Relaxing in the backyard.

Pictures...

Summer fun

Though I don't have any pictures to prove it, we took Violet for her first canoe ride this week - I have to admit, she hated it. Well actually, she really just hated the life jacket which they design to squash around her neck and ears - she was not pleased with this at all. She muddled through though - such a little trooper! She also managed to take a nice little nap while we stopped on an island for a swim (Jon and our friend Liz swam - Violet and I hung out under the cleverly placed umbrella papa Jon set up for us) and some lunch.

The sitting progress is really great, Violet is liking the new angle she has at her disposal for playing with her toys. She has absolutely no fear, we have to surround her with pillows because she literal throws herself toward any object of interest in hopes of reaching it - the girl plays with gusto.

We have introduced some veggies into Violet's diet - yams, peas and squash so far - loves'm all. Yesterday the Shrek green peas ended up ALL over the place when a fresh spoonful and a sneeze were combined. Violet thought it was hilarious.

We are getting ready for our big trip east - crossing fingers and toes that Violet will be a good traveller.

A couple of great discoveries have been made in the past couple of weeks as well -
1. a cold can of beer is excellent chewing for a teething baby
2. George has slightly less disgust for Violet since we have taught him to gently take dog treats from her hand. :)

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!