A busy few weeks

Ruby's learning how to do stuff at such a rate of knots that it's hard to keep up! Here are the highlights...

learning how to feed herself (uh oh - looks like vegemite sandwiches are a hit - Dad wins - Mum prefers marmite but Dad's the one at home influencing her behaviour on a daily basis!) ...

practising her kiss at the same time as eating above-mentioned marmite sandwiches ...

partial to a bit of cucumber too - check out those teeth! She's also working on dropping 4 down at once from the top gum, not pleasant if all her grumble-bumming is anything to go by!playing peekaboo behind the curtain. If you drop a cloth over her head and say 'where's Ruby' she freezes and waits for you to find her - it's the perfect way to get some peace (a little like putting a cloth over the parrot cage), although she is getting wise to it and doesn't wait as long as she used to. More tongue moments at the pianoand a rock-star moment; move over Elton John! She has a new bike (read: complete suckers for parents!). We saw this on the way home from Ohakune and couldn't pass it by. It's a tricycle that also has a complete-surround baby seat so she can sit on the normal bike seat but not fall off. When she's big enough to hold on properly that baby seat can come off and the footrests fold up so she can pedal. For the moment we're making great use of the parent-handle at the rear, with which you can push and steer while her majesty beams at the world... and the world beams back. The hat was made by Aunty Alyson in Wellington before Ruby was born. I used to think there was no way she'd ever be big enough to fit it... but I guess all things come in time!
We recently stayed the night at her Aunty Sarah's and Uncle Mike's... unfortunately for Uncle Mike, who was working a night shift... something Ruby's loud voice has no compassion for the next morning. Still - he didn't seem too put out, as he wasn't awake long before the bubble mix appeared and Ruby had her first experience of trying to catch bubbles.

Back at home on a sunny day Ruby discovered the cat door and happily played with it for about half an hour on and off. Just waiting for her to try and crawl through it...

Out and about with Daddy; I think this was in the cafe downstairs from the dentist where I was being tortured. She has had a thing for his hat since the day he bought it and finally got to wear it. Some things just don't wait around for photos - case in point is Ruby's first 111 call. She was hiding behind her toybox and last time I'd looked she was looking at a book. Next thing I know I hear beep beep "111 emergency, fire, police or ambulance?". I was off that couch and across that room like lightening to gasp "oh my god I didn't know my baby had the phone, I'm so sorry" and hang up... Miss Ruby T had managed to hit the speed dial button and the number one all at the same time - thank goodness! Without that speakerphone button the next thing I might have heard was an official knock on the door! 9 months is a little early for prank calls and the phone hasn't been left on the floor since.

I give her about a week until she gets the hang of crawling, she's been right on the verge for a few days now and life as we know it is about to change. Our landlords have been good enough to build us a gate so she won't be able to get off the deck if she manages to escape out the catdoor. But I'm sure she'll think up lots of other adventures to keep us on our toes and snapping photos.