Hazel finds her Hands

Just for fun, here is another video of Hazel- this was taken earlier this week when we caught Hazel marveling at her own hands. She “found” her hands about a week ago and loves to stare at them as she deliberately brings them to her mouth.

Hands from esther benoit on Vimeo.

Hazel’s First Road Trip

Yesterday we decided to make an impromptu trip up to Bowie, Maryland to visit Preston and Rob. We were a bit unsure how the whole thing would go since the longest car ride Hazel had been on was to Williamsburg and back (30 minutes one way). We packed up all our gear and headed out yesterday afternoon. We were careful to orchestrate the whole thing around Hazel’s feeding and napping schedule and that proved to be very beneficial for us. We got all of our stuff ready to go and packed the car, and then waited for Hazel to get hungry- we fed her and then packed into the car for the drive. She slept the entire way up!

Once we got to Bowie, Hazel was very hungry and ready to get out of her car seat. We got her fed and changed and she was content to sit in her stroller and “chat” with Preston and Rob for a couple of hours. Jered got her pack n’ play set up in the room we were staying in and around 8 pm I took her upstairs for our usual bed time routine. By 8:30 she was fast asleep (we were smart and took the baby monitor with us, so we were able to go downstairs without having to check on her every so often). We were able to spend the rest of the evening relaxing as she got her beauty sleep.

This morning around 7 Hazel woke up happy and hungry as ever- once she was fed and changed she laid down for another hour long nap. Jered and I were able to have coffee and breakfast while she snoozed. Once she was awake for the morning she came down and sat at the table with us as we lingered over breakfast. She didn’t fuss at all- just chatted along as we ate and talked. After her mid morning snack we all headed out to IKEA for a little shopping. Jered carried her in the Bjorn and she took a little nap during the first part of our shopping trip. We got to walk through the store at our usual leisurely pace and she eventually woke up and enjoyed people watching as much as we did. We found a few really neat things for Hazel’s room which is now completely finished- a few new lamps, two round orange carpet “dots,” and an awesome treasure chest toy bin. On top of that Preston and Rob got Hazel a toy Crocodile to guard her toy chest- it was quite the exciting outing.

After IKEA we headed back to pack up our stuff and feed Hazel- after she was fed and changed and we were all packed up we started our trip back home. We ran into a little bit of traffic- but nothing too bad considering it is a holiday weekend. Hazel slept the first hour or so of our car ride back, and was awake and happy for most of the next two hours. We stopped off just outside of Richmond to grab a bite to eat and feed Hazel- and then finished the drive home. We are absolutely blown away by how well she traveled! Thanks to Preston and Rob for a great little weekend get away- it’s too bad I have to work tomorrow or we could have stayed longer.

Go get some popcorn…

I finally caught Hazel’s chattiness on camera! I have been talking about how talkative she has gotten for about a week now, but have been unable to capture it on tape, until now!! Today I was making lunch and Hazel just started cooing away. This happens at least 3 or 4 times a day, and sometimes we’re even lucky enough to be woken up by these sounds in the morning.

Now, go grab that popcorn and settle in for 2 minutes of intense cuteness!

Untitled from esther benoit on Vimeo.

Everyday something new

Hazel is growing so quickly now and it seems like she is doing something new everyday now. In the past two weeks she has become much more interactive and talkative- she has conversations with ceiling fans, door knobs and all sorts of interesting objects. Lately she has also begun to enjoy singing- particularly when Jered sings to her and bounces her on the exercise ball we have. We are slowly learning more and more about her personality and it seems like she is a very laid back but curious little girl. She is content to sit in her swing and look around or even lay in her bed and coo at her mobile. She does like to socialize and loves to watch people while they talk and especially while they eat.

We have started to settle into a bit of a routine with her, although it still does vary at times. Most days she wakes up between 6 and 8 am- eats and then either plays and stays up for an hour or goes right back to sleep for an hour or two. From around 10 until 2 she is generally awake most of the time with maybe a 15-20 minute nap thrown in for good measure. She still eats about every 2 hours during the day, so she will eat, then we play, then she has some quiet time just hanging out in her swing or in the stroller or carrier while I get stuff done around the house. Most days she goes down for an afternoon nap sometime between 2 and 4 pm. This nap usually lasts an hour or two (if we’re lucky)- then it’s more play time, quiet time and eating with some diapers thrown in for good measure! Around dinner time she usually gets hungry- we feed her and then eat our dinner while she plays on her play mat and has a bit of tummy time. After dinner we usually head out for a family walk- sometimes we take the stroller, other times we carry her in the Baby Bjorn (which she absolutely LOVES now that she can face the world!!).

Hazel absolutely adores being outside- she loves to sit in her stroller and look around at everything outside- sometimes she even starts laughing and cooing when she finds something or someone that is particularly interesting to her. We usually walk for about 30-45 minutes. About a month ago our walks with her were short because she would get fussy if we stayed out too long- now she enjoys them thoroughly. When we take her out in the Bjorn she loves to look up at the tall trees in our neighborhood, they usually elicit at least a coo or two every night!

After our evening walk we come home and continue our night-time routine. We try and give her a bath every other night, so if it’s bath night we go upstairs and do the bath, if not we usually stay downstairs and have a bit more playtime before bed. After a bath and diaper change she has her last big meal of the night and then we put her in her crib for the night. 6 out of 7 nights a week she is in bed asleep or extremely drowsy by 9 pm. Amazingly she has settled into a routine of sleeping between 7 and 9 hours a night, usually waking up anywhere between 5 and 8 am, sometimes a bit earlier, sometimes a little later. She hasn’t woken up for a middle of the night feeding for about 10 days now, so we think she has settled into this pattern, at least for now! It is nice to be able to get a consistent stretch of sleep- we were really getting worn out on only 3-4 hours at a time, those first 6-8 weeks were so hard when it came to sleep deprivation!

Tonight we went out for Mexican food and Hazel sat and watched us while we ate and was perfectly content to just sit and stare at her hands almost the entire time. Because she was so content we decided to extend our outing and head over to the bookstore to read a few magazines at the cafe. While we were there she continued to stare at her hands, but we also watched as she learned something new- she started reaching for the little rings that are attached to her car seat. We could almost see the wheels turning in her mind as she would stare at her hand and then back and forth between her hand and the rings- eventually she was able to reach for the rings and bring them to her mouth, it was a pretty cool thing to watch!

Tomorrow I go back to work for the first time without Hazel- I will be gone from 8 am until 3-4 pm. I am anxious to be away from her for that long as it will be the very first day that I will be away from her for more than a couple of hours at a time. I’ve already packed my bag and her bag and I think we are pretty much ready to go, but I’m still not sure that I’m ready to go! Wish us luck tomorrow as I make my way back to school and start the fall semester- I know I will be having some pretty major separation anxiety!

A follow-up to the Cloth Diaper post- Part I

So we’ve had quite a bit of chatter related to the cloth diaper post I wrote a few days ago, so I thought I would post some pictures and explain a bit more about the different types of diapers we have over the next couple of days. I am going to start with the Bum Genius 3.0 One-size pocket diapers that we have. These are probably the most like disposable diapers in that they are super easy to use- no folding, no pinning or snapping, just put the diaper on the baby just like a disposable. The other fantastic thing about these is that they are one-size, they have adjustable snaps that grow with Hazel so we don’t have to keep buying diapers every time she grows, making the initial investment well worth it! Here is a shot of 7 of our 8 BumGenius diapers, the 8th is currently on Hazel’s bum.

One of the perks of these diapers is that they are really cute- not as trim as a disposable but quite fashionable as they come in a variety of colors. Aside from aesthetics, the BumGenius 3.0’s are great because they are really easy to use. The diaper itself is stuffed with a microfiber insert (it comes with two inserts, one regular and one newborn and you can double stuff them at night for extra absorbancy). Here are a few pictures of a half-stuffed diaper and a diaper that has been stuffed and is ready to go.

This is a photo of the microfiber insert next to a diaper that is in the process of being stuffed.

This is a ready-to-go diaper, all stuffed and ready for diapering.

So how do these diapers work? Are they a giant mess? The diapers are super easy to use, once they’re stuffed (which we do as soon as they come off the drying line) they are put in the diaper caddy so that they are ready to go whenever it’s time for a diaper change. All you do is put it on like a regular diaper. Simple. Now to the second question- this is where I was the most anxious about cloth diapering, the poop factor. These diapers work like regular disposable diapers in that they go straight onto the bottom there is nothing between the diaper and the baby so if the diaper is soiled it gets soiled. This was scary to me until I washed the first load of dirty diapers. The washing process is a little bit involved, but once you get the hang of it and set up your system it’s really very simple. The dirty diapers go into a dry pail (no soaking beforehand) lined with a washable laundry bag and get washed every 2-3 days. The odor is contained in the pail pretty easily because the bag gets washed every couple of days and I have little baking soda fresheners in the bottom of the pail. When it’s time to wash the diapers are first put through a cold wash with half the recommended amount of detergent for one load of wash. It is very important for the detergent to be free of dyes, perfumes and enzymes (All Free and Clear works great!)- perfumes and dyes can deposit residue on the diapers decreasing their absorbency which can lead to leaks.
After the first cold wash you wash the diapers again with half the amount of detergent for one load of regular laundry in Hot water with a warm rinse. Then the diapers are dried- we are line drying to try and make the diapers last through a couple of kids!

There you have it! That’s pretty much it for the BumGenius 3.0’s. If you are interested, check out their website for even more info. We use these mainly as our nighttime diapers as they are very absorbent and keep Hazel dry through the night (she is now sleeping 7-9 hour stretches most nights!!). During the day we mostly use prefolds with covers- I will post about these another day as they are just a *bit* more involved. All in all we are loving cloth diapering so far!

How to melt a heart in 10 seconds

We have evidence of Hazel’s new noises and facial expressions on video now. This was taken over the weekend and shows just how amused Hazel is by her daddy- she only does this for him- I have yet to get her to do her little “laugh” for me more than twice in a row. This is the holy grail of baby parent interaction for us so far!

New Sounds from esther benoit on Vimeo.

A new adventure

As if having a baby isn’t enough of an adventure, Jered and I have decided to up the ante a bit and try to live a “greener” life. After realizing how much more trash we were putting out each week since Hazel has been born we started to do a little research on cloth diapers. The research we did actually started before Hazel was born when we looked into gDiapers- an alternative to disposable diapers that is somewhere in between cloth and disposable. We got a starter pack of gDiapers in May and had them on reserve until things got a bit easier with Hazel (those first 6 weeks we were in pure survival mode and didn’t even want to mess with anything that might possibly mean more work for us!).
We tried out the gDiapers, and after a few big messes, started to get the hang of them. Now, if you are at all offended by discussions of baby poop stop reading now- if not, continue on. Gdiapers basically are reusable cloth covers that you put a little liner and diaper insert in. When the diaper gets dirty you take the diaper insert to the toilet, swish it around and flush the whole insert- nothing to throw away. You can wash the liners and the little pants if you have any leaks (and in the beginning I had plenty of those!).
Gdiapers are great, and we’ve decided they are going to be a diaper option for when we go out, since it’s a whole lot easier to flush an insert than it is to tote a bag full of cloth diapers around!
Despite being impressed with gDiapers they aren’t really any more economical than disposable diapers as you have to buy the inserts- so while they’re a bit more “green” they don’t save you much green. So the research continued.
I went online and found a variety of different websites that presented an overwhelming amount of information about cloth diapers. To summarize there are about 5 or 6 different options for cloth diapering now- and cloth diapering is no longer limited to giant white gauzey contraptions that you have to expertly fold and pin. Now cloth diapering includes all in one cloth diapers that are just about as easy to use as disposables, pocket diapers that can be stuffed for extra absorbancy, prefolded Chinese or Indian diapers that are folded and secured in covers, and a bunch of others that I don’t know much about. If you’re interested in learning more about any of these diapering options I would highly recommend visiting  Pinstripes and Polkadots and checking out their FAQ.

After doing some fairly extensive research and taking a few deep deep breaths (there was a lot of fear involved in this process, trust me!), I ordered a couple BumGenius 3.0 all in one diapers and a dozen pre fold unbleached Indian diapers with two diaper covers. Once we got the diapers in the mail we had to prewash them (for more info on the prewashing process check out the FAQ mentioned above). The prewashing process was a day’s work in and of itself- thank goodness you only have to do it once! We also wanted to set up our entire system before we even tried them on Hazel- we didn’t want to put a diaper on her and then not know what to do with it when she was done with it! After setting up diaper pails upstairs and downstairs (we just use lidded trash cans with washable laundry bags as liners) we got out the diapers and gave them a try.

So… how did it go? Well- I am impressed, cloth diapering isn’t nearly as difficult as I thought it would be. It doesn’t take much more time or effort than a disposable diaper, and we are putting out less trash every week. Don’t get me wrong, disposable diapers are great in many ways- they are so convenient and they generally work very well- but cloth diapering has surprised me- it is less inconvenient than I thought it would be, and I feel good about not throwing diapers away all the time. If you’re at all curious about what this switch has been like for us- send me an e-mail or give me a call, I’d be happy to tell you all about it!

I need a shot

Thursday was Hazel’s first set of shots. Esther and I knew she had gotten bigger than her last appointment, both in weight and length, but we were not ready for the measurements: 12 pounds and 2.6 ounces, and 22.5 inches. Wow! That explains why she has been sleeping so much better (research shows that once a baby reaches about 12 pounds, they can sleep through the night).

Back to the shots, with Hazel clad only in her diaper, the three of us waited for the five shots to be prepared. Yes, five, two in the each leg and one in the arm. A shot is a little anxiety producing for me, but five, that is down right scary. With a shot for every infantile disease, Hazel was in for a … treat.

Mom didn’t want to hold Hazel, it would just be too hard, so I was left that pleasure. Hazel, sitting on my lap, gets held by Dad to stop her from flailing around, while the first shot is administered. It took a second for Hazel to realized what was going on but when she did, the tears and crying started. Hazel looked around for comfort and calmed down immediately with some soft whispers from me and Mom. The nurses then held each leg as they prepared to administer the second and third shots. This is where the screaming began.

Remember when Hazel was born, we said that she had some impressive lungs? Yeah, they haven’t disappeared or gotten any weaker as she has grown. No, they were in fact more impressive than they have ever been. I now know what a cry of pain sounds like, and having to hear it three times in a day was a little rough.

She had the final four shots administered in rapid succession and responded like any baby would. I was worried that rest of the appointment would be difficult due to her uncomfortable state, but Esther and I were able to calm Hazel down before our doctor arrived.

The rest of the appointment was routine, kind of boring after the shots. The rest of the day, in her recovery, Hazel was remarkable. She was not nearly as fussy as people had led us to believe she could have been. She was awake most of the day, taking short catnaps instead of her normal nap schedule. That was made up for that night with a solid seven hours of sleep.

Her system has seemed to be a little off since then, but as I am writing this, Hazel has finally overcome any lingering side effects. The shots were scary, not for Hazel, she doesn’t know. It was scary for Mom and I. I know Mom cried a little and while I didn’t shed a tear, it was very hard to hear her scream in pain. I’m glad she’s recovered, and I don’t look forward to her 4 month appointment, as it involves 5 more shots.

2 months today

And she’s already taking pictures of herself
Last night she slept 10 hours straight through!!! I could get used to this!
Thursday is a big day for Hazel, but an even bigger day for her brand new cousin who is scheduled to make his or her arrival that morning! We will be at the pediatrician getting Hazel’s first round of shots and anxiously awaiting the phone call from Aunt Joanna and Uncle Matt!

Hazel and her Mobile

She really really loves the giraffe mobile in her Pack N’ Play. The first part of this video was taken about a week ago, the second half was shot yesterday- she now makes noises when she’s excited by something which we think is pretty awesome.

Mobile from esther benoit on Vimeo.