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May
7th
Sat
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Dear Ruby,

Last year my mom gave me a daily journal she kept when Shannon and I were about 18 months old.  Since you were born only a couple weeks after my birthday, I really enjoyed following along each day and comparing your development to our development.  I’ve kept thinking I want to start a journal of the things you do that amaze me on a daily basis but it’s just not something I can seem to find the time to do.  You turned two last Saturday and at your 2 year check up your doctor asked me standard questions about you and I felt sad that I couldn’t answer with certainty some of his questions.  Particularly, do you speak in 3 word sentences?  I hesitantly answered yes since you are a very good communicator, but in reality I couldn’t think of an actual sentence you had ever said to me.  Now that I’ve had a week to reflect on it and more consciencely observe you, I feel silly for my hesitation.  And after being awoken by your sweet little voice coming from your room at 4 this morning, saying “I want you to read Corduroy bear, Mama”, I realized how much I really do want to document this stage of your life where you are learning so much so quickly.
You love singing, “The wheels on the bus”, “Where is Thumbkin?”, “Old McDonald”, “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” and “Farmer in the Dell” are your favorites.  Of course since you are learning all of these songs in school, there are many tunes you sing that I don’t recognize.  You love colors, you name them all correctly very quickly except for white and black, you really have to think about those two for a while before you can name them.  You seem to be very sensitive about getting answers wrong and you think very carefully when you are unsure. You count to eleven. You know your abc’s.  You are very good with shapes, you even know pentagon, which really surprised me.  You know all your animals and imitate their sounds.  You love to jump.  You have an amazing memory, on our walk home from school each day you tell me about the things we’ve seen at particular spot weeks and even months ago.  The other day when I showed you a picture of you on the ferry boat, you pointed to it and said “We took the car on the boat and went to the island.  We played on the beach with the bucket.” Which actually sounded exactly like this “car on the boat and the car on the boat and the car on the boat, island. yah. play beach, play beach. yah. bucket.”  But I understood you meant perfectly.  
I can’t believe you’re two years old already, it’s scary how quickly time passes and I often wonder if I’ll regret choosing not to stay home with you.  But it’s obvious how rewarding school is for you.  And it makes me savor the time I spend with you so much more.  I remember a conversation I had with my dad one summer evening after my first year of college.  I  had thanked him for everything he had done for me and told him my fear that I would never be as selfless as he had been throughout my life and I hoped I could be as generous when I had kids.  He said he felt the same way about the opportunities and fortune his parents had afforded him when he was my age, but as soon as he met us he instantly wanted everything for us rather than himself, and one day I would understand that.  I look at you now and know that I would give up everything for you unquestionably and I am so grateful to you for teaching me that about myself.  I realize I work so that you can go to school because it’s clear to me that you benefit so much from the relationships you are developing there.

I love you so much and I’m going to make an effort to document you more, especially during this exciting time for our family.  And since visiting your dr. I’ve been thinking of all the three word sentences that you use.  “I love you, Mama”, “Mommy, where ARE you?” and “read me books” are the ones that warm my heart the most.

XOXO,
Mommy

Dear Ruby,

Last year my mom gave me a daily journal she kept when Shannon and I were about 18 months old. Since you were born only a couple weeks after my birthday, I really enjoyed following along each day and comparing your development to our development. I’ve kept thinking I want to start a journal of the things you do that amaze me on a daily basis but it’s just not something I can seem to find the time to do. You turned two last Saturday and at your 2 year check up your doctor asked me standard questions about you and I felt sad that I couldn’t answer with certainty some of his questions. Particularly, do you speak in 3 word sentences? I hesitantly answered yes since you are a very good communicator, but in reality I couldn’t think of an actual sentence you had ever said to me. Now that I’ve had a week to reflect on it and more consciencely observe you, I feel silly for my hesitation. And after being awoken by your sweet little voice coming from your room at 4 this morning, saying “I want you to read Corduroy bear, Mama”, I realized how much I really do want to document this stage of your life where you are learning so much so quickly.
You love singing, “The wheels on the bus”, “Where is Thumbkin?”, “Old McDonald”, “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” and “Farmer in the Dell” are your favorites. Of course since you are learning all of these songs in school, there are many tunes you sing that I don’t recognize. You love colors, you name them all correctly very quickly except for white and black, you really have to think about those two for a while before you can name them. You seem to be very sensitive about getting answers wrong and you think very carefully when you are unsure. You count to eleven. You know your abc’s. You are very good with shapes, you even know pentagon, which really surprised me. You know all your animals and imitate their sounds. You love to jump. You have an amazing memory, on our walk home from school each day you tell me about the things we’ve seen at particular spot weeks and even months ago. The other day when I showed you a picture of you on the ferry boat, you pointed to it and said “We took the car on the boat and went to the island. We played on the beach with the bucket.” Which actually sounded exactly like this “car on the boat and the car on the boat and the car on the boat, island. yah. play beach, play beach. yah. bucket.” But I understood you meant perfectly.
I can’t believe you’re two years old already, it’s scary how quickly time passes and I often wonder if I’ll regret choosing not to stay home with you. But it’s obvious how rewarding school is for you. And it makes me savor the time I spend with you so much more. I remember a conversation I had with my dad one summer evening after my first year of college. I had thanked him for everything he had done for me and told him my fear that I would never be as selfless as he had been throughout my life and I hoped I could be as generous when I had kids. He said he felt the same way about the opportunities and fortune his parents had afforded him when he was my age, but as soon as he met us he instantly wanted everything for us rather than himself, and one day I would understand that. I look at you now and know that I would give up everything for you unquestionably and I am so grateful to you for teaching me that about myself. I realize I work so that you can go to school because it’s clear to me that you benefit so much from the relationships you are developing there.

I love you so much and I’m going to make an effort to document you more, especially during this exciting time for our family. And since visiting your dr. I’ve been thinking of all the three word sentences that you use. “I love you, Mama”, “Mommy, where ARE you?” and “read me books” are the ones that warm my heart the most.

XOXO,
Mommy

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Aug
21st
Fri
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Daryn and Ruby enjoying a summer’s evening under the needle.

Daryn and Ruby enjoying a summer’s evening under the needle.

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Jul
31st
Fri
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Ruby is 3 months old.  This has been my favorite month so far.

Ruby is 3 months old. This has been my favorite month so far.

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Jul
28th
Tue
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I hate you super cute yellow house!  I hate that you cast your spell on me and made me offer WAY too much for you!  I hate that despite my ridiculously high offer on you, I was still outbid!  I hate that Daryn and I nearly got a divorce over you!  I hate that you made me make an offer on a hot pink house after I lost you!  I hate that I adored your new owners!  I hate that your new owners spent a lot more money to remodel you into my *true* dream house!  I hate that every Christmas since I lost you, I’ve dreamt of Christmas morning in you!  I hate that you inspired me to spend way too much on remodeling my current house to look just like you!  But most of all, super cute yellow house, I hate that ever since I saw you listed back on the market, I really really really want to buy you!

I hate you super cute yellow house! I hate that you cast your spell on me and made me offer WAY too much for you! I hate that despite my ridiculously high offer on you, I was still outbid! I hate that Daryn and I nearly got a divorce over you! I hate that you made me make an offer on a hot pink house after I lost you! I hate that I adored your new owners! I hate that your new owners spent a lot more money to remodel you into my *true* dream house! I hate that every Christmas since I lost you, I’ve dreamt of Christmas morning in you! I hate that you inspired me to spend way too much on remodeling my current house to look just like you! But most of all, super cute yellow house, I hate that ever since I saw you listed back on the market, I really really really want to buy you!

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Jun
20th
Sat
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I’ve been bidding on various CADO wall units over the past month and I’m now convinced that it’s entirely impossible to win an ebay auction.  It’s so frustrating, I really want one for Daryn’s office.

I’ve been bidding on various CADO wall units over the past month and I’m now convinced that it’s entirely impossible to win an ebay auction. It’s so frustrating, I really want one for Daryn’s office.

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May
7th
Thu
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Ruby told me she really wants this chandie for her nursery…

Ruby told me she really wants this chandie for her nursery…

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May
1st
Fri
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Ruby Lucille

Ruby Lucille

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Apr
3rd
Fri
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yay! let the nesting begin!

yay! let the nesting begin!

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Mar
19th
Thu
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I had kicked off my shoes as soon as I got to work this morning and I was walking around the office in my socks all day today.  When I tried to put my shoes back on at the end of the day, they no longer fit.  I lifted up my pant legs and pulled down my socks and to my horror discovered that my ankles had doubled in size!

I had kicked off my shoes as soon as I got to work this morning and I was walking around the office in my socks all day today. When I tried to put my shoes back on at the end of the day, they no longer fit. I lifted up my pant legs and pulled down my socks and to my horror discovered that my ankles had doubled in size!

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