Our little talker

It seems that over the last few weeks Ruby has started to say just about everything you ask her to say and she is blowing us away with the things that are coming out of her mouth without any prompts.

There are still the occasions when you just have no idea what she is saying but majority of the time you can have little conversations with her or she can tell you exactly what she wants.

Today it was "play at the park mumma"; "mumma high" (this is on the swing); "ants bite Ruby".

This week Ruby got her first letter from Santa, which was very exciting and for a couple of reasons. A few weeks ago Ruby was drawing and we asked her if she would like to write a letter to santa, of course the answer was yes. So not thinking much about it Ruby drew and mummy wrote a nice letter to santa telling him that Ruby had been a good girl and what Ruby would like for Christmas (a bubba! Maybe next year honey???). We popped it in an envelope, addressed it to Santa at the North Pole, stuck a Winnie the Poo sticker on it and put it in the letter box.

To our amazement Santa wrote back. He even new that we were going to the beach and reminded Ruby to where her suncream and hat....how cool is that. Yay Australia Post!!!

The last few weeks have been ridiculously busy leading up to Christmas with work and all of Ruby's classes. Only one more week and we are off to the beach for a small break, yahoo! We aren't camping this year and are staying in the family caravan. Ruby has got her own little life jacket so she can go fishing with daddy and we are really looking forward to taking her for swims as she is getting more and more confident in the water.

We are also hoping Santa will bring Ruby some clothes as she has grown so much recently that she is nearly out of all of hers. Mummy and daddy are holding off on buying anything until we find out what santa has brought. Maybe some clothes instead of a bubba.

Also, due to mummy's slackness it has been decided that next years photo album will contain monthly photos and videos of Ruby instead of weekly updates.

photo update

Ruby's album has finally been updated.

I have no idea if the photos are in the correct weeks but there are a lot of new photos and recent videos of Ruby.

Keep a look out for the photo of Ruby with the first flower off her tree; the cute photo of Ruby and Daddy on the swings and all the videos of her entertaining us and making us laugh.

Mummy and daddy have started to use the Santa card with Ruby, we have let her know that if she is good Santa will come and bring her some pressies - a horse, a bubba and a book (this is what she asked for - so whenever she looses the plot or is drawing on the tiles - guess what, santa's not coming! Oh my god, it works - she stops what she is doing and recites her list of goodies.

We have been told this week that Ruby is moving up a class at swimming - about time too. She is the only baby in our class that is actually swimming and not just being dragged around the pool. Ruby loves swimming, we have taken her swimming lots lately, due to the temperature. Ruby can just jump on a noodle and paddle herself around the pool, she will get to the side and monkey monkey to the step and climb out. As long as we are watching she can pretty much play all by herself. Can't wait until we go away at Xmas to the beach.

Oh and our little chatter box now says "hello dadda" when she picks up mummy's mobile and pretends to have a conversation with him.

Ruby's xmas photo 2009 - minus Santa!

Daddy's Girl

Not that it's worrying anyone but Ruby is starting to follow a lot of her Dadda's traits. They might be hanging out together a little too much.

Her hair is going curly, she is obsessive about having clean hands and face (I think this one comes from Grandma Sheila) and she now runs around the house chasing flies with the fly swat.

Apart from this our little girl is now the biggest chatter box. She will yammer on for most of the day and if you aren't listening she gets louder and louder and louder. Her vocabulary is getting better and better everyday and Ruby is now talking in small sentences - "Eat dinner outside mumma" or the latest "Need that" or "it's stuck" or "Ruby help mumma with dinner". Yes, dinner is still a major part of Ruby's day.

And Ruby's most favourite thing to do at the moment (apart from eating or reading) is to ride her little car around the house at ridiculous speeds, chatting to herself and anyone who will listen at the same time.

slow down world, just for this week!

Here is a brief run down of our last fortnight:

• Tuesday 13th - visit baby Maddy at the hospital
• Wednesday 14th - the whole family is sick with a tummy virus
• Thursday 15th - still sick
• Friday 16th - still sick
• Saturday 17th - Mummy and Daddy go to Cabaritta Beach to celebrate Gary and Rachel tying the knot - Congrats guys
• Sunday 18th - Party time for Great Grandpa who turned 80
• Monday through to Friday an extra busy working week with Ruby still under the weather
• Saturday 24th - Our first trip to Kingscliff in months, yahoo! Ruby finally eating again
• Sunday 25th - Trip to Samford Pub, for lunch with old school friends

Phew!!!

Although the last fortnight was a little crazy, there were some very cute moments.

During one of Ruby's mid day naps and after many scary poos, daddy went into check on Ruby who had been asleep for a few hours. When he peeked in on his little angel who was fast asleep in her cot he noticed that there was a little bare bottom that had been unleashed prior to going "night night". A major disaster was avoided but we have a procedure in place now where Ruby goes to bed with a pair of button up pants on or some major restraints in place.

Ruby has this week started to sing the first couple of words to one of her favourites from music class. She is doing the hand actions to the Wiggles -Hot Potato Hot Potato, Cold Spaghetti cold spaghetti and is also having a go at saying Hot Potato.

After not having a bar of mummy and her surf board a Kingscliff, Ruby happily ran over to another little boys board and let him push her around the ocean. There are names for girls who are easy and mummy was hoping that Ruby wasn't one of them!

And tonight, Ruby has used the potty and gone to bed in her big girls bed :)

The new addition to our family - Madeleine Poppy

Ruby on the move at Great Grandpa's 80th


Enjoying wearing only her knickers

Ruby and Isabelle eyeing off Grandpa's B'day cake

New cousin

Ruby has decided this week that she is no longer going to have day time naps at Grandma's house. This is really no good as by the time mummy gets home from work both Grandma and Ruby are exhausted and are no fun to play with at all.

This last week Ruby has had no boob - 10 days boob free and counting - and has got her very last baby tooth. Ruby is saying more words, she will help mummy "cook", she will read a "book", "call dadda", says "hello Ruby" and Uncle Simon and Aunty Taryn taught her "bow chicka wow wow" this week - thanks guys.

Daddy took Ruby swimming on one of their daily outings and with the assistance of a noodle and no help from daddy, Ruby swam 25 meters on her own.

Bad mummy has taken hardly any photos this week but managed to get a couple at a very overdue mothers group catch up. Check out the size of our girl. You would never guess that she is the youngest of the group (apart from Baxter's brand new baby brother Oscar). Eva Grace (in pink, sitting next to Ruby) is 6 months older.

We've also recently found another photo of the Abbott's taken at Uncle Jamie and Aunty Emma's wedding. I don't know what the photographer has done to make mummy look so tanned but she likes it :)

And last but not least, we have a new addition to our family tonight. Aunty Emma has given birth to Madeleine Poppy at 7:16pm. We will be up to visit her first thing tomorrow and will post pictures very soon.