Ruby - 1 month old

I can't even believe that our Ruby is already a month old. As I write this, she is actually 7 weeks old today, but I am going to pretend that I got this done on time. So, expect a 2 month blog in a week or so with new 2 month pics!

What a joy she has been and we're enjoying every moment with a newborn in the house. I don't think that I could ever say that we are 'done' with babies...I will always want my own in my arms. Someone else will have to make that decision for me...most likely, that will be my age, but we will see. Do you ever loose that desire to have a new baby in your arms? Maybe some of you do! To me, it's a feeling that I can't even describe. I would say 'magical', but I don't believe in magic...its just,...intoxicating! New life...a miracle, so fresh from God, filled with so much life!!
Ruby started doing well right away and got on a 3hour eating and sleeping schedule. Thankfully! I needed a predictable baby after Harry! She is really trying to hold her head up and is very determined to do so. She of course keeps the attention of her brothers and she is beginning to notice them as well. This little girl should be able to sleep through about anything as loud as it is around here...just the way we like it!

She is in our room and was in our bed mostly the first couple of weeks, but has now transferred in to the bassinet. The bassinet is one that my father and his siblings were also in as infants. It may even be one that my grandmother was in...I can't remember the accurate age of it. In the picture of it, Ruby is in a nightgown that is also an heirloom. I believe that Brent's great grandmother made it and all of her children wore it (Brent's grandmother, Mema) and all of her grandchildren (Brent and his cousins) and now all of this generation has worn it home from the hospital! I LOVE traditions like that and am so thankful that we got to participate. I think it makes me feel closer to all of those gone before us...a camaraderie with our family members.

We are building up the endurance needed to parent three young children as we go through each day. Slam worn out when we hit the sack and ready to begin when we awaken...well, most days anyway. We're so glad you are here with us Ruby ...your spot has been waiting for you.

Ruby's Sunset

Just wanted to post this special picture. My very sweet neighbor sent this photo to me the day that Ruby was born. She said that she thought of us when she saw it and that she knew that it was a heavenly sign for our sweet girl. As pink as it is in the picture, she said it doesn't even do it justice! How sweet of her and how awesome of God to give her such a beautiful pink sunset on the day of her birthday!

Visitors

We've been so blessed to have so much of our family come up and see us lately...I'm no fool...it's all about the kids...and I am FINE with that! My mom came several days before Ruby was born. It had been a hard couple of days before she got here and it didn't get much better...some sort of the flu had run its course in our house....EVERY single one of us got it...each with a few different symptoms. Let me tell you...being 40 weeks pregnant and getting the flu is NOT the way to go. I felt horrible! The body aches were the worst for me. However, I will stop my complaining there...I have a friend who passed a kidney stone while she was pushing! Harry was the first to get sick, then Brent, then me and then Henry. While it was bad, it lasted only 48 hours. No, we did not get the flu shot and even though we got the flu of some sort, I am still glad we did not get the flu shot...and our immune systems are better primed now for having it! So, we were all better and i went into labor. We headed to the hospital early Sunday morning. We hadn't been there 30 minutes and my mom called....you guessed it, she had the FLU! We gave it to her and I felt terrible! So, Brent hops back into the car and heads home, leaving me at the hospital. I am so grateful that this was my third baby...I remained calm. My sweet neighbors, who have 2 precious little girls took the boys for the day. Brent made it back in plenty of time and just went back and forth between the hospital and home. While I wanted him there with Ruby and me, he needed to take care of the other ones. After all, I was in a hospital!
Mom was such a huge help to me before and after Ruby came...doing whatever needed to be done and I am forever grateful. Its so wonderful to have help that just knows what you need. Thank you mama (grammy)!

Luckily, mom got over it quickly as well so we were clear to bring Ruby home. My dad came up a couple of days later....the boys were stoked! They get all sorts of sweet treats when the grands are up that we don't usually have...he's feeding them ice cream in this pic! Poppa is a hit every time. Henry always wants to go to the MOA and ride rides at the amusement park...and we do.

Next came Martha and Tommy, my most amazing in -laws. This reserved sweet man turns into the best babysitter I have ever seen. He is crazy over these grand kids and they are crazy about him. He loves to care for them so much, that he usually is encouraging me to get out of the house to have them all to himself. They love to play 'camp' ....getting all the pillows from every bed in the house and heading into a closet, flashlights in tow. I love to stand at the door and listen to them giggle and tell stories. Pops shadow puppets provide good entertainment. Mo, as she is so lovingly called is the laundry queen. I wish I had a picture of her folding laundry and I should since that is what she did 24/7! What a relief, because it is not a chore that I love to do.
Then my sweet sister, whom Ruby is named after, came to see us! We call her oopie.... Its so funny when she comes...Henry says "hey" and then its "did you bring your game?!"....nintendo ds that is. He loves to play it and she helps him. We have to limit him and that thing because he would play it all day. I don't understand it...I can't stand to play video games, but they love it. Brent does too....just not my thing. We took Ruby for her doctor's appt when Alison was here, so she watched the boys. Alison doesn't have much of a stomach for changing diapers, but is willing in a pinch. So, I knew that she would probably be faced with a dilemma while we were at the doctor's office, since Harry hadn't 'been' yet. I apologized and then giggled as we left her with the boys. We got home and sure enough, Harry had been successful...and Alison had too....she puked, but she did it! Ah, the love of an aunt!

Then our LaLa came. She even brought her best friend Casey along for the trip. Casey is like a member of the Trader family and she is always welcome. The boys lovingly refer to her as CeCe and she is a riot. LaLa and CeCe played their hearts out while they were here. I would put the boys down for naptime and CeCe would go down with them. Its is busy around here! We made a trip to the MOA while they were here and talked a little about wedding plans and picked out bridesmaids dresses. Laura is getting married in Sept and we are so excited!!! Her fiance Shane is a great guy and we are so happy for them.

So, we're only lacking a few family members making it up this way....but I think we'll get home before they get a chance to get here. I just want to say THANK YOU to all of you. You have no idea how much you help us and I am so grateful that you even want to come! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!

Ruby Alison

January 10, 2010 at 5:30pm, our precious Ruby Alison was born. What an incredible surprise is was to be given a little girl! We were so tickled....pink! I can still hear the utter excitement and surprise in Brent's voice as he exclaimed..."its a baby girl!" We could not believe it! To be blessed with 3 amazing children is incredible and to get to experience boys and a girl...wow...we could just burst!

It was so much fun to wait until the birth to find out the gender...we knew with both of the boys, but from the very beginning of this pregnancy, things felt differently for me. BTW, Brent did not want to wait...even tried to talk me into finding out during the ultrasound. He was glad we waited in the end, although it was hard to wait. Not only did I not want to know the gender, I was sick the first trimester, which was different from my previous pregnancies and I carried her differently than I carried the boys. She was much higher, which made it hard for me to breathe throughout most of the pregnancy.

We knew all along what her middle name would be....Alison. I have an amazing sister whose name Ruby was given. She is loving and loyal and doesn't even begin to know how much she means to me. Well, she doesn't know how much she means to any of us. She is our beloved 'oopie' and I could think of no better way to honor her than to name my little girl after her. I hope that Ruby will understand what her Aunt Alison means to me.

So far, I couldn't ask for a better baby. She started sleeping about 3 hours at a time at night almost from the beginning. She's content most of the time and has a calm and inquisitive nature. She is very determined already...I can tell by how badly she wants to hold her head up. She will not give up!

Its pretty special to see Brent love his daughter. I wonder sometimes what he's thinking as he's looking at her. We all seem to be gushy over her...even Henry. He was rubbing her head the other day very tenderly and I asked him why he loved her so much...his reply.."I like her face"...oh! Pretty funny since she looks like him.

Harry is also pretty taken with her. I am so happy that he really hasn't been very jealous. Thankfully, he is pretty independent and has adjusted very well. Before Ruby was born, I wasn't sure how he would react, because he did not like to share me, even with the dog, but he has been sharing me very sweetly. Of course he has his moments, but he has taken on the big brother role very graciously. I am very proud of the both of them.

We feel amazingly grateful and blessed. We know that children are a gift from the Lord and we are humbled by the three amazing presents we've been entrusted with for a while here on this earth. We pray that we can stay focused and on the course and bring them up in love with the Lord who made them. Our hope for all of our children is that they will have a personal, life giving relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and that they will let Him rule in their lives. God, help us to show them your love, show them how to honor you and how to serve others. Thank you for entrusting them to us for a while. We are humbled.

Brent's 33rd Birthday!

We celebrated Brent's birthday last week. He turned the big 33 on Thursday the 24th. He loves the fact that I am almost 3 years old than he is, and he and his brother rub it in when they get the chance! I just tell him that whatever he does to me on my birthday, then I have almost 3 years to plan my revenge! Nah, he's always been very loving and thoughtful on my birthdays...

We had dinner at Ruby Tuesday...just so happened that we had a BOGO coupon...you know I love a coupon! We really LOVE their salad bar! It was fun...Harry of course, must announce himself to any public place that we go...with his HIGH PITCHED, EAR PIERCING scream. We are kind of use to it, but I have witnessed him scaring the heck out of some people with his outbursts! There is no warning...just NOISE! It's kind of funny. We can always tell who has children and who doesn't by the reactions we get. Mostly laughs and giggles at what we are going through.




Brent enjoyed his cards and opening his gift. He doesn't like to be the center of attention and may be embarrassed that I am dedicating a blog to his birthday, but he will take it in stride. He is such a humble person and I love that about him. Much different than myself and I try and learn from his example.

We had birthday cake at home that Henry and I made and decorated. We decided that since our daddy is such an awesome daddy that we we would make him our own superhero birthday cake. SuperDaddy! At first Henry wanted to do "Batdaddy", but we decided that black icing might not taste too good. So, we decided to do SuperDaddy! After all, superman could fly!



blowing out candles!!

The boys really enjoyed the fruits of our labor...well the dessert of our labor! Harry just about finished his cake and ice cream and Henry preferred to eat the icing from the cake using a candle as a utensil.

It always fun to celebrate birthdays! We don't get to take an entire day to honor someone that we love and cherish very often. I want our birthdays to be memorable because of the time we spend together on those days, the little things we do to make it special and because for that one day of the year, the birthday honoree gets to be the center of attention! We love you Brent and Happy Birthday!

Apple Picking

We made our first visit of the season to an area apple orchard...Minnesota Harvest. We woke to a cool Saturday morning and our neighborhood decided to head out apple picking. It was a great orchard, filled with tons of apples trees and an abundance of beautiful horses! You could even go on trail rides through the orchards ...seems like a lot of fun!

A very loud green tractor pulled our wagon out to the orchard...the kids loved that. We would stop at one area and pick from those types of trees and then the wagon would come back and get us and we'd head to another kind of apple trees. The kids couldn't pick the apples fast enough. Its so much fun to see their eyes light up when they see a tree just dripping in apples! I remember instances like that as a child...thinking, 'this is it...I've found the greatest thing ever!'

I think we got three different kinds of apples that day. McIntosh, Haralson and I can't seem to remember the third! I made an amazing apple pecan pie with the haralson apples and have enough to make an apple crisp this weekend. YUMMY!!

After the wagon ride and apple picking, we headed to the petting zoo and had a funny time in there. Henry and Harry aren't timid at all when it comes to most animals and loved being that close to the goats, mini horses, a cow and even a donkey. There were some llamas also, but they seemed to shy away this day.

Bought some awesome local honey and headed home for a bbq with the neighbors. It was a really fun day and we made some great memories...I hope its just our first trip of the season. I LOVE the fall!

Interesting Night...

Well, a couple of weeks ago on a Sunday night, Brent and I were just hanging out together after the boys were in bed. All of a sudden, we heard this scared, high pitched scream/cry from upstairs. We knew that it was Henry and thought he must have woken from a nightmare. He was already making his way down the stairs when I got to him. I asked him what was wrong and he could hardly answer me because he was so upset. Then he told me..."I swallowed a coin"..."you what?", I said!!! Again, he told me he swallowed a coin...( I love that he calls money coins...)

Brent and I weren't sure if he really did swallow a coin,or if he did indeed dream that he swallowed a coin. So, we began to ask him questions...are you sure? can you breathe? do you remember what the coin looked like? where did you get the coin? He could answer all of the questions without hestitation, so I knew that he was certain he did swallow one. He said he had his wallet in his bed and was playing with the coins... so I checked...sure enough, there it was.

I immediately was scared silly and so thankful that the coin didn't get stuck in his throat and we not know it...he had been in his bed for a while and we thought he was fast asleep! Thank you GOD for keeping him safe! I have to admit, I thought he was past doing something like that, but I guess I was wrong... he said "I wanted to see what it tasted like.."

So, off to the ER we went. We got there aroumd 9:30pm and sat in the waiting room for about 45 minutes (not too bad). As we checked in, he told the receptionist that he "swallowed a diamond!" He had calmed down by this point..we all had... and was quite talkative and excited to be receiving so much attention! We pulled out examples of coins to see which he swallowed. He pointed to the nickel and called it a freckle...so cute.

We were called back and taken to triage and he cooperated very well. Finally, the doctor came in...he was the 10th person we saw so far (one reason healthcare is so expensive???) and told us we needed an xray to see where the coin was in Henry's body. Henry was so brave! Brent went with him, but still had to stand outside the door. He didn't seem to be scared at all!

The xray came back and it was clear that the freckle...I mean nickel, was already in his bowel!! So, we were ok to go home and to check for the coin to pass. Needless to say, this was not fun. It would not be 'fun' in any circumstance, but during a pregnancy it seems to have another level of ....yak, barf, earl, to go with it!

Five days passed and each day an opportunity to check to see if the coin had passed...which it had not! So, we trecked back to the doctor and had another xray done to see where this infamous coin was! Luckily, we had just missed it....it was long gone!

So, this is one that we'll tell Henry's wife one day. Still when I think about what could've happened, I get chills. I am so thankful that he is ok and that it scared him enough that I don't think he'll be tasting money again. However, we are taking even more precaution to make sure nothing like this happens again. It was pretty scary. I will say though, that both of our families had experiences like this with my brother and brent's sister and they both survived as well. I think it helped to keep us somewhat calm to know that they had done the same thing.

Pretty cool x-ray, huh?