Things I have learned

Taking a look back I can NOT believe that Violet is 9 months. I was giving her a bottle today and got a little teary. Usually I give her a bottle and she lays on the floor or in her highchair, holds the bottle and drinks it all up. But I sat down in the glider, cradled and fed her. She is huge! (she is in the 95% for her height!) Her feet were touching the arm rest and she did not want me to hold her bottle. (I love her little sassy personality ((sometimes))....I know when shes two I will not like it as much :)In only 9 months I feel like I have learned so much about her and looking back remembering the really tough times and sweet times! Here are a few I'd like to share:

Breastfeeding- Violet was breastfed for 7.5 months and started to very slowly wean at about 6 months. She has now been on formula for 2 months and is doing great! In the beginning I had no idea what I was doing! (I seriously recommend reading books, asking for help, taking that help, and try try again!)Its a lot of trial and error I'm so thankful I was in the hospital for 4 days after V was born due to having a C-Section. We had a lot of help from the baby nurse and lactation consultant! (PS- I think La Leche League offers free help...I know LC can be very expensive when you are not in the hospital!) I remember while nursing in the hospital and once at home re-reading about "how to breastfeed". If you are able to breastfeed, it an amazing experience!! Physically its amazing how God created your body to produce milk to provide for a child! I had some hard times when I was engorged at the beginning and cried bc I was so uncomfortable. Or nights when you wake up and have soaked through your shirt/sheets/towel because you are leaking :) Or times when I missed a feeding and became rock hard. It's all such a learning experience. And after a while your body adjusts and so does your baby. You learn how to position the baby, that your nipples will not be sore forever, that if you did formula you would still be getting up in the middle of the night, what to eat so your milk doesn't make the baby gassy, how to use your breast pump while traveling in the car on a road trip, how long to nurse for, that your boobs will go back to normal size, how to nurse in an airplane/public (with a nursing cover), and so much more!

Sleeping- Violet was a great sleeper from the start. We had to wake her up to feed her! After she was 1 month, the doctor said she could start sleeping through the night and let her wake up on her own to eat. AMEN! finally a little more sleep! Sleep is another thing you have to teach babies to do. I was given the book BabyWise by a friend and it helped soooo much with techniques on how to get your child to sleep, eat and play!! We didn't follow it to a "T" but pretty much adjusted it to our own needs/thoughts/routines. But from about 2 weeks, Violet was on a schedule and did pretty well. We've had a few rough patches were she was waking up 45 mins after we put her down at night and had many trial and errors on how to fix this problem. Since she was born at bedtime we play this Fisher Price Tender Lullaby and it really helps to calm her and gets her in the sleep mode. But once again you live and learn. One of the sweetest moments is when V does go to sleep easy and I can just continue to rock her in my arms and stare at her!

Crying- Babies cry. A lot. We were given the "happiest baby on the block" DVD and finally got the chance to watch it a month after V was born. Dr. Karp gives you the Five S's to calm and soothe your child. IT IS AMAZING!! They really work!! V is usually a happy, easy going baby, but sometimes she is having a rough day and well these Five S's don't apply to a 9 month old, but they sure helped ease our anxiety has new parents. You eventually learn what each cry is, if they are hungry, whiney, tired, or just throwing a fit.

It is crazy to think how hard is was at the beginning, especially being a first time parents. We were both unsure of things and a little nervous. Presently we feel like we know what we are doing and can handle things much better. I had a girls weekend early this month and was confident that Bryson and Violet would be just fine together! And they were! We are both so thankful that our first child is easy, sweet, funny, and happy baby! We'll start praying ALL our kids will be ;)