2010 - A year in pictures

Soup. I think she likes it.

There are babies that like to eat and then there is Violet.  Growing up, I was NOT an easy baby to feed.  My mother was so annoyed and frustrated because I wouldn't eat a single thing, that I am convinced she cursed me by saying, "your child will be a terrible eater just like you."  She was right.  It takes so many distractions to feed Violet, that I have considered hiring a marching band (Russian joke).

The routine goes like this: I put a spoonful of food into Violet's mouth. Violet puts her hand hand into her mouth and takes out the food and proceeds to bathe in it.  First the cheeks, followed by the ears, then the eyes come next, with the hair close to follow.  The end result is something like this:

A day in the life of an 8 month old...

Six months ago, I wrote a post titled, "A day in the life of a 2 month old."  After rereading it, I was compelled to write an updated version of Violet's day at 8 months.  One of the most surprising things about that post was how much my little baby slept.  It's hard to remember those days when sleeping was 80% of her day.  In general, life back then seemed so much less predictable than now.  It was easier in some sense because everywhere we went Violet was able to take naps so we never had to work around her schedule.  Life today can be broken up into two groups: pre and post naps.

6:30 AM- Our little alarm (by the name of Violet) starts off whimpering and progressively becomes louder calling for our attention.  Since this also coincides with the time Gene wakes up to go to work, he gets up to change Violet and give her the bottle.  After her morning bottle of formula, she goes back to sleep.
8:30 AM- Rise and shine mommy!  The next 30-45 minutes are spent on tidying up the house while Violet sits in her gym and plays with her toys
9:15 AM - Breakfast time.  Typically she ends up wearing 20%-25% of her oatmeal on her bib.  The rest she reluctantly chews along with her freshly pureed fruit
9: 45 AM - an hour of play time, at the end of which Violet begins to get very bored and impatient, knowing her daily stroll is just around the corner.
10: 45 AM - time for a stroll through BoCoCa.  Violet LOVES to look around and study the neighborhood, eventually dosing off for about 20-30 minutes.
1:00 PM - The dreaded lunch time!  This time, it's soup, so about 40% of it ends up on her bib.
1:30 PM - More play time in the jumperoo, exersaucer and on her play mat.  Once she gets bored, we sit together and read books.  I read, Violet tries to chew the pages.
2: 30 PM - Nap time!  If I am lucky, Violet sleeps for 2 hours and is a happy baby for the rest of the day.
4: 30 PM - Another bottle followed by more play time
5:00 PM - Snack.  This usually consists of some fruits, bread or rice crackers.  This is followed by (you guessed it) more play time.
7:00 PM - Bath Time.  This is Violet's favorite time of the day and when I run the shower over her bath, she tries to catch the rays of water.
7: 30 PM - Last bottle of formula followed by sleepy time....
8: 00 PM - Mommy is on the couch enjoying her glass of wine.

Violet is 8 months today!

Little by little Violet's personality is starting to shine through.  One of the things that distinguishes her from many of the other children her age is her sense of curiosity.  She stares at people she doesn't know and it almost appears that she is trying to analyze and memorize everything there is about them.  If she is in a room with a lot of different people, she goes from person to person and studies each and every one of them.  Once complete, she often picks a favorite (always male) and smiles, flirts, and giggles with them.  If two people are having a conversation and her back is to them, she will wiggle, twist and turn to make sure she is watching and listening to what they have to say.  God forbid she misses a juicy piece of gossip...just like her mommy!

У попа была собака

As promised here is the looping nursery rhyme about a priest and his beloved dog:

У попа была собака,
Он ее любил.
Она съела кусок мяса,
Он ее убил.
В землю закопал,
надпись написал:
(Then begin again.)

Translation:

The priest had a dog,
And he loved her.
The dog ate a piece of meat,
He killed her.
He buried her in the ground,
And he wrote an inscription...
(Then begin again.)