holy fluff

The fluff is now invading us.
Here's what we're dealing with:

This was at 9 o'clock in the morning.  

The warm, dry weather is ideal for the fluff.  

It gets stuck in all the nooks and crannies.

After supper.
This is how much fluff accumulated throughout the day.

If we left it, it would not blow away.
It gets smashed down into the surface creating a yucky mess.

Part of me wonders if I should send these pictures to the City of Moncton and ask for help with the clean up although I'm sure they wouldn't care.  If you know me, you know that I'm a lover of trees but I have very mixed emotions about these particular three.  I think I dislike these trees and would not be sad to see them go.  It's bad enough we have to rake 50+ bags of leaves every fall.  (yes, that's right - more than 50 large orange bags every year!)  Oh boy.  

the times they are a changin'

In the words of a beloved songwriter, the times... they are a changin'.  

First and foremost, in three short weeks we'll have a new baby boy living with us.  He'll be sleeping lots, eating lots, being cute.... and likely crying a fair share as well.  I think I blocked the nitty gritty details from memory, but I do know that Ruby had a spell where she cried a lot.  It's kind of a blur.... perhaps for the best.  Everyone says all babies are different, so we'll just go with the flow on this one and hope the swing we're getting does the trick.  I can remember putting Ruby in her car seat and swinging that thing back and forth with one arm trying to soothe her.  It worked, but boy, a car seat is not designed for swinging.  Too heavy.  A swing, with all the bells and whistles, is an essential piece of equipment this time around!  (and I hope it works).

In two weeks Ruby will be 21 months.  She's on the verge of the "terrible two's" and while we've been really lucky with her so far, she's had a couple 'freak-outs' recently.  I know it's perfectly normal and part of growing up, so my plan is to take it all in stride and try not to freak out myself.  

Her appetite has also changed.  She used to eat everything in site, no questions asked.  Now, we're lucky if we get half of the meal into her.  It's a little worrisome, but I'm pretty sure she's getting enough.

And, the last and most frustrating things that's changing is bedtime.  It's getting later and later every night, coming close to 9:30 on some occasions!  That's just too late.  I'm exhausted.

Here are some pictures of the good old days when she slept like a baby.

Asleep.  9 hours old.  

About a week old.... still sleeping.

Two weeks old.... still sleeping so nicely.

Asleep during her first walk in the stroller.  (3 weeks old).

A few weeks old. 

Good times.  :)

she thinks she's reading

Ruby's latest trick is "reading".  Wherever we go.... when she sees words (mostly store signs or logos), she'll start saying random letters of the alphabet.  I catch her doing it with books too.  It's really cute (and makes story time slightly complicated, yet entertaining).  I tried getting a sample on video.... it's not the best, but you get the idea.  (She's camera shy and Ryan entered the scene unexpectedly which was a major distraction!  Thanks Daddy.)