Hazel is 8 months old

Here is our sweet Hazel at 8 months!

• What a month we have had! I am posting this a little later because of the crazy nursing strike we had. We are finally back on track!
• Hazel is up to 15 lbs. 6 oz and we are so happy!
• She is still in 6-9 month clothes and size 3 diapers. 
• She is still sleeping great, although sometimes cries when it's time to sleep. She is starting to realize that we are putting her down to bed and doesn't always want to be there.
• She is really loving her mobile and since we usually let her slowly wake up, she finds it and pushes the buttons to start her music again.
• She STILL has had some cradle cap and I've been working on it with creams and combing it out.
• She is also scratching the back of her neck some so lots of aquafor! It scabs over from so much scratching.
• She has started swinging in the backyard porch swing.
• She is starting to put herself on all fours to crawl, but not crawling yet. She just moves forward a little like she kind of knows what to do, but doesn't want to do it.
• She is getting more interested in her baby toys, but doesn't have any current favorites. However, we have just put a baby doll in her bed when she sleeps so she can start playing with one as she wakes up. Everly loved baby dolls, until Mickey became her best friend, so I hope Hazel loves them too.
• She is just starting to eat more baby foods from jars and some things like bananas.
• Everything is in her mouth - toes, tags, toys!
• Her hair is slowly growing in. It's so soft and fine, but not much there yet.
• She has the longest eyelashes! We think they are way longer than any of the others when they were babies.
• She still likes putting my fingers in her mouth although those teeth make it more dangerous these days.
• She is not a fan of bows and rips them off as soon as she realizes they are there.
• She has started a funny squeal when she is happy.
• She has also started saying da da da but not necessarily to Vic yet. She is just babbling.
• She lights up when she sees any of her siblings!
• She loves to be in my arms and while nursing, especially after the nursing strike, I am trying to be less distracted and just hold her and look at her while she nurses and enjoy every second! 
• She's the sweetest baby and we love her!

Hazel is 7 months old

Here are her stats at 7 months old:

• She weighs 14 lbs. 13 oz. (so this is less by 1 oz. than her 6 month appointment, which is interesting! I only know this weight because I took her in for an ear infection 4 days before she turned 7 months)
• She is in size 3 diapers
• She is in size 6-9 month clothes.
• She is still a great sleeper! She generally will be asleep by 7:30 or so at night, but even if it's 9:00, she will still sleep 12 hours before she is ready to be awake.
• I am still putting her in her sleep sack for bedtime, but not nap time. She usually will hang out when she wakes up and roll around and play. I think the sleep sack keeps her from moving as well, so I've stopped using it at nap time.
• She is still taking one good nap a day that might last 2-3 hours and then catnaps either when nursing or on a car ride. That nap is usually around noon, since she doesn't wake up until 8:30 or so. 
• She is eating more baby food. She has had carrots, peas, and peaches in baby food form and still loving bananas in her food masher. And, she acts like she knows exactly what to do with her sippy cup when she reaches for it!
• She has just started trying puffs. She can't really get them into her mouth by herself, but once it's in there, she gums it down.
• She is still nursing about 5 times a day. Although lately, I feel like we've been so busy, I haven't gotten to really enjoy my nursing times; but, I am going to start slowing down to make sure I enjoy them more. It's the sweetest time and while I usually have at least one other kid talking away to me, I try to find at least one nursing a day to just be with me and Hazel.
• She is the cutest thing when she grins while nursing. This is always one of my favorite things my babies have done - smile while latched!
• She is very mobile in my arms. She wants to be held all the time, but also moving around while being held. Does that make sense? She doesn't want me to leave her on the floor and walk away, but once in my arms, she is reaching for things and pulling my hair and turning around or trying to stand on my legs when I sit down. She is a busy bee!
• She is still sitting up great. 
• To move around, she will push herself up on her arms and push herself backwards to move back. She is not thinking too much about crawling yet.
• She has not attached herself to a particular toy yet.
• She loves to be naked. Really! As soon as I get her diaper off of her in the morning and before I get a new one one and put clothes on her, she just smiles and kicks and is the happiest baby!
• She still likes the bathtub, but only lasts a little while. She splashes and plays and then gets cranky and wants out.
• Her skin has been so dry lately and we are greasing her up constantly to avoid those red, dry patches. And she still has terrible cradle cap.
• I've noticed her little hands and feet being kind of cold and blue again lately. I know this is just normal for babies, but mostly in the morning after I get her up, I spend time rubbing them to warm them up and make them pink again.
• She LOVES to watch her big siblings and they are getting VERY comfortable with her. They love to pick her up and carry her and Atticus and Grace are actually very helpful. They will play with her, giver her puffs, bring her toys, carry her around and are just the best big siblings. Everly, although younger, wants to copy them. She even wants to carry her! Yikes! But, she loves her so much.
• Everly calls her Hazel Basil all the time and I love it!
• She loves to grab my face for those open mouthed kisses!
• She got another ear infection this month...when will they end??
• She is just growing and getting sweeter all the time!

Hazel is 5 months old!

Here is Hazel at 5 months old!

• She weighs 13 lbs. 14 oz. (20th percentile).
• She is in size 2 diapers.
• She is in 3-6 month clothes.
• She is up and down with sleeping through the night. She got an ear infection this past month, right after her cold was gone. And, we traveled for Christmas. So, between being sick and not being home, she hasn't really had consistent sleep arrangements.
• She is currently sleeping in her rock n play.
• She is still swaddled when she sleeps at night.
• She still doesn't take a paci, so I'm giving up!
• She is getting so good at standing up on me when I hold her. Her little legs are getting strong!
• She still doesn't love tummy time, but will hang out for longer periods of time.
• She smiles a lot like Everly did - more close mouthed than open. It's the sweetest smile though!
• She is still pretty quiet. Sometimes, I can get her to giggle a little bit, but mostly, she is just a quiet baby. Of course, in this house, it's hard to get a word in!
• She still doesn't love to be held by too many people. I have yet to be successful leaving her in the nursery at church or in her class at MOPS. At MOPS, she screamed for 15 minutes straight until they called me and it took her about 30 minutes to calm down while nursing. Poor little Hazel!
• She had a really good Christmas! She slept, she ate, she hung out. 
• She's starting to put things into her mouth and still especially loves my fingers!
• She still gives sweet, open mouthed kisses when I try to kiss her! 
• She will also reach her toes up to her mouth when she is on her back.
• We've started putting her in the bumbo on the counter. she will hang out for a little while. None of my kids have loved the bumbo, but she likes it so far. 
• She got her first two teeth this past month. They are the two on the bottom; and she drools a lot!
• She can sit up assisted. I will usually put her on her bottom and sit behind her in case she falls. But, she will sit and grab for and play with toys until she topples over. 
• She pushes up on her stomach really well, but would rather just roll over onto her back.
• She lights up when I sing to her the song "If You're Happy and You Know It".
• She is loved by every sibling and is just the sweetest baby!
  

A Poem for Hazel from Uncle Keith

Vic's Uncle Keith is really good at writing poems (just like my mom!) and he always sends us a Christmas poem. Well this year, he brought us to tears when he wrote this beautiful poem for Hazel. So, I have to share it here.

Hazel is 4 months old!

At 4 months old, here is what Hazel is up to!

• She weighs 12 lbs. 15 oz. (21st %) and is 24 inches long (28th%)
• She is in size 2 diapers.
• She is in 3-6 month clothes.
• She is sleeping through the night, if she is in her rock 'n play and swaddled up tight. But, I really need to get her out of the rock 'n play! And, she still surprises me with waking sometimes for a snack. We definitely do not have a schedule!
• She finished up her first cold, with antibiotics. Hopefully we can keep her well for awhile!
• She is still snuggly, but still following her routine of being nursed, walked, swaddled and then once asleep, I can rock her as long as I want. 
• She still loves her baths and it is one of the more special times for me, if we are alone, to just look at her sweet little skin and talk to her and watch her look at me and look at us in the mirror. Other times, thought still sweet, baths include her siblings wanting to help bathe her too. Everly is the funniest though: she gets a stool and just wants to talk to her!
• She still does not like a paci.
• She does not like a bottle; although it might be the taste of formula she doesn't like. But, I have not pumped in a couple of months so I should probably try that if I want her to take a bottle. Mostly, I don't mind that we are 100% nursing though. 
• I have not had any more pain nursing. And, I love to nurse. Everyone has their stage they love and while there are sweet spots in every stage, I just love the sweet nursing stage. It just warms my heart so much to look down and see my sweet, warm baby happily nursing away. Oh my heart!
• She loves to hang out in her rocker. And she has just started to kick the toys that hang above it!
• She LOVES her hands and there is nothing cuter than watching her find them and get them into her mouth to chew on them. She is also in that stage now, where she wants to have my fingers or knuckles in her mouth to chew on. I know it is gross and there is lots of drool, but I think it is the sweetest thing! But, fingers are her life!
• She does not love tummy time, but will hang out on her back for a little while.
• I can prop her up better, lately, for photos, but she still crashes to the side of the chair after a little while.
• She is starting to hang out in her bumbo, but doesn't hold herself up great. And when she's in it, she really just wants to find those fingers again.
• Everly likes to tell me "Hazel SO CUTE-EE!" over and over.
• In fact, the kids all love her and she loves them! She will smile when they are talking to her.
• She is pretty quite and doesn't make much noise. She just kicks and smiles when she is the happiest.
• Also, I can't get enough of her baby neck. I kiss it all the time and usually, that is what will give her tiny giggles, if she gives any at all. In return, she will gum my face - like open her mouth as wide as possible and go after my chin or cheek and it's the sweetest! I call it her giving me kisses! But, it's slimy and drool-y and I love it! 
• This past month, Hazel attended her first Thanksgiving in Sanger and accompanied Vic and I on our 11th anniversary trip.
• Hazel has also hit a "stranger danger" stage and does not love for others to hold her and love on her. She will for a little bit, but then wants her mama back.
• She is just leaving that tiny baby stage more and more everyday and it makes me so sad, but we are looking forward to all of the new things she will be doing soon!

How am I doing?

I am doing good! I am not getting much sleep, but that is not uncommon with a newborn. And, it's hard to find any kind of routine or schedule when we are working around everyone else's schedules. This was the same situation we were in with Everly, so I'm hoping Hazel will learn to be easy and flexible just like Everly has been. Also, with her first cold, it took us away from any kind of sleep training. So, mostly for me, it's the ups and downs of no sleep that makes things the hardest. But, I feel like I am doing good otherwise!

Slobbery Kisses!

The other day, Hazel was giving me kisses. I love when they reach this phase! She opens her mouth to try to get my face into her mouth and it feels just like a special baby kiss!

 Looking cute today!

 And she's got my chin in her sweet little gummy mouth!

 She is not letting go!

 She breaks away and I try to snap a photo, but that little mouth looks ready to kiss again!

But, I snag my kisses first! Oh sweet Hazel - I love you!

A Hazel Photoshoot

So, I love to play with my camera and do little photo shoots of the kids. Hazel is just big enough and strong enough to hold her head up and focus on me for pockets of time so I can practice taking her picture. Here are a few of those pictures! Oh and at the end, my photo assistant needed to be in the photos too. Grace LOVES to hold Hazel!

My youngest "kid"!

I love this onesie that Cecilia gave me that says "I kid you not!". And I love these memories of being with Hazel on this afternoon. She was snuggly and starting to smile! Oh my heart!

Hazel is 3 months old!

Our Hazel turned 3 months old a week ago. Here are her stats:

• At 3 months, she weighed 12 lbs. 9oz. I weighed her when I was at the doctor's office with Everly; this includes a onesie and diaper on, but it's close.

• She is in size 2 diapers. We ran out of size 1 and had some size 2, so we moved her up. She could probably still be in size 1 for a little longer though.

• She is finishing up 0-3 month clothes and moving on into 3-6 months.

• This past month was up and down for sleeping through the night. We got started off great with the 7-11 hours routine and only waking once to eat during the night a couple of times a week. Then, came a rough patch of not just waking up at night, but staying up for 2 hours. Yikes! I was getting about 4-5 hours a sleep a night, which is ok until it's 5 nights in a row. Then, she would sleep all night and then go back to this crazy routine. After a couple of weeks, she naturally came out of it and has been doing 10-11 hours a night again. However, now she has her first cold so she has been sleeping in the rock n play for the last 3 nights so she is elevated and can breathe easier. 

• She is still swaddled (except her legs) for sleeping at night.

• Also, at night, our current routine includes nursing a lot, and then once I can tell that she is ready, (strange how you just "know" when you are with them 24 hours a day), we turn out the lights and TV, turn the floor fan on high (for noise), and I nurse her until she falls off on her own and then I rock her. For the last couple of weeks, she lets me rock her to sleep most nights. She sleeps snuggled up in my arms, and I am loving it. It was hurting my heart to not get to rock her and hold her while she slept, so I'm so thankful for it. Even if I have to walk her a minute first to get her to close her eyes, after I swaddle her, I sit back down to just rock and enjoy those precious moments. Then, I lay her in her bassinet and go to bed. I love this little routine.

• If it's overcast and during Everly's nap (when I don't have to be available to attend to Everly), I have been waiting for her to fall asleep in my arms to nap too instead of putting her in her rock n play to put herself to sleep. Oh, how I love it. I cannot really express how much I love the feeling I get from holding my tiny baby in my arms.

• She is still nursing great and although sometimes her shallow latch causes pain, it usually feels better a few hours later. This only happens once a week or less. 

• She still loves her baths.

• She still does not take a paci.

• She is starting to be ok with tummy time and can push herself up on a boppy for minutes at a time. She likes hanging out in her rocker and I just bought a new chair for her to sit in. She will hang out and kick on the floor for awhile as well. However, she is starting to notice whether she is near me or not. If I leave her to do other things, she lets me know.

• Her precious hair is growing back on top and now she is losing it on the back where her head rubs while she sleeps. But, I still think it is darker right now than the other kids have been.

• She is in that precious stage of smiling when she focuses on us and she just grins and grins and is so happy.  She is trying to laugh too and it's another favorite feeling to be the one to make her so happy and to smile and laugh. I even found a tickle spot the other day, under her left arm.

• She still loves to be carried around on my shoulder and she is just happy to look around.

• She has started to find her hands and will chew on them while she rocks or hangs out.

• She is a drool queen! She has kind of drooled since birth, so I am always running my finger in her mouth to check for teeth. Everly got her first tooth at 4 1/2 months and while it would be early to get one now, I always check. Well, one day, on facetime with Mom, she commented on the drool and we talked about teeth and I felt one! I could see it beneath the skin, but it had two little points sticking out and they stayed that way for about 3 weeks until all of a sudden, they are gone, as if they went back under the skin (so maybe they didn't break the skin in the beginning). I kept watching this tooth and the one on the other side in the same spot because they are the canine teeth which should not be coming in yet. Usually the top two and bottom two come in first and then they continue on, but it was strange. So, I am just watching and waiting to see what happen. She drools as if she is teething and will soak her shirt or bib. 

• My other favorite thing is kissing her. Of course, everyone loves to kiss their babies, but she will open her mouth and I will just kiss her and she is so happy. She waits for me and I do it over and over. Oh my heart. I love this little girl.

• The cutest thing Everly does right now and for the last month or so, anytime she sees Hazel, is say "Hazel so Cuteee!" and when Hazel is crying, Everly will get close to her face and scream "Stop KY-NING Hazel!" as loud as she can. Oh Everly! and Poor Hazel!
 

• She is just growing and getting more snuggly and sweet and while she is a normal baby that fusses and has bad days of gas and being tired and not knowing what she wants, she is sweet and loves us! I actually think she might be my calmest baby yet. But, at the same time, with the noise in our house, sometimes she just seems the calmest in comparison! ha!

How I am doing at 3 months postpartum:
I am doing better. But, I will be honest. Just two nights ago, Vic was out of town and Hazel was having a hard time getting to sleep because her congestion was waking her right as she would fall asleep. So, I finally had her asleep, rocking in the chair, and it was after midnight. And, out of the blue, my emotions just poured out of me. I just started crying because I was thinking about this being my last baby. Goodness, it hurts now to think about. I love my kids, as all parents do. And, with each kid before, while I knew nothing was guaranteed, I always hoped for another child to come. We love our family of 4 kids and truly feel we are complete, but to know that I will never carry another baby is hard. I just cried and cried thinking about meeting each of my babies in the hospital and knowing that we won't get to do that again. I cried thinking about how hard those first few weeks can be, even though I always look back at them fondly. I am always so proud, on the inside, of getting through those tough times. I cried thinking about the "lasts" I will have with Hazel. I will have these with the other kids too and I will be just as sad, but there will be that silver lining because I will get to go through things, good or bad, again with the sibling younger than them. I love this stage of snuggling and how Hazel fits right into my arms. I love the way she stays in that position when I pick her up and she just stretches and arches her little back until she comes out of that snuggled up ball. My heart just bursts when she looks deep into my eyes and focuses on me until she smiles as if she's the happiest baby, and I know that the only thing making her happy in that moment is seeing me. I just love being needed by my babies and love being a mama to them. Even though exhaustion makes things harder, I do not mind when she cries over and over, because when I get to her, she feels comforted by me. I love looking at her sweet, soft skin and her little legs and arms and tummy and fingers and toes. I love the way she smells and I could nuzzle my nose into her cheek and neck and hair over and over and never get tired of it. I love knowing her cues and even when I don't know what is wrong, I love knowing how to most likely fix it. I just love her and I have loved each of my babies the same. Ugh. I just want to bottle up every single second so I never forget it, because I won't get any more of these. And we forget things; we all forget these little moments and my head knows I won't remember every detail, but goodness I hope I remember. So, that is where I am at: feeling happy but so emotional sometimes. And most of the days, I don't get to dwell on thinking these things, because there is no time to reflect on them. I am busy thinking of the next thing I need to get done on my to-do list, because I have a family to take care of. But, when I do have time with only Hazel, I try to soak it in. She is my last baby and I am not handling it as well as I would like. Don't worry - I'm fine. But, it's just hard.

Hazel is 2 months old!

Our little Hazel Laine is two months old! Here are some facts about her:

• At her 2 month appointment, she weighed 10 lbs. 15 oz. (37th percentile), was 23 inches long (72nd percentile) and her head was in the 65th percentile.
• She is in size 1 diapers.
• She is in 0-3 month clothes
• She is sleeping through the night!! At least she is about 80% of the time. It probably started about at about 5 1/2 weeks. And she is doing better all the time. Sometimes, we still have nights where she wakes up to eat once, but then goes back to sleep. One night she was up for THREE hours awake and with a tummy ache. But, otherwise, she is going to bed anytime between 10pm - midnight and sleeping on average 8 hours a night. Sometimes she has even done up to 10 1/2 hours.
• She is still nursing well and I have no pain. I still have to help her latch, but she eats well. She eats a lot during the day, so we don't have a schedule yet. 
• She loves taking a bath, but HATES getting out and just cries and cries until she is diapered, lotioned, dressed and then finally nursing. But, while in the bathtub, she is so happy. 
• She sleeps swaddled (but her legs stay out now) in her bassinet at night. She tends to nap in the rock n play or finishes her afternoon nap in her carseat. 
• Except for possibly right before bed, or in the middle of the night when she falls back asleep, she does not sleep in my arms much. This part makes me so sad. I want her to nurse herself to sleep and then sleep on my chest or in my arms. But, honestly, I haven't been able to help her form that habit, because of our inconsistent days. She tends to fall asleep in her rock n play during the day instead. And while this gives me a chance to tend to Everly or shower or do other things, I really wish she slept in my arms more.
• She still doesn't like taking a paci.
• She has started playing more. She hangs out in her rocker and just concentrates on those animals that hand above her and smiles at them and is so interested in them moving when she kicks. She also hangs out on her play mat and kicks and plays while we play in the playroom with Everly. She, however, does NOT like tummy time.
• She likes taking walks in the stroller.
• She is staying awake more, because she plays, but our naps are very inconsistent. If I was actually at home all day long, I think I could get her into a routine. But, she will probably be like Everly was, and just go with the flow of our day.
• Her hair fell out completely on top at about 4 weeks, but has since started growing back. It still looks like a dark blonde.
• She started smiling around 6 weeks old too and they are the sweetest smiles! She will smile after a good poop (she feels so much better!) and when I unwrap her swaddle when she wakes up in the morning. She also smiles a lot at the kids or us when we play.
• She is holding her head up well and really loves to be carried around on your shoulder all the time. She is most content that way.
• Also at night, to get her to sleep, after I am sure she is full, Vic will carry her in his arms to let her fall asleep. Then we wrap her and lay her down. She is falling asleep faster and faster every night. He has this magic touch and comfortable arm hold and she falls asleep easily. But, even during the day, he can hold her this way walking around the house and she also dozes off. I am starting to get her to fall asleep this way too, if it is after Vic has gone to bed. And, she definitely prefers walking than rocking.
• She is still in the bassinet in our room too. I never want her to move to another room!
• She made her first road trip this month, with Atticus and myself, to meet the remaining Erwin family members and meet baby Norah!!
• She is just little and cute and soft and sweet and we love her so much. 

How I am Doing: 
I am doing ok at 2 months postpartum. As usual, all c-section pain was gone right at 6 weeks. I feel like some of my physical strength is gone, so hopefully that builds back up soon. That could be from lack of doing anything strenuous those last 2 months of pregnancy! And, sometimes I can get a little off balance, which I am watching. I'm not necessarily dizzy, but just catch myself off balance. I don't want to fall! And most of the time, my brain is on overload - I am forgetting things which I hate doing. And, some days I just can't clear my head; I have too many thoughts and can get overwhelmed. Then, my patience runs out and it's terribly unfair to the kids at that point. I think I am basically doing everything at about 30% productivity and can't get above that. Not one kid is getting enough attention each day and I hate that. I know, I know - they don't know the difference and they are fine, but I know the difference. I am a stay at home mom, and not a working mom, so I should be better at managing all of the things. I stayed up super late one night and got all kinds of things done and started the next day feeling so good. If I could just do that every other night, I think I would be better off. But, I think that is all just part of life until we get a better routine down. I'll get it together soon!

Here is our sweet girl at 2 months old:

September Memories

September was full of memories!

Katie and Kristofer came by for a visit while in town for a football game!

 

 Atticus and Luc spent an entire afternoon displaying every piece of NCAA things they had (mostly hats and jerseys) out in front of Luc's house. They even played the war hymn all afternoon as well. It was a random activity, but these two are always having fun and coming up with something fun to do.

 Atticus started G1 baseball, which was just practice once a week for a couple of months to work on basic skills.

 Grace started dance class for Mini Pom. I got a babysitter for this fall to keep Atticus and Everly during this time, so when we would arrive early, Grace got some one on one time with me in the car before class.

 We practiced taking care of 2 babies who needed mama all at once.

 And carrying this sweet thing was one of my favorite things to do.

 My two little girls!

 And snuggling with her on my chest was also a favorite! I can NEVER get enough of these moments.

 Grace spent an afternoon after school playing with roly polys....in her dollhouse!

 Atticus had to step up his big brother game. I found him rocking Hazel's rocker with his foot while emptying the dishwasher one day. PRECIOUS big brother!

 

And, I got lots of Everly time in...playing, cooking, being sassy (as Atticus would say!)!

 So proud of these two big kids going to school to get really smart every single day!

 Everly and Hannah got to play!

 And Everly took these little wooden nesting dolls apart over and over and other times, just carried them around like a baby. Pop sent them to her and they have been so fun!

 And we looked precious as we started attending MOPS again this month! Yay for MOPS! Hazel stayed with me all month so I could nurse and hold her, but Everly went right on into her class with no problem. The best part of picking her up this month was when she ran to me and said "My mommys here!! That's my sweet mommy!!" as she jumped up and down so happy to see me. Oh my heart!

And we did lots of snuggling Hazel!  

And so many sweet Hazel memories!