I have a 2 year old!?!

Isn't is annoying how everyone talks about how fast time flies, etc, etc? Well indulge me please, ye 5 readers, as here I am about to do it, too....cause it is so ridiculously true! It in the blink of an eye I have a 2 year old and am filled with memories of her birth, already 2 years ago. My water 'broke' Monday evening on 3/25/13, I labored for 24ish hours then fought through 3 hours of pushing to be followed by c-section, to be followed by 3 days in the NICU and then finally released home the day before Easter. It seems a bit traumatic to probably anyone else but amazingly enough it feels like the most beautiful birth story ever to me because it's hers, ours.

It seems like a blur and I'm so glad I wrote it down in a journal cause like many other memories, poof, they can be gone in an instant and I love going back and reading through my emotions of those hours....

Last year on the night before Ruthie's first birthday I wrote her a letter with the hopes that one day in the long off future she'd read it when she needed to know how much I love her. I wrote her another letter last night and just like last year I crept into her room before I went to bed, listened to her peaceful breathing as she slept and cried and prayed over her past, present and future self. I'm so excited to get to watch and help her grow up but can't she stay little for just a little longer? 

birth day 

onetwo 

Phases

This is the beginning of the documentation of Ruthie's 'phases'. Be they hilarious, hard, frustrating or downright bizarre, I think we're all in for a treat here. 

For the last month or so Ruthie will sometimes decide right before a meal (usually breakfast) or once she's in her chair that she is so upset (for no apparent reason) that she must cry uncontrollably and refuses to eat. I think she just wants to sit in my lap to eat, but I don't allow it cause I like to enjoy my eating experience, too! So one day I had enough of this crazy tantrum at the table and told her that until she was happy and calmed down she couldn't eat and I sent her to her 'reading corner' in her room to calm down. Well, surprise of all surprises, it worked! She cry/ran to her room, plopped down in her reading corner, cried it out a little bit, then came back smiling and ready to eat. 

This still happens probably a couple times a week, she is sent to 'calm down' and can come out to eat when she is happy. Sometimes she just runs down the hall crying and turns right around smiling. Then the rest of the meal goes off without a hitch. Every once in awhile if she has a really hard time calming down I will go in and talk with her or even hold her, but we don't resume meals until she's happy, whatever it takes. 

I think this is a toddler sign of her asserting some control over her own little life, emotions and actions. I'm sure the future solutions to these struggles won't all be this easy but for the time being we'll take it! 

Daddy's Girl Weekend

I wouldn't necessarily classify Ruthie as a 'Daddy's Girl' all the time but this weekend she had no choice as I ditched her with him from Friday afternoon until Saturday evening. I was off to Des Moines to meet up with our core Wellnitz family of 5 to spend time with Jessie who was in town for her last day at Meredith! We had a blast with good conversation galore and some especially delicious food that imprinted itself on my memory it was so good!

Ruthie and Mike had a great time together and I was relieved to hear that he was exhausted, which is always gratifying to a mama to hear that from someone else- like ok, see, it really IS hard! I got some cute picture updates from Mike throughout the weekend and my favorite story was when he took her through the car wash and she got scared, he reached back and she held on to his finger for comfort. Be still my heart! 

Planning

I love a theme. Probably because it gives me ample opportunity for planning and I kind of love planning. This is probably why I love every holiday so much. Except Halloween, I could do without that one. But.... now that I get to dress Ruthie up in the most ridiculous and cute outfits I can handle it a little more. I digress. 

St. Patty's Day is coming up and I think I'm going to make a fun themed meal for us. Forget corned beef and cabbage, yuck. 

So I think I will make this and oh my gosh, this!

The Importance of Date Night

We forgot! We forgot how much we liked each other's company! I guess it is one of those things that creeps up on you as you settle into the routine of life with a toddler.
Ruthie went to grandma and grandpa Walsh's house Friday and Saturday and we found ourselves with the rare opportunity to spend some time just us. Friday after work we headed downtown Iowa City and had a fun time going to a couple different places for appetizers and drinks.
Then when we got home we started a movie but stopped it to instead talk for a few hours. Saturday we went our separate ways (me to a gardening expo with mom and Mike to meet clients out of town for work) for the day then met up again to enjoy a nice meal together. It was restaurant week in Cedar Rapids so that was fun to check out.
This weekend was a reminder to me that just like gardening you have to constantly care for and tend to your marriage or the weeds can take over.

Cheap Entertainment

This week I decided we are getting out of the house! So much cabin fever has descended upon us, it was time. 

Rockwell Collins sponsored a free day at the Children's Museum last Saturday so we partook. It was busy and crowded cause, well, free! But Mike and I both thought it was an awesome place and Ruthie was surely entertained. My favorite was watching her play the instruments in the music room, and check out the video...ummm she's kind of good right!? 

link to video with sound

And yesterday, I spent the best $5 ever. We headed to AirFx trampoline park to burn some energy during Toddler Time. We were joined by Ruthie's BFF Lila. Her running back and forth on the giant trampoline runways was the most hilarious thing ever. And she loved building towers with the giant foam blocks in the foam pit. 

link to video with sound

Just a short 3 year hiatus is all...

So I may have taken a few years off blogging but it's never too late to get up and running again, right? So here I go! To catch you up...here's what's happened in the 3 years since my last post- I guess you could say there has been at least one major life change...

who happens to be turning 2 in a few short weeks!

isn't she the sweetest?! 

So besides Ruthie joining our family & uprooting everything we thought we had figured out about life and love we're still trucking along day by day, so blessed. 

In other personal news, Mike made a big career change a couple years ago and is now a Financial Advisor with Principal Financial. 

I now work part time, 3 days a week, for the same orthopedic office. I am lucky to spend the other 2 week days at home with Ruthie.  

I hope to keep up on blogging more often as a way to document our family adventures and the funniest, cutest little gal named Ruthie. 

p.s. Xena says hi