Tidbits

There is just so much I haven't written about and I'm constantly thinking, "I can't forget to blog about this!" But I do forget - more often than not.

So here's my random list of what I could salvage from the black hole that has recently replaced my brain (I'm not sure if I should blame it on turning 30 or having another child!).

Just some fun tidbits over the past few weeks! (And a few photos of Violet all dolled up in one of her thousand beautiful outfits...!)

Multicolor Bath Last week, I was in the tub with Violet. Bubbles and toys abounded and Daniel wanted to get in too. The more the merrier... so in he hopped. We played and splashed and had a wonderful time. But somewhere in the middle of the fun, I glanced down and saw the most beautiful sight - a big tangled mess of limbs - all shades of brown. Me, Daniel, Violet... no one the same... I nearly cried. I love my beautiful family.

The Backwards Scoot Violet was able to crawl a little when we met her, but after seeing the places she stayed, it looks like she was always in her crib or on a small piece of carpeted play room. She discovered recently that she can move in new ways on hard surfaces and now likes to sit on the kitchen floor and use her hands to slide and scoot backwards all over the place. She loves it!

Sweet Sleep I would love to say that we've made major progress in this area, but so far there isn't a lot of consistency. She has slept through the night (April 30th, 2010... I will never forget that date). But typically she wakes a few times each night. The past two nights have only had one midnight waking - and each time she goes right back down with a diaper change and a bottle. But other nights we aren't so lucky, and she reverts to an "every three hours" kind of pattern. Naps are usually twice or thrice daily, lasting anywhere from 30 - 90 minutes. We are still trying to figure out the pattern here... and how to keep her to a workable schedule. We rock her to sleep each time... holding her belly to belly and twisting left and right (and occasionally gently jiggling her up and down). This same routine worked for Daniel too the few times we have rocked him.

Friends in Need It's always fun to be the person who helps someone out - but it's so hard (at least for me) to be on the receiving end of that equation. Some good friends of ours have consistently offered help before, during and after the adoption process... and finally with Fernando out the flu... I caved! They did our grocery shopping for us and showed up with big smiles, bags of food and a beautiful bouquet of cheerful flowers. Huge blessings all around.

Hollow Legs Violet is still eating like a machine. She loves food - exploring the textures and tastes - and seeing which food falls the fastest to the floor. She will tolerate fruit, but only at room temperature. She will eat vegetables until the sun goes down - lima beans, peas, carrots, squash, zucchini... you name it, she loves it. But only when cooked. And she hates bland food - she'd prefer the spicy stuff with plenty of garlic and salt on it. And recently, she discovered a love for cream cheese (which was way more fun for us to watch than it was to actually eat)!

Lasagna Incident of 2010 Before we leave the subject of food... let me just say that Violet WILL eat past her limits (despite what our pediatrician would tell you). She had her first taste of cheese lasagna last week and wanted more. And more and more. After two bowls, Fernando decided that was enough, even though she was lunging at the bowl for even more. We got her ready for bed, gave her some of her bottle, and began rocking her to sleep. Bad move. I sat in the rocking chair to make her more comfortable... she leaned her head on my chest... and... well, I have managed to avoid this very scenario for three years with Daniel. And in one week with Violet... I was covered in a lake of lasagna. The amount of grossness is beyond the grasp of language... unbelievable.

Baby Steps Violet is showing HUGE improvements in her muscle coordination when it comes to walking. Now she will hold one of our hands and walk along side of us, slowly but surely. She can stand on her own for a few seconds at a time and loves clapping for herself after she falls (I kind of think she's clapping for the fall...)! I'd love for her to be walking solidly within two months - it will determine what classroom she will start in at her preschool. I want to limit her transitions as much as possible, so starting in the older room will eliminate another change in the near future.

She is just doing so well. So happy. Growing so quickly in every way.