November times

I don't know why but every time I blow my nose, Ruthie smiles really big at me. Perhaps she thinks it's funny to have a tissue in front of my nose. Besides that, our little girl also finds it amusing for us to brush our teeth. A huge smile slides across her small face as she sits on our bedroom floor watching us at the bathroom sink. Games such as Peekaboo and Patty Cake create lots of giggles and smiles. Over the years, I have babysat or was a Day Care teacher for a lot of babies and never did really hear those babies laugh with a full belly laugh. Ruth takes the cake with all the giggles. Her chuckles makes me laugh sometimes so hard, tears are streaming out of my eyes.

The past two weeks or so, Ruthie and I have had colds. Not the mild little cold you sometimes get that lasts 2-3 days, I'm talking about a cold that lasts for two weeks or so. Ruthie didn't know what hit her. She enjoyed great health until that cold swamped us. All of a sudden she had a drippy nose, her throat was probably sore, and her head most likely felt compressed as mine was. Our poor little cat bird was whiny and tired. She absolutely hated when I used the nose bulb on her. We practically lived on the couch for days at a time and the only times that provided Ruth with breathing relief was when I took a shower. She would stand in her Exersaucer while I showered, making sure it was long enough for the steam to collect in the room. We would inhale deeply and our heads would clear temporarily. My awesome husband went to Target to buy a humidifier for Ruthie's room. The first night we used it, the little girl was so distracted by the sounds of the machine, it took her much longer than usual to fall asleep. Since then, the humidifier has been a blessing. She and I can breathe normally in her room.

Nursing has so many benefits for a child that is sick. Just after a couple of gulps of milk, our baby could breathe through her congested nose. She seemed to enjoy nursing while she was sick. The milk was like medicine to her little body. In fact, Ruthie has had no signs of a cold for four days now while I still cough and blow my nose. So pleasant!

In my last post I mentioned Ruth had learned to roll across the room. Not anymore! I don't know what has possessed her to stop. When she is on her belly, she will half roll to one side or the other but never completes a roll. It is as if she really wants to crawl forward but hasn't figured it out yet. We'll just have to give her more opportunities to be on her tummy and both Lawson and I will be patient, waiting for the day when she makes her first move forward!

After seeing Ruthie enjoy the swings at the park so much, I jumped at the chance to get our own swing set a month ago from some friends in our Sunday School class. We paid $50.00 for a two year old metal post swing set which I think was a great deal in this time of economic crisis. Lawson and his father brought it home on a long trailer his father possessed. What amazed me was the entire swing set was driven home intact, fully assembled on the trailer with no mishaps. Lawson and my father in law carried it through our double gate doors and set it on the side of the yard where I would be able to see from the window, Ruthie and her future friends play. Since the set didn't include a baby swing, we ordered one from online and used the unused chains to hang it up. Ruth LOVES her new swing! We use it on good weather days like today.

"Ruthie, let's go swing outside."

"Hiiiiiiiiiiii!"