Four Months

It's true what they say--days seem to last forever but the months and years fly by. My sweet little Hazel is already four months old. I can hardly believe it. Every day is something new it seems and this past week it's like a light switch has turned on in her head because she has become so interested in everything. She is going through the four month wakeful period. She slept for about 40 minutes total all afternoon and evening on Thursday and was a complete crab by the evening. She loves to look around and investigate everything from the security of the Ergo.  Luckily she's still a great sleeper at night and the space between her feedings are starting to stretch out. We have discovered that she likes to sleep on her tummy. She stays asleep longer this way because she doesn't wake her self up flailing her arms.

couldn't you just eat those thighs up?

 

She smiles all the time. She's such a happy girl! Her new favorite thing to do is to screech. She sounds just like the baby velociraptor on Jurassic Park. She reaches octaves that could rupture ear drums but she's oh so cute when she does it. I've gotten her to belly laugh a couple times and that is the sweetest sound I have ever heard.



She is really warming up to Mike. She has smiles for him when he comes home and on Saturday mornings they hang out while I get to sleep in. A few weekends ago I woke up leaking everywhere because she was content and happily snoozing on her daddy. <3

Breastfeeding is still going amazingly well and Hazel is definitely a booby baby. At this rate I see no reason why we won't make it to at least a year nursing but I will nurse her as long as the both of us are still happy.

We still love cloth diapering. I've had a hard time figuring out good wash routine down here with the water.  We've always used Rockin' Green without issue but it's just not cutting it down here. I ordered some Charlie's yesterday to see how that works.

Hazel is so good at rolling over now. As soon as she's on her back she rolls to her tummy, screeching and grunting all the way. She's getting really good at baby push ups too and she loves to stand up. She smiles so big and we can tell she thinks it's so awesome to stand. We  got  her some toys for Christmas since she is reaching for everything now--last night she grabbed my plate at dinner!

She's in 3-6 month clothes but wearing some 6-9 month things as well, mostly pants since her fluffy butt needs the extra space. We'll find out on Wednesday how much she weighs when er go in for her four month appointment.

Hazel, we love you so much. You make me smile daily more times than I can count. You're developing such a little personality, complete with your own little temper. You're definitely a girl who knows her own mind and I'm having the best time watching you discover the world around you. Thank you for being my sweet baby girl.

Three Months Old

 I know I probably sound like a broken record but I can't believe my baby is already three months old! Time is going too quickly. She is pretty much in all 3-6 months clothes now and has been for a few weeks. She has become so vocal and gives us the most beautiful smiles constantly. She and I have entire conversations in grunt, squeals and screeches. She is so happy first thing in the morning and pretty much only cries if she's wet or tired. I stay on top of  nursing her so she rarely cries because she's hungry but she'll cry when she wants to comfort nurse.

 

I feed her on demand so she doesn't really have a set schedule of any sort but she has kind of put herself on one. She'll go down anytime between 7:30 and 8:30 and will be up between 6 and 7. She still sleeps with me and nurses about every three hours at night. I really can't complain! Although, Daylight Savings Time really messed her up and for a few days we were up way before 6. That wasn't fun.

She has mastered the backwards scoot and will kick herself to the edge of her play mat. She is almost rolling over! She's about 3/4 way there and gets stuck because of her arm and shoulder. I have no idea how much she weighs or how long she is because we haven't been to the doctor yet  We tried going yesterday but Tricare never switched us over to the new region so we couldn't be seen.

 

Her likes:
Her playmat
Reading books
Sucking her fingers. She hasn't quite figured out her thumb yet. 
Her swing for short periods
Baths--she loves to splash!
looking at her bows and room decorations when getting her diaper changed
The bumblebee game and being tickled
Nursing--the kid is always on the boob
Her Ergo--thank GOD for babywearing or I wouldn't get anything done
Mommy but she's warming up to Daddy a little more
Bouncing
Watching ND football. Seriously--she just stares at the screen when it's on!

Her dislikes:
The carseat. Still not a fan but she is slowly getting better. We got a mirror that plays music and that keeps her entertained and happy for short spans.
Wet diapers. After a month in sposies i really think she notices when she's wet now and will let us know. Fine with me--maybe she'll potty train more quickly. :)


That's all I can think of! She really is an easy gooing baby. We are so lucky. We just stare and stare at her and still can't believe she's here.We are soaking up every minute because it's going by way too fast.

I love the BEARS and I love my Daddy

Two Months Old

We FINALLY made it to Fort Rucker. 3,200 miles + four pets + a five week old = pure hell. But more on that later. Hazel is two months old! Where has the time gone? She is growing way too fast. 

 For the most part she is a very happy baby. She only cries when she's hungry or if she's overly tired (or if she's stuck in her car seat for five days straight--so glad that's over with!) She loves, LOVES to bounce--I guess maybe that has to do with all the time I spent on the birthing ball toward the end of my pregnancy? :) My legs will be back in shape in no time if she keeps this up but I don't mind.

Breastfeeding is still going amazingly well and she loves the ring sling and Ergo. I'm kicking myself for not bringing the mei tai with me on the move but we'll get to try that out soon enough. I can't say enough good things about babywearing--I love it! It saved my butt when the cleaning lady blew us off and Mike and I ended up having to clean our old house before clearing Fort Lewis.

Babywearing at the Farmer's Market in Eugene, OR

Unfortunately she's spent the majority of this last month in disposable diapers due to the cross-country move but right before we packed them all up she was just starting to fit in the one size diapers. Thank goodness we haven't had any rashes or other issues but we can't wait to get her in cloth again!

Helping mommy stuff diapers

She really looks at us now when we talk to her and in the last week she's started to coo at us. Sweetest sound ever! She is happiest in the mornings right after waking up and we'll just sit there and talk to each other for quite awhile.She will follow me around the room with her eyes now. Hazel still prefers me to anyone else and it's pretty funny how quickly she can turn off her fussing when Mike passes her to me--she's giving him a complex! Not really..

Big Smiles!

Celebrating Cousin Charlotte's First Birthday

We're still bedsharing--I couldn't imagine sleeping any other way. I bought the Arm's Reach Co-sleeper when I was pregnant and had every intention to use it but even that isn't close enough to me. This is how we sleep most nights.

But how can I sleep when I have someone this cute next to me?

My sister gave us Charlotte's playmat last weekend and Hazel really seems to enjoy it. She doesn't reach for any of the toys yet but she spends about 20 minutes at a time there, happily looking at everything and swatting things with her little legs and arms.

I have no idea how much she weighs but hopefully we'll be taking her to her 2 month appointment in the next couple weeks once we get settled and find a pediatrician. She's growing like a weed though! She's going to be out of her 0-3 month clothes in no time!

Hazel and the quilt my mom made her

Happy October!

We really are loving every minute of being parents, even when I was up with her from 0300-0500 this morning! :) She truly is a dream come true.

One Month Old!

I can't believe it's already been a month since you this beautiful baby girl came into our lives. It's amazing how quickly they change--Hazel doesn't look like a newborn anymore! I think Mike and I are finally figuring out her quirks, likes and dislikes. She still has does her monkey cry (it makes everyone who hears it laugh!) and she's starting to make a lot more noise, particularly in her sleep. She does this adorable thing when she sneezes--she'll sneeze twice and then give a huge sigh like, "That felt good!" It's the cutest thing ever. She is growing so fast and doesn't fit in any newborn clothes anymore but most 0-3 month clothing is still huge on her. She's starting to make eye contact more often and I can *almost* get smiles on demand when I give her raspberries or kiss her neck. She's happiest in Mommy's arms or in the Ring Sling but Dad's arms are a close second. It's hit or miss if she likes her swing and bouncy.

Breastfeeding is still amazing. I have sustained another life for an entire month already! It's a powerful feeling. She's not nursing quite as often anymore but I know she's getting more than enough based on the rolls that she's starting to form. Well, that and her diapers. Who knew little girls could be so explosive?!

Speaking of diapers, cloth diapering is going great too! We are using mostly prefolds and covers at home. I like the Osocozy prefolds over the Green Mountain Diaper prefolds and I love the Thirsties covers. Those double gussets have saved us from blowouts more times than once! I have one Bummis cover that is still a bit too big for her but I don't think I'll like it as much since it doesn't have those double gussets. We have some Alva newborns and Thirsties Duos and have alrwady had to go to the next biggest snap setting! No, shs can't be growing that much already! At night time we are using pocket diapers just because they're easier to put one when we're half awake and I also think that the micro suede helps to keep her feel dryer longer since she's not getting changed as often at night. So far we've only had leaks when she's gone too long without being changed. Since we bedshare, I often wake up long enough just to get her latched and I often fall back asleep before I change her diaper and sometimes we get leaks. I have enough diapers to wash every other day but I normally end up washing every day just because. We do need more wipes though so I'll be sending the remaining of my flannel stash to my friend Allie who is going to make me more.  We're going to do disposable diapers and wipes on our upcoming move though. I hope we don't have any issues with diaper rash or blow outs!

 

Mike went back to work last week so I've had a few days where it's been just the two of us--I've even gone out with her by myself a few times. One time last week to say farewell to some of the members of my natural moms group and once today to say bye to some ladies from the infertility support group I started who are now pregnant or mommies. 

Look at all the babywearing mamas! 

 Since we moved to Washington, we have spent the last two Labor Day weekends at my sister-in-law's mom's lake house up north. The first year we went Mike had just blown out his MCL and PCL so he wasn't able to do much except sit there and enjoy his vicodin. Last year I was recovering from my laparoscopy and this year we had our new baby girl with us! Shannon's family has become a second family to use over the past two and a half years so the weekend was bittersweet as we said our goodbyes to them.  Hazel and the twins got lots of snuggles from everyone!

Baby Heaven!

Hazel and Shannon's grandma Booma

Arthur, Grandma and Hazel

Uncle Shawny and Hazel

I am going to miss the beautiful Pacific Northwest!

Soaking up the sunshine!

 

 

Three Weeks Old?!

How is it possible that my sweet baby girl is already three weeks old tomorrow?! When I think about how slooooooow the last few weeks of my pregnancy went by I am amazed how quickly time is going now that Hazel is here. Before you know it, we will be on our way to Alabama!

I've had several requests for more pictures of Hazel--as if I need an excuse to show my baby off! Haha. But first--a few bullets to discuss what's on my mind and what life with a newborn is like.

• Hazel has changed SO much already. It makes me a little sad, actually. If you compare the pictures I post you will be able to see it too.
• Breastfeeding is going great. It's everything I expected it to be and more. I love our bonding time and I love how she calms down almost instantly when I get her in my arms.  Hazel was back over her birth weight at her 2 week appointment--go boobs! She's starting to find her voice and making all kinds of funny and adorable noises when she nurses. She also pants when she's getting close to the breast--almost like she's excited.
• We are attempting to introduce a bottle (I pump and use breast milk) so that she'll take one in the car during our move if we're unable to stop to nurse (i.e. rush hour city traffic, no where to pull over, etc.) She hated the Avent bottles but chugged down 2 oz. from a TommeeTippee today. Winning.
• I LOVE babywearing. Seriously. I love having my baby close to me when I'm out and about and it's been great at home to have my hands free when I want to get some things done. Hazel loves it too and I've used my ring sling more than once to calm her down. She cuddles with me and goes right to sleep. <3 I have a feeling it's going to come in very handy once Mike goes back to work next week.
• Hot flashes--ugh! No one told me about these. I'm still getting them almost daily but not as often. When they happen I feel like I'm back on fertility drugs!
• On the subject of hot flashes, they really need to make a postpartum deodorant. I smell all the time thanks to these hormones. 
• I am still spotting but my recovery is going pretty well, I think. I still feel swollen in sore if I do too much walking so I'm still taking it relatively easy. My perineum stitches feel all right but my labial stitches are still sore. Sitting on hard surfaces is still very uncomfortable. 
• I love my mama cloth! SO much more comfortable during postpartum recovery and I just wash them with my diapers. 
• Witch hazel pads didn't work for me but I loved Earth Mama Angel Baby's New Mama Bottom Spray. Definitely pack this in your hospital bag!
• I have more stretch marks now than I did when I was pregnant. How is that possible?
• I've lost about half of my pregnancy weight. Hopefully the rest will come off after I'm cleared to start exercising again!
• We are actually getting quite a bit of sleep thanks to bedsharing. She has slept on my chest most of the nights which means I am able to nurse her without her waking up fully and getting all worked up. She nurses in her sleep most of the time and I love cuddling her all night long. She's only going to be this little once, you know? I do have a co-sleeper on my side of the bed that I lay her in when I get up to go to the bathroom or when I'm overly tired and am afraid to sleep with her next to me.
• She sounds like a monkey when she cries.  No long "waaaaaahs" from my little girl. She stutters and sounds like, "ah ah ah ah ah"--a little monkey. I'll try to post a video some time. 
• I.love.cloth.diapering. Even Mike loves cloth diapering! He's commented more than once on how easy it is and how he can't believe that people literally throw money away on disposables. Right now I'm doing laundry every day but I don't really need to. It's really not a big deal and Mike helps me stuff and fold diapers at night. Right now we're using prefolds and Thirsties X-small and Duo covers during the day and some Alva and Knicker Knappies pockets at night. I know it's saving us a ton of money because we will go through at least 10 diapers a day, sometimes more. 
• The movers are coming on the 18th of September. That's....soon.  I am not as excited about the move as I used to be. Now that Hazel and the twins are here I am really sad that they won't grow up together. I'm going to miss having my brother close by too. At least I can talk about moving without crying now though. Thanks Placenta Pills! 

Our first night home. Nana Zero watching over Hazel

Cousins!
Arthur, Hazel and Sadie

 

 

 

Kickin' it old school in my leg warmers

Baby Flash Dance

First trip in the Ergo!

This newborn dress barely fits anymore! No, she can't grow up yet!