Date Day!

How do you know you're married to an amazing man who loves you dearly? On Wednesday night, Matt told me he had a fantastic plan which played out like this:

Today Matt took a day off work so we could spend time together... Matt and Jenna day :) We dropped Violet off at daycare and started our day! We had a lovely patio breakfast at Starbucks on our way to our massages! Yes, massages! Matt found a 'living social' deal and we had the most amazing his and hers 75 minute massage WITH a foot scrub and hot stone treatment! The place was wonderful and soooooo peaceful! Just amazing! Then we went to lunch at a brand new spot in Belmont Shores (almost right next door to our massage place) called Nicks on 2nd. It just opened 2 days ago and was sooooo yummy! We stayed about 3 hrs here on the patio enjoying our food and just chatting :) I have to add a side note about the decor... Just beautiful with immaculate details :) Ohhhh! And the outdoor chairs were just awesome! I stayed in the bathroom for about 6 minutes longer than I needed to just admiring the details :) After remodeling so much of our own home I LOVE admiring things like this :) After lunch we took a trip to the Apple store, Costco, and then even snuck in a nap at home before picking up our amazing baby girl :)

Today was such a great and much needed day :) We couldn't love our Violet and Odie more, but we sometimes miss all the Matt and Jenna time we used to have :) So this day recharged our collective soul :)

Ps- I know i say this over and over, but we could never do this if not for our amazingly wonderful daycare which we love and trust soooo much :)

Pps- I even had root beer here! Caffeine free!!!

Halloween

Veronica sent me this picture yesterday of Violet looking through a costume magazine :)

Hmmm...

Someone at work left me a surprise on my desk! Yummmmm!

Ready to Go!

Violet was up early for daycare this morning :)

A First

I love it when Violet wakes up in the morning :) Those huge baby sized stretches are the best :) When I dropped her off at Veronica's house this morning we were handed Violet's first party invitation by a friend at daycare :) So cute!

Tutu

I finished my first tutu for Violet! It's super easy and NO sewing (just a minor hand stitch). I didn't realize how hard it would be for her to NOT grab and suck on it :) By the end of 2 minutes, it was all slobbery :) But it held up its poof which is amazing! I'm practicing because I'm starting her Halloween costume :) I can't wait till she's old enough to really love Halloween!

Aquarium Pictures

Here are a few more aquarium pictures... Aren't these little ones cute! Thanks for letting me post them :)

Again... Nothing beats the aquarium :)

What a Fun Weekend!

On Saturday I took Odie on a nice 6 mile run :) When we got back home at 8:00, Matt and Violet were still sleeping :) Once they woke up we decided to take a trip to Redlands to see family. We had a fun morning watching the cousins at My Gym, then had lunch at grandma's house :) As always, it was so much fun! Odie and Violet had a blast :) One of Violet's cousins was sick earlier this week and was in recovery over the weekend, but we'll see them next weekend (we're going out again because papa will be home and he's been out of the country for nearly 2 months)! After lunch we went to 31 Flavors before heading back home to Long Beach :) What a fun day!

This afternoon we had a fun park day with some friends and their babies (another play date, but with daddy's this time). We had so much fun that I forgot to take pictures! Rarely do I forget pictures! Hopefully some friends will email them and I'll re-post them :)

So onto tonight... I'm sure all the mommy's out there have tried 'Sleep Training'... Am I right?! Well... Our little Violet can 100% put herself to sleep (she wakes up every now and then at night and goes right back to bed without any help... Up to 12.5 hrs of sleep at a time)... But that INITIAL put down? That's a different story! We give her a bath around 6:30 and she's usually down by 7:30 or 8 at the VERY latest... But she's a 'nurse herself to sleep' kinda gal which is definitely NOT done by herself. I've been reading a fantastic book about sleep, but let me tell you... Tonight was NOT my night to try the 'put yourself to sleep baby girl' method. Hearing her cry between check-ins was horrifying to my heart. I think I'll have to give it another go starting Thursday night rather than Sunday. For some reason that sounds better... Or maybe I'm just putting it off? One of my girlfriends said to 'start now'. Eek! Can't I just read the book (a first for me) and hope she learns through osmosis? Or maybe I need to invest in those earphones that block out noise??? Oh dear.

We had so much fun at Park Day!

Concert in the Park

Tonight Violet and I went to a concert in the park next to our house while Matt had a football draft :) We met some mommy friends and their babies there :) It was so much fun! We saw people dancing, too! Violet is such a happy trooper wherever we go.

This morning we went to story time at the library which was amazing! Stories, singing, dancing, and play time! There was even a parachute! Can life for a 5 month old get any better? Yes, it can! Add in a trip with mommy to Coffee Bean for some people watching, an Odie groomin haircut, and a play date to a friend's house in the afternoon and we'll call that a Friday off for mommy and V :) This is why I decided to go per diem... So I can share fantastic moments and days like this with our amazing little baby girl :) She even napped for a total of 3 hrs today, too! What a splendid day :)

This was so much fun! Too bad they're over now :)

Look at those creepy eyes!!!

Odie LOVES peanut butter and it's a great way to get him to take his medicie!

Look at that handsome haircut!!!

Pictures From Daycare

Veronica sent us some pictures of Violet at daycare :) These made me so happy I practically cried at work! I miss her so much, especially during these LONG 10 hour days!!! All the pictures are just precious, but I'm just attaching 4 of them :) I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

College is Just a Blink Away!

Or so I hear :) Our daycare sent me this picture today :) It's Violet helping her son Justin with some of his college stuff :) 'Makin sure he does it right' Veronica said :) Justin is going to UC Davis to be a Veterinarian :) It's crazy to think that in 18 years our little Violet will be getting ready to leave us for college... Or travel... Woa :)

Playdate

Erin and I took the girls to the aquarium on Monday :) It was really nice because it wasn't too crowded or too hot. We actually got to see most of it, too! I LOVE the fish tanks at the end! The fish are soooooo bright and beautiful! Violet was worn out by then and fell asleep :)

Sleeper-city

For the past 3 nights Violet's been having a bit of reflux and fussiness at bedtime. Although she sleeps really well through the night, it's been taking AGES to get her down! Sometimes an hour and a half! Not cool when Matt and I are hoping to relax a bit before the week starts... Please tell me you have some fantastic suggestions because I feel like this is insane... We've been putting her in her rock-n-sleeper, too. It's at an incline which helps a bit when she has reflux... But she's almost too big for it! We'll have to find a replacement someday soon :)

Because she went to sleep so late last night (almost 9 pm), she slept in till 8:30. Look how I found her :)

Melts My Heart!

I decided to train for the long beach half marathon which is on October 7th... So this morning I took Odie on a 5.4 mile run at 6:30. This was the first time in a LONG time that I've left Violet with Matt because of the bottle issue... I came home to an empty bottle and this picture :) *sigh*

5 Months!

Our little Violet is 5 months old today :) Each day that passes we just love her more and more :) Right now the best things about our little V are:

* She has an infectious smile
* She giggles hysterically at almost everything
* She loves to grab things with her hands and look at them... And suck on them of course
* Daycare has taught her to be a bottle champ again
* She's just so darn squeezable... Especially those thighs!
* She's starting to sit up for longer periods of time
* She'll stay on her tummy for AGES now! And gets her entire chest off the floor, almost to her hips!
* She smiles at us because she knows who we are :)
* She tracks Odie around the back yard
* She likes to pet Odie and giggles because his ears are so soft
* She looooves flying above your head while you look at her
* We want to spend all our free time with her because she's just so spectacular :)

So today! We kicked off the day with an attempt to go to baby story time at the library near our house, but it had been cancelled... We'll go next week :)

I dropped her off at daycare for a couple hrs while I deep cleaned the house, dead headed my roses, did dishes, and did laundry. Then V and I took Odie to the dog park, took a nap, gave Odie a bath, then went to a friends house for dinner while daddy went to his golf lesson :) So much fun!

It's been a month and a half since Violet has had any acid reflux. I've stayed away from problem foods and have been sooooo careful. The doctor said I could try and 're-challenge' her as she gets older... But I'm certain she's not quite there yet... Because she's got it... Bad :( I tried to 're-challenge' her tonight with some mild salsa and black beans... NOT good. In fact, quite horrible :( I always forget how sad and terrible her painful shrieks are until I hear them again :( It's just so horrible and the worst part is that I know that I'm the one who did it to her :( Heartbreaking right?! Thank goodness it only lasts for an hour tops, but that's enough for me! Then she's a bit fussy for the next couple days while it exits my and her systems :( Maybe next month! Good thing I only ate a VERY small taco :)

Aaahhhh :) She cooed herself to sleep :)

Ps- do you spy that crazy frown on V's face?! Oh please baby girl!