Jeff's Happy Birthday Weekend

Jeff and my brother Jason getting ready to go to the first home Eagles game today. (Yea. They're just a little excited.)

It was definitely a great birthday for him. We started Saturday with a family photo shoot on the beach. A blogging friend is starting her photog business and agreed to shoot us in Brigantine early yesterday morning. Take a look at www.maxandmimiphotography.com for a sneak peak. Kate is such a lovely person and does great work. I think we got some beautiful stuff coming. The 3 she posted of Ruby are just stunning. Can hardly wait to see the rest! We did some family shots and then tons of Ruby who just hammed it up and drew a crowd. Afterwards, we found a great breakfast spot, sat by the beach watching the ocean for a bit, then headed home. Here is Ruby loving the ocean breeze and having fun watching the waves. It was such a pretty day!

We had a lazy afternoon at home. First I took a nap and Jeff babysat. Then Jeff took a nap (as we were up REALLY early). Ruby was the only one who got rest the night b4 and didn't nap at all! While Jeff was sleeping, the rest of us got to work. We cleaned up around the fire pit and set up all the chairs. I tidied up the patio, put candles everywhere, and set it up for dinner. My brother Jason prepped the filet mignon for himself, Jeff, Anthony, and Britney. I made fish for Ruby and I.  Ruby & I made a cute card for daddy and I got all of his gifts together before he got up. Worked out great!

Rustic table set for the occasion. Ruby even got a fancy plate AND she insisted on a wine charm for her elephant cup. haha. She was so excited to help me clean up and get things ready for Daddy's birthday dinner. Such a good little helper! Should have got a pic but we were just too busy. Snapped this one much later.

Jason and I making dinner and bursting at the seams to give Jeff his bday presents.

Hubs and I sharing a hug.

Lovebirds Brit and Anthony

 We had an amazing dinner followed by a nice chat by the fire. Before heading to "The Pit" we presented Jeff with his Eagles themed gifts. First the cake. Jeff is obsessed with Carvel ice cream cakes and I wouldn't dare have a bday for him without one. This year I was all excited to find a football cake. Perfect!  Oh how I love a theme. So while preparing for dinner by bro advised me to take it out to set awhile so it won't be so hard to cut. Now I should have known better, but thought maybe his freezer downstairs was colder than mine so I listened. Went to grab it after dinner and omg....MUSH! A box full of gooey ice cream and chocolate crunchy mush! There was one hunk of ice cream in the center still solid enough to stick a candle in and through giggles we gave it to him.  He was a little disappointed as the carvel cake is the highlight of his bday each year (funny the simple things that make that man happy) but we scooped it out and ate the goo with spoons and I have to say it was still quite tasty! He was still teasing us about his sunken cake until he saw the tickets Jason scored. Eagles home game tickets complete with VIP passes, sideline seats and passes (where he gets to meet the players), and even VIP parking. Look at his face. Priceless!

 I got him an Eagles baseball hat, shirt, and rain ponchos for the both of them, and a small portable grill amongst other things. He loved them all and loved the card from Ruby where she drew her hand and mine on it and put happy stickers on the front. Turned out cute. To say Jeff was excited about it all would be an understatement. The two of them were like giddy school boys today as they packed up their goods for tailgating and fun. SO happy for my hubby! This is like his DREAM day. As for me, I am enjoying a quiet rainy day at home with the little miss. And that suits me just fine. Happy to be home and dry with my favorite lil gal while the boys get silly in the rain and eat junk food and drink beer. Most of all I am so glad my husband got to have such a great birthday. Mushy cake and all. :-)

A Special Birthday

My hubby's birthday. My loving, kind, patient, and hard working hubby. An incredible husband. An amazing father. I don't know what I would ever do without him in my life. So today, I just want to say how lucky I am that you were born on this special day. I love you with all my heart!

*This is also the day my husband proposed to me...many years ago. It also marks our daughter's 3-1/2 years on this planet and exactly one year since we left for Thailand to get our daughter. A special day for all of us indeed!

Weekly Inspiration: Einstein

There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle. 

Albert Einstein

Precious Time

There is one week left. My little girl is off to school next Wed. We took her to an open house there yesterday and it went very well. We had a lot of time to talk to the teacher and her assistant. They are wonderful! Ruby liked them also and busied herself around the room. She pulled out pegs, painted, cleaned up and washed hands in the kid-sized sink, played with the tea cups and pot (passing them out) and just enjoyed the room while we talked. We got to meet some of her classmates and their parents, too, which was nice. It's going to be a really great experience for her and part of me is just so excited!

The other part of me is a bit choked up. After all my giddiness about free time and getting to go back to the gym, somewhere around last week I was suddenly struck with the realization that she's not gonna be here all day anymore. EVER. These are the last Mommy and Ruby mornings and days of lazy long snuggles. Just her and I all day long. Sure we will have weekends and summers and a million more amazing times. But, these are precious moments while she is still young and (choke)  I am feeling rather sentimental about it!

Yesterday was one of those dreamy days. We did nothing much and yet our day was full of magic. We snuggled, we played, wondered around the yard. She studied the wind blowing through the trees and found her favorite stick with which to "sword fight" me. (Ha, ha -I am the rock monster and she is Nutcracker from her favorite Barbie movie. What happened to being the princess?) We sat on the porch and laughed, rocked. Later, we tried on clothes for hours. I tried to get her down for a nap early in the afternoon to no avail. She laid there snuggling and quiet like such an angel but after a half hour I looked at her and she was still wide awake. So I said OKAY, do you want to get up? YES!!! So I told her we were getting pictures taken this weekend and we had to try on some clothes. It was so fun. She's so into dress up now and was delighted to prance around in one outfit after another. I am now packed for the shoot, know what she is wearing for Halloween, and know what will fit her for fall. I can't believe how fast she has grown in the last year. Heck, I can't believe it's been a year!

Today is, unfortunately, filled with errands to run. The bank, the grocery store, the hairdressers, the post office. But we will definitely work in some fun for Ruby in there somewhere. Maybe a stop at the park or maybe we will make something fun and messy tonight. Water or messy play always seem to be the most fun, don't they? In fact, I will leave you with a few such shots.

This child LOVES to dunk her head. Silly goose!

Two cute heinies up in the air and 2 happy wet kiddos.

Studying each others wet head.

Is there anything more fun than being soaked?

Guess not!

Happy Thursday!!!

"Manual Labor" Day

This is what my brother jokingly called it today. We all put in a LOT of time in the yard this weekend. The weather was GORGEOUS! Absolutely perfect. Sunny, warm, but with a cool breeze in the morning and evening. Autumn is coming and we are all thrilled to be going outside to eat again now that it's comfortable. Jason had the brilliant idea of converting an old stone mess in our back yard (a fire place neglected since previous owners) into a fabulous fire pit/hang out for us this fall. Such a great idea! The picture above is the only "before" shot I have although, really, it was much more of a mess before they cleaned out the fireplace. You should see it now! Will wait to post another pic until it is totally done.


This was the kind of weekend I pictured when invited Jason and his kids to live with us. The guys were busy doing home improvement projects together. We had big family meals. Everyone in a jovial mood. This whole week really. Everybody chipped in and helped out, we took turns whipping up great dinners, and a lot of fun was had. Not that it hasn't been fun before but after a few months of living together we've sort of hit a high point. I guess we figured out each others quirks and routines...got used to this and that and are starting to have more fun. And yea, I'd say we are growing too. It's very nice. Granted, it can still be a bit chaotic at times and there are still nights when one of us wakes up another. Sometimes it's the kids and sometimes it's the BIG kids. But for the most part, we are working it all out and having a good time.

But back to the yard. It's looking really good. It took me all summer to get back into gardening but I am finally there. Went to Lowes today with Ruby and got some pretty mums and plants. Made a nice planter and to put by the new fire pit. It's funny how motivation towards one thing leads to motivation towards others as well. And inspiration also leads to MORE inspiration. For example, I wanted to eat more healthy so I started to cook, which led me to cleaning up and organizing (especially the kitchen) more, which led to me using herbs from the garden, which led to me weeding to actually FIND said herbs.... you see what I mean. :-)  A very good chain reaction! And then there is Jay (my bro Jason) - who was all excited about cleaning up the outdoor fireplace - which lead to digging out a gravel pit, which led to the guys making a patio, which led to them pruning all the trees around the area, which lead to an entire yard clean-up by all of us! I also got so inspired to "fall" up the fireplace and put nice flowers and candles around it. I'll tell you, the season of change is bringing about good stuff around here!

HDF RECEIVES ROYAL PATRONAGE

Father Joe and staff of Mercy Centre greet Princess Srirasmi of Thailand.

Received a wonderful newsletter this morning from Father Joe. Good news for Mercy Centre! This charity is near and dear to my heart and I am so happy to hear of the Princess endorsing it. Hoping this will bring more money and a happier/more comfortable life for the children and families of Mercy. What an awesome thing for the little school started from nothing and became a large dwelling and place of love for many in need and education opportunity for every child. It is quite a compelling story and I am reminded of a quote by Normal Vincent Peale this morning:

"God finds a way where there is no way". So true. In life and especially with Mercy. From it's humble beginnings in a beat up abandoned building to it's acceptance and patronage from HRH. Through it all Father Joe and his hard working staff never gave up. You can read today's newsletter about the Princess's visit on my other blog, Butterfly Moon Music. I highly suggest reading Father Joe's story sometime too. You can find the books HERE and HERE. Two eye opening books tell the story.

Have a beautiful day!

What's Cooking

My friend, Ellie, asked for me to share some recipes so here's a few things I made recently. Nothing fancy. Nothing too complicated. (I like my recipes EASY!) But lots of yummy! Sorry...no pictures. Totally involved in the process and forgot. Will try to remember next time.

Som Tum salad 

(NOTE: this is usually made with green papaya but since I couldn't find it I improvised with what I had. Turned out pretty good! **Recipes have ingredients in the order I cooked them.

Carrots - A handful, sliced into thin long strips

Green beans - A big handful or two. I blanched them but you could throw them in raw also

Tomatoes - 1 small one, diced 

Dressing -

Peanuts (handful, crushed)

Soy Sauce (1 tbspn...cause I was out of fish sauce)

Lime juice (squeezed about a half of lime to taste and then grated a little bit of the zest in it too)

Palm Sugar (one whole piece - a little bigger than a quarter - you can use brown sugar if you can't find)

Garlic - 1/2 tspn (more or less to taste)

Chilli (cut and then crush gently -with pestal and mortor - one or 2 chillis)

Mix it all together, dump over veggies and enjoy!

*If you can find you can also add tamarin sauce and use 2 tspn of fish sauce instead of soy.

I'm going to share my vegetable green curry dish with you also but I REALLY improvised a lot here. Had 3 different recipes I followed loosely and put into one. They all called for galangal, tamarind paste, and fish sauce. The first 2 I couldn't find (even at 3 Asian grocery stores) and the 3rd I thought I had but was out of. Despite this, it turned out really good! Huge hit with Jeff and my brother but the funniest thing is my darling daughter is NOT a fan of Thai dishes with coconut in them. I made her curry separate, adding less curry paste, more palm sugar, and no chillies. So here is what I THINK I did with ours...

Vegetable Green Curry over Jasmine Rice 

Vegetable oil (1 tbspn in hot pan)

Onion (1 vidalia thrown in with the olive oil in a big wok)

Green curry paste (1-2 tblspns)

Coconut Milk (1 can thrown in after onion cooked down a couple mins)

Water (1 cup thrown in after coconut milk. Bring to boil, then reduce to simmer)

Green beans - (threw in all the veggies than brought temp back up to med to med low, stirring often)

Eggplant (pre-soaked in salt water to take out bitterness, then rinsed, and cut into small chunks)

Small red potatoes (cut into small chunks)

Red peppers (sliced into long strips)

Bay Leaf - threw this in and let simmer a bit

Fish sauce (1-2 tblspoons) * I didn't have so I put in 2 tblspns of soy sauce and squeezed a lime in it plus added some lime zest.

Palm Sugar - 1- 2 hunks - more or less to taste

Basil - needed holy or Thai basil but used reg basil from my garden instead. Just a bit - maybe 5 small leaves.

Chillies - 1-3 depending upon how hot your curry paste is and how hot you like it. My paste had a good kick to it so I only added one crushed chilli but we all agreed I could have added another.

Okay, that's all I remember. Hopefully that's right! Spoon over Thai Jasmine rice.

Last but not least, here is a pizza I made last week that was a big hit. I love making home made pizzas but I gotta tell ya, this was this best one to date.

Goat Cheese Roasted Red Potato Pizza

Garlic Naan Bread
Garlic (small amount - less than teaspoon - sauteed in olive oil. Pour oil & garlic on bread)
Olive Oil (1-2 tbspns. Add more or less to bread as needed and spread evenly)
Red onion (cooked down a bit in olive oil then add to pizza)
Small red potatoes (sliced, boiled, then layered on pizza)
Goat Cheese (sliced off the roll of cheese little clumps and scattered around - but not covering - pizza)
Herbs de Provence (my favorite herb just sprinkled generously all over b4 popping in the oven. *I think a little extra rosemary would be great too but I was out of it.

I did convection cook for 15-20 minutes at 375 but other pizzas I did on regular oven setting at 400 for 20. All ovens vary so start watching it closely at 10 mins.

Let me know if anyone tries these and likes them! Also, please feel free to share some of your favorites!

Music To My Ears

We went for a post op check up and hearing test yesterday at CHOP. How I love the people there that office. SO great with kids. Ruby remembered the beautiful Indian woman, Aruna, that did her previous hearing tests and was happy to see her. Ran up and gave her a big hug. So sweet! But even sweeter was that she got a thumbs up on all her tests! Fluid and ear pressure GONE! Hearing in right ear (the bad ear) perfectly normal. Yea! In the left ear there was only one low tone she didn't hear well, but they still feel her hearing is fine and at a normal level and it could have been influenced by her cold. Woo-hoo! Don't need to go back for 6 months. What a world of difference from how she was hearing (with probably too-loud hearing aids) a year or so ago! Music to this Momma's ears.

 She was such an angel in the office that I treated her to a whoopie pie after lunch at Maggiano's. Love the corner bakery there with their fresh salads and sandwhiches...and yummy soups! It's our normal stop after our appointments and then we hit the fabulous King of Prussia mall. However, I did not buy anything yesterday. I have everything I need. A beautiful and kind hearted little girl that can clearly hear the world around her. Incidentally, I didn't get myself a whoopie pie either.... but I DID take a couple bites of Ruby's for a little taste!

Weekly Inspiration: Ghandi

Keep your thoughts positive because your thoughts become your words. Keep your words positive because your words become your behaviors. Keep your behaviors positive because your behaviors become your habits. Keep your habits positive because your habits become your values. Keep your values positive because your values become your destiny.

Ghandi

Good one, huh? Haven't done a weekly inspiration for a long while and thought it was about time! Enjoy! Ponder! Have a happy day!

Crayola Factory

Happy with her new "crayon" character...

...but longing for the horse drawn carriage ride that left without us. Maybe next time, Rubes!

It was rainy. We were bored. What fun and excitement could I seek out for us on a random Tues? I set about to find something online and came up with the Crayola Factory in Easton PA. A good hour drive, but why not? I explained it to Ruby who also thought it a great idea. I packed our lunches and off we went. Evidently, we were not the only ones with this plan!

It was a mad house. Think holiday time at the mall. There was no quaint little tour that I had imagined in my head. Somehow I got the idea it would be an old fashioned tour with a warm crayon for the kid at the end. I guess it USED to be like that. Now it is a short movie combined with a demo that we could barely see because the crowd.  After 5 minutes of lifting her up to try to get a peak over everyone's head, we both tired of it and went for the crayon table. No fresh made warm crayon. I don't know why this matters to me, LOL, but I wanted to see them being made and get my - I mean, her - new crayon! :-)

Still, it was a fun day. Would opt to do art at home next time and beat the crowd, but it was a different experience and they had lots of fun play rooms and stations that Ruby enjoyed. We ate our lunch outside in the cute little town square where she spotted the horse. I promised her we'd go back and take a ride but when we did they were gone already. She was disappointed, but took it in stride. So I got her a little toy in the gift shop. (And no, I know you won't believe me but I did not pick out the one that matched her outfit, LOL! I WOULD have, but she actually did first!) We do like our pink around here! Here are a few more shots...

Concentrating on her "art". A little red hippo.

More little creations.

And last, but not least...what touristy day trip would be complete without a pose in the cardboard prop pic? I do just love her expression though.

New Speech Teacher

In a word: AWESOME! We met Ruby's new speech therapist for the first time today and she is really fantastic. Warm, engaging, really creative, and made it fun for Ruby. She had a nice folder for us that included all her numbers and info, a schedule, and a chart that shows us at what age kids usually pronounce a particular sound (vowel/dipthongs). Very nice to have and I am loving her organization skills! Ruby is ahead on some sounds (sh/ch/b/k/g) but behind in others (w/t/f/r). But she did very well with Miss Kyle today and I am feeling so good about the coming sessions. Wonderful to have such a great teacher! At the end of the session she walked Ruby over to look at all the different games and puzzles she had on the shelf. She let her try them, hold them, and see what fun she is going to have on future visits. Ruby liked this and we all agreed we would have lots of fun next time. So grateful for this great opportunity for my baby! Next up is starting school! She begins in 2 weeks. Fingers crossed it goes as well as summer camp.
:-)

Family Bonding

And what are they bonding over, you ask? Jeff's new Droid phone. A very high tech, robot sounding cell phone with games and goodies galore. All were fascinated, as you can see. 

Simple Pleasures

It was a busy week for me and Ruby. Very fun, but exhausting none-the-less. We went to the Crayola factory, the zoo, Sesame Place...and visited with friends. So this weekend Jeff and I decided to just kick back and relax. We did nothing, really. Cooked a bit. Baked. (I get really inspired this time of year with the ripe tomatoes in the garden and the promise of fall around the corner!) We also sat outside and enjoyed the gorgeous weather. In fact, we sat around all day Saturday just talking and reading magazines while Ruby splashed away in her pool till her heart was content. The yard and garden was a buzz of activity with butterflies and little yellow birds flying around and flowers swaying in the breeze. I just love the sunflowers. One night Jeff made his famous chilli and I baked bread and Sat night we made gourmet pizzas with Naan bread and fresh tomatoes from the garden. Yummy! We had the place all to ourselves so the quiet time was welcome. Sunday we went over to our friends Charlsey and John's for a very casual pool hang and cook out. The kids had so much fun. My brother and nephew were there too and we all enjoyed ourselves on one of the last days of summer.

We've been reflecting a lot lately on this amazing year with Ruby. How she just melted into our hearts and lives so naturally. How very lucky we are that she did. In just 2 weeks it will be one year since we met her. Wow. A year already? The time seems to fly by so fast. And yet, it feels like she has always been here. So much we have shared these past 11-1/2 months. So many incredible, unforgettable moments. But the ones I cherish most are also simple. Snuggle-buggle (as we call it) when we spoon and snuggle close...  holding her little hand, touching her sweet face...and when she will randomly reach up and touch mine with such love in her eyes. Such a sweetheart! I love when the 3 of us lay in bed being silly...reading books or snuggling up. I love watching her have incredible fits of laughter... oh how I love that smile! And how she will bat her eyes and really charm you when she wants something. MY does she know how to work it! I love her pout and how she will dramatically throw her arms down and sigh (and drop whatever is in her arms) when she doesn't get her way. Of course, I hold in my laughter at the time, but it is ridiculously cute. I love catching her on the floor with the dog. Just sweetly laying eye to eye, side by side and petting her. And I love watching her with Daddy. Yesterday in the pool she swam over to him spontaneously for a hug. She said "MY Pa". It just melted Pa's heart. And mine. So many magic little moments that color our days. And we are grateful for every one. :-)

Weekly Recap

Posing for Mommy

Taking pictures of Pa.

Time continues to whirl by at lightening speed. I thought I'd start a weekly recap to record our goings-on in possibly a quicker/easier fashion. Here goes the first round...

Monday - my Mom and David were here for a visit. I let Ruby at home with my mom and Jeff and took my brother to Sesame for some sister and brotherly bonding. Tough day. While I love that kid IMMENSELY, it is growing harder and harder to take him places - especially by myself. My intentions were good, but perhaps pushing a 200+ lb kid around in a wheelchair through a crowded water park in 90 degree weather wasn't such a bright idea. Yea. I know. What was I thinking? My heart also ached to see all the looks (rude, scared, and/or curious stares) we got when trying to sit him down in the baby pool. Worth the effort to spend time alone with Dave, but, yea, kinda of a hard day - physically and emotionally.

Tuesday - Nothing special and yet nice. A kind of calm and chill day and Ruby & I just played around the house, had our own little music class, watched a movie, did some painting, etc.

Wednesday - Took Ruby to an indoor amusement place called Giggleberry Fair. Cute place with arcade like games, a merry go round and a pre-school room with water table. She loved it. Went for lunch at Peddler's Village and did some outlet shopping. Scored a pair of black boots and hat (shown in pics above) and cute fashions for back to school. Soooo cute! She was such an angel I bought her ice cream, too. Great day!

Thursday - Went to the Grange Fair with friend Dawn and kids. Fun, but HOT and overpriced for a local carnival. Still, she went on some rides, had fun, and really enjoyed all the animals. Went out for Thai food with Ruby and the hubs for dinner and had a whole day without TV. Yea! Also started back on a vegetarian diet. Feeling real good about that. It just feels right. Here are pics from the Grange Fair:

Kids on the rides. Brie's brother Drew is so sweet with Ruby.

Mom and Ruby take on the big slide.

Happy happy girl on the bouncey bungee jumping thing.

Checking out the pigs.

And her favorite animal...the Alpaca. She loved these and the chickens.

Friday - Ruby's last day of summer camp. Off now for a few weeks till school starts. Did not accomplished much on my free morning.  Checked email, blogged, caught up with a friend on the phone. Ah well, at least it was time to chill. No big plans for tonight but seeing Jeff's cousins tomorrow and my friend Kimi and family on Sunday. Should be a nice weekend!

Happy Friday!

Impromptu Beach Trip

Sometimes the best things in life are those that aren't planned. My friend Dawn called me up last week and invited us to go to the shore with them for a long weekend. Her husband wasn't feeling great and didn't feel like going and she already booked the place and didn't want to lose her deposit. We had a blast! Went to Wildwood Crest, NJ again. It was supposed to rain most of the weekend, but we really lucked out. No rain all weekend! Yea! LOL, cause we moms brought ten tons of crafts and toys in case it did. Ah, well, always good to be prepared for anything!

Our gang consisted of my friend Dawn, her daughter Brie, her son Drew, Drew's friend, plus Ruby and I. Someone for everyone to hang with! The kids were GREAT. It took us awhile sometimes to get going anywhere with 4 kids and 2 adults, but it was really fun. The kids really behaved well and the girls enjoyed their time together. It's so darn cute to watch them together. Here is their rendition of Ring Around The Rosies. I love it!

It was a challenge to get the kids to sleep at night with all the excitement, but we did manage to get them down one night and were able to share some wine and chit chat on the deck. In fact, in our honor (LOL) someone lit off fireworks RIGHT IN FRONT OF US on the beach. It is quite impressive that the kids stayed fast asleep! It was a great time and so very nice of my friend to share it with us. Here are some shots of the kids...

Squeaky clean and sand free after a busy day at the beach.

First sleep over. 

Love how Ruby is reaching out for Brie's hand here.

And then Brie did the same. They do this on their own and it is so precious.

Finally getting sleepy!

Beach time! They were so serious it cracked us up. Just very busy with their shoveling. 

The hotel had an AWESOME pool with a big baby pool the girls loved. Ruby calls this picture the train. Both girls are such water babies and had a ball both in the pool and the ocean.

I just love this one. Two very happy little girls.

And my happy little bug with her juice "box".

While I am looking forward to fall this year and getting back into a regular routine, I have to say it's been a real fun summer. 

Happy Ears

Much to post about this weekend and all the fun we had at the beach. But for now just a quick post. Ruby's recovery has been great. The ear tubes are tiny little tubes placed in her ear drums to alleviate pressure and release fluid. It can dramatically help a patients hearing loss and I can tell she is hearing much better now. She is singing along to both her Thai and English dvds and saying more words and sentences than ever! So beautiful to see that it often brings tears to my eyes! There have been no problems whatsoever since surgery - even with all the swimming. We've been really good about using ear wax and her drops. She seems to think the orange plugs are an accessory (which she of course LOVES) and she doesn't mind the "tickle drops" one bit. In fact she just lays there and giggles. The other night when I was putting them in she was rather quiet and so I asked if she was okay. She just looked at me and smiled and said "Okay, Mommy. Happy ears!" Melt. My. Heart. I said, "oh, honey, are your ears happy now?" She smiled again and said, "Yes. Happy."

New Friends

The kids. Each one as cute as the next!

The Moms. Girls night out at a fab Mexican restaurant in the city.

I joined a local group of adoptive parents many months ago. Finally had the time, energy, and will to leave the house long enough to not only meet them but join them for a Mom's Night Out. What a blast!
A few days before we went to their group picnic and got to meet all the kids with their moms and dads. Such a nice group of people. Most of the kids are from China and a few are from Ethiopia. Not everyone was there that day but we got to meet most. Such a nice time. A few of the Moms took photography classes and are REALLY good. Here are a few shots they took of Ruby:

My favorite. Compliments of Deb Coons McGuigan.

My other favorite. :-) Compliments of Jen Miles.

Loving the slide.

So nice to make new friends and be welcomed into this very nice group. Another member of the group (not pictured) is going to shoot Ruby, Jeff & I in a few weeks down at the shore. Can't wait!

Quickie Update

After the last post I thought I'd do ya a favor and keep it short. Really, there is not much to say except that she is recovering well. Had a little fever yesterday (I think she got a bug from my nephew and it is unrelated to the surgery). So a little sleepy/cranky yesterday, but otherwise fine! Very chatty the last couple days and jumping around a lot. Think her equilibrium is much better already...she's always been a bit clumsy and that seems better. Also seems like she is trying out new sounds...singing and talking a lot. Some is still babble and some words are still only decoded by me, but I think we are on our way! It will be amazing to see her in the coming weeks with her newly improved ears!

In other news...it is confirmed! We are potty trained! Just about. Still using a diaper at night.  In big girl pants every day for the last 2 weeks. I am thrilled!  I went out yesterday with her to ToysRUS and finally got her a camera. All that anticipation and she played with it for 5 minutes! ha! We did have distraction here last night with our friends Charlsey and John here, my bro and all the kids so that I'm sure had much to do with it. Probably better off cause Princess Ava and Princess Ruby took turns melting down yesterday - mostly Ruby - every 10 minutes of the last hour of our play date. Probably would NOT have shared the camera!

Rubes is still sleeping like a rock so I am officially hitting the ground running! Every morning I lay in bed and think to myself :THIS IS THE FIRST DAY OF THE REST OF YOUR LIFE! GO GET OUT THERE AND EXERCISE! Most days I answer back to myself: BUT I'M SOOOO TIRED! Today I am not. I am sneaking out b4 anyone is up and walking the dog a few miles. I can't take being out of shape any longer! So I let Jeff know to listen for Ruby and I am off to a healthy start! Hooray!

The Luckiest Parents On The Planet (sorry...another very long post!)

Okay, I'm sure most parents feel that way (or SHOULD) but we have really felt that way since the day we met Ruby. Especially today. For one, our baby is okay. So relieved! Went through the surgery and post-op like a champ. The doc came out in less than 10 minutes to say it went very well and her ears are fine.  Great dr. and the whole staff there is fantastic with kids. Ruby had no nausea or pain (that we can tell so far) and no complications. For two, she is the most amazing child we have ever known. We are constantly in awe of her. So strong, sweet, happy...under nearly any circumstance. Okay, unless you ask her to share one of her favorite toys or books! :-)

When she was given meds (they called "giggle juice") the nurse warned us it tasted bad. Rubes took it down with no fuss. When she took her blood pressure she told Ruby it was going to give her arm a hug. (Smart lady!) Ruby loved this and after the first time said AGAIN! She thought the toe thing (to test her oxygen) was fun, too. LOL, this kid thinks everything is an accessory! The one nurse said she was the best patient they ever had! Of course, not taking anything away from our angel, but they do a GREAT job there. Had Dora on tv for her to watch, lots of sweet nurses, stickers and popsicles at the end.

The doctor,  radiologist, and every nurse we met warned us that kids wake up from anesthesia cranky, scared, out of it, and often screaming and thrashing about. Not her Rubiness. Our sweet baby woke up with a stretch, a yawn, a scratch of her nose, and a smile. So proud of her! She was groggy, but not cranky or scared at all. So glad she didn't get sick! (Jeff and I think she's got an iron stomach now that she got past that giardia). The nurse couldn't believe how sweet she woke up. This lady was there through it all and was the best. She actually insisted on carrying Ruby all the way to the car and gave her an extra popsicle and stickers. Said Ruby made her day! She sure made ours too!

But let me back track here...
This is how we started our morning: Got her up 5 minutes before we left the house. Changed her diaper while she was still out and left her in her jammies. She wasn't allowed to have anything to eat or drink so they advised me that this was the best way to go. I woke Ruby up gently as I picked her up. I said, "Ruby's gonna sleep in the car, honey. We are going for a little ride this morning...Ruby, Mommy, & Pa." Her reply? "Sleep. Car. Okay!" All with a sleepy little smile on her face. Such a darling. We got in the car and this is what I saw every time I turned around to look at her.

How can you love a little person so much and be sure your love couldn't possibly get much bigger than what you are feeling... and then -with one sweet smile - you love her even MORE than your heart ever imagined possible??? I was as thrilled as she was when they invited me to snuggle up with her on the hospital bed. Daddy sat right next to us. Was so glad he was able to break away from work and be there with us.

These are the cute jammies they gave her. She loves yellow and trying things on lately so she was very excited about the clothing change. So cute is this kid. She acted like this was some fun excursion we were on. I so love that about her. Just treats every new day and thing like a great adventure...eager to see what is next. So much she is teaching me! 

Her favorite things came with us: Penguin (all time fav), Abby Cadabby (newest favorite), her butterfly pillow of which she can not sleep without, and her Disney princess blanket. 

When the nurses came to wheel her away I thought my heart would break. Ruby was so sweet and handled it great so I held it together. The nurses asked her if she'd like to take a little ride with them. She was a bit woosie at this point and gladly went. Those same nurses made a point to come out later to tell us she did great and was soooo cute in there. Silly and happy and just fine. I think she charmed just about everyone in the clinic today!

How blessed we are to have you in our lives, sweet Ruby! Thanking God you are healthy and happy and bouncing around now. (Been watching her, Tinker Bell, and Princess & The Frog while typing this so it's taken awhile). She never got sick on the way home, has held down food all day and is now dancing. She is - quite literally - bouncing back!

Big Day

I shouldn't be nervous. I know we are in good hands. Meaning with God and also at Children's Hospital where we are getting Ruby's surgery done in the morning. She needs ear tubes put in both ears. My heart is tugging in different directions. One part is wondering about how her day will go. Will she be in pain? Be afraid?  Have a reaction to the anesthesia? Get sick from it? Have complications???

The other side tugs for the joy of her having a new world open up to her. A world she can hear clearly. Confusion cleared up. Both halves of my heart tug equally, but the worrisome side somehow pulls more emotion. I hope it won't be too bad of a day for her. God, guide our little sweetheart through the day tomorrow. Let her wake up with wonder and joy as she hears the world a whole new way!