Last Day of Summer

Four Months

 A little late, I know but here is Hazel at four months. She loves trying to sit on her own, chew on her fingers and hands, drool all over the place, and wake up every 2 hours at night. I must mention that before this point, she was sleeping 6 to 8 hours stretches at night, but alas, no more. She is starting to babble more and talk to us more and I just love it when she does that. She sleeps in her new crib on her super pricey organic mattress made of coconut husks and cotton about 50% of the time...the other 50% she sleeps on our down comforter. She still needs to be swaddled up tight to sleep in her muslin blanket under a sleep sack, but it's the only way to calm her down. She nurses without a nipple shield now(!!!) and does these cute little open-mouthed pants when she wants to eat. She's not a fan of really loud noises or crowded places and prefers to be in her mommy or daddy's arms. She loves taking in the world from her Solly wrap and often still naps in it after she's had her fill of the world. Tummy time is nonexistent because she just rolls onto her back immediately. There isn't any particular toy that she's fond of, except for the wool grapes. She sucks on her big toe and I just die of laughter each time. She loves bath time and still takes her baths in the bathroom sink because she's so tiny (8th percentile) but those will soon come to an end because she practically kicks all of the water out. I just want her to stay this small forever. She's such a joy.  God, I love her.

3 Months

Hazel June is three months old. Here's what she's been up to lately...
1. Blowing raspberries and spitting bubbles and drooling all over the place.
2. Biting on her little fists and fingers.
3. Playing with her toes.
4. Laughing and squeaking at herself in the mirror.
5. Taking lots of naps during the day, some being 20 minutes long, while some can be 2 hours (the latter happening only very rarely).
6. Sleeping through the night (she's been consistently sleeping over 6 hours straight each night since she was six weeks old).
7. Fighting our nursing sessions to the point when the only way she'll et is when she's lying down, making mommy lay in awkward positions that hurt her back.
8. Looking around the whole world as she hangs out in the Solly baby wrap.
9. Smiling at daddy when he comes home from work.
10. Kicking those little legs like crazy when she's on the changing table.
11. Bouncing on the yoga ball in mommy or daddy's arms to help her fall asleep.
12. Still sleeping in mommy and daddy's room in her bouncy seat besides the bed.
13. Loving to take naps on mommy's bed all swaddled up.
14. Crying and fussing on certain days and being a complete sweetie pie on other days.
15. Splashing water all over the bathroom floor when she's in the sink during her bath, which is quit possibly when she's the happiest.
16. Starting to enjoy tummy time a bit more, though she has been rolling from her tummy to her back quite often.
17. Making her mommy smile so much that her cheeks hurt.

2 Months

My sweet Hazel. My little ray of sunshine. My little human that lights up my life with your precious smile. I knew I'd love you immensely before you were born. But I didn't realize how deep that love goes.  It's a love that consumes me. You're beginning to giggle a bit now. And the sounds you make just melt me. When you smile at me after waking up in the middle of the night or after your naps, you manage to bring tears to my eyes and put the biggest smile on my face all at the same time. You're loving to nibble on those fingers of yours and sometimes I wonder if you'll fit that whole fist in your mouth soon. Your eyes are still as blue as ever and I'm beginning to think that they'll stay that way. I always wanted a little girl with blue eyes. You bring so much joy to your daddy, too. I love watching him play with you and seeing you gaze at him with those pretty blue eyes of yours. When I leave the room, even if only for a minute, you call out to me with the sweetest little voice. I love knowing that you want me. That you need me. That you love me. You're really our little dream baby. We love you so much and always will.

Cooking with Hazel

She's learning to cook in her sleep. And I'm getting really good at multitasking!

Her Smile

I captured it! That little smile that rocks my world. SO this is what they talk about when they tell you how wonderful it is when your baby smiles at you. There are no words to describe the joy I feel to be this little girl's mommy and for her to be my babe. My life has a whole new meaning and seeing her face light up like this makes me the happiest woman in the world.

What I Love About Hazel: 7 Weeks In

1. Those first baby smiles that just melt my heart and bring me to tears.
2. The sound of her sucking and swallowing my milk.
3. Those little legs that kick like crazy and those little toes that I just want to nibble all day long.
4. Her breath against my chest as I wear her in the Solly wrap just gives me goosebumps.
5. Her warm little body as I unwrap her from her swaddle to nurse her in the middle of the night.
6. When she smiles in her sleep as I lay her back down after nursing.
7. Her little hand and fingers on my breast as she nurses.
8. How awake and alert she is during the day with her big beautiful blue eyes taking in the world around her.
9. The faces she makes when she tries to poop. And the sound that comes from her bottom when she does.
10. How she kicks her legs and turns her head from side to side when she's on her belly.

Really...who am I kidding? I love everything about this little babe. And I continue to find new things to love about her every single day.

Heat Waves and Sun Hats

We've had quite the heat wave here in Seattle, but that hasn't stopped us from taking our little 4-week (pictured here) old bundle out to the farmers market. Mind you, I was worried the whole time that she would overheat or get dehydrated and I was constantly checking on her,  but we managed to enjoy ourselves. And isn't her little sun hat just the cutest? It's actually a UV protection sun hat...50 SPF I think? Because the thought of slathering sunscreen on such a tiny babe just doesn't sit right with me. She didn't seem to mind.

My Angel Baby

Tears fill my eyes when I look at this photo. She's truly my angel sent from above. I'm so grateful she chose me to be her mother. Even though at this point, it's overwhelming and hard, all I have to do is look into those blue eyes of hers and know that she loves me no matter what.

Sleeping on the Bed

Here's a two-week old Hazel enjoying her gorgeous quilt. I hope she cherishes it forever.

Two Weeks of Motherhood...What I've Learned

1. Postpartum recovery is no joke, even after you've had an all natural birth.
2. Engorgement is painful. And milk gets everywhere.
3. Engorgement can lead to mastitis, which is crazy painful. And top that off with fevers over 102 and a baby that needs to nurse all the time and you've got yourself some issues.
4. Just go topless. All the time. It's just easier.
5. Baby milk-drunk faces are just the cutest.
6. You really have accomplished a lot if you're able to wash your face, brush your teeth, and put pants on before 2 in the afternoon.
7. Some babies hate sleeping on their backs. My baby is one of those.
8. Amazing husbands are a gift from God and should be treated like gold. My husband is one of those.
9. Don't Google stuff about babies. You'll have a panic attack.
10. You don't know what you're doing. And that's totally ok.

Her First Bath

I worried that she'd cry as soon as we laid her on her back. I worried that she'd be so slippery that she'd slide right out of my arms. I worried that the water wouldn't be the right temperture and that she'd get cold. But once we placed her on her soft yellow sponge in the bathroom sink and her little body felt the water over her soft skin, all the worries melted away. She loved it. Her eyes were wide open, taking it all in. I was a little sad as I washed her. I felt like I was washing the last bit of me from her, since this was the first time bathing her since I had given birth a week before. Bittersweet, but oh so special.

Daddy's Girl

I love the way he holds her so gently and tenderly. I love hearing him tell her she's beautiful. And I love it when I see the look on her face as she stares into his eyes and studies his features. I'm trying to drink it all in, these early days. Though they may be hard, we're slowly getting used to the idea of becoming a family of three. But the two of them? They're pretty great together. I always knew they would be.

Hazel June

My precious angel from above came into the world peacefully and naturally on June 7, 2014. She was a tiny six pound ten ounce little bundle with perfect features and dark blue eyes. Life is overwhelming at the moment, but boy are we grateful to have a healthy beautiful baby in our arms. I plan to write her birth story and share it here, so stay tuned. In the meantime, I'll be trying my best to enjoy every minute with this little one.

Sunshine, Flowers, Strawberries, and Waiting...

This past weekend marked my 38th week of pregnancy. I spent most of it outside in the sunshine, picking poppies, and smelling roses at the nearby rose garden. We even took a little trek to an organic strawberry farm to do some early season picking.  Mostly, though, we waited. And we still continue to wait...

Scenes from a Weekend

1. The view from the couch. It's where I've been spending lots of my time lately. Feeling lots of Braxton Hicks contractions, wondering when this little girl is going to come.

2. The best homemade Pad Thai ever. Too bad it's an incredibly time-consuming recipe, so for this pregnant mama, it was exhausting to make. Probably won't make this again for awhile for that reason, but man it was good.

3.  Lots of tea drinking happening over here. It's just one of those things we're obsessed with.

I Hope She Loves To Cook...

No seriously, I really hope she does. Especially since she'll get to wear this adorable little apron when she's helping mommy in the kitchen...

My Kitchen

The kitchen may just be my favorite room in our apartment. It's bright and white and full of some of my favorite things. It's truly where the magic happens and where I feel the most creative. It's where some of the deepest conversations are held and where some of the funniest stories are told. It's the heart of our little home, that's for sure.

Some Baby Toys

I have a thing for handmade, natural toys. Toys made without plastic and toys made with love. They're simple, not flashy, and they're unique. And, they're educational and foster imagination. One more thing...they don't make noise. Plus, they're really pretty and I won't mind looking at them strewn all over the floor.

Happy Mama Lunch

As the weather gets warmer, I find that I'm craving colorful foods that are easy on my belly. This particular lunch made me incredibly happy. It was a bountiful plate of homemade tabbouli packed with veggies, baba ghanoush, olives, whole grain pita, and lots of greens. It doesn't really get any better than that.