Back from San Diego
I spent the weekend with my good friend Jane in San Diego. Here is a reunion picture of Violet and me in the tub.

I figured it was only fair to post this picture since I posted the one of Justin in the tub with Violet when she was 3 weeks old (see below). Note, however, that I waited until Violet was 9 months- considerably more coverage!

Get Up, Stand Up!
Here is Violet this morning demonstrating her new skills: pulling up. She still needs a little help, but once she is up she can stay there pretty well. Yesterday, Justin had a nice day with Violet. They started with a 7:00 a.m. World Cup game, which was Violet's first. Justin is back at it this morning, but without Violet this time.

Father's Day Summary
I think that Justin had a nice first Father's Day. I had been trying to keep his gift a secret for a few weeks, and had him guessing of everything from a gas grill to a recliner to a digital camera to a canoe! In the end, it was a patio set, at which he is reading in the picture. I am sure that we will play many games of Mah Jongg with friends at it.

After breakfast on the new patio set, we went to the Oakland Zoo, ran a few errands, read for a while and then went out for an afternoon drink. Then, Justin went caching on his bike and we wrapped up the day with a Justin favorite: A SAMURAI MOVIE!

Happy Father's Day!

Trip to the Zoo
Today is Violet's first trip to the zoo. I am going with the mother's group that I connected with when Violet was born. I was formerly quite skeptical about the whole concept of a mother's group. Why not a parent's group or even better a group of self-actualized individuals dedicated to egalitarian parenting? Sadly, those groups don't exist, not even the the wavy-gravey Bay Area. Or it they do, not on the one day a week I don't work. So, I tried out a mother's group and found that it was a simple way to meet other women are new mothers and who will babysit my child for FREE (let alone the going rate of $12/hr!)

Today little Violet is modeling the latest in babywear. She has on a red two-piece ensemble (dress and diaper cover) direct from the runways of Mexico, where her Auntie Sandy recently visited.

Big day!
Today I learned that the law I have been advocating for will be signed by the Governator (as we call him in California). It has been something that I have been working on for a number of years and it feels great to have it finally happen. In short, the new law will more than triple the amount of housing for homeless former foster youth in CA by changing the financing structure of a state program and also increasing the funding!

The whole foster care system seems even more absurd that it did before I had Violet. Here is a picture of the little practicing on her teething ring. Tomorrow is my day at home with her.

Wednesdays!

As I'm sure you've inferred from reading the blog, there are actually two parents taking care of Violet: mom and dad. I'm sneaking in this opportunity to share a little about my experience parenting little VPL.

Each Wednesday, Violet and I spend the day together. Although regular readers of this blog may think that Violet's life is all spazzing out and putting things in her mouth, there's actually a lot more going on....particularly when she's with her papa.

For example, here's a picture of Violet during this week's chess game. It may be hard to tell from this photo, but Violet is quite a strong player. Now keep in kind that I'm not one of those parents who thinks their daughter is the best at everything, and I do believe that she could use a lot more practice, particularly in the endgame, where she tends to just sit and drool, flailing her arms around and looking for the cat.

But rest assured that I don't fall for any of those psychological tactics. And although I'm not the kind to brag, I have beaten Violet in each and every one of the 76 games we've played so far. That's quite a winning streak, no? I assume the repeated defeats are building Violet's character.

After chess, Violet usually takes a nap and/or poops herself, and we have a diaper change. She'll then pick up a few blocks and put them down again. Then we have our regular Theories of Comparative Religion seminar.

Violet is young, but she is very wilful, and as she is a 21st Century child, she has a whole different way of looking at the world. We often have arguments over differeing interpretations of sacred texts, and sometimes both of us just end up on our backs on the floor crying and waving our hands. I usually have to be the mature one and resolve the whole thing and make us friends again, which makes sense since I'm the only one who can get up off my back by myself at this point.

As an example, here's a picture from today. As per our agreed-upon study outline, we're reviewing Chapter Six of Seyyed Hossein Nasr's excellent The Heart of Islam, "Divine and Human Justice." Inevitably, Violet and I just get into it, this time regarding methodologies of Islamic jurisprudence. As Amy will tell you, I make it a practice never to walk out of an argument, but it's clear here that Violet is just fed up and has had enough. I can't tell you how often this happens! And, yes, I know these are eternal truths that humans have spent milennia contemplating, and, yes, I know Violet's only 8 and a half months old, but that's just no excuse for being so stubborn. As usual, we agreed to disagree, which is good for her, since she relies on me to feed her.

Those are just some highlights from a typical Wednesday. Violet's napping now, but once she wakes up we have our astronomy colloqium planned and a review of easy Thai appetizers. Ciao!

Violet Recovered!
All is well in the Lemley/Horner household. The troubling tooth has emerged and Violet is back to her smiley self. We have been having a lot of fun this week, with Justin's long-time friend Blase visiting with his wife Jen and their little girl Ossian. On Sunday night, we made a big feast to celebrate their arrival and then last night had another dinner party for friends who wanted to see Blase and family. I really enjoy having people over, making food and just enjoying each other. With Violet in our lives, things seem much more settled and that feels very good.

Here is Violet doing best to play the bongos!

Still Sick...
Yesterday was perhaps the longest day of parenting we have had so far. Violet napped for a grand total of 30 minutes and spent the rest of her time squirming in our arms and wanting to breast feed. I did get a break when I put her in what a friend dubbed the "circle of neglect." It is one of many molded plastic toys that occupy the planet. In this one, she semi-stands and has no fewer than 8 toy options at her immediate disposal. That doesn't change the fact that her preferred entertainment is chewing on her baby Tylenol bottle.

Rather than subjecting anyone to a picture of a crying, irritable baby, I have dipped into the photo archive. Here is a picture of Violet long before teeth were ever a concern, at the ripe young age of 3 weeks. She is taking the first of her many baths with Papa Justin.

Still Sick...
Violet is sick today. Between her moans, she cries and wants to be held at all times. I don't work on Fridays, so you can guess what I will be doing today. The glamour of being a mommy!

Speaking of glamour, in an effort to get an accurate temperature reading, I took a reading using the rectal method. I think that I was more traumatized by it than she was. Violet just looked at me and smiled, as though somehow saying, "What's this new game, Mommy?"

Here is a picture of Violet from a few weeks ago when we went to Children's Fairyland, a local amusement park that was supposedly the inpiration for Disneyland. With me is Michelle, one of the first participants of First Place and her sweet daughter Brandy. Michelle is now 26 years old and it has been fun to watch her grow into such a mature adult and loving mother.

Violet's First Fever
Violet had her first fever today. I got a call from our child care provider around 4:30 p.m. asking if I wanted her to give Violet Tylenol. It was only a mild fever, but I went to pick her up. It was fun being able to just drop work and swoop into get my little girl. It is probably just a new tooth coming in. Here is a picture of Violet sitting on our limited counterspace, thinking she can put an entire apple in her mouth.

Election Results
Yesterday was the big primary election day. Violet went with us to vote and laughed as she sat on the floor of school auditorium at Bella Vista Elementary. As usual, she was a charmer and had all of the poll workers swarming around her as she flashed her sweet smile. Here it is as we prepare for a walk around our new neighborbood.

I was on maternity leave until about the end of the year. While I enjoyed spending a lot of time with Violet, it wasn't exactly the vacation that I had been hoping for. I had a baby to take care of and it felt like I had few of the skills required to do it successfully. It took a while to get into a pattern, where Justin and I both knew what we were doing. Not surprisingly, sleep was one of the biggest issues we faced. Why doesn't anyone TELL new parents that about 85% of the whole challenge for new parents is getting your child to sleep!

Here is a picture of Violet with her two best friends, Liam Krackeler and Lola Hurst, who are the children of my friends Debbie and Kara. The three of them are modeling the latest in diaper-wear.

Although it was only 8 months ago, it almost seems like a lifetime. I remember putting Violet in the car seat for the first time. She was so small and it almost seemed to consume her. We left the hospital at 8:00 p.m., less that 24 hours after I gave birth. Our quick departure was very much at my request. I wanted to get home, sleep in my bed and spend time with my new little girl.

Here is a picture of with Violet when she is two days old. It isn't terribly flattering of me, but few of the early photos are. I don't think that I put a shirt on for at least a week. Also, we were obsessed with tracking the time that Violet spent nursing, terrified that she wouldn't get enough milk

Let's start at the begining. Violet came into this world on September 28, 2005 after a long, arduous labor. We had planned on a home birth, but after 20 hours decided that a Kaiser was a perfectly good option. Here is one of our earliest pictures of Violet, born at 11:04 p.m. weighing 7 pounds, 13 ounces.

I have decided to start this blog to share information about my little girl Violet Pauline. Both Justin and I will be posting information about her, along with pictures. It won't be Pulitzer material, but hopefully it will be fun for friends and family to see Violet grow.