Violet's One Year Photos

A couple weeks ago, we had Violet's one year photos taken. I'm not usually into the whole princess-y look, but we wanted them to be very celebratory and fun. You only turn one once! I absolutely love how they turned out, the photographer was so good at making her laugh and getting great photos despite how much she was moving all around. Here are a few of my favorites, and I'll be posting some of our family photos soon too!

Violet at Six Months

I am in complete disbelief that Violet has been around for 6 months. How on earth did that happen so fast?! She has grown and changed so much and so quickly, without me even noticing. Looking back at her monthly photos from the past 6 months makes me just want to go hold her and squeeze her forever. I'll never feel like I had enough time with Violet as a tiny squishy little baby, I want to savor every moment!

This month, Violet:

Can sit up completely on her own. 

Wears clothing size 3-6 month and size 2 diapers.

Eats solid foods once a day.

Has eaten avocado, sweet potato, green beans, oatmeal, apple sauce, and carrots.

Goes to sleep at 7, wakes up at 5 to eat, then goes back to sleep until 7.

Has started to notice the dogs and loves to pet them.

Is always so happy unless she's tired and it's past her bedtime.

Just got her very first cold. Just a stuffy nose and slight cough.

Can turn the pages of board books.

I hope so much that the second half of Vi's first year goes by slower than the first half did. I don't know how I'm going to handle seeing her turn a year old! 

Playtime

Some of my favorite childhood photos of myself are the very natural ones; nothing special is happening, I'm just living life, doing my thing. So something I really want to do for Violet is make sure I capture more than just the holidays and special occasions. I want her to be able to also see what her life looked like on a typical Friday afternoon; playing on the floor in her room, still in pajamas with messy hair and some sweet potatoes on her face from lunch time. Some of the most cherished memories are the ones when nothing significant is happening at all.

♥

Sweet Potato

Tonight was the second attempt at feeding Violet solids. Last Sunday was the first try, avocado, and she wasn't a fan. Not knowing if she just didn't like the avocado or if she wasn't ready, I decided to wait a few days before trying again. I was surprised she didn't love it because she's always staring at food and people eating, and even reaching for it. So tonight was sweet potatoes, and they were a hit! She kept pulling the spoon in herself and putting it in her mouth. So cute! She seemed a little weirded out by the texture, which is understandable, so we're gonna keep practicing with sweet potatoes for a while before trying something new. 

Who knew I'd be that mom that has to share 100 photos of her baby with food all over her face ;)

Violet at Five Months

This month was a busy one for Violet! It seems like she learns a new trick every day, and changes so frequently I can't keep up! Out of nowhere I'll realize she's stopped doing something she used to always do and starts doing something totally new. Makes me really try to soak up every moment and take it all in.

This month, Violet:

Weighs 14 pounds and 6 ounces. 

Is 25 inches long. 

Can pick up and hold toys with one hand.

Can also pass toys from hand to hand.

Wears clothing size 3-6 months and size 2 diapers.

Tried her first food, pureed avocado, but didn't seem quite ready yet.

Can almost sit up on her own. 

Started to make a crazy pterodactyl sounding noise that literally hurts my ears.

Sleeps from 7pm-7am, and wakes up once at about 2am to eat.

Was Baptized.

Likes to stand with us holding her up.

Reaches for anything we're eating or drinking.

Is so silly and laughs a ton.

Every month with this kid just gets better and better. It's such a bittersweet thing watching her grow and become less of a baby every day. I can't believe next month she's already half a year old! People really truly mean it when they say kids grow up too fast.

#blessed

I come from a big, Catholic family. So when my mom asked me if we would be getting Violet baptized, I figured we should include her in this family tradition. I was baptized as a baby, and so was everyone else in my family, so I thought, why not! It was a lot of fun preparing Violet's first little celebration. We held the actual Baptism at the church that I went to growing up, then had lunch with everyone at a favorite local restaurant afterwards. She wore a beautiful lacy romper with a matching bow, and her new gold necklace from her Godparents, which is a smaller duplicate of the necklaces all the women in my family have. 

It was such a special day and I'm so happy Violet was included in this lovely tradition. 

Violet at Four Months

I can't believe it's taken me this long to do Violet's four month post. She was four months old on March 11, ten days ago. Just goes to show how crazy busy this girl keeps me. I've been trying to get her on a feeding and nap schedule, which has been a lot harder than I anticipated. Some days she'll nap an hour, others only a half an hour, which throws everything off. We've had a bedtime and bedtime routine established for quite some time now, which has been working great, but for some reason a daily schedule has been difficult. We do have a bit of a routine (awake for two hours, nap, eat, repeat) but the times never really line up. More important than a set schedule for me is just following her natural hunger and sleepiness, so maybe that will just have to work for now.

This month, Violet:
Giggles at everything, it's the CUTEST!
Is exclusively breastfed.
Weighs 13 pounds.
Is 24.5 inches long.
Had her first fever :( it was only 101 the day after her shots, but still so sad to see her not feeling well.
Can roll belly to back and back to belly.
Will scoot in a full circle if laying on her back.
Went on her first little staycation to my dad's house in Chandler for a few nights.
Also went to the Phoenix Zoo.
Is in 3-6 month clothing and just switched to size 2 diapers.
Puts everything in her mouth: her hands, her toys, our hands!
Wakes up 1-2 times a night to eat.

As Violet grows, I really miss her being a tiny, squishy newborn. But even more than that, I love seeing her grow and her personality shine through. She's such a loving little girl, who loves attention and cuddles, which is great for Joe and I ;)

Violet at Three Months

It's official, my baby girl is no longer considered a newborn *all the tears*
But watching her sweet personality start to shine through this month has been the most amazing thing. I really feel like I'm starting to get to know the little person that is Violet. What will make her happy, not happy, go to sleep, etc. Well, one minute I feel like an expert, and the next I feel like I have no clue whatsoever. I'm sure that's pretty common when it comes to parenting. ;)

This month, Violet:
Still smiles a ton, it's the cutest thing in the world.
Will "talk" back to you when you talk to her.
Weighs 11 pounds and 8 ounces
Laughed for the first time! She let out the cutest little giggle when Joe and I were giving her raspberries.
Earned the nickname "Goo." She always makes the sound "mmmgoo," which sounds like she's saying "I'm Goo."
Starts the Four B's (bath, book, boob, and bed) at 6:30, then she's in bed by 7. She sleeps really well until about 3 or 4 when she wakes to eat, then sleeps until 7 and wakes with us.
Still wears 0-3 month clothing and size 1 diapers, but both are starting to get snug.
Loves being in the car, unless it is stopped even for a moment, then she is not happy!
Started teething, chewing on her hands, and drooling like crazy.
Is able to grip things like small toys, blankets and our faces!
Holds her head up like a champ.

Violet is such a healthy, happy little girl, and I'm so beyond thankful for that.

an example of her crazy faces: