4 month check-up
Today was Hazel’s 4 month well-baby check up and 2nd round of shots. She did very well, but both Jered and I agree that the shots were more painful (at least for us) than they were two months ago. Hazel went into the doctor’s office all smiles and giggles and quickly changed her tune. She screamed and held her breath and got very very upset about the shots, but a couple minutes after the four shots were over (they were out of the 5th shot, so she will get that one in December at her 6 month check-up) she was back to her smiling self- if not a bit more hesitant about the nurses around her.
The most fun part of these appointments is seeing how well Hazel is growing. She now weighs 14 pounds and 12 ounces which is the 75th percentile for weight. She is 24.5 inches long which is the 50th percentile for length, and her head circumference is now 16.5 inches, which is the 70th percentile. She is growing well and we have been given the all clear to start cereal and veggies if we want. We’ve decided to wait on the cereal a bit longer- we will probably start closer to her 6 month check up. She is growing well and we are in no hurry to start solids. The pediatrician seemed to think this was a good idea and supports us completely. Hazel is sleeping through the night well without supplemental formula or cereal and although she shows interest when we eat meals, we’re not quite sure she’s ready to sit down with a spoon and a bowl just yet. We are also excited to start solids closer to the holidays so that we can share those first experiences with our extended family.
This weekend’s plans have changed a bit- we were expecting company but things didn’t quite work out so we will be going to a few local festivals with my mom and brother. Clayton will be marching in the Yorktown Day parade on Sunday so we will be sure to catch that.
I plan on doing a major photo update later tonight when Hazel goes to bed for the night. We have caught a few great pictures over the last week and can’t wait to share them with you all!
Some new videos
I’ve been a bit under the weather the past few days- turns out I caught strep, probably during one of the sessions I had earlier this week. Fortunately Hazel seems to have escaped the bug and is doing quite well. While she’s napping I thought I’d post a few videos taken over the last week or so. The first is of Hazel’s first trip to the beach. It wasn’t the *real* beach, but she was sitting in the sand by the water, even if it was just the James River.
At the beach from esther benoit on Vimeo.
This next video is of Hazel watching Jered eat breakfast, and then of Hazel showing everyone how quickly she can roll over. She is so much fun now, and prefers to spend the majority of her waking hours on her belly or sitting on our laps. She is sitting pretty well now and only needs a little support from us when she’s on our laps.
New PJs from esther benoit on Vimeo.
And finally, this morning Hazel was squealing her little heart out. This is a newfound favorite thing that she does- and it’s pretty funny (for now). She’s definitely finding her voice! We love that Hazel is such a feisty little girl.
Squealing from esther benoit on Vimeo.
Come back tomorrow for an update on Hazel’s 4 month pediatrician’s appointment. She’ll be getting another round of shots and we should have some new stats on length, weight etc.
Filed under Pregnancy by esther | Comment (0)Picture Updates
It’s been a while since our last post and we’ve taken a bunch of pictures since then so I thought I would get everyone up to date with what Hazel’s been up to by doing a picture post. Hazel continues to grow and change so quickly- we’re amazed how much she changes from week to week!
The weather has recently gotten cooler- so we’ve been able to go on more walks in the evenings before bedtime (7:30). Because of the chill in the air, we now have to bundle Hazel up- and she gets to wear her favorite hat.
She’s recently acquired a new, more seasonal hat from her Grammy and Grampy. This one makes her a literal pumpkin head.
When we’re not out on walks with our Hazelnut, we are entertaining her at home- she still loves tummy time the best, but recently she has tried out something new- the exersaucer. This contraption is a brightly colored little walker/jumper that Hazel gets to bounce around in. She seems to like it a lot- it’s a good thing we waited until she was 4 months to use it, though- even though she is old enough according to the official recommendation she still is a little unsteady in it!
Hazel’s favorite cousin, Peter, recently sent her a picture of him sitting in his Bumbo chair. Despite seeing Peter sitting up so well in his chair, Hazel still hasn’t really been motivated to enjoy her Bumbo anymore than she usually does (not much at all!). Here is one of the few pictures we’ve gotten of her sitting in it without trying to get out of it! (Note the almost threatening hand gesture she is making)
All that playing really wears a girl out- despite having difficulty napping, Hazel does still *occasionally* take a nice long nap. She’s more of a nighttime sleeper- which really, I’m not complaining about, but we do consider ourselves lucky when she goes down for a nap longer than 30 minutes!
The napping never lasts long, and pretty soon we’re back on the floor for some more tummy time. If we lay her down on her back, in no time she’s rolled over onto her stomach. She’s even decided that sleeping on her back at night is completely overrated- who cares what the American Academy of Pediatrics says- she’s given up on the Back to Sleep campaign and I’ve given up on going into her room 20 times a night to roll her back over! Here she is mid-roll.
Much happier once she’s rolled over!
And finally, a picture of Hazel (on her tummy, of course!) as I look on. On any given day you will find us on the floor with her for at least half the time she is awake. She is getting so strong, and before we know it she’ll be mobile- for now we’re just enjoying the fact that it takes her a while to scoot around her blanket!
What a difference a year makes
One year ago today we learned that we were expecting. I had been feeling off for about two weeks and I had a hunch that I might be pregnant, but I was still skeptical that it could happen so quickly. I got up early that morning to get ready for school and decided to take a test- when the faint pink line showed up I was stunned. When I told Jered we just looked at each other in disbelief. It’s hard to believe that we have known of Hazel’s existence for a year now- oh how our lives have changed in a year!
This time last year we were getting ready to go to Texas for Shauna and Ray’s wedding (where they graciously allowed us to make our big announcement). We started this blog last October as the reality of our pregnancy set in. One year ago today Hazel was just over a millimeter long- now she is close to 25 inches and over 12 pounds. Last year we had no idea if we would have a son or daughter, and all along I think I was convinced that we would have a little boy. Today we have a little girl who has completely changed our lives- who would have ever thought I’d be into all the frilly cute pink outfits and girly accessories? Although we didn’t think we were missing anything, Hazel has been just what we needed. A year sure can make a difference!
More Bubbles and Tummy Smiles
Here’s the other video we took this weekend. I’m hoping to get some more footage soon- hopefully we can catch her rolling over, right now it’s still rather elusive. She seems to do it just when we turn the camera off!
Tummy Smiles from esther benoit on Vimeo.
Proof is in the Bubbles
As promised, here are two videos of Hazel’s new bubble blowing skills. Tomorrow I’ll post one of the videos we shot just after she rolled over. Enjoy!
Bubbles Part 1 from esther benoit on Vimeo.
Bubbles Part 2 from esther benoit on Vimeo.
And she rolls!
Hazel has just recently learned to roll over. She has been trying for almost two weeks now and this past Thursday she finally did it. When she managed to move from her back to her tummy her eyes got wide and she didn’t really know what to think- she was excited but a little freaked out too. Now she practices a couple times a day and Jered and I have learned quite quickly that we cannot take our eyes off her for a second, now. We were laying on the floor Saturday morning watching her play and eating breakfast and Jered and I looked up to talk with each other for a second and the next thing we knew she was on her tummy- no warning at all! It seems we have a mobile little lady on our hands- let the fun begin!
I’m editing down some videos of Hazel’s newly acquired bubble-blowing skills and will post those shortly. Here’s a photo we snapped of Hazel post-rollover.
Lazy Sunday Morning
I thought I would post a little picture post since I am too tired to write anything of quality tonight. These shots were taken this past Sunday morning- Hazel is a morning person and loves to smile, play, laugh and snuggle all morning long. It’s a great way to spend a lazy Sunday morning. Here are some highlights.
Hazel staring at the fan
Pondering the important stuff
Delicious Fingers
Big Blue Eyes
Stop taking pictures and come play with me!
Two Happy Girls
Cheesin’ it up for the camera
There are quite a few more pictures on our flickr site. Enjoy!
Filed under Pregnancy by esther | Comment (0)A good weekend
It’s been a good weekend, despite the sad start. On Saturday morning we received a package in the mail from Great Grammy and Grampy Benoit. Hazel now has a brand new rabbit in a hat puppet. She absolutely loves it! She is really into songs that have “surprise” endings, and the puppet is perfect as the bunny can “pop” out at the end of a song- makes her laugh every time.
You may also notice that Hazel is wearing a very cute hat in this picture- the hat was also part of her surprise package. She looks super cute in it, and I can’t wait for the weather to get cooler so that she can wear it when we’re out and about. The past few days it has been so hot here- today it was nearly 100 degrees! The heat is supposed to break later this week and we are all looking forward to some cooler fall weather- especially now that we have a cute hat for Hazel to wear.
Not only does Hazel have a brand new hat to wear- she also has a brand new wardrobe! Saturday morning was the Mothers of Multiples consignment sale. This sale happens twice a year, once in the fall and once in the spring. It is sponsored by a local group of mothers who have twins, triplets, etc. I got there nice and early Saturday morning and was able to buy Hazel’s entire fall/winter/spring wardrobe for under 30 dollars! I hope Hazel doesn’t expect this much new stuff every time she turns another month old (she is now 3 months!!) Here are a couple of shots of Hazel’s stylish new threads.
10 new long-sleeved shirts/onesies
A sweater and a shrug
Two little jeans outfits
and some pajamas (because you can never have too many!)
Saturday night we went to a party to welcome the new doc students to the program- we stayed an hour but then had to head home because it was past Hazel’s bed time and she was starting to get fussy. We spent the rest of the weekend getting things done around the house and lounging around at home. Hazel has almost mastered rolling over- she can roll from her back to her side and almost gets over to her stomach- she hasn’t quite mastered getting past her shoulder, but she’s so close. We think that she’ll have figured it out by the end of the week. This weekend we also discovered that Hazel is really into music. We were listening to the Kids station on XM radio today and she was really getting into it. We have video evidence that I hope to post sometime later this week.
Filed under Pregnancy by esther | Comments (2)Life
Last night my favorite Aunt passed away. She was diagnosed with terminal cancer in May of this year but always remained hopeful. My Aunt Pat was a wonderful person, she was kind, generous and an optimist like my dad. Her passing was not unexpected, but death is never something that we “expect.” She will be greatly missed.
I’ve chosen to mention her here today because her death reminds me just how precious life is. Starting our own family has given Jered and me a new focus- things are more challenging, often more stressful, but even the simplest things are now infinitely more rewarding. First smiles, coming home from work, quiet time in the evening, making Hazel laugh- things that seem so small but feel so huge. It seems like we don’t often reflect on how important the little things are- at least not until something big happens that reminds us, even if just for the briefest moment, that we are all here temporarily. So today, I want to honor my Aunt’s memory, and the memory of my dad- because I am able and because I am thankful. As I was uploading a batch of photos today I found a picture that was perfect for this post. It isn’t a particularly cute picture, or one that was shot with much skill, but it’s one that is sentimental in a different way- Hazel is grinning, and her grin reminds me so much of both my dad and his sister. So here it is. We miss them both.
