July 2015: the 4th, Kiawah, and BBQs,

Hazel had an exciting July -- which probably culminated with her 2nd annual Kiawah trip -- although she probably doesn't remember her first Kiawah trip. 

Hazel was pretty good on her flight down and decided to take over Izzy's airplane carrier during our layover. She also thought the space for checkin's was pretty cool too. 

Our  annual Oyster roast trip was pretty successful, although Hazel didn't really enjoy the oysters. She tried one and immediately spit it out. So, we'll try again next year.

 Hazel was a fan of the beach. She wasn't such a fan of her hat, so we put on loads of sunscreen. She also enjoyed eating sand, small seashells, and other things which floated past her.

Hazel and Lidia mostly rode in the Burley (bike trailer) to get places on the island. After a few days of being fussy, they rode in it without too much of a battle.

June 2015

What a fun and busy month! As the weather continues to improve, we spend more and more time exploring new playgrounds in Jamaica Plain. One of our favorites is the 'Tot Lot' where there are plenty of abandoned toys to play with, but Hazel's favorite part is the sand box and the tasty sand. She finds twigs and other things to put in her mouth at lightning speed.

 She's also become an excellent stair climber and will climb the 2-flights of stairs from our first floor to 3rd as many times as you let her.

 Thanks to Seth and Makiko, we got our first jogging stroller and have used it a handful of times to get a little bit of exercise while Hazel enjoys the view.

 Hazel flies! We went to Providence, Rhode Island to see some friends for an afternoon and the husband, Nick, took some really cute pictures of Hazel. One of my favorites was her flying through the air -- her facial expression is pretty unbeatable.

 Another piece of major news is that Hazel has graduated from bottles to 'big girl' cups and has really (quite quickly) mastered the use of straws. She's also gotten pretty good at throwing items over her high-chair and into Izzy's mouth. Although, unfortunately for Izzy, sometimes it's food scrapes and sometimes it's Hazel's cup -- which lands a bit harder.

 Hazel enjoyed a nice evening out with our friends Stephanie and John at a local Greek Food Festival. Hazel likes spanikopita -- or feta and spinach pie --

 Lastly, Grandma had the good idea of giving Hazel a cabinet to call her own (and crawl into). We spent a good deal of time trying to keep her out of them and instead, we just let her crawl into the plastic tupperware cabinet and take everything out, bang it against the floor a couple times, drool on them, and then crawl inside and sit for awhile. She's usually entertained long enough for us to make our lunches in the morning.

Lastly, we spent the first week of June in Austin, Texas with all of the Pfalzer's, Schmitt's and Tada-Pfalzer's. We all got together for the entire week and had  an awesome time swimming and being on the lake. We also got a photographer to take family pictures of all of us and I think Hazel was pretty photogenic. 

Summer time activities: May 2015

Decent weather means we're getting outside and enjoying our last summer in Boston. We used Aaron and Anne's hiking backpack for the first time and apparently, Hazel really enjoys hiking. Well. I think we'd all enjoy hiking if it meant we got carried and ate snacks. 

 We also checked out this petting zoo in Bolton, MA that letting Hazel get up close and personal to all kinds of animals. I think we liked the Alligator and Chinchilla the best.

Hazel is getting so big that she doesn't need us anymore to help her drink her bottles. She just cozies up on a pillow, grabs a bottle and takes it down.

 Also, Hazel is the new, proud owner of a Helmet. She didn't want to have anything to do with it until I put on my helmet -- then it was okay.

 Our Grinnell friend Nick Merklin came out to Boston to meet Hazel and hang out with us for the long Memorial day weekend. The weather was nice and we got to squeeze in multiple BBQs, a Fenway game, some brewery visits and snuggle time with Uncle Merklin. Hazel sure lights up when she sees Uncle Merklin -- just like all the ladies.

9 months old

As the weather has gotten warmer and daylight savings time gives us another hour of sunshine, we've been going outside and introducing Hazel to new activities. We live really close to the Franklin Park zoo so we became members and now we can go anytime we want, typically for only an hour or so, but Hazel does enjoy looking at animals and looking at other kids. 

   

 Hazel has also gone from crawling to pulling up on everything overnight. Everytime I turn around, she's climbing up on something else, our bed, the coffeetable, her crib, the chairs, the laundry, etc. She never stops moving, but *fingers crossed* it seems to tire her out a little bit too so she's been a pretty good sleeper too.

 He took a 24-hour vacation to Falmouth, MA which is part of Cape Cod. It was short, but a much needed break from Boston. We spent the night in a hotel which had a swimming pool, so we took our chances with Hazel (without a swimming diaper) and let her experience the pool. We also put her toes in the sand and the ocean. She wasn't sure what to do about the stuff between her toes and the ocean was a little too cold for her.

 She's also getting pretty good at sitting in the big girl high-chair at restaurants. She's getting equally good at grabbing our plates if we leave them unguarded for just a second.

the beginnings of spring

It's been a long 4-5 months of cold, dark, dreary days, but finally... FINALLLLYY... we're starting to get a few days where you don't immediately freeze when you walk outside. I'm actually a little nervous writing this in case I end up jinxing myself. When we have a nice day, and nice day = 50+ degrees, we try to take full advantage and go for stroller rides and take Izzy for much needed walks.
We had a full house this Easter with Annie, Ashley, Mellie and Lidia making the drive from DC all the way to Boston, and on top of that, Yiayia flew in from Indiana. So, it was a full apartment but we made it work and it was fun. We went to the playground and Hazel got to ride some tricycles, we went an Easter egg hunt, had our own Easter egg hunt in the backyard (i.e. the mud pit), and had some shared crib time with my cousin Lidia.

Eyes on the road Crazy Hazey!!!

Lidia and Hazel Easter 2015

This big girl is 8 months!!

7.5 months

This winter in Boston has been the worst by far, in terms of the cold, ice, freezing rain and wind impacting our daily routine. But, after all the days of bundling up and lack of fresh air, i think we might finally be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Until that light gets brighter, we've entertained ourselves by walking in the mall... well, we walk and Hazel gets carried.

walking in the Copley mall

7 month!

 We're not actually going to be anywhere close to a warm beach for awhile yet, but it didn't hurt to bust out some of our beach attire that we're inherited from family members. Hazel is growing so fast, that I never know whether something that fits now will fit 2 months or even 2 weeks from now. So, her beach hat fits now (in March), but who knows if we'll be able to use it this summer.

Getting ready (mentally) for beach time

Holding my own bottle

 We had a handful of 'nice' days out in Boston, and by 'nice' i mean above 35 degrees. At this point, anything above 40 feels downright tropical. So, when I get to pick her up and its not freezing out, we take our time going home and sometimes pick up Izzy on the way and go for a walk around the pond. Hazel really enjoys riding in her stroller without the car seat because as you can see, she's a little more propped up and she can see alot more. She kicks her feet and stares at everyone.

Riding in my big girl stroller

Hazel has yet to try a food she doesn't like and yogurt is just one of the new additions to her diet.

Yogurt leftovers

 

 

Lucy comes to Boston

My friend Lucy from Grinnell came out to Boston on her spring break to meet Miss Hazel. I'll say that we've had a lot of visitors this year and to be honest, I don't think many of them (or ANY) came to see Sean and I.... but whatever, we'll take visitors however we can. As you can see, Hazel loves new people and stares at them pretty much the entire visit.