Seven!

So crazy to think Ruby is seven!  Steve keeps calling her a Kindergartener!

I think Ruby was more excited for her birthday and party this year than ever before.  The night before I stuck some balloons on her door which didn't turn out to be the surprise I had hoped for... Ruby doesn't really like the unexpected and has a difficult time accepting situations that don't go the way she had planned out in her head.  It's a GT trait!  Luckily she got past it and cheered up.

I snuck out early on the morning of her birthday and brought home donuts for breakfast which was a yummy surprise!

 She requested Subway for lunch (I ate with her at school) and Chipotle for dinner.  She told the workers it was her birthday when they were making our food at Chipotle and they gave us all four of our meals free!  Ruby decided she wanted s'mores for her birthday treat and was planning on an ice cream cake for her party.  However we discovered several of her guests had food allergies so we made a last minute dessert decision and went out for ice cream on her real birthday instead (which she also got free!).  Ruby had asked for Barbies, along with several other interesting ideas, so she got a bunch of dolls and accessories from Mom and Dad and was spoiled by everyone else too.

Ruby decided on a "Sleep-Under" party so we had that on Friday evening after her birthday.  We invited six girls to come over in their pjs and sleeping bags.  They decorated pillowcases and then settled in for pizza, popcorn, and a movie.  While they were watching The Incredibles, two neighborhood junior high girls painted everyone's toenails!  We had a "s'mores cake" and presents and sent everyone home to sleep!  Each girl got to take home a box of cereal for breakfast.  Ruby had a blast and, as the mom, I say sleep-unders are the way to go!

The table!

Ready for her sleep-under!

Ruby at 7 from Steven Nelson on Vimeo.
Stats: 46.5 inches tall and 43 pounds She grew 1.5 inches and gained 3 pounds last year!
Eat:  Ruby is still not a big breakfast eater but she's a good snacker!  She packs her own snack (dried fruit, crackers, oranges, etc) for school and typically buys her lunch half of the time.
Teeth: She lost two on top and two on bottom this year and her molars are coming in.  We foresee some dental work in her future :(

Sleep:  This has been an on-going saga since the day this child was born.  She is notoriously horrible at falling asleep.  We decided to give melatonin a go when the school year began and it has been a life-changer for sure.  Instead of taking 2 hours to fall asleep after we turned the lights out, she's usually out in 20 minutes and wakes up happy.  The increased amount of sleep has made all of the improvements you would expect; she is much more patient and slower to anger, and just much happier.  Before melatonin I would have said one of the top 3 words to describe my child would be "grumpy".  While she still has a bit of an Eeyore personality, she smiles more, is more agreeable, has fewer meltdowns, and is enjoyable to be around.  We're not sure if this is a long-term solution and we've not come to this decision lightly, but it has made a dramatic difference in our lives.
Play:  Ruby asked for Barbies for her birthday, but to be honest books still get the most love in this house!  It's unbelievable how many books the child goes through in a week.  Her pace has slowed considerably now that she's in school 5 days a week, but over the summer she was reading 15 chapter books a week.  I could barely keep up on our library visits.  She's read most of the Rainbow Fairy series, Magic Tree House series, Liberty Porter, Judy Moody, Imaginary Veterinary (highly recommend),  the Never Girls, Ever After (another good series), Gooney Bird Greene, Ramona, Mouse and the Motorcyle, and on and on and on.  Ruby is also still incredibly creative and artsy.  She is playing soccer this fall but that is m

ostly due to Mom and Dad's insistence!  She's asking to do ballet again this winter.
School: Ruby has Mrs Kavanagh for first grade and an Intern teacher (Baylor student teacher).  She goes to Woodway Elementary, the public school a few blocks from home.  She likes school and seems to play with everyone.  I have so many parents tell me their child talks all about Ruby!  This year Ruby gets bussed to another school once a week for GT (gifted and talented) with Mrs Stevens (and an Intern).  She loves it and we've been pleased.  They do a social/emotional lesson each week, simulated Great Barrier Reef project, chess, and maker time (where they get to choose Keva blocks, legos, weaving, etc.).

Personality:  Persistent, not grumpy! sensitive, a good friend, creative, thoughtful, introverted, artistic, intelligent!