A quick first year

Maybe it's because the girls are headed back to school this week, suddenly one year older, or maybe it's normal with the last baby, but I'm feeling a whole mix of emotions as I try to mentally prepare myself for my baby to turn 1 this week.

I was feeling a little emotional and told Ruby this morning, "I'm not ready for you to grow up." And Ellie responded, "I want Ruby to get big so I can play with her." Which reminded me there are definitely things to look forward to in this next stage of normal.

Every time I see a pregnant woman I think, I'm so glad I won't have to go through that again. Which is true, almost 100%.

One of these days soon, Ruby will finally sleep through the night consistently. My guess is she will wean from nursing over the next few months. The last remnants of her first year will fade away.

She's sooooo close to walking. More and more she is wanting to play "with" her sisters. She has several teeth. Like 8 or so (can you tell she's not the first child?)

Teethy Grin

For some reason getting her to eat solid foods was much more difficult than I remember with her two sisters, but we're finally in a good place where she basically eats anything we eat. That's such a good place to be. No more purees, no more separate foods for her. That may be one of my least favorite baby stages-the amount of time spent on preparing food for babies, only to watch them take two bites and spit the rest out.

So yeah, my little Ruby is getting more independent. My older two are starting preschool this week where they will grow in their own independence. Somehow, the first year of Ruby's life flew by. I did what I could to embrace it. During those middle of the night feedings, I tried to enjoy the extra snuggles, the feeling of being needed and providing what no one else can. But with her first birthday comes the glaring realization that, as they say, the days are long but the years are short.