Ruby Hope McKee Starling

Ruby is holding steady at 17lbs 12 ounces.  We are trying everything.  The new formula doesn't really seem to be making that big of a difference.  We're trying to stay positive, but seems as though we're headed towards appetite stimulants.

Ruby is LOVING summer.  When we ask her if she wants to go swimming she gets really excited and starts to tell the cats bye bye.  She will try to bounce out of your arms once her swim suit is on.  She's been making lots of progress in the water.  She is more daring about walking in the water than on dry land.  She loves to blow bubbles and splash around.

Out of the water she has taken to pushing the kitchen chairs around the house.  She hasn't figured out how to maneuver them very well.  When she hits a road block she just leaves the chair and goes and get another one. 

She also loves to help in the garden.  By help I mean crawl into the garden and pick and eat the tomatoes, before I can get over to stop her.  If only tomatoes and boo balls had more fat in them.  Yesterday she even got upset when the she couldn't pull a red pepper off the plant.  I have a feeling next summer we're going to have a good little gardener on our hands.

I'll post some pictures soon.  Something is preventing me from uploading pictures.  I think the server is still having problems.

Ruby LOVES Ice cream.

We've had some difficulties with our server the past few days.  We're sorry everyone couldn't get their Ruby fix.  We aren't able to post pictures until we get the new power supply or Chris has some time to work on the software configuration on our backup server.  We're chalking this one up to the summer heat, which has causes almost daily power surges and brown outs due to increased demand.

We are taking full advantage of summer around our house -- swimming, swinging, play dates,  picnics, and just getting out and about.  Ruby has a full social calender and she loves it.  She's not walking yet but she is getting close.  She will walk around in the baby pool while holding a noodle float.  Knowing Ruby, she's not going to walk but RUN when the time comes.

Ruby's weight gain is still a concern.  Our Doctors here in Austin don't seem to be as worried as our team at CHOP.  I've had to find a middle ground between the two.  I don't want the Austin Docs to think I'm a fretting over her and force feeding her.  I don't want the CHOP Docs to think we aren't trying everything.  For the most part as long as she is gaining weight and healthy I'm fine with whatever opinions everyone has.  We have switched her formula from generic pediasure with fiber to Boost Kid Essentials 1.5 cal/ml with fiber.  It seems to be giving her a bit of constipation.  We're hoping we can do a mix of  pediasure and Kid Essentials, since it's quite expensive.  She has been eating almost a pint of blue berries every two days.  She loves her  "boo balls".  If nothing else the "boo balls" help with constipation.  As of Sunday night she weighed 17lbs 12 ounces.  We might just throw a party when she gets back on the charts. 

Ruby's vocabulary has exploded!  She's ahead of the game talking wise, and it's nice.  Here's a list of some of the new things:

Wazzat? (What's that?)

Whozat? (Who's that?)

Both of these make grocery shopping a very LONG process.  We meet lots of new people and learn about everything on the shelves.

Banana

Ball

Bottle

Boo balls (blue berries)

Outside (and sign)

Milk  (and sign)

Pretty Pretty (when we brush her hair she says this)

Cat or Kitty

All Done (and sign)

More ( and sign)

Bye (and wave)

Hi or Hey

Uby Nini (Ruby Night Night, she says this when she's tired)

Up (as she's pulling on your pant legs or kissing your shins)

uhbizah (we have no idea what this means but she says it all the time)

balloon

ball

We're working on please and thank you.  I'm sure I'm forgetting somethings.

It's time to go give Ruby her breakfast.  We had a boo ball emergency and Chris had to run to the grocery store at 6:30 am to get Ruby boo balls for breakfast.  We'll take a boo ball emergency over an ECMO circuit change any day.

Sorry for the long time between updates.  We headed to East Texas last weekend so Ruby could meet her Great Grandfather Starling.  It would have been a perfect trip had all three of us not come down with colds.  Thankfully we are all recovering.  Ruby seems to have fought the cold like a champ.

Since I'm still recovering from being sick I'm just going to share some pictures.  I promise a more comprehensive update tomorrow.

We'd also like to acknowledge Ruby's one year anniverary of being discharged from the NICU.  Our little girl has accomplished so much in the past year.  We are so happy we got experience it with her.