Eighteen months

Dear Violet,
You turned 18 months old last week! You are closer to 2 than you are to 1, and Mama is having a hard time with that. What happened to my little baby girl?
- You are walking, running and climbing everywhere. You love to be on the move.
- You are able to repeat pretty much any word that Mama and Dada say. Your vocabulary is getting bigger and bigger every day.
- You like to go to the park, and you love going to see the ducks at the creek near our house. You say outside and ducks to let us know that's what you want to do.
- You are getting opinionated, even about things you want to wear. You ask to wear your jacket, and you've even started wanting to wear a bib you had from when youy were a baby.
- We had some nasty falls since our last update and Mama had to take you to the dentist for one of them because she was afraid you had hurt your tooth. But the dentist checked you out and said everything was ok. Whew!
- You love to spend time at your new play kitchen and the table and chairs you got for Christmas.
- You love to read books and do alphabet flash cards.
- You love to eat hummus, cheese, and applesauce. You also like to eat soup if Mama and Dada are eating it too.

You are the best thing that ever happened to me, and being with you reminds me of that every day.
Love,
Mama

Tiny Dancer

Violet getting her groove on at Santa's Village... (the best move is at :22)

Christmas Card Photo Shoot

Earlier this month (or was it last month?), we did a "mini" session with Stacy of Cloud Dust Photography when she came to Dallas for the day. We had learned Cloud Dust and the 20-minute mini sessions she was offering through a friend. The price was right and the final take away was 5 digital images that we had full rights to (which if you've done any photo sessions, this is a pretty great deal, assuming you get 5 prints you are happy with). We were very happy with the results. We had a fun time 'posing' down in the Dallas Arts District and Violet loved the open space. The top image is the one we ended up using (though we had a tough time deciding...)







Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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Fifteen months

Dear Violet,
You're 15 months old, which means it's time for quarterly update time! And so much has changed since your last update.

- You walk everywhere on your own, and you seldom crawl now. When we go places, you would much rather walk by yourself. But at home you like to be carried around still.
- You are very interested in shoes. You call them Suze, and they are the first things you ask for when you wake up in the morning. You also bring Mama and Dada their shoes if they aren't wearing any. 
- Your dad and I have counted, and we think you say around 20 words consistently. Our favorites are Ahbee which is your word for Airplane, Meena (banana), Helper and Up, Please.
- The weather is nicer now that it's fall, so one of your favorite things to do is walk around on the driveway in the back yard. You love to look up in the sky and pick up things on the ground.
- You are a tall girl, and you're wearing 18m clothing. You are growing like a weed! But the doctor says it should slow down a little now that you are over a year.
- You have four front teeth on the top, two bottom front teeth, and now you have molars too! You chew on your thumb when they bother you.
- You like puzzles, books, and playing with the tupperware, and you love your Gymboree class each week.
- You do a great job signing Hungry and Diaper.
- You like to eat meenas, yogurt, cheese, crackers, and sometimes turkey and raisins.

You are more and more fun to be around every day, and I can't believe how lucky I am to be your mom.
Love,
Mama