Halloween 2013

Happy Halloween.  I was so excited for Ruby's "costume" but then remembered that we are still trying to keep her home as much as possible and don't really see anyone  I guess this year her cuteness will have to be appreciated in pictures.

I absolutely adore this picture.   As soon as Luke wakes up in the morning or from a nap, he runs to find Ruby and is so excited to see her.  I think he especially liked the Halloween outfit.

It turns out that Luke was not so excited about dressing up in his costume.  He wore the shorts all day but when it came time to complete the costume with the robe and boxing gloves, he had a total meltdown.  Tim had to wear the costume for awhile and show some serious boxing skills before we could convince Luke to wear the costume.  

It was nice to get outside and wander around the neighborhood with the kids.  Once Luke figured out that when he knocked on doors, someone gave him a toy or candy, he decided that it was worth getting dressed up.

Ruby stayed warm and snuggled in the sling.  These pictures make me laugh because it kind of looks like I'm still pregnant.  Having her on the outside is definitely more fun.

Happy Halloween from the Whitesides!

Alpine Loop

Tim and I went on a "date" to drive the Alpine Loop.  Our hot date did include two tagalong babies, but they slept most of the time.  Tim had never driven the entire loop and it has been a long time since I have been all the way around.  It was absolutely beautiful and with great company, it was a perfect way to spend an afternoon.

Ruby - Week One

So we made it home and then what.....It was actually pretty fun to get home, be back with Luke, and start adjusting to life with two "babies".  Luckily, Miss Ruby has made it an easy transition.  We knew we were really lucky with Luke - as a newborn he was a great sleeper and only really cried when he was hungry.  I didn't think it was possible to get another baby who was so easy going, but so far, she has been kind of a dream.  She eats and sleeps well and has been such a sweet baby.

Luke has been super interested in his sister.  As soon as he wakes up he wants to go find her and spends a lot of time watching her and smiling and the baby sister.  He wants to be very helpful and we are trying to teach him to be soft with her.  Whenever she is in her swing he wants to push the buttons and has a tendency to speed her up way too fast.  Luckily we discovered a lock button on her swing so she is safe for the moment.

Since coming home the three of us have spent a lot of time on the couch together and share most everythign.  I tried to keep my drink to myself for a little while but gave that up pretty quickly - the boy likes his ice.

We are pretty protective about taking Ruby anywhere, but love having visitors.  Jesse brought BYU brownies so of course, she was welcomed with open arms.  

We especially love visitors who bring dinner.  Thanks Jami, Jarin, and Co., we loved having you here.

Ruby had her first bath and didn't hate it too bad.  The biggest problem was trying to keep her warm - a little rough with a sponge bath.  

Tim's parents made it back from Mexico and we were happy to introduce them to their newest grandchild.  I think they were immediately in love.

When we were discharged from the hospital they told us they wanted Ruby to be seen by the pediatrician when she was five days old.  She had lost quite a bit of weight in the hospital and they wanted to make sure she was gaining it back.  The visit went great - she was back to her birth weight which made the doctor really happy since they were just hoping she would be there by the time she was two weeks old.  

Lots of visits from Grandma and Grandpa Broadbent.

Friday night Brycen got to meet his little sister for the first time.  He couldn't believe how little she was but loved her immediately.

I'm not sure what was going on with Mexico, but Cory was also out of the country - Mexico City - and didn't get to meet Miss Ruby until the end of the week.  I was pretty jealous, I've always wanted to go to Mexico City, somehow the timing was not quite right.  

On Sunday Ruby finally got to meet her big sister.  Tim has said since Ruby was born how much she reminds him of Erika as a baby.  If she grows up to look like her sister she will be a lucky girl.  

When the week came to an end I could hardly believe it - seemed like we had barely made it home and our little girl was already moving into her second week as part of our family.  We are thrilled to have our baby girl and continue to feel so blessed and fortunate to have her here healthy and strong.

Baby Ruby - Hospital

The day I had Ruby the hospital was so busy that they were out of rooms on the normal maternity ward so we were put in a room on the pediatrics ward for the first day.  An interesting side note, I had Luke on a stormy day and the hospital was super busy.  The day I went in for Ruby had been stormy - something to the theory that barometric pressure affects labor.
After my mom had gone home and slept for awhile, she brought Luke back to meet the baby sister.  He wasn't too impressed at the first meeting, mostly he wanted to play with all the equipment in the hospital room and run down the halls.  Taylor also came over that afternoon to meet his little sister.  It was fun to have a little big brother and a big big brother there to meet Miss Ruby.

Kimi (aka Kim Ellsworth) and I have been friends since we both taught school in Tonga over 15 years ago.  She lives in Arizona and we don't get to see each other often enough.  She happened to text me that she was driving through Utah County on Saturday afternoon and when she heard I had just had the baby, she was able to fit in a visit.  She is one of my favorite people and I loved being able to share the moment with her.

Sunday my family made it back from St. George and all arrived to celebrate.  I was not on my game as far as photographs go and missed pictures of half the people who were there.  Can I use the "I just had a baby" excuse?  My family has always been so supportive of me and they have been beyond excited for this baby.  I loved having them all there to share in our joy.

I know a lot of women are anxious to leave the hospital as soon as the doctor will release them.  Not me, I would stay longer if they let me.  I think it is great not to have to worry about anything - someone finds food whenever you are hungry - even the middle of the night, takes the baby when you are tired, and brings you all the soda and crushed ice you can drink.  With no complications or reason to stay longer, Monday morning was the time to be one our way.  It was actually pretty exciting to get Ruby dressed in her own clothes and head home to begin life with her as part of our family.  Thanks Timp Regional, you've been good to us, but we'll take it from here.....