Happy Birthday Ruby!

Ruby is one! Wowee! I can hardly believe it! It seems like only a little while ago, we were welcoming into the family.... I think alot about the day Ruby was born and I savor that feeling of just pure joy that I had. It sounds corny and trite but it is so true whether you are the one giving birth or are adopting a child. There was no specific moment, it was the whole day. Excitment, anticipation, happiness. Everything went pretty much the way I wanted it to and was nothing like I expected.

I think back to those first few weeks and it's so weird to think that was her, that was us. We were enthralled with every burp, poop, facial expression... We had all of this new stuff that we were figuring out how it worked, whether it was what worked for us. There was nursing - the pain OH the pain! There was a tiny little umbilical stump that fell off and we found it later when the cat was playing with it. There was our drive in the car, coming home from the hospital, when every bump and turn was an anxiety-ridden moment. Our first outings and trying to figure out what the hell we needed for a 30 minute trip and did we pack enough stuff? There was the incessant spitting up (don't miss that!) and months of damp clothing and smelling like sour milk. There was just watching her sleep for hours (literally).

And now....we are still enthralled but it's with the foods she eats, the "talking," crawling, what makes her laugh, what makes her cry, what toys she likes, how much she sleeps, when will she walk, what'll her first word be...on and on and I don't think that will stop. When she does sleep we are ecstatic and close the bedroom door. Outings are a breeze and though we are much much slower in getting out of the house, we don't need the mental preparation or have the anxiety we once had. No..now we can have anxiety about a whole bunch of other stuff -- is she eating enough, is our bedtime routine sufficient, are we stimulating her in the right way...and on and on. But I have to say, it's been a fun ride so far and I know it will continue to be so, ups and downs alike.

Happy Birthday, my wonderful special baby, Ruby!