We Now Return To Our Regularly Scheduled Sleeping

Hooray! She is still sleeping and it's almost 8 am! Jeff had the brilliant idea to put a fan on in her room for a little "white noise" and it seems to be helping. Good thinking, hubby! I got up at 5 and got so much done. Did laundry, cleaned the bathroom, straightened up the playroom, down loaded pics, caught up on email...even time to post yesterday's blog and do another today. Yay! We let Ruby stay up till 8:40 last night.We watched a Barbie Princess movie last night (a gift from her cousin Ryan)...and she was entranced! It was soooo cute. She really is a girlie-girl and I am loving it. From the moment Jeff put the movie on she was GLUED. She laid in Jeff's arms for a good hour and a half just watching the movie. I saw her fading so I took a minute to change her diaper and put on her PJ's while still in Daddy's arms. Poor hubs! She had to sit on Mommy's lap then. I so hated to interrupt them but she was fully dressed and I didn't want her to fall asleep that way! I knew if I tried to change her later she might wake up. So anyway, the 3 of us sat there together and it was really sweet. She watched the whole movie and then looked at us when it was over with this big, sleepy smile. What a cutie pie she is! I carried her right upstairs afterwards, sang her a few songs, and she was sound asleep in minutes. I honestly feel like I am living in a fairy tale. How I dreamed of singing her to sleep, touching her beautiful face, and hearing her laughter. Each day is just more amazing. I am in awe of her!

Yesterday I decided to do something really brave: go to the mall with her by myself. I had a nail fungus starting on one nail from not getting them done for so long and needed to get it fixed. I also wanted to exchange a couple outfits my mom got her and get more play clothes that fit her skinny little butt! So off we went! I figured the mall would be quiet since it was a weekday morning and it was. Still, I wheeled her in on bated breath. This could go either way! I went into my nail salon and they were all SO excited to see her after hearing about her for so long. They all made a point to come over and say hi to her and she soaked up all the attention. She was doing real well so I said to my nail guy, Danny, okay, let's try one hand and if she's fusses, I'll come back later this week with my husband. Low and behold she sat there in her stroller beside me for 45 minutes just watching and smiling and looking around. Of course, it helped that I had my bag stocked with Mum-Mum crackers and her etch-a-sketch. It also helped that the dear people at the salon all came over to talk to her. She just loved it. She's quite the social butterfly!

After I got my nails done, it was Ruby's turn. I took her to the little indoor playground and she played happily until someone walked in with the exact same Build-a-bear as she has at home. I saw her spot this woman and tried to get her attention, but it was too late. She followed this mom around pointed at the bear and then looked at me all sad and confused like, why does she have my bear? So funny - the kid doesn't miss a thing! So I scooped her up, put her back in the stroller (to which she fussed only for a minute), gave her another Mum-Mum cracker and off we went through the mall. She was an angel in Macy's while I made the exchange and got her a few things. I was feeling so good and confident (and in shock) that I thought, what the heck, let's hit Gymboree while we are here. I knew I was pushing my luck a little cause it was just about lunch time, but the lure of an adorable fall outfit for her pulled me in. She was great in the store and I let her get out of the stroller as she had noticed the cartoons playing in the corner. She was real cute and sat in each of the 3 chairs they had and watched the cartoons excitedly. All was well until I tried a pair of shoes on her. That girl and her shoes! They were too tight so I took them off and she had a hissy fit! I found another pair that fit, but by now she was full out crying and another baby in the store started up too. Hilarious. The store clerk was a doll and worked fast to ring up the new shoes and fall outfit. She just laughed and said, don't worry, we hear this all day long! LOL. We got out of there fast and by the time we left the store (with her new shoes on) she stopped crying and noticed her shoes again and all was well in the world. Yea, she is a bit spoiled. But she was such an angel the rest of the day, I felt she deserved it. The shoes are freaking adorable, too! (See below). She also needed lunch and we should have done that first! Oh, well, you live and learn and it was only a few minutes of fussing in an otherwise perfect morning. No biggie!

We headed over to the food court for vegetable fried rice, got a balloon, and headed home. She fell asleep in the car and I carried her right upstairs where she slept for 2 hours. Woke up happy and wanted her new shoes on right away. I had to pry one off her foot hours later when she went to bed. She insisted on having one (just one) on during the movie. So funny. And who could blame her? Are these not the cutest shoes ever??

LOL. Such a little princess. How we love every little thing about her! Her cute smile. Her funny faces. The way she is so proud of herself when she pets the cat or dog. The little "O" her mouth forms when the phone rings and the look on her face of wonder when she watches a cartoon or movie she likes. The way she dances when she hears music...adorable! The sweet smile she gives us all day long and the unprompted hugs and kisses. She even said the most amazing thing the other day. Words that brought tears to my eyes. I always tell her I love her in Thai and then in English. She gets it. The other day I said, "Mai rok luke. I LOVE YOU." She smiled and said "I oh oooo!" It was one of the best moments of my entire life. I oh oo, too, little one! More than you could ever imagine!