Violet - 6 Months

Weight - 18 pounds 3.5 ounces

Height - 27 1/2 inches

Head Circumference - 17 inches

Dear Violet,

We've survived half of a year together but man is it bittersweet reaching this milestone. On the one hand you are more interactive and are beginning to "talk" more. There was a week of constant "raspberries" (aka fart noises), a week of gargling, and most recently a slightly disturbing week of inhaling squeaks. The best part is that now you recognize and look for both Daddy and me. On the other hand you are quickly moving away from being our little baby. Not only are you getting bigger by the day but you are also getting more mobile which means your cuddly-snuggly moments are getting more and more infrequent.

As far as Nana is concerned you've been teething for the past 2 months but so far, still no teeth. The drool can be unreal at times and this month especially you have a fascination with putting things in your mouth - my finger, daddy's glasses, tags on anything, washcloths, diapers, and toys. The legs kicking, arms reaching out, mouth open in an "o", raised eyebrow excitement for anything that Daddy or I am holding is priceless. I really hope that in the future you find other experiences to bring you this much excitement. I also hope I always remember your super wide all gum smiles that you have started to flash at us this month.

You have been a pro at rolling from your back to your tummy for a little while but now you are mastering the roll from your tummy to your back. You've also mastered moving around in the walker. The first week you were stuck in reverse but pretty quickly you learned how to tilt your weight and move forward as well. With all this movement it is rare but you still occasionally will fall asleep in my arms when I am nursing you. I cherish each and every one of those moments as I hold your tiny hand or run my fingers through your soft, thin, fair hair.

You've had some firsts this month too. We had our first trip together on a boat and you swam in Lake Champlain. We took our first family pop-up camper trip to Pennsylvania and Washington DC. We visited family and friends and we also took you to see the space shuttle at the Air and Space Museum. You spoke your first syllable - "Ba". Lastly, one first I'm still not sure how you pulled off, but you had your first food by diving mouth first onto Daddy's watermelon while he held it in his hand.

There are many nights when your Dad and I acknowledge just how lucky we are to have such an amazing daughter. You still don't sleep through the night, you can be cranky at times, but on the whole you are a laid back little girl who observes and takes in the world around her. We couldn't ask for more.

Love,
Your Mom and Dad

Weekend Wrap-up : Birds, Blueberries, and Babies!

One minute it's May and there's a threat of frost and the next thing you know it's the middle of August and people are talking about back to school. Where did the summer go? I feel like we've been so busy this summer going here and there that we haven't had a weekend at home. Thankfully my good friend Irene, whom I lived with when I was in grad school in Los Angeles, came to visit us this weekend and we were able to enjoy a weekend at home with her. 

Saturday morning when we got up for breakfast we spotted a heron near our wood pile. At first it appeared that he wanted to just stand there and act like he didn't exist. But when Marc went out to get the paper he took flight and I captured it on film. We've seen him around a few times this week but this was the only time we actually took his picture. It was beautiful to watch his expansive wings gracefully move him around the trees and through our valley towards the pond. 

After breakfast we headed out to Riverview Farm in New Hampshire to go blueberry picking. This was the first weekend the farm was open for the season and the blueberries were ripe for picking. Last year we went over Labor Day weekend with my friend Michelle. It's definitely better to go earlier in the season, not only did we have the bushes all to ourselves but they were full of sweet large berries. After an hour at the farm we returned home with about 6 pounds of blueberries. We'll probably head back again in a few weeks when more of the apples are ready. 

Me and Irene

On Sunday we said goodbye to Irene as she had to return to New York City. However, in the afternoon Violet invited her friends from our prenatal Centering Group over for a barbecue. Hard to believe our little newborns are already 6 months old but it was so much fun watching them play and interact with each other. Plus this time they were old enough to sit up for photos. It's still difficult to get 4 babies to look in the same direction but thankfully it doesn't take away from any of the cuteness. 

Zoey, Violet, Chloe, and Elsie

Two Year Anniversary

When I look back at the 67 blog posts we have shared since last year's anniversary I am amazed by just how much we were able to squeeze in during the last year.

Although we've only been in our house for 1 year (part 2) it's amazing how much we've accomplished. Inside the house we've been busy crossing items off of our to-do list. Marc has hung curtains in our bedroom, knocked down a wall between our kitchen and living room, and installed a new front door. We finished up our guest bathroom remodel and I took apart and fixed the washing machine. Outside we built a bridge, inherited a ride on lawn mower, and stacked six cords of wood. Marc created some paths through our land while I built my very first snowman. And, we made the most of being Vermonters by tapping our maple trees and making maple syrup.  

Our biggest change this year was expecting our first child and welcoming our little girl Violet into this world. My goal during my pregnancy (19 weeks, 24 weeks, 30 weeks, 33 weeks, 36 weeks, 37 weeks, 40 weeks) was to have a fully natural labor and delivery. Thankfully, with Marc's help and support, I was able to achieve just that. We both absolutely love our new role as parents and since that first day we have been watching and doing our best to document (1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month, 2 months, 3 months, 4 months, 5 months, 6 months) Violet grow up. It's the little things, like watching her first swim in Lake Champlain, that remind us to slow down and enjoy the day to day.

On top of all that we've also been able to take a break from our lives in Vermont to visit friends and family. Marc went to a bachelor party in Vegas while I tried on the role of a single parent. We both traveled to San Antonio to celebrate the first birthday of the twins and turned Marc's business trip to Chicago into a fun trip to Green Bay. We've also celebrated three weddings - Mike and Katie Malm's wedding in New York, Andrew and Christina Walker's wedding in California and Brandon and Jennifer Krajewski's wedding in Wisconsin. Most recently we took our first pop-up camper trip to Pennsylvania and Washington DC.

Last year Marc was able to take the day off of work in celebration of our first anniversary. This year he's had to spend the day at work but it doesn't mean we haven't been celebrating. This morning we started off by having homemade bagels for breakfast as a family of three. We also watched this short video that my sister-in-law Carly made for us on our wedding day.

This evening we are looking forward to putting the baby to bed, opening a bottle of champagne and indulging in a meal of lobster, baked potatoes and corn on the cob. If we can't be on a boat in Maine at least we can eat like we are. Happy Anniversary Marc!

Family Vacation

This summer we decided our family vacation would be spent in a rented pop-up camper from Dean Hill RV. Not only did we want to visit Marc's brother Billy and his family in Pennsylvania but we also wanted to return to Washington DC to visit our friends and family that were still there. Since, we timed our vacation with the birth of our newest niece Claire, we felt that bringing our own accommodations would not only make it easier for Billy and Katie but would also provide some entertainment for his older children. Plus we figured camping outside of Washington DC would feel more like a vacation then staying in a hotel. 

We loaded up the truck in the pouring rain and pulled out of our driveway heading to New Hampshire to pick up the camper. Thankfully we thought ahead and packed in plastic storage boxes so not only were things organized and kept clean but we also didn't have to worry about our stuff getting soaked. For good measure we also threw a tarp over everything. Once Violet was loaded in the back we were ready to hit the road! 

Our orientation to the popup camper was pretty straightforward and before we knew it we were on our way south. I have to admit the truck made it pretty easy to tow our camper. The weird part was checking your mirrors and constantly seeing a camper following you. Thankfully it only took a little while to get comfortable with the weight and length of the camper and before you knew it we were changing lanes with ease.

Our first stop was Billy's house in Pennsylvania. Luckily his backyard was large enough and had the perfect spot for our camper - a little space behind the play structure, surrounded by trees, that provided us not only with shelter from the sun but also a little bit of privacy. Violet settled right in.

Initially I was a little worried about what it would be like to take a 5 month old on a vacation in a pop-up camper but it couldn't have gone any smoother. We rented the clipper tent camper which had two queen size beds, a dinette, sofa, sink, stove and toilet. Although the camper sleeps six I really doubt we could have had anymore then the three of us in there considering everything we brought with us and the fact that Violet was sleeping in a pack and play. Had she been smaller and better at co-sleeping it would have been a different story. But as it was we used the dinette as the surface upon which to put her pack and play and the second queen bed held all of our luggage and other supplies - including a fan to help keep it cool.

at our campsite in Bull Run National Park (Manassas, VA)

Cozy - our bed behind the curtain on the left, Violet's bed on top of the dinette,
stove, sink and second guest bed full of our stuff

Sleeping area and sofa

Plugging into electricity at the national park and running an extension cord to our camper at Billy's house allowed us to not only run a fan but also allowed us to use our video monitor to keep an eye on Violet after she went to bed. The curtain between our beds was super helpful to keep her from seeing us and wanting to play in the early hours of the morning. Lastly the pack and play doubled as a fantastic place to make sure she was safe while we were just hanging out at our campsite.

At Billy's house we spent our time hanging out, playing games, reading books, eating delicious food and catching up. It was so much fun not only meet Baby Claire for the first time but to spend time some time with Billy, Katie, Elise and Will. I especially enjoyed watching Marc not only be a hands on dad but a hands on uncle.

After a couple days in Pennsylvania we packed up and headed to Washington DC. We were able to squeeze in visits with all of our good friends who were around that weekend and spent some quality time with Marc's cousin Jess. Marc and I were both excited to go to the larger Air and Space Museum out by the airport so that we could visit the space shuttle.

Violet may not look that excited but I'm pretty sure she was impressed by it all. I was grateful that we had finally invested in a stroller - it was by far the most used item in Washington DC. Violet was even able to take a nap in it which allowed us to slowly wander around the museum at our pace instead of trying to cram it in at her pace. Another fun part of our trip was being able to see my good friends John and Paige whom I've known since high school. We stopped by their house for dinner where we met their newest addition little Miss Mary for the very first time and saw their older sons for the first time since they were babies.

After a couple days in Washington DC it was time to pack up again and head north. We broke up our drive home by stopping again at Marc's brother's house in Pennsylvania before heading back to Vermont. It was such a fun trip I really can't wait to rent a pop-up camper again. As you can see from these photos the fresh air was great for us all to catch up on sleep!