Week 35

Size: ??

New things:  Ruth is walking around the kitchen in her walker now, and she LOVES it! She runs into things and goes around and around in circles. It’s super fun to watch her. She squeals and talks and has all sorts of fun. She has a little cup holding on the tray of her walker, so frequently, I will put a snack in there for her to eat which she also really enjoys!

Ruth was able to stand for 7 seconds on her own this week! It doesn’t seem like that much time, but it did at the time…when you’re not use to seeing your little on stand like a grown-up, I guess seconds turn into minutes! Ha ha!

Ruth started making a “clacking/clucking” sound this week using her tongue. She did this one completely on her own. If you repeat it to her, she’ll do it again! It’s fun!

Ruth started making a “grateful to be eating noise” (moan or groan, kind of) this week when nursing. Not sure where it came from?! Maybe it’s a comfort thing?!

I made a note about “smacking” this week, and I think that also refers to nursing. Ruth started making her smacking noise when nursing. Ha!

It’s fun to watch Ruth try to get things on the floor when she’s standing holding on to someone or something. She’s working on balancing while squatting and does a pretty good job depending on how sturdy the object she is holding onto is.

Ruth now wants to walk between Tom and I all the time now (thanks to my mom and sisterJ). She loves walking and still things she’s hot stuff!

It’s also fun to watch Ruth try “brave” things when it comes to standing/walking…letting go of our hands or what she’s holding onto, going fast, turning around, reaching out/down, etc. It’s just fun to see her innocence and trusting spirit in the whole matter. She’s still having fun with standing/walking!

Ruth is getting closer and closer to crawling. She’s not quite there, but every week she makes progress. It could be any day now! Ah!

I’ve taught Ruth how to “whistle” and “pat” for the dog. We’ll go outside to look for her or will try to call her back if she’s run off to play, and Ruth will do her “whistle” or “pat, pat, pat” to call her. It’s so cute!

Fun things:  One day this week, Ruth and I went with some of our friends to McDonald’s for lunch and then strawberry picking! Ruth got to play on the playground with her friend (her first time at a restaurant). We picked lots of strawberries! I was able to make 5 pies (the baked kind) with them. I also used some for oatmeal and French toast. It took me a while to get through all of the berries, but I did it and am grateful our freezer has ready-to-go desserts to share with friends!

On Saturday of this week, Tom, Ruth, and I went to our county’s historical museum as they were having a steam engine exhibit. In addition to checking out the steam engines, we also check out the museum (it’s actually really cool!), and got some homemade ice cream (gotta support the dairy industry!). It was fun, and Ruth enjoyed watching the engines, too (again, Ruth and Tom have a lot in commonJ).

On Sunday of this week, we went to something called “Sundae on a Farm”; it was at a local dairy farm, so of course we had to go! We walked around and looked at machinery/fire trucks. We took a wagon tour through a barn. We got sundaes, cheese, and milk and ate our snacks while we listened to bluegrass music. We walked around a tent that had different organizations/businesses represented and also met a couple of local veterinarians (good networking opportunityJ). It was a fun afternoon!

We go on walks with our housemate and the dog. Ruth rather enjoys these walks as she watches the dog most of the time (if not all) and also sometimes gets to see her heifers up closer. We enjoy walking with them and getting to chat along the way!

Ruth and I checked out a new library this week and visited a park that was near it. Ruth enjoyed the little metal animal “back and forth things” at the park. I have no clue what those are called (refer to the pictures below). She especially liked the duck, it seemed. I pushed her in a baby swing and swung with her on a big kid swing, but she really wasn’t in to either one of them.

Ruth loves: Bluegrass music! I was helping her to dance to it and pat her knee, and she was having all sorts of fun! She danced to it on her own, too. She especially loved the “Yee-haw” part! 

Her pacifier! Ha! Not in the normal way, though. This week, we had to take a short road trip to a bigger city for the DMV, etc. On the way back, Ruth had gotten herself all worked up. I tried all sorts of things and found her pacifiers (that she hasn’t used in a LOOONG time) in her diaper bag, so I gave her one. She found it very entertaining and didn’t really cry the rest of the way home. She would awkwardly suck on it for a just a few seconds if I put it in her mouth and then grab it and play with it or chew on it in different ways. Yay for a new “toy”!?

Standing up in her big girl crib (which she is not using yet) and looking out at her heifers! The crib is perfect for her to practice holding, standing, falling, moving, pulling up, etc., and she SO enjoys looking out the window at the heifers or at vehicles or tractors!

Since we have been in the process of switching everything over to our new state, new job, etc., we now have old/void plastic cards that have been quite the source of entertainment for Ruth! She enjoys playing with them and trying to eat them, and the good part…she can’t!

Watching our landlord mow…J. So much so, in fact, that I put her in her highchair in front of the window so that she could watch him for a while. She was entertained until he was finished. It was quite funny and helpfulJ. I got some dishes done. She clapped and squealed. If it has a motor, and it moves, Ruth’s your girl!

This one goes way back to week 30, but Ruth still loves it…when we met up with family in D.C., one of the little kids there gave Ruth a kids meal toy car. Ruth LOVES the car (see the picture below where she is reaching for something). I don’t really let her play with it, though, since it’s not really fit for a little one who puts everything in her mouth. But she still LOVES it (hint: the effort put into reaching for it).

Sleep: Ruth is now sleeping through the night! Woohoo! She seems pretty good with about 10 hours or so. We started on Friday night, and that was the only night she had to really cry it out. I think her little body was ready for a good night’s sleep too! Wake up time seems to have been moved to a bit earlier now that she’s sleeping all the way through…but that’s ok! After a good night’s rest, I’m ok getting up earlier!

We’ve learned that letting Ruth fall asleep in the car for naps (when we are almost home) is not a good idea. She has been waking up once we get home and then won’t go back to sleep (she’s never been one to fall back asleep during nap time if she’s woken up). So the goal is if we’re pushing nap time and on the road, to keep her awake until we get home (which is much easier if we are both in the car; I can hop in the back with her but not so easy when I’m by myself). Missed or messed-up, rather, naps affect the entire rest of the day.

Tom and I: We finished up getting vehicles registered and new licenses this week. I was also able to officially change my documents to Cully this week! Woohoo! That’s what the celebration pictures are forJ (note the Cully sign in the background…ha!).

We tried out a new church this week.

Tom’s been playing basketball at our local high school two nights a week! They have pick-up games for the community a couple times a week, and he loves basketball! It’s a good way to meet new people, get some exercise, and do something he enjoys. Ruth and I usually tag along (it gives us some extra time in the van together) and walk while he plays. I think it was last week, while we were walking the HS marching band was outside practicing. Ruth and I stopped to watch them. She was very interested, a little perplexed, and quite entertained. It was fun to be able to show her that…I’m grateful for new experiences!

Thank you, Lord, for: The progress made with transferring everything over to a new state/job. It feels so good every time we get something else done. It’s not an easy process, and there always seems to be catches or things they didn’t tell you or things you didn’t read, etc. One of our housemates drove me to get some of these things done, too, which was such a blessing! We are so grateful for our housemates!