6 Months

This baby of mine is literally getting big.  We broke some family records I believe, hitting 100th percentile in both weight and height.  This girl is off the charts:

Weight: 22 lbs 9 oz
Height: 27 inches

We have had to move up to the next carseat because the original that my two great friends Natalie and Carrie gave me doesn't hold a baby over 22 pounds (I would have been a great friend too if I had sent them thank you cards [although my sister says it is acceptable anytime within the first years], but I don't have either of their addresses. I just drive to Carrie's and haven't bothered to figure our Natalie's address.  Sign of a poor friend.  Thanks you guys)  Miss Violet is happy about her new seat.  It means that she has to be carried out to the car and sit in the real seat in the grocery store, even though she is really too small to sit in there.  She is belted in and giggles the whole time as mom holds her hands.

 I just love baby hands and feet.

 She just kept watching the dogs play instead of looking at the camera...otherwise, she was more interested in her feet.  Luck of me I got a picture of the part of the chair the dog chewed.  I couldn't help but post it because she was squealing with delight at the dogs playing.

 When we go for our walks she is always checking out the dogs to see what they are doing.  Here she is making sure that Duke is in line, which we know that he never is unless someone has their eye on him.

 Here she is watching Harley.  Let's just say there is a fire hydrant nearby.

The sign was unsuccessful with showing her age and sitting upright next to it.  So, I decided that she could just play.

 I bought her a used activity center/jumping toy, which she loves.

 Below are all the outtakes from our photo session in which she was more interested in her surroundings.

She loves to eat.  I have to undress her down to the diaper for the event because food is smeared everywhere are she assists in the feeding.  She can almost sit completely alone.  She rolls both directions and rocks back and forth on those hands and knees, ready to take of crawling at any minute.  She loves to read, but doesn't like the book "Good Night Minnesota."  I think that she wants to live in a different state.  She checks out people before she will smile at them, but only cries with a real purpose.  She got her first cold with week, which I think that 6 months old with your first cold is awesome.

I sure love her and think that she is cute, but I am biased.

Back to the State Fair

 On Labor Day, I picked up a two hour shift at the Minnesota State Fair, standing at the booth for Rasmussen College where I work.  I did it because it would give me free tickets to the fair, and allow me to do something different than the norm.  The monotony of parenthood can sometimes be overwhelming.  It has been a long time since I have gone out and done something that I consider fun.  I did not get a picture of it, but there were boxes in the booth.  At one point I needed to pick up some items, which was going to be impossible to pick up with her in my arms. So, into the box she went.  Violet loved the box and so did those passing by.  There were more comments about the baby in the box, then about the school.  One woman asked to take a picture of her in the box, and another older woman brought me a wash rag she made to use as a washcloth for bathing.

After we finished up, it was time for a nap.  I sat on a bench outside the International Section of the Fair.  She slept in the front pack, while I people watched.  A few hours later dad came.

We saw the missionaries at the fair for their "P" day.  Had to get a picture for proof because the sister missionaries that have been coming to see me said they could not go.

Dad and Violet felt a need for a picture with the semi-truck.

You got a love a little girl checking out the goods at the stand.

We sat and listened to a mariachi band.  It was actually quite fun.  There were lot of people dancing up at the front of the stage.

Don't ask me what the hand gesture is about, but Violet was enjoying the view from the front pack.

Needless to say.  We were all tired by the time 5 pm rolled around.  I did not get to see all of the art building like I wanted.  Violet did not want to be there anymore, she just wanted to eat.  For some reason there is no food in the art building. Strange.

5 Months

This month has gone by faster than the previous four.  I think that is because Violet is now more interactive.  If we Facetime, she is not very interactive, but she loves to play with me.  I did start to feed her baby food a week ago.  She is pretty funny because she will lean forward to get that next bite in.  I have a feeling that she is going to eat anything I give her.  I estimate that she is about 20 pounds now.  She is a big "roll" of fun.  She can almost sit up and talks to me all the time.  She likes to listen to me read books for a about 5 minutes and love to be sung to sleep.  She sure is sweet and cuddly.

4 Months

Violet managed to make it to four months somehow.  Not only did she make it, but she appears to be thriving.  I have myself one BIG girl.  She is 97 percentile in weight and 96 percentile in length.  She is still a really good baby, until I want to take pictures.  We attempted one day, but she was uncooperative, so I did it the next morning in her pajamas.

New 4th of July Weekend Experience

 This 4th of July I spent in morning at the ward breakfast.  Because Abdu is Muslim and does not eat pork I decided that the respectful thing would be not to feed his daughter pork either.  That makes our house a pork-free territory. I have a feeling that it is going to be a little hard.  I love some good sausage and bacon, and especially pepperoni.  Love me some pepperoni pizza.  I am going to have to survive off the turkey substitutions, but they are not the same.  Luckily, I have not run into pork products too often eating meals at home.  It was so difficult looking at the sausage being cooked up by the ward.  I made it through without falling victim, but man I wanted some.  Attending all church functions is so awkward.  Not just because I am a single mother with an infant, but I have always felt this way.  Often I have thought it is the mingling factors because I remember feeling this way at the Single's Ward and in many of the other wards I have been in.  Perhaps it is the fact that I do better when I have one close friend, but typically I am alone.  I attempt to make conversation, but it typically fails.  I am feeling ready to give up on the attempts.

What is even more weird is that the rest of the day and part of the next day with Abdu's family.  I am not sure if it was his mother or father's family.  I just know it was family.  There were family members that came to Minnesota from Denver and Chicago.  They had the initial gathering at someone's apartment and the next day at a Park in St. Paul.  When we showed up I really wasn't sure exactly what was happening, Abdu told me it was a family meeting (whatever that was supposed to mean).  All I can say is that I never knew that so many people could fit into a small two bedroom apartment, but it is possible.  There was a couch that covered two of the walls.  The women all sat on one side of the room and then men on the other.  As soon as I walked in the room all of the women were motioning for me to come over and sit by them.  Abdu took care of Violet on the other side of the room.  Many of the older family members only spoke Amharic and Oromo, so the there was very little English spoken.  The oldest male family member is the most important and welcomes the family.  In fact, the oldest male from each city stood up and talked for a little while.  I got the general idea, but eventually someone explained the general idea about what was talked about.  It was kind of strange because I was the only Caucasian, English speaking, and non-Muslim women who was there and I felt more comfortable with them than I did at the church breakfast.

I had met or seen a few of the people in his family at a couple of weddings.  Also, one family member came to see me in the hospital when Violet was born.  The problem was that I was not able to figure out how everyone was related to each other.  I was able to determine who was married to whom, and who the younger children belonged to, but not their relations to each other.

The next day at the park there were carpets on the grass.  Most of the women sat on the carpet on the ground.  I sat with the four older women and a couple of different mothers.  I am not used to sitting on the ground.  My legs kept falling asleep.  Perhaps if I had daily sat on the ground I would be used to it, but it was rough.  A couple of the women had tattoos on their face that I was told was considered beautiful when they were younger, but it not done anymore.  Up close it looked like little cuts at were dyed.  What I loved was that none of the women could speak English, but they would take Violet and wanted to hold her.   It was interpreted to me that they wanted to keep her.  One of them said that they wanted to take her because I could have another one.  They wanted to raise her in Ethiopia.  When I dressed for the event I made sure to wear a Maxi skirt to the picnic because I knew women wear long skirts.  One of the older women told Abdu that she was thankful that I dressed respectfully.  She just wanted me to cover my hair, but she smiled at me and said thank you in English.

Older Women #1

I think that these are Abdu's cousins, but I am not sure.  Dad is feeling Violet as usual.

A larger group of some of the men.

There is something that is fascinating and interesting to me about the native attire of other cultures.

I have seen multiple men with this type of hat and shawl at different functions I have been to.  They are typically older men.

The view of the water was beautiful

Older Woman #4.  She showed up late to the party.

This girl wanted to take Violet with her to Chicago.

There were many beautiful women.

Just one of the little girls, although the only one without her hair covered.  I suppose that to be respectful of their culture Violet should to cover her hair at family functions even though she and I are technically are not of the Islamic faith.

Just another beautiful women...with older woman #2 (who wanted to keep Violet and thanked me bending over)

Some of the kids went swimming in the water.  All of the kids all swam in their clothing.  Abdu says that they don't swim in Ethiopia.  There isn't any water and what there is has dangerous animals around, so no one would go in it.  Plus, in order to swim as a Muslim you have to be covered.  I can't imagine attempting to swim with all the material surrounding me.  It would be like swimming in seaweed.

I have felt so crazy for three straight months.  I have felt the craziness, but been unable to control it.  I have been exhausted and did not feel like myself.  These two days I finally felt like myself.  I finally liked Abdu again after 3 months of fault finding.  It was so bizarre.  It has lasted through today.  It is nice to be back to my somewhat former self.  I am not sure if it was the couple of days out of the house not worrying about all of the tasks I needed to accomplish or the fact that there were a lot of people who I couldn't really even talk to who seemed to like me.  I keep wishing that was how I felt at church, where I have always been told that they are "family" away from your family.  I have never felt that, but I am not sure what I am hoping for.  It is probably my expectations, but for the first time in a long time it was nice to feel liked.