Weight - 18 pounds 8 ounces
Dear Violet,
So far this age is my favorite, but don't be surprised if I say that again in a few months. I don't think there's a day that goes by where I don't say, "Girl, you crack me up." Right now it's mostly while you are perfecting the comedic timing of your raspberries. It's so much fun to watch your skills come together and to see parts of your personality beginning to show.
We've learned in the first month of your life that if you didn't like something you would let us know, but now you really tell us. Whether it is arching your back when we are trying to strap you into your car seat, banging your hand on your high chair tray to get more food or yelling at us from your exersaucer you are definitely very clear when something isn't right. Usually picking you up and holding you for a minute, or distracting you with a combination of noises and faces, makes everything okay again.
Nowadays you are repeating your first syllable "ba" multiple times in a row with the occasional exclamation "BA!". We're still waiting to hear a "ma" or a "da" but I'm sure you're just saving that one for later. In the meantime I'm happy to listen to your innocent voice as it coos in the back seat of the car.
You still suck your thumb to calm yourself but now you have also started chewing on your fingers. We're trying to teach you how to wave but so far we only get a slight finger movement either with the hand that is behind my back or five minutes after the wave was warranted. Don't worry though, I still appreciate them.
This month you started eating solid foods. At first you would bring food to your mouth, gum it and then spit it out. I'm pretty sure in that first few weeks you maybe swallowed 1/4 of a teaspoon of food but that didn't stop you from trying bread, bananas, watermelon, carrots, broccoli, and cantaloupe. After a few weeks you seemed to get the hang of having food in your mouth and how to use your tongue to move it around. You also figured out how to use both your hands to get a single cheerio off your tray and into your mouth. It's fun to watch you try to figure out how you are going to get whatever is on your tray into your mouth. What I wasn't prepared for was the day you ate a fly.
There you were sitting in your exersaucer with the tips of your fingers in your mouth. I think you were feeling your new front tooth (bottom front left) when a small fly landed on your finger. Before my cat-like mom reflexes could grab the fly your whole hand went into your mouth. I tried my hardest to sweep it out of your mouth but sadly I had to watch as you flashed me a glimpse of the fly on your tongue and then swallowed. Ugh. Oh well - we marked it down in your baby book as your first protein.
The final big development this month was the first time you crawled. I wish you would practice it more often but so far you are only inclined to give it a go if you really want to get to something. You will push up on your hands and practically jump up onto both of your knees scooting them in towards your tummy. Then you will lean forward and flatten yourself out, scooting an inch or so closer to your target. Rinse and repeat. The first time you were after a bottle of sunblock. The last couple of times you've been after my phone and my books. I'm hoping in the next month this skill will develop to an actual crawl.
Our most favorite part of the day is watching you say hello and goodbye to your Dad. You and I stand at the living room window and as soon as you can see him either leaving the house and walking to his car or getting out of his car and walking to the house you break out in a large smile. You will watch him, mesmerized, until you can no longer see him. I don't blame you - he's pretty awesome.
Love,
Your Mom and Dad
