This week was filled with new things for Ruby. We tested out the rocking seat, with David making use of her rapt attention to play her some new tunes. We tested out a fancy mobile that our friends Carolina and Ted gave us and enjoyed some of the classical music tunes it plays with her. And we tested out the baby bjorn (sorry, no picture--the "we" is really an "I" and this test took place while David was at work) which Ruby also approved.

Three more strikes in her "I'm an easy-going kid" record. She's still in her "I won't sleep without one of you present" phase though, so she continues to be toted around in the sling. David was thinking we should find a way to hang it somewhere, because our backs do give out after a while and we hate to put her down while she's snorting away. Our friend Kay mentioned that her daughter also had end of day melt-downs (don't we all have an end of day meltdown asks David?!)--our peditrician refered to them and her uneasiness about falling asleep as the "fourth trimester" syndrome; newborns need four trimesters to fully develop but given that our bodies can only carry them for three, they do some much needed neurological development in their first three months and the sleeping stuff is part of that.

With my folks gone I struck out on my own again--had lunch with Chloe at the Flying Saucer, an old dig that David and I used to go to for lunch with the Labor Notes/Teamsters for a Democratic Union and Association for Union Democracy offices were at their old location. Ruby slept. Later in the week Katie came by again for another visit and in between her naps Ruby did flash Katie her signature smile--which she is offering up almost constantly, as long as you smile at her first. So David and I are all smiles, all the time.

Finally, this weekend Ruby had a serious photo shoot. Some of the pics are for later next week, but I did take a whole bunch with her on her quilt, surrounded by the many many gifts (although not all--they couldn't all fit!) that we have received since she was born. We've received cards, wonderfully sweet email messages, clothes, toys, an amazingly cuddly and colorful sleeping bag, a cigar (not a Cuban, rest assured) and more. I've been hopeful--for almost six weeks now--that I could write you all individually to thank you for thinking of us and Ruby. But it hasn't happened--hence a public big warm loving THANK YOU!

-- Marsha