Happy One Month Birthday Ruthie!

Ruthie 5 days old

Ok wow, I cannot believe we are already one month plus into this saga of three kids! Time flies when you are having fun (and totally sleep deprived!). It's wild that we have these two big boys and a little girly. It turns out having a daughter is JUST as amazing and fun as I thought it would be, and my boys are impressing me at every turn with their loving natures toward their sister. Her arrival has been a gift, and it feels like she has been here all along.

Ruthie is such a sweet little girl, and is so peaceful. I should probably knock on wood loudly when I say this, but so far she is my most peaceful, easy going baby, and she rarely gives us trouble. Certainly if she is in my arms she is always happy, but she's also quite content to hang out in one of the many chairs/swings/bouncers we have for her, and observe the wild world going on around her. She is my go-baby, and has already been to the preschool playground many times, the zoo, the botanical gardens, birthday parties, playdates, blastball practices, and many restaurants and shops. Life doesn't stand still for baby number three, and she is excellent at rolling with it. Luckily she is super quiet and happy in the car, and rarely makes a peep.










Little girl is also taking after her middle brother in that she loves to sleep and is a great napper. Right now she's still cat napping in her swing mainly, but she'll just drift gently off to sleep, without any crying or fussing, and without a pacifier for the most part! It's really quite amazing how little coddling she requires. And it's funny at night, but she really just goes to sleep! To the point where it's impossible to wake her up until she wakes on her own to nurse. She is typically going about 5 to 7 hours during her first nightly stretch of sleep, and then she wakes about every 2 to 3 hours after that. But I'll take it! She is still in our room, but my goal is to move her into her own crib within the next few weeks. I'm kind of having a hard time with the thought of her leaving my room, probably because she is my last child, and I'm hanging onto this special phase of life where I can reach out at night and feel her soft head, and hear her little snuffles and squeaks.

The boys are turning out to be excellent with her. In fact, they argue over who gets to hold her first, and they love to "help" by putting in her paci, and they frequently tickle her to make her happy (not sure that works!). One of the most wonderful moments in our new routine occurs at bedtime, when Hayden requests that all of us get into his bed to read a book. One night when Ruthie was about 2 weeks I told him she was sleeping and he'd have to make due with the rest of us...and his response was, "but mommy, I love family time, and we need Ruthie for family time". LOVE HIM! So sweet. So now, even if she is sound asleep, or hungry, we still bring her in and we all read and sing songs together as a family. And Pierce is constantly concerned about her whereabouts. One night he slept over at Grammy's house, and when I came to pick him up in the morning, he tore past me, saying, "mommy where Hoofie go?", which is what he calls her. Then when we found her in the carseat he just lit up with a big smile and hugs for her. I'm so proud of them both as big brothers.

And just one last point - dressing a girl is JUST as fun as I thought it would! I love walking into her room, opening the closet, and dressing her in all these adorable outfits that I stared at for so long when I was pregnant. The coordinating bows, and tights, and socks....it's just too much. And she has the prettiest heart shaped lips, and chubby cheeks, and lovely big blue eyes. LOVE.