Mirror, Mirror

Violet couldn't resist giving that adorable baby a great big kiss!

Don't Know How She Does It . . .

Even after a string of sleepless nights, Violet is all smiles. It's truly inspirational. Fortunately, it's also contagious. Who needs sleep, anyway?

Our Valentine

Violet Goes Bananas

The other big event of the past weekend didn't take us beyond our dining room, but was an adventure nonetheless: Violet's first experience eating solid food. At six months, Violet is old enough to start experimenting with solid food if she's interested, and her lunges at our plates seemed like a pretty good indication that she was. We offered bananas for the occasion, and though it took some time for any to make its way to her mouth, she worked intently on picking up the pieces we'd cut for her (slippery suckers!) and once she'd had a taste she went back for more.

Although rice cereal or jarred baby food are more traditional introductions to solids, based on our research, we decided to take a different approach referred to as Baby-Led Weaning (BLW). The phrase 'baby-led weaning' might be misleading, as the term 'weaning' could imply a more immediate end to her nursing; of course every baby ultimately does wean from milk or formula to solid food, but it's a gradual process and no less so with BLW.

The underlying principle of BLW is as simple as it sounds: letting the baby take the lead on her solid food intake. Instead of feeding her baby food or other purees from a spoon, we offer Violet the real thing to pick up and feed herself, giving her the opportunity to explore everything about her food - taste, texture, color, smell - at her own pace, and eat as much or as little as she wants. The emphasis is on discovery and the experience of eating as a whole (including squishing your food between your fingers!). Because the bulk of a baby's calories and nutrition continue to come from breastmilk or formula until at least a year old, how much she actually eats at any given meal isn't terribly important. It's a messy business for sure, but we have so much fun watching her we don't mind the cleanup. And Atticus is happy to help with whatever ends up on the floor.

Technorati Tags: baby-led+weaning, babyled+weaning, BLW

Violet Goes Skiing

We took Violet out on the cross-country trails of our local ski resort, Bogus Basin, for the first time this past Sunday. (It was my first time attempting to cross-country ski as well.) If you're wondering how a six month old can ski, the answer is in style. Violet was cozy in her Chariot carrier outfitted with the XC Ski kit, a pretty sweet ride if the fact that she snoozed through almost the entire trek is any indication. It wasn't quite as cushy a trip for me - as I am alpine-incompetent, the one slight downhill slope we encountered found me falling backwards and forwards until we returned to gentler slopes. Fortunately, it was a short stretch. Overall, I really enjoyed cross-country skiing; it's much more my speed than downhill. We had a fantastic time spending the day out in the snow together, and we're looking forward to heading back up the next chance we get!

There's More Where This Came From

I've resolved - somewhat tardily in terms of the New Year - to post more often, and specifically, to post photos of Violet more often. I've been giving the new camera a workout, so there are plenty to share, starting with this shot of Violet at Serenity (her daycare). I've been toting the camera with me when I visit her there at lunch, to catch some of some of the fun she's having on "film."

Yes We Can

Nobody has been more surprised than we have at the overwhelming support for Barack Obama we're seeing in Idaho. In what is often thought of as one of the most conservative states in the nation, almost 15,000 people (Eric, Violet and I among them) stood in the snow early last Saturday to get in to his speech at Boise State; nearly 8,000 die-hard dems lined up again (and again, in the snow!) to participate in Idaho's caucus on Super Tuesday.

Though she won't remember it, Violet's first political rally was memorable in more ways than one. This kind of enthusiasm for a democratic candidate was something not many people expected; Obama himself remarked, "and they told me there weren't any democrats in Idaho!" They told us the same thing, and we were happy to find out they were wrong. But more important than the discovery of democrats in this the reddest of states was Obama's ability to bring that disenfranchised group together, get them excited, and yes - give them hope. In a characteristically compelling speech, his message of hope and change captivated the Boise audience as it has so many others across the country. And our girl wasn't intimidated by the roar of the crowd in response to its inspirational speaker. In the midst of all the clapping, cheering, and thunderous stomping, Violet just sat on her dad's lap, grinning, and soaked it all in.

Violet missed the next big event, Idaho's democratic caucus last night, because it was past her bedtime. Obama's fans were out in force, propelling him to an 80% landslide victory over Clinton and the other candidates. Idaho appears to have been Obama's most dramatic win so far, something not even Idahoans probably would have predicted. Noting Obama's unlikely wins last night on MSNBC, Chris Matthews even exclaimed, "God - Idaho!" The times they are a changin' . . . we hope.

Hello Again

A few weeks ago, Violet was reintroduced to one of the first people she ever met: our doula, Jennifer Schepper. (This shot of Violet and Jennifer getting reacquainted at the get together Jennifer hosted for all of her 2007 babies and families was one of the first I took with our new digital camera, a Canon 40D I love more than is probably healthy. Expect to see many more photos here as a result.)

In preparing for Violet's birth, we decided that the assistance of a birth doula was a resource we wanted to take advantage of. I'm told there are women who love being pregnant, but it's no secret I am not among them; I was ready to wrap up that particular part of the parenthood experience about five minutes after the second pink line showed up on the stick. I was actually looking forward to labor and birth, and it was on my mind early in the pregnancy. Which was fortunate, as good doulas in this area tend to book up as quickly as good daycares.

We found Jennifer through the recommendation of Kyndal May, a local childbirth educator and birth advocate I consulted often both before and after our Confident Birthing class. (A plug for Kyndal here - that class was absloutely invaluable to us, and Kyndal is a phenomenal teacher. I experienced none of the lecture-induced narcolepsy I usually suffer from during Kyndal's class.) We were comfortable with Jennifer from our first meeting, and she supported us throughout the birth process - from preparing for the kind of birth I hoped to have through the transition to a family of three those first few weeks after Violet's birth. And of course, labor and the birth itself.

Studies have shown that the presence of a doula at birth tends to result in shorter labors with fewer complications, reduces the need for labor-inducing drugs and requests for pain medication and epidurals, and reduces the incidence of cesarean sections. Though Jennifer didn't join us for Violet's birth until we left for the hospital, when I was already in the transition stage of labor, her support played a big part in my labor and birth experience even before she arrived. The security of knowing that Jennifer would be available as soon as I needed her contributed to my confidence and level of comfort laboring at home with Eric as long as I did. I attribute much of my amazing birth experience to my body, and much to dumb luck, but Jennifer deserves a lot of credit, too.

The doula's primary role is to support the mother (and father) in childbirth, but studies have also confirmed the benefits of doulas to babies, particularly with respect to breastfeeding. The most wonderful thing Jennifer did for us was to help Violet and I, in those first awestruck minutes following her birth, to get Violet latched on and nursing. Our nursing relationship is so important to me, and six months later, we're still going strong.

That's right . . . six months. Violet is six months old today! Eric and I are as excited as she is about all the things she can do now, including sitting up on her own, giggling, and our favorite - giving kisses! Lots of them. Every time she pulls my face to hers and plants a big, open-mouthed wet kiss on my cheek, I get all glowy. I hope neither of us ever grows out of that.

A Law Firm Is Born

As many of you know, Eric has launched his own law firm! Blackburn & Jones, Eric's previous firm, closed its doors at the end of 2007 following the departure of one of its founding partners, Rex Blackburn, for the in-house pastures of Idaho Power. Eric's new firm, Jones & Swartz - technically open for business as of January 1, 2008 - started things off right by giving everyone the first day off.

Eric and staff were all back at it on the 2nd; he continues to be supported by Beth, Connie, and Heather, as well as new paralegal Jennifer - all of whom have been almost as excited and enthusiastic about this endeavor as we are. Former partner Bruce Jones is continuing his practice at the new firm of counsel, and attorney Darwin Overson represents the most recent (and welcome) addition to the firm. The new firm will continue a general civil litigation practice, representing both plaintiffs and defendants, with an emphasis on commercial litigation; personal injury and products liability claims; contract disputes; real estate, securities, and intellectual property litigation; and regulatory and taxation matters.

It's an exciting enterprise for Eric, and by extension for Violet and me. She and I are very proud of her dad!

Baby's First Christmas

Though Violet thoroughly enjoyed her first Christmas, I think it's safe to say that this year her mama and dad enjoyed it more! We spent Christmas Eve at Grandma and Grandpa Stickney's, along with Aunt Kristin and Uncle Mat. Our gift exchange there was Violet's first run at unwrapping and she took to it right away, particularly the plucking of bows from paper (as seen in the first two photos above). After a late night there, Eric and I stayed up even later wrapping Violet's gifts - an event prompted by procrastination that turned out to be yet another sweet, sentimental part of Christmas as parents.

Christmas morning started off with a trip downstairs to see what Santa had left for Violet under the tree: a soft, floppy stuffed horse that - sprawled out - can serve as a playmat, and a wooden activity arch. Both were a big hit. After breakfast, the three of us adjourned to the couch to bask in sunshine and Christmas music, which lulled us into a nice nap. The afternoon included a walk with Atticus, and of course, more presents. And it's not over yet . . . we head to Eden to celebrate Christmas/New Year's with the rest of the Swartz family this weekend.

Merry Christmas

Happy holidays from our family to yours!

O Christmas Tree

Decorating the tree was never as much fun as it was this weekend with Violet. After the ceremonial hanging of the first ornament on Violet's first Christmas tree, I popped her in the pouch and we all decorated the tree together. Yes, even Atticus was afoot (although not much help), as he hates to be left out of anything these days. Violet was fascinated with the whole process - from removing the ornaments from their boxes to their placement on the tree, and participated with studious concentration sprinkled with lots of smiles until sleep overtook her. If only she had succumbed so easily at two o'clock this morning . . .

The Many Faces of Violet

Our Christmas card photo shoot went so well we had a hard time deciding which shot to send! Here are a few of our favorites that didn't quite make the cut, but were too good not to share.

All Together Now

As is tradition, Violet spent her first Thanksgiving with family - and lots of it. Much of the extended Swartz family (Grandma and Grandpa Swartz, Aunt Meagan, Uncle Donny, Aunt Amy, Uncle Marco and cousin Giacomo) joined the extended Stickney family (Grandma and Grandpa Stickney, Aunt Kristin and Uncle Mat) in Boise for the feasting. Uncle Kyle and Annett were greatly missed. There was one surprise guest, however, all the way from the North Pole! We're not sure whether Violet whispered any Christmas wishes to Santa while on his lap, but she certainly enjoyed tugging on that long white beard. Grandpa Swartz mysteriously disappeared shortly before the man in the red suit showed up . . . but there was no shortage of photos taken to commemorate Violet and Giacomo's first visit with Santa for anyone who missed it.

Violet's introduction to her first cousin, Giacomo, was equally adorable. As evidenced by the photos above, these two hit it off right away. We're all looking forward to watching them grow up together.

The last shot above was taken out at the Festival of Trees in downtown Boise the day after Thanksgiving. Christmas is coming! We can't wait to watch Violet enjoy the holidays. Christmas lights, a Christmas tree, Christmas shopping - we're looking forward to it all. And with only 26 days until Christmas, we'd better get started!

Sweet Pea

Violet celebrated her first Halloween dressed as a pea pod! Initially, she wasn't sure about the whole costume concept, but warmed up to the idea and was happy to 'trick or treat' at the homes of a few close friends and neighbors, despite the fact that no actual treats were obtained this year. We enjoyed perfect fall weather - brisk but not too cold - and wrapped up the evening across the street with our friends Ralph and Arlene, where Violet was mesmorized by the flames from the small fire they had going in their front yard (as well as Ralph's gravelly voice and heavy New York accent). We're looking forward to her next major holiday first - Thanksgiving! The extended Swartz clan (with the exception of Kyle and Annett, who unfortunately can't make it from Germany ;) will be joining us and the Stickney family in Boise for T-day in just a few weeks!