Ruthie is ONE!

We have a birthday mouse in the house!  This week, Ruthie celebrated her first birthday and she couldn't have been sweeter.  We had a very low-key pizza-and-cupcakes celebration with the grandparents, and she was just simply delighted to receive oodles of attention.  And cupcake.  She meant business with her cupcake. 

I'm always amazed at how fast these little babies grow into little people, and Roo is already starting to resemble a little person now.  She's still very much a baby -- and I think she'll stay that way longer since I'm not currently preparing myself for another baby, like I was with the other girls.  I'm not in a hurry for her to get bigger, and yet she's doing that on her own in a hurry.

At ONE, Ruthie is...

• a great sleeper.  She gave me a scare there in months ten and eleven, because man was the sleep bad.  But as it turns out, as long as she feels okay... she sleeps fine.  Hallelujah.  She usually goes down for the night between 7 and 7:30 (depending on when I get my act together and how fussy she is), and she sleeps until anywhere between 6:45 and 7:30 the next morning.  She is also taking two naps; her morning nap is forty-five minutes, and I wake her up, so that her afternoon nap can last anywhere between one-and-a-half to two hours.  Her afternoon nap coordinates with the Bigs.  (If we are on the go, she will usually take a cat nap in the morning, and then crash for close to three hours in the afternoon.)
• still drinking bottles, taking three a day... and she doesn't like real milk.  She'll drink water all day long out of a cup, but she isn't a fan of milk yet.  Which is amazing to me, since the big girls always thought milk was the greatest thing ever.  We're starting the weaning process, though, because this mama is done with formula for a while.
• the proud owner of three teeth.  Finally.  
• walking!  Everywhere!  Ruthie is officially upright for most of the time.  She is my earliest walker by far, and she loves to try and keep up with her big sisters.  She speeds up when she's about to topple, and it's the cutest thing ever.  
• a great eater, and she's often willing to try new things... as long as we don't try to feed it to her on a spoon.  Her attention span for the high chair is getting shorter, though, and we're having to work on her not climbing out of the chair when she's done.  Her favorite foods include macaroni and cheese, frozen peas, veggie straws, anything illicit, beans of all colors, and scrambled eggs.  With Roo, the bigger the bite the better.
• clearly saying "nay-nay" (oh yes, this was her first word), "Jake", and "Mama".  I also think she's saying "more", "all done", and supposedly others have heard her say "thank you".  She jabbers a lot, and I think she's eager to join in the conversations of her sisters.  Riding in the van is an auditory adventure.
• pointing, waving bye-bye, and giving kisses.  
• willing to read books, as long as they're tactile.  She'll usually sit for one or two books at a time, although occasionally she'll go for more.  Some of her favorite books include Feely Bugs (a favorite of all three!  She'll often pick it off the shelf and deliver it), Fuzzy Bee, and any book with pictures of real babies.
• growing a head full of hair, and fast.  Hers is growing in evenly, and somewhere between blonde and brown.  Others claim there is some curl there... I have no idea.
• loves to: dig in the cabinets, play in the potty, brush her teeth, join her sisters at the play kitchen, toss blocks into baskets, play in the bath, harass Jake, clean my floors, climb, play peek-a-boo, steal Nora's nay-nay, dig through laundry baskets, give kisses, and get tickles.
• does not love to:  have her diaper changed, sit still for long periods of time, stay in the high chair, or have her nose cleaned.

As I watch Ruthie grow, I marvel at the way that God has created this little person (and really, all the little people in our home).  He has formed her perfectly, intentionally, and with a purpose; we Praise Him!  I am so thankful that He saw fit to bless us with this tiny delight, who makes us all laugh, and who consistently shows her mommy her need for a Savior.