First Bites

No - she hasn't got any teeth yet but she has started eating solids. Violet had her first taste of barley cereal last week and she LOVES it! She loves it so much that she often cries with impatience between spoonfuls. We decided to start her on cereal mixed with breast milk to see if it will help her sleep a little longer. So far, not much has changed on that front but we are making slow progress.

These photos show her first taste of the cereal and they are pretty tame but you should see the progress she has made in only a week - she grabs the spoon, puts the cereal in her hair, get it up her nose and generally has a wonderful time making a huge mess of herself. We have started including a bath in her bedtime routine for obvious reasons. :) Right now we are using her little chair in place of a high chair but we are going to have to buy her one soon, she is so squirmy!

She has also really discovered her toes - her big toe is close to the same size as her soother and will do very nicely if she doesn't have a soother within reach.

We are very happy that summer seems to have finally arrived in Victoria. Violet and I are getting out on lots of walks with other moms and babies and continue to take our little trips to the grocery store/coffee shops etc so she can 'chat' with strangers.

Jon has a new and unexpected project on his hands. He started doing some minor work on the deck so it would be somewhat baby-proofed and in the process found a lot of rot and unstable railings soooo.... even though we are likely going to tear out the deck in a couple of years to build an extension, he is spending some time and $ on it now so we can have an outdoor space in the meantime. It has turned into a huge job but nothing Mr. Fix it can't handle. It will be much more safe and stable.

We are off to take Violet to the community market - lots of music and people to see.

Escape Artist

Here are a couple of pics of Violet escaping from her little chair which I did NOT think was possible. I left the room for a few seconds while she was in her chair, next to her play mat for entertainment, and when I came back she was on the floor. I put her back in to see if she would show me how she did it and within seconds had herself launched onto the floor again using the arms of the play mat for leverage. Of course, she stopped for a quick gnaw on the arm of the mat before her perfect landing :)

These pics are from our trip to Tofino last week. We had a nice time but it was pretty quiet as Jon had a REALLY awful stomach bug. We still aren't sure what it was, he is still recovering but luckily feeling significantly better.

The pics in the last post of Violet and I in the restaurant are at the Wickinninish Inn where Jon and I stayed and dined on our honeymoon. We took Violet there for a fancy breakfast, she loved it - lots of people to flirt with. We have to take her out regularly for some interaction with faces other than ours. She requires a good flirting session with strangers at least once a day or she gets bored and cranky. Today it was starbucks. She had 2 women eating out of the palm of her chubby little hand.

The pic of Jon and Violet on the beach is just outside the house we stayed in on Chesterman's beach.

Violet is in training to be a sitter. Jon is anxious to take her hiking in a backpack which is meant for a baby that can sit up. She is doing great and can sit for a few seconds at a time without any help already.

Violet is 5 months today!

So much so quickly

It is like Violet is changing before our eyes. I'm sure I'm not the first parent to say this, certainly, but we have just come off a couple of weeks where Violet is doing something new every couple of hours - it is so much fun. And kinda scary actually, she now does a 360 check of her surroundings as soon as you put her down anywhere, especially in her little chair. Anything within reach is fair game and she grabs for stuff before you even have a chance to do a check yourself. Yesterday she managed to grab a soap dispenser, a handful of dirt from a plant and some kleenex. She is so funny... baby proofing here we come!

We are still struggling for sleep but have seen some improvements in the past couple of days, thank god! We needed some positives to start happening on the sleeping front.

Teething is still driving Violet a little nutty, no signs of the little buggers yet though. We are going through about 6 bibs a day with all the drool production!

Violet's new favourite thing is having the laundry piled on top of her while she is lying on the floor. She likes to chew on all the clothes while we (well... almost always Jon) are doing the folding. Its become a little family tradition. She is also laughing from time to time - she makes us work for it. She laughed constantly on her first hike which she took a couple of weeks ago. She is incredibly aware of how her actions affect what we do - she has developed a very annoyed - I'm not happy- cry lately.

Jon and I have joined the gym and are managing to get there together about 2 times per week in the mornings. Violet is hanging out in the baby care area while we work out and she is getting along really well. We had been getting some outings for just the 2 of us with some wonderful babysitters but Violet has decided to refuse a bottle so we are cut off for the moment. We are trying a sippy cup instead with minimal success. The girl knows what she wants...

Can't believe it's June already tomorrow. Happy birthday Mom!!

Nicknames

It just occurred to me that Violet has a LOT of nicknames. I thought I get them all down - it will be interesting to see if any of these stick.

Miss V
Little V
V
Vi
Pea Pod
Dribbles
Bubbles
Pumpkin Pie
Peanut
Peanut Butter
Pepper
And that's just what I can think of off the top of my head - there are probably many many more. So much for all the hours put into choosing Violet, though we do actually call her that sometimes... :)

p.s. the photo of her with the hood/combo just had to be posted. It was a cold/sunny day you see and she needed both. Plus she had to have a bib so the whole outfit is just hilarious!

Violet 4 Months

Its been a while since we posted anything so I thought I'd get in a quick update while Violet is napping - fingers crossed she doesn't wake up for a few more minutes...


We had a few visitors recently, Violet's Ottawa grandparents John and Rosemary were here for a really nice visit. They got lots of time with Violet - especially on stroller walks because that was the only way she would nap while they were here. She was absolutely determined not to nap in her crib and it seems when she sets her mind to something she really sticks to it! Luckily she has softened on the nap thing a little. We were also really happy to Have Violet's uncle come out for a visit, it was short but sweet, he is the scruffy young guy in the photos (JUST KIDDING JORD!). In a couple of weeks we are also expecting our friend Alicia from Toronto and I think our pals Renee and Jarod from White Rock - should be fun!

I had a really wonderful birthday, We went to a beautiful resort and spa that is only about half an hour from Victoria, we had a great stay and John and Rosemary babysat for us while we went to dinner. This was followed up the next day by a FABULOUS spa package for the girls - thanks honey!! :)

Violet is just changing all the time - we would like to post some video of her but technical difficulties are preventing it at the moment so not sure if that is going to happen. She is always rolling over now, she is also playing with her feet and putting her toes in her mouth, she LOVES daddy and he gets a huge smile every time she sees him (this has also turned into outrageous flirting with most men she meets...) and she has really started playing and interacting with toys a lot, she puts them all in her mouth. My favourite development is her love of a good chin wag - she wakes up chattering in the morning and continues for most of the day and she really gets going when she has someone talking back to her. We have spent many hours already with her chatting to us while on her change table.

Best be off before my luck with the nap runs out. Bye for now...

Fun with Jolly Jumpers!

Our house is filling up with things to entertain Violet. She gets bored pretty easily these days so we are constantly challenged to find new things to keep her happy and occupied. The jolly jumper is definitely a hit! She loves being able to look around from a standing position.

She rolled over again - this time Jon got to witness the magic :)



I took Violet to check out the new playground just down the street from our house and she had her first swing. She may not look impressed but before I put her in it she was bawling her head off!

We are loving the warm spring weather. It is great to get out in the sun with our girl!