Getting to Know Violet

I can hardly believe our little Violet is one month old already!  It is still sinking in that we have been blessed with three healthy baby girls.  Here are my three girls below sharing sister love.

Will is an old pro at snuggling baby girls by now, and even wears the tell-tale signs of seasoned fatherhood on his shoulder (baby spit up - upper right hand picture below) with confidence.  

That's not to say that we haven't had our ups and downs these past couple of weeks while adjusting to our new family dynamics.  Will and I have alternated exchanging looks over the tops of three screaming girls heads of "What were we thinking" and "We should have had twins."

Three is more than a handful, however Lucy and Emma have found a new thing to fight over - their beloved baby sister - and at times I think it would be easier if I had brought two babies home from the hospital.  To my friends with twins - I know this is crazy talk.  And to my friends with two girls - you know what I mean!  Violet usually gives the fighting older sisters the below look...

And when peace descends upon us, Violet will reward us with a beautiful smile and soft little coos.  Here she is below just starting a smile.  I have yet to catch the full smile with my camera, as the smiles are still so new that I am too busy basking in the beauty of her face shining up at me.

Violet's big sisters love to participate in any activity involving Violet's care.  Diaper changes and baths are the highlights, although they also love to fight over who gets the pacifier, burp cloth, socks, pick out her outfit, etc.  Here are Lucy and Emma below, helping Violet get her first real bath.

Violet has met a lot of family and friends during her first month of life.  I tried my best to get a picture of every person that met her for the first time, however missed several people.  Below is a sampling of all the love that Violet has been received with.  My side of the family…

Will's side of the family which feels like my side of the family too…

Some of our friends that are like family to us…

And some of our friends kids, which feel like family too…

We have definitely been blessed by lots of love and support this past month to help us ease into life with a newborn again.  We are also blessed by the fact that Violet is a good sleeper so far.  I say so far, because we are still scarred from Violet's older two sisters sleep habits and we know that there is no guarantee of a good night sleep.  Here Violet is below getting cuddled by me before bedtime.

Violet doesn't require swaddling to sleep like her older sisters, nor walks around the block or crazy rocking, however does enjoy the aspects of socially imitated sleep.  Here she is below not only sharing a nap, but also the same sleep position of the person lucky enough to catch some zzz's with her.

Here she is below, sleeping solo.

Violet also enjoys sleeping in a baby wrap that I wear.  This has been very useful, not just around the house when I don't have time to put her down for a nap or she is being fussy as well as when we are out and about.  This is one of my absolute favorite parts of having a newborn.  I love the feel of her warmth, cuddled up on me and the top of her head right under my chin, ready to be kissed any time I want.  The below picture was taken at her very first outing - the Farmer's Market.

Her second outing was to the local pottery studio where we have had each of our children's foot prints painted onto a tile.  I now have all four sets of foot prints hanging in our bedroom and they are some of my most treasured possessions.

Another treasured possession is the below growth chart Will made when Lucy was a baby.  Here are all four of my babies birth lengths recorded at the bottom.  Both the above and below items are extra special to me because it is one of the few ways I can have all four of my children's names together.

The last significant outing of Violet's first month of life was a trip to the cemetery.  After each of our girls were born, we have taken them to visit Luke's grave and put their tiny feet onto Luke's foot prints we have engraved on his head stone.  This is yet another way that I am able to see my four babies together on earth.

It was a beautiful day when we went to the cemetery so we were able to plant flowers for the season as well as enjoy a nice picnic lunch.

This month has flown by as we have gotten to know Violet.  So far she is a good sleeper and is generally a very laid back little girl.  When she is hungry however, she will go from a sound sleep or a sweet smile to a full out, heart breaking, nerve shattering scream-cry in a second flat.  As long as Violet is fed, burped and in a clean diaper though, she is content and happy.  Violet looks so much like Lucy and Emma when they were babies it is amazing.  Of course Lucy and Emma like to fight over who she looks like more but the truth is all three look strikingly similar.  It will be interesting to see how her features change and grow as time goes on, but she already is setting herself apart from her older sisters by her size.  She weighed at least a full pound more at birth and is in the 90th percentile for length.  Lucy and Emma were between the 20th and 50th percentile for their length.  Violet completed her first month of life at 10 pounds and grew an inch and a half already.  We are so glad she is finally here and a member of our family!