I started back at work this week and that has come with quite a bit of transition (mostly for me, Ruby has done wonderfully), tears (again, me...not Rubes), and guilt (me, again...) after 6 whole weeks at home with my girl. I'm starting to get over my pity party, moving on, and cherishing the heck out of our evenings together. Life of a working mama!
Ruby was NOT into taking pictures this month. It doesn't help that she was feeling a bit under the weather, and I crammed in this photo sesh right before bedtime so I wouldn't procrastinate on it anymore. We struggled to get one good picture, but I'm still glad we did it. The pictures show her growing opinions...she definitely tells us how she feels about things! :)
Ruby is long past 11 months, but I figured I would get these posted before she turned a tear. By the way...ONE YEAR?! Never mind...lets not talk about it yet.
This month Ruby's
 |
| "Raise your hand if you hate this" |
Ruby had her ear-tube surgery this month. It was a scary experience, and it made me really appreciative and grateful for a relatively healthy child. She ended up having bi-lateral tubes placed, as well as her adenoids removed. She had a hard time coming off the anesthesia, which was most definitely the most heart-wrenching part for me. She was so sad, had swollen lips and eyes (we think she had a slight reaction to something during surgery...still not sure what exactly), and was having a hard time breathing. The whole time during recovery all I could think was "why did I CHOOSE to put my daughter through this??" In the back of my mind I held onto hope that this would help her...and it DID! She has been a different child since surgery. She is discovering so much more, using her voice a lot more, and has started to improve her terrible balance. She's happier (who knew that was even possible?!), and has shown more interest in playing independently. So far, I'm extremely happy that we went ahead and had the surgery.
 |
| Now this is more like it!! |
Sleep. Oh, sleep. We were struggling MAJORLY with sleep the past couple of months. I've been attributing it to her constant ear infections, runny nose, and just general sickness. Turns out, I was right! About 3 days post-surgery Ruby slept through the night. I spent the entire day convincing myself that it was either a fluke, or it was because she had downed baby P's (our most recent foster baby) 3 oz bottle of formula when I wasn't looking right before bed. I doubted my milk supply thinking maybe she just wasn't getting full before bed, and that's why she was waking up. Desperate to have a repeat of the night before, I offered her more formula before bed. She turned her nose up at it and threw the bottle on the ground multiple times. So, I nursed her and put her to bed like we've always done...and guess what?? She slept through the night again. Since then, she has been sleeping like a champ! It's amazing, and I'm so excited for her (and ME).
Ruby still dislikes pretty much all food. She will eat puffs, mum-mums, yogurt bites, and any other "snack" type baby food, but rarely anything else. The crazy thing? She will not even try it. When I offer her something she closes her mouth tightly and shakes her head. I'm trying to not worry that I've turned my 11 month old into a snack obsessed food snob, but it's is starting to become a little concerning. She is VERY interested in nursing ALL the time, so I'm hoping once I start cutting back some (hopefully after her birthday), she will become a little more adventurous with food. We will see!
 |
| Waving with dada |
That being said, she hasn't gained any weight this month. She's holding strong at 20lbs and is 28inches long, putting her in the 35th percentile in weight and 15th percentile in height. She's mostly in 12 month clothing, but still fits into the majority of her 9 month and all of her 6-12 month. We're getting some major use out of this size, considering she has been wearing most of it since she was 6 months old!
Ruby's vocabulary is also expanding. Even though most things she says would not be understandable to others, WE know what she is saying! She says: Dada, Mama, Dog (Dah!), Milk (nah-nah), More (na?). She talks all the time and is constantly pointing at things asking what they are. It is so fun to watch her learn! She's still signing more, all done, and milk on a pretty consistent basis, she signs "please" occasionally but it's not often.
 |
| pointing with dada |
Ruby's Month 11 Favorite things:
-Mama, Dada, Banjo, foster brothers
-Her baby
-Blowing kisses
-Making a fish face and "smooching" for a kiss
-Waving at EVERYONE
-Pointing at EVERYTHING
-Swinging outside. This has become a nightly routine since I've started back at work...it's a great way to spend time together.
-Playing peek-a-boo
-Climbing in the dishwasher
-Playing in the kitchen drawers
-Cruising around furniture, but NOT trying to walk.
-Dumping out banjo's food and water
-Rocking in the recliner and rocking chair
-Dancing. This girl is a mover and shaker. Any time she hears a tune, she starts grooving.
-Crawling away from you as fast as she can when you tell her "no" and try to pick her up from doing something she's not supposed to do.
-Throwing food on the ground to Banjo
Ruby's Month 11 not-so-favorite things:
-Eating anything except milk
-Being told no
-Getting changed (diaper and clothes...both awful)
-Saying bye to mama and dada...this has become hard for us! She hates us leaving.
-Getting in her carseat
Sweet baby girl,
I can't believe it's almost been a year since we welcomed you into our lives. You have changed us for the better, precious one! I cannot begin to tell you how special you are to us. You make us (and a lot of other random people) smile every day, and you brighten our lives with your sweet presence. You're charming, beautiful, smart, sassy, and quite the comedian. Daddy and I are so proud of the wonderful little person you already are!
We love you so much,
Mama
No comments:
Post a Comment