viola

Crackers

The upside to single parenting is that I get Viola all to myself. I presented her with crackers for the first time on Friday night.

Hm, these are tasty. Crunchier than anything I've ever eaten, but tasty.

Maybe I'll bite off a bigger piece.

I've seen squirrels do this; I think I've got the method down.

That is one tasty, salty slurry. Let's add some more.

More, mama! (This is how she makes the "more" sign.)

Let's just say they were a huge hit. Hooray for wheat consumption!

Viola's 1st Birthday

Check out the photos of Viola 1st birthday!

One year ago today

Happy birthday, Viola!

Welcome to the holidays, Viola

In the past two weeks, some stuff has happened.

We put you in the car at bedtime and picked up your grandparents at the airport. You woke up when we walked in the house, near midnight, and stared very seriously at them for 15 minutes or so, then gave your grandpa the full lower-lip treatment. We left you at home the next day with these strange people while we went to work.

Your laundry built up for a day or so while the pipes to the laundry room froze.

Your mama went to Seattle for work and forgot a part for her breast pump, so spent most of the day worrying about the front of her shirt. Then she waited on the wrong side of the street for the bus for 90 minutes before making it home with mammary glands ready to burst. Meanwhile, your papa took the car in for an oil change and found it needed $500 worth of new rotors.

We dragged you out in the rain and dark to pick out a Christmas tree. You marvel at it every day, and we tell you not to touch it.

Your parents left you alone all night for the first time. While they were staying in a luxurious waterfront bed and breakfast, you were wondering where your nighttime food source had gone. You banged hard on the windows the next morning as we walked up the sidewalk.

You picked up a mouse turd off your cosleeper bed. Your parents and grandparents started getting jumpy when they entered new rooms. Some strange people came to set up traps all around the house; another thing you aren't allowed to touch.

You mistook your mama's nipple for a chew toy, and drew blood. You cried with her.

You were trapped at M-Space for two long days for the annual blow-your-own ornament event. You were nap-deprived and walking-deprived.

And then tonight, you sat on the floor of the laundry room while mama shut off the valve to the hot water heater, to stop it from spraying energetically around the laundry room. You watched while we carted out soggy photo albums and lots of other old stuff from before you were born.

On the other hand, you got to spend a precious seven days with your grandma and grandpa Balsam, who you adore and who adore you right back. They got you lots of fun new toys and clothes for Christmas already, though mostly you're interested in the box they were shipped in.

All this, and Christmas isn't even here yet!

Viola's First Steps

We shot this footage November 11. Sorry for the delay!

Month 11

Month 11 is upon us, and the mad skills just keep coming. Viola took her first unaided steps on November 11th, and she can now walk successfully for 5 feet or so.* Last night she even launched herself toward the crib from a standing position at a wall. Once she learns to stand up from a sitting position on her own, we're done for.

Here she is standing all by herself in the yard this weekend. She keeps herself balanced like a tightrope walker, with lots of arm movement.

The next skills we hope she develops are sleeping skills. Specifically, going-to-sleep skills, and staying-asleep skills. And ability-to-sleep-away-from-a-warm-lap skills. Any of these would be an improvement.

We closed out the month with a fun Thanksgiving celebration. Viola met her second cousins from Montana and kept them on their toes.

*(Some video of the first steps is forthcoming. That's Joe's assignment.)

Taking bets on when she's able to text.

"Uh, Papa, this phone is so old and slow. How am I supposed to text using this prehistoric device."

"Will you buy me the newest one, it has GPS, it's 3G and like 300 times more memory."

"So you can have even more pictures of me."

Beware the baby ninja

She might get you with her fierce nunchucks!*

She also has throwing stars in her arsenal!**

Look at that ninja creep in her step!***

*Made from wood-grain fabric and stuffed with rice and cotton balls
**Cut from industrial felt
***Also known as slipping on hardwood floors, occasioned by wearing mama's socks with no grippies on the bottom

It was pretty fun getting Viola dressed up for Halloween, but she didn't get an overwhelming reception from the wider world. No matter; we thought she was cute and hilarious, and we had a lot of fun making her cache of weapons. No doubt there will be self-chosen princess-fairy-unicorn costumes in her future, so the dark nature of Halloween '09 will stand in stark contrast.

Eating can be fun too

Making the mashed peas

The smorgasbord is presented

More pictures like these that remind us that eating isn't always dangerous can be found in our End of Summer album. Thanks everyone for your supportive comments on the allergy post. Viola is still doped on Benadryl, but we look forward to a return to normal in the next few days.

The New Enemy

There were the first nine and three-quarters months of being parents, when we didn't have to carry around an epi-pen, and now there's the rest of our lives as parents, when we have to have one within reach at all times.

The enemy is sesame seeds, so close to Viola in this picture taken at the Greek Festival 3 weeks ago.

Yet, she didn't ingest them until today, when Joe mixed some tahini in to her oatmeal, at the suggestion of our baby food book ("great source of protein!"). Every horrifying allergy symptom followed, including vomiting, hives, wheezing, and swelling. And then, an ambulance ride, the pediatric emergency room, more vomiting, and a lot of waiting and watching. We were all back home by noon, Viola sufficiently doped up on Benadryl and steroids. In a few hours, the swelling had subsided and she was her old self.

The next time she is exposed to sesame -- on a hamburger bun, in hummus or salad dressing -- she probably won't get off so easy. That's where the epi-pen comes in. The doctor actually referenced Pulp Fiction when he wrote the prescription.

The irony is that we've been hyper-focused on possible food allergy since the beginning -- eliminating dairy from my diet for the first six months, waiting until 6 1/2 months to introduce solids, and carefully waiting 4 days after each new food to detect signs of allergy. Joe was allergic to wheat, dairy, and corn when he was a baby, so we decided to wait until after one year to introduce those foods. We never suspected sesame; I didn't even know it was an allergen. But according to this article, sesame is now in the top ten most allergic foods in the U.S.

And now I'm staring at a blinking cursor like Doogie Howser, wondering what bit of wisdom will wrap up this post. Insert something here about working-mom guilt and the longest drive from Olympia to Tacoma, and the leap of faith that is bearing a child. I actually thought when I sat down to write this post that I might save some parent somewhere from feeding their child sesame too soon, but the chances of that happening are probably close to nil. And so, you see, I read a little too much Hermann Hesse in high school to find anything uplifting to say at this point.