Feeling better

I'm finally starting to feel better!

Well, Ruby started feeling better this week, which is a very good thing. But, for most of the week she wasn't nearly as happy as she normally is. And, because she was sick, we had to miss the Oak Ridge Halloween party. At least we have a couple more Halloween outings planned.

Ruby's showing off her Drake Law School sweatshirt ... and her Elvis smile!

Jason and I decided to take advantage of her sleepiness and explore the Oak Ridge area a little more. We are really starting to learn our way around and decide which areas we may want to end up living in.

This book is awesome ... and it tastes great too!

I have also fallen in love with Boooks-A-Million. I can spend way too much time and way too much money in that store. I decided to get Ruby a book that she can play with and chew on with absolutely no consequences. The cardboard books are great, but they get soggy after awhile. The cloth books are awesome!

Sick Baby ...

No pictures in today's post ... we're having fun fighting our first virus. Ruby woke up in the middle of the night last night, completely inconsolable. And when she got up this morning, she started throwing up. Poor baby. We took her to the doctor and he said she probably has a stomach virus that she could have picked up just about anywhere. So, he gave her a shot of zofran and a prescription for some zofran for later. Then he gave us some pedialite to try.

Luckily she hasn't thrown up since that shot of zofran at the office, but she's still a tired, sick little baby. I can tell she doesn't feel well -- she's just not being herself.

But, in good news, she's definitely growing. She weighed in at 15 pounds 14 ounces! (The doctor said she probably weighed more than that before she got sick). And, she grew to 26 and a half inches long! It's crazy how fast they grow.

I'm sure Ruby will be better soon, but for the next few days, we're grounded to the house, just in case she's contagious.

Boo at the Zoo!

This pumpkin talked and moved ... Ruby loved him!

This evening Jason and I took Ruby to "Trick or Treat" at Knoxville's Boo at the Zoo. I'm sure a lot of zoos host similar events where kids can walk through the park, collecting candy and goodies as they go. We definitely had a blast.

Photo opp with daddy!

Ruby was dressed as a ladybug, courtesy of Grandma Anderson. The only problem was some people thought she was a strawberry. But, everyone agreed she was adorable. The zoo had about 15 different treat stations and we brought home candy and toys and some snack foods. I liked that it wasn't all about sugary treats. (But, I did love that Krispy Kreme was there handing out donuts!)

Waiting to get into the zoo ...

We saw a lot of different costumes and Ruby got her picture taken with a lot of different characters. Our digital camera ran out of batteries though, so we bought a disposable film camera. I will have to update with those pictures after we get the film developed.

Sitting on mommy's stomach, showing off my costume ...

We still have a number of Halloween activities this year ... the City of Oak Ridge has a festival, our apartment community has a festival, and of course the actual day of Halloween! So Ruby (or her parents ...) will be getting a lot of treats this year.

Pumpkin Patch!

Daddy! I want this one!

Today we took Ruby to pick out her own pumpkin at Oakes Farm, a pumpkin patch about 45 minutes away. Oakes Farm has a huge pumpkin patch, hayride, corn maze, lots of kid activities, and a haunted corn maze. We did the hayride to the pumpkin patch, picked out a few pumpkins, and wandered through the corn maze.

Getting lost in the corn ...

It was a little windy and chilly, so we had to leave when Ruby got cold. But, we had a lot of fun. I need to find her some sort of winter coat with mittens ... she loves being outside and slept the whole way home.

Look! I can sit!

I think tomorrow night we are going to take her to "Boo at the Zoo" and let her dress up in her ladybug costume her grandma bought her.

Grandpa Got Carded!

Overlooking the Tennessee River.

It was a very eventful and beautiful day today here. We got up this morning (after another full night's sleep!) and picked Grandma and Grandpa up from their hotel to go to the Ijams Nature Center. The nature center is a 160-acre park with a lot of trails to hike. We started out on the paved paths and ended up getting a pretty good workout trekking through the forest. I think Jason got the best workout because he had a 15 pound weight (Ruby) strapped to the front of him. The views were gorgeous and it was a great day to visit the park.

She was a tired baby by the end of the hike!

Then we went out to lunch where Grandpa went back to the days of his youth and got "carded" when he ordered a beer. We finished out the day at the Mast General Store in downtown Knoxville. The general store sells a lot of the candy we and our parents remember as kids (think: zots, moon pies, sugar daddies, etc.)

The end of the trail ...

Ruby begged her Grandpa to buy her the "Dick & Jane" cardboard book set, so she is enjoying eating those right now ...

Happy baby and daddy!

Tomorrow, we head to Sevierville/Pigeon Forge. I think we are going to drop the boys at the NASCAR Theme Park and Grandma Kimmy and I are going to take Ruby to the outlet mall and really teach her how to shop!

Fun with Grandma & Grandpa

Happy with my grandparents!

Grandma Kimmy and Grandpa Arnold drove all the way from Iowa to visit with us! We are having a lot of fun hanging out with them, and are taking the opportunity to do some sight seeing/touristy stuff here in Knoxville.

Hi Grandpa!

On Sunday we took the Secret City Train Excursion ... it's a train ride through the former K-25 plant (think Manhattan Project). When we were on the train, Ruby convinced her grandpa that she had to have a new teddy bear. And then today (Monday) we went to the American Museum of Science and Energy. Arnold & Kim also had the opportunity to visit Jason at work and see the supercomputing stuff.

Hi Grandma!

Ruby really seems to enjoy having her grandparents around. She no longer cries when she looks at them, and they are getting a lot of smiles out of her! I think we are going to the Ijams Nature Center and the James White Fort tomorrow. Then on Wednesday we are going to try to make it out to Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area. It should be a lot of fun.

Sitting & Reading

I love my mommy!

We've hit another new milestone in the Hill household. Ruby can sit! When I set her down, she can stay in the sitting position for 10 seconds or so before she slowly slides over or falls onto her face. It's really cute to see, and I will have to post a picture of it, but I haven't gotten a picture yet because I need to be ready to "catch" her if she falls.

Look Look! I got a new book!

In other news, Ruby got her second book from the Dolly Parton book club. I can't remember if I've written about this before, but Dolly Parton started the Imagination Library and kids in Tennessee (and some other places) can get a free book every month from birth to age 5. It's a really neat program -- Ruby's first book was "The Little Engine That Could" and this month she got a book called "Look Look." She really enjoys chewing on the new book ...

And, my books tastes yummy!

And, Jason has learned that he shouldn't let Ruby ride around on his shoulders. He tried it before bath time tonight ... and she spit up all over his head! I thought it was hilarious -- he was less than amused. :)

Cereal! (And another video!)

And just so you know, the noises Ruby makes in this video are her happy noises!

Well, we decided to try giving Ruby some rice cereal, and it has been very entertaining. We give her a little bit in the morning and a little bit before bed time. Ruby wasn't too keen on the first attempt, and more of it ended up on her outfit than in her mouth (the pictures don't do it justice). But, tonight, she ate almost her whole bowl and got very little on her clothing.

What is that???

But, rice cereal seems to be a two spoon endeavor. Ruby gets one spoon to play with and we get one spoon to feed her with! She wants to feed herself (or play), but at four months old she understandably doesn't have the coordination ... and she doesn't get the concept of "spoon in mouth."

Hmmm ... interesting ...

In fun news, Jason put Ruby to bed tonight. We wanted to see if she would fall asleep after taking a bottle of milk as opposed to nursing. And she did! So tonight, Jason got to rock her in the chair and I got to read the bedtime story. She's been down for over an hour now, but we'll see if she gets up any time soon.

Jason was supposed to be getting her ready for the day ...

Four Month Appointment

All smiles with Great Grandma!

Well, we made it back from Omaha in one piece. Ruby continues to be an excellent flyer ... she slept through every flight, which was wonderful. And she made friends with the people working security in Omaha. We had a fun trip to Omaha and got to visit with grandparents, great grandparents and Aunt Maggie & Uncle Dan. But, today, Ruby had to go in for her four month checkup ... and shots.

Ruby and her Great Grandparents.

She did really well with the shots. She screamed and then looked at me like "hey, that hurt!" But, she didn't really cry afterward and was "talking" to the receptionist on the way out the door. She's sleeping now, I can only imagine it takes a lot out of her. She will get more shots (and the flu vaccine) at her six month appointment.

Ruby was very excited when Grandma let her have some vanilla ice cream!

As for measurements, she continues to grow. She is 15 pounds, 3 ounces (78th percentile) and 25.75 inches long (91st percentile). We talked to the doctor and are probably going to try some cereal this month. He said she definitely weighs enough and is growing well enough that it can't hurt to give it a try. We are also going to put her on some vitamin drops so that she gets more vitamin D in her diet.

Ruby snuggled on the couch with Grandma Anderson.

So, the doctor said everything was great. She checks out as a happy, healthy baby and he will see her again in 2 months.

Ruby hanging out with Grandpa Anderson.