Saba Blog

It's a Girl! No Seriously.

2009-05-24T13:54:00.001-07:00

We were blessed to welcome Zoe Fran into our family on Friday morning. She is a happy healthy baby. She is one of the smaller Brubaker babies at 7 lbs and 11 oz but not so small compared to other families. We were able to come home from the hospital on Saturday and we have been working on settling in. Her middle name is after Steve's grandma Mary Francis. Grandma won my heart early on in Steve and I's relationship when she told him that she liked me because I was a 'good eater'. Finally someone noticed my skills! Joking aside, she is a great woman who is loved and respected by all she meets. She raised nine wonderful children and keeps her family close. I don't aspire to the nine children, but I do look up to her as a important role model.

Ruthie is adjusting well to her new sister, but I am assured that won't last. One thing that people warned me about but I didn't totally grasp was that Ruthie would look so old to me once the new baby came and that is definitely true. After a small nap time argument this afternoon Ruthie and I were cuddling on the floor of her room singing nursery rhymes and it all hit me. She is no longer a baby. She has a mind of her own and she is not afraid to show it. Her tantrums now include 'no thank you' over and over again and 'but I want it'.

With my lack of posts lately, we have left out quite a few events and let's be honest, I am not even going to try and keep up. But here are a few cute pics including one from Ruthie's second birthday.

It's a Girl!

2009-01-07T08:52:00.000-08:00

Well, I kept putting off this post because I wanted to find time to sit down and post a few pictures and maybe a paragraph or two about being knocked up vs being pregnant. But, I have yet to find the time, and I want to share my news. We had an anatomy scan (ultrasound) of the baby on Monday. It is definitely another girl. Being that I never had a sister and always wanted one, I am excited for Ruthie. Steve's comment when the tech told us was, "Yes! Now I won't have to bail anyone out of jail". Oh what Steve doesn't know about girls. Everything on the anatomy scan looked good and my due date should still be memorial day. I see my regular doc on Thursday, so we should get the official word then. Christmas was great and Ruthie is doing well. She suckered Gramma into a few treats when they went shopping the other day because she was showing off all the words she knows. Apparently if you can say what it is then you get it. I kept trying to use the words 'spa day' in conversation with my mom, but I guess it only works for grandkids. Pictures and the difference between knocked up and pregnant will come soon!

Super Cute

2008-11-02T19:02:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I may be a little bias, but I do think that I have on my hands one of the cutest Wonderwomen ever. Ruthie especially appreciated Halloween this year, since she got to sample a few more types of candy than she ever has. As new parents, we quickly learned that toddlers don't do well with taffy. Who knew? Ok, maybe most parents with common sense, but that obviously isn't us.

We trick-or-treated, as is tradition, at Aunt Di's with Ruthie's cousins.

Steve calls this Ruthie's White Snake photo, since she is on top of Uncle Pete's white camero. Yeah, I guess I was busy listening to Young MC and Paula Abdul.

We also went to Halloween With Horses in Parker. Ruthie got to ride a horse.

But more importantly she got a sucker afterwards, so all she wanted to do was stand by the fence, eat her sucker, and kick dirt.

She won't even put the sucker down for the petting zoo. I guess I do have an 'indoor' girl.

She also got to carve a pumpkin with Grandpa. She has to wear her camo for this heavy duty work. Camo is courtesy of Grandpa and Marilyn. Definitely not mommy.

Suzie's Wedding (I guess Mike's too)

2008-11-02T18:45:00.000-08:00

We had the fabulous opportunity to attend my friend Suzie's wedding in Breckenridge in October. She made an absolutely gorgeous bride to say the least. We had a great time catching up with everyone. Isn't the cliche, 'Its been way too long'.

Matchmaker Sarah and the beautiful bride.

Steve hadn't gotten to see his boyfriend Scott in too long. He was obviously excited. Not quite sure if those are anti-war signs or gang signs. I guess you get to make your own interpretation.

College friends from near and far.
Ivory and Jamie (Steve's other boyfriend) looking fabulous.

Long lost Lisa. I miss Lisa. Lisa lives in Texas with her adorable family. Her boys were the cutest ringbearer ever.

Fire Station

2008-11-02T18:38:00.000-08:00

Dad and Grandpa took Ruthie to visit Uncle Doug at the fire station. I am not quite sure who was more excited about the trip, Dad or Ruthie.
Rutie definitely wasn't excited about this shot. I guess they took the keys out.

She did get to pose like a rock star with the truck though.

Plus she got this super cool hat and a badge. Even though there was a traumatic experience with Grandpa and the elastic chin strap on the hat, she still wears it occasionally to watch Elmo.

Rocky Trip and More

2008-09-10T20:21:00.000-07:00

Britney, I mean Ruthie and Ashly posing at Aunt Di's B-day.
Ruthie and Daddy playing firefighter at the Children's Museum. She wasn't interested in the hat or jacket. It would ruin her look.
"Steve Farrell's got nothing on me!"
Ruthie's Senior picture pose.
Daddy dressed you? Wow.
We spent labor day weekend in Rocky Ford. We were doing the math and hadn't been down there in almost a year, so I guess we were due for a little Mission Deli (for those who don't know, the best mexican food EVER) Ruthie had a photo session at Pop's plant.

Large Marge loved playing in the big truck although Mom thought she needed a Purell bath afterwards. To put it in prospective, the first truck we opened had mouse traps in it, so this was the clean one.
She wasn't too enthused abou the sand. Guess she is an indoor girl like her momma.
We also got to play with Jenna and Lauren. Jenna and Ruthie are just a year apart. They played well together including licking their spoons and then switching them back and forth at dinner. Nice.

Ruthie has been growing like a weed. She tries to repeat you if you talk slow. Guess mommy and daddy are going to have to start watching what they say. She is enjoying the toddler classroom at school. We get to bring home an art project everyday on her shirt and we often get one on paper too.

In no particular order

2008-08-14T20:18:00.000-07:00

I have once again failed the motherhood test. I have forgotten my camera and have to resort to stealing pictures from others. This set is from my mom and hopefully Steve will figure out his mom's camera to get her pictures. We have had a busy summer with visits from all of Ruthie's cousins. The Texas Brubakers came out to spend a few weeks. The next couple of pictures are from Shelby's birthday.

Ruthie loved Tommy. I am not so sure he was quite as impressed with her.

Maloree and McKenna were so helpful with Ruthie. The break to sit and talk with adults was nice. Oh, the little things.

My cousin Alysa stopped by with her two beautiful child on the way to their new home in Kansas City. And of course it is always fun to see Emma, Max, Tonya, and Charlie.

The South Carolina Brubakers also came by for a visit.

Lots of love from Shelby!
Grandma Paula couldn't resist the matching dresses. Sorry, Jimmy.
Ruthie has loved the swimming pool this summer. She is absolutely fearless in the water. I know it is a cliche, but she is growing faster than we would like. She moves to the toddler room at daycare next Monday. This means a bigger playground, more structured days, and no more crib. She was more than ready to go though because her three girlfriends had moved up the few week prior. She is chattering more, signing more, and practicing her animal sounds. Sorry Katie, we don't have our mutliplication tables down quite yet.

Welcome Baby Benett

2008-06-23T20:32:00.000-07:00

Yay! Baby Benett joined the Brubaker family on Thursday and none too soon for Mommy and Daddy. Shelby has been affectionate and loving with her baby brother...so far!

Since it has been a little while since we posted, some of these picture are a little old. I have no shame in blaming my one year old daughter for the lack of pictures though. Every time I pull out the camera, she wants to play with it. Besides, this working mama has a hard time keeping up in general. Above is another picture of Shelby, this time with her boyfriend Joaquin who insisted on calling Shelby Shelbow just to get under her skin. To answer the age old question, yes men are born like that. We got to go to the zoo with Gabe, Eme, and Joaquin when they were in town. We miss them!

Ruthie's hair is getting long and starting to curl. Yipee! We have even been able to do pigtails lately. She loves them. Whenever she sees a rubberband laying around she tries to put in her hair. She is interested in hair 'pretties', purses, and electronics. Not so much babies. I think her daddy is in trouble.

Here is a picture from father's day at my parent's new house in Parker. Shelby and Ruthie had fun wrestling with Pop. Steve has been giddy all week because Ruthie bought him a new driver for Father's day. We also celebrated our 6th anniversary on Father's day. Yikes!

Happy Birthday, Ruthie!

2008-05-06T20:03:00.001-07:00

Well, I can't believe that my baby is 1 year old. It seems like just yesterday I was wondering if this baby was ever going to join us.

I think that Ruthie many have had little too much cake!

Here Ruthie is with her new friend Cooper. Cooper is my sister-in-law Amy's brother's son. Did you follow that? Cooper was born a few weeks after Ruthie.

My little brainiac found my Sudoko book and pen. Is it scary that she knows that they go together? The other day she found the pen and went straight to the Sudoko book that was in another part of room. I guess I was a little embarrassed that she imitates what she sees, but when I thought about it I wasn't sure if there is anything that I do that I would be proud if she imitated. Sad.

We had a busy month with Ruthie's birthday. The months are flying by. Ruthie had her one year doctor's appointment. She is still a big kid, a little more than 25 lbs and a little longer than 31 inches which puts her in the 95th and 97th percentiles. Not to mention her noggin which is off the charts. I wish I could blame that on Steve, but that would be flat out dishonest.

First Hair Cut

2008-04-09T20:05:00.001-07:00

We got Ruthie's haircut for the first time this past weekend. Prior to, she constantly had hair in her eyes and those cute little clips didn't quite work considering anything she can get her hands on ends up in her mouth. Besides, if she wants those cute side swept bangs, we better start training them now. This is the before picture of a little girl not quite sure she wants this version of fun.

Action shot. We decide to try the kiddie salon for the first cut, hence the car chair.

Grandma Ginny and Great Grandma Francie came all the way across town to witness the two minutes of fun. Luckily they stayed for cookies at the mall later. Ruthie got the works at the salon including the pony, bow, and a little glitter spray for good measure.

Ruthie got to try out Grandpa Rich's new hog.

We have had a busy past few weeks. Steve turned 30 on April 2nd, much to his disapointment. He was consoled by the fact that we went to Vegas to celebrate, just the two of us. It is the first trip since our honeymoon that we did just the two of us where we weren't going to visit someone else. We had a great time, but missed Ruthie of course. I am not quite sure she missed us since she got to spend some quality time with Gramma Paula and Pop. She is 'cruising' all over and thinking hard about walking on her own. She is doing more and more toddler foods and less baby foods and has moved to the big kids room at school. I know it is a cliche, but she is growing up too fast. Soon she will be rolling her eyes at me and telling me how lame I am, if they use the word lame then. Do they even use it now? I am old. By the way, new kids on the block are going on tour. I guess I can't be that old, right?

10 months!

2008-03-03T19:02:00.001-08:00

Can I get a half-caf skinny latte?
Baby Ruthie cuddling with Grandpa Rich
Ella and Ruthie chilling before pref party

Here are the latest pictures of Ruthie. We started swim lessons in February. Ruthie absolutely loved the water. She is even having more fun in the bathtub. So I decided this weekend that my life has definitely changed in the last 10 months. Just a few subtle things I noticed. The other day Ruthie had a goopy eye, so instead of actually finding a tissue, I wiped it with my sleeve. Another instance was at work when we were talking about 'user-friendly' one person picked the United website, one picked a computer store, I picked babies r us. Don't get me wrong, not all the changes are bad. I have also noticed that by the time I get home from picking up Ruthie after work I am always in a good mood because I know I have a few good hours of playtime even if I have a bathroom to clean afterwards.

Big Weekend

2008-01-30T19:27:00.000-08:00

Well, Ruthie had a big weekend. Not only did she pull herself on a chest on Saturday, but on Sunday she started crawling like she had been doing it for weeks

Here is an action shot!

Ruthie's Gene Simmon's imitation

I took this shot tonight. She was pretty excited about her teething biscuit. She is pretty excited about food in general. We spent the day at home because Ruthie was battling a case of pink eye. "Two drops in each eye, three times a day" Yeah, I wish putting eye drops in an infant was that easy. It was all a little ironic since we just watched Knocked Up a few nights before.

Holiday Update

2008-01-10T20:16:00.001-08:00

Ok, so I didn't get this all in the right order, but we will go with it for now.

Grandma Ginny and Grandpa Pat got Ruthie her cool new bike/rocker. She loved it immediately. I think that is a happy face!
Brubaker grandkids with Great Grandma Brubaker.
Grandma Paula can't resiste the matching dresses for the little girls.

Aunt Peggy with Ruthie and the boys.
Susie and Ruthie
Uncle Ricky and Aunt Amber at Christmas.
The Girls at Rich and Marilyn's
Christmas morning and Santa brought Ruthie a kitchen. Hopefully she can teach mom and dad how to use one.

Sorry for the delay on updating the blog. It has been a busy holiday season and it had a few bitter sweet moments. In early December, I received word that one of my favorite Professors had passed away. Dr. David Young was truly an inspiration. David became a quadriplegic in his early 20s, yet never let his handicap prevent him from completing any dream. He was one of the funniest people I have ever met. Then in mid-December, we also got word that my cousin Shane had passed away. He too was handicapped and he was a such a positive influence in so many people's lives. Ruthie and I traveled to Nebraska for his funeral. All of my cousins came into town for the funeral. It was so nice to see my mom's family again. I wish it had been under different circumstances.

The flow of family started within hours of us getting back to Denver. Ruthie had such a great time at all her Christmas parties. She didn't really get the whole unwrapping thing, but she definitely enjoyed the noisy toys. She also loves being around all the kids and loves all the attention she gets from her grandmas and grandpas.

Our gigantor baby seems to get bigger everyday. She definitely is understanding her surroundings more. We have been able to expand what she can eat more and more. She even got her first tooth when we were in Nebraska and she got a second one since then.

We hope that your holiday season was filled with fun, family, and friends. We have been blessed in so many ways that we can't adequately express our gratitude.

Chucky Cheese and More New PJs

2007-12-10T19:38:00.000-08:00

Here are Ruthie's newest set of PJs from Grandma Ginny.

Yikes, please tell me the keys aren't in the ignition.
What up, Chuck?
Ashly got a man for her third birthday.

Ruthie had been battling a stomach bug that is evidently running rampant in her school. Fortunately, we feel that she is acting like her normal self again. She definitely getting more mobile even though she isn't crawling yet. You definitely can't set her down and expect her to be in the same spot after you turn your back on her. She is making lots more sounds, too. I am positive that she says "Mama". Even though she has been trying hard to get a tooth, none have popped out. Her new thing is to roll her tongue and then rub it along her gums. We are excited for the holiday season to get here. Ruthie just stared as we put up our Christmas tree. The picture from Chucky Cheese above are from Ashly's (Steve's cousin) third birthday party. Judging from the picture above with her man, her parents might be in for some trouble some high school time.

Bad Mommy

2007-11-26T18:56:00.000-08:00

So I am a little behind on the picture taking and I don't have much to show for it. But I am going to try my hand at a video.
This is Ruthie in her standard issue. She went through three outfits that day at daycare, so she had to come home in their clothes.
Ruthie's newest PJs. Yes, I do know that isn't a teether.

I know this image doesn't come up, but I am hoping that the sound does. Can you name that tune?

Ruthie is getting more and more active. She likes standing up and can skoot backwards. Thanksgiving was lots of fun with lots of family. We are looking forward to Christmas. Hopefully, we will get a tree this weekend.

Our little octopus

2007-11-03T20:11:00.000-07:00

Finally, here are her Halloween pictures.
No this isn't our latest family picture.
I just thought this picture looked ornery.

Umm, carrots!

Well, I think that Ruthie enjoyed her first Halloween. She got to do the traditional Palumbo family Halloween at auntie Di's house, she got to show off her costume at Steve's work, and she got to trick or treat at Grandpa Rich's. She turned 6 months today and get all her shots on Monday. She stopped rolling over. I guess that means she is temperatmental like her mommy.

Ugggh!

2007-11-02T07:12:00.000-07:00

I couldn't upload pictures to the blog last night due to technical difficulties which surprisingly weren't my fault. Tune in Monday morning. I will definitely have pictures of the little octopus up by then. Arrrggg!

Mmmm solid foods

2007-10-23T19:59:00.000-07:00

Ruthie got to try her first solid food this weekend. They warned us to present the spoon sideways so she isn't itimidated and to be patient that she will spit out most of what she goes in her mouth. Well, I guess that all doesn't apply to babies that are half Brubaker. She grabbed the spoon from us and actedly like she knew exactly what is was for. She doesn't waste much food spitting it back out either. Mommy and Daddy are the ones that need the practice, especially getting the spoon the mouth and not the nose!

I know she looks mad, but it was probably just because we ran out of cereal at this sitting. She finally rolled over for us unassisted tonight. I was just starting to worry when she did it out of the blue. She is also sitting very well and has figured out how to get from a sitting position to her stomach. She rocks in the sitting position until she falls face forward, but she gets her arms and legs out quick and gets the illusive object set in front of her. It isn't the prettiest thing to watch but she is definitely doing it with a purpose. We are excited to post Halloween picture next week!

Gramma's Birthday

2007-10-16T20:51:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, Gramma! My mom celebrated her 29th birthday again this year with a little PF Changs and some ice cream cake. Here she is with Shelby and Ruthie.
I am a little late on these pictures but they are from our trip to Rocky Ford a couple of weekends ago.
Our little pumpkin!
I don't think that Ruthie was quite sure about her homecoming visit with Blaster. Go Diggers!
I think Ruthie's mommy has given that same look to that same computer several times.

Ruthie got to spend some time at home with Mommy last week because we had her tested for whooping cough. Luckily it wasn't that and her cough is definitely getting better. She has been showing a lot of interest in adult food lately, so we think we will start her on cereal here soon. Not that she needs it, but she keeps making us feel guilty by staring at us whenever we eat or drink. I am starting to get a complex. She is sitting up well, but we are still working on getting her to roll over. Sarah and I took her to the Mines Homecoming parade and part of the game. She seemed to be amused by the parade, but Blaster wasn't too interested in us at the game.

Bookworm?

2007-10-07T19:31:00.000-07:00

Ruthie enjoying her latest "must read".

Seriously Mom, we need to talk about introducing some solids foods.

Remember the solid foods I mentioned before?

Here are a couple more pictures of Ruthie. She is growing lots. We took her to the doctor this week for a cough. They weighted her and she is 17 lbs and 5.6 oz. As her Uncle Nate says, she is not missing any meals! Other than her cough, she is doing great!

A little late

2007-09-30T18:56:00.001-07:00

Ok, so we didn't quite make every week over the month of September. Time just gets away from me. In the beginning of September, Ruthie had her four month visit with the doctor. She was in the top percentiles again for weight, height, and head circumference. She has been doing well at daycare. She has established a schedule which is great for us. She has been giggling more and loves it when her daddy sings 'Boom, I got your boyfriend'. A little strange, but cute. She rolls to her side from her back, but has only gotten completely over once. She loves to sit up and is doing it on her own sortof. The above picture is from another attempt at the zoo. This time we got to go with daddy.

Here she is just relaxing at home. Her baby rolls just keep getting deeper and deeper.

I kept trying to get her sucking her toe, but this is as close as I could get. We were playing peep a boo. I think she is learning how to play by pulling the blanket over her face, but maybe she is just tired of mommy talking.

Here she is with her aunt Katrina making funny faces. I promise to keep more up to date. We are excited for Halloween. Ruthie's costume came in the mail this week! Thanks for not giving up on our blog!

I am ready for my close up!

2007-08-27T19:51:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pictures of our cutie! Of course any little girl whose mommy was a meloneer needs her own melon t-shirt. Thanks Gramma!

Yay for tummy time!

I think that she is just looking for trouble.

We had Steve's brother Rick's graduation party at our house this past weekend. He graduated from UCD this summer with a mechanical engineering degree.

Things at our house have been pretty busy lately with birthday and graduation parties not to mention fantasy football drafts. Aah, the dreaded football season has arrived. Ruthie is getting bigger and bigger every day. She discover her feet over the past couple weeks and now socks no longer stand a chance. Everything is also going in her mouth included the previously mentioned socks.

Birthdays!!!

2007-08-13T19:41:00.000-07:00

We had a very eventful past couple of weeks. We got to have cake and ice cream at several birthday parties. Shelby turned 2 on July 30th, Susie turned 1 on August 11th, and Great Grandma Brubaker celebrated another birthday on August 12th. Grandpa Rich and Marilyn also had a party at their new house with lots of relatives and friends that we were excited to introducr Ruthie to. In addition, I started back to work full time on July 30th, so we have been a very busy family! Ruthie just seems to get bigger and bigger everyday. I think I am in denial because I keep trying to fit her into her little diapers. She has also been melting our hearts lately by letting out her first few giggles.

Here is Ruthie doing a little snuggling at Susie's birthday party. It is a sure sign she is truly sleepy if she finds her thumb and doesn't try to suck on her whole fist.

Sun safety for our little pastey!

Lucky Susie got to have a giant pinata at her birthday.

Shh! Don't tell Dad

2007-07-29T20:13:00.001-07:00

OK, Steve already saw Ruthie in her Mines gear, courtesy of Uncle Sam and Aunt Ro. He protested but not very strongly. I think he has a thing for Mines girls.

This was my last week at home with Ruthie. I start back to work on Monday. I am excited about work, but not so excited about leaving my baby with someone else. I will miss her dearly.

This last week we got to meet Ruthie's cousin Chase for the first time. He was born in November to my cousin Alysa and her husband Scott.

This picture was suppose to be Great Grandma Brubaker with her great grandkids, but I guess you can tell which two are mobile.

We had a great time seeing everyone. It had definitely been too long.

Finally, here is Grandpa showing Ruthie the appropriate hand gestures for the Black Jack table. A little scary, but she seemed to enjoy it.

Indoor Girl

2007-07-22T14:24:00.000-07:00

This is a picture from Ruthie's first trip to the zoo. She obviously enjoyed it. We went on Thursday morning with Sommer and Shelby, but the weather was so hot we didn't last too long.

Cousin Shelby got her turn to hold Baby Ruthie after the trip to the zoo. Looks like Ruthie enjoys her cousin.

Same day as the zoo, but we are inside catching up on a little Gilmore Girls. It might be too early to tell, but I am guessing Ruthie is an indoor girl like her mom.

Here is Ruthie with her daddy.

We'll Give It A Try

2007-07-18T09:27:00.001-07:00

Well, I thought I would try starting a blog to chronical Ruthie's growth. Besides all the cool kids are doing it! She is about 2 and half months now. We took her to the doctor last week and she is 12.5 lbs and 24 inches, which puts her in the 90th and 95th percentiles, respectively. She has jumped up to the 3-6 months clothes, too! Over the last couple of weeks she has discovered her hands. In particularly, her mouth found her thumb.

This is one of my favorite pictures of her half smile.