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.