Yeah for game day

Well after a very long wait, football is finally back. Yes I know some of you are saying it has not been that long but it really has. In fact this football season will be Ruth's debut, and what better way to break her in than a Thursday night football game. No we are not going to Memphis but we will be watching from the house. In fact the game starts right when she usually eats, and I figure she will make it till late in the second quarter before falling asleep. It has been a busy day for her but as you can see below she was dressed for the occasion.

 

Well last Sunday was the first time we decided to take Ruth to church. We had planned on going sooner but each time we would something would happen, but this past weekend we were good to go. We have to say she did quite well. In fact she slept until the preacher started preaching then she woke up with a look on her face of where in the heck am I. All was fine and the preacher was wrapping up, and that is when Ruth decided it would be a good time to have a massive bowel movement. Thankfully it was not long after that, that the preacher wrapped up in prayer giving Joanna enough time to slip out and take care of the diaper. They made it back in time for some more singing and Ruth really seemed to enjoy it. All in all it was a good day at church.

After church we went to my dad's house to celebrate his birthday. Ruth was a trooper even thought she was tired and let us know about it. However it reminded me why we love to go over and hang out with my folks because there is always plenty of food. We had hamburgers, ribs, chicken and gumbo!! Good gosh I get hungry just thinking about it. With that I leave you all with some more photos from the day, enjoy!!

First family photo, and a laugh while we are at it.

Well tonight marks the first and last of a few things. It is officially Joanna's last night before school starts. Yep the kids come tomorrow and the craziness begins. It is hard to believe that school is back in full swing and Joanna is heading back to work. So since now that Ruth is at the sitters house during the day, that means Joanna and I fight over Ruth at night. We are on a pretty good schedule considering that Ruth eats between 7:30-8:00pm and then is in bed within the hour and sleeps till around 7am.

We also finally got a family photo, yes it has been 3 months and this is the first family photo that we have had taken.

 

We also got some good ones of just Ruth.

 

Of course my favorite photo that we got was just one with Joanna and Ruth. I loved this one!!

My Girls!!

  Of course you cannot forget about Blitz!!

All in all it was a good Sunday. I will have to say it is funny how things work out. Joanna was filling out Ruth's baby book the other night and one of the spots was for her first laugh. We sat and thought about it but we could not pin point when she first laughed. Then the more we thought about it, the more we realized she had not yet had her first laugh. Well that all changed tonight. 

I was playing with her in my arms and bouncing around when lo and behold she started to crack up!! Without missing a beat Joanna and I looked at each other and said "Now that was her first laugh!!" Then Joanna quickly ran and grabbed the camera to see if we could capture it again. Below is what we got.

Ruth having a good time with daddy 

I will say the video is not as good as the first actual laugh but we did decide that Ruth is going to love going on roller coasters with her father!! It has been a fast three months and we are looking forward to what she does next!

Yep I'm a morning person

Well it is clear that Ruth is going to be a morning baby. She is very happy in the morning, of course that may be because she is happy to see her mama after 10 hours of sleep. With all that is going on Ruth is becoming more and more aware of her surroundings. In fact this past week she was introduced to Facetime. I had to go to Salt Lake City, Utah and we decided we would chat via Facetime. Well at first she had not clue but once I started talking to her she focused in on Joanna's mac and was intently staring. I was able to get a small smile but she was really sleepy and ready to head to bed.

We have also now started  to try to become mobile. Yep we are trying to crawl already!! She does a great job of holding up her head and now she is seeing some of her toys on her play mat and starts to head for them. First she kicks and squirms her little legs, then she stops and picks up her head, and gets her forearms under her chest. This will last about a second or two but she is able to get a good push off on her play mat and make one attempt before falling back on her belly.

She also likes to sit up in the bumbo. You have to watch her as she is not 100% solid with keeping her head up for a long period of time, but we are getting there. While seated in the bumbo she will watch anyone and anything that goes by. Every now and then she will give a giggle but most of the time she wants you just to chat with her. She is becoming more vocal each day and will talk to Joanna just about anytime. Anyway we only have two weeks left before Ruth goes to the sitter and Joanna gets to go back to work. Can I tell you that neither is looking forward to it. Anyway below are a few additional pictures and as you can see, she really loves the mornings.

My little Firecracker

Well this is the first time in a looooooooooooooooong time that I did not actually shoot any fireworks for the 4th of July. Yes those of you that know me well know that I am a pyromaniac so yes it was difficult not to blow something up. There were plenty of fireworks all around us and as we were enjoying the evening grilling outside and playing with Blitz, the sound of the fireworks did not even bother Ruth. As you can see she was dressed for the occasion.

 

As you can tell she was my little firework. Baby you're a firework... Hey that is kind of catchy, I should write a song....

Sing it Girl!!! 

Also we had to get the bubbles out for Blitz. If you ever come over to the house you will have to see him in person as he "attacks" the bubbles. However for those of you that can't get here, below is a sample of what he does.

Blitz attacking the Bubbles

Now why this is funny we have found a slight problem. See when Ruth drools, which she is doing A LOT, she forms bubbles. Therefore we have nicknamed her "bubbles". So when you are looking at Ruth and saying "Hi bubbles" the dog starts to run around the house looking for the bubbles. Yeah, the first few times it was funny, but now it's like sorry puppy we were talking about the baby! Anyway we are all doing well and Ruth got her shots today. She is growing quite nicely and the doctor was very pleased with the fact that she is sleeping through the night. In fact Ruth decided to "ham it up" with the doctor today. I think she knew she was going to get shots so if she could make the doctor laugh she would not stick her. Well this was a good plan but it was the nurse that gave the shot, not the doctor. It has been a day for our baby girl but she is doing quite well and we are all looking forward to time together this weekend.

Holiday Weekend

Monday is July the 4th and then Tuesday our little girl will be two months old. A lot has happened from one month ago. We are finally on the right formula and are not as fussy. In fact she is much more of a happy baby then anything else. Of course the best thing that has happened in month number one is that now Ruth will sleep from about 11pm till 6am straight!! It does make life a lot easier and she is now more on a daily routine.

Ruth has beclore more aware of her surroundings and loves to smile and laugh when you chat with her. Below is some video from when Joanna and I went out and Ruth's Mimi came over to watch her. The video is not the best but you will get the idea

Ruth talking with Mimi

 Also I have been asked how is Blitz in all of this. Well he loves to go and hang out in her room when she is taking a nap. He does not like when she is fussy, this typically happens during feeding time when we are having to burb her. So to try and make life a little easier for her he will go and get a baby and then bring it to her. That really never works but he is trying to help.

All in all we are doing much better and Ruth is growing more and more each day. In fact we are not sure is she will crawl or simply go straight to walking. She likes to stand in your lap and then walk up your chest. Anyway below are some photos of our baby girl.

Father's day weekend and more

Yes we know it has been a while since we could actually blog, but things have been busy and well the blog had to take a back seat. Ruth is doing well and starting to sleep later at night. She still likes to have a screaming fit but we think we might be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. With all that being said she is growing and is fast approaching 2 months old. We are no longer in the newborn clothes and she is smiling a lot more. She also has figured out how to frown and pout when she is not happy. I have to say it is pretty funny to watch, or as Joanna says "it's just so stinkin cute".

Ok so from time to time while I am at work I get random photos of Ruth playing or just being a happy baby. However a week ago I received this video the Friday before father's day

Ruth Smiling for daddy

Now some of you have asked how is Blitz doing with Ruth now here in the house. Well the short answer is he loves it. More people have come by and that means he gets more attention. Also anytime we bring out the stroller he knows we are going for a walk and gets really excited. I think, if he could thank Ruth, he would. The dog loves going for walks. Well since it was father day weekend last weekend we decided to let him on the bed Saturday morning. He loves to sleep on the bed but he has to watch out for the cover monster, yep take a look for yourself...

Attack of the cover monster

All in all we had a great father day weekend. My dad came by and we grilled steaks, corn on the cob, crab cakes, and fried some squash. Yeah it was all good!! I would say that he came over for the food but he really just came to see his granddaughter. Photos below and we/I will try to keep you all more updated!

Very Quick Update

Well, sorry this is a very short update. It's been too crazy around here to find the time to type and update! So enjoy the pic until we can update properly!! :)

I can smile now!!

Been very busy!

Well it's hard to imagine how life has changed since May 30th! Ruth will be 6 weeks old this Thursday - can't believe it!! She now has a new formula that seems to be helping with her tummy issues. It has made a significant difference in her life as well as ours. She is now happy during the day and can be laid down and not cry and fuss. (she still does this at times but that's just because she wants to be held!) She also slept for 6 hours straight this past Friday and Saturday night - MIRACLE!!! Of course last night was awful and she was up every 3 hours wanting to eat - I'm hoping that maybe we are going through a growth spurt and things will go back to normal - as normal as they can be! Ruth is now tracking moving objects with her eyes and is getting in some serious head lifting exercises. We also found out that she loves to sleep on her tummy - sleeps so much longer and better than on her back. So I am very ready for her to start holding her own head up and rolling over! I am still patiently waiting on her to smile at me - I think that will just be about the best thing ever!

Bryce invested in a baby sling/carrier to help me out when I am home by myself and trying to do things and she wants to be held. It has worked like a charm - she is in there right now, all sung as a bug in a rug!
Well Bryce had his first out of town trip last week. It was hard to see him go and even more difficult knowing that I had to really do this on my own because he was not in the other room to help in case I reached my breaking point. I have to say, we both did ok. I told Bryce that he can go on short trips but no big long ones until she is sleeping more through the night - it's tiring doing ALL the feedings and changings and rockings for 48 hours!!  We were definitely glad to see him when he got home!

Well of course on her 1 month birthday, we had to take some pictures. I wanted some really good ones - like professional looking - LOL you can kiss that notion goodbye. One I'm not a professional photographer and two I'm trying to get a one month old to hold still and be happy!! (Not an easy task!!) I did however, get a couple of good ones that I was very excited and pleased with, so I finally made her birth announcements and I am hoping to get those in the mail soon. I also updated her baby book (man that is a lot of work and upkeep) It's almost too much of a commitment for me to handle or remember. I have to say though - it will be fun to go through it with her when she is old enough - like reliving the labor and delivery story - 21 hours of labor, 2 epidurals that didn't work and finally having to have a c-section)  I'm sure she will get a kick out of reading my thoughts and feelings on her birth!! LOL
This past month has been very exciting and full of change, can't wait to see what next month holds for the Hopkins' household! Enjoy the 1 month old photo session!

Becoming a happier baby

As we approach one month old this week, we took a second to look back and see how the first night home has drastically changed from then to now. The first night home we got to deal with a 3 hour scream fest, and of course we had no reason why this was. Well after changing formula, changing bottles, getting meds for reflux and colic, we are now leaps and bounds from where we were. Of course she still yells every now and then but no where near to what life was like. Also since now she is feeling better we decided to take a quick trip out. Ruth will ride with us as we pickup dinner as well as run a quick errand, however this past week we went on a visit. Another couple from our small group had their baby boy three weeks after Ruth, and since they had gotten home and we had not seen their son, we loaded up and went over to say hi.

Below are some of the photos from our "quick trip" out. Oh and yes you will see that even though Ruth is 3 weeks older she is still about a full pound lighter, enjoy

Who's afraid of pooh?

As the old saying goes baptism by fire, yeah I got to experience this wonderful joy of parenthood.

The other night I was feeding Ruth and of course everything is going well. Then it comes time to burp, so we do followed by another sound out of the "southern" region. I think to myself, uh oh... Then Ruth looks at me and kind of gives me a face that says oh, I feel better. Now you would not think that something that small could produce a smell that bad but they can. So after a few moments I notice the smell is not going away, in fact it's almost as if it is right under my nose. Well it was, in a way, it was all over my shirt! Now Joanna is on the couch enjoying herself as all of this is happening. So since she thinks this is funny I decided to let her take the poop monster and I will go and clean myself up. Yeah I went back into her room to see how bad it was, bad idea...

The smell made the gag reflex turn on so I quickly left the room and went to get some fresh air as Joanna is still laughing. Thankfully my wonderful wife was there to step in and take charge of the situation. I was afraid I was going to have to deal with that myself. Now let's fast forward to Monday, May 23rd.

Joanna has dinner with her friends so it is daddy daughter time. No big deal, in fact looking forward to it. So I have my dinner and then it is time to feed Ruth. Again going great and then it happens. I hear the sound I was dreading and could smell a smell that made a dead deer smell good. Now Joanna did tell me that "IF" I thought the diaper was going to leak to quickly grab a burb cloth and use it to cover her backside with. So I do that and we are all good, but I know that I am going to have to change this. Well to my fear the smell does not go away, and for some reason my shirt feels awful warm. So I decide to go and change her and then we can finish the feeding. What happens next I was not ready for, in fact it was down right "DIRTY"

I put Ruth on the changing table and to my shock and horror her outfit was a puke green to yellow color, all the way up to her chest. As for my shirt, well you get the picture. No time to think, just act. Therefore I simply take off my shirt and start to try and get Ruth out of her outfit. I told myself you only get one shot at this, if this does not work I will cut it off! Well I did not have to cut it off so now it was on to the diaper. I will spare you the details but it was not looking good. I have a lady I work with at the office that told me to breathe in and out of my mouth in times like this. Good call here, as I almost hyperventilate!! Ok so diaper is off but the smell is still reaching my nose, so I quickly grab the powder and give it a good shake all over Ruth and this diaper. Now this works and I am on to using half the box of the wipes to clean her. After that we were home free and my gag reflex did not kick in, I"M SO PROUD OF ME!!!

Ok well tonight is bath night so why worry about putting clothes on, so I grabbed a blanket and wrapped her up and then went back to feeding. All in all it made for an interesting evening but afterwards things went great.

Below are some photos of Ruth, since I have not uploaded any in a while. Enjoy!!

Home Alone

So yesterday Joanna and I sent home all our help... what the heck are we thinking!! All kidding aside we had to start getting use to life without help. Of course this does not mean we won't still accept food! :) Well it seems to be a pattern that Ruth likes to wake up in the late afternoon an hour to an hour and a half before feeding time. While this is not a big problem, she is testing us. She wants to see if we will feed her early so she screams and pitches a fit, but neither Joanna nor I give in. So yesterday when this started we decided to try something new, we went for a stroll!!

Now I have to say when we first got in the stroller it was not working, but once we were outside walking down the street she quit her fussiness. I now know that car rides, and stroller walks seem to work for a while. After the stroller ride we still had about an hour till feeding time, and she starts screaming again.  Now we go to plan B. What is plan B you ask... Grab the car seat, put her in it, put her on top of the dryer, and turn it on! At first she would have none of this, but then a little rocking plus the dryer vibration did the trick.

We are now 10 min away from feeding time, so since she hates baths, we decided to go ahead and give her one. Yes you guessed it she was not happy. Joanna did tell her that in a few years she will LOVE baths, however not today. Ok so bath is finished and we are dry and ready to eat so daddy will feed her. Life is good and everything is going great, then it happened...

Ruth had just burped and then there was this sound in her tummy. It seemed to be getting louder and louder, which I thought was strange, and then the sound stopped. What happened next was of course one of my worse fears. No I did not get spit up on... I got PUKED ON!! All over my chest and down my belly, everything she had just eaten I was now wearing. I was able to get my shirt up in time to catch the pool of puke. Now most of you know I have a very weak stomach but I thought I did quite well here. I called for Joanna who came around the corner and was like, "holy cow the baby exploded all over you!!" Yes she was laughing. So she took Ruth and cleaned her up as I went out side and dumped my shirt in the grass, I'm sure the neighbors enjoyed the show.

After that life calmed down and we could focus on who was going to take what shift in the feedings. I offered to take the 1am and 4am, and Joanna would take the 10pm. Well I don't know what all happened but when I got up at 1am Ruth was asleep in the swing and Joanna was on the couch. I got Ruth and Joanna had informed me that she had only been asleep for maybe an hour. Well I did all I needed to do and she went right back to sleep. The rest of the night was pretty calm but Joanna and I are both pretty tired. Next week ought to be interesting.

We have had some play time and below are some photos of that. Joanna and I both agree Ruth is going to be crawling a lot sooner than we are ready for! Enjoy...