Well, we've successfully parented for one month! So far, so good. Aside from a bit of congestion, Violet's been doing adorably well. These days, she's often alert without crying, she played with a toy for the first time this past weekend, and she's even gotten used to the idea of being changed (initially, she hated it), though she still hasn't gotten the hang of when to pee (hint to Violet: either before we take the diaper off or after we put the diaper on, not in between.)

Also this past weekend, to celebrate Sue's birthday, we took Violet out to her first restaurant (thankfully, she slept), and the next day we even ventured into Manhattan to visit friends - our first road trip with her that didn't involve a pediatrician or a Babies-R-Us.

Our next planned trip is a big one - we're driving to Boston to go to Sue's (second) cousin's wedding next weekend. And that's just a dress rehearsal (baby steps, if you will) for our potential two- or three-week road trip extravaganza in May to visit the grandparents in Florida, as well as friends down the East Coast. We've been told that we're crazy for even considering such a trip, but then again, we've been told that we're crazy for having a baby in the first place (oh wait, that was us saying that).

So right now, unless there's a massive meltdown on the way to or from Boston, Violet's looking forward to spending her second-month birthday in sunny Orlando (okay, I'm projecting - I'm looking forward to it. Violet is just along for the ride. And if all goes well, she'll be sleeping for most of it.)