"Hi, my name is Britt."

"Hi Britt!"

"And I'm addicted to television."

Momma told me today that she did a bad thing in the last few months. She went from us watching no tt (tv) to letting me watch lots and lots of tt. Mostly I watch Pooh (Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree) and Patpul (Hungry, Hungry Caterpillar). I especially like to watch tt while I eat cacorn (popcorn) or hat ta (hot dogs). Momma says I've gotten demanding and just plan ugly when she tells me that we aren't going to watch it right now, but I like to think that I'm just very passionate and insistent about what I want. I'm not easily distracted from what I want, which Momma says will be a good trait to have one day, but right now I need to learn some patience.

Momma told me that we are going to start by cutting back on my tt habit today. I get to watch Patpul once in the morning while she feeds Rrrrrrroof (Ruth) and Pooh once in the evening while Daddy works on supper. First, I told her that I like to watch them, and that it wasn't fair. I begged for Patpul all morning, and kept telling her how I wanted to see Pooh, Ore (Eeyore), Ow (Owl), Rarit (Rabbit), Gogo (Gopher). Then, I tried to sell her on the educational value - not that I really know what that means, but Ahna talks about it when she talks about school, and it sounds important. I told her how I was learning my colors like bue and ed (blue and red) and how to count like un too tee doo, daa, doo, daa from Patpul. I reminded her that I had learned to say ralph (giraffe), cricat (cricket), moan (moon), tar (star), affle (apple), pear, and plum from watching that video. I also told her what all I had learned from watching Pooh - like bees and how they say beeeeeeeee (though Daddy says bzzzzzz), and that I got to see bloons (balloons) and umbels (umbrellas). But alas, that didn't seem to work. Momma stuck to it, and I have only seen them each once today. Momma says we are going to cure my addiction one way or another.

Ruth had her check up for one month on Monday. She weighed in at 10 lbs, 4 oz, and now measures 21 1/2 inches long. That puts her in the 75-90% for weight and 75% for height. We are happy to report that she is a healthy looking gal. The only other note is that some how the PKU screening that they did in the hospital never was sent off, so they had to redo her heel prick to send those test off. We like her new doctor. She is very young (she looks to be my age), but she was very friendly and knowledgable; for once someone answered all of our questions, without acting like it was an inconvience. She didn't try to pressure us into anything, but just laid out pros and cons on several options that we talked about. She gave us alot of information to think about and was very open with us.

These pictures of Ruth were taken Monday after her appointment with Fuzzy Bear. Fuzzy Bear was a Christmas gift for me at about a year and a half. He was my bedtime buddy, and a well worn friend. He has seen many casualties. Mother had to try to "fix" his nose after Matthew ripped it off when we were suppose to be taking naps. He had a couple of good size holes around his eyes, where the stuffing was coming out, that once again Mother had to fix. When I got married she washed the thing (I had forgotten that he was tan and white, not tan and tan), and he has been hanging out in a chair in the guest bedroom ever since. He's very happy to be out of banishment, even if Britt chews on him from time to time.

Today is not Tuesday, but I am posting some special pictures just for Memaw. She has been talking about how cute the new Huggies diapers are that look like bluejeans. Infact she even brought me one when she brought up a bunch more clothes for my sister. I made sure to make Momma take a few pictures of me styling my new diaper today. So Memaw, I'm posting these just for you.

Ruth,

You are one month old today. This has been a busy month, mostly full of doctor's visits and family visits. That first week with you was a little scary. We hadn't been out of the hospital two days when they told us that you had lost too much weight and that we had to go immediately to the hospital. They talked about ivs and test, and supplimenting you and all sorts of things. Well, thankfully it turned out to be nothing, and now you are growing. We will find out exactly how much at your doctor's appointment on Monday, but I just packed up all of your newborn things last week (with the exception of a few sleepers) and you are now wearing size one diapers. Though Daddy would point out that you could have been in ones for a few weeks now, if I wasn't so determined that we aren't going to waste any diapers, and use all of the ones that were open. The only real change I can see though is that you are losing your hair on top.

You are finally starting to be a little more alert during the day. All you wanted to do for the first week or so was sleep all day long. Of course, all we have to compare you to is your brother who was always super alert. So I'm sure that you are just normal in that regard. You tend to be wide awake from around 3:30 am - 7 and again in the afternoon around 3:30 -7. People have said that perhaps you have your days and nights mixed up, since you are regularly sleeping from 7 to noon or 1. All I know is if you can sleep 6 hours in the morning, you could be sleeping 6 hours at night, so that I could. You have also started tracking side to side with your eyes.

You are a cuddle bug for sure. Britt hasn't been in such a long time, and I sure am enjoying the cuddly part with you. Infact, we have probably been enjoying it too much, especially Daddy since he likes to take afternoon naps in his recliner with you laying on his chest. I say that we are enjoying it too much, because as a result, it's been pretty difficult to get you to sleep in your craddle at night. You have no trouble sleeping in it during the day with lights on and lots of noise. But the second we turn off the lights and the house gets still for the night you start grunting and complaining about being in the craddle. You can fall asleep while eating and after we are sure that you are asleep Daddy moves you back to your bed, and like magic you are wide awake again. That's something that we really need to work on. Britt started sleeping through the night at 6 weeks, so Daddy expects you to also. haha. Seriously though you need to work on that.

You are starting to smile a little bit... at least what I think are real smiles, responding to us... not just gas as Grumps would say. You have been trying since very early to lift your head, but now you are actually holding it up some. You can't do it for very long and you look more like a bobblehead doll than a person with any control, but you are getting better.

Having two under two has been a real adjustment for me. There are lots of days where I want to pull all of my hair out or lock myself in the bathroom so that I can at least have time to soak in the bathtub. But we are finding a new normal.

Love,
Momma

Bonita Varnum, Gary's grandmother, has been doing better. They are not planning any sort of surgery now for her lung, as they have gotten the bleeding under control. They have been visiting the pain doctor every two weeks instead of once a month, and it appears that they may have finally gotten her medications straightened out. She is still having some pain and the side effects of sleepiness, but she is no longer conked out and unable to hold a conversation most of the day. They are continuing to fine tune her meds. However, she had a set back this week. On Wednesday evening as she was headed to bed with the walker, she fell over backwards. They carried her up to Plant City hospital where they determined that she had broken her shoulder. This wasn't the one that she had been having some pain with, so now she is having trouble with both shoulders. They plan to move her today, or tomorrow, into a rehab center there in town for two weeks of therapy. Hopefully that will help, and after those first two weeks they will determine if she's ready to go home, or if she needs to spend more time there.

I have been meaning to write several post, but it's amazing how time gets away from me. Ruth is getting nightly baths now, they seem to help her sleep a little longer at a time; and since she still appears to have her days and nights mixed, we want anything that helps her sleep longer stretches at night.She got her first sponge bath at the Lakeland hospital at five days old. She didn't really care for that, she fussed at being wiped down with a wet rag. Her umbilical cord was still looking kinda goo-y at her 2 week appointment, even though the stump had fallen off the day before, so they put a little bit of a drying agent on it, and told us to still plan to give her a real bath the next day. So even though it wasn't completely dried up we went ahead and gave her a bath at about 2 1/2 weeks, on what would have been her due date September 1st. And to my surprise she just laid there and didn't fuss at all. She only complained when we let the water out of the tub. Makes me wonder if she is going to love the water like Britt.

So last week Momma wanted to get out of the house on Friday, so Daddy decided that we would go up to campus and walk around some. When we got there we were very surprised to find out that the stadium was open, so Momma put Ruth in the stroller and pushed her around and Daddy held my hand and off we went. I got to climb up and down all the stairs and look at all the steps, chairs, and the football field. Daddy has been teaching me what Gators say, so I was sure to point them all out to him and tell him what they say. It makes him very happy when I tell him about Gators.


We walked all around the stadium and on one side found a nice little park area. Momma had to stop to feed Ruth so I got to play with a giant stick and the umbrella. Daddy and I ran around in the grass, and I found an enormous picture of a gator. Daddy asked if I wanted it in my room but Momma told him it wouldn't fit. Afterward we went and ate Mexican... well Momma and Daddy ate Mexican I just ate chips and rice.
We went back up there on Saturday with Ahna and Grumps and walked around, so that Uncle Benji and Uncle Nick could see the stadium. Grumps really loves me, because he didn't make me walk much at all, he carried me around in style. First we looked at the big gator statue in front of the stadium. I didn't like it at all, it's big head and teeth looked scary. Daddy assured me that it wouldn't eat me though, and so I patted it on the tail before we moved on. Next, we stopped in the university shop and I played hide and seek with my funny uncles in the clothes racks. We even met some Auburn fans on campus.

Speaking of Auburn, today is the first day of college football, and I got to wear good clothes. Momma asks me what tigers say, and I tell her "war" and wave my hand. Momma says I need to work on it some more, but I don't see too many tigers to practice. Daddy is gone to the Gator game today. Momma says maybe he'll take me one of these days, and then he can dress me in some gator clothes.

(I heart Auburn!)