and then there were five: ouchie!

This is one of Ruby's favorite words now, but far from her only one. She says "kitty cat," and "baby" and can sing a pretty convincing version of Happy Birthday. At 21 months, she's come a long way in terms of language, to the point where I think she understands most of what we tell her. If I ask her to do something, she usually will do it (unless I'm asking her to spit out some little treat she's managed to shove in her mouth, a silly band or a handful of coins, for instance). And she sort of "gets" things - like if she spills her water (all the time), she knows it's an uh-oh and will get a towel to clean it up (shocking to me, since the boys still have no conception of cleaning up messes they have made), or this last weekend we were visiting Matt's brother and family at the beach and she would rush over with a pacifier anytime the baby whimpered. She's such a little mama, taking care of real babies and doll babies alike. She even worries about the boys when they are crying and is quick to give a gentle pat to help them feel better. So that's her sweet little self.

Ruby's other self, however, is all terrible two, even though we're not even there yet. As I said, she's come a long way in language, but she's still pretty far behind for her age. She really can't communicate as well as the boys could at this age, for obvious reasons, and I know that's so frustrating for her, so she unleashes it in torrents of rageful shrieking. Perhaps she wants to put her shoe back on after taking it off, perhaps she wants to finish the pizza crust she pulled out of the trash can, perhaps she is angry that she can't have the knife out of the dishwasher that I'm trying to load. Whatever the cause, the dramatic hysteria that she throws down is almost enough to make me give in, regardless of the inherent danger or disgusting nature of whatever it is she wants to do. Luckily, like a summer shower, her mood passes quickly and she can be cajoled back to sweetness with a hug or a toy or a cracker.

Below are some recent pics. We had a great time at the ocean this last weekend. It was Ruby's first time, so it was fun to see her reaction to the sand and waves. Every time I would say, "here comes a big wave," she would wave her little hand at the water with a confused and doubtful look on her face. I think she kept waiting for the person I was making her wave at to come bobbing up out of the surf. We also celebrated Gus' 5th birthday there, so he was excited to have a big deal made over him. Of course, he's having a Star Wars party this coming weekend ("just like Finn's"), so we're gearing up for that. I mentioned that this week at home with just Gus and Ruby would be very different from last week when I had Finn and Ruby while Gus was at camp. Indeed, it is much quieter, but it's hard in its own way since Gus can't figure out anything to do with himself in the absence of Finn's ~~dictatorship~~ brotherly guidance. Right now he and Ruby are lying on the floor in his room eating bananas and looking at the ceiling. Fun times!