A Photo Update (The elusive smile caught at last!)

I have been trying and trying to catch Ruby smiling. She does it a lot, just never when I have the camera out. So here it is ... my daughter's beautiful smile. She has really started to "talk" to us and loves it when we dance around with her to the radio.


This picture I caught Ruby at the end of a smile. But doesn't she look adorable in the outfit her Great Aunt Tanja embroidered for her? We think she's pretty cute.


And, we bought Ruby her first teddy bear. This picture makes it look like she really enjoys it, but I don't think she cares yet one way or the other.


We're planning on going to downtown Knoxville for the Fourth of July, so hopefully I will have more pictures to post after that weekend.

One Month Old!

Ruby is one month old today. It's hard to believe that just a month ago we were awaiting her arrival. And, it's crazy to see how big she is getting! She had her one month doctor's appointment today. Remember, at birth she was 6 pounds, 9 ounces and 19.25 inches long. Today she weighed in at a whopping 9 pounds 10 ounces and 22 1/8 inches long! So, over three pounds in one month ... she's definitely growing. I think our arm muscles will be very well developed by the time she's a year old. And, here is a picture Jason took of her the other day. Enjoy!

Bath Time!

We decided we would take some pictures of Ruby at bath time. She loves taking baths (seriously). It's a fun part of our night time routine, and it seems to get her pretty settled down for bed.


The baby bathtub we have has a "shower" option, which Ruby really really likes. But, we're still working on getting Jason to bathe her. He did it once, but doesn't think he's fast enough and thinks she's going to get too cold when he does it. So, we are working on bath time ... like everything else with this new little baby, practice makes perfect. And, Jason is good at pretty much everything else with her, so if I have to do bath time, it works for us!


And, I absolutely love her "getting out of the tub" photo. She looks so cute snuggled into her towel. Hope you're all enjoying this blog!

Four Weeks Old

Ruby is four weeks old today! Friday she will be one month old and has her one month appointment. I'm guessing she'll be around 9 pounds by then. It is crazy to see just how quickly she is growing. And, in other exciting baby news, Ruby slept in her pack and play for over an hour this morning and I was able to get some stuff done without her in my arms!

So, Jason and I officially became Tennessee residents this morning. We got our driver's licenses and registered our cars here. It's so fun to take Ruby out in public, and I don't know if this is just a southern thing, but everyone here loves to play with her. The people working in the clerk's office wanted to hold her while we did our paperwork -- and the other day when we went out to eat, a worker at the restaurant offered to hold her so we could eat!

Now that I have a Tennessee license and license plate, I really feel like I'm starting to belong here. I am working on getting past the "just visiting" mindset and into a "this is my home" mindset. Soon, I'll post pictures of our place, so you all (or y'all) can see where we live.

Daddy got to babysit!

I probably shouldn't have posted a picture of Ruby screaming and crying in my "Daddy got to babysit!" blog. Really, it's not indicative of Jason's parenting abilities (and I took the picture, so he wasn't home alone with her at the time). But, we decided not to go to the Secret City Festival because there was a strong chance of rain. Instead, I went out with a friend (the wife of one of Jason's co-workers) and got to explore downtown Knoxville.

We went to the downtown farmer's market and saw the old city and part of a live concert. It was a really nice morning and it was nice to let Jason spend some alone time with Ruby.


And, this is the face I came home to, so it's obvious Ruby and Jason had a good morning. And, while I missed my little girl, I really enjoyed getting out of the house without her. It's definitely something I will have to do more often. (And I'm sure as I start studying for the bar exam I will get the opportunity to leave Ruby home with Jason more).


And finally, I should tell everyone about my jealous kitty. Puffin has decided that when I'm snuggled with Ruby, she needs to come and snuggle as well. However, Puffin's version of snuggling is more of an attempt to push Ruby out of my arms or an attempt to sit on Ruby while she's in my arms.

Enjoy these new pictures!

Our first trip out alone!

Today Ruby and I decided to get out of the house and try to meet some people in Tennessee. One of the local hospitals has a group called "Mommy Connections" where moms can bring their children to play and also get some adult interaction. Ruby was the youngest baby there (there was a six week old boy, but all of the other babies were at least 8 months old). But, I'm glad we went, it was a blast.


Now, I may be over-exaggerating just how much fun it was, but it really did feel good to get out of the house. I was a little worried about getting out with Ruby by myself, but for once she was really well behaved in the car. And when we got to the group, she slept and really let me meet some people. I think this will definitely become a weekly event in our lives.


Oh, and tomorrow Ruby and I will be traveling to Oak Ridge for lunch. Jason's work group would like to meet her, so we're going to eat at Chick-Fil-A. And hopefully, if everything goes as planned, Jason and I are going to take Ruby to the Secret City Festival (www.secretcityfestival.com) in Oak Ridge on Saturday. It should be fun and a chance to learn more about the history of Oak Ridge.

Anyway, I've obviously included some more pictures of Ruby, so enjoy!

Three weeks old today!

I've decided to give this blog thing a try as a way to keep in touch with family and friends now that we have moved to Tennessee. Besides packing up and moving across the country, Jason and I have added a new member to our family.


As most of you know, Ruby Ann made her appearance on May 27, 2008 at 12:59 p.m. Today, Ruby is three weeks old! We are beyond excited to have her with us and hope everyone enjoys the pictures we post.


Jason enjoyed a laid back first Father's Day with Ruby. And Pipit, our youngest kitty, wanted to spend time with Daddy and Ruby too.


Finally, I thought I'd share one of my favorite pictures of Ruby -- Ruby the Boxing Baby!

I don't know how often I'll be able to update this blog (it seems that every time I want to do something Ruby gets hungry or needs a diaper change) but hopefully I will be able to get new pictures and posts up every week.