Ruby at one!

Dearest Ruby!

Congratulations you made it past one! You are so sweet. You really like to say "hello dad" alot... or "i did it". You are just starting to walk and your first steps were cool. You just saw something you wanted (mom) and walked. And your mother and I just looked at each other like..."you did it"... Of course you would respond with a smile and a syrupy giggle.

The journey this far has been great! You and I have become fast friends, particularly around the dinner table. You love books and turning pages. You love to play the "near / far" game or the "up / down" game or the "open / close" game... well you get the picture.

My favorite thing about you right now is that you love music! When you like a song you start to sway back and forth and rock up and down all in time with the beat. We took you to a Richmond Concert Band performance last weekend and I took you around all of the instruments. You really liked the drums... alot!

Well I'm looking forward to many many many more years and birthday parties and graduations and wedding bells when they come too...

We just might need to find you a partner in crime... we will have to see what the good Lord brings, eh?

With lots and lots of love,
Dad

Ruby's Birthday Party

One Small Step For.. Ruby!

That's right- we have your first steps, big girl! You crawl so well and so quickly that Grandma Hatch and I thought you might just stick with that and end up crawling down the aisle on your wedding day.. but alas! You have decided to give the world of walking a try.

Your favorite activities as of right now are pushing your toy truck around on your knees while holding onto the handles, reading "Three Little Kittens", and playing in the water- be it the pool that your Uncle Dave and Aunt Michelle gave you for your birthday, the bathtub, or poor Spiegel's water bowl, which is also what you get into time out most often for.

You can say Mom, Dad, Nana for banana, dog, ah for please, I did it, Hey dad, Mmm. Mr. Duck has been replaced by your lamb toy that Aunt Candace gave you for Easter.

You have refined your fav foods from just about anything to a few favorites, with most things tolerated with a little coaxing. You really like spaghetti, peas, and fruit- especially bananas.

You LOVE music. Whenever there'smusic, you rock back and forth and bop up and down, dancing.