Ruby's Birth Story

So today our little Miss Ruby Two Shoes turns 1 year old! I decided that on this day I would share her birth story. Like I have said before, I hope to be kicking around a long time, but if I have learned anything in this life it is that tomorrow is never guaranteed.  Ruby, when you are older and want to know this story, I want you to be able to hear it, anytime you want....

I'd like to say it was all rainbows and lollipops, but not quite, although when you did finally arrive, it was pure love. No other way to describe it.

First, you came a little early. You were a scheduled C-section ( why you ask??  Your brother weighed 10lbs 6 oz , so I wasn't taking any chances:) and you were supposed to be born Oct 12th. Your actual due date was October 19th, but because you were a C-section they like to schedule the birth one week early so mommies do not go into real labour..hmmm..yeah, that was the plan.

However, you decided that you wanted to come out 2 days early. The night before you came I asked your Daddy to rub my back, you see, you were getting just a little heavy and my lower back was trying it's best to take the weight, but because I was a couple pounds overweight , okay, maybe a few...my back just wasn't holding up very well:) So he gave my back a nice deep massage ( come to find out later, that can induce labour.. OOPS!)  Hours later, you woke me up! It was time for you to make your way into this world ! It was a Monday, October 10th, Thanksgiving Day!

I wasn't prepared, which sounds funny because I had gone into labour with your brother so you would think I would have known what to expect. But you were different. I first felt the contractions around 4 in the morning . I thought I would have plenty of time to shower and pack up my things before we went to the hospital but about half way through the shower, the pain got worse, much worse. You wanted out! Your brother was asleep so we needed to call Auntie Lisa to come watch him while we went to the hospital. (Nana and Pepe were in Moncton because they thought you were coming on Oct. 12 just like we did!) Your Auntie Lisa and cousin Kenzie arrived and we were on our way. I was getting nervous at this point because the contractions felt fierce and close together...YIKES! Don't come yet baby Ruby!

We got to the hospital and I felt some relief that at least you were not going to be born in the Corolla! And I think your Daddy was feeling some relief too:) He is pretty handy, but delivering a baby, I don't know...

Anyway, back to the story. So the nurses hooked me up to the special monitor to make sure this was real labour. It didn't take them long to figure out that this was the real deal! So the next step was waiting for Dr. Farag and the anesthesiologist to arrive and get you out. It felt like days but in reality it was just a few hours and then in an instant, you were here. We knew your name already, Ruby Mae Mary. You were perfectly perfect. Ruby because we LOVED the name and it also happens to be your Grampy Arsenault's birthstone, Mae for Mark and Rae put together and Mae is also your Great Nanny MacNeill's middle name. Mary for both of your grandmothers' middle names AND also your Great Grammy Arsenault's middle name.

You were a big girl, not quite as big as your big brother, but a healthy 9lbs 6oz!

I couldn't stop looking at you. Daddy couldn't either. We loved you nose to toes.

There is a little more to this story, but I think you knew it was your birthday because you wanted to stay up late and now I'm sleepy too. SO let's call this Part 1:)

Happy Birthday sweet girl. You are always loved.

xo

Fun at School!

   So anyone that has been following along might remember that Porter's preschool sends us "learning stories" through email. We LOVE getting them but can't usually share them on the blog because there are other kids in the class and I don't have permission to use their photos....BUT last week we got not one, but TWO stories all about our boy! Sigh..this boy, he fills me up.

I can't seem to write underneath my pictures today, so I will say Happy Thanksgiving right here! Last year on Thanksgiving Day our Miss Ruby was making a mad dash into this world! Yep, this week our girl turns 1!!!

So very much to be thankful for.
:)Rae

Half-time!

Remember when you were a kid and it always seemed that you were waiting for something and the days seem to drag on and on and on and you thought you would NEVER get your driver's license?

What happened to those days?

And can someone PLEASE tell me where September went?

For anyone that doesn't know I decided (at the absolute last minute) to work half days this year.  I am doing Reading Recovery in the mornings and I am finished work by noon! I have been meaning to post my news but this month..seriously..where did it go?

So that means I get to spend my afternoons with Little Miss Ruby Two Shoes! ( her new nickname thanks to my friend Laura ). And when Ruby wakes up from her nap, we go pick up her big brother Porter! We are keeping Porter in preschool for most of the day because he needs preschool. He needs the structure and the social time and the boy LOVES to go! You should see him in the morning when we say it's time to go to school!  He squeals with delight and runs to the door to put his shoes on!

Little Miss Ruby spends her mornings making friends at her new "school".  We feel so fortunate that she is being cared for by someone who just loves her to bits! Thanks for taking such great care of her Jen! Here is a picture of Ruby's new friend Max. Yep, that's right... Max and Ruby! What are the odds? 

Chat soon
Rae :)

Happy Birthday

Today my mom would have turned 63 years old. I hope she is riding horses with my Nan.

Happy Birthday Mom. Love and miss you always.

Beanie xo

(yes, that was my nickname:)

Life2q]'''o[ and Mum Mums

I happened upon this quote recently from Gilda Radner.

“I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious Ambiguity.”

It goes against who I am, but I love this. I'm trying, dear Lord, I'm trying.

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Yesterday while Porter, Ruby and I were waiting in the car I gave Ruby a mum mum to help keep her happy ( anyone not familiar, it is basically a rice cracker for babies). In the absence of anything else, Porter reached out wanting the other half. He finished it in seconds and then I heard it:

"Cacka, cacka."

Thank God I had another one in my purse.

"YES, sweet angel you can have a cacka! "

I wasn't expecting it at all. How delicious it was.

Up until this point, he had never spontaneously requested a cracker before. Sure, if I had him at the table and was dangling one in front of him, he'd say it..but never before just on his own.  From the backseat, without even having it in his visual frame of reference!

Big day.


:) Chat soon, Rae

The Cat's Meow!

So I have been neglecting this blog and feeling pretty guilty about it. I've decided that I don't need to feel any more guilt. All stocked up here.

So, it occurred to me that I don't need to write a book every time I post, it could just be a quick little story about something funny that happened or maybe something new that Porter or Ruby have learned.

So that is today's post.

Miss Ruby has decided she wants to start talking. She has been babbling for months but one never knows if "ma ma ma ma" is actually Mama or is she just figuring out sounds? But this past week we are sure we heard "kitty" . She was chasing Marmie around the house and saying "ki-ki". I mean, using the word in context! But wait, there's more! When the cat meowed, she did too! It sounds more like "ow" but it is ADORABLE!

Not sure what Porter thinks of it, but soon after he went into her room and started stuffing her clothes in the diaper genie. I won't analyze that too hard:)

Enjoy this lovely long weekend!

Rae

Ups and Downs

Sometimes it is hard not to let bitterness invade your soul. I try very hard to see the bright side of things, I really do, but some days it's hard. I'm still trying to come to terms with the fact that my Dad is no longer on this Earth. The sadness comes in waves. It knocks you over at times, but you get up and ride it out.

You have to... you have no choice.

And then you deal with more of life's punches....

We recently found out that Porter will not be receiving IBI therapy in September like we had all hoped and prayed for. Apparently there are two vacant autism consultant positions and until they are filled, my boy waits...and waits...and waits.

I'm so effing tired of waiting. ( I had typed the real f word but then I felt guilty, someday Porter and Ruby will read this).


This is all I had typed last night and then I went to bed. It's funny how a new day can bring a new attitude.....


Sometimes it just takes a little perspective.

My boy is healthy. Yes IBI feels a bit like the "cure" that is just beyond my reach, but really, he is healthy. AND happy.

And this morning I noticed something. I called his name and he came to me. When Porter was diagnosed in March that was one of the first observations the psychologist noted that Porter was lacking as he gave us his findings. March is not that long ago.

I can't even say for sure how long he has been responding to his name. That is the thing with autism, the improvements are subtle and they sneak up on you. But yesterday marked the one year anniversary of his trip to our pediatrician. God that day. I'll never forget it but that's a whole other post...

 I started thinking about every thing he has learned in this past year. It's too much to name. It really is! Here are my top 10 highlights:

1. He looks us in the eye. I mean the boy will press his forehead on ours and look us right in the eye. It's not even something we work on anymore. Maybe it seems small to some, but not for us.

2. He is requesting things other than freezies! It's not a huge list...the boy knows what he wants...but it's growing. We've heard juice, ice cream, candy, push ( on the swing) , squish ( he LOVES being squished between pillows) , spin and open to name a few...I'm sure there's more but who can think in this heat?

3. He loves to cuddle. In fact just this past month he has become such a little lovey! Especially in the morning. I can get a whole episode of Thomas in with him tucked right beside me . It is during these times, everything in the world is ok. ( p.s. I should note that in the last month we have started "brushing" him, it's a new part of his sensory diet . We also took him to a naturopath who prescribed some new supplements- Vitamin b12 and Omega 3 and a new probiotic. I'll talk more about this soon but I know they are both helping).

4. We can walk to the car without him taking off to the road. * BONUS - he can climb in his own car seat!

4. He started preschool and he can sit quietly at a table with the other boys and girls during snack!!! This was one of the reasons we started preschool , so that when it came time for kindergarten he would be more ready. I thought it would take MONTHS to get him to sit at a table. I hate when I underestimate him. He LOVES going and when I pick him up he looks up and smiles at me. It continues to melt my heart on a daily basis.

5. He is starting to really love Ruby. I can't put into words how I know, I just know.

6. He has more words that I could list. They are still mainly prompted, but they are all stored up there  in that fascinating brain of his!

7. He plays with toys other than trains. And when he plays with his trains he is not just spinning the wheels ( although he still loves a good wheel spin now and then!)

8.  He pees in the potty..we have even had 3 Code Browns in the past week! He is still not requesting to go, but if you pay attention you'll know it's time! ( I won't share what happens if you miss his signals, I don't want to embarrass the kid:)

9. He listens better. Like for example if he empties a bucket full of toys and I say "pick up", he will. Not that long ago we had to physically take his hand and make him pick up the toys. This is still an area that we are working on, like for example tonight he ran up the stairs with a tea light holder.  I knew he was going to throw it, I said "Porter NO!" and he took great delight in biffing it down the stairs. (I said he listens "better" not ALL the time.)

10. We went to Shining Waters last week. Last year, we talked about it but we both agreed that he wasn't quite ready. This year we felt confident enough to give it a whirl! Big day!

We only stayed a little over two hours ( we wanted to make sure the day ended on a positive note) and there was some running...but it went well. Really well. I was pleasantly surprised with how nice it was. A little expensive, but lovely.

Here are a few pics from our day:)

We all had so much fun, I think Ruby had more fun that anyone! She is an absolute little fish! She LOVES, loves, loves the water!

So I guess what my post is about today is reminding myself yet again of everything I have to be grateful for in this life. It's a lot. Like a whole bunch.

Enjoy the rest of your week everyone!