(Almost) 10 Months Old

More From Dickens on the Strand 2009

An extraordinary ordinary day

Today we went to lunch and shopped for Violet's Christmas gifts, and the funny thing was she was with us. Probably the only year we can get away with that. I told her she has to ask surprised on Christmas morning.

At lunch Violet sat happily in the high chair, looking around and helping me eat my lunch. She had chicken, avocado and garlic bread. Some made it into her mouth, even more landed on the floor. We are now good tippers (sorry for the mess, waiter dude).

Been wrapping presents and baking cookies. Ahhh...the holidays!

NOW they tell me!

No one tells you to expect your baby to get sick once a month, and no one tells you that they will run a scary-high temperature for 5 days! And no one tells you that then they will run a scary-low temperature. And no one tells you that you can give Motrin and Tylenol because they do different things, and no one tells you that it's ok if your baby doesn't want to eat for those 5 days (as long as she drinks), and no one tells you that you have to go to the doctor four times in 1 week, and no one tells you that your baby will wake up crying in the middle of the night and feel like she is on fire, and no one tells you that you will sit and rock your sick baby for 2 hours while she sleeps because she just wants to be held, and no one tells you what it really means to be worried sick. And no one tells you that even though you don't think so when you are going through it, you (and she) will survive. Yeah, where was all that in the manual?!?!

Snow!

Violet saw her first snow...in Galveston of all places! From the looks of this picture, we were more impressed by it than she was.

The Raudabaughs

Yup, there we are.

9 Months Old and Playful

Book fort

Tunnel of love