A letter to Ruby on her 2nd birthday

Ruby, you are the light of our lives and we are so excited to celebrate you on your special day, your SECOND birthday!  Your laughter is contagious and you have some of the best belly laughs around. You squeal with excitement and run towards your favorite people with your pearly white teeth peaking through a giant grin.  You love silly faces and crazy noises, especially when it detracts you from getting into trouble.  You're learning about soft hands and inside voices; I think you just love being the center of attention.  Your energy and spunk are both enough to power a crowded room, that's for sure.

December 2017 - a quick shot of you running away, vehemently protesting your participation in family photos. When your mind is made up, there's no changing it.  You might be a legit Ament after all!

 You had recently mastered running and you quickly found out that it was way more fun for you than your out of shape parents.

 Mom dreamt of snapping a pretty pic or two at the arboretum in the spring. You were so amused by the flowers that you wouldn't look at the camera.  And look at those arms!

You love all things food, especially fruits and carbs. You’re a girl after my own heart. The joke around the house is that we can’t eat anything unless we intend to share with you. It’s been a good diet plan for your Mama. You’ve stopped drinking milk all day, preferring ice water in between your morning and after-nap milk cups. You love pulling ice from the ice box and putting it in the dogs’ water bowl.  You love sharing with them especially.

Get it, girl! 

You’ve been a decent sleeper for a while but over the past handful of weeks, you’ve been on a sleep protest. You fight sleep and play or talk yourself to sleep most nights which makes us laugh, hearing you banging around in there, in the dark all by your lonesome. You’re usually up by 8am, if not much earlier. You nap for about 2ish hours in the afternoons, but sometimes you go down for 3 hours which makes your evenings a lot more fun.


You LOVE bath time and if someone even says “bath” or “bathroom” in your presence, you are obsessed. You don’t care for having your hair washed but you’ve recently stopped screaming like a maniac when it’s done. You love the bath toys you got for Christmas and you love splashing, too. I think pool time this summer is going to be amazingly awesome.




You have a lot of words including: Mommy, Daddy, Bubba (Henry), doggie, puppy, night night, baby, cuppy (cup), ball, mine and hi. You know names of lots of family, friends and your Sunday School teachers, too.   You also have your own little language that’s incredibly cute. A few of our favorites:

• ‘Nacky - which means snack and you say this word at least a hundred times a day; no lie or exaggerating. As much as it beats me down by the end of each day, it’s incredibly cute and I love it.  Daddy and I often ask each other if we want a 'nacky and squeal with excitement just like you do.  We're Hollands, we love to eat!
• "R Gay" - RJ
• “Whoa” - water
• “Mo” - more
• “Awl” - elephant
• “I dit down” - I sit down
•  "ditty dat" - kitty cat
• “Got you” - you want us to pick you up
• “Uppy” - you want up in our lap
• “Boo” - boot
• “Sue” - shoe
• Side - outside
• “Eh bite” - you want a bite of something
• “Where eh go?” - where did it/they go?
• "I poop" - you're either working on one or I have a diaper to change!
  

We are *this* close to starting potty training and we think, at least we hope, you will do great. You’re a smart cookie who is very determined but also highly motivated with a little candy.  You like sitting on the potty and playing with the toilet paper so that's definitely one for the win column.  I'm going to be modest for your sake and not post pics of you on the toilet, but girl, your thighs....

You adore Henry and look for him just as soon as you get up each morning. You love when he plays on the floor with you, especially when he makes silly faces or plays peekaboo. You also know how to push his buttons by messing with his glasses or taking his toys or the iPad. He is usually very generous with you until he’s had enough of your shenanigans.  He's still very proud of you, loves that you're his sister and enjoys dropping you off and picking you up at church.

This wasn't posed but didn't last much longer than my chance to snap a picture.

 
You're crazy about your Lolli and Pop and love to get on the phone and FaceTime with them.  It's crazy to see your obsession and their dedication to you, and to the rest of us, makes my heart swell and my eyes sweat.  You point to their picture in your room no less than 5 times a day and talk about Lolli, Pop and Baby.  I can't wait until you're old enough and we get to tell you all the wonderful things they did for you before you moved here.  They adore you and you're incredibly special to them.  Baby, you are loved forever and always. 

You love to play pretend with your baby dolls and your play phone. You like to play dress up and having your hair “pity” (pretty). You are definitely more of a tomboy though, the louder and rowdier you are, the happier you are. Rough and tumble, that’s you to a tee.

 

"Where it go?" is one of the cutest things you say.

You're VERY curious about the world around you.  Lolli says you're nosy and we have to agree! 

You have loads of fun at Kids Klub at the gym and at church too. You act peeved about being dropped off but I’ve been told it’s all for show and that you’re having fun just as soon as I’m out of eyesight. Fine by me, I want you to have fun and burn off some of that energy. 

You are our resident door slammer (every door, every time), mess maker, the loudest and angriest car rider and a challenging baby proof tester. You push every boundary that is set for you and you will not take “no” for an answer, at least not the first or tenth time. You’ve recently started slapping whatever is closest to you when you don’t get your way which makes me laugh and sets my blood on fire all at once. You will stare me down and scream at me. You act so crazy it makes me crazy but I’ve also learned how to break your focus on that and make sure you laugh just by straight-facing you and telling you “don’t you laugh!” Papa did that to me as a kid and as crazy as it drove me then, I always cracked. So do you! You exhaust me, but mercy, your love and charm make up for it tenfold.

We've had 6 babies in our home and you being the last had to be the only climber.

We are so excited to see you growing and learning. Your personality is bigger than life and we can’t wait to see who you grow up to be and what you will accomplish in the days ahead. You are a bright spot in our lives and we love sharing this crazy life with you. We thank God for you and for the JOY that you bring.  Happy 2nd birthday, Ruby Joy Holland!  We love you!