Hello,

After much thought and consideration, I have decided to create a new, more secure web journal for Ruby. I feel that this site has gotten much too public. Anyone can surf in and read about Ruby - and the site is even found in search engines! At first that didn't bother me. I wanted to share Ruby's story with random people who might have a child with one of Ruby's health conditions. I truly love sharing Ruby's daily life with all of my friends and family. But, I think it's time to become more private for our safety. This site has been such a blessing in so many ways. It is a permanent reminder of the people who have been there for us through our journey. It is a legacy of how far Ruby has come and has been a wonderful way to communicate with friends and family. I feel that moving to a new site is the only way that I can continue doing this.

I will be sending out an email with the new web site address and password to those of you who I know check the web site frequently. If you would like access and you don't get the email from me, please let me know.

Thank you so much for all of your love and support in our journey.
Angie and Ruby

Hi! I'm sorry it has been so long since I have posted an update. We had a great weekend. Ruby's aunt Jess came to visit from Florida on Saturday! It was the first time we met her, though we have been emailing for many months. We spent a couple of hours at the Mall of America and Jess got to hold Ruby a lot, which is why she visited, of course! To sum it up, it was just wonderful. Jess is a doll and I'm so glad she is in our lives. I posted some really cute videos that Jess took this weekend. You will have to turn your head to the left to watch one of the videos, but it's worth it because Ruby is so darn cute.

Ruby is doing fantastic. Thank goodness, she has been well for almost 3 weeks now! Her grandma misses her horribly - she hasn't seen Ruby for 2 weeks. I think that is the longest she has ever gone without seeing her for Ruby's entire life!

We saw Ruby's gastroenterologist (tummy doctor) on Friday. He is also quite enthused by her weight-gain and her recent desire to eat more. She weighed 12 lbs at the appointment. He took her off one of her reflux medications, Reglan, which is wonderful. He wants to see her back in 2 months and will hopefully take her off Prevacid at that point. I think reflux is in our history now. Tonight Ruby took 5 ounces from me, which is just fantastic! Just a month ago, she was topping out at 2.5-3 ounces max! So, this is all great. We are working on solids, but it's just not going that well. I really do believe that Ruby is steering the course and she will tell me when she's ready to go full-force on solids. I know it's quite crazy that an almost 1-yr old isn't on solids yet, but Ruby is not the typical child, is she?!

That is really all that I have to update for now. This week is rather uneventful - no occupational therapy and no doctor's appointments. I can't say that I'm disappointed, though. I'll write more soon!

Hello! We have had a great couple of days. I just love having Wednesdays off from work. It really makes the work week so much easier - I'm away from Ruby for two days and we get to spend one together and then we spend two days away and two together on the weekend! It's perfect. Today her occupational therapist came and brought lots of cool toys. She brought a bucket of blocks and plastic balls and rings. Ruby actually reached into the bucket and grabbed a ring and a block! It was pretty neat. She left the bucket here so Ruby can play with the toys all the time. Tonight I spread all the blocks, balls and rings on her high chair tray as well as some different tupperware containers and Ruby had a blast putting the blocks in the containers and dumping them out and throwing things on the floor. I had lots of fun putting the tupperware containers on top of her head! It's just amazing to me what a big girl she is getting to be! Today Ruby also went in to the doctor's office to get her synagis shot and she was such a big girl. She only cried for 2 seconds and the nurse handed her back to me and she giggled! The nurses got a kick out of that!

That's about all that I have to report for now. Oh, and for those of you who have been curious about a birthday party for Ruby, I am planning one. I'm just having a really hard time deciding whether to have it at my parents house in Albert Lea or up here at our new place. I'm just not sure I could fit as many people comfortably here as I could at my parents' house. If anyone has any thoughts or ideas on this, please email me! Have a great week!

It's really hard to believe, but it has been almost a year since I started the Caring Bridge website about Ruby. My first entry was on October 10 and I was 28 weeks pregnant and very, very scared that she wouldn't make it to delivery. I am so glad that memory is written down because it makes me that much more grateful for what I have. This time of year is bringing back so many memories for me. These sunny fall days remind me of days at the doctor with bad news surrounding me and fear in my heart. I can't help but relive some of those memories and feelings leading up to her birth day. It's amazing how the weather can facilitate those emotions.

Today I bundled Ruby up in a hat, winter coat (12 month size and it's just a little too big!!) and shoes and we went for a walk. It was pretty cold, but she sat like a little angel in her stroller. I turned around early because I was worried that she was too cold. The wind was kind of brisk! We have a beautiful lake near our house and I wanted to catch a glimpse of it before the snow falls!

Ruby has been eating like a little piggy for the last couple of days! She has by far surpassed her record in bottles today. Earlier this afternoon I gave her a 4 oz bottle and she was still hungry, so I gave her 2 oz more and she ended up barfing all over herself. I don't think her tummy is quite big enough to handle 6 oz at once. She usually only takes 2-3 oz at a time, so she must be growing like a little weed! She has also been sleeping through the night consistently for the last week (knock on wood) so she should be more hungry during the day. Last night I fell asleep at 9:30 (I am SO lame) and I rolled over at 7:11 am and just about shot out of bed, thinking she had died in her sleep or something. Nope, thank God, she was just laying in bed playing with her feet! I like this new schedule a LOT! So good things are happening over here lately.

We are so very, very blessed in every way. Each day that Ruby and I have together is truly a miracle. Keeping this website has blessed us in so many ways, too. It's amazing to me how many people check the site daily to get a Ruby update. I really can't explain how absolutely touching it is that so many people (some of whom haven't even met her) want to know what is going on in my little pumpkin's life. There really are no words to express my deep gratitude for the prayers and kind words. Thank you for following our journey now for nearly a year!

Love,
Angie and Ruby

Ruby seems to be pretty much back to her happy smily self again. Today I didn't need to suction her nose at all! It's a miracle! I can now stop being meany mommy. She has been babbling her new words like crazy lately and it's the cutest thing I've ever heard in my life. She has the sweetest voice - it's like a little angel talking! We had a lot of fun hanging out today on my day off. Her occupational therapist came over and Ruby showed her how wiggly she could be! She also showed her that she would absolutely not be doing ANY tummy time today! Every time she tried to put Ruby on her tummy she rolled right back over or screamed if we held her there.  Tonight Ruby got a bath and I taught her the sounds that all of the animals make. She thought it was pretty funny, especially when the cat meowed and the snake hissed!

I got good news earlier this week that Ruby was approved by my insurance company to receive the RSV synagis shots again this year. RSV is a common illness like a cold that affects every child, but can be particularly devastating to children who were born prematurely and also because Ruby is still so small for her age. This common infection can travel into the lower respiratory system and wreak major havoc. She will get one shot per month starting in in a couple of weeks until spring. It's not going to be fun, but it's worth it because last year her pediatrician told me some horror stories of kids in the ICU with deadly RSV infections. It is especially critical because she is in daycare this year and is obviously soaking up those germs like a little sponge!

I guess a couple of people are  interested in knowing what Ruby's favorite song is! Sorry I didnt' say it before! The song is by a band you've probably never heard of called, Keane and it's called "Everybody's changing". It's just really gentle song and the singer has a great voice but it's really not "baby music"! We also listen to a great CD in the car with lullabyes in different languages and of course, Raffi and Auntie Mandy has made her some great baby CDs and Ruby loves those songs too, but she's never reacted to another song in the same was as she does to that one. Guess it just shows that kids can have sophisticated taste at a young age! That's my girl!

Hello! Wanted to post and let you know that Ruby seems to be feeling a lot better. She no longer has diarrhea (thank God!), her fever is gone and there isn't as much gunk coming out of her nose as there was earlier this week. She smiled and laughed for the first time in about 4 days on Friday. That was a relief! She just wasn't happy and I don't blame her. I'm so glad that it didn't get worse. Poor baby!

Ruby started saying "ba ba ba ba" and "ma ma ma ma" on Saturday! My parents and sister came up to stay at my new place and my mom was saying "ma ma" to her and she repeated it back! Ever since then, she has been babbling like crazy. She has said a few things in the past, but not this much! I'm so excited! She is also learning to clap like a big girl! I have posted a new video of her clapping - it's so cute. Click here to see it.

Ruby also seems to have a favorite song! I have a CD with a bunch of different artists on it and I have been playing it on the way to work in the morning. One morning when one of the songs came on, she got really excited and squealed and started clapping her hands! I played the song again the next day and she did the same thing! She doesn't get excited like that for every song, so apparently she has a favorite song! She's so funny.

Hope everyone had a nice weekend!

Ruby has had two more rough days. On Wednesday, her fever continued and she also started to get a really runny nose. Her fever was gone this morning, so I figured she would be okay to go to daycare, but I got a call at work at 10:30 that she had already pooped 3 times and they wanted her to go home for fear that she is contagious. Apparently another little girl at daycare went home on Wed. with diarrhea too, so something must be going around right now. I got her in to see a pediatrician this afternoon and he ran blood tests, which showed that she is actively fighting a virus. He feels that the diarrhea and runny nose/fever are different illnesses and doesn't think that she has rotavirus. He felt that she was plenty hydrated. I brought in stool samples this morning but they take about 3 days to test, so we won't know if there's something else going on until then. For now, all I can do is treat her fever and keep her hydrated. I feel SO bad for her. I can just tell she is miserable. Tonight she got sick to her stomach and threw up all over me - she hasn't done that in SO long. Poor baby! She's been crying so much, which is so unlike her, so I know she is just not feeling well. If she still has a fever on Saturday, I am supposed to take her in again. Let's pray that it goes away tomorrow along with this diarrhea!

Thanks for everyone who keeps checking in and saying some prayers! It means so much to us! Ruby is one loved little girl. We are very blessed to have you all in our lives.

Hi there. Well Ruby has had a bit of a tough week. She has had loose stools/diarrhea for about 10 days now - the first 4 days I wasn't too worried, thinking that it would clear up on its own. Then on Saturday she started getting a terrible diaper rash. Her little bum was so red, I cried for her when I changed her diaper and so did she, poor thing. I tried using every diaper cream in my arsenal - desitin, balmex, some leftover nystatin, I bought some lotrimin for yeast, I soaked her in dreft and baking soda. Nothing helped. On Monday her loose stools continued, which fueled her diaper rash even more and I ended up calling her ped's office to see what I should do and when I should be worried about the pooping. The nurse told me that since her skin was on the verge of breaking open, we should definitely come in. We saw a different pediatrician, (I guess dr. Morkeberg is on vacation) and he figured that she just had a virus and prescribed some "Poop Goop" ointment for her butt. That is literally what he wrote on the prescription slip - Poop Goop! And he sent me home with some culture dishes to collect stool in for testing if it doesn't get better in 3 days.

Today she blew out 2 outfits and she threw up at daycare. I got her home and we were playing on the floor and she seemed pretty happy, but I brought her face up to mine for a kiss and she was on fire. Poor little thing had a fever of 102.3. I got pretty freaked out and called the clinic right away. I don't usually feel panicky over stuff like this, but it seemed like her fever came out of no where. The nurse said that she suspected that Ruby has rotovirus, which is apparently pretty common in babies and causes diarrhea. So no emergency visits tonight unless her fever hits 105 (scary!). Her fever has gone down slightly and we have switched over to pedialyte instead of formula. I have tomorrow off, so we will lay low and hopefully this bug will pass and her diaper rash will be ancient history. The poop goop is really working on her rash, but it's still looking pretty painful. Anyways, to make a long story short, Ruby hasn't had the greatest week ever and I feel terrible for her. I'm not used to her being sick so often, but I know it's just a part of being a baby.

Sorry that I have gotten pretty bad at updating the website. I have noticed that I am on a pattern right now of updating on Tuesday and Friday. I really can't find the time to update more than that right now and quite frankly, our lives are just not eventful enough to create fodder for journal entries. I mean, I just wrote 2 paragraphs about poop! How interesting is that?! I can assure you that once November rolls around, we will have plenty of doctors appointments to update you on because our month is booked solid with 1-year check-ups.

By the way - the picture posted on here is of my friends Brooke and Allison, and of course, Ruby and me. Allison is one of my great college friends - she lives in Chicago and was in Minnesota visiting this weekend and Brooke, another wonderful high school and college friend, picked her and her boyfriend, Chris, up from the airport and they stopped by our place on Friday to visit. We had a lot of fun!

Gotta get to bed now. I'll try to update again soon!

Hello! We had a great appointment at the NICU follow-up clinic today! The neonatologist plotted Ruby's growth on a chart and interestingly, her growth curve is the same as a "typical" child her age. She is below where she is supposed to be in overall weight and height on the chart, but the curve is exactly where it's supposed to be. They didn't expect her to follow the curve at all. Her neonatologist even said that she is exhibiting some catch-up growth! He expects her to be in the 3rd percentile soon! How amazing is that - going from being WAY off the charts, to slowly creeping on to them?! I am ecstatic! They were all SO amazed at how great she is doing! Her neonatogist asked me what I was feeding her! It just cracks me up!

He was also extremely impressed with her gross motor skills. Ruby was laying on the table and grabbed the stethescope with both hands and put it in her mouth and he just couldn't believe she is the same baby that weighed 3 lbs at birth. I was, of course, a beaming, proud mother! We discussed all of her systems and eyes and her neonatolgist pointed out that there are premie babies born that have much worse brain damage than Ruby and are completely blind too because of their prematurity- just proves that nothing in life is guaranteed. I feel very fortunate for this wonderful news and for Ruby's health! It's a miracle.

We also had a great visit at the NICU on Wednesday with Ruby's primary nurse, Bev. It was so strange to walk into the NICU again. It brought back a flood of memories and feelings for me. Seeing Bev brough back a lot of emotions too - she was the cornerstone of Ruby's care and was so diligent in making sure that I was informed and that Ruby was always top of mind for everyone. Bev is the reason that Ruby got out of the hospital so quickly and I will always hold a special place in my heart for her. We wanted to see Ruby's other primary nurse, Caroline, who is also wonderful, but she wasn't there. Ruby threw a little bit of a fit and we only stayed for 20 minutes or so. She was thinking - I remember this place, get me OUT OF HERE! It was so wonderful to walk out of there with Ruby in my arms and know that our lives are so much different since the last time we left there together. It's really quite amazing how much things have changed. Just this time last year, I had just recieved the devastating news that Ruby might have trisomy 18, that she might die, and here we are living our lives somewhat normally! WOW! Sorry for the rant, I just have to reflect sometimes on how amazing our lives have been and how far we have come.

Thanks for checking in! I'll write again soon. Love to you all and have a wonderful weekend!

Hello! We are officially moved in and I have internet at home again. The move went so smoothly, thanks to SO many people - my parents, my uncle Pat and aunt Mary Jo, my cousin Kevin, my friends Joni, John and Brooke. I seriously don't know what I would have done without their help. The move out of my apartment took a little less than 2 hours and the move into the townhome took less than 30 minutes! It was so slick! We aren't fully settled in yet. There are still plenty of boxes to unpack! It just feels so good to be in a bigger place! It is very weird sleeping in a different room than Ruby. I haven't slept 100% the past couple of nights because I worry that I might not hear her cry (even though I do) and it is also very weird not to hear her breathe or move, so I have gotten up a few times in the middle of the night very disoriented wondering where she is and if she's okay. Her door is only a few feet from mine, but it's going to take some getting used to. She seems to be sleeping a little longer and has only been crying once around 3 or so, falling back to sleep and then getting up at 5 to eat some breakfast!

Today Ruby had an appointment with her cornea specialist. He has been seeing her since she was in the NICU and has been evaluating her to see if she's a candidate for a cornea transplant. In the past he hasn't felt that it would be a worthwhile procedure and the bad things far outweigh any good that could come of it. At this point, he doesn't feel that doing  a corneal transplant would help her to see better. Her right eye (which was supposedly her better eye) has started to turn in, almost like she's going cross-eyed in that eye. That means that it is getting limited visual stimulation and could be getting worse. Her left eye is better than the right, but still not very good. He can tell that she can see light in both eyes, but he just can't say how much. I am quite sure that Ruby can see more than we think and we really won't know until she can tell us!

Ruby was, as always, the hit of the waiting room at the doctor this morning. That girl attracts so many admirers! People just come up and talk to me like we are long-lost friends. I was talking to a woman in the waiting room today whose son was born with Cerebral palsy and is in a wheelchair. We were talking about how people ask the oddest (and sometimes very rude) questions about our children with special needs. Her son is now 16, so she's had many years of experience with this. She said that when he was a baby, it was really hard and the rude and probing questions and comments hurt her. I completely relate to that. I think it takes a long time to build up a tough skin and to not be affected by the questions people ask about your beloved and beautiful child.

Tomorrow Ruby has a meeting to check on the progress of OT, PT, and vision therapy. All of her therapists are coming over in the morning to chat and discuss Ruby's strenghts and weaknesses. It should be interesting. Then, we are heading up to the NICU to visit Ruby's good old friends there, namely her primary nurse who took care of her much of the time she was in the hospital. I'm really excited to see some of those friendly faces again who were so wonderful to Ruby while she was living there! On Friday, Ruby has a NICU follow-up appointment. She will be seen by the neonatologist who has been monitoring her progress since she was discharged. Those appointments are really fun too, because her doctors at Fairview were amazing and they always provide me with great insight and encouragement. They really enjoy seeing Ruby, too. I'll let you know how it goes and what I find out!

Hope everyone is doing well and thanks for checking up on miss Ruby!

Hello! Wanted to post a quick update before the weekend kicks off! We have had a weird week. I came down with a nice sinus infection and possible ear infection on Monday, so I was pretty much stuck home until Wednesday. Miraculously (knock on wood) Ruby stayed well through it all!

Ruby is doing fabulous. Her occupational therapist came on Wednesday. She always brings a bag full of fun toys for Ruby to play with. She handed Ruby 2 rattles and she held one in each hand, banged them together and tried to stuff both of them in her mouth. Apparently holding different objects in each hand is a really big developmental milestone! Ruby is also doing really well at sitting by herself (with my help getting up). She hasn't quite mastered getting up to sitting position by herself yet, but she gets a little closer every day. Her little baby tummy crunches are adorable to watch!

Well, I'd love to write more, but I gotta run home and pack up a few more things so we can move tomorrow! I'll update as soon as I get my computer hooked up to the internet. Have a nice weekend!

Hey - it's Angie this time! It's past Ruby's bedtime, so I thought I'd take over writing the journal today. Hope you got a kick out of her journal entry. I was too sick to write it that day, but wanted to make sure you found out what happened at her appointment.

We had a nice weekend. Grandma and Ruby hung out on Friday night and I hung out with friends. On Saturday, Ruby and I were total lazy butts and we watched TV and layed in bed together all day. It has been a really long time since I've been that lazy, but I needed it. Ruby was such a sweetie and contently layed around with me all day. I think she enjoyed the cuddle time just as much as I did. With my mom's help, my entire place is almost packed! There are boxes everywhere and it's really messy, but I know that by this time next week, we'll be in our new place! We went for the walk-through on Thursday and it made me even more excited!

Ruby has been getting SO strong on her tummy lately. Up until 2 days ago, she wasn't able to figure out how to roll from her tummy to her back, but now she gets it and flips right over. She is really tolerating being on her tummy more too and she props up on her arms like such a big girl. She is just getting so strong. Each new thing that she can do makes me feel so proud and full of joy. It's so rewarding to think that there were some people who never thought she'd get this far, and here she is, amazing us all!

Well, it's now almost past my bedtime, so better hit the sack. Thanks for checking in. Lots of love - Angie

Hello everybody. This is Ruby. My mommy is gonna let me write the journal today because she isn't feeling very good. We think she has the flu, but she went to work anyway. Silly mommy!

I wanted to tell you about my doctor's appointment yesterday. I got weighed and I was 11 lbs 8 oz. They made a joke that I will never make it over 12 lbs. I'll show them! I was 24 inches long and that was stretching my legs as much as I could! My doctor said that my mommy shouldn’t be worried about my weight right now. I am not skinny and I look healthier than I ever have.

My doctor is really happy about all the stuff I can do now! I can lift my head up 90 degrees when my mommy lays me on my tummy and I've even tried to crawl a little bit, but I can't get anywhere just yet. I can almost sit all by myself, but my hips are a little tight from wearing my silly brace at night. I can hold toys in my hands for a really long time and I even switch the toy to my other hand and I like to lick them, bang them on stuff, rattle them, smack my mommy in the face with them, stick them in my mouth, throw them on the floor and all kinds of stuff. I like to make lots of fun sounds with my mouth, like la la, and sometimes ga ga and I’ve even said ma ma once or twice. I also think it’s really funny when my mommy pats my hand on my mouth while I make a noise and it ends up sounding like wa wa wa. I like to play that game.

Then the mean nurse came in and poked me in both my legs with a big needle. I cried for 2 seconds and made the saddest face my mommy has ever seen and then I stopped and smiled. I’m almost 1 now, so I don’t cry for shots like I did when I was just a little girl.

My doctor also told my mommy that she should stop feeding me bottles in the middle of the night. L He said that I need to learn how to sleep all night without eating and that my mommy needs the rest too. My mommy is trying to listen to his advice, but she still got up with me last night and fed me a bottle. I’ve got her wrapped around my little finger.

My mommy says that soon we will have our own bedrooms because we are moving to a bigger, better house next weekend. I am excited, but a little nervous about sleeping in my room alone. Mommy thinks we will both get a better night’s sleep this way. I’m sure she’s right. She said we can still have sleepovers sometimes.

I also got a new mobile over my bed and I like to listen to the music and watch the animals go around in circles. I can see them and I laugh at their silly faces!

My occupational therapist came over yesterday to play and she was very excited about all of the new stuff I can do too. I am surprising everybody with how smart I am. I still love daycare a ton and my teachers there are so nice to mommy and me. I also had grandma help me send a get-better card to Mommy today and she really thought it was sweet. Thank you grandma!

That’s really all that I have to say right now. My mommy will write next time. She wanted me to let you know that she put some new pictures on the 2005 pictures link, so check them out!

Thank you for checking my site. Love, Ruby

So I finally posted a new picture, but it's not that great. Ruby wasn't feeling very photogenic this weekend. There has been lots of crying and little sleeping. I'm not really sure what's going on, but it's tiring me out! The last 2 nights she has woken up at 3, I feed her and then she will not go back to sleep. She cries on and off for at least an hour. Just when I get up to look in her crib, she has fallen back asleep and just as I fall back to sleep, she wakes up and cries. It's quite the frustrating situation. I reiterate that I can NOT wait to have my own room. It's not like I'm going to shut my door and allow her to cry, but she really does need to learn how to fall back asleep without my help and hopefully some day sleep through the night without eating too. I can dream, can't I?

Anyways, I'll try to take some better pictures when Ruby is a little bit happier. Hope everyone enjoyed the weekend!

Hello! I don't have much to update about Ruby tonight, but wanted to say hi. Ruby had a great day today with Mandy and Mandy's roommate, Sara. They came last night and Mandy got up with Ruby while I got ready for work this morning. They enjoyed the gorgeous day by taking a nice walk. I think Mandy really enjoyed her time with Ruby and I know that Ruby enjoyed it as well. It was nice to know that Ruby was being hugged and loved to death all day long while I was working. I know that daycare loves her, but there's just something different about having Mandy taking care of her!

As you can see, I have not had time to update the picture on here. I haven't even had time to take any pictures this week. That always makes me sad. I like to take pictures of everything Ruby does. But somehow life just gets in the way and I forget to grab the digital camera. I took some video of Ruby playing with her bananas, but I can't figure out how to upload the video from my camcorder. I hope to learn soon. I still have a couple of rolls of film from the NICU that I haven't developed! I need to do that ASAP!

I wanted to update you on my friend's daughter. She was found to have an extremely rare and deadly form of bacterial menigitis. She is still in critical condition in the hospital, hooked up to every machine imaginable. She's still on a ventilator and today they discussed putting her on dialysis because her kidneys aren't fuctioning properly. The doctor said that if she had brought her in 15 minutes later, she would have most likely died. She is on medication to prevent heart failure and to keep her vital organs functioning. They are hoping to wean her off more medications and life support machines over the weekend. My heart just breaks for her family right now. Even though Ruby was in the NICU for such a long time, she was almost always stable and I never feared that she would suddenly die. My friend hasn't left the hospital for days for fear that her daughter might take a turn for the worst. Please continue to keep this little girl in your prayers; she is truly not out of the woods yet. Thank you so much.

My prayers have also been focused on the victims of Hurricane Katrina. I have been watching the news over the last few days and I cannot fathom the conditions that these people are living in. I have found myself outright bawling for the pain and suffering that these people are experiencing. One broadcast that especially hit home for me was about preemie babies in the hospitals down here. The lights and power shut off and nurses were scrambling around trying to manually breathe for the babies. I just imagine if that had happened while Ruby was in the hospital. She didn't need a ventilator to breath for her, but she needed the warmth of her isolette and the machine that ran the IV fluids into her as her only nutrition. I just can't imagine what it's like down there and every time I take a sip of clean water or give Ruby a warm bottle, I thank God that we were spared. It's just not fair. I'm sorry that I have completely strayed off topic here, but I just had to share my grief and heartache over this.

I am going to update the picture this weekend. I swear. I'm going to try to develop the pictures and load them on here too! I'll let you know when I do! Have a wonderful Labor day weekend!

Hello! Thanks for saying prayers for my friend's little girl today. She is still in critical condition in the ICU at Children's, but her fever had gone down to 99.2 by the time I left work today, though she is still hooked up to a ventilator. She's not out of the woods yet. I had to hug Ruby extra hard today when I picked her up at daycare. Just thinking of her being in the hospital with this type of infection scares me so much. It's something that could happen to any of us. That's how life works, doesn't it - even people who have healthy children at birth can face these terribly frightening and potentially devastating obstacles down the road. Not one of us is spared from this possibility. I've learned from my own personal experiences to never say (or believe) "that will never happen to me" because you just never know.

Anyways, on to a happier note! Ruby had a great day! She took 4 ounces of formula from me at 7 this morning and then she took two 4-ounce bottles and one 2-ounce bottle at daycare. That is an all-time record for her! She usually only takes 1-2 ounces a couple of times a day at daycare. I'm excited, but not getting my hopes up that this will become a trend. Ruby will not be forced to eat any more than she wants, that's for sure!

Tomorrow is my day off, so we're going to go for a long walk in the morning and if it's warm out, I'll take her swimming. We don't have any doctor's appointments and Ruby's occupational therapist has been on summer break for the last 3 weeks, so we will have tomorrow all to ourselves. It's very nice to have a little break in the middle of the week! On Thursday night, Mandy is coming up to visit and help me out by watching Ruby on Friday. I found out last week that daycare is having an inservice on Friday, so they will be closed! I was a little concerned about switching my schedule, so I called Mandy and asked her if she had the day off and would want to watch Ruby and she said yes! So Ruby will get to spend the whole day with her auntie! She's very excited.

Well, Ruby is requesting a late-night snack, so I'd better attend to her. Lots of love and prayers for all of you. I'll try to change the picture on here tomorrow, too.

Hi guys,

I have a really urgent prayer request today - my friend/coworker's 2 year old daughter was just admitted to the ICU with a temp of 107 - they think she has meningitis. As we all know, this could be fatal. I am so scared for her and can not imagine the gut-wrenching fear they must be feeling right now. I figured the best thing to do right now was to pass the prayer request on to all of you, my ever faithful and wonderful pray-ers. So, if you have a quick minute, would you please keep this sweet little girl in your prayers? Thank you so much!

I'll update on Ruby later. She is doing great.

Much love - Angie

Good morning! I wanted to update before the weekend ends and we get thrown back into another busy week!

Ruby had a pretty good rest of the week. She still has plenty of boogers to go around, which means I still have to be mean mommy and suction her nose. She especially loves the saline drops in her nose! But they work well at loosening stuff up, so it's a necessary evil. Yesterday I got a call from her teacher at daycare that she wasn't eating very well again and had a slight fever, but she did just fine for me when we got home. She really just wants me to quit my job and stay home with her all the time!

I am really starting to get into the swing of things at work again. I am enjoying having responsibilities that don't involve diapers and bottles! And honestly, if I had to choose staying at home or staying back at work, I'd choose work. Not that I didn't LOVE my time home with Ruby, but I was so secluded and holed up in the house all the time. It was a really hard first month back to work, but I am seeing why I used to love my job so much and why I worked my butt off in college. When I got pregnant, I swore to myself that I wouldn't let my other dreams die because I was going to be a mom. My priorities have definitely shifted in a huge way, but I am able to juggle Ruby and my career and that feels good. I feel like a well-rounded person and I hope that by trying to acheive my personal goals Ruby will see that she can acheive hers as well.

We are nearing in on a closing date for the townhome! My dad says that everything should be done by September 9! We are shooting for September 17 as a move-in date. I can't wait. I need to start packing in a serious way. I am heading home to Albert Lea today to get a bunch of boxes from my parents so I can start packing this week. I only have 3 weeks to get it all done. A couple of my friends have volunteered to come over one night to help me pack and I have a few people lined up for helping to move that day, including my parents and maybe my sister. If anyone really loves to help people move (yeah right!) and you're free on Sept. 17, shoot me an email or give me a call. We'd love to have extra arms and legs. Last year when I moved into my apartment it was just my mom, dad and me moving everything. And I was 6 months pregnant, so not a very big help. I promised my dad that I would have people lined to help up this time!

Well, I better run! Have a nice weekend! Thank you so much for checking in on us. We love you.

Hi - just wanted to let you know that Ruby seems to be feeling better today. Her fever broke last night and she was able to go to daycare today. She has taken quite a liking to pedialyte (cherry flavored - silly mommy!) and took about 8 oz of it at daycare today. I am trying to get her back to taking more formula and don't want her to get used to the sweet flavor of pedialyte! I think we're out of the clear and hopefully her stuffy nose and little cough will go away completely by Friday. I am sick of being mean mommy when I have to suction her nose. She hears the bulb syringe and immediately starts crying. I feel so bad holding her down and suctioning her, but I know that if I don't, she will suffer worse! I know that I wouldn't enjoy getting my snot sucked out against my will either!

Thanks for checking in! Have a nice night!

Hey! Well, I spoke too soon when I said that we should be able to stay away from any doctors for 2 weeks. On Sunday night Ruby started to get a runny nose and then she threw up in the car on the way home from Albert Lea. That was pretty scary! It has been a while since she's done that. Then Monday morning she was super stuffy and started to cough, wouldn't eat all day at daycare, so I called her doctor and they told me to give her pedialyte and suction her nose before every feeding and to call in the morning if she doesn't get better. Last night she spiked a fever of 100.6, then this morning it was 101.6, so I called at 8 to get her an appointment.

We got in to see Dr. Morkeberg at 3:45 and he said that there is a cold with fever going around. Her lungs sounded fine, so it's not a respiratory infection and her ears looked good too. He didn't even want to take blood - that was a first for him! He said to watch her for the next 2 days and if it gets worse or doesn't go away to come back in. So, I stayed home from work today and may have to do the same tomorrow. I really hope she starts to feel better soon! She HATES having her nose suctioned out and I know how crappy it feels to have a fever. Poor little punkin. She is coughing too, which sounds so sad! I have just been cuddling her like crazy - she is extremely clingy and doesn't want to be put down.  Dr. Morkeberg was so sweet at the appointment today. He asked me to call on Thursday and leave a message with his nurse to let him know that Ruby is doing okay and made sure to tell me his schedule for the entire week so I know where to find him if she gets worse. Seriously - what an amazing doctor!

That's it for now! I'll update later this week to give the all clear! I know it's just a minor cold, but since I don't have much to update about lately, this is big news!

Hi all! We've had a really nice weekend. Ruby went to her first birthday party yesterday! The party was in Mankato for my friend Karly's daughter, Alisson, who turned 1! It was a lot of fun to see Karly, Alisson and another Mankato friend Carrie and her son Derrick. It was the first time that I've felt like I officially joined the mommy's club - everyone there had kids! I have never been in a room with that many moms and their kids, so it was a great experience. Ruby was so good and didn't cry at all. What a good girl! We headed to Albert Lea after the party. Mandy is home from Eau Claire visiting my parents this weekend, so we had to be there so we could hang out as an entire family! Our family just has so much fun together and I hardly get a chance to hold Ruby because someone always has her in their arms! I also got a chance to cut my hair - FINALLY! I cut off 7 inches and it's still past my shoulders! It is so weird to have shorter hair again. And this morning I left Ruby with Grandma and went out for breakfast with my best friend Brooke. It was a packed and super fun weekend.

Ruby is still working on trying to eat more solids. She loves bananas so much. The other day she ate an entire jar of them! I keep trying different veggies and fruits and cereal, but she gets a look on her face like she's absolutely offended that I would try to feed her such things! We'll keep trying though. Ruby's legs are getting so strong too! I can stand her up against the couch and she'll hold herself up for at least a minute. She is getting so good at sitting in my lap and reaching for things and playing with toys. She just really changes every single day - it's amazing!

Sorry that I don't have much more to write about! Things are somewhat boring - but that's okay! Hopefully we can stay away from any doctors for at least 2 more weeks!

Have a nice week! I'll try to update again mid-week. We love you!

Hi! It has been a long time since I've updated - sorry! We had a really nice weekend. On Friday, my mom picked Ruby up from daycare and took her to Albert Lea so I could attend a work golf tournament and hang out with friends after. My parents are so amazing! They have been so awesome about taking Ruby so I can enjoy some time to myself once in a while. It really is nice to know that it's okay to get away and that Ruby is in the best hands possible! Thank you so much, mom and dad, for all of your help!

Ruby seems to have fully recovered from tube surgery. The little wound where her skin tag was is looking smaller each day. Today I went to visit her at daycare over my lunch hour and that was so nice. It was the first time I've been able to get away to see her during the day since I've been back at work!

Ruby is really enjoying having her brace off during the day. She is kicking her legs all the time and trying to touch her feet. She got her first taste of the Johnny jump-up at my parents' house and she loved it!

The rest of our month is actually going to be really quiet! Ruby will see her pediatrician in a couple of weeks for her 9 month shots and a weight-check, but that is it until we see her eye doctor on September 20! That is the longest we've ever gone without a specialist appointment. I am planning on taking Ruby up to the NICU next week for a little reunion with her primary nurse and others who cared for her while she was in the hospital. I'm really excited about that. We haven't been back since she was discharged!

I also have news on the moving situation! My dad decided that it would be a good investment to buy a townhome that I will rent from him. We found one, my dad made an offer and it was accepted! It's in Burnsville, so Ruby will stay in the same school district. It has 2 bedrooms, a washer and dryer and a 2-car garage! What more could a girl ask for? I'm going to be in heaven! I'm so excited to move. We are hoping to close before September 15. I'm going to have to start packing soon!

Well, that's pretty much all that's going on in our lives. I'll try to update more frequently going forward. Much love to all of you who continue to check up on Ruby. If you haven't signed the guestbook in a while, check in and say hi so we know you've been here! Have a nice week!

Hello! Today's tube placement went as perfect as possible! We arrived at Children's around 11:15 and pretty much waited around until 12:45 when the doctor showed up. Ruby got to go to surgery in the clothes she was in and they gave her gas to put her under, so no tubes or IV lines! The entire procedure took 30 minutes. The anesthesiologist took her out of my arms at 12:55 and she was placed back in them again at 1:25! I asked the ENT if he would mind tying off Ruby's skin tag while she was under anesthesia, figuring that it would be a good time to get it over with. He said that he would actually just snip it off and put a stitch in it! So, we got that taken care of too. Ruby was a little crabby right after the procedure and started to shake from the anesthesia, but they brought some warm blankets and I rocked her to sleep and we were out the door by 2. Very simple procedure! She was back to her happy, giggly self by 6 pm.

Thanks for all the wonderful prayers! I'd write more, but I'm just about ready to fall asleep on the keyboard!

Love you all!

Just a quick post tonight - Ruby saw her orthopedist today and her hip x-ray showed that her hips are completely normal! So, she is now down to wearing the brace for 10 hours a day for 3 months and then probably not at all after that! YAY! I was so excited that I had to share right away.

Ruby got a clean bill of health at her pediatrician appointment yesterday, so the surgery is a go. Ruby is becoming quite the popular lady at her ped's office. Yesterday Dr. Morkeberg's nurses were fighting over who got to take care of Ruby and apparently 2 of the lab techs were also fighting over who got to draw Ruby's blood! How cute is that! Ruby is just loved everywhere she goes!

I'll update tomorrow night and let you know how tube surgery goes. Have a good night!

Hi! Well, as you can see from the above picture, Ruby got herself a highchair this weekend. I figured it was time to graduate from the bouncy chair to a highchair for feedings. Ruby really enjoyed her first time sitting in the chair and she loves that I can set toys right in front of her on the tray and she can pick which ones she wants to play with!

We had a nice, relaxing weekend. Lots of cuddling and playing together. I tried to take Ruby swimming on Saturday and Sunday, but both days the pool was closed for maintenance. Bummer. Hopefully we'll get a chance to go one more time before fall comes and we move out of this place. And we ARE moving! More details on that to come soon. Grandma and Grandpa came to hang out with us for a while yesterday. They just can't stay away from us! They needed their weekly Ruby fix!

This is a very busy week for us. Tomorrow Ruby will see her pediatrician for her pre-op physical and Wednesday she will see her orthopedist. She'll have a hip x-ray done when we get there and her orthopedist will read it and make recommendations from there on whether she needs to continue wearing the brace full-time. I'm really hoping that she can at least have it off for 8 hours a day, but I'm really pulling for nights only or about 8 hrs with the brace on per day. Then, Thursday, she will be having her tubes put in at 1, so we'll have to be at the hospital by 11:30. I have no idea how long that procedure will take, but it's a day surgery, so she'll be going home that afternoon.

I probably won't get a chance to update before Thursday, so please say a little prayer that Ruby does fine under anesthesia. I'm not worried about the actual surgery, but I'm always a little fearful about her going under. I'll update after the procedure. She's going to hear so well afterward! The girl will probably never sleep again!

Lots of love to all!