Ruby Hope McKee Starling

I have a quick moment while Herbie is napping, Ruby is watching Elmo, and dinner is in the oven.  These moments don't happen often.

We've been busy.  Both Ruby and Herbie are doing well.  We go thru 16-18 diapers a day between the two of them.  Chris and I are averaging 6 hours of sleep each at night.   Even with that, this is so much easier than having a baby in the NICU.  We are  sleeping more and the sleep we are getting is better quality.  This is just such a different experience this time around.

Herbie seems to be hitting his developmental milestones right on time.  Right at 6 weeks he started smiling at us.  At 2 am when he has been up since midnight he flashes us a a big toothless grin and it makes it all worth it.  He's also making us very aware of just how much we missed with Ruby.  It was at his current age that I got to hold Ruby for the first time.  It took permission from our surgeon.  Then two nurses to lift her and her wires and tubes into my lap.  At 6 weeks Ruby was still intubated and not yet had a bath.

 As for Ruby, she is speaking some 4 or 5 word sentences.  She forgets nothing.  She has also taken to sleeping with all of her trains.  She makes sure they all go poop and get kisses each night before she goes to sleep. 

We managed a family outing to the Austin Zoo a couple weekends ago.  Austin doesn't have a big zoo.  It's really just an animal rescue.  It is the perfect size for a toddler.  Ruby walked the whole thing. Baby Maddie also joined us on our outing.

Ruby loved feeding the goats, llamas, and deer "Chocolate Chips".

The Elmo shirt is only reason the Thomas shirts are able to get washed.  Add in the hipster skinny jeans and Ruby is one stylish toddler.

Today is Chris's birthday.  We're planning lunch at a park and an evening out for Mom and Dad.  It'll be the first time we've left both kids with a sitter.  Bedtime isn't easy around here lately.  Hopefully our wonderful sitter won't run screaming.  Ruby's issues with Herbie coming and messing up her life surface at night.  It's hard on everyone.  It's getting better, we're down to 2 hours of crying instead of the 3 we had the first couple weeks Herbie was home.  It's so hard being so little with such big feelings.