Violet - 11 months

Weight - 

Dear Violet,

Today we took your last monthly photo. As I compared it to your previous pictures I was amazed by how much you have grown and changed over the last 11 months. This month has probably been the month we've had the most fun with you yet. You are taking your first steps, you are beginning to communicate and you definitely have your own wants, needs and a spunky personality to go along with it all.

At the beginning of this month you were "walking" around holding on to both of our fingers. By the middle of the month we had convinced you to continue "walking" by holding on to only one of our fingers or our hand. As your confidence grew you started getting stubborn - if I tried to walk in a direction you didn't want to go, you would let go of my hand, drop to your knees and crawl where you wanted to go. By the last day of December you took two steps all by yourself and since then you have worked on putting more steps together. Today you are up to 4 or 5 steps on your own if we are right there in front of you to catch you. I expect your confidence to keep growing and by the end of next month you will probably have it down.

Speaking of confidence your crawling has reached turbo speed. Not only can you go from one end of the house to the other in a heartbeat, you'll now follow us from room to room. If you hear someone in another room you will often crawl off on your own down the hall to figure out where they are. It's really fun to watch your spacial awareness develop and see that you are not afraid to go where you want to go.

Your curiosity has also led you to start opening cabinets and drawers, closing doors and trying to figure out just what the dishwasher is all about. Gravity provides constant entertainment but now instead of dropping food off the edge of your high chair tray you will put it into mine or Daddy's hand. We just have to remember to offer you our hand before you decide to give Gravity another go. Along with handing us food you don't want you've also started handing us your toys, our mail, your bunny and any pieces of dirt or fluff you find on the floor. This is so much better then when you used to put them straight into your mouth without a second thought.

As you are growing bigger your language is also developing. Along with "ba", "ra" and "da" you now also say "na" and "ma". The best part about eavesdropping on you talking is that your baby babble is actually beginning to sound like a conversation. Not only do you have a variety of syllables and noises that you make but you also inject pauses and different intonations into your "words". I can't wait to listen to you when you actually speak English.

While you are working on your English we have found a great intermediary stage in sign language. You now use the "more" sign in reference to food, books and nursing. You use "all done" whenever you are satisfied with your meal. When someone says "yay" your legs kick, your lips stretch into a large smile and you clap your hands together emphatically. This never fails to make us smile right there along with you. It's at this moment that you appear to be beaming with pride. We are too.

Love,
Your Mom and  Dad

Christmas Day

The best gift I received this Christmas was a partially handmade gift from my amazing husband which allowed me to do this . . . 

Aquila Christmas 2013 from Christina A on Vimeo.

Who knew there was an app that allows you to use your phone as a remote control for your camera? Apparently my husband. He also figured out how to make the infrared transmitter that I had to plug into my phone to make the app work.  Awesome.

To round out the fun here are a few other photos from this morning.

We're going to head outside for some fun in the snow followed by our Christmas Day lunch. Merry Christmas to all!

Happy Holidays!

If I had had the time to send out a Christmas card this year it would have looked like the above. But instead I spent the last week working on other Christmas projects.

For the second year in a row we found and cut down our Christmas tree in our own backyard. With this being Violet's first Christmas I spent a good portion of this past weekend quilting her a stocking to hang on the fireplace next to the stockings I made for Marc and I for our first Christmas as husband and wife. I also decided now was the time to try out a new hobby and decorated sugar cookies for our neighbors using royal icing - time consuming but a great creative outlet for me. Lastly, I've been thoroughly enjoying the winter landscape outside our windows.

Tonight, Christmas Eve, we were able to start a few new traditions for our family of three. When I was a kid one of my favorite gifts each year was an ornament from my mom. It was the one present we were able to open on Christmas Eve. By receiving an ornament each year my mom made sure that once we left home we had something to put on our own Christmas trees and some memories to take with us wherever we were. So this evening, Violet received her first tree ornament complete with a family of three snowmen and this years date.

She also was able to open a second gift - a new pair of winter pajamas to wear tonight and into the morning. Lastly, Marc read The Night Before Christmas as her bedtime story (thanks PopPop!).

Marc and I have been making the most of being able to decide our own menu. This morning we had biscuits and gravy, followed by a light lunch of charcuterie and cheese and an early roast chicken dinner with all the fixings. Next up tonight is french apple pie fresh from the oven. Tomorrow we have even more of our favorites to look forward to - homemade bagels for breakfast and a spiral ham lunch with all the fixings. I hope you are enjoying your holiday season as much as we are!

Violet - 10 months

Weight - 20 pounds 14 ounces 

Height - 29 1/2 inches 

Dear Violet,

This month your little personality is really beginning to shine through. Since birth you have been curious about the world around you, but now you are determined to find out what you want, when you want it. Your crawling is more coordinated and you are picking up speed. You are also picking up whatever piece of fluff, dirt, or wood you can find on the floor and instantly trying to put it in your mouth.

Nana and Granddad came to visit for three weeks around Thanksgiving and you loved it! It was so much fun watching you hold Nana's fingers and explore the house. Everyday the two of you would "walk" to the floor length mirror to check in on "Baby Violet". Nana was also nice enough to let you explore and dump out the contents of her purse. You and Granddad had your own way of communicating with each other - you would mimic his nod "yes" with a very distinct blink and nodding your head "yes" in return. They also thoroughly enjoyed sharing their fruit with you - you would take whatever they would offer when it came to clementines, pears and bananas.

At ten months you've also been trying to figure out some social cues. When people around you laugh you'll let out a little giggle and then quickly look around to check and make sure you did it right. One night you got Nana, Granddad, Daddy and Me laughing uncontrollably with your antics. Out of nowhere you smiled as wide as you could while raising your eyebrows in a shocked expression. It was hilarious and as we laughed you continued to do it over and over again. You also continue to blow raspberries from the backseat as we drive around town.

Along with the crazy antics there have also been some really sweet moments. Crawling up behind me as I stand in the kitchen in the morning, sitting behind my feet, sucking your thumb and holding on to the bottom of my bathrobe. Reaching out for your bunny blanket as I lay you down in your crib each night before rolling on your side and falling asleep. Waving goodbye to Daddy as he leaves the room at night. And smiling so sweetly when you see us enter a room. These moments continue to melt our hearts as your parents.

This month you also hit a few new milestones. You stood up by yourself for the very first time, standing for 3-5 seconds at a time without holding onto or touching anything. You had your first allergic reaction to a food - eggs, just like your Uncle Andrew. You are also becoming pretty adept at drinking out of a sippy cup even if you do try to trick Daddy or I into holding it for you. Lastly, two of our least favorite milestones have been you pooping in the tub during bath time and realizing that you can drop food off the edge of your high chair when you don't want it. Hopefully you will out grow these habits quickly.

Every now and then your Dad and I take a moment to appreciate just how much you are growing and how you continue to amaze us each day. We really hope you keep this curiosity about the world throughout your life and always explore what's out there.

Love,
Your Mom and Dad

Thanksgiving

In the two weeks leading up to Thanksgiving my parents spent a lot of time finishing up odd jobs around the house. We finally got all the walls and the ceilings painted in the living room and kitchen. With their babysitting help Marc and I were able to finish installing the wood floors. And the four of us came close to finishing up our multi-purpose space in the basement. The house was its cleanest and most complete its ever been just in time for Thanksgiving!

Christina, Erin, Katie, Stephanie, Elise, Bill, Will, Neil, 

Heidi, Violet, Jess, Uncle Billy, Marc (not pictured: Claire)

Being Violet's first Thanksgiving, Marc and I decided we wanted to do it up right. So we bought a turkey the size of Violet (20 pounds!) and invited 12 of our family members over to celebrate with us. We feasted on turkey, mashed potatoes, roast potatoes, gravy, original stuffing, stuffing with cranberries and almonds, green beans, green bean casserole, roasted brussel sprouts, southern sweet potato mash, broccoli salad, homemade rolls, and onion celeste. For dessert we had the option between pumpkin cheesecake with ginger crust, pumpkin pie, french apple pie or key lime pie. It was awesome.

Also awesome were the outfits. Thanks to her Aunt Katie, Violet had the perfect outfit to wear on Thanksgiving - a mock turtleneck complete with a turkey, her name and a matching tutu. Violet's outfit matched her cousin Claire as you can see in the above photo. I can't wait to redo this picture when these cousins are in their teenage years.

 

Overall I would say it was a very successful Thanksgiving and we can't wait to do it again!