Happy Birthday, Ruby Nell!

Aaron and I were recently talking about the irony involved in the fact that it took us a much longer time to "bond" with Ruby than it did with Kai.  Before we adopted Kai, we read book after book about bonding and how important attachment was and how difficult it can sometimes be for adoptive families.  Well, we adopted Kai when he was two months old, and within the first week of knowing him, we were bonded for life.  It was so easy.  He instantly felt like our son, and with that huge grin of his, well...he had us at "hello."  So, when I was pregnant with Ruby I didn't give a second thought to the idea of attachment and bonding.  And then, one year ago today, out she came about a month before we were "ready."  We were certainly not ready for the juggling act that characterized the first few months of Ruby's life.  Aaron had just started a new job, I was in my last year before going up for tenure at UTA, Kai was still very much mama's baby, and Pla Shee was trying hard to get used to the demands of fourth grade.  Those first weeks (and months) saw more than their share of tears.  Our family figured out along the way that newborn babies are clearly amazing and wonderful, but also demanding, loud, and not very good at sleeping.  Happily, the newborn stage and other "unfun" parts of having a new baby were over before too long, and after a few months we finally got our groove back.  Ruby is now the easiest, happiest one year old she could possibly be, and she's pretty darn cute, too!  Needless to say, we've bonded, and have decided she's officially a keeper.  ;)