Welcoming Ruby Jane

Baby Ruby Jane Allen has arrived. Weighing in at 8lbs 3oz and measuring 20 inches long, Ruby joins siblings Tate, Abbie, and Bracken. Brooke and baby are doing well. The labor was long, only because Ruby had entangled herself in her cord and was caught around the middle and her ankle. Fortunately, she was entirely fine.


Our sister, Jessie, stayed with Brooke's kids (thanks for sending her back here Taylor) and has developed a greater appreciation of the exhausting nature of motherhood. Watching three kids ages 4, 2, and 15 months alone all day might be enough to make most decide to wait a long time before having a child. However, let's take a little poll looking at Jessie holding Ruby what thought she must have going through her head...



Bracken and Abbie were so excited to see the baby. They both went up to her and tickled under chin while saying, "Coochie coochie coo." I think this will attest that they are well versed in how television characters react to babies.




One of my favorite moments was watching Bracken hold his new sister for the first time and hear him say softly to her as she was wimpering, "Oh don't you worry about a thing, Ruby, your brother Bracken's got you."





Abbie was excited about holding her too.




Tate, however, was feeling a bit displaced and sought solace in a big bag of chips.



Ruby is such a cutie. I am interested in what her personality will be like.

Here is a picture of my little Miss Mylie McMullet enjoying some Reese's Puff cereal this morning. Both of my girls have had the unfortunate curse of a mullet. They must get it from Ben's side, because the girls in my family did not have mullets.



And Maddie posing on the trampoline where she had wanted to try to make a snowman this afternoon.



Zack was miserable today. I'm hoping that means we are at the tail end and that soon his recovery will all be over. It is awful watching him feel so miserable, plus he is extremely cranky.

Before I end this post I will recount a conversation with Andrew from dinner last night. He was acting up so I thought I would come up with a random question so that he would be distracted from his naughtiness. I asked him what he would name his children when he was older and had his own kids. As if he had already given this topic much thought, he quickly responded, "Mary, Joseph, Jesus, Tyrone, and Pablo." He said it pretty much all in one breath. I wonder what his wife will think of that.