yes, I need to get on a stair master, but Ruby is the true stair master in our home. Head first? No issue. She's been managing the stair for months now, but no one at work believed me that she goes down head first. I collected evidence. Also - I love this video because you see just how THRILLED she is to be at daycare... she LOVES it. She loves Levi (the boy you see throwing balls all around) and follows him around everywhere. She loves Miss Kristin (daycare woman extraordinaire). She loves the big house to explore. She loves all the new-to-her, fun toys. And I love that she loves it. It makes my heart happy.

just the two of us...

2011-06-15T20:01:00.000-07:00

This past week has been a single parent kinda week at the Dunlop house. And it's been exhausting! I went to San Diego for a conference from Thursday to Saturday night -then Sunday morning Josh left for a project up in Tahoe and won't get back until tomorrow. Both of these trips mark the longest we've been away from the babe and therefore the longest we have been left to parent alone... and it's exhausting. We have taken for granted the "Hey Audrey- can you watch the girl while I take a shower?" or "Hey Josh, can you watch the girl while I do dishes?" - being alone with a 13 month old that is learning to climb up on things and constantly wants to be walking around or read to pushes all personal and household duties until AFTER she's asleep in her crib. It's quite a shift after over a year of having your counterpart within a 10 foot radius...

All that to say, I'm lucky to have a fabulous husband that adores both me and our daughter. (sidenote: he recorded a video on my phone of him reading Ruby her bedtime stories. Ummm... he's fantastic.) I'm lucky to have a beautiful and fun daughter that loves to adventure and play and be held by her mama and tickled by her daddy. I'm lucky to have great friends that love Ruby (and Josh and I too :)) and are willing to come over and watch her for a couple hours so I can go to bootcamp, take a shower, or just go to the store. And I'm lucky to have BOTH the babe and the husband under one roof in a short 24 hours. Come home soon, Josh!!

Some quick pics caught on the phone...

it was an...

2011-06-11T21:16:00.000-07:00

itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini.... er, in this case it's pink and ruffly!

Thanks for the cute swimsuit, Auntie Kim and Uncle Dave (and happy birthday, Kim!!) and thanks for the pool Auntie Lindsey and Uncle Joey!!

Traveling...

2011-06-09T20:14:00.000-07:00

Today marks a first... My first time being away from that Ruby since she's been born for more than like 8 hours. Sad face. I'm currently in San Diego for a work conference and watching TV alone in my hotel room. I'd rather be snuggling with the babe and hubby. Obvi. BUT today also marks the first flight in over a year without diaper bags, boppy pillows, car seats, or strollers. It was pretty fabulous. I glided through security, calmly and with extra hands to spare got my Peets, and then selfishly played/worked on my phone until I boarded without having to watch after a little wiggle worm. So THIS is what it was like before traveling with children... Ahhhh.

Be home Saturday and CANNOT wait...

THIRTEEN months!!

2011-06-05T15:43:00.000-07:00

It slipped my mind! Yesterday was the 4th! Ruby was 13 months! Ey yi yi. Well this girl is M-O-B-I-L-E! She's all over the place - pulling her self up onto anything, scooting along furniture, crawling everywhere, mastered the one step up-and-down routine (have yet to try a whole staircase, but one stair is just fine...), and overall getting into EVERYTHING. She recognizes and can point out cat, dog, nose, bird, dad, mom, and all of her common foods (especially milk!). She will *sometimes* "hug" (i.e. put her head down on your shoulder) when you ask for one, has started giving kisses, and waves hello, bye bye and goodnight. She is (unfortunately) developing some bruises from trying out this whole "walking" thing(check out her right cheek - you may be able to see a little shiner)... Poor baby! Overall, such a happy baby... we love love love her!!

Happy Birthday, Nonna!!

2011-06-02T11:15:00.000-07:00

We love you, Nonna!! Come visit soon!! xoxo

and breathe...

2011-06-01T13:12:00.000-07:00

Ahhh... Memorial Day weekend. An extra day to sleep in. HA. No no no. Not when you have an alarm clock that doesn't have a snooze or off button. And an extra big HAHA when that alarm clock is sick along with the husband in the bed next to you. I don't mind getting up at 6:30 daily. Really... I mean, at least it's not 5:30AM! But there's something about getting up at 6:30 on a holiday that just seems wrong... luckily, I wake up to this:

TOTALLY worth it.

little chiquita...

2011-05-23T18:27:00.000-07:00

Ruby recently got this adorable ruffly, bright sweater for her birthday... and when I put it on her this morning, she looked a little like Miss Chiquita. Puffy sleeves with ruffles? Adorbs.

PS. SO into books right now. Smartypants.

because she's so cute...

2011-05-16T21:54:00.000-07:00

... and because I can't stand looking at my mug every time I open the blog...

she's got a mean right hook...

2011-05-13T20:51:00.000-07:00

She may be less than 20 pounds, but she can throw a punch... with her head...

Ruby and I were playing on the bed and when I least expected it, she arched back with all her might and the back of her head landed on my cheekbone. My eyes instinctively watered and immediately after the smack there was what looked like a marble under my skin on my cheekbone. Since then I've been a puffy, blue-purple mess.

There were times today that I forgot that I had this hunchback-of-Notre-Dame-look going on until I caught people staring at it. It's times like these my large Nicole Richie-esc glasses come in handy...

And if you haven't ever been to the Grand Canyon, feel free to look at the tip of my nose into one of the pores. Don't judge.

the teapot headbang...

2011-05-13T13:24:00.000-07:00

I'm a little teapot, short and stout... So she doesn't quite have the exact hand motions down - but this girl has some hardcore moves to this little teapot's beats. Check it, yo.

and yes. she needs a haircut.

etiquette... by Ruby...

2011-05-11T09:43:00.000-07:00

She's so proper now. Using her fingers was so last week...

And PS - she moved up in the weight ranks at her 1 year old appointment. And when you're 1, that's a good thing. Eat on, girlfriend!

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

2011-05-10T20:03:00.000-07:00

And she's officially 1!

2011-05-08T21:48:00.000-07:00

The party made it official... She's one! We had ourselves some fun! Lots of friends over to celebrate the big day, she enjoyed herself another cupcake, and when she took a nap, we just hung out in the sun. Wonderful day all around.

Only bummer? I didn't take any pictures of the so so cute table with all the food and other decorations!! I was really proud of the work Joey, Josh, Linds, and myself did and then totally forgot to document it! Ugh. But I promise you - it was cute!!

let her eat cake!

2011-05-05T15:03:00.000-07:00

Ruby's first cupcake! She's a natural...

1 YEAR OLD!!

2011-05-04T13:56:00.000-07:00

What a year! What a year! My mom put together a little montage of Ruby's monthly shots...

...that's where she's been - here's her on the big 1 birthday!!

well... that didn't exactly work out... let's move this outside...

much better...

Ruby is one year old today. It just makes my head spin thinking about it. Of course it went quickly, but at the same time it was perfect. She was the perfect addition to our family and now both Josh and I cannot imagine our lives without her. She pulls herself up onto everything and she's so FAST! She loves to play the "where is...?" game - we ask her where something is, she gets a quizzical look on her face while she looks around, her eyes light up and she smiles when she finds it, and then points to the object we asked for... then applauds for herself. She pretty much applauds for herself for any reason these days. She's all about the finger foods lately and as you can see above, loves to drink from a spray bottle. She's our whole world. Happy birthday, baby!!

Dedicate that baby!

2011-05-01T21:31:00.000-07:00

We've had a fabulous weekend! Lots of guests, lots of food, and lots of fun! The reason?? Well, this little cutie is turning ONE this week so an early almost-your-birthday celebration was in order. Plus - this Saturday we dedicated Ruby at church. She was a champ. Of course she was the cutest one on stage (I may be biased) - she clapped at the right times, looked at the lights, shouted out an "amen" when appropriate, wanted to play with the "babydoll" that the couple next to us was holding... you know, totally NOT distracting. She's a natural on stage.

the makeshift walker...

2011-04-28T20:45:00.000-07:00

I was folding laundry and Ruby up and stole my laundry basket! She was pushing it around while on her knees and thought she was sooo funny. Then she discovered she could do it on her feet... I think we're getting closer to walking!

COME BACK HERE!

2011-04-26T14:59:00.000-07:00

This little girl loves her dad. LOVES him. When he's outside working in the garage, this is where Ruby is the majority of the time. Sitting, kneeling, standing by the front screen door yelling baby talk at him to get back in the house! It's not angry cries or even sad cries. But you can tell by her tone that she ain't messin around. "You best get your butt back in here, dad!!" I should record it sometime. It's hilarious.

These were taken right after our Easter photo shoot. Ruby and I came outside while Josh stayed out to sand down an old table... as soon as we came inside, this is what ensued...

bunnies and chicks, oh my!

2011-04-24T14:12:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!

Love,
our little Bunny

ahhh... good lighting...

2011-04-17T14:52:00.001-07:00

I'm no photographer, but good lighting makes all the difference and even I know that. Sunday afternoons seem to be the best time for us to go out in the backyard and have ourselves some photo shoots... loving this lovely weather!

swing, swang, swung.

2011-04-15T17:26:00.000-07:00

Ruby had her first swing experience! She's still quite tiny for the swing, but she enjoyed watching the kiddos and having mama tickle her feet.

PS - it's GORGEOUS here. 75. Sunny. Perfect day for this little family to chillax at the park!

ELEVEN months!!

2011-04-04T10:50:00.000-07:00

It's been 11 months! This has been such a fun stage - she's ticklish, loves her mama and daddy, is super vocal, crawls around everywhere and pulls herself up onto furniture, loves to explore new areas of the house, and has just the cutest little laugh and personality! She says "Dada dada dada da-DEE!" all the time. We'll be in her room and she'll hear the door open and she'll look towards the door and say "Da Dee??" We're working on the Ma sounds, but that's a little bit harder to manage for little mouths. :) She'll clap when we say "Yay Ruby!", she'll sign "all done" when she finishes her milk or "more" if she wants more puffs, she opens and closes all the doors in the house, and she gives high fives. She's pretty awesome.

request central

2011-04-03T08:29:00.000-07:00

We take requests. We do. We're like Delilah. So if you want to see Ruby doing something, just ask.

I want to see an Irish Ruby.

Done.

I want to see that girl move!

Today... the bird crawling...

Now I'm in an uploading mood:

Over a month ago... picking through for blueberries...

My mom was in town and Ruby wanted to jump! jump!

all better...

2011-04-02T20:09:00.000-07:00

Ruby's all better... and has been since Tuesday night. Sorry I left you on pins and needles. You all must have been so worried! :)

Ruby's hair is growing like weeds. Pretty, fine, and blond weeds. So we've been clipping her bangs back with a little barrette out of her eyes for some time now. But that barrette never stays in place. So I moved up to the elastic the other day and she was just too cute not to capture!

sick baby...

2011-03-28T20:56:00.001-07:00

Sick baby at home today... and I'll be honest - I'M exhausted from taking care of the little one!! She was so tired and cranky all day and just wanted to cuddle... which is so wonderful... but exhausting at the same time. Send her some good thoughts... we're hoping for our chipper, smiley Ruby to return when she wakes up tomorrow...

PS - photo taken/edited in the instagr.am app - I rarely use it, but feel free to follow me! username: audreydunlop

two things...

2011-03-20T16:17:00.000-07:00

1. Amazon is amazing. I was always a diapers.com kinda girl until I discovered this Amazon Mom thing from amazon.com - you get 15% off basic baby needs (diapers, wipes) by just signing up. No fees, no secret handshakes... just sign up. THEN, there's this "Subscribe and Save" thing where if you set up something to be delivered on a regular basis, you get an EXTRA 15% off. So I just put in an order for 2 packs of diapers to be delivered every month and because I'm an amazon mom and it's through their subscribe and save program, it's 30% off! Everytime! And then I set up a big refill pack of wipes to come once every 6 months and same thing - 30% off!! On top of that, it's free 2 day shipping and you can cancel or change your subscription any time you want to. I'm in love.

2. I know that was boring. Here's your reward:

I'm in love with this too... :)

You're a tiger!!

2011-03-14T19:30:00.000-07:00

Or a cheetah. One of the two anyway. Sleepy PJ mornings with Ruby!

Sorry for the delay in posting. Ruby likes to be on the computer and slaps the keys as she looks at pictures of herself on the blog. Yesterday we realized our "t", "h", "c", and "v" keys weren't working. Hmmm... no more "typing" for Ruby. BUT, good news - we restarted the computer and all is well. But for awhile there we thought blogging would be terribly hard. Imagine:

Sorry for e delay in posing. Ruby likes o be on e ompuer and slaps e keys as se looks a piures of erself on e blog. Yeserday we realized our "", "", "", and "" keys weren' working.

It stresses me out just looking at it. Thankfully, all is as it should be. For now.

TEN months!

2011-03-04T10:03:00.000-08:00

Double digits!! The next (and only other) time that will be significant is in 9 years and 2 months - cra cra! Well... taking her pictures on the big white chair without Josh around is not happening. She's officially a flight risk. This girl loves to move. Only one week ago she was so apprehensive about crawling and now she just won't stay still (unless she pauses for a cuddle with mama... LOVE!). As everyone has said, our lives have changed now that she's mobile. Not as much as they will once she can walk (I mean, it takes her a solid 3 minutes to get from the living room to the kitchen - she's not THAT fast). But she is pulling herself up on things which definitely spices things up and standing/walking with mom/dad's fingers is one of her favorite activities as of late. No more sitting on the couch for mom and dad! Fun new change: every morning when I go in to get her (after she's slept a solid 11 hours - Hallelujah!), she's sitting up in her crib and waves at me with her cute bed head and rosy cheeks. I'm tellin' ya... she's too precious.

I think this is a good representation of how she feels about taking her monthly photos now:

a little blurry from her wiggling and the face says it all - "COME! ON! MOM! I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS ANYMORE! LET ME GO CRAWL!"
... or this one....

"Hey mom, I got something for ya..." Is my little monkey flipping me the bird?? :)

just because...

2011-03-02T09:32:00.000-08:00

sequence shots of adorableness...

Nonna's visit!!

2011-02-28T21:04:00.000-08:00

Nonna came! It was just perfect. Too short but sweet, and left us wanting more :) Friday we played and ate. Saturday we were greeted with coffee (love!), played, watched Josh play rugby (freezing!), ate good food, and Sunday we were greeted with coffee (I wish I had a coffee delivery service every day!), and played and unfortunately had to say "bye bye!" (Ruby waved it). Love you, Nonna!

video cra cra crazy!

2011-02-24T19:35:00.000-08:00

Some video of the Rubester for you...
First day crawling! She's not quite sure about this whole being mobile thing... especially with a camera in her face.

Day 2 of crawling: she's catching on!

My mom is coming into town tomorrow (yay Nonna Donna!) and I feel like Ruby in this video because of that...

(that giggle gets me every time!!)

Dunsen Designs? LOAD leggings??

2011-02-22T13:37:00.000-08:00

Lindsey found this tutorial on how to make baby leg warmers. So we became crafty... we got tube socks, cut them up, hemmed them, and made these rockin' legwarmers. She has these neon polka dots, argyle, and stripes. They're awesome. Watch out, Etsy... here we come (not really - it took us like an hour to do one pair and we had to have Josh tell us how to string the needle...)!

Auntie and Uncle are back in town!

2011-02-21T21:14:00.000-08:00

This weekend Auntie and Uncle made their way to the bay area and spent Friday through Monday with us... Ruby was ecstatic (and so were we, of course)!! We made our way to Josh's rainy rugby game on Saturday with a stop at Auntie Kim's store for coffee, big dinner with lots of friends on Saturday, had Sunday brunch at farmer's market, dinner at the Olsen's, and a lazy Monday morning. Mixed in there, of course, were plenty of snuggles and naps and playtime and singing and dancing. It was just lovely (and a great idea of what family vacations will be like in the future).

Lindsey and I also may have created a new business for ourselves... leg warmers for babies. Get excited (post to come...).

hipster

2011-02-15T20:21:00.000-08:00

Oh that hipster. Ruby is sporting a little ensemble from her Uncle Tyler and Aunt Megan... they're from Portland. Which means Ruby is hippy hippy hipster in this get up. I mean, how many 9 month olds do you know who wear ponchos and have an emo do?? Case and point.

action shot (work it, Ruby!)...

Also - check out those TWO chompers (click on pictures to make them bigger...)!!

our super sunday...

2011-02-06T15:56:00.000-08:00

Our day started with sleeping in, we then had a family run at the track, and finally a lovely photoshoot... it's 73 and sunny. LOVE! Super indeed!!

NINE months!!

2011-02-04T10:24:00.000-08:00

"I'm 3/4 year old today, mama" is what she'd say if she could talk... but right now it just kinda sounds like, "BABAbadadadaDABAaaaaaBwababebabeeedaaTouuuubaYAYAYAYAYAaaa" Apparently she has a lot to say and does so throughout the day - she's quite the babbler. As you saw earlier this week, she's feeding herself finger foods quite nicely - and if you watched the video closely, you may have noticed she may very well be a lefty like her pops. She got her first tooth this month (can see it in some of the pics below) and has fallen in love with her rubber ducky during bath time. Can you believe she's already 9 months old??

now THAT's my girl...

2011-02-01T20:51:00.000-08:00

She sure can eat... atta girl!

She's just the sweetest thing. It's like it clicked overnight. One night she's looking at the pieces of food and then looking up with this look of "come on, already!" and the next morning she's shoveling it in like it's her job. You go, girl!

garlic overload? NO!

2011-01-30T20:30:00.000-08:00

NO! On Friday night we had company over and I went to old faithful - Ina Garten - for inspiration. I saw this Chicken with 40 cloves of garlic recipe and thought - why not?? I KNOW you're not supposed to try new recipes on guests, but Adam and Mel are so chill and we figured Garrett's pizza is close if worse case scenario. But it was so good! Super creamy, really flavorful, and not too garlicy! It was lovely. Served with couscous, a baguette, good company, and some wine and you got yourself a delicious good time!

mother of pearl

2011-01-29T20:25:00.000-08:00

A day for the memory books... Ruby got her first tooth yesterday! In the morning - no tooth. By 4PM - tooth! Before we know it that toothless grin will have pearly whites...

sunday best...

2011-01-25T13:02:00.000-08:00

Ruby got dressed up for church this week... when she had the complete outfit on I yelled, "THIS IS WHY WE HAD A GIRL!" ... girls' clothes are freaking adorable when they're this small. LOOK AT HER!

She had on white tights with Mary Jane's this morning when it was chillier - it was almost too much to handle.

start of the season

2011-01-23T14:39:00.000-08:00

It's the start of rugby season and Ruby and I made it to a practice game yesterday. It was 70, sunny, and GORGEOUS!

the monkey off his back

2011-01-22T16:30:00.000-08:00

Josh has been working on our media unit for a couple months now during his spare time - and he's THRILLED to say - it's FINISHED!

before:

it's up:

it's finished:

Can you believe it??!! He MADE it! From beginning to end, Josh MADE this! Last night, after it was up I told Josh "I feel like such an adult - we have real furniture!" It's fantastic! I love it and am SO proud of Josh and his crazy mad skillz. Yep. With a "z". He's THAT good. Good work, hubby!

when it rains...

2011-01-19T11:14:00.000-08:00

...it pours! So far, in the 19 days of January, we have had the following happen:

My car overheated. It now has a new radiator, thermostat, timing belt, and water pump. Cha-ching!
Josh's phone has gone onto a better place... my phone is on the fritz... we need to upgrade or switch providers.
Our laptop's battery is kaputz. It will only work if it is plugged in. So much for being mobile.
I may need a crown on one of my teeth. Sensitive teeth are the pits.
Irregardless of my potential crown (fingers crossed that it's just sensitivity and no adornment on my tooth is necessary!), I need a night guard because I clinch my teeth while sleeping (just the thought of it SCREAMS "sexy", no??)

Man! 2011! You're bringing on some wild cards, huh??

sleepy lady

2011-01-17T21:41:00.001-08:00

Ruby has been quite adventurous in her sleep lately... she used to only sleep on her back with her arms in a field goal position. Every night and every nap. But lately it's a guessing game as to what position she'll be in when we sneak in to take a peak. Lately she's been a side sleeper... it's just the most precious thing ever (but always too dark to take pictures, or trust me - I would!). But the other day during nap time we slipped into her room to check on her and saw this:

On her tummy, in the complete opposite direction in her crib from where we put her, wedged into the corner. Prior to this she was making a few cute growls and squeaks and then it went quiet. Of course I had to make sure everything was okay and walked in to see this cutie. She just got all tuckered out with her noises and couldn't do it any longer... Oh Ruby. Too precious.

observations...

2011-01-11T19:47:00.001-08:00

I should rename the blog "the WEEKLY Dunlop" because daily just ain't happening...

I wanted to just document a few observations we have made of our little monkey over the past couple days...

She's a cautious one, that bird. She goes to daycare a few days a week and there is a boy there, Levi, that is 1.5 months older than her. Currently he is pulling himself up and walking around, holding onto furniture. Watching him makes me nervous yet excited. Nervous that our lives will soon be changing once Ruby gets to that point yet excited for her to explore and adventure just that much more. Levi has been crawling for a good few months now and he'll be walking in no time. He's all impulse. He wants it, he'll try it. Ruby is an observer. She watches, processes, takes it all in, comes up with an assessment, and THEN she will act on it. Crawling, in theory, she knows how to do (I'm sure of it), but she hasn't committed to the idea yet - I mean, would you if you had 2 servants to pick you up whenever you wanted to go anywhere? She's brilliant...

Her hands fascinate me. I could stare at her picking up and touching things all day. The way she moves in slow motion because her focus is just that intense. She will hold a stuffed monkey in one hand and with the other hand, ever so slowly and with such precision, she will move her fingers to the very very tip of the tail and lightly touch it, pinch it, then whip it around and throw it behind her... she's so focused!

She's recognizing signs and words - when we sign or say "milk" she LIGHTS up, pumps her legs, and reaches up for you. When you say "up?" to her, she raises her hands in anticipation of being picked up. When you say "more?" when eating, she opens her mouth like a little bird. She's getting to the point when you ask "where's mama?" she'll look at me and the same with "where's daddy?"- she'll look at Josh.

She's adorable... (but we already knew that!)

shake it up...

2011-01-07T21:42:00.000-08:00

Apparently on my drive home from work there was an earthquake. I didn't even know it happened but it was a 4.1 - so definitely noticeable. I came in the door and Josh is sitting on the couch and the little one is asleep. Josh told me about the earthquake and then told me the sweetest thing. He said that when he first realized it was happening he immediately jumped up, ran into Ruby's room, and picked the sleeping baby up from her crib because he was so nervous! I mean, it's just amazing how instincts kick in when you're in that kind of situation. I just thought that was the sweetest thing and the look on his face as he was telling me was just priceless. He's just the best dad ever....

EIGHT months!

2011-01-04T10:11:00.001-08:00

Month seven was a month of changes which leads to a very different baby this month eight! Ruby is borderline teething (I think) and crawling. As you saw, she's able to drink from a cup and she's eating 3 meals a day now. In December she had a bout with bronchitis, but like a champ, she overcame it. It seems like everyday she's changing and learning some new trick. Lately it's been self-feeding. These pre-Cheerio puff things are her latest quest - she can pick them up and get them to her mouth but letting go is what we're working on. She's a genius I'm telling you!

that hair!