...and baby makes three and four

Hilarious!

2010-09-28T16:18:00.001-04:00

This is Ruby trying on Noel's Santa hair. Hilarious.

Will save these for her first date to see.

Blue Bend

2010-09-07T16:59:00.002-04:00

We went to Blue Bend a couple a couple of weeks ago and had a great time! It's a shame that it seems like we don't have time to do it more often!

Everybody's happy!

2010-08-26T08:02:00.002-04:00

The shirt says no pinching allowed, but that's almost impossible with that adorable face!

This is Ruby riding on her Papa's tractor. I remember how much fun it was to sit on that kind of stuff when I was a kid!

Josey loves the Bumbo!

This is a good one of Pop.

Ice Cream for Breakfast!

2010-08-17T15:57:00.002-04:00

Around here, sometimes we have ice cream for breakfast. (Notice the jammies.) Actually, Ruby saw it in the freezer and I didn't have the energy for the fall out if I denied her. But I think what's the difference if you eat ice cream in the morning or in the evening?!

Well it certainly makes her happy!

We're back up and running!

2010-08-11T08:19:00.003-04:00

This is Josey! He's one happy, healthy baby!

He sleeps like an angel! That's different from Ruby.

He has big blue eyes like Ruby and is quite a bruiser weighing in at 17 pounds!

And of course, he loves his Mommy!

First time in the snow

2010-02-13T21:37:00.002-05:00

This was the big snow at Christmas time. Ruby loved it!

Eating alone!

2010-02-03T12:20:00.002-05:00

This was Ruby's first time eating totally on her own. She did a good job but I think she got tired of all the hard work and wanted me to just get the yogurt in her mouth for her!

Too Quiet

2010-01-24T14:00:00.001-05:00

I went around the corner for one minute to do something in the kitchen and when things got too quiet this is what I found!

It's not easy being 14 months old,...

2010-01-05T09:00:00.001-05:00

sitting in the high chair eating cookies and drinking milk, watching your mama cook dinner!

It's a boy!

2009-12-31T16:24:00.003-05:00

See if you can figure out what's what in this picture. The arrow helps.

This year I vow to step it up on the blog posts. Happy new year!

Ruby's new sib

2009-11-10T12:47:00.001-05:00

We don't know the sex yet but the due date is May 23.

The Little Devil

2009-11-01T08:35:00.003-05:00

The Little Devil-- don't you think the red eyes suit her?

The eyes again!

We hope everyone had a great Halloween!

Let's Go Mountaineers!

2009-10-30T19:18:00.004-04:00

I have been wanting to get Ruby a WVU cheerleader outfit for a long time now. I finally found one and she looks as cute as a button in it!

She is contemplating life.

Pointed toe, posing.

YAY! Mountaineers!

YAY Mountaineers, look at my mullet!!

One Year Old!

2009-10-23T12:12:00.004-04:00

Ruby turned one on October 19th. We had a party for her on the 18th. The party went well and Ruby was as cute as ever! She went crazy when we sang Happy Birthday to her!

Party in an old classroom at WSS Junior High. The room looks a lot better than it did back then!

Me and Roo. That's the hat I made for her. She looks thrilled.

This is the cake I made for her. I was going to use fondant but just went with plain buttercream instead. I made a practice cake with fondant and no one liked the taste of it, even though I flavored it with vanilla.

Ruby's personalized M&Ms. They were the favors.

Some other kids at the party!

Another party shot.

Time to babyproof!

2009-08-27T11:02:00.001-04:00

The other day Ruby was trying to get in the kitchen for the first time. So I mopped the floor and let her in. It's amazing how quick a 10 month old can figure out cabinets and drawers. Time to babyproof!

10 months old!

2009-08-21T21:58:00.004-04:00

I can't believe our little baby is already 10 months old. I remember crying when she was a week old because the time went by so fast. My goodness, it hasn't gotten any slower.

She is now pulling herself up on everything and walking while holding on. It's up, down, up, down.... She stands a little by herself unsupported too.

This is her victory stance. She puts her arms over her head and we yell "Victory" and she laughs and laughs. She also does it when we yell "Victory;" thus, she is able to recognize a word and do the corresponding action. She even mimics us when we don't say anything but put our hands in a V over our heads. These actions only prove that, as I suspected, she is a genius.

How could we ever say no to this face?

Check out those two bottom teeth. They first broke through July 4.

Sweet as sugar, but starting to throw some fits. haha!

Her hair is really growing longer and getting thicker!

VICTORY!

Future WVU cheerleader in the making right here. For those of you who did not cheer, this is how cheerleaders sit.

Mom, enough pictures!

YEAH!

The thinker, or maybe the stinker!

Check out the top teeth- four of 'em.

VICTORY! This will come in handy during football season!

State Fair

2009-08-17T19:50:00.003-04:00

We went to the State Fair on Sunday morning to see what we could see and more importantly sample the FOOD! The best steak sandwich in the world comes from the fair! My mom would argue that the best cinnamon rolls and elephant ears also come from the fair. I know the best donuts come from the fair!

This picture was taken at the Attorney General booth. The bear was on tranquilizers.

Funny Girl!

2009-08-12T14:05:00.002-04:00

Looking like a fashion model!

Food all over your clothes! Happy as a clam!

When not pulling everything out of the basket, we use it for teething!

Standing on her own two feet!

2009-08-04T11:48:00.002-04:00

New Turd Box Location!

2009-07-24T23:53:00.004-04:00

I built this and put it on the porch at the front end of our house where no one hardly ever goes. I was so sick of having the litter boxes in the house but I didn't want to put my kitties outside. It's really working out well. Also, I built a cat window with a little cat door. In this picture you can see a cat coming out of the window, well now there is a little ledge on each side and they come and go through a cat door. The cats love it and go out to potty and hang out. Did I mention I built this? I'm pretty proud of myself.

Holla!

2009-07-17T19:18:00.002-04:00

Eight Months Old

2009-06-24T20:49:00.005-04:00

Our little girl is 8 months old. She is almost crawling. She rolls all over the place. She expresses herself like any daughter of mine should! She still has no teeth! She is starting to like a little solid food and even ate some mild guacamole tonight! She likes to kick things with her feet, including but not limited to the computer, Felix, me, etc. She stands by herself holding onto something. She loves the kitty cats. She says mama! She's in to everything! She's really growing! I love her more than life itself.

This little stinker...

2009-06-13T22:39:00.001-04:00

will be crawling very soon! Look out world!

What a Beauty!

2009-06-11T11:48:00.001-04:00

I blocked out myself. Fatness is not so cute on 29 year olds! haha!

Biter Biscuits = Big Mess

2009-05-30T16:33:00.002-04:00

7 month pictures

2009-05-23T08:37:00.001-04:00

Here are the pictures I retook for Ruby's 7 month birthday. I couldn't use the other dress because someone had an accident on it! hahaa! This first picture here was when I knew the session was over.

2009-05-23T08:34:00.001-04:00

2009-05-23T08:29:00.000-04:00

Strawberry Shortcake

2009-05-21T08:49:00.003-04:00

I think we might have a strawberry blonde on our hands!

Grabbing for the camera!

Look what they did to my baby at the Dr.-- a shot in each thigh! Ruby was a trooper and didn't even cry for 10 seconds. She weighs 19 lbs. 14 oz. and she's 25.5 inches long. She's healthy healthy healthy!

7 months old

2009-05-19T17:22:00.002-04:00

Ruby is 7 months old today! My how the time flies. She has been eating some solid food. She does everything she was doing last month, but she does it so much better. I think she'll be crawling soon. She rocks back and forth on her hands and knees. She gets mad and stiffens up and throws herself back! ha! I used to be able to lay her down with toys in the bathroom floor when I took a bath, but now she gets so excited when I run the bath water and she gets so mad when I don't bring her in with me! So she gets her way and gets a bath. Then she gets upset when it's time to get out. I may never get to bathe alone again! She yells and babbles from the second she wakes up. She likes to get down in the floor and play- her favorite toy is a spoon. She loves to drink water from a cup and sometimes we don't even spill. If you ask me, I'll say she is darn near perfect!

PS On a disappointing note, I took so many pictures today and some were really good -including a priceless shot of Ruby and Felix. However, all mysteriously disappeared from the camera card except this one. I don't have it in me to take more just yet.

Happy Mothers Day!

2009-05-10T15:54:00.002-04:00

Noel took some pics of my mom, me, and Ruby. I think they turned out well. Look at Ruby's face in the first one- living up to her nickname- Little Devil!This is the best one. Love it! By the way, have I ever mentioned that having Ruby is the best thing that ever happened to me? Oh yeah, about 1,000,000,000 times!!

Splendor in the Grass

2009-05-07T22:11:00.002-04:00

This was Ruby's first time in the grass. She was so intrigued with each blade. She was touching and feeling it so softly. So cute!

Ruby and Mommy

2009-04-26T15:32:00.002-04:00

Noel wanted some pictures of the two of us. Here are a few that I think turned out well.

Look at the way she laid her head on me. So precious!

6 Months Old

2009-04-21T10:10:00.002-04:00

Little Ruby was six months old on the 19th. In addition to being beautiful, Ruby now sits very well on her own. She loves to go to the grocery store and Sams. She is very vocal and loves to pull my hair! She interacts with us and is full of smiles, giggles, and hearty laughs. She's also becoming more independent by playing some by herself. She has discovered her toes and can get them in her mouth! She can roll over. She is trying to get mobile when on her tummy. She loves the cats and dogs. Her hair is growing so fast along with the rest of her! She has Mommy and Poppy wrapped tightly around her little finger and we aren't complaining! We love her so much!

2009-04-21T09:59:00.001-04:00

2009-04-21T09:54:00.001-04:00

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T10:44:00.002-04:00

The Easter Bunny came and brought Ruby, Mommy, and Poppy goodies!

Ruby will try to eat anything!

WOW!

Miss modest.

She looks so sweet in her new Easter dress.

Also, the bunny cake Nannie made was delicious and did not make it to Easter Sunday!

Cake!

2009-04-08T14:05:00.002-04:00

Check out this Easter cake Nannie made for Ruby. Ruby said Mommy and Poppy could eat it!

Mommy and Ruby

2009-03-29T16:31:00.000-04:00

Cutest hat ever!

2009-03-25T16:09:00.002-04:00

I have to do two posts sometimes because Blogger will only let me post five at a time. All these pictures were so gorgeous I had to post them all!

2009-03-25T15:27:00.003-04:00

Go 'Eers!

2009-03-20T13:20:00.002-04:00

5 Months Old

2009-03-19T15:43:00.002-04:00

Ruby is five months old today. She is so vocal and has a way of communicating what she wants. She plays hard in her Jumperoo. She grabs toys and holds onto them to play. She grabs my hair and rips it out! She sits up high in her high chair to watch Mommy in the kitchen. She moves all over the place and is getting hard to hold because she is getting antsy. When she is laying on her back you can see her straining to sit up. She watches the animals and laughs at them. She laughs and laughs when you play peek a boo! She weighs over 17lbs. and is growing so fast. Her Poppy and I love her more than anything else in this world.

2009-03-19T15:41:00.000-04:00

2009-03-19T15:36:00.000-04:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2009-03-17T19:37:00.001-04:00

This is the cutest baby in town and that's no blarney!

Cool Baby!

2009-03-12T17:35:00.003-04:00

We got out the big girl high chair so Ruby could sit higher and watch me in the kitchen. She likes it! Look at the way she's lounging. Also, check out her shirt. It's a designer shirt by Paul Frank, it's called a Small Paul and it's straight from Miami. How cool! Thanks cousin Dawn!

Mommy's Babies

2009-03-10T20:50:00.003-04:00

Ruby makes a "mmmmm" noise when she's griping. Well, this time Poppy got in on the action and Mommy was there with the camera! It took some convincing to post this with Poppy's blessing!

They look so much alike right here, but most of the time she is mini me :)

Who let the toes out?

2009-03-07T20:59:00.003-05:00

Ruby let the toes out! It was a beautiful day so we let the wind blow through our toes :)

The little stinker would not look at me or smile but I could hear her laughing while I was pushing her!

Can you believe this was last week?

2009-03-06T08:45:00.002-05:00

View from the house.

Female cardinal up close.

Winter wonderland.

It was over 60 degrees when I got up this morning. I can't believe it looked like this last week.

More Pictures

2009-03-06T08:33:00.001-05:00

Pretty red cardinal in the snow.
Mommy and Daddy cardinals.

Chillin' in the snow.

So cool to look at right outside of the window.

Yum, yum. Thank you Noel and Carrie for these delicious sunflower seeds.

Jumperoo in Action, Too Good not to Feature Again!

2009-03-04T10:44:00.002-05:00

In action, Felix is trying to play underneath, despite being bopped in the head!

How fun!

Yay!

Felix gets smarter and now plays up top!

What a beauty!

She is growing so fast! I had to move the Jumperoo to level 2 today. I could tell it was much more fun for her after I moved it. Play, play, play!

Little Miss Ruby, Little Miss WVU

2009-02-27T14:16:00.002-05:00

We went for a walk today thinking it was going to rain anytime, though right now it looks really nice. Miss Ruby was especially cute today. Check the little blanket over her legs. I'm like her valet, haha. Would you like anything else Miss Ruby?

I think this one is just a great picture, especially for us WVU lovers. I wouldn't be surprised if Poppy makes this his desktop background.

Here she is getting a kiss from Banjo. She didn't seem to mind. On the contrary, she found it quite funny!

Yay Jumperoo!

2009-02-25T12:24:00.003-05:00

Ruby loves the Jumperoo Aunt Babe got her! She goes to town in it. At first I was afraid that she was throwing herself around too much but her head wasn't thrashing around or anything and she seemed to be having a blast. She wears herself out in the thing, but that's just gravy.

Four Months Old!

2009-02-20T15:55:00.002-05:00

I can't believe our baby is four months old! She's changing every day. She can grab toys and play with them now. She has discovered her feet. She yells and talks and fights sleep. She loves to pet Felix and Felix loves it too! She reaches up and grabs the toys swinging from the Baby Einstein- it seems like only yesterday she didn't even act like she could see them. She laughs and smiles 98% of the time. She now weighs about 15.5 lbs. and we love every ounce of her to pieces!

Cutie Pie!

2009-02-18T12:13:00.002-05:00

Look at the little gown and bunny slippers. Too cute! Wow, Ruby is napping less and less and if she gets woken up you will pay later! Gees little girl, enjoy the sleep while you can!

Happy, or Unhappy, Valentines

2009-02-15T10:50:00.003-05:00

See this happy face? This was not the face that was on last night. I don't know what the problem was but Ruby was not at all herself. She wasn't hurting or anything like that. She was tired I think and fighting sleep. She cried and yelled for at least an hour before she finally gave into sleep.

Noel came home from work and brought us each a card and a few gifts- the best being a promised massage. Then I prepared the wings I promised Noel. As soon as we sat down to watch a movie and eat Ruby started. She could not be consoled. That is not like her. We think maybe she wanted to make sure the evening was all about her! haha! Anyway, our first Valentines Day with Ruby was a bust.

Yes! Power!

2009-02-13T15:20:00.001-05:00

We're back in action. My parents brought us a generator only for the power to come back on an hour later. Murphy's Law!

Taking a Stroll

2009-02-09T20:00:00.002-05:00

Since it was a beautiful day we decided to get outside. Ruby had a great time but she really acts like the sunlight kills her eyes. I finally got her to look up for a good pic.

Cold Again!

2009-02-05T09:52:00.003-05:00

It's 0 degrees out and our house is cold again. Heater's not broken, just can't handle this size of a house and this cold of weather. Ruby doesn't even act like she notices. Noel and I tried to cuddle with her under the covers but she wanted out in the cold to be propped up and look around! Who knows, maybe she'll love the cold and snow and be a skier or bobsledder or something like that! So this is the uniform for the day. Oh yeah, we have a space heater and with that aimed right at us, it's plenty warm. Poppy will just have to suffer when he gets home this evening! Ha! This is Ruby in her swing while I was slicing up a loaf of bread in order to make a sandwich for Poppy's lunch.

P.S. This time we will tough it out instead of paying some doofus $130 to come out and try to sell me another unit!

Such a Pretty Face

2009-02-03T10:34:00.004-05:00

Last night I was in the worst mood. I don't really know why. Maybe it's hormones. Maybe it's dieting. All I know is that my husband was very brave (and I might say stupid) to start picking on me. But when he showed me this picture he took I could not stop laughing because it showed exactly how I imagine I was acting. Not often do you see adults making actual frowns.

Sweet Angel

2009-02-02T23:27:00.002-05:00

Ruby received this little hat before she was born. I think it is the most precious bonnet ever. It's definitely hand made and deserves a spot in a hope chest-if we had one :)

It's been too long

2009-01-30T21:27:00.003-05:00

I know I was going to do better at my blogging. Last night we took some great pictures of Ruby and I got on here to blog. Well for some reason my camera card ate the pictures. They were really great pictures too so I am pretty POed about it. I am going to try and recreate the pictures this weekend.

Ruby Blue Eyes

2009-01-26T21:43:00.002-05:00

Well it's been 3 months now and Ruby still has blue eyes. I read that by 3 months the eyes are the color they will be but they might darken a bit. I hope they stay exactly as they are because they are so beautiful.

Cleaning, cleaning, cleaning

2009-01-23T17:23:00.002-05:00

My mom and I are trying to get the house back in order since the five day no water debacle. It's hard with a three month old :)

Yay Water!

2009-01-21T11:24:00.003-05:00

We now have water! Yay! I'm going to run the water for no reason! Just kidding! My mom is on her way to help me with the cleaning that has piled up for five days!Ruby says Yay!

Still no water

2009-01-20T19:30:00.002-05:00

Ugh, I am miserable without water. Guys were supposed to be here today to fix the problem but you know how that goes. The house is a wreck with laundry and dirty dishes. Ruby is doing well though.

3 Months Old

2009-01-19T17:05:00.003-05:00

Today Ruby is three months old. Time is flying by. She smiles and laughs all the time. She loved the ceiling fan last week but is now over it. She weighs 14.5 lbs. and is 24 inches long. She talks all the time like her Poppy. She holds herself up so well in her bumbo and sucks on her hands A LOT! She is her own little person and has no problem letting us know what she wants! We couldn't have asked for a sweeter little girl and we love her so much!

No Water

2009-01-18T20:36:00.003-05:00

Still no water here at the DeHaven Lodge and Inn. We grabbed showers at my uncle's house today, so at least we're clean. We also filled up some water tanks. The fun part is bailing the water out of the cistern with a plastic container tied to a rope so we can flush the toilets. Nice.

What a day!

2009-01-17T15:34:00.002-05:00

Right now we are waiting on the heat repair person. Turns out the furnace is not really heating all that well. Also, we have no water. Frozen I guess. As long as Ruby is OK it'll be fine, but it's a little uncomfortable around here. My parents are down here visiting. HaHa! Good time for them to visit ;)

Baby it's cold inside too!

2009-01-16T15:32:00.003-05:00

Since it is so cold outside it is also freezing inside too, due to a myriad of reasons. 1. The heat pump only goes about 70 degrees above what it is outside, and that's if you don't lose heat inside, 2. We lose a lot of heat inside with all these windows, 3. We have very high ceilings and all the heat goes up there, 4. I won't turn on the auxiliary heat because I can't stand to think of the electric meter spinning off its spindle. There's probably something else I'm forgetting. But don't worry, the baby is fine. She's all bundled up and sucking out all my body heat!

Update: I broke down and turned on the auxiliary heat. It's much warmer now.

Baby it's cold outside!

2009-01-15T18:25:00.003-05:00

I just realized that I haven't been out of this house in two days! Really it's too cold to fool with taking the Rubester out if I don't have to. It's not like I don't have plenty that needs doing around here! Mmmm, I made some beef stew that smells so good and I can't wait for Noel to get home so I can eat it!Why is it that babies in grown up hats are so darn cute!?

On the Fritz

2009-01-14T18:05:00.002-05:00

Our dryer is on the fritz. Life is kind of rough without it. I have clothes hanging everywhere! My Dad will probably come down and take a look at it for us because to have a repairman come out would probably cost more than the thing is worth!

My favorite pic of me and Ruby, mainly because you can't see my double chin ;)

Umm, let's just reschedule

2009-01-13T15:08:00.003-05:00

Today we went to the doctor for shots. We arrived at 11:30 and walked into a packed waiting room--and not to be mean but it was packed with some seriously unsavory characters. The only seat left was beside a guy with some prison tats on his face. They were an hour and fifteen minutes behind taking people back to the exam rooms. And I know what the wait can be when you make it to an exam room. We decided to reschedule.

All the Rage

2009-01-12T11:03:00.005-05:00

Noel's mom got his Aunt Linda a pair of shoes for Christmas. They were supposed to be blue, but this is what Linda got when she opened the box! It really was too funny and I almost peed myself laughing. I think she should go ahead and wear them like they are, it really would be all the rage.

Big Blow Out at the Mexican Restaurant!

2009-01-11T09:40:00.005-05:00

We went out to Mexican last night and just the smell of the food made Ruby have a big time blow out! Biggest so far. So Ruby and I went out to the car to change and we did not have the wipes. I had to clean her up with a blanket! I had to lay her on a blanket too. So there were two messy blankets and an outfit that was pretty nasty! haha! Also the spare clothes I had for her were WAY too big. But anyway, we got all cleaned up and went back inside and everyone was done with their meals, so I got a to go box and we all went home. Don't take this story to mean that I minded one bit, anything she needs is OK with me. It's just funny!

Ruby with Noel's dad, Papa.

Sweetie Nathan

2009-01-10T14:03:00.003-05:00

Last weekend we paid a visit to Jeff, Deena, and Nathan. Nathan is the sweetest little boy and is full of hugs and kisses. One funny thing is that Nathan kept bringing in this strainer to play with and Noel was putting it on his head, similar to Johnny Appleseed. Anyway, we had a really good time and I can only hope that Ruby is as good natured as Nathan when she's his age.

Staying at Home

2009-01-09T11:57:00.003-05:00

As of the end of the year I am officially a stay at home mom. I am enjoying my time with Ruby, but staying at home is no cake walk either. There is this feeling that because you have the "luxury" of staying home then you should be trying to do housework every second you can. This may end up being more work then working outside of the home. I know it's totally worth it. I want to send a thank you out to Poppy for bringing home the $ for us!

This is Ruby with Noel's mom. I think we're going to call her Meemaw. Doesn't Ruby look so peaceful? And big too!

New Years Resolution

2009-01-08T16:55:00.003-05:00

I know I have been a bad blogger so I vowed to get back on the horse once everything calmed down. I hope I haven't lost all my viewers!

Today I baked a loaf of bread and it turned out delicious. Funny thing, this recipe called for putting the yeast in the water and letting it foam for 10 minutes. Worked like a charm. Best loaf I've gotten. Confession: I use a bread machine :)

This is Ruby in the morning. She has some bad hair. Ha! I imagine she's thinking, "Give it a rest Pop!"

2 Months Old

2008-12-20T22:37:00.002-05:00

Yesterday Ruby turned two months old. She is getting so big. She's over 12 lbs. She is smiling all the time and sometimes gives us a little laugh. She holds her head up all by herself and has been doing so for some time now. She loves to stand in our laps and supports herself totally. She's been doing that for a some time now too. She sits in her Bumbo and smiles and smiles. She coos and is becoming more vocal everyday. She makes the cutest little face where she puckers up her mouth. She is so sweet in the morning and at all times really. She is so sweet during diaper time. She loves it when I sing to her, even if my voice is sketchy :) When I take her shirt off of her she throws her arms all the way out and makes the cutest most scrunched up little face. She eats a lot and will take a bottle as long as Mommy is not in the house. When Poppy is holding her she has also been known to watch Mommy wherever she goes. She grabs things and has no problem grabbing Mommy's hair. She can also swat away what she doesn't want to bother her.

She is so much fun and we love her so much. Even though I love her more than anything in this world I still manage to fall in love with her more every day.

Here are some pics of our beautiful baby.

Mommy is still porky but it is a good picture of the two of us so I will overcome my vanity and post it ;)

We got all dressed up...

2008-12-10T13:25:00.003-05:00

for nothing. We were going to go to the mall but by the time we got ready I couldn't find $1.75 to park and the whole thing seemed like such a pain. She's so sweet she even smiles while she's sleeping :)

Snowed In!

2008-12-06T20:24:00.005-05:00

We are snowed in down here and I love it! We're watching the 'Eers and making cookies. If Ruby would give me a minute I could finish them :)

Here are some Christmas pics we took.

Baby's First Thanksgiving

2008-11-30T17:33:00.004-05:00

What a tumultuous week this has been. I don't think any more could have went wrong if we tried. On Tuesday night Noel was trying to run cable to our greatroom and he went down to the basement. Well, we have these pressurized water holding tanks because we have to pump water up the hill to our house and then store it in the pressurized tanks in the basement so we have water pressure in the house. Noel comes back upstairs and tells me we have a water leak. I thought he had maybe drilled a little hole in a pipe or something and gave him Mighty Putty to fix it. Yeah right. When I went down stairs I saw that one whole tank had broken off of its pipe and was laying on the floor. I don't think Mighty Putty would save it. So Noel had to shut off the water. We used the remaining water in the other tank and then we were without. Noel went out that evening and got a part and got the tank hooked back to the pipe, but the tank still lacked pressure. We have no pump so we borrowed the neighbors' bicycle pump, yeah that did not work. We needed an air compressor. Wed. rolls around and Noel has to work. He had to go with barely any shower. He used some of my BedHead to slick down his hair. Nice. Anyway, that evening my folks felt sorry for us and came down early to help us out. When they arrived Wed. evening, Dad pumped up the tank with the air compressor but the water still would not work so they went to the bottom of the hill to check the pump. When they got in the pumphouse they saw that the pump had exploded and water was shooting out of it. Our best guess is that when Noel shut off the water at the tank the pressure built up and blew the pump. So it is too late to get a part for the pump, no water again. Thur. nothing is open to get a part so Noel and Dad go to a family owned grocery store that is above a hardware store owned by the same family. Thank goodness the owner let Noel in the hardware store to get the part. I think he felt sorry for us on Thanksgiving. So they got the part and we had water not long after that. Everything is back to normal and I start cooking for my dinner for 23 peeps on Saturday. Fast forward to Fri. All is going well on Fri. and Mom and I go to Sams and get more food for my dinner. When we get home I continue to prepare. About 8 o'clock, the house goes black. The power is out, and it's not just a flash like sometimes happens. So we get out the oil lamp and candles and wait. Oh yeah, and did I mention that our heat is electric? Our whole house runs on electricity. So about 9 something we went on to bed. Every time through the night Ruby woke me up, though I prayed, there was still no electricity. It is cold in the house at that point and the three of us are snuggled up together. Ruby sucked all the heat out of me and did not even notice it was cold! We woke in the morn with no power and decided to postpone dinner until Sun. Every time we called the power company the time power was supposed to be restored was extended. Finally about 11:15 am we got power back. So Sun. I had my dinner and it was a great time and went off without a hitch. My parents went back to White Sulphur Springs that night and my Dad got pulled over for speeding and hit a deer. After he called to tell us that, to ice the cake, I got a sick stomach and spent some quality time in the bathroom. Hell of a week.

Ruby the morning of no power. She is too cute in her little hat!

PP, Ruby, and Maxwell are worn out from all the work, or was it the turkey?

Ruby and Nannie resting.

Ruby laid back with her Unc. Check the adorable turkey day outfit!

My Baby Story Part IV

2008-11-23T20:29:00.003-05:00

When 4:00 am rolled around, my nurse was helping her other patient deliver so I buzzed the nurses' station and told them I needed my pitocin! My nurse was done shortly and brought it to me. She put it in my IV and the fun was about to begin. I hadn't felt that birth was imminent until then. I had to admit to Noel that I was in fact scared. That was the first time since I arrived at the hospital that I was scared. Drip, drip, drip went the pitocin. At some point when the contractions started getting a good deal stronger, I noticed that pain was shooting through my left labia. I thought, wait a minute here, why am I feeling anything? I let my nurse know what was going on and was informed that I had a hot spot. I think a hot spot is caused when a nerve in the spine is not taking to the medication from the epidural. The pain in my labia was increasing as the contractions were getting stronger. In fact, when the contractions got really strong, I actually had to breathe through the pain in my labia like I learned in child birth class because it hurt pretty bad--but not as bad as without an epidural. The anesthesiologist came back in and gave me a couple more shots for the pain and told me that when you have a hot spot it feels like all of the pain is concentrated in that one little area--no kidding. None the less, time moved on and it was time for my nurse to go home. I hated to see her go because she treated me so well. You know, it's not everyone that would go wet a towel and wipe your a** every time you used a bed pan, get excited about how much you peed, and tell you to "let it rip, tater chip" every time you farted. That takes a very special nurse and we were very blessed to have her. The nurse that replaced mine was as nice as can be too, but I must admit I was a little daunted when I saw how gorgeous she was. Here I am with my legs all up in the air cresting well over 200 lbs., using a bed pan, and just in general looking nasty and I find out my new nurse is a former Miss West Virginia, yep you read right, Miss West Virginia. Well nothing to do about that so moving on, she checks my progress and finds that I am almost adequate (ready to push). My water had not broken yet and she got out the crochet hook for my doctor to break it when she arrived. However, crochet hook not needed because Miss West Virginia accidentally broke it the next time she checked me. The gush of warm liquid was a weird but welcome feeling. It meant we were one step closer....

Ruby and her Poppy, I couldn't decide which one I liked best.

1 Month Old

2008-11-19T18:48:00.004-05:00

I can't believe it but my little baby is one month old today. It's so exciting to watch her grow, but on the other hand it breaks my heart that time passes so quickly. I swear it feels like I just had her yesterday. Today truly has been bittersweet, but I don't want to waste a day being sad.

Ruby is out of newborn clothes for sure. She can hold her head up. She grunts like no other and it's hilarious. She is the best thing that ever happened to us and we love her more than life itself. I never believed I could love someone so much.

My Baby Story Part III

2008-11-11T16:35:00.003-05:00

When the doctor came in to give me an epidural, he had a nurse anesthetist in training with him. But since the doctor was in a hurry because he had to go to a small child in the OR he did the epidural himself and wasted no time doing it. I bet he had it done in less than two minutes. Less than two minutes to ease such pain. I call him Dr. Feelgood. The epidural kicked in almost immediately and I was feeling much better. The nice nurse I had agreed to let me see if I could pee in a bedpan instead of getting a catheter. Good news, I could pee on my own, so no catheter! The nurse had me laying flat on my back because she told me the pain medication was positional and if I sat up it would go lower than my abdomen where I needed it. So I'm laying there and watching my contractions on the monitor. The contractions were getting weaker probably because of the epidural. So the nurse called my doctor and she said to start me on a pitocin drip at 4:00 am. So now began the waiting for the pitocin. Noel managed to sleep on the bench in the room. He ripped the padding off of the wall behind the bench (it was velcro) to make the bench wider. He complained a lot too! I tried to sleep but it was hard with a million cords coming out of/ off of me. I had the epidural, the blood pressure cuff, the monitors for the baby, the heart monitor for me, the IV, and an oxygen mask. Oh yeah, I forgot about the oxygen mask and I can't exactly remember what that was for. I did fall asleep for a little bit but when I woke up I had positioned by arm all wrong and the IV was backed up. Dag that smarted. When I couldn't sleep I was lucky that there was Gunsmoke on TVLand--not just one episode either--several! I felt like we were right at home. None the less, I was just biding my time until 4:00 am....

Baby's first tub bath. She was unsure, but isn't that to be expected?

My Baby Story Part II

2008-11-08T11:54:00.004-05:00

By the time Noel came back I was definitely in labor. When he got back the first thing he wanted to do was finish watching Gunsmoke. He now says the last two minutes tied the whole show together. Noel says this whole Gunsmoke thing is not true, but that's how I remember it. After that show, I told him to turn it off and he did. We waited here at the house until the contractions were five minutes a part for two hours. The contractions were really getting strong and actually were coming even closer together and Noel demanded we leave right then. When we got to the hospital at 5:00 pm we went to the labor and delivery floor and told the guard I was in labor. The guard then opened the doors and told me to go to triage. I had to go by myself and that was strange to be in labor and be walking down the hall looking for triage by myself! Triage was full so they went ahead and put me in a birthing room. The nurse assigned to me was all business. Noel was able to come in thirty minutes later. By this time, my contractions were really ramping up and I thought I must be getting ready to have the baby! haha! Yeah right! I was only 3 cm dilated! OMG I couldn't believe it. Luckily nurse Ratchet was off duty at 7:30 pm and the nicest nurse in the world came in and took over. I decided to go walk the halls to help the contractions along and oh boy did that help them along! They were so strong and close together I thought I was going to puke. I was in the hall holding on to Noel's neck on the verge of insanity! Oh, yeah and we had a trash can in case I puked. So I made the decision to go back to the room. We walked around the room instead of the hall. That lasted for a while and then I made the decision to get an epidural....

Our sleeping baby.

Napping with Daddy.

The past two days she has spent much more time awake--believe it or not by looking at these pics!

My Baby Story

2008-11-04T08:38:00.007-05:00

I think I better get this down because I think some things are getting fuzzy already. So here goes...

Let me start from my due date of Thursday, October 16, 2008. On Thursday I went into the Dr.'s office for a non stress test to make sure Little Ruby was OK since she had hit her due date and had not come. After the test I was informed that she was beautiful and doing beautifully. Cool. When I came home, I continued my work out regime of walking, squats, lunges, hip swirls, and sitting on the birthing ball. Friday evening I felt the urge to make a big dinner. I ended up making a Thanksgiving type dinner on Friday and it about killed me. On Friday night, October 18, 2008, I noticed I was feeling a little strange. My back and abdomen were cramping and the cramps did not go away when I changed position or when I fell asleep and woke up again. That had never happened before so I thought maybe something was going on. Saturday morning we got out of bed and I was definitely feeling strange and I was having little bitty contractions that were completely irregular, but this was the first time I had contractions more regular than a sporadic one here and there. I got into one of my pregnancy books and found that it could still be a while until hospital time so we went about our business Saturday morning. We went to the grocery store and picked up a few items and went to the library to borrow a DVD set of Gunsmoke that Noel had been jonesing for. We came back home and began the waiting. The contractions started becoming more noticeable and regular. We watched Gunsmoke. The contractions got stronger. We took another walk and that really made the contractions stronger and every time I went to the bathroom a contraction would come on no matter how irregular. Anyway, the contractions started to get uncomfortable and maybe a little painful and Noel was still watching Gunsmoke. He wanted to hear the commentary before the show but couldn't get it to work right so we ended up listening to the theme song over and over again. I thought I might throw the DVDs out of the window! Next thing you know the phone rings and it's a tenant telling Noel that the pilot light is not lit. Noel told her that I was in labor and the girl said it could wait until the next day. Well that would not work because we'd have a newborn the next day so I told Noel to hurry up and go light the pilot and get back as fast as he could!

To be continued...

Ruby and her Great Grandfather.

First Walk

2008-10-26T23:06:00.002-04:00

Today we went outside because it was such a pretty day. Baby Ruby slept the entire time. I'm not even sure she knew we were outside. I know this picture is a little cheesy but it was the only one I had where I didn't look like I weighed 500 pounds! Looks like Baby Ruby and I will be out walking a lot until I shake this baby weight.

Our Precious Baby

2008-10-25T10:32:00.002-04:00

Ruby after her first sponge bath. She hated it and cried like the dickens but really liked it when I toweled her off. She bounced back quickly :)

This is Ruby with her great-grandmother, Nannie. I wonder if they planned to wear the same clothes.

Here is Ruby in her car seat carrier. She is so beautiful and such a good little girl.

Introducing Ruby Noel DeHaven

2008-10-19T11:12:00.008-04:00

Ruby was born at 10:08, Sunday morning. She weighed 7 pounds 12 ounces and is 19 and a half inches long. She is perfect. Carrie is doing great. She did an awesome job. I am sooo proud of her.

Hooray for epidural!

2008-10-18T23:06:00.003-04:00

This is Noel filling in for Carrie. We are at the hospital waiting for Ruby to get here. Carrie started labor around 2:30 this afternoon and we were at the hospital by 5:00. She was admitted and then the contractions really started coming on stronger and stronger. At around 9:30 Carrie made the decision to get an epidural. Now she is very comfortable and feeling happy about Ruby's pending arrival (she was NOT happy before the epidural). I'll post photos as soon as I can.

Overdue!

2008-10-17T11:26:00.002-04:00

Well I am officially now overdue with a big ol' baby. I will be induced next week if labor doesn't come on naturally. I'm sore as I can be from doing squats and lunges and walking. Even sitting on the birthing ball is making me sore. But really at this point I'll do about anything to have this baby vaginally and avoid a c-section. Make sure to keep checking the blog. Noel has been taught to upload pictures and updates and he wants to do it from the hospital so an update will be up shortly after the birth! Check this picture of me Noel took the other day. Is there any doubt it's time?

No Baby Yet and Stripping the Membranes

2008-10-15T13:40:00.002-04:00

I had a Dr. appointment today and found out that I am 2 cm dilated but the baby's head is not dropping. Bummer. Anywho, my doctor was really going to town during the pelvic and then I had a contraction. Turns out she stripped my membranes. It would be nice if that brought labor on this evening :) I have to go back to the doctor tomorrow for a non stress test on the baby to make sure it's OK to let her go past 40 weeks. I was also told it was time to go on maternity leave so today is my last day at work. My time off of work is to consist of lots of walking to help shake this baby out!

39 Weeks! and a Few More Thank Yous!

2008-10-09T10:09:00.002-04:00

How your baby's growing:Your baby's waiting to greet the world! She continues to build a layer of fat to help control her body temperature after birth, but it's likely she already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds, a mini watermelon. (Boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls.) The outer layers of her skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.

Also, I want to thank Aunt Babe for the Fiestaware she got me for my birthday, Noel for the picture frame he made me, and Terri for the tops and pajamas. Babe's gotten me so much Fiestaware that I might actually realize my goal of having enough for everyone to use at Thanksgiving! The picture frame Noel made me says Mommy Loves Ruby Noel and is so cute. The tops and pajamas Terri gave me are a much needed insertion into my wardrobe! Thanks to everyone!

An Incident and 2 Dr. Visits

2008-10-08T19:22:00.003-04:00

Monday morning I had a Gatorade and a bowl of cereal. A little while later I started shaking and sweating profusely. And this is the weird part, I couldn't stop crying. I sat down and rested for a little bit and then called the doctor. Turns out I had a hypoglycemic incident. The culprit? Gatorade! Apparently, that stuff is FULL of sugar! The shaking, sweating, and crying are all symptoms of hypoglycemia. Shoo, anyway, good to know it wasn't anything serious but I am banned from Gatorade until I am no longer pregnant.

Tuesday morning I went to the dermatologist because I had a really weird looking mole on my chest. The doctor checked out the mole and I failed the ABCDs of moles. Asymmetry-F, Borders-F, Color-F, Diameter-F. She gave me a shot and used a scalpel to take it off right then and there. She sent it away to be examined. I'm glad to have the thing gone!

This morning I went to the baby doctor. I'm sorry to say that I have made no progress. The good news is that the doctor will not let me go anymore than one week past my due date so one way or another Noel and I will have a baby within two weeks!
Here's a picture of our boys for you viewing pleasure!

But I'm the Baby!

2008-10-03T11:18:00.005-04:00

Here is my baby Felix sleeping in the cradle that Noel's family got for us. Doesn't he look so cute in there? I can imagine he thinks we already have a baby and do not need another one. Of course, I might be a crazy cat lady thinking that he comprehends all of this! FYI, no I do not plan to put the baby in this cradle with only a blanket, it doesn't afford much support and it's a smothering hazard. I plan to either purchase or make a pad for the cradle.

38 Weeks!

2008-10-02T10:44:00.000-04:00

How your baby's growing:Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and she's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)

Birthday Dinner and a Dr. Visit

2008-10-01T14:21:00.002-04:00

Last night Noel and I went to Tidewater to take advantage of the free birthday dinner. Our food was delicious as usual and I overdid it as usual. So much so that when I got home I was feeling sick as a dog. Like, moaning and groaning sick. I thought I was going to puke several times. So, I took a Zantac and went to sleep, thinking that surely if I slept I would wake up feeling better. No such luck. I woke up about and hour later feeling as crappy as I did when I fell asleep. I then got up and didn't fight it anymore. Yep, I puked. And boy did I feel so much better. Should have let my body do it hours earlier! Anywho, no serious damage done!

My Dr. visit today was fine. Not much going on except that I am now 50% effaced. I am still only 1 cm dilated. I have been walking on the treadmill at the gym trying to get something going but it looks like she'll be coming when she darn well feels like it! Still though, at this stage of the game it could be any time!

Happy Birthday to Me!

2008-09-30T10:17:00.005-04:00

Oh another birthday! I was kind of hoping I'd have a baby by my birthday this year, but oh well! I am now 29 years old. This is my last 20 something birthday and that is kind of scary. I feel like I just turned 21 yesterday! Time does fly. I thought I would post some of the cool presents I got!

This is a P. Buckley Moss print that Uncle David and Linda got me for my birthday! How sweet, it says "For Ruby Noel." Notice the cat paw in the pic, that's pretty sweet too! Thanks Uncle David and Linda! (For the print, not the cat paw! haha)

This is a nite lite my Aunt Joy, Uncle Maury, Cora, Alicia, and Helen sent me. It was to put somewhere so I could see when I get up to see whats a matter with the baby! haha Actually, it's use right now is to light the way for the kitties in the new room Noel built in the basement. (We are trying to get the litter boxes in the basement and out of my bathroom, but will post about all that later because the room is so cool it deserves its own post.) Thanks to the Domskys!

This loot was given to me by my parents! Thank goodness for another pack and play and another car seat base! The diaper will also be put to good use! Now, the purse, YAY! Very cool! I love the patch work but would not have spent the money for myself. Anything you love but would not have bought for yourself is a great present I think! It's perfect! They also brought me a birthday cake and Noel and Mom insisted on putting 29 candles on it. Noel burnt his 'ittle finger lighting the candles and we had to hear about that all night ;) I blew out all the candles in one breath but my wish did not come true or I would have had this baby by now! Thanks Mom and Dad!

And finally, though there are no pictures of the gifts my husband got me, I will tell you about them! He got me several pillows for the bed, because I dream of the perfect labor where I can actually spend most of it at home, lounging in my own bed, watching Murder She Wrote. He got me a nice bath pillow, since I'm the queen of baths. He stocked the fridge with drinks and food I can have while in labor at home. He got me a back massager and a back scratcher and the massager has already been put to use! He also got odds and ends that I will need either while in labor or right after I get home! And I cannot forget about the Glider we purchased for when the baby gets here! It's very comfortable and I think will be instrumental in rocking the baby to sleep! Thanks honey for the sweet and considerate gifts!