american

it is weird living in a foreign country, no matter how much you get used to it or how much you consider it home. when i moved to Scotland, i was glad to be moving to be with david, but i was also glad to get away from the US, especially george w.
I am a liberal, very liberal, so liberal that some have called me the dreaded C- word (communist). I have also been a huge critic of American politics, ethics and economics, and still am. But the funny thing is, living in a foreign country does something to you. You start to miss all that you complained about and maligned. You start to see that America is good, that it is screwed up surely, but it is still home. You start to get mad at the foreign press' picking on the US, blaming it for the woes of the globe, and misunderstanding its culture. You speak loudly enough so the person behind you in line knows that you are an american when they just finished saying something anti-american to their mates. You keep your homepage on .com, not .co.uk, and you watch CNN and the Daily Show whenever you can. I am not saying that I'll stop critiquing america, but i can do this because it is MY america, as much as I am hers.
I am extremely proud of the US right now. As I look back on the last 30 years, I am amazed at how much it has changed and how incredible it can be that Obama is a major party candidate for the Presidency. It makes me believe that anything is possible, and that dreams are obtainable.

14 months

the past month has seen ruby come into one of those 'stages' that we were dreading. she has become very clingy yet headstrong. she wants held when i am cooking, but doesn't want to be touched when she is closing gratch in his crate (a favorite game of hers). She points and says "that" wanting whatever she is pointing at no matter how dangerous it might be (like a knife!). She is getting good at having little strops, she stomps her feet or shakes her fists, and might even scream. she doesn't want to get dressed when naked no matter how cold it might be.... the thing is, i laugh. not 100% of the time (sometimes my patience wears thin), but i try to. if i laugh, she laughs and it passes by. and i want to laugh because here i am watching my little baby become a toddler, becoming her own person, finding her way in the world! what could be better than that!?!?!?
Ruby is expecting the arrival of her US passport any day now! we got it in anticipation for our big trip to florida in december. Although we are looking forward to seeing friends and family, we are really looking forward to meeting Mia Bella Menster! yes, my best friend kim has had her first baby too, and we can't wait to see her.

13 months

officially a toddler now, ruby is really coming into her own. It is funny how you realize (when around other babies) that things you just thought of as normal baby behavior, are actually not universals, but part of your baby's personality. Then again, if you asked me to describe ruby's personality to you, i would have to use other babies i know to define it, such as "she isn't as shy as eva, but not as outgoing as max. she is gentler than libby, but not a pushover either."
after ruby's love affair with crayons at playgroup last week, david and i went and bought her some of her very own. it took us 4 stores to find crayolas, which i couldn't believe! we had a roll of paper and let ruby go for it on the kitchen floor, which she really loved. she is really into boxes and containers right now, so half the fun of coloring is putting the crayons back in their container. let's hope this fascination with putting things away sticks around for a while!

in the mother-hood

i don't know what it is like where you are, but here in dunbar it seems that there are different types of moms, and honestly they don't mix well. think back to your high school cafeteria, and the various different groups that sat together in their places, not mixing with the 'others', keeping to their own kind and bad-talking other types. now think of this scenerio with the people about 15 years older placed on a playground, and you have life in dunbar's mother-hood.

there are a myriad of different cliques, but they can be broken down into 2 larger groups: the mommies who work and those who stay at home. for some reason it seems that the mommies that go off to jobs see themselves as "having it all" and look down upon the mommies who are "only moms". the working mother tends to talk about work while at the park, and talk about their kids when on the train so that they are set apart from the other women who don't fit into their circumstances. they let the stay-at-home moms know that their life is "hard but worth it" that they were "bored at home with the kids" and felt "unfulfilled". few will say it was an economic decision to return to work, but only as an aside.
i am truly blessed to be able to be in the latter group, the gang of women who can and wants to stay home to raise their child(ren). sure it would be easier economically if i worked, but we made a decision that it was important for me to be home with our most important asset. i agree with what all the working moms say: my job is hard but worth it. but unlike them, spending time with the coolest kid in the world rarely makes me feel bored or unfulfilled. going to playgroup, hanging at the park, and going on bikerides and walks with ruby- there is no place i would rather be.
many people have mistakenly pegged me as a feminist, although i have never considered myself one. when they find out that i have given up a career that i love to be a mom, they are floored and intrigued as to why. many of these same people remember me saying "i don't want to have kids", but hey, i changed my mind.... although i would call myself an egalitarian rather than a feminist, to me feminism isn't about being a member of the workforce and not having children. being a feminist is about being able to make your own choices about why you want to do, not having someone else tell you what you are going to do or how far you can go. you can be a strong independent woman and still be a stay-at-home mom. those things aren't mutually exclusive in my book.
do i get bored? do i miss teaching? sure at times, but doesn't every job get a little dull? but yesterday when ruby and i were at playgroup and she picked up a crayon for the first time and scribbled on a bit of paper, well.. there was no where else i would rather be. The "OOOH" she voiced and the grin that came over her face as she grabbed a bunch of crayons in her right hand and held them up in the air to show them to me was priceless.... especially for a girl who was named for a friend of mine who was an artist himself before he died. how could i want to be anywhere else?

1 year old!

Ruby turned 1 year old on saturday, and i have been trying to find time to post ever since! we have been dealing with birthday fallout- putting toys together, recycling boxes, finding places to put everything, etc. Ruby received so many great things for her birthday, I don't know where to start! She hit the motherload when it came to wooden toys, which made us very happy. Blocks, shape sorter, xylophone, activity center just to name some of them. She also got some great clothes for when she is bigger, a few stuffed toys, and loads of books (her favorite). Her 2 big gifts, a tent and a trike, were big hits with her too.
We had a party over at Uncle Stanley's house and invited some friends and a few neighbours. Although the weather didn't really cooperate, we still had a fantastic time. I even think Ruby realized that she was the guest of honor, especially when she stood with her cake and everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to her.
This year went by so fast! i guess they all do.... but she will always be our beautiful baby girl!

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!!!

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!