Saturday, July 26, 2008

frst steps & adventures

yep, she has started! ruby has been taking steps for about a week now. at first it was one shuffle, and then down. now it is about 7-10 shuffles before the bum touches the ground! and she is so pleased with herself when she does it! she giggles and smiles the whole time like she can't believe her legs are moving underneath her. it is fantastic! i hope to get it on video soon, but i need to just have the camera on and ready to go instead of attempting to run and find it when she gets going.
ruby's grandma carolyn and pop-pop artie were here for 2 weeks to see her. we went on a short trip to York and North Yorkshire while they were here. if you ask ruby about this adventure she would probably complain about being in her carseat or stroller too much, but, alas, that is the way of a roadtrip when you are 11 months old. the York Moors are gorgeous, and we also saw Hadrian's wall which was interesting, but the weather didn't cooperate too much (in the 50s and either foggy or drizzling) for the trip. my parents seem to bring bad weather when they come in the summer... go figure, you would think coming from florida they would bring a heat wave! no such luck!
ruby is also stepping up her slick moves on the dance floor. she now "sings" to certain songs, does hand movements that correspond to the words, and does this great head-bob/shoulder lift that is absolutely hysterical. again, something that has escaped the video camera up until now. currently her favorite songs are: Twinkle-twinkle little star, If you're happy and you know it, and All summer long by Kid Rock (must be the southern girl in her).
we are getting ready for the birthday next weekend! the present are bought, the wrapping paper is ready to be used up, and the decorations are anticipating being hung. can't wait!!!

Wednesday, July 02, 2008

11 months old

it has been so warm here, ruby is trying to cool off via the fridge! well, the first part is true (it made it to 72 yesterday), but ruby's fascination with the fridge has more to do with the novelty of dropping things on the floor than cooling off. we have put copboard locks all over the kitchen, but the 2 things we can't lock are the fridge and freezer!
Still not walking, but Ruby is getting more confident on her feet, less wobbly and more willing to take risks. anything can be used to pull herself up! and she can stand for a long time on her own, but slowly her legs give out and she drifts down onto her knees in slow-motion.
we are feeling the gas crunch over here too, our prices have rocketed in the past few months. we pay about £1.20 per liter, and there are over 3 liters to a US gallon. so say about £5 a gallon, which converts to about $10 a gallon(with the current exchange rates). crazy, eh??? no wonder the cars are smaller, the engines are smaller and we have such great rail service!