Thirteen Months.

Remembering...

Today is the anniversary of a very sad day for our family, one where we experienced two major losses within hours of one another.  I can't help but be sad when I think about that day two years ago and remember how heavy my heart was.  But I also can't help but smile when I look at Ruby Albina and think about how amazing she is.  She has brought us so much joy and laughter in the last year, helping to heal my heart of the sadness from our loss.  Thank you, Ruby Albina, for being such a sweet baby girl.  And thank you, David, for being such a strong, loving husband.  I'll be sure to hug you both extra tight today.

Fancy

Here's Ruby, modeling her holiday dress from Great Grandma and Great Grandpa before we left for Christmas Eve mass.  She's so pretty.

Waiting for Santa

Ruby and Hudson visit the park

Mondays with Meaghan

For my last Mondays with Meaghan post, one more favorite:

A Day in the Life...

Ruby and met up with our friend Valentina at the Domain today for a little last minute shopping and a delicious Starbucks treat for me. Valentina was an awesome friend, wearing Ruby so I could do a little shopping without a baby on my chest and she could practice for when she's a momma herself someday.  With their matching blonde locks, I'm sure everyone thought these beautiful girls were mommy and daughter!  How nice of them to spend the day hanging out with their dark-haired friend.

Ruby enjoys yogurt

We learned a lesson tonight: don't turn your eyes when yogurt is within Ruby's reach.

Flashback Friday

Here I am, modeling my ring sling for the first time with a tiny, three-week old baby Ruby. Little did we know what big fans of babywearing we would all become.  There are now dozens of pictures of us wearing Ruby.

Lookin' good  tired

Peeking inside the sling to say hello

Bevo!

Trail of Lights

We bundled up and ventured out into the cold last night for the famous Trail of Lights with Danny and Erin.  It's rare that Ruby goes out after dark these days, but she was a total sweetheart for her date night with friends.  The lights and crowds this year were much, much smaller than previous years.  It was nice of the city to keep the event free; however, I gladly would have paid a few dollars to have some fancier light displays, music, and attractions.  Regardless, we really enjoyed hanging out with Danny and Erin and hope to make this a regular Edmonson family holiday tradition.

Mondays with Meaghan

Ruby's Stocking

When everyone was in town for Ruby's birthday, Gramma delivered a special gift that she had spent a ton of time working on: Ruby's Christmas stocking.  Both Lauren and I have our own that Gramma made for us when we were young, Ruby now has hers, and Emilia and Jacob will soon have theirs.  It's a wonderful Christmas tradition that I know Gramma is proud and happy to pass along to the newest Edmonsons, both young and old(er).

Here are a few pictures.  Note that we had to hang it on the wall since we don't want to tempt Ruby with tugging on large socks hanging from the mantel.

 

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Top Chef, Season 28

In honor of last night's Top Chef finale, I present Ruby's gourmet kitchen!  Thank you to Gigi and Baba, Mimi, and the Goerner family for stocking our culinary star's playroom with the finest ingredients and appliances. Padma and Tom Colicchio had better watch out because Miss Rubina is on her way to the top of the culinary world.  She's already so innovative, mixing her yogurt with salad dressing and mustard with waffles.  Give her a few years and she'll be cooking gourmet meals for all of her friends and family.

I will admit that each night I rearrange the items in the play kitchen to my liking. I love how it looks when perfectly organized by food groups. I'm sure Ruby will do the same thing when she starts cleaning up her toys :)

Wordless Wednesday

Mondays with Meaghan

We got our full set of images this weekend from our family session with Meaghan D Photography.  Instead of posting all my favorites in one post (which would be about thirty pictures), I'm going to post a few each Monday morning for the next few weeks.  Here are some favorite black and white pettiskirt shots of the birthday girl.  Thanks again, Megs. We love the pictures!

Snow Day

There was a snowstorm in Austin today! Well, there were really just flurries, but it was totally worth bundling up the girls and taking pictures outside. I'm bummed that you can't actually see the snow in the shots we took. I felt like the flakes were much larger in the moment. Oh well, at least we got some cute pictures of the girls in their winter gear. What a wonderful way to start the holiday season!

It's hard to walk in layers of clothing.

Adorable and ready for the blizzard

Very fashionable in her leopard hat. Click on the picture to enlarge it and see the snow.

Girlfriends

Flashback Friday

Just over a year ago.

Ruby's first cookie

Always a satisfying experience.

One year checkup

Ruby went to her one year doctor checkup today, so we have new stats to relay: 29.5 inches long (64%), 21 lb 7 oz (57%), and 48 cm head (98%). Clearly she got her dad's head. Ruby Hedmonson.

Here's a semi-random list of milestones/what she can do:

• Her list of words: daddy, momma, dog, no, GiGi, shoes, and hi. She also has words for baby (diddy) and milk (nana).
  
• She's able to run and dance, knows where her hair and toes are, and enjoys pretending to put hats and socks on.
  
• She can also follow simple commands like "please bring me a book" and "please take your paci out of your mouth." She still doesn't understand "please please please sleep!"
  
• She's also discovered what great jungle gyms mom and dad are and what great pillows the dogs are.
  
• She loves to brush her teeth and enjoys strolling around the house with the toothbrush in her mouth.
  
• And although the cold weather is preventing her from doing so right now, she really likes riding in her new wagon - a birthday present from Gramma and Grampa.

Wordless Wednesday

photo courtesy of brandy leigh photography :)

The birthday posts continue ...

We celebrated first Ruby's birthday last weekend with a "Very Hungry Caterpillar" party here at the house. Ruby had a great time and worked the crowd like a pro, playing with her friends and loving all the attention. David and I owe a HUGE thank you to our parents, grandparents, and Mimi for all of their hard work and help before, during, and after the party! Here is just a small sampling of the over one-hundred photos from the weekend.

Read more >>

Twelve Months

If my math serves me correct, I do believe that is one full year.


Happy birthday, daughter.

Happy Birthday Miss Ruby Albina!

You have brought so much joy and laughter into our lives during the last year. We love watching you play with your dogs, love on your babies, and read your books. Thank you for your beautiful smile, silly faces, and sweet baby kisses.

Baby's First Thanksgiving

Ruby Albina was busy all morning, cooking in her fancy red kitchen from the Geeg. She made a fabulous turkey, Albina's famous stuffing, Grandma Loraine's fabulous sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, and creamed spinach. Next year, she wants to try out Uncle Jacob's recipe for pecan pie. Everything about Miss Ruby is advanced, including her palette.

We've had a wonderful day so far, spending the holiday with David's parents and grandparents. Ruby is already crashed in bed with a belly full of turkey and all the fixin's. If Ruby was able to talk, I'm sure she'd tell us that she is thankful for many things, including her family, her new friends, her two stinky dogs, and all of her books. I am thankful for many of the same things, especially our family and the new friends we have made in the last year. We hope you and your family have had a wonderful holiday as well. Happy Thanksgiving!

I don't need no stinkin' ferber....

RUBY ALBINA SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT!

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG !

845pm until 7am. no waking, no crying, no nursing.

today is a glorious day!

And in honor of her upcoming first birthday and her new commitment to sleep, here is Ruby Albina at one week old, sleeping like the angel that she is.

Flashback Friday

The last belly pic we took before Ruby made her appearance.

Yard work is good for one's constitution

In my ongoing quest to remake the backyard into a place that family and friends actually want to congregate, I took the day off of work to build a patio in what was a rocky, weed-filled corner of the yard that we never used.

Although slightly difficult to see due to the shadows, here's a before picture:


And after:




Ruby was more than happy to help out.

Family Photos, Sneak Peek

We had our first official family photo shoot yesterday with the fabulous photographer Meaghan D. We spent a few hours exploring Austin with Meaghan and hopefully getting the perfect shots for our new photo wall and our holiday card. Meaghan shared a few sneak peek photos on facebook last night that I'm posting here. I love them and can't wait to see more! Thanks, Megs. You're awesome with the camera.