dear hazel,
a few months have passed since my last update, which feels like a lifetime ago. since then, we managed to make it through the cold, long winter–thank GOODNESS. i’m not sure who was more stir crazy. spring has brought park visits, swinging, stroller rides, bubbles and your current favorite: your auntie anna’s vintage cozy coop.
over the last 3 months, your personality has come out in FULL force. some of the expressions and “conversations” you spout off literally stop us in our tracks and bring on deep belly laughs. you, in a word, are hilarious. in terms of words, you haven’t added a ton to your vocabulary. mamma, dadda, beau, “dis”=this, “uzzat”=what’s that. you sign “more please” constantly, for both “more” and “please”. i’m trying to add a few more because we’ve found it super helpful in knowing why you’re whining for something.
you’re STILL not crawling or walking. i sincerely hope that one day we can laugh at this. the good news is that we finally started physical therapy after what i can only say was the more ridiculous process i’ve ever been part of. we’ve had a few sessions and you’re making small bits of progress. the bad thing is that because therapy took so long to get started that you became extremely proficient in scooting. everywhere. so now we’re faced with helping you “unlearn” that as well as learn to crawl and stand/walk. you have zero interest in crawling so therapy sessions are zero fun. yay, reflux babies! we’ll get there, hazel, i just hope and pray for patience and strength from you.
we just had your 15 month appointment and you continue to grow. you’re 30.5″ tall and weigh the exact same as your last checkup; 21 pounds, 6 oz. that puts you in the 75 percentile for height and 40th for weight.
eating is tricky with you (seriously, i’d love to coast for a little bit!). you love any sort of breaded meat. yeah. ugh. fish sticks, chicken nuggets, morning star “chicken”, etc. you’re getting better with fruits and veggies but man it took us a while to get here. you’re pretty uninterested in any sort of grilled cheese, pbj sort of sandwich. too complicated for you, i guess. blueberries, belvita crackers, waffles, raisins and cranberries are among your favorites.
you continue to love books but have definitely begun to take a bigger interest in action toys. playing with little animals and making them “hop hop” around keeps you busy for a while. and guess what else you just started to do? “aarf aaarf aarf” and “meeeow meeeow”. so.stinking.cute. i can also tell that in the past few weeks you’ve started to put process together and are figuring out how things work. for example, you brush your hair. you get the bottle of anti-bacterial gel, pretend to push the pump and then rub your hands together. yesterday i caught you with your dad’s belt and had it around your waist, trying to buckle it. you (and your brain) absolutely boggle my mind!
i forgot to add that since the beginning of the year you’ve been going to a babysitter 2 days a week so that i can work. it was a really tough transition for you but i’m happy to say that over the past few weeks you’ve finally turned a big corner. i’m so so proud of you, doll. you now get excited when i say, “we’re going to dana’s” and often pick you up with good reports. you’ve started entertaining the other kids with your dancing and just general silliness.
we’ve got a big summer ahead of us with trips to colorado and columbus as well as some pretty exciting changes coming for our family. (no, i’m definitely not pregnant. sorry!)
we absolutely love life with you, hazel, despite how crazy it can be at times. you are so unbelievably fantastic and the thought of your bright future brings the biggest smile to my face. i feel so lucky to be able to be a part of it.
to the moon,
momma
some photos from easter, which you LOVED. we honestly had the best day. you loved “hunting” eggs and between family events we took a family nap. life was so good that day.
i finally made time to take your “1 year” photos. look, winter birthdays are hard, especially when your mom is a natural light photographer. it’s cool though, these photos more than make up for it.
and, finally, some random iphone pics from the past few months. follow me on instagram to see more!
