School Days

Yes, I know. It's not really school, it's just daycare. Hey, it's close enough! She goes everyday during regular school hours, she learns things.... Besides, what daycare means to Ruthie is that she gets to carry her "bapa." That would be two short-a vowel sounds and it refers to Ruthie's beautiful red Hello Kitty backpack- the one that she LOVES taking to "school!"

Checking In

Ruthie had her 18 month check-up this past week, so I thought I'd pass along her stats. She weighed in at 24 lb 5 oz.- that's right smack dab in the middle at 50%. As far as height, I thought she seemed fairly tall compared to other kids. Sure enough, she measured at 32 1/2 inches which is the 75th percentile. And, her head size is a whopping 77%! What does all of that mean? It means she's doing great! And that I shouldn't be surprised when I can't get a shirt over her head!

Body Language

At 18 months, Ruthie's ability to learn and acquire language and skills is developing at the rate of about, oh, say, the speed of light. Her ability to understand and follow directions is pretty phenomenal. You ask her to bring you something, she brings it. You ask her not to do something, she stops doing it. Last week, I had her on my bed and she kept saying "shoes." I put her on the floor and she immediately went over to her room and brought me a pair of shoes. I asked her if she could get some socks to go with her shoes. What does Ruthie do? She goes back to her room, walks over to the dresser with her socks, opens the correct drawer, and brings me back a pair of socks. Now, maybe out there in the rest of the world, this is normal for an 18 month old but, since I have no idea, it seems pretty phenomenal to me!

The following video unveils some more of Ruthie's recently acquired knowledge specifically regarding body language. I realize that the term "body language" may cause you to question the nature of this video, but I assure you that the title is quite befitting and the video is in good taste.

Wild Card

If you have been at all following Major League baseball, then you know that earlier tonight the Rockies battled the Padres for the Wild Card spot in the playoffs. This was the "playoffs before the playoffs" and the Olsons were there to enjoy almost every minute of it. Ruthie cheered along with all the great moments and clapped along with all the great songs and music. She even gave high fives to the men behind us when things were going really well.

Fortunately, the game started at 5:30, which fit right into Ruthie's schedule. Unfortunately, the ninth inning came and went with a 6-6 tie, forcing the teams to determine a winner with extra innings. We made it through the 11th inning. Not bad for a little one, just shy of 18 months.

Thankfully, we made it home in time to watch the entire 13th inning, during which the Padres scored two more runs and then, in the bottom of the 13th, the Rockies came back with three runs to win the Wild Card spot 9-8. The highlight of the whole evening, though, was when one man sitting behind us (one of the high-fivers!) said to me during the game, "It's so nice to see such a happy baby here." I responded with a heartfelt "Thank you" and he followed that with "No, thank YOU."

As wonderful and exciting as it is to have the Rockies in the playoffs, nothing beats knowing that your child made someone else's day a whole lot brighter.






Go Rockies and Go Ruthie!