I love you baby

After many requests we have finally taken a photo of mum's belly.

6 months in and bub is growing lots and lots, with poor mum is now finding it hard to wear clothes that fit when she was 9mths pregnant with Ruby.

Come November Ruby's not going to be able to get anywhere near mum for a cuddle.

Imagination, Fishing, Dobbing, Swearing and more

Our little chatter box has developed quite an imagination over the last month or so - mumma I'm scared, there's a camel in my cupboard - for example.

Ruby has fantastic stories and will talk non-stop if you let her. If Ruby has been out for the day with dad she will come home and tell mum exactly what she has done with dad that day, right down to the point where dad was looking for a new mumma!

Oh and her memory is amazing, Ruby will recite her stories, tell mum and dad off if we read ONE word wrong and repeat things that she hears you say. Yep, even naughty words that she shouldn't be saying - f*&king Wiggles (thanks dadda); for f*&king sake (thanks dadda); lets go home there's mould in the f*&king caravan (thanks dadda).

In the last month dadda has started a new job, just down the road from home. To celebrate before he started we had a weekend away at Kingscliff - due to the mould we lived it up and stayed in the local Breakfree Apartments. Even in winter Ruby loves the beach, spending one of the mornings playing in the surf and sand and the other on her first fishing trip with mum and dad. Ruby caught her first fish, which gets bigger and bigger and bigger every time you ask her how big it was.....she is going to make a great fisherman!

Baby Abbott is growing lots and lots with both Ruby and dad making comments about mum's large belly and posterior. Ruby loves coming to the doctors for our check ups and even gets up on the table to have her baby checked. She also did this when we went for our 3D ultrasound, when mum went to the loo, Ruby jumped up on the table and asked to get her baby looked at. Just Weetbix in Ruby's belly. At 'school' recently Ruby's teacher Miss Lizzy was playing rhythms on a drum and was asking the kids to copy her. When she told the kids that the next one would be like a heart beat, Ruby said 'My mummy has a heart beat in her belly, it's the babys'.

Ruby is now going twice a week to swimming lessons - super fish Abbott we'll call her and once a week to Baby Gymnastics where she is learning to balance, jump, do handstands and somersaults.

Ruby, Dad and her first fish!

Full of questions

Everything is a question with Ruby at the moment. Even if she knows the answer or you've just told her 6 times, you will still get asked "What's that".

Aside from this our little girl is an Angel, she is super funny, delicious and absolutely gorgeous. Ruby loves cuddles and will randomly launch at you with her arms open wide for a big cuddle.

She sings songs, recites her favourite books and generally talks all day.

Ruby loves school, "Ruby not come home mumma" is what I was told today when I went to pick her up and she is still loving her swimming lessons and trips to play gym.

In the last week we've been told that Ruby is moving up a class in swimming to Starfish and also going up to Seniors at school next term.

Ruby gives mummy's bump a cuddle everyday and will often ask to see the baby - which is getting bigger (much bigger than Ruby ever was).

Funny moment of the week:
Mummy has told Ruby previously that when she goes up to the stars Ruby can have the ring Daddy brought her. Yesterday while looking at Mummy's fingers Ruby announces that "Ruby can have mummy's ring when mummy goes to the stars with Grandma Alice, Nana and Papa and the Goat" (Goat is from the farm where we buy our vege).


Playing with Dad at the beach on the weekend - yes it was cold!

CRAZY

and not just from the ice cream Grandma Dianne has been giving her.

Ruby seems to turn into a Gremlin around dinner time every night. Running around the house, gibbering, making weird noises and just generally being uncontrollable.

She will not sit still long enough to eat anything decent going up, down around and around the kitchen bench, running from one room to the next.

We are hoping this crazy faze will pass as for most of the time Ruby is wonderful (and sometimes bossy).

She is very tough on her Dad, "Dadda stop talking to Mumma", "no Dadda don't hug Ruby", "Dadda sing to mumma"....

Ruby has finally started jumping properly and doesn't she love it. Unlike her cousin who runs and jumps like a 5 year old and has done since she was 1, Ruby has seemed quite awkward tripping over her feet and not quite mastering the jump rebound action required for the tramp. Now she's got it there's no stopping her. She loves being active and loves her weekly visits to playgym where she gets to play on all the gymnastic equipment.

Swimming wise Ruby is still doing really well and she is now being taught how to swim with proper arm actions and not just being told to paddle and kick. She is jumping in from the edge and will swim at least 5 - 10 metres to Dad under the water by herself.

Ruby in the equipment at Playgym

Infections, blood tests, trips, bad news, good news, first days, Easter and more....

Our beautiful (cheeky) Girl - enjoying a week away at the caravan

Yes there is a lot to catch up on and we really should have been posting as these things were happening but mummy's been a little slack lately.




Way back in the beginning of March we had a bit of a scare with Ruby getting an infection on her face that came up like a boil and with it the glands in her neck swelled to the size of a golf ball. After rushing her to the doctors for medication which did nothing, mummy and daddy had to torture poor Ruby with her first blood test. Let me tell you this was probably the worst thing we have ever had to do and hope to never have to do it again any time soon. Of course, nothing came up in her blood....which is a good thing.

After 3 weeks the glands finally went back to normal and Ruby now only has a small mark on her cheek.

To try and cheer our baby girl up after her ordeal we took her to the Brisbane Museum. Let me tell you she absolutely loved it. From the train ride in, right down to seeing the dinosaurs.

Not long after this, Great Grandma Alice had a massive stroke and passed away. This was a very emotional time but we are thankful that Grandma didn't suffer and she stayed with us long enough for everyone to say goodbye. Ruby even came up to see Grandma at the hospital to give her a little kiss and say goodbye.

Then 2 days later, mummy found out she was expecting Ruby's brother or sister (due on 22nd November). Ruby is super excited and talks to mummy's tummy all the time and tells us what her and the baby are going to do together. I hope #2 is tough - it's going to need to be.

On a whim we thought we would check out the local kindy/child care (we're calling it school) as we thought it would benefit Ruby to spend some time with other kids and not just her immediate family. Ruby and mummy went up to have a look and Ruby didn't want to leave. So we booked Ruby into go every Monday and so far she absolutely loves it. We walk in the door and she has the biggest smile on her face for all the other kids.

And of course at Easter we spent 5 days at the beach. Ruby turned into a typical 2 year old - enjoying her freedom a little too much but otherwise it was a nice (sort of) relaxing break. At least Daddy got some fishing time in.



After weeks of feeling drained, ill and overwhelmed mummy is now starting to feel a little better and ready to catch up on the blog and everything else that has been put on hold. Lots of photos will be added to Ruby's album and yes, we will update more regularly....promise