Week 36

Size: ??

New things:  Ruth has been doing a good job with giving kisses this week. Her kisses haven’t changed (so she really was giving them way back when), but she gives them more on command now then she did before. Ruth also gives kisses via technology. I showed her a picture of one of her friends on my phone and told her to give it a kiss, and she did! It was cuteJ.

Ruth is getting better at/showing more and more interesting in copying me. I’ll try to blow my lips a certain way, and then she’ll try to mimic me. Or I’ll try to make a sound, and she’ll try to mimic me. It’s so cute, so fun, and so cool! She’s tried to say “Yee-haw” like me or play with a slinky a certain way like me. Communication just keeps reaching a whole new level with each new week.

I think Ruth started showing the beginning signs of sharing this week. We’ll see if it continues…

Ruth discovered outlets this weekJ. Yay for plugs! It amazes me that little ones are so fascinated with outlets…I wonder if it’s mainly just because it’s at their eye level…maybe if they were at our eye level, they’d all love pictures on the wall?!?

Ruth pulled herself from sitting to standing for the 1^st time this week!! She used a chair. I was in the kitchen and was able to watch from a distance as she is much for willing to try things on her own like that if we leave her be. She only did it once, though.

Ruth is now using her thumb and pointer finger to pick up pieces of food! I didn’t realize it prior to having a child, but this is a developmental milestone. Who would have thought?!

Ruth is back to saying “dadadadadada” a lot! So much so, in fact, that I called Tom one morning this week because she wouldn’t stop saying it. I thought maybe if she could talk to him that it would satisfy her until he got home.

Ruth consistently signs “all finished” now; she seems like she’s really picked up the hang of this sign this week.

Ruth is getting closer and closer to crawling! Not there yet but definitely close!

Ruth stood 9-10 seconds on her own this week without holding on to anything! WOOHOO!

This week, when I needed to get her to take a bite of food (at times; not every time), I would say “Amber” (the name of our housemates’ dog), and she would take a bite!! It was helpfulJ!!

Ruth scoots around on her bottom and can do a 360! It’s super cute! She may have done this a little before, but I really noticed it this week, and now she can definitely go around the way around! She uses her feet to scoot herself.

I started using a chair as a walker for Ruth. She’d hold on to it, and I’d push the chair across the room, and she would walk. It’s way easier on my back, and she thinks it’s fun!

Fun things:   On the 4^th, Ruth and I delivered popsicles to Tom at work to share with everyone…it was a hot day…perfect for popsicles! Then we headed over to a parade in a nearby town. It was fun, and we got to sit with some friends. Tom got off early but got called back in for an emergency. Thankfully, he made it back in time for supper! We had our housemates over…grilled brats, homemade mac’n’cheese, baked beans, homemade fries, and they brought sweet corn and angel food cake. It was fun! Ruth and I had made “freedom placemats” to compliment our 4^th of July dinner (a new Cully tradition; you know we like traditions!). That night, Tom and I watched The Lone Survivor in honor of the 4^th. Wow! Powerful movie! It took me a good while to think through it all.

Ruth and I went with our housemate to a cheese plant/shop this week. She wanted to introduce us to it and to have us try their fresh cheese curds. Ruth had fun watching all the people make the cheese and made friends (through the viewing window) with one of the workers in particular who kept playing with her. Unfortunately, the cheese curds weren’t ready by the time we thought they would be, so we got some cheese whips instead (don’t worry…I had never heard of these either). YUM!!

Ruth and I went with some of our friends to a local coffee shop this week that I had never been to before. It was a nice place, and my drink was delicious! Ruth had fun playing with my friend’s daughter, and we both just enjoyed the company! We went back to their place and played for a bit.

Ruth loves: Her new yellow plastic ball that she got at the 4^th of July parade this week! She loves that little thing! I think it was this toy in particular that she enjoyed dropping behind the couch a couple of times. I’m pretty sure we ended that game after those few timesJ.

The knobs from the rails under our dining room chairs. I think she tries to get them off.

Anything we are drinking…milk, orange juice, water in our water bottles, etc. If we have it, she wants it and really enjoys it, too!

Playing outside…with grass and rocks and dirt and flowers and anything else she can get her hands on.

Eating with her fingers! Tom realized this week that Ruth wants to be doing something with her hands while she’s eating which is why she loves feeding herself. We usually give her plenty of finger foods on her tray, but we also still feed her “baby food”. If we just do “baby food” she gets more restless and may try to pull off her bib more or act a bit more fussy. If we give her things to eat with her fingers, though, she’s more focused and content. We have a little busy-body; go-getter!

Cheese curds and cheese whips. Ruth tried cheese curds and cheese whips for the first time this week…she loved them!! It was hard to feed her fast enough. She’s a true Wisconsin’er’!

Yeee-haw! Ruth LOVES when I say this and drawl out the yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! She’ll just smile and giggle. She also tries to mimic the sound herself with a high-pitched squeal. It’s so cute!

The suckers and cookies at our bank! I love our bank because not only do they have the “normal” bank treats (candy…usually suckers), but they have cookies and coffee every day for anyone! It’s awesome! Thankfully, we don’t go in there every weekJ, but when we do, it’s quite a treat for both of us. One time when we were in there, we gave Ruth a sucker to play with, and she must have punctured the wrapper because she was sucking on the thing like crazy. We soon realized she was getting some of the flavor out, and she quite liked it. She also enjoys getting bites of a cookie, too!

BEANS and HUMMUS! Ruth loves any kind of beans and hummus, especially baked beans and black beans!

Bluegrass music! We listened and danced to some bluegrass music this week, and she loved it!

Sleep: Still sleeping through the night! I am having trouble adjusting to not waking up. I thought I would instantly switch to feeling rested in the mornings and just enjoy a full night’s rest, but my body hasn’t made the change quite that easily…hopefully soon!!

Tom and I: We tried going to a new church this Sunday but couldn’t find itJ. It was a home church, and we drove up and down the road multiple times with no success. Maybe next week?

Tom went to a new community basketball group this week. One of his new colleagues plays basketball in a nearby town, so we headed that direction this week. The school it was held at had an outdoor track, so Ruth and I walked around while he played.

Tom got to ride around with our housemate as he helped harvest and haul hay for a local farmer this weekend. He had a great time, and Ruth enjoyed watching the truck and tractors go back and forth between the fields and the farm (both close by our place). They stopped for a bit, and Ruth got to go up in the truck with Tom. She had fun “driving”; Tom blew the horn a couple of times, and it made her jump, but she wasn’t scared of it.

Thank you, Lord, for: Our friends to share a holiday with and to hang out with it and explore the area!! They have been so wonderful!