Week 30

Size: ?? 

New things:  Ruth said Dadadada a lot more this week (perfect considering the festivitiesJ).

She also was saying Mamamama.

Ruth can maneuver herself to get what or where she wants. Not from one end of the room to the other but within a small space around her. She flips and twists and reaches and rolls, etc. It’s really fun to watch.

She’s started blowing with her lips when eating (mainly) which has the potential to get food everywhere (I’m sure all you who are parents are smiling right nowJ). It’s just fun to see her discover new tricks!

Ruth is eating more food now (solids, that is)…especially when her grandparents feed herJ. But she definitely still lets you know when she’s doneJ.

We focused on the letter G this week…GRADUATION (although it wasn’t as reinforced as past letters…it was a busy week!).

Fun things: Thank you/Good-bye Open House: We hosted a little open house in order to be able to thank and say good-bye to our friends in Ithaca (and PA!). We had lots of yummy treats to share (had to get rid of pantry items somehowJ…special thanks to those who helped bake, bring things, and set up!). It was so nice to be able to officially tell people good-bye. Hard but good. I think it started to settle in more for me at this point.

Good-bye Party at Work: My department through a little good-bye party for our family. It was so special. I got to see my co-workers, students, and professors. Ruth loved the attentionJ. I’m grateful for being able to see so many of them and for being able to say good-bye. It meant a lot!

Shower at Work: My work friends also through Ruth and I a baby shower this week! It was cow-themed – adorable!! We played fun games, ate good food, and had wonderful company (and thank you to all of you for the lovely, generous gifts!). It was a special afternoon!

Senior Picnic – One of the senior week events for vet students…BBQ style! It was fun to see our friends, and of course, Ruth enjoyed seeing everyone and being passed around, too!

D.C. – We took a little trip to D.C. to see our east coast family while we were still in the area! It was a short trip but definitely worth it!! It was special for Ruth to be able to see her grandparents and an aunt/uncles and to see our expectant sister-in-lawJ! We met up with some extended family, too, which was so cool (shout out to the unexpected long car ride to get there!).

Ruthie loves: Bananas with cinnamon! Her new favorite this week!

Clapping her Grampie’s hands.

Eating her Granny’s polka dot bag.

Her aunts’ technology!

DOGS!!

Trying new foods…mashed potatoes, rolls, pickles, etc. She just likes food…especially “grown-up” food!

Sleep: Ruth did a lot of sleeping in the car this week…one, due to our travels and two, due to the fact that graduation was a busy weekend (not necessarily adapted to the sleep schedule of an infant). Grandparents were so helpful – they would drive Ruth around for a bit when we had breaks in our schedule to allow her to fall asleep easier (less distraction from all the excitement of everyone) and sleep longer (more places to go, so she could continue to sleep in the car as opposed to having to be woken up for our next outing). It worked pretty well for us that weekend! She transferred back to her bed, though, with no problem.

My sweet sister even let her sleep in her arms in a room away from the commotion during the graduation reception, so Tom and I could enjoy the event. AMAZING!

Ruth has been sleeping with her arms backs. She’ll be rolled on her side with her arms behind her like she’s a ski jumper or something. It looks painful, but it doesn’t bother her a bit.

Tom and I: Tom and I got to go on a little date this week – Senior Gala! It was a fun night – got to see lots of our friends, enjoyed some good food, and just had a nice evening just us. Thank you to our friends who watched Ruth for us that night!! We really appreciate it!

With our family here for graduation, we had some time between festivities to focus on packing – with their help and while they watched the baby. It was SOOOO helpful!! We couldn’t have done it without them! Our dads made a run to go get more boxes/tape for us. Our moms helped fill boxes and fold laundry. THANK YOU!!

Graduation weekend was super special, and I’m so proud of my husband! Saturday was the vet school’s hooding ceremony which was a more intimate and personal event for the vet school. There was a reception afterward. It was nice to see/meet our friends’  families, share the special day with ours, and see so many reach a goal they’ve been working to achieve foe quite a few years. That evening we went to The Elm Tree Inn restaurant for dinner. We had a lovely meal, no crowd, and we enjoyed some yummy Toads Too ice cream afterward. It was a great day! Ruth did well through most of the ceremony. I had to take her out when we arrived to the speech (similar to church)J. She enjoyed all the people and all the activity, though!

Sunday was CU graduation. WOW! I’ve volunteered and worked graduation weekend the past couple of years, so I knew it would be crazy, but I don’t think one will ever know how crazy until you serve the role as a guest. We were able to get past the traffic ok (Tom reminded me of a backwayJ), and waiting fore the bus didn’t take long. They were just almost all filled up (seat wise) by the time we arrived to the stadium (with a baby, you can’t exactly wake up at 5 am. To go claim your seats, you know?). We unfortunately missed the vet students walking in (I thought that part started at 11 a.m.; I think that was actually 10 .m.:( It was sunny and hot, and Ruth was pretty restless, so I took her out of the stadium seating and started to walk around. There definitely didn’t seem to be enough seats for all the people as people were congregated on the steps to try to see from there as well. I took Ruth outside and found some people sitting on folding chairs watching from the outskirts. PERFECT! They got Ruth and I a chair, and we sat with them and chatted. They gave us the front and center spot when the vet school was called up. We weren’t able to see anything, but that’s ok. It was a much better fit for us outside of the craziness. They also had a dog with them; Ruth loved the dog and was quite entertained by him. Thankfully, all of us were able to easily meet back up again after the ceremony and head to the vet school for another reception. Everyone seemed to be in high spirits! We were also able to hit up the vet school retail sale during the reception, so Ruth and I were able to get CU vet school shirts (after 4 years, we still didn’t have one!).

We went home to pack for a bit and then headed to A1 restaurant in Dryden. Again, good food and no crowd! It was perfect!! Tom opened his graduation gifts there, and then we enjoyed a delicious CONGRATS cake that one of my friends made for us for the occasion! It was a perfect way to end the day!

Thank you, Lord, for: For such a wonderful graduation weekend and all that it meant to us! For a wonderful time with both sides of our family – so special! For time to say good-bye to so many dear friends! For all those who helped watch Ruth for us! For more special memories in our home in Ithaca.