Five Great Drummers You May Not Know About

In no Particular order:

1. Joe Easley - Dismemberment Plan




















2. Tim Arnold - Days Away


























3. Carla Azar - Autolux























4. Richard Jupp - Elbow























5. Matt Tong - Bloc Party
























Creative, Simple, and just plain good.

Day of the Doctor

Ruth had to go to her 2 month check up and get the dreaded immunizations. I really didn't know what to expect because she is so calm about everything. I thought she might just sleep through the shots. However that didn't happen...she was definitely wide awake. The nurse really knew what she was doing though, it took a total of 2 seconds to get all three shots into her thighs. After the first shot Ruth's entire face turned bright red. After the second shot she started to whine and after the third shot she started crying. She was really upset and this was really hard for me to handle because Ruth NEVER cries or gets upset. I was so sad for her...especially since the nurse made me hold down Ruth's arms! She got over it in about a minute and we went to Wendy's and Target to spend the rest of our afternoon hours. However that evening she started to get really fussy, almost hysterical crying for minutes at a time. The doctor said that increased fussiness, tiredness and a fever were side-effects that many babies experience after getting immunizations. So the fussiness was to be expected. However, when I went to change her diaper I realized the reason she was so upset is because I had left her in her huge sweater (seen below)! Once I'd stripped her down to the diaper she was happy as a clam! Silly mommy!


Also at the doctor's we found out that Ruth weighs 12 1/2 pounds and is 23 1/2 inches long, this means she is in the 80th percentile for height and weight and the 30th percentile for head circumference. She has gotten better at body control and has really strong legs she can hold herself up with. She has also mastered the letter "o!"

The End of Vacation

So our vacation is coming to a close. I don't have much more to say. Saturday we had a birthday party for dad, his birthday is really Tuesday the 27th, tomorrow...but that's when we leave. Josh, Laura and Jeremiah came over as well as Joe, Meg, and Brynn. We ate lasagna and delicious cake and then played Win, Lose or Draw. We had a blast. Then on Sunday it snowed, but we still had church (surprising since we're in Oregon). I went to primary with my mom and started to cry when the kids were singing "We Are a Happy Family." I really miss Brad.

Today we woke up and immediately got ready to take pictures. Ruth is always so cute when she first wakes up, cooing and smiling and we wanted to catch that on camera. These are just some snap shots I took of her. One in her pretty church dress and another in her blessing outfit that actually fits her now!


Isn't her hair adorable in this picture! I love that she has a faux-hawk! (I didn't realize I was also taking a picture of my foot...lower left corner if you didn't notice!) Mom is finishing up the dress that she's sewing me and I'm watching the Bourne Identity--love those movies! I've also been spending time this weekend sending out tons of resumes to be an apartment manager here in the Portland area. If I get a job doing that then I can stay at home to be with Ruth and still be making money, huzzah! So, we'll see what happens. Our future is still up in the air and we are trying to get any work that's out there come April when Brad graduates.

Apparently picture taking wore this baby out! I love her chunky legs and ballet slipper socks! Can you tell I'm obsessed with headbands?

Crafts and Mobiles

Our week has been filled with all sorts of crafts. I've been making headbands and mom has been sewing her heart out. She has already made my wonderful nursing cover and is now working on a nursing dress! I'm so excited. I had no idea that anyone made nursing clothes...how cool. Now I can wear a dress to church and not have to pump a bottle for Ruth to drink. I still don't get how it's gonna work but something about a magical lifting up flap.

As I mentioned a few days ago, we have found out that Ruth loves mobiles. This morning mom and I went over to Tigard so mom could take Megan and Brynn to the doctor. While they were gone Ruth and I hung out at Meg and Joe's apartment. (Brynn had to ride to the doctor in Ruth's carseat because Joe forgot to take out Brynn's carseat before he left for school at Pacific University.) As you can see from the photo, Ruth LOVED the mobile. After Megan and mom got back we went to Deseret Book looking for dad's birthday present...then we had lunch at the teriyaki place next door! YUM! Another interesting point from the day is that Ruth fell asleep at noon and slept to 3:30 when I fed her. After her late lunch I caught her sleeping on my dad's shoulder! We struggled to keep her awake all afternoon and evening, and when I say struggle I mean we were completely unsuccessful. It is now 10:15 and she is wide awake, cooing and not showing the slightest sign of sleepiness. The nice thing about her sleepiness is that I've finally found some time to do some reading. Brad got me "Frankenstein" for Christmas and it is so good, not the monster story like the movies show.

Ruth woke up in time for our yummy artichoke/chicken pizza dinner after which she promptly blew out her pants! That's always fun. Then she was kind enough to pose for a picture with mom...you can tell she was still waking up.

Another Vacation Day

This morning we slept in and then went on a walk. I saw shingles scattered all over someones lawn and drive way, in case you needed more proof that it's ridiculously windy over here. Then we came back and mom made us French toast, yum. Then mom and I spent some time making a new nursing cover for me...it is so cute! I was the model and mom did all the sewing, but I still gave some input.

After all this dad had a photo shoot with Ruth. He got his umbrellas set up and made a little seat for Ruth from our bean bag. I put Ruth in a bunch of cute outfits...but once I put her pretty dress on she had had enough...so dad took care of the situation. She calmed down after a cuddle with grandpa, a diaper change and a change of clothes.

Later in the evening we went to baby sit Jeremiah, a boy who is 5 days older than Ruth and the son of good friends of mom and dad (Josh and Laura). After babysitting we had dinner and dessert with them at their house. We had a really nice time chatting and baby talking.

We came home and watched Ugly Betty and ate delicious home-made cookies!

Baby Gear

So yesterday my mom and I went to JoAnn's and bought flowers, buttons and ribbons so I could make things to go in Ruth's headbands. Today I started making the clips by hot gluing the accessories onto hair clips that will go right into the headbands. I just love the way these flowers and other clips look on her head. It just makes makes a cute girl even cuter! I also weighed Ruth today...she's up to 12 pounds!!!


Also, this morning mom told me to try out her mineral makeup. I felt like I was twelve again playing with makeup. I forgot how much I love eye shadow. I came down looking and feeling good.

More Oregon Vacation News

So today mom and I got pedicures! We both were wondering afterwards why we don't get pedicures more often, because they are so relaxing and wonderful...and you leave feeling so happy...and throughout the whole day you are so happy knowing you have very cute toes. My favorite part is when they rub your legs with warm, minty lotion, Mmmm!

We sat around for a while, watched some "Burn Notice" and played with Ruth. Then we called Megan to see how she was doing. Apparently Brynn had been projectile vomitting during the night so Joe and Meg were both tired. We (mom, dad, Ruth and I) got Carl's Jr., picked up a bunch of candy and a pizza for them and drove over to Tigard to surprise them with our love and some sugar. It was really nice and relaxing. Joe got home from school right after we got there so we all got to visit and get to know Brynn a little better.

Ruth also had some tummy time while we were there. I was so surprised how much stronger she has become. I rolled her over and her little head immediately popped up. She held her head up for a whole two minutes straight. That is the longest ever! Then she got tired and fussy so I flipped her over. You can just see the determination in her eyes to keep working her neck, you go girl!

2 Months Old!

Ruth is now officially 2 months old. We are celebrating by spending 10 days with my parents in Oregon. The downside is that Brad is still in dreary old Provo going to school...all alone. So to help him not miss us too much I'm going to try and blog every day with pictures to keep him up to date. Ruth is really loving time with her grandparents. Today we went and got a pack 'n play for her (and her new cousin) to use while at the grandparents' house. This pack 'n play has a mobile on it and she just loves it, loves it, loves it. However, the toys were this nasty gray/brown color so we're going to buy new stuffed animals to replace them with so she likes it even more. We were also running errands around Portland and I found this pelican painted on the side of a building...it reminded me of the old days as a "Fighting Pelican"...except we were not medieval King Arthur Pelicans.

Another exciting event has been the wind. Trees have been falling across roads, branches falling into drive ways and smashing porches, and blowing cars across bridges. The first night we spent here it really freaked me out. The trees behind the house were being blown around so much, the trunks of the trees were moving not just the branches. The wind was so noisy that it sounded like the ocean smashing against rocks. I woke up in the middle of the night so freaked out by the wind and trees that I moved Ruth and I downstairs to the couches so that if the trees were going to smash into the house at least I'd hear it and hopefully be able to get out of harms way. I came to my senses around 5 am and moved back upstairs to the warm, comfy bedroom. I made this video my first night, it's really dark but you can kind of see the branches of the tree moving around.

Sleeping Habits

So Ruth is a baby, and being such her sleeping schedule changes often. She sleeps a lot of the day and usually sleeps through the night. A typical night goes as follows: Ruth sleeps from 9 to 10 and then is very awake and playful until midnight. She eats for about half an hour and then wants to be rocked and held until at least 1 am when I can put her down in her bed. Once down she sleeps until about 5 when she wants to eat and then falls immediately to sleep again. Although it can be frustrating to not go to bed until so late I have come to truly appreciate these nights when she sleeps. An a-typical night happened a few nights ago when Ruth, instead of being rocked to sleep decided she wanted to stay awake and watch the Jon and Kate Plus 8 marathon until 4 am. Nights like this make me truly grateful for her 1 am nights.

Last night we had an a-typical sleeping night, but not as described above. It all started out like normal, around midnight she got hungry so I fed her and then started rocking her to sleep. Once I thought she was ready to be put down I did so. However, the second she was in bed she woke up (also normal...she doesn't seem to like her crib very much). I let her cry for a few minutes but it soon became apparent that she was not going to calm down or fall asleep. So I picked her up and resigned myself to another long night, hoping there was another Jon and Kate Plus 8 marathon on TLC. I put Ruth down on the couch in the back room and realized I didn't have my water bottle. I went back to our bedroom to snag my bottle off the night stand and went back to the other room. When I got there this is what I found.


Yes, this is Ruth, sleeping away. It took her no more than 10 seconds, from the time I put her down and returned, to fall asleep. Why couldn't she fall asleep in the crib? Why was the couch apparently so much more comfortable? I have no idea! But I sure think this girl is cute. The other nice thing is that she slept all the way until 7 this morning! 1:30 to 7...I sure liked that. This is a close up of what she looked like all curled up on the couch. I guess she's a lot like me, I love taking naps on the couch, sometimes it's so much better than going to bed.

New Camera and Baby Facts!

I got a new camera with my Christmas money and I am using this opportunity to post some great new pics and facts about Ruth.

Ruth's new tricks:
kicking with her legs, holding her head up, and pushing off the bed with her arms.


Ruth's favorite things:
the color red, swinging, sucking on her fist (see below), getting her clothes changed (see picture above), cooing, and bath-time!


Things Ruth hates:
gas, getting burped, the blue bulb snot sucker, and going to bed before midnight (sigh).

Dad's favorite things about Ruth:
her cooing, burps, sparkly eyes and snowman/Christmas tree pajamas seen below.


Mom's favorite things about Ruth:
her smile, bows in her hair, fuzzy hair after baths, and cuddling in bed.