not to us

Hey everyone! I realized it's been a while since I've updated about Ruby, and, since I'm using this as her "baby book" of sorts, I thought I'd better do it while I'm thinking about it. :)

Ruby Elizabeth is now 14 months and 1 week old. :) My, how the time flies!! She had a doctor's appointment about a week ago for an ear infection, and she weighed 20 lbs. even. We were very happy to see the weight gain slow down. She is full of smiles and energy, and she seems to have a positive affect on the people around her. Grocery shopping generally takes quite a while, because all of our fellow shoppers want to stop and talk with her. :) I don't mind. To whom much is given, much is expected, right? I've been given a beautiful daughter who loves to make other people smile. It's the least I can do to share her with others. :)

Ruby has also had quite a developmental explosion. She is picking up words and signs at a rapid pace right now. Many times, she will even mimic a word after the first time she's heard it. Apparently, her vocabulary and communication skills won't be lagging behind like her fine and gross motor skills. I'm sure it has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that she has a mother who talks all. the. time. (Hee hee hee...) Here current list of words and signs is as follows:

Spoken Words: Dada, Mama, Roar, Moo, Baa Baa, Bak Bak, Woof Woof, Pig, Bear, Book, Play, Thank You (Tay Tay), Parker (Par Par), Peyton (Pey Pey), Grandpa (Poppa), Pop, Gigi, Uncle Kyle (Ki ki ki), Aunt Megan (May May), Aunt Sarah (Ra Ra), Uncle Zach (Saaa), Bath (Ba), Baby, Bye bye, Hi, Night-Night (Ni Ni), Poo-poo

Signs: More, Eat, Milk, Please, All Finished, Bye bye, Hi, Clap

She is also starting to make progress with her motor skills. She is getting really good at picking something up between her thumb and pointer finger (the pincer grasp) and directing it straitght into her mouth. Also, this morning while we were doing "Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear", she purposefully touched her nose and her toes! I was very excited to see that! She has also started to clap when we're saying a very metered rhyme or clap when we're singing songs. She also loves to dance! One of her most exciting new "tricks" is standing alone and taking steps. She has been cruising since Christmas and crawling since Feb. 3. Now, however, she can stand on her own and balance for about 15 seconds. If we get her standing very solid and steady, she can even take two to three solid steps. It's very fun to watch, and she turns and claps her hands when she's finished. She's sure to make certain she gets the praise for her endeavors. LOL!

I could probably write a lot more, but these are the basics. We love our little Ruby SO much, and we couldn't be more thankful to have her in our lives!!