Violet at 9 Months

Violet has kept us entertained all month.  She loves to bounce up and down while kicking her legs when she is happy.  In the above picture, she is excited to be riding in the shopping cart for the first time.  Emma was a good sport, seeing as she was demoted from the front seat. Fortunately for all of us, Emma only has love for Violet.

Violet has tested our patience this month by the stuff she has gotten in to from splashing in the pee left in Emma's potty chair, to sucking on the toilet plunger (!).  Here she is below from the top left, in clockwise order: turning off the water to the toilet, stuck between the couches, destroying her big sisters' Lego creations, opening the cabinet door and discovering the kitchen garbage can, and eating crumbs under the dining room table.  We need to get back in the habit of keeping the bathroom doors closed as it seems most of Violet's trouble happens in the bathroom.

Her theme song is Taylor Swifts, "Trouble" and she starts bouncing and grinning when we sing, "I knew you were trouble when you walked in…"  To complicate things further, Violet can now pull herself to a standing position, bringing yet another level of discovery into her playing field and worry to mine.

Violet loves watching her sisters play, and when they include her, she can hardly contain her excitement.  Here she is below, taking a wagon ride and reading stories with her sisters.

Her sleep is still not great, but at this point in my motherhood career, I've given up trying to fix it and am focusing on the fact that she will eventually be past this phase.

Violet loves a little baby doll that Santa put in her stocking.  We have named the doll Rosie, and Violet carriers her everywhere with her and absolutely has to have her baby to sleep.

Violet may not be the best sleeper, but she has a great appetite.  She already seems to eat more than both of her older sisters combined and loves vegetables.  She doesn't care for fruits except prunes and absolutely loves the chicken and beef broths that I make for her.  She sits at the table so long sometimes that she has to rest her head on the table in between bites.  Usually I am the one ending mealtime because she can't keep her head up or I need to move on with the day.

Violet is definitely growing.  She measured in the 95% percentile for height and 50% for weight and head size at her nine month well check up so it's no wonder she is eating so well.  All of that eating leads to a lot of diaper changes.  She soaks her diapers so thoroughly that anything she is laying on or sitting on needs to be washed.  Here we are below getting an early morning sink bath because she soaked through her jammies, the bed and me when I unknowingly picked her up.  Violet does not like baths so I try to make them as quick as possible.

Violet gives great hugs, knows what she wants when she wants it (read: very persistent and will not be distracted), and doesn't stay upset for long - if she gets what she wants.  She loves playing peek-a-boo, dancing and jumping.

I love how wide her smile is while she squints her eyes shut.  I love snuggling with her and kissing her chubby cheeks.  I love all the baby sounds she makes, and how I am her number one, favorite person.  I am savoring these things with Violet, in between the craziness of taking care of my three girls.  Violet has now officially been a part of the outside world for as long as she was growing inside of me!  We love you Violet Rose!