Pieces of us: 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.