Ohio

Phew...we made it! Ruby and I were in Ohio last week. It was her third time flying but the first time we were traveling alone and she was walking. Ruby was beyond fabulous on both of the flights. On Monday morning she drank her bottle, took her nap, ate her lunch, walked to the bathroom (stopping to flirt with several passengers and climb up on the seats of some nice kids), opened three presents with new toys and watched the baby channel On Demand (the best $6.00 I ever spent). The flight attendant said she didn't even know there was a baby in our row because she was so quiet. Thanks Ruby!

Grandpa O'Brien and Grandma Jane took Ruby and I to the Akron Zoo. We were excited to take her since she loved the Monterrey Bay Aquarium so much. Now that she's walking, she was in heaven the entire time. She spent a bit of time in the stroller but preferred walking along the huge sidewalks and checking out the exhibits which were all the perfect height for her. I took a ton of pictures but as Adam pointed out, they all pretty much look like this:


The zoo had lots of real animals (like a mama jaguar with three playful babies) but I like this shot of Ruby and Grandpa O'Brien.


In addition to the animals, there was a beautiful garden with lots of water fountains. Ruby is a water baby so we could've spent the entire day playing near the fountains.


Ruby was fantastic and lasted well beyond her afternoon nap time. It started to rain a bit before we left so she's wearing a little rain coat. So cute!


After this trip, it is safe to say Ruby is a great sleeper in her own room and crib. She hated the pack 'n play with a passion. She didn't even want to be in the same room with it. If I tried to change her clothes or diaper in her room, she would wiggle away and run out of the room. That meant she often ended up naked in the middle of the kitchen. At any rate, the only way we could get her to sleep was to take her for walks in the stroller or with the ergo. Luckily, Grandma O'Brien didn't mind one bit.


Ruby had a new BFF in Ohio. She absolutely loved Grandpa Gary. When he got home from work, she'd follow him around the house. Her favorite thing was to dance while he played the drums. Her second favorite thing was to steal his drum sticks and bang on whatever she could reach...a bed, a book shelf, the fireplace and an occasional person.


One of the reasons we went home was to celebrate Ruby's first birthday with our family. Grandma O'Brien threw her a Sesame Street birthday party. It was great for everyone to see Ruby again. She is no where near the same baby she was when we were home in December. Ruby got to eat my favorite Ohio pizza and jojo potatoes for lunch (although she hated the potatoes...so weird since I eat 127 every time I visit) and try some ice cream cake (thank goodness for cheat days). She also got very nice gifts from everyone which all made it back to CA safely.

In addition to celebrating her birthday, I wanted Ruby to visit with my grandma again. My grandma's eyesight is pretty poor but both times she's been with Ruby she knows exactly where she is and what she's doing. It's amazing! All afternoon she was watching Ruby dance and move around the room. When Ruby went up the step to leave the room, my grandma would tell her to be careful. It was so sweet and made the trip extra special.


Other than the humid and muggy weather, we had a fantastic trip. Thanks for flying us home Grandpa O'Brien and Grandma Jane. Thanks for letting us take over your house Grandma O'Brien and Grandpa Gary. Thanks for letting us crash your trip Auntie and almost Uncle Kevin. Thanks for missing Ruby for a week Adam =)