Ruby has found some big fans, and friends, with next door neighbors May and Nora. Sometimes we'll hear them loudly playing in the hall, hoping for a little Ruby meet-up. Frequently Michelle, our super nanny, takes Ruby over for some play time. Yesterday they went for breakfast.
A couple weeks ago, in surprising hot weather, Ruby attended her first birthday party, of pal Sophie at Brooklyn's Ft Greene Park. Lots of neat snacks, lots of little kids, including the birthday gal (one year old). The rise in temps also meant upping the ante in daintyness, ie summer dresses.
Ruby is also fond of her new bouncey chair. And of Gregg the Monkey.
Ms Little is getting increasingly charmed by things. Things like her hands, her thumbs and holding up her feet and LOOKING at them. And a certain baby staring back at her in the mirror! Even in grouchbox moments she stops to stare and smile a bit at the 'baby on the wall.'
Also this week she tried on a new 'kimono' jacket in time for the cherry blossoms, and also a little sun hat taken out on strolls.
Ruby turned 100 days old this week (as shown with Greg the Monkey). So far we've noticed a couple key moods: goofball (about 88% of the time) and grouchbox (about 9% of the time); the rest of the time she sits in quiet reflection. For her whole 100 days we've been hearing 'oh, she's so alert!' and now she's looking a bit bigger than most three-month-old babies we see pushed around in stroller-heavy Prospect Heights.
Yesterday we visited the Brooklyn Botanic Garden across the street during the crazy-fun Sakura (Cherry Blossom) Festival. People had on pink wigs and carried plastic battle axes like characters from Japanese animation cartoons. The line was several hundred deep, but because we're members we strolled right in. We may go back today. Perhaps the drizzle will keep it a little less crowded.
Meanwhile, Ruby talks about her experience with voice-breaking Daisy:
Ruby's noticed all the talking going on. Michelle regularly chats with her, and she's made new friends with the two girls next door, May and Nora (May even renamed a doll 'Ruby' and told her mom Ellen, 'you need to be quiet, she's two months old and needs to nap.')
Ruby recounts some of the episodes (along with a bit of banter about her two shots at her three-month check-up today), here:
This week's been big. Michelle Branch joined up for Ruby time, as our new full-time nanny. Ruby and Michelle are getting along great -- lots of funny noises (from Ruby) going around -- and we've been loving hanging out with her this week before we both go back to work full time, more or less, next week. The sudden freedom prompted us parents to undertake some true decadence: seeing a movie. We went today to see I Love You Man -- featuring Ruby's favorite group Rush -- and spent a couple hours combing the aisles at IKEA. "A nice little day," to paraphrase Will Ferrell in Old School.
This week we also upgraded the growing kid's sleeping space from the basket to a big crib, nicknamed 'Fort Sedgwick.' Ruby tends to like it so she can sprawl out -- arms to the side -- and stare at the weird graphics and mice on her new mobile.
