12 months

I have been putting the wrong priorities first.  I keep thinking if I work a few extra hours, or work harder, or get X done, then something magical will happen that will make the few difficulties we have in life go away.  The price is that I've missed a lot with Viola.  She's such a cutie... and since I was "too busy" to post anything here - I also have no way of remembering the times we did share.  (Because I'm a bad memory keeper.  Probably why scrapbooking has such an appeal to me... I want to remember the little daily parts of my life that make up the whole... not just the best moments or the vacations or the Christmas mornings... the whole life.)

Viola is fully walking now -- and running.  She stumbles a little like a drunk sometimes, but she can get a move on.  She also has reached the point where she can crawl onto the couch without standing on something.  You might remember that I mentioned previously that she has a suicidal coffee table/couch death wish... it just got crazy.  Daddy now spends about 90% of every day pulling her out of a life compromising position hanging off the couch.

She also plays more interactively with Zola.  They have this favorite game where they take turns screaming into each other's faces.  It's so peaceful to watch them getting along -- .well, it's something.  They follow each other around almost all day, now.  Zola grabs Viola by the hand and says, "Come on, Bi-ya. Let's play toys." Or whatever she wants her to do.  For her part, Viola typically takes the lead when it comes to blows.  She is quite a pincher/hitter and is starting to get more and more mischievous.  I still have a hard time seeing her as the instigator, because she seems so innocent since she's small.  But, we are starting to crack down on some of the things she has taken for granted that she can do.

Since our sliding glass door leads to a small completely childproof balcony with a floor to ceiling window view to everything going on out there, we often leave the door open to allow air, children, and cats to pass freely.   The kids LOVE that balcony.  Zola likes to hold the rail and yell at the neighbors as loud as she can... "Hey, YOU! What you doing? You walking DOG? It's a DOG! What dog DOING?... etc."  And Viola likes to take anything she can get her hands on out there and drop it to the ground below. My daily routine on the return from work is to pick up bottles, toys, hair combs, spoons, sippy cups, etc from the sidewalk.