10 MONTHS OLD!

Sticker

Milestones:

Four teeth (with two more on the way), power walking, climbing all over things

Likes:

Looking under all the rugs in the house for treasures to eat (don't worry, she isn't successful), independently exploring the house (i.e. wandering off when she thinks I'm not looking), when Jon comes home (she bolts for the door when she hears him come in), being upside down (she loves slithering backwards off the Boppy after she's nursed), family meals where she feeds herself while we eat, reading The Itsy Bitsy Spider....she especially loves flipping to the page with the cat

Dislikes:

Violet still dislikes diaper changes.  I'm running out of things to preoccupy her with.  I should say I'm running out of safe things to preoccupy her with.  She'd gladly chew on a power cord or handle a pocketknife if I let her.

Life now-a-days:

Remember how last month I said she was sleeping better?  Well, I jinxed myself.  I'm sure it's only temporary, but ever since she got over her cold, she's been waking up around 3 a.m. and not going back down for like an hour or more.  In a desperate attempt to find a solution, I turned to Google, which, as you might have expected, does not have all the answers.

We can't baby proof fast enough.  Not that it even matters in some cases.  She's already figured out that her chubby little hands are just the perfect size to reach into our baby proofed cabinets and pull out whatever objects will fit through the space.

V is actually cuddling! There is nothing better than your baby girl cuddled in your arms.

I can't get over how grown-up my little, baby girl is.

COLD DAYS IN AUGUST

Violet has just recovered from her first little cold.  What I thought was just teething, turned out to be teething and a cold.  An awesome combo, by the way.  Poor baby was sneezing, coughing, and had a runny nose for days.  

Here's how we survived:

• Boogie Wipes 
• Hyland's Cold Tablets  (This is the only thing that really helped dry up her nose.  I HIGHLY recommend these!)
• Snotsucker  (It's amazing.  It's disgusting.  When you need it, you NEED it.)
• Saline Nasal Spray  (Surprisingly, she actually liked this.)
• Humidifier used with Eucalyptus Essential Oil and Peppermint Essential Oil 
• We elevated one side of her mattress.
• Lots of cuddling
• Lots of singing "Itsy Bitsy Spider" (For reasons beyond my simple understanding, this song helps keep her still for diaper changes, calm while nursing, and patient when wiping her nose.) 

Thankfully, Violet is now back to her same silly self.

She's playing peek-a-boo with her fox!  So cute!

NO FUNNY BUSINESS

Violet does not like age appropriate toys.  Am I surprised?  Uh, no.  Every time I try to do something on my laptop, baby girl manages to hit just the right keys to eff things up.  Seriously, with unlimited time, I can't recreate the damage she can do in seconds. 

In an attempt to try and distract Violet, we gave her an old, on its deathbed, laptop.  And you know what, she loved it...for about 10 minutes.  You can't fool that kid.  She only wants the things she can't have.  Maybe if I put it just out of reach, she'll be interested in it again.  

In other news, Violet's 5th tooth seems to be coming in.  And it is putting me through the ringer.  I'm talking screaming crying in the middle of the night two days in a row.  So, when you're saying your prayers at night, please pray these teething woes begone!

Congratulations to Meredith P. on winning a print from ThePolkFolk Etsy shop!

THE NEED FOR SPEED

Y'all, our baby girl is walking!  We decided the walker wasn't tall enough for her long legs and packed it up.  Well, I guess Violet got that little taste of speed and just couldn't forget about it.

It all happened so quickly.  She's been pulling herself up to stand, but Saturday she seemed to be much more stable.

Whale Pajamas (on sale)

By Sunday, she was walking with us holding her hands to steady her.  She loves when you speed walk with her.  The girl just wants to run.

As soon as she woke up on Monday, all Violet wanted to do was practice walking.  The girl wouldn't even let me finish my breakfast!  Do you see that look she's giving me?  And just look at that death grip!

Then, out of nowhere, while V was playing with some toys, she just shot up like someone lit a fire under her butt.  She stood there for a second evaluating this new found power and then, like she'd been doing it every day of her life, she started to walk.

Now she's unstoppable.  She'll probably be running next week and solving world hunger the next.

She's so stinkin' cute!

Don't forget the giveaway for a print from our Etsy shop ends this evening.  Enter here!  The winner will be announced this weekend!

CURIOSITY & THE CAT

The pillow fort has been dismantled.  I realized it was time to let her explore new frontiers when I spent almost the entire time behind the pillows trying to desperately catch her little cankles before she made it all the way to the other side.  Violet could scale that sucker in seconds.

V has been beyond excited about her new found freedom.  She has been checking out every square inch of every room.  The kitchen is an especially interesting place because she's not allowed in all the places she wants to explore.  We've childproofed our kitchen cabinets, but that doesn't stop her from trying to yank them open with the force of a Jedi.  Size matters not.  (Yoda's words, not mine.)  And if I close the refrigerator before she has a chance to grab something off the door and put her mouth all over it, she cries like I just told her I was canceling Christmas.

I could just eat those little sausage fingers.

As for Neil, this basically means he has no way to escape.  Where the cat goes, baby girl follows.

 [Insert hysterical baby laughter here.]

Don't forget to check out the last post for a chance to win a free print from our new Etsy shop, The Polk Folk.  Entering is SUPER EASY!  Log onto the Rafflecopter using either Facebook or your e-mail address.  (You're not creating an account; it's just providing me with your e-mail address so I can contact the winner.)

ETSY SHOP GRAND OPENING (& A GIVEAWAY!)

I'm very excited to finally get our Etsy shop up and running!  It's a collaboration of both Jon's stuff and mine.  Right now, I've just got some of our photography up, but in the near future, I'll be adding some artwork prints.

Here's some of my faves!

This is a run-down building in City Park.

Two Windows//Blight Series

We actually have a picture of this building framed above our fireplace.  We found a distressed looking frame at Hobby Lobby and thought it was really befitting for one of our blight photographs.  I actually originally wanted to frame French Quarter Coupla, but because we have such a tall fireplace, we felt a vertical photograph would look better in the space.

-----

The wood pilings below are the skeletal remains of a camp lost to Hurricane Katrina.

Piles High//Blight Series

-----

At 127 years old, Slidell Light of the World Church was the longest standing church in Slidell, Louisiana until it burned to the ground in 2013.  This photograph was taken a week before the fire and is likely the last picture taken of the building.

Here's the Church//Blight Series

-----

If you're a Saints fan, you probably recognize this guy, better known locally as the Mad Datter.

The Mad Datter//NOLA Series

-----

Green Door//NOLA Series

-----

Now for the good stuff...enter to win any photography print in our shop!  One lucky winner will be chosen on 7/15/14!  And if you can't wait, get 20% off now by using the promo code POLKFOLK20!  Of course, if you purchase one and win, you can choose to be refunded instead of getting another print.  Thank you all so much for your support of our small business!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
And because a post just isn't worth reading without a couple pictures of V...

Popsicle Onesie (on sale!) 

Sunday at the Splash Pad

Today we ate some blueberry pancakes with maple syrup for breakfast and ventured out to our local splash pad after nap time.  It was Violet's first time putting her adorable little swimsuit to good use.  I probably spent more time trying to wrestle that little girl into her swimsuit than she actually spent wearing the thing.  Oh well, so worth it.

V actually didn't seem quite as enthralled by the splash pad as I expected.  She seemed more impressed with the other little kiddies running around than she did with the actual fountains.  I'm sure next summer will be a different story.

These past few weeks we've been lackadaisically baby proofing the house.  Today Violet started opening the cabinets.  There's our sign.  It's gettin' real.  Next weekend will be full blown Operation Baby Proof This House.