The Book of Ruth and Gabriel

Our Gymnast

2010-12-25T20:41:00.000-08:00

Here's our little gymnast. The girl who does 360 jump spins off the chair, scales 10 foot high walls, jumps off anything high off the ground, and does full flips on the couch- in the air, no hands. Below is a video of Ruthie's first Candy Cane Classic, and her 2nd Junior Olympics.

Here's to all the flipping, jumping, spinning, bouncing, climbing, and any other movement produced by our daughter day after day, all of which are subjected to "Mommy, Daddy, watch this!" Here's to our little gymnast.

Everything Butt...

2010-10-13T19:42:00.000-07:00

I am ashamed at the length of time it has been since my last post. But, as the saying goes, "Better late than never." Right? Besides, I'm sure I"m not the first to have eight months of writer's block. Just so you know, the kids are great! More specifics will come with future blogs (which I promise not to be eight months from now...).

To segue back in, though, I'd like to do so with a bit of humor. Thanks to our funny man, Gabe, you get a nice laugh and we get a nice wedding video!

2010 Winter Olympics- Day 1

2010-02-13T22:03:00.000-08:00

Here's Ruthie practicing her jumps in sync with the mogul skiers. Unfortunately, we can't get both jumping on camera at the same time but, if you know moguls, you'll get it.

P.S. Don't let the princess dress fool you. Under that girly exterior, our daughter is hardcore!

Another First Haircut

2009-12-13T15:11:00.000-08:00

Nope, Gabe did not get two first haircuts. Ruthie finally got her first- at three years and eight months old. With dry hair, her hair is about 2-3 inches shorter than when wet, so it just doesn't look super long. But, I promised the hairdresser that I wouldn't wait that long before bringing her in for haircut number two!

First Haircut

2009-12-05T15:41:00.000-08:00

At 19 months it was time for Gabe's first haircut. He was getting enough boogies caught in his hair and enough comments beginning with "She..." It was time.

Little Artist

2009-12-02T17:59:00.000-08:00

If you are wondering what's in this picture, ask no more. Ruthie made it very clear what each part of the picture is and, as soon as you read this, I'm sure you, too, will say, "That is exactly what it is!"

In the middle is the princess. She is flying her kite in the sky. On the ground, she is holding a pear. And, next to her is, of course, a seal playing with a ball.

You see it now, don't you!

"That is exactly what it is!!"

Ruthie, you continue to amaze us with all the incredible talents you exhibit at such a young age.

Just Another Ski Day

2009-11-28T21:32:00.000-08:00

Okay, it's not really "JUST" another ski day. Today was Ruthie's very first ski lesson. She spent half the day in ski school learning to go up the magic carpet by herself, to stand on her skis, to get herself down the mountain, and to wedge herself to a stop. This video is a testament to the fact that Ruthie did indeed learn some things. In fact, it's very possible that by the time I ever get back on the slopes, Ruthie will be able to out-ski me!

Crazy Weather

2009-10-29T11:09:00.000-07:00

Hello, hello
From Colorado
Where we are outside playing in the snow
with Mommy and Daddy and Uncle Joe.

We're dressed up in our big snowsuits
Our mittens and scarves and big ol' boots.

Making snow angels and a big snow chair
And having snow dripping all down our hair.

Eating only the snow that's white
Not black, or yellow, or brown- that's right!

And when we're cold, going in to get cozy
By drinking hot chocolate to warm our toesies.

So, hello, hello
From Colorado
Where we are now watching the falling snow
Inside with Mommy, Daddy and Uncle Joe.

Remembering Hirschel

2009-07-26T22:59:00.001-07:00

Hirschel Bandel
July 18, 2002- July 24, 2009

Sometimes it's just too hard to put all your memories of a loved one into words. All I'm going to say is "Hirsch, you were truly a good dog. You were loyal and loving and kind. We couldn't have asked for any more."

We're gonna miss you, Big H.

Solomon

2009-07-22T22:36:00.000-07:00

Call us crazy. A seven year old (Hirsch), a three year old (Ruthie), a two year old (Gertie), a 15 month old (Gabe), and now a two month old (Solomon).

If you don't already know, Hirschel was diagnosed in late May with Hemangiosarcoma. It's a very grim diagnosis for any dog, but it's especially tough for an incredible dog who deserves to live twice as long as he will get to.

In the meantime, Jon and I talked about getting another puppy while Hirsch was still with us. We thought it might give Hirsch a little rejuvenation before he leaves us (and the puppy would have a great role model of a well behaved, low key dog). We also thought it might be a better transition for Gertie (who has never been the "only" dog) and for us (it would feel less like we were "replacing" Hirsch after he's gone). With all of that as well as the little bit of time off we still have before school starts, we knew it was the right time.

Solomon (nee Skipper) was born 8 weeks ago to Kona and Doc, and was a bit of a runt in the litter of seven. He was sad to leave his family, but he has adjusted very quickly to his new home and surroundings and seems very content here.

What's great is how much Ruthie adores him. She's never really been that into either Hirschel or Gertie, but she loves this puppy. She still thinks his name should be Cutie Pie! Gabe and Gertie have always been a dynamic duo, so now Ruthie and Sol/Solly/Solomon/Cutie Pie can join the club.

Welcome to the family, little guy!

Three and One

2009-06-12T21:16:00.000-07:00

Time to catch up.

Ruthie at three: What can I say- Ruthie is a little spitfire. She is an independent little girl who knows what she wants and tries every trick in the book to get it! She amazes us in so many ways. Her language and vocabulary is exceptional and she will hold a conversation with you all day long. Her favorite color is purple. She loves princesses. Her favorite is Ariel and then comes Belle, and when she grows up she wants to be a purple mermaid. She only wears dresses. Her favorite letter is R. She looks for R's in words and she can even write it.

I would say her favorite activity is jumping. She loves to jump on her bed, in Gabe's crib, on the couches, from one couch to another, on two feet, on one foot, from one foot to the other, up and down, side to side, in a circle.... You get the point!

Here are some recent fun Ruthie stories...

1. Boo-dee-uh. Recently in the car. R-"Mommy, will you play the Boo-dee-uh song?" J- "What's the Boo-dee-uh song? (You should know that Ruthie is not hugely into the radio, so I often turn off the music). R- "You know, it's on the car tv." J- "Oh, it's on the radio?" R- "Yeah, the radio." J- "Okay, but I have no idea what the Boo-dee-ah song is." (At this point it occurred to me that maybe it's a song on one of the CD's that we NEVER listen to!) I start flipping through tracks on the first CD and it takes Ruthie just seconds of hearing the starting notes to say "No. That's not it." Track 6 music starts- R- "Mommy, this is the one!" (Sure Ruthie, whatever!) Then the words start. "Boom-dee-ada, Boom-dee-ada, boom-dee-ada, boom-dee-ay..." R- "See Mommy, I told you. It's the Boo-dee-uh song!"

2. Ruthie's first curse word. Ruthie and I were building towers with her blocks when hers fell down. R- "Dammit!" J- "Ruthie, what did you just say?" R- "Dammit, my tower fell down." J- "Sweetie, that's not a word we should use. Can you say it another way?" R- "Jeez, Mom, my tower fell down."

3. Hamiwee-Famiwee. For her bedtime reading one night, Ruthie picked one of Gabe's storybooks about Hemophilia. We really haven't talked to Ruthie much about it yet so I decided to use it as an opprtunity. J- "Ruthie, do you know what Hemophilia is?" R- "Uh-uh." J- "It's when your body bleeds differently than most people. Gabe has Hemophilia." R- "You know what, Mommy?" J- "What, Ruthie?" R- "Mommy, I have Hamiwee-Famiwee, too."

Gabe at one: Gabe is quite the ham. The best ways to make him laugh are to hold him upside-down or to count to three. His favorite game is Peek-A-Boo. He will put anything in his mouth and do his best to eat it before I find it. His preferred position is on his belly- crawling around and finding trouble. On his birthday, he had seven teeth. Now he's up to eight front teeth and one molar. Words we're sure he's said are Dada, daddy, mama, and Hirsch. With lots of hardwork in weekly PT, he is now sitting and standing on his own. At his one-year checkup, he weighed in at 18.8 lbs (3rd %) and measured at 57%. He is a super happy kid with a super infectious smile.

Our Little Boy is 1.

2009-04-22T22:09:00.000-07:00

It really doesn't feel like Gabe is one year old today. Maybe it's because he's the baby and he's not supposed to grow up. Maybe it's because he still seems so little since Ruthie seems so big. Or, maybe it's because he wasn't supposed to turn one for another five weeks.

April 21, 2008 was such a whirlwind of a day. I woke up that morning with a couple of very clear signs that he was ready to arrive. Of course, it was 5 weeks too early, so I chose to semi-ignore the signs and go about my day. But, I went to work very nervous and remained in that state all day long. Immediately after school, Jon and I drove to the doctor's office for some word of something. The nurse who checked me said this, "You are 75% effaced, but you're not at all dilated. Don't worry. Go home. You may have no more than a week, but that baby won't come tonight." Jon was very relieved to hear that and kept reassuring me that we still had some time, but I knew that she was wrong. I knew that Gabe was coming that night.

As soon as we got home the nesting began. Okay, it wasn't actual cleaning- more of quickly putting together a bag for the hospital, writing instructions for Ruthie and the dogs. Just in case I was right. At 11:00, Jon went to bed. He thought I should go to bed, too, but I just couldn't. Not yet.

It was about 11:15 when I felt the first contraction. The next one came right about 11:20 (If you remember with Ruthie, I don't have long drawn out labors). That's when I called our friend Anne and said I might need her to come over. Then I said I'd wait a little bit longer and that I'd call her back if I was sure. At 11:30 I called her back. Two more contractions had come- strong and exactly 5 minutes apart. I was sure.

Then I went to wake up Jon. He wasn't very happy, saying it was too soon and he was sleeping. I said, "This baby is coming right now," and another contraction racked my body. Jon got the point!

The next 20 minutes were a little chaotic. I had my car keys and I was ready to go but Jon really wanted to drive his car. Fine. However, he could not find the keys. A contraction came- no keys. Another contraction came- no keys. Next contraction- still no keys. Timing these contractions, the 5 minutes is long gone. Now we're down to three. I think I actually started crying at this point, telling Jon that he could either take the keys to my car or I was driving myself. Again, he got the point. Anne hadn't yet made it over, but there was no time to waste. We locked our sleeping Ruthie in the house and threw the keys in the mailbox!

Now, this is the part where Jon always starts his version of the story- he really likes this part. This is where he gets to tell how he sped down the dark, empty streets running red light after red light!

I have no idea what time we actually got to the hospital- I just know it was sometime after midnight. It was then that I discovered the horrors of having not yet gotten in my pre-registration and I started crying fit #2. The "nurse" at the check-in looked like a teenager and didn't seem to care at all that I'd had a very fast first labor and that my contractions were down to 2 minutes apart. I begged her to get me upstairs but instead I was directed to pee in a cup. Seriously. Then, I had to endure question after question after question- which seemed to take forever since I would stop mid-word to breathe through a contraction.

Finally, after what seemed like forever later, a nurse came downstairs. I explained to her that my first delivery was fast and that I was not dilated at 3:30 that afternoon. When she checked, I was dilated to a 6. She got me upstairs immediately.

After that, it was all so fast. On the table, meet the nurses and doctors, eat a few ice chips, push a few times. And then there was Gabe. One nurse said that I got to the delivery room at 1:20am. She said the total time I was in there until Gabe came was 22 minutes.

It was April 22nd, 1:42am.

Happy birthday, Gabe!

Passing on the Torch

2009-04-12T20:32:00.000-07:00

Isn't it every daddy's dream to pass on his greatest passion to his children in the hopes that they have the same, if not stronger, passion? You know that passion- the one of conquering mountains by easing through knee-deep powder, dropping off crazy-high cornices, and jumping off rocks into soft, white snow. Wait. You mean that isn't every guy's passion?

Well, it's definitely Jon's and today he lived and breathed his very dream. That's right. Today we took Ruthie skiing for the very first time.

Jon's love for the sport began 35 years ago and still remains his one true love today (okay, it's at least a three-way tie between skiing, me, and the kids!). He's been looking forward to taking Ruthie skiing since they day she was born. With her 3rd birthday just behind us, and Ruthie's talk for the last 6 months of wanting skis and ski boots, we knew she was ready. So, with her very own new equipment in tow, it was up to the mountains we headed.

Even with all her talk, we weren't sure whether she would really like skiing or not but she did give us some inklings as the day progressed. The first clue that she might actually enjoy herself was when I woke her up in the morning and she said "I'm ready to ski!" She helped Jon pack the car, she didn't complain about the long ride, and she even helped Gabe put on his snow clothes. And it was when she was finally on the mountain that she let out her true feelings. The "WHEEEE's" and "This is fun" and "Let's do it again, Daddy!" were definitely giveaways but it was the one moment on her way down the hill when she said, "Daddy, I really like skiing," that Jon knew the torch was being passed.

Gabey and the Tramp

2009-04-07T20:44:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it's not exactly two dogs slurping spaghetti at an Italian restaurant, but it's just as sweet!

#3

2009-04-04T17:10:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to our beautiful Ruthie.

Ruthie's Painting

2009-02-14T19:18:00.000-08:00

Between art teacher dad and doodling mom, of course we would love it if our children develop some artistic skills. As Ruthie's grown older and bigger, we've let her experiment with some different "mediums" to see if anything would grab an interest. She's made pictures with pencils, never really enjoyed crayons, sometimes still pulls out the MagnaDoodle... but her current love is with watercolor paints.

The following video shows one of Ruthie's paintings from start to finish. I think it starts rather Matisse-esque, then takes a little Picasso-esque twist, and ends looking very Ruthie-esque! With it, however, comes the following disclaimer: The following video doesn't embarrass me, and I hope it doesn't embarrass you... enjoy it and laugh with it!

A New Year

2009-01-04T20:13:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!!!
Love, Jon, Jen, Ruthie and Gabe

Alphabet Follies

2008-12-07T20:28:00.000-08:00

A marathon ensued last night as Ruthie relentlessly sang her ABC's over and over. When it comes to being a parent, I believe this type of event naturally brings out a number of parenting personalities.

Personality #1: the "AAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGHHHH" parent
These are parents who fight the urge to throw their own temper tantrum in order to stop the inevitable rerun of "With a quack quack here and a quack quack there..." Instead, as soon as their child turns away, they run out of the room, close the door, and lock it, thankful to hear their child's screams rather than another round of Old MacDonald.

Personality #2: the "SUPERSTAR" parent
These are the parents who dress up their child in the frilliest dress with the biggest bow, or in the starchiest sweater vest they own, and hit record on the video camera until the child sings Happy Birthday with complete perfection. The parents edit out all the mishaps and send the perfect edition to every talent agency and modeling company in the nation. Secretly, though, they also send a copy of the edited mishaps to America's Funniest Home Videos because there's a chance a talent scout or modeling agent will be watching- and they might win ten thousand dollars.

Personality #3: the "Rest of Us"
These are, of course, the rest of the parents that do not fit into personality types 1 or 2. These parents adore most everything that comes out of their child's mouth. When the child sings the ABC's for the bazillionth time, the parents might want to run out of the room, but instead they join in and sing along one more time, once again praising their child's knowledge and abilities (just like they did on each prior rendition). They also pull out the video camera but, instead of sending the video to the hot shots, they make copies and send it to all the family, or post it on the blog- knowing full well that it will one day make it to the big screen...on their child's wedding day.

Happy Halloween

2008-11-02T19:13:00.000-08:00

'Twas the day of Halloween and all through the house
was eagerness and anticipation of a young pumpkin and mouse

The day was spent carving pumpkins galore
and roasting pumpkin seeds, but they still wanted more

So deeper into the mountains, to Leadville, they went
where an evening of trick-or-treating among locals was spent

It was the mouse's first, and unsure what to do,
she squeaked "Happy Halloween!" and then she surely knew

'Cause out came the candy, which the mouse keenly eyed
and as it went in her bag, those eyes opened wide

"I got candy!" squeaked the mouse to the young pumpkin looking on
then she grabbed grandma's hand to drag her along

To the very next house where it happened again
and to the ones after that 'til it came to an end

Then, the exhilarated mouse relished in all the sweet treats
of chocolates and candies and other goodies to eat

When asked if she enjoyed her first Halloween
the little mouse squeaked "YES! I do it again!"

The eagerness and anticipation subsided at last
from having such a Halloween blast

And, later that night, arriving back at the house
were two contented kids- one a pumpkin and one a mouse.

Happy Halloween!

Politics

2008-10-06T21:28:00.000-07:00

Well, Jon and I can't actually take credit for teaching Ruthie this one- but we like whoever did!

Milestones

2008-09-21T20:33:00.000-07:00

Our little man is reaching new milestones as he gets bigger and bigger. I remember with Ruthie, the books were always out and I was on top of what should happen when and where Ruthie fell on the spectrum. Between Gabe's preemie status and 2nd child status, the books are gone and I'm enjoying the surprise of each milestone as they come when he's ready.

Here is one of many milestones to come. Turn up the volume and enjoy!

Indoctrination

2008-08-28T21:00:00.000-07:00

As you all may well know, Gabe has just been full of surprises since day one. Or, is day one really called "minus 32" since that is the number of days early that Gabe arrived?

Even more surprising than his premature arrival was the diagnosis of Gabe's severe hemophilia A. What this means is that Gabe is lacking a protein in his body (Factor VIII) which is used to clot his blood. Therefore, Gabe will bleed longer (not more) than the average person.

It's not so much an issue with surface cuts and bruises because Gabe does make enough platelets to create a superficial scab. What we have to be concerned about is internal bleeds- deep muscle or joint bleeds. Normally, these bleeds don't start occurring until an infant begins crawling or walking and pressure is actually being put on the muscles and joints. Gabe, however, felt it would be good for Mommy and Daddy to have a little practice before all that, just to keep us on our toes.

On Friday, August 22nd, we took Gabe in for his routine 4 month checkup. His two-month checkup went uneventfully, with shots being no problem, and this one seemed to be the same except that he got more shots- one in his left leg and two in his right. On Saturday, he was pretty fussy- but we figured it was due to the shots. By Sunday afternoon, though, he was to the point of being inconsolable, his right thigh was very swollen and hard, and he was not moving it at all. All signs pointed to a bleed.

We ended up that evening in the ER for what ended up being the first of four factor infusions over the course of the week. Gabe is doing just fine now. His right leg will probably be a little swollen for as long as it takes for all the blood to reabsorb, but he's kicking and bending his leg just like before.

Apparently, it's quite rare to get a muscle bleed from immunizations so we do have some precautions to take for his next round of shots. No more than one shot per leg, which means we'll have to spread out his immunizations over a couple of weeks, and we'll keep a pressure wrap over the puncture sight for 24 hours.

So there it is. We've officially been indoctrinated into the world of life with a hemophiliac. We survived this episode, and we'll survive the many more that lie ahead.

Gabe, you're a strong little boy and you're going to keep Mommy and Daddy strong. For that, and everything else, we love you very much.

Gabe's swollen right leg.

Giggles

2008-08-10T20:06:00.000-07:00

You can't help but giggle when Gabe giggles. Yes, laughter is infectious, but Gabe doesn't just make you laugh, he makes you giggle. When Gabe giggles, that joyous little sound jumps right inside your bones, to the core of your body, and he makes you giggle just like him. And when that happens, you and Gabe and everyone around you sound like a chorus of little dolls whose drawstrings have just been pulled and let go.

Into the Woods

2008-07-26T20:20:00.000-07:00

The last time Jon and I went camping was in the summer of 2005, just before I found out I was pregnant with Ruthie. I can't believe we waited three whole years to go again.

I know our reasons for putting off going- It's too hard with a baby... The kids won't be able to sleep if they're not in their beds... How are we going to fit everything in the car... and any other argument you can think of with one to two kids, two dogs and us.

We finally had our opportunity when our friend Walt called on Thursday and said, "Hey- you guys want to go camping tomorrow?" Our initial response was, "Hmmmmmm...well...I don't know..." until we finally said, "Let's just do it!" We figured the worst case scenario is that we would have a horrible time and then we just wouldn't go again until the kids were old enough to handle it.

Instead, it turned out to be a wonderful experience and we are ready to go again.

Ruthie had a blast! She helped set up the tent and searched for firewood. She enjoyed her first campfire, or "candles" as she called it. She even dragged her sleeping bag and pillow back and forth a hundred times between Uncle Walt's tent and ours trying to decide where to sleep. She did wake up in the middle of the night a little spooked and cold, but after finally calming down she slept well into the morning.

Gabe had no problems camping! He stayed right on schedule and slept all night long- even through Ruthie's crying spell. And he was quite content in his camping bed- a perfectly-sized cardboard box! Don't knock it- it was way easier to transport and set up than the pack-and-play. Gabe didn't seem to mind one bit!

I hope this will be the first of many camping trips to come. I know many people who have fond memories of camping with their families when they were young. I want my children to be no different.

12 Weeks

2008-07-15T20:00:00.000-07:00

Our little Gabriel is 12 weeks old today, and he is living life to its fullest. He has had quite a fun-filled summer tagging along with his big sis to the park, the zoo, the library, the pool.... He's been quite the trooper with minimal complaints!

Gabe's doing great. At his two month check-up he weighed in at 9lbs 12oz, so I'm sure he's well into the 10lb range by now. He's a good eater and he's been sleeping well. He's had many "almost" full nights of sleep- he'll go 8 to 9 hours, but he's been needing a pacifier around hour six to make it the rest of the way. Last night, though, he gave us a nice solid eight hours of sleep without interruption. Here's hoping there's plenty more of those nights to come!

Mama's Cherry Pie

2008-07-09T14:52:00.000-07:00

(think "Country")

I wanna tell y'all a little story about a recent family activity...

Yesterday we packed up our car real good and took a little road trip down to a real nice place called Berry Patch Farms. Them people who run that there farm, they're real good people.

You know what them farmers asked us when we done got there? They asked us if we was interested in doin' some cherry pickin'. Cherry pickin'? We ain't never done no cherry pickin'. But we all looked at each other real hard and then we said "What the heck. Let's go and do us some cherry pickin'!"

And you know what? We got us some real nice cherries. And I done turned those cherries into a real nice cherry pie. I ain't never made no pie before.

And you know what else? That cherry pie was dee-licious. The chilluns liked it, their daddy liked it, I sure liked it, and even them doggies liked it. It was real good.

We had so much fun doin' that there cherry pickin, I went and wrote me up a little diddie all about it. I sure hope you enjoy...

Ruthie went a pickin' and she did fine, uh huh.
Ruthie went a pickin' and she did fine, uh huh.
Ruthie went a pickin' and she did fine,
She picked lots of cherries for the cherry pie.
Ruthie went a pickin' and she did fine, uh huh.

Snow in July

2008-07-02T15:04:00.000-07:00

As Denver begins to heat up for the summer, it's nice to get away to cooler areas. The fabulous thing about Colorado is that you can always hop on I-70 West and you will inevitably hit cooler weather somewhere down the road. Today we did just that. And, not only did we hit cooler weather (a refreshing 64 degrees), we also hit snow.

Just 50 miles west of Denver is St. Mary's Glacier. With a short rocky hike upwards you soon reach a picturesque lake and the year-round snowfield that lies behind it. While Ruthie had very little interest in actually hiking the hike, she loved bouldering on the big rocks, throwing little rocks in the lake and walking in and eating the "no."

So, when the kids are hot and sticky in the middle of July, we can hop in the car for some sledding and snowball fights and, yes, even skiing!

I Wanna Be Like Ruth

2008-05-28T20:37:00.000-07:00

As I've been snapping photos of Gabe, I've noticed that many of them look an awful lot like big sis Ruthie. I'm not referring to their faces looking alike (I'll let you decide that) so much as their mannerisms. I won't say anymore, because I think the pictures speak for themselves. And, just in case you can't tell them apart, Gabe is always on the left and Ruthie's on the right.

First days

Coming home

Naptime

Striking a pose

Oy!

And then there were four

2008-04-24T10:17:00.000-07:00

Gabriel Lars Olson, 1 day old

That's right- the Olson family is expanding! Gabriel Lars joined us in the wee early hours of Tuesday, April 22nd (1:42am) to become the newest Olson on the block! His arrival was a bit of a surprise, since he wasn't due to join us for about 5 more weeks, but we are very happy and excited that he's here.

He weighed in at a healthy 6lbs2.8oz, 19 1/4" long (for this I am thankful that he did not wait another 5 weeks to come out!). However, since the lungs are the last major organ to develop in a fetus, Gabe did need some extra help breathing. I got to hold him for just a minute before he was taken off to the NICU where they put him on oxygen and helped to relieve some of the extra fluid in his lungs.

Since then, he's been improving steadily! He came off his oxygen and all tubes on Tuesday night. His goal now is to eat more on his own so that he can come off his IV and come home to his family. We're hoping that with the vast progress he's made so far, that this won't much time to achieve.

From what I can tell, though, Gabe is already trying to catch up with his big sister. He had a very quick birth (first written contraction to birth=2 hours, total time in delivery room=27 minutes, total number of pushes=4 or 5). Just like his big sister, he decided for mommy that she was not going to get an epidural. He also decided he wanted to be born in April, and to be born on a Tuesday, and to give his mommy the rest of the school year off, all just like his big sis!

And, in return, we already love him just as much as his big sis!

First family photo!

Turning Two

2008-04-24T09:59:00.000-07:00

Before I post any more blogs, I just want to wish my little girl a happy birthday. She turned 2 years old on April 4th, celebrating in style at the park with all her friends young and old.

It's still amazing to watch her grow and learn, to see her struggles and successes, and to have her presence in our lives every single day.

Happy Birthday, Ruthie!

Dinner Time

2008-03-30T20:20:00.000-07:00

No, this dinner is not for Ruthie. It's "feed the doggies" time and we have the perfect little helper. Ruthie can run this routine with her eyes closed. She knows where to find the bowls, which bowl belongs to which dog, and where each of them eats. Before we switched Gertie to Hirschel's adult food, Ruthie could even tell you which container held which dogs' food. I wonder how many years will pass before Ruthie determines "feed the doggies" time to be a chore and begins demanding allowance money?

Ruthie Olson- Skier Extraordinaire

2008-03-30T19:13:00.000-07:00

Don't worry- Ruthie's not skiing just yet! But, she does enjoy testing out daddy's homemade skis! She wants to make sure they're solid and sturdy and that daddy's signature stripes are nice and dry.

Night Night

2008-02-26T17:54:00.000-08:00

As we are getting closer to transitioning Ruthie to her "big girl" bed, she is showing us clear signs that she is ready for the switch. Of course, you might notice that her choice of "beds" isn't too far off from her crib. Maybe I should ask the dogs their opinion on the matter.

Learning Curve

2008-01-17T20:18:00.000-08:00

You would think that not a whole lot would surprise me in the realm of language and learning. I've taken many courses in education, psychology, linguistics and language acquisition- enough to know and understand the processes of and look-fors in language and learning development. And, of course, being a teacher of reading, writing, math, and language for the past seven years- well, that helps, too.

But, even with all of that experience, I just cannot seem to comprehend the amount of learning that is going on with my own child.

There is just something about this tiny little person who is still so new to this world, who somehow knows SO much. Ruthie is picking up not just words and skills at a pace faster than I can blink, but she's picking up actual knowledge. For example, I recently witnessed Ruthie making an actual self-correction. She was in bed looking at a book and I heard her say "car." Then, almost mmediately, she started saying "truck, truck, truck." I went over to her and, sure enough, the picture was of a truck, not a car. It can take an entire school year just to teach some 1st graders to even notice when they are reading something wrong, let alone how to fix it. Yet, my 21 month old daughter is correcting herself before she can even speak in full sentences.

This rapid learning curve of Ruthie's is totally expected at her age, but it's still amazing to watch unfold. No matter how much I thought I already knew, or how much I thought I understood, I am still learning right along with Ruthie.

WHEEEEEEEEEE!

2008-01-15T21:05:00.000-08:00

Oh,to be a child again. It's pretty significant how our simple pleasures in life change as we grow and get older. If only in our adult lives we could gain pure happiness from being tossed inside a bag and swung around....

What is it?

2008-01-10T16:27:00.000-08:00

We went to the doc for the ultrasound
And what we saw was quite profound.
There was the heart, the brain, the spine and all
And between the legs was a penis and balls.

IT'S A BOY!!!!!!!!!

Downhill Sledding

2008-01-02T14:03:00.000-08:00

We have had quite the winter weather here in Denver for the past couple of weeks. There were a couple of super snowy days and lots of bitter cold temperatures that have kept the snow around for longer than usual. For anyone who enjoys somewhat warmer weather, it is finally heating back up and, with the snow still on the ground, makes for some enjoyable "play in the snow" time! And, thanks to our new nearby development called Stapleton, we now have what we can actually call a "hill" in Denver!

12:00 A.M.

2008-01-01T00:25:00.001-08:00

2 minutes before the New Year...

2 minutes and 20 seconds later...

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

Rapper Ruthie

2007-12-25T23:02:00.000-08:00

Yo, yo, everybody. What' up? It's rapper Ruthie here and I want you to listen real good to what I have to say...

It's rapper Ruthie and I want to say
What I woke up to this mornin', on Christmas Day.
'Cause last night was real nice on Christmas Eve,
Watchin' the lights out in 40 degrees.

But this mornin' I woke up and I looked outside
And I said "NO!" (that means "snow"). Oh yeah, that's right!
So much "no" all over the ground
Well I couldn't stay inside and lay around.

So I got on my shirt and my pants and snowsuit
Then my coat and my hat and my gloves and my boots.
Outside I went with my mommy in tow
She took the pics while I jammed in the "no."

Yo, yo, yo, yo, yo,
I'm in the "no, no, no, no."

I'm Rapper Ruthie, now I'm sayin' "night, night."
Hope you didn't mind hearing 'bout my Christmas that was white.

YO YO!

Turkey Day

2007-11-25T18:48:00.001-08:00

This was a good Thanksgiving. This was my first year not traveling or spending it with family and I have to say I rather enjoyed it. Not that I don't enjoy the family get-togethers, but it was so nice not having to deal with the craziness of Thanksgiving travel. I know you know what I'm talking about- the "busiest travel days of the year"- which directly translates into long ticket lines, extra-long and extra-slow security lines, delays, cancellations, cranky people, etc.... And, of course, you add to that traveling with a child... nope! I was totally satisfied staying home in Denver.

Not that we spent the day in our house eating take-out. We spent the afternoon and evening with four of our good friends and had a DELICIOUS Thanksgiving meal.

As far as Ruthie goes, this was her first Thanksgiving with a mouthful of teeth, and she definitely took advantage of that! She DEVOURED the turkey, the stuffing, the mashed potatoes, the sweet potatoes, the green bean casserole, the bread, and any other main course dishes that I might be forgetting. She didn't say "no" to anything and she just kept on eating and eating. Just when I thought for sure she'd explode, she would take another bite of something. Don't forget that that was just the main course! Prior to that she munched on crackers as appetizers and, during dessert, she worked her way around the room getting multiple bites of pies from everyone! It's very possible that at 19 months, Ruthie ate more Thanksgiving food than anyone else in the room.

Number Two

2007-11-20T09:35:00.000-08:00

Well, if you haven't already heard the news, here it is (look left!). That's right- a new baby Olson is on the way!

We're still pretty early on in the pregnancy. These pictures were taken yesterday at 13 weeks and 2 days. I wasn't supposed to have an ultrasound until 20 weeks, but some hopefully minor concerns had me in the office getting a full checkover. Thankfully, there was a strong heartbeat and a VERY active baby! As long as everything stays that way, we can expect this new little one around May 24th.

My doctor asked if we were finding out the sex, and if we wanted her to see if she could tell. "YES!" The closest she could get, though, was "Well, that could be a 5th appendage or it could just be the cord." And, unless I'm in for any more "checkovers" we'll have to wait until January to find out with more certainty.

The most amazing part was seeing how much change occurs in such a short amount of time. My first ultrasound at 7 weeks showed nothing more than a peanut/nugget/blob with a heartbeat. Now, only six weeks later, we could see the whole profile, hands and fingers, a spine, a brain, etc.... It's pretty amazing!

We will keep you updated on the progress of this pregnancy. In the meantime, enjoy the pics. Keep in mind, the baby right now is about the size of an action figure with a really large head!

If you have any suggestions for names- boy or girl- feel free to share. Right now we've narrowed it down to Ruthie #2 (we think either a boy or girl could handle that, don't you?)!

Adeluth's Fugue

2007-11-13T19:17:00.000-08:00

Think Muppet Show theme song... "It's time to play the music. It's time to light the lights. It's time to get things started with Adeluth tonight...."

Tonight's feature performance is Miss Ruthie and Miss Adeline debuting their very first piano duet. This is an original fugue designed together by both artists. Their skills combined make for a mesmerizing performance. You have Miss Adeline, whose technical skills and focus clearly lead this masterpiece, while Miss Ruthie completes it with her abilities to follow along and add her own touch of uniqueness and clarity.

And how, you might ask, did they come up with the exquisite title, Adeluth's Fugue? Clearly it is the combination of their names, Adeline and Ruth. Just as they worked together as a team to create this musical work of perfection, the title reflects that same commitment to their teamwork and camaraderie.

Why not call it Rutheline's Fugue? Simple. At this stage in her life, Ruthie likes to put her friends first.

And now, for our feature performance.... We hope you enjoy the show!

School Days

2007-10-25T20:38:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-19T18:47:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-05T17:25:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-01T21:01:00.000-07:00

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!

Ski Inspector

2007-09-06T19:09:00.000-07:00

Ruthie has acquired some important new skills. Since she is not yet allowed to participate in the actual activity of skibuilding she has instead volunteered to inspect the skis after they come out of the press. Ruthie gives two thumbs up. They've passed the inspection. Good job, dad!

Ruthie's only comment- "When are you making skis in my size?"

Moving Right Along

2007-08-28T16:58:00.000-07:00

Just to give you an update on Ruthie's walking....

At 15 months and 1 day, she took her first steps. After that, she took it slow- observing everyone around her, taking one little step here and there. After a while, she progressed up to several steps at more frequent intervals. Finally, Ruthie has proven that she is ready to cut loose. I think we can call her official walking start at 16 1/2-16 3/4 months. With that slow but clearly observational and introspective progression from stepper to walker, Ruthie managed to bypass the entire falling down period. She stands on her own two feet quite well.

The Constant Gardener

2007-08-11T21:02:00.000-07:00

As you can see in this picture, Ruthie is enjoying her time in the garden. She may as well start helping out with the gardening, since she is certainly reaping the benefits of the yummies which are growing.

Just like every other summer, zucchini is our top growing crop. Thank goodness Ruthie likes it. In fact, she seems to like it in every possible way... grilled, sauteed, steamed, in circles, wedges, sticks, in chunks, chopped, ground up, liquified, as a main course, in lasagna, on the side, with a fork, a spoon, her hands....

Another favorite of Ruthie's is our second highest yielding crop. Actually, it's really the highest yielding, it's count is way beyond that of the zucchini, but it seems less so because the produce is so much smaller. That would be our strawberries. Boy, does Ruthie love strawberries. She loves them so much that she is willing to go through the arduous work of picking them herself. As you will see in the video, she can even discern between those that are ripe and unripe. Since picking strawberries is a bit of a chore, I have no problem letting Ruthie do it. Except, you might also notice, that if I leave it solely up to her, there's a good chance that no one else will ever get to enjoy them.

Look Who's Talking

2007-07-12T22:12:00.000-07:00

We are finally winding down from all of the excitement involved with Ruthie taking her first steps. Jon started walking at 15 months. Ruthie's first steps were at 15 months and 2 days. She is, quite literally, following in her father's footsteps. That's not to say that Ruthie is running around doing cartwheels or anything. She is still taking steps here and there, but only when she lets us let go of her.

While Ruthie is still certainly in the normal time frame of learning to walk, I have heard some positive thoughts referring to those who take those first steps later rather than sooner. One thought is that kids who walk later turn out to be more athletic due to the much needed coordination it takes to crawl efficiently (this is, of course, assuming that the child who is not yet walking is, in fact, crawling). In regards to Ruthie, you know that she is already quite the little swimmer. She also has quite a knack for climbing onto and off of various objects (stairs, boxes, sofas, etc) without any help. She has even mastered getting out of spaces in which she was initially buckled down (highchairs, changing tables, shopping carts, etc). Thank goodness she's stopped doing that last one- for now, at least! Needless to say, Ruthie is clearly showing signs of athletic ability, or, at the very least, that she has strong coordination skills. For Ruthie to ski, walking is not important. However, knowing how to coordinate one's arms and legs together into the right movements and rhythm, like crawling, is.

Another positive spin on those who walk a little later is that they are focusing more of their time honing in on their language skills first. As you will clearly be able to tell in the video below, Ruthie has a lot to say and she has obviously been working hard so that she says it all in just the right way. It makes perfect sense that while Ruthie could certainly have been practicing balancing her upper body while putting one foot in front of the other, she instead chose to develop her speech and vocabulary. She must know that this will be an important skill in life- not only for the purpose of communication, but if she has any hopes of ever beating me in Scrabble, she needs to start practicing now!

Yes, of course I know they're just thoughts. Just because Ruthie didn't take her first steps until 15 months doesn't mean she'll be a star athlete or a guru of language. But, when you're in a room full of babies and toddlers, and everyone 9 months and older is walking, except your daughter, it's nice to have those thoughts to go on.

For those of you who might have been wondering about the race between Ruthie and her cousin Jake, Ruthie was the first to take steps on her own. As far as who will be running and doing cartwheels first? That's a whole other race!

SHE FINALLY DID IT!

2007-07-06T20:09:00.000-07:00

I can't quite put my feelings into words yet, so... just watch the video!

It's a Girl!

2007-07-05T17:07:00.000-07:00

That's right! We have a new mouth to feed here in the Olson household. She is definitely as good an eater as Ruthie, although I think her mouth is definitely bigger! She also has a little more hair than Ruthie. She's playful and cuddly and loves to give kisses. Here she is... Miss Gertrude (Gertie) Olson!

Gertie is a German Wirehaired Pointer. She is 12 weeks old, born April 13, 2007, in Llewellen, Nebraska. The family is very excited about our newest arrival, and everyone is doing well.

Going Places

2007-06-22T18:15:00.000-07:00

Ruthie's many travels continued last week as she visited both Chicago and Minneapolis. Among her many adventures, Ruthie gazed and giggled at the colorful fish and other sea creatures at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium, let her curls blow in the wind during a boat tour of the Chicago skyline, bobbed with the waves amid one Minnesota lake, and laughed at the chimps wrestling playfully at St. Paul's Como Park Zoo. Perhaps even more importantly, Ruthie had the great pleasure of visiting with many friends and family in both cities.

Ruthie enjoys some down time in Chicago.

Here we are standing next to a statue of Mary Tyler Moore in downtown Minneapolis, memorializing the exact spot of her famous hat toss from the opening scene of The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

In Chicago, Ruthie spent time with her great-grandparents, her uncle and cousins, and even met up with her Denver friend, Adeline, for some afternoon tapas. Having the great fortune to be able to watch Ruthie with her great Grams and Gramps brings nothing but sheer joy. And, Ruthie had nothing short of a blast entertaining all the folks in their retirement community. In the dining hall she brought smiles and laughter to everyone as she crawled and walked (still holding on!) to greet everyone at their tables. Ruthie even met two more Ruth's along the way. In fact, one of them said to me, "You know, Ruth is not a very popular name." I looked at her and said, "Well, we love it." Her response? "Well, I do, too!" So there!

Ruthie takes great Gramps for a walk!

In Minneapolis, Ruthie was able to spend time with friends Wes, Maureen, and Eric and, of course, with grandma Kate and grandpa Charlie. Ruthie received the royal treatment from grandma who knew how to spoil her in all the right ways!! She also really enjoyed being around g & g's three whippets- Emma, Hilo, and Kona. Emma is Bridget's sister but looks the least like her. Kona could be Bridget's stunt double. Everytime Ruthie saw the dogs (which was about every other second) she would get very excited and joyfully say "DOG!" A couple of times, I caught her calling Kona "Bridget."

Ruthie watches Hilo and Kona.

While we absolutely love traveling and taking Ruthie to visit friends, family, and new places, we are definitely experiencing the exhaustion of traveling with a toddler. We have one more trip next month but then we're staying put for awhile. So, anyone who wants to visit us out here in Colorado, we will be here!

The Race is On

2007-06-07T11:20:00.000-07:00

VS

The race is on between Ruthie and her cousin Jake. The winner? The one who walks first. Who's it going to be?

Ruthie's off to a strong start. She's five months older. She's a speed-demon crawler, she climbs stairs with no fear, and she's an experienced cruiser. But, wait! Here comes Jake and, wow, is he coming on strong! He may be younger but he sure is determined. He's a Jumparoo Master, he pulls himself up, and he's starting to cruise. His biggest advantage- he's got his older sister, Alyssa, to show him how it's done.

This race is a close one. Ruthie and Jake are neck and neck. It's just too tough to call right now. Who is going to win this race?

Then again, does it really matter when they start walking? Clearly they have found much more sophisticated ways for getting around!

Funny Girl

2007-05-28T12:14:00.000-07:00

Ruthie is endlessly making us laugh as she sports her adorable faces and her silly noises. She can do it standing up, she can do it in her highchair. She can even do it with sweet potatoes all over her face!

Baby Steps

2007-05-27T17:58:00.000-07:00

At 13 3/4 months, Ruthie's mobility has progressed to speed-crawler, speed-climber, and soon to be speed-walker. She'll walk holding on to things and she'll walk holding our hands, but she hasn't yet taken the leap to walking on her own. But, who needs to walk when you can proficiently reach your destination in some other manner? We know Ruthie will eventually reach her walking milestone. In the meantime, we are enjoying the baby steps she's taking in that direction.

Remembering Bridget

2007-05-20T19:05:00.000-07:00

Today was one of immense sadness as we said goodbye to our beloved dog Bridget. But, while we grieve our loss, we know that in death we can also celebrate the life that was. So, here's to our "bigger than a Whippet but smaller than a Greyhound" Bridget...

-the "leaner"
-shivering even in a warm breeze
-alpha female
-mother/big sis to Hirschel
-squirrel catcher
-hating Greyhounds, loving Vizslas
-red and black turtleneck coat
-bad teeth and bad breath
-standing up in the car
-dignified and classy
-unconditional love

Catching Up

2007-04-25T05:33:00.000-07:00

Ruthie's life continues to unfold at the rate of a speeding bullet, with mom and dad desperately trying to follow somewhere remotely close behind. First off, I should catch everyone up on Ruthie's stats. At her 1 year appointment, Ruthie weighed in at 20 lbs 4 oz- a mere 37th percentile. She seems to have caught up in height, measuring at 30 inches, putting her in the 79th percentile. Of course, that exactness may not be anywhere near correct since we are pretty positive that Ruthie scooted about an inch while the nurse was measuring her. What we're saying is she's potentially an inch shorter, not taller!

For those of you who have not seen Ruthie in a while, she now has six teeth- four on top, two on bottom. It is no longer cute to try to get her to suck on your fingers. OUCH!

She is talking (okay, babbling) up a storm, climbing stairs, and crawling and cruising all over the place. And boy is she fast! Somehow, in the blink of an eye, she disappears from one end of the room and is already on the third step. Or we find her in the dog bowl... We're just constantly trying to catch up!

Busy as a Bee

2007-04-07T16:33:00.000-07:00

Ruthie has had quite the whirlwind lifestyle these last two weeks. She spent a week traveling around North Carolina (about 900 miles of traveling, to be exact!), visiting Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Charlotte, and Wilmington. She visited lots of Mommy's friends and grandma's friends. She visited her aunt, uncle, and cousins in Charlotte. She saw the house where Mommy grew up, saw Mommy's high school, and met her grandpa Henry. She toured Mommy's university (go 'heels!) and watched her "Aunt" Betty complete a triathlon. She joined in a wedding shower and a knitting group. She thoroughly enjoyed some key Nawth Car'lina restaurants, including Fat Daddy's, Bojangles, and Golden Corral. She smelled an array of blooming azaleas. She waved to ducks at the lake and and ate sand at the ocean. She had her first surprise party and her first cupcake. And that was just the first week!

This past week included a Passover seder, Ruthie's first birthday, her one-year check up, and her one-year birthday party. Phew! Needless to say, Ruthie is taking an extra-long nap at this very moment. She's earned it!

Enjoying a moment at Wrightsville beach

Admiring the flowers

Looking pretty for Passover

Birthday Girl

2007-04-04T16:56:00.000-07:00

It was exactly one year ago.... All day long I've been reminiscing to myself and to friends about the sequence of events that unfolded on April 4, 2006.

7:00am- I'd had a couple "signs" the night before, so Jon and I decide to carpool to school- JUST IN CASE!
12:00pm- Seems like a normal day. Nothing out of the ordinary.
2:45pm- School ends. I'm feeling fine. Jon decides to go to his class in Boulder.
3:30ish pm- I"m still at school. My stomach feels a little crampy. I figure it must be something I ate. I joke to a couple friends "What if it's contractions?" Their response- "Oh, you would definitely know." I figured the same thing.
4:00pm- I need to stay and get more work done, but my last resort home is about to leave and these annoying stomach pains are coming a little more frequently.
4:30pm. Get home. Decide maybe I should write down times JUST IN CASE they might be contractions. Times vary. Nothing consistent. I'm sure it's just something I ate.
4:45pm- Get a phone call from a friend. Cramps are coming more often and I'm having a hard time breathing through them. Tell friend I need to go call the doctor. Maybe they are contractions!
4:46pm- Kaiser main line (K)- "This is Kaiser. How can I help you?" Jen (J)- "Ummm, is this the right number to call if I think I might be having contractions?" K-"YOU'RE HAVING CONTRACTIONS??!! HOLD ON AND STAY ON THE LINE!" transfer... Kaiser Nurse (N)-"You're having contractions? How far apart are they?" J-"Well, it's nothing consistent. 9 minutes, then 4 mintues, then 10 minutes, then 5 minutes..." N-"Um, yeah. Those average 5minutes, so you need to get to the hospital RIGHT AWAY!" J-Well, my husband's on his way home from Boulder. I"ll just wait for him." N- "If he'll FOR CERTAIN be there in the next 20 minutes then okay. If not, you need to get someone to drive you now."
5:00pm- Call Jon, expecting him to be on his way home. Instead, this is what I hear. "Hey, class went a little late tonight, so I'm just now walking out of the building." This is where I freak out and start bawling hysterically and hyperventilating.
5:02pm- Call friend to take take me to the hospital.
5:15pm- Friend arrives. We're on our way. Contractions are exactly 3 minutes apart.
5:30pm- Grandparents call. "Hi there. We were just thinking about you. How are you?" J-"Actually, I'm on my way to the hospital. Don't call my mother!"
5:48pm- Arrive at the hospital. Get checked in and go back to be monitored. I"m dilated to a 7. I wonder what happened to 1-6. Call some friends. Call my mother. Wonder if Jon will make it on time.

JON MAKES IT- PHEW!!!!!

6:59pm- Into the world comes the most amazing little person.

Our lives are forever changed.

First Words

2007-03-16T19:05:00.000-07:00

Like many babies, Ruthie's babbles of "dada" and "mama" to anyone and anything began months ago. Slowly but surely she has begun to associate words to their objects. She looks at Daddy and says "dada." She looks at the chair and says "mama." She looks back at Daddy and says "dada." She looks at the wall and says "mama." Back to Daddy. "dada." Then over to Bridget. "bridget." Now she's looking at the ceiling. "mama." Finally she looks at Mommy... and she starts crying. Hey, I never said she was associating ALL words to their objects!

In the following video, are a few rare caught-on-tape moments of some of Ruthie's very first words. Make sure the volume is turned up- this is not a silent film!

Standing Tall

2007-03-13T20:52:00.000-07:00

Ruthie has finally made it into the world of the standing. Yes, she's taken her sweet time reaching this point. Maybe it's because we kept wanting and willing her to stand. We would lift her up, hold her out, and wait for her to stretch her legs down long so we could plant her feet firmly on the ground. In reality we would lift her up, hold her out, and Ruthie would do one of two things; a) stretch her legs out in front of her (the "I'm sitting in midair' position), or b) tuck her legs up underneath her (the "I'm in mid-jump" position). Neither led to standing so we stopped trying.

Then, a couple of weeks ago, I was sitting on the floor with Ruthie and up she went. All by herself. No help from anybody. She stood right up like she'd been doing it for years. And that was it. We didn't see her stand again until tonight. Maybe she stopped standing because we've been egging her on every time we set her down. Maybe she stopped because, when she stood up the first time, I yelled "YAY" so excitedly that I think I scared her half to death because she sat right back down and started crying hysterically. Or, maybe she stopped because she just wasn't quite ready to transition from infancy to toddlerhood. Whatever the case, it seems that now she's ready.

Olympic Hopeful?

2007-02-26T18:23:00.000-08:00

Don't worry. We're not the kind of parents who feel that we need to push our daughter into what we think her life should be. If, however, she happens to discover that swimming is her niche, I know that neither of us would say "No."

Ruthie is nearing the end of her 6-12 month infant swim class. She started when she was 8 months old and right away earned herself the one and only class title of "Little Fish." She took to the water instantly. While friends have had up and down days- crying when they're tired or hungry or wet or when the water's too cold, Ruthie has yet to complain. Rather, she splashes and reaches and kicks and bounces and dunks and floats. In every class she swims her little heart out and she loves it.

Should Ruthie find some other niche in her life, that's totally fine. We won't stand in her way. But if Ruthie decides to join the swim team, we will absolutely be on the sidelines cheering her to victory!

And, if it does happen, watch out.... She's already got a mean butterfly kick!

Hello and Goodbye

2007-02-06T19:45:00.001-08:00

Ruthie is rapidly picking up all sorts of new skills. Here is one of them.

Moving Ahead

2007-01-28T14:06:00.000-08:00

For a while now, Ruthie has been quite the roller, rolling from one end of a room and back, gathering along the way anything that might be in her way. It's been just in the last week or two that Ruthie finally began the "army crawl." You know, the one where she drags herself across the floor by her elbows and forearms. In just the past week she discovered how to do planks, where her forearms are on the floor and she lifts up on her toes (it's great for the abs!). While she has had this range of movement, she never really seemed to care where she actually ended up. We would put a favorite toy out of her reach, she would eye it, maybe move forward a couple inches, then proceed to roll on her back or turn around and inch away in the opposite direction.

But it was just last night that Ruthie finally figured out how purposeful crawling can be. It was like a light went on and suddenly Ruthie realized that by crawling she could actually reach the object of her desire. She even got up on her knees for the very first time and I have to say that I almost cried when she did it. I didn't think it would be so emotional, but I was just so darn proud of her!

What's in a Name?

2007-01-20T15:40:00.000-08:00

As we think about what we want to name our children, there's so much that goes into the process. Origin, meaning, does it sound right, are they going to get made fun of? It's a huge decision, and a huge responsibility, providing someone with the name that she will take on for the rest of her life.

While we certainly explored other names, and the most dreadful possibilities at that, we both liked the name Ruth from the start. Biblically, Ruth is a cherished and loved member of the Jewish faith. Being the first convert to Judaism, this is a profoundly strong connection to Jon and his family. And, the name is also deeply connected to me, being that there was a Ruth some generations back in my family who was also a twin.

We also like that the name Ruth seems to always conjur up good people. All the Ruths or Ruthies I have known or have heard of have all been truly well-loved people. In fact, just about everyone I know has said to me, "My (grandma/aunt/mom's best friend) Ruth was just the greatest most sweetest person I ever knew." And, while I don't believe in relying solely on the meaning of a name to predict any sort of future characteristics for a person, I do think that it must effect everyone someway, somehow. But it is just one more reason for us to love the name Ruth, because only good things can possibly come to a person whose name means friend.

Baby Ruth, on the other hand, just means chocolatey-covered peanuts and nougat.

Generations

2007-01-09T16:56:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, Ruthie and Jen were lucky enough to be able to abandon snow-ridden Denver for a brief jaunt to abnormally warm Chicago. Ruthie got to visit with her grandma Barb, uncle Rick, aunt Joni, cousin Jori, and most special of all- great Grandma and great Grandpa. How fortunate we are to have four generations of family still going strong!

Ruthie with mom, grandma, and great grandma

Ruthie had a blast with great Grams and Gramps and she captured the attention of everyone in their building. In fact, Ruthie was equally in awe of them, which is evidenced by how quickly she picked up on some of the tricks they taught her!

Sharing

2007-01-03T16:16:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't believe in sharing? We may not always like sharing but we do at least believe in it. Even at her young age, Ruthie, too, seems to understand what it means to share. In fact, we think she even likes it!

I Love You

2007-01-02T19:16:00.000-08:00

Woohoo!!! Jen has finally figured out how to post a video!!! I would like to start with one of my favorites. Many of you have seen an alternate version, but not this particular one.

Pint-Size Beauty

2007-01-02T18:13:00.000-08:00

Although we still have two days to go in the bottom of the eighth month, we took Ruthie in today for her 9 month check-up. It wasn't a necessary check-up, since there are no shots between 6 and 12 months, but our doctor gave us the option at her last appointment. "You can wait until 12 months, or you can bring her in and get her measurements..." Since we are not ones to pass up the opportunity to get Ruthie's weight and measurements, and we happen to like our pediatrician, of course we took her in!

Here's the results... We like to think that Ruthie is very headstrong and smart. In fact, just this morning, she managed to get an entire newspaper out of its bag (this often proves difficult for many adults) and she opened a tub of Butt Paste all by herself (the lid is bigger than both her hands). And, she did all of this without anyone actually seeing her. Some might call this sneaky or naughty. We are going to use the term "smart!" And, this goes right along with Ruthie's 9 month head size which came in at 68%. That brain's a growin'! For weight, Ruthie is doing great. She started at a mere 6lbs7oz and she is now 18lbs11oz. She's tripled her birth weight (okay, not counting in the ounces), and is smack dab in the middle at 50%. You go girl! Then, alas, there's Ruthie's height. If you refer back to the title of this blog, you'll have an idea of where I'm going. Ruthie measured in at exactly 27 inches. Strangely enough, that's almost half of mom's height, but for a 9 month old, it's only the 33rd percentile. Maybe mom's only in the 33rd percentile, too...! So, maybe she won't get the tall genes. We're okay with that!

By the way, Boudreaux's Butt Paste is a popular brand of diaper rash cream!

New Year's Resolution

2007-01-01T12:37:00.000-08:00

Okay, I know we should have started this long ago but, hey, better late than never. Let's call it a New Year's resolution!

The purpose for this blog is to have a place where we can share smiles, laughs, and tears as our family faces each new day. And it is a place for those who are reading this to catch up on our life through words, pictures, and videos.

For now, I think the main focus of our blogs will be dedicated to our incredible daughter, Ruth Elizabeth Olson- aka Baby Ruth or, as most people refer to her, Ruthie. She is, obviously, the most amazing and fun piece of our lives!

If you've been unintentionally left out of the loop, Ruthie was born on April 4th, 2006, at 6:59pm. The whole birthing process was fairly quick. Mom worked a full day at school with nothing out of the ordinary occuring. Around 3:30, she had what would soon be determined to be a contraction. She checked into the hospital at 5:48pm and out came Ruthie one hour and eleven minutes later!

Hopefully, we will figure out the video thing soon. Until then, here are a couple of pictures to enjoy.

Here's Ruthie on her first day in this world.

And here's Ruthie now, almost 9 months later.