8 months

Violet you are 8 Months old!

Not really into taking pictures this month...

You are about 19 1/2 pounds and wearing 9 month (soon to be 12 month) clothes.

This is what happens when we put monthly stickers on now...

You are a totally different baby this month. You have learned so many new things:)

I thought for sure that you would be sitting up before you did anything else but, I was wrong.........

you rolled over first! YaY!!

(ignore my hick accent...Ha!)

One day you just did it and then you never looked back. You start rolling over in mid air before we even get you on your tummy. I think you are so excited that you learned to do this so you never have to be on your tummy ever again!  

Bath time with Grami

I don't think you'll ever roll over from your back to your belly though because, 

come on. 

Why would you ever lay on your belly on purpose? 

Incidentally, you also have learned to sit up on your own this month too:) It didn't take you very long to figure this out and you sit up like such a big girl.  You would still lay on your back all day if we'd let you but I think you like seeing the world from this perspective too...

You have started leaning in and giving us "hugs" this month. We think this is just so sweet:) 

I love to be on Daddy's shoulders...

You are still a really good eater. You eat everything we give you but it doesn't always settle well on your stomach. Right now you eat green beans and sweet potatoes almost exclusively because we can't find anything else that doesn't upset your tummy. There's alot of things mommy can't eat either while you're still on breastmilk so you might just have a sensitive stomach.

4 generations

You are back to sleeping through the night again for which we are sooo thankful! We thought maybe you were going to get teeth soon and that's why your sleep changed but there is no sign yet. I'll actually be relieved when you do get teeth because every time any little thing is off Daddy says "I bet she's teething," One day maybe he'll finally be right...Ha!

You had your first babysitter this month. Cousin Emma did the honors. I was so nervous to leave you with someone because you had been so set in your schedule and would be so cranky if you had to veer off it but it seems you had a good time:) And Emma agreed to do it for the second time this month so you must not have scared her off yet. Hopefully she'll agree to number 3...

This is what a typical day looks like for us right now:

Wake up at 7:00 am

Eat (Nurse)

Sit in bouncy seat while mommy and daddy eat breakfast

playtime

Nap around 9:30 am

wake around 11:30-12:00

Eat cereal/baby food

Play with toys in your highchair while drinking your bottle

Playtime in mommy's room while I make the bed, clean etc...

Nap around 2:00-4:00 pm

Eat cereal/ baby food/bottle

(Sometimes you take a late nap here but we try not to let you)

Bathtime somewhere between 7:30-8:00 pm

Nurse to sleep by 8:30 pm

 (this could be anywhere from 8-10 depending on your mood and sometimes you put yourself to sleep after you eat)

Like every parent, we are so concerned about your development and you reaching different milestones by a certain age. It seems that it still takes you at least an extra month to catch up because of being premature. But you have proved to us this month that we just have to be patient with you and you will roll it all out at one time!

Violet and Papaw

 Either way we think that you are just the most precious little girl and, even when you are so stubborn and test our patience, We'd still take a hundred of you:)

Wearing my space pj's Auntie Beth got me for Christmas...

You are such a joy, Violet and you have brightened our lives in so many ways. You've shown us light when we've lived in the shadows for so long. You are the embodiment of faith and the fruition of hope. 

Such big things for such a little girl. 

7 Months

Violet you are 7 months old!

This month was so busy it flew by!

We don't have a doctor visit until next week (for you to get your 2nd flu shot) so we're not sure on your stats but I guess you weigh around 18 pounds.

You are doing so good eating your baby food. We still have you on Oatmeal cereal and you also like Green Beans and Sweet Potatoes. It seems like Peas made you constipated and Squash is out for now! You did not like Squash...

Unsure about your highchair at first...



Holding your bottle all by yourself...

Well just as fast as you started putting yourself to sleep in your crib last month, you've now stopped. We can only get you to take naps in your stroller after we push you around in circles through the kitchen, hall and dining room. I think you miss your outside walks!

You also wake up two times during the night now. I can't remember the last time you slept 7 straight hours but we make it through. Sometimes during those nighttime feedings I just stare at you while you drift to sleep and I can't bear to put you down. Other times I'm pleading with you to please go back to sleep! Ha!

Daddy trying to remember how to swaddle...

You've been staying in the nursery at Church for the past couple months and only one time did they call us to come get you. Strange enough, you will sit in the swing at church but you will not sit in it at home or at Grami and Grampy's house.

Mommy's favorite present...

We had you sitting in the Bumbo seat for a while but now you throw yourself backwards so we had to take that away. Thankfully we were able to borrow it from Cousin Lucas since you only used it about a month... Now we try to get you to sit in this big obnoxious bouncy contraption. We thought you would really like it since you seem to kick your legs all the time but as soon as we put you in there your legs turn to jello and you just sit. I think the bouncing scares you right now but your getting so much better at sitting in there and getting some pressure off the back of your head since you still HATE laying on your tummy!

We are really working on getting you to roll over. You did it just one time at the beginning of this past month and Mommy and Daddy had tears in their eyes thinking we've finally made a breakthrough but you are so stubborn that you've haven't done it again since!

Grandpa Jack's 90th Birthday

We think you are so close to sitting up but you still need a little help. I bet you do that before anything else.

The cutest thing you've been doing this month is scrunching up your nose when you're happy. We can scrunch up our nose and sniff at you and you do it right back and it is so sweet:) It did get annoying when you would do it in the mornings and wake us all up but we've embraced it and it is so cute.

You are such a happy and smiley baby at home. You don't like to take naps at other people houses so you get cranky easy when you're not at home. You definitely like to stick to your routine.

Playing with Elly...

The biggest event this month was your first Christmas! I've been looking forward to this day for so long. Mainly just because it was a big milestone for us. Our whole journey started 9 years ago with your Daddy saying one day "I'd like to have a baby by next Christmas...".  And here we finally are. It was such a long trip but definitely worth every minute.

Cousins

Poor thumb placement...not to mention that crazy hat...lol

Our hearts still hurt so much that we will always be missing 2 stockings up on our mantle but we are so thankful for the opportunity to be Lila, Cole and Violet's parents. We know what it feels like to have the literal pain of your heart breaking into pieces but now we also know the joy of your heart being so full it could burst. They are such conflicting emotions but all apart of what makes up our family.

The UK/UL game was on your 7 month birthday. You brought the Cats good luck!

6 Months

Violet you are 6 months (and 1 week) old!

This had been a BIG month for you! We have so many things to share:)

Stats:
17 pounds 12 ounces
27 1/2" long
80th percentile weight

95th percentile height
You wear size 3 diapers and 9 month clothes

To start off, last month was not your best time:(  You were pretty miserable for most of the time and we didn't know what was going on so we called the doctor and asked if we could come in to just to touch base and she ended up prescribing you Zantac for acid reflux. You've been on it for a month now and we can tell a WORLD of difference! You are so much more comfortable now and such a happy baby:) Thank goodness that's all it took!

 

A BIG milestone we hit this month was you sleeping in your crib! You've slept in a Rock N Play since you were born. Several of our friends swore by this so we registered for it and had you sleeping through the night by about 6 weeks. That has been a HUGE blessing to have a baby that sleeps! We were so nervous to switch you to the crib but you were just too big to be in the Rock N Play anymore so we bit the bullet and went for it. 

The Rock N Play is folded up sadly in the corner behind your crib. Our little baby is growing up!

We were pleasantly surprised when you continued to sleep all night in the crib:) Now you take all your naps in there too and you have learned to put yourself to sleep!

Playing all day is hard work!

 You've also had more cereal this month. We originally tried just Rice Cereal but it doesn't seem to set to well on your tummy so we switched to Oatmeal Cereal and you seem to do pretty well with it. 

You're trying to grab Mommy's hand to shovel it in faster!

We visited with alot of our family and friends this month. You seem to get stressed out in groups sometimes but you've progressively gotten better and by the end of this month you did great!

Visiting with Grandpa Jack, Aunties Phyllis and Trish and Cousin Lucas

Snuggling with Papau and Grampy

Since you've started the Zantac you are doing a little better on your tummy but you still don't like it. We're also trying to work on you sitting up more in your exersaucer and bumbo. 

We have to squeeze those thighs in the bumbo and it takes two of us to get you out. Poor thing has her momma's thighs!

You grab things pretty well and you have really gotten the hang of handling your pacifier all by yourself. Half the time I can't put it in your mouth anymore. You only take it if you do it yourself:)

See Mommy, I can do it!

Our little cowgirl, representing for her Auntie Beth..

Waiting to love on Auntie Hannah when she got home from work...

Looking cute with Mommy and Daddy...

And finally, Thanksgiving Day was your six month birthday. I can't believe your half way to 1 year old! I'm so excited for all the new things you'll do but today I'm glad you're still my baby. 

 The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
For children grow up, as I’ve learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.

The end of a long day...

With Cousin Jameson