leading lady

I can honestly say I have truly loved every single stage that Ruby has gone through since day one. No, wait. I have loved every age, not stage because let's face it, I am not one of those mothers that claims to not mind the sleepless nights if it means lovingly gazing into the eyes of their wee one. I have found that I am always so sad to see how fast the days fly by because it means she'll be leaving the age she is currently at behind shortly.

She is at my favorite age right now, though. She does so many new things and her precious* little personality is coming out. I wish I could have a video camera on her all hours of the day, because as much as I try and soak up every single second, I know that there will be things I miss.

*precious doesn't include the nights where she decides to give me zero sleep (isn't that for newborns?!), slapping me in the face, or yelling as loudly as she can when she doesn't get her way.

Some of my very favorite things of the moment:

-when someone (this includes a dog, a person on television, or strangers in public) passes through Ruby's line of vision, she says "Hiiiiiii" in the cutest little voice you could imagine (probably because she's the cutest little person you could ever imagine. ;) ) or if she is feeling particularly slang, she'll say "Heyyy" which is equally as adorable.

-Anytime Ruby hears music or even a brief little tune, she dances. And by dance, I mean she moves her little body from side to side and it's hysterical to watch. Bless her heart-dance moves don't run in our family and it's painfully obvious with all of us. Her sweet little dance moves won't always be this cute. Good dances moves or not, wouldn't it be a refreshing change if we all stopped and danced whenever the mood struck?

-Nodding her head side to side signaling "no" is something Ruby has had mastered for awhile, and I have worked with her to motion for "yes." Recently, she has picked this up-it's so funny for me to see her little head bob up and down. Now, we are working on the meaning with these actions. She answers with a "no" nod for everything but she doesn't mean it.

-The poor kid has picked up some of both of our quirky weird things, but she definitely got my ability to talk 24 hours a day, most weirdly in my sleep. I can remember waking up at slumber parties and girls laughing about the random things I said when I fell prey to the Zzzs. Jimmy falls into the same category as those eight year old girls-there are a few standout phrases that I'll likely never live down. I have noticed Ruby laughing, smiling, and babbling in her sleep the last few weeks and several times I have laughed so hard she has woken up. Poor girl is destined for slumber party (and future husband) teasing.

-Ruby ended up with four dolls for her birthday. I was amazed at the things she has picked up from the way that I love on her. She rocks and pats her baby, kisses her head multiple times in a row, and is just a tiny little motherly thing. Melts my heart, and at the same time makes me realize just how closely she is watching me.

-We have been working on "gentle" with Ruby for months. Mostly, this applies to the way she touches our faces, pats the dogs, or plays with Mason. I know she understands, but sometimes, her little 1 year old excited self just can't control the flapping arms, so we still need lots of reminders. However, she is at a stage where she just loves to hug the dogs and lie her head down on them. They tolerate her really well considering how in your face and overwhelming she can be. Helps that she has become their primary source of food at this point in time.

-Waving is another favorite gesture. Ruby has done this for awhile but her wave seems to transform with time, fluctuating from queen waving, to lazy waves, to full body waves, and most recently, curling her fingers in and out because that's how so many people wave to her.

-The vocabulary, as I predicted, has started to take off. Just in the last month, she has picked up on: "don't", "go", "get", "no", "yes/yeah", "Tessa", and "more"

We're so thankful for this precious blessing in our lives. We're also thankful for her allowing us to revisit things through a child's eyes again-what a fun time.