Monday, September 21, 2015

Happy Birthday Violet




Did I not just post her birth story? Time has gone incredibly fast, and I am not feeling quite ready to let the baby stage go forever...but, not much can be done about it.

Violet was not always an easy baby. In fact, she was down right maddening for a good portion of her first three and half months of life.  I can't blame her for having colic, and I feel terrible that I couldn't make her more comfortable, but it was so incredibly trying for us. I pretty much had to sleep with her on me, which was difficult, but I admittedly miss that sometimes. I felt pretty bonded to her because of it. Honestly, I was certain that we would have an easier time postpartum than we had had with Ari, because we would likely not be dealing with the same emotional trauma. Turns out, it was much harder this time around. We clearly took for granted how chill and easy Ari was as a baby! We also didn't realize the extent to which having two children would change our lives. It has been much more difficult, but we wouldn't choose another life.


 







































Everyone told us to give it a few months, and they were right. She slowly came around, and she is now a delightful little person. I have so enjoyed watching her personality reveal itself . She is hilarious. She tries to make me laugh, when I am attempting to nurse her to sleep, by making funny faces (the slow blink and the scrunched nose are her top contenders). When I tell her I am gonna get her, she leaps forward, throwing her body down on the rug and giggling.  She has a new nightly game she plays with her brother while he sits on the potty. She leaves the room and then sort of plays peek a boo with him in the doorway. Ari enjoys making her belly laugh. I can't get enough of her deep toned laugh either. It is fun to see how silly both of our kids turned out. It isn't too surprising, as they have the world's silliest mother.



She seems to be a fast developer. She was walking at 10 1/2 months and she currently has about 12 words. One that makes us laugh is when she throws her food on the floor (naughty!) and says "Uh......Ohhhhh!" She's never been big on being spoon fed, preferring to do it herself. She is mama's girl, which makes me feel good, since Ari is all about his dad. She is affectionate, already giving kisses to us and to some stuffed animals, as well.

She and Ari didn't have the greatest start either. I can understand why he might be frustrated with this new, always crying, attention-sucking baby, and he acted out those frustrations with lots of pushing and shouting at her. His first pronunciation of her name was "butt." Touché. We are still dealing with some of that, but now that she is more mobile, they are starting to become friends and they always love giving each other a goodnight kiss!


Though it hasn't been the easiest year, and in many ways it has been the toughest, I still feel sad that it is over. I got teary last night while feeding her and holding her chubby little baby legs, imagining how soon she won't be little anymore. My last baby is one year old. It is bittersweet. 

Happy Birthday, beautiful girl. You and Ari have always been the pieces missing from my heart, and now I am complete. Thanks for being you and for making this mama so very happy. I can't imagine my life without you in it.