March 27, 2016

Hazel's 1st Birthday Party

Last weekend we threw a small birthday party for Hazel. It only consisted of us, her grandparents, and one aunt. I know she won't remember a party, and I didn't want to throw an overboard shindig, but it's a special moment for all of us, really. Marking the anniversary of parenthood and grandparenthood as well as our amazing little girl. So I definitely wanted to celebrate!

I decorated. Mostly by making picture garlands from the last year. I used Hazel's monthly nursery chair pictures as a progression garland behind her high chair. A feather garland from the dollar spot at Target, and had to throw in some festive balloons!

{  Birthday gal in her new spring dress  }

We did a smash cupcake for Hazel. I didn't want to use a sickeningly sweet recipe, because I didn't want to go too overboard with the sugar, and even I'm not a fan of overly sweet cupcakes. So I opted for a chocolate, banana muffin instead with cream cheese, peanut butter frosting {Recipes in links}. Still sweet, but not overly so. They were soo delicious!!! The muffin was a little dense for smashing, but Hazel got through it, and loved it!

She was a little timid starting out. I don't think she quite knew where to begin. "Is this really for me to eat?!" is what her look said. Soon enough she got a taste for it and loved it! She had so much fun being the center of attention and was a little, goofy ham. She would start clapping, and when she did we all did, which really made her excited. Every time we'd stop she'd get us to start clapping again. She could feel the love being surrounded by family! It was so fun to watch her have such a good time with it. It wasn't till the very end of her cupcake that she started sharing with Norbert.

My main goal was to get a family picture with both sets of grandparents, but I totally dropped the ball. Sorry Hazel, maybe next year. Luckily, her Papa K did take a group selfie while we were eating!!

She is a lucky little girl to have such doting family, who gave her so many wonderful presents!

{  #Spoiled  }
My present to her was about a year (maybe more?!?) in the making... when I was pregnant with her we took a trip to Seattle and in the gift shop of the Chihuly museum, they had a felted stuffed carrot (cuter in person than online) that I LOVED. Buuuuut I really didn't want to spend $60 on it. I decided to crochet one instead. I wanted to give it to her several occasions ago, but FINALLY was able to give it to her for her 1st B-day! (Maaaybe adding some eyeballs and more more leaves at some point.)

I think she likes it!!

After all the celebrations, she's officially a one year old, and I look at her and see this incredible toddler!


March 16, 2016

1 Year of Hazel

My Dear Hazel Irene,

1 year ago you shook up our lives forever, and you made this world infinitely sweeter with your presence.

You have grown and developed at an incredible rate, and you have become a beautiful, independent baby. You have seven teeth in your smile. You are tall with thin arms and legs. You are 25.75 inches tall and weigh 20.6 pounds.  All your baby pudge seems to settle in your sweet cheeks and big ole belly.

You are wearing 12 month to 2T clothes. The warm weather is coming back, and you even got to wear a summer romper yesterday. Hooray for less clothing again!

Your hair has grown lighter and longer, although it has grown in quite strangely. The longest bits are behind your ears, but the hair on the very back of your head, where your bald spot used to be, is very short. I call it your angled bob, which is currently in style. It’s even goofier because sometimes one side will curl and the other side will be stick straight.

Your dark blue newborn eyes have lightened to a piercing bright blue. People comment on your eyes more than anything else. “Oh, what pretty blue eyes she has!” – says pretty much every person you smile at in the grocery store.

We have made it to the 1 year mark successfully breastfeeding, and I plan to keep it going into the next year as long as you don’t wean yourself (which you miiight do). You love, love, love to eat. All the time you are just asking for “more.” You are a bottomless pit! I think you are starting to get a little pickier. Sometimes, we will be feeding you and you shake your head “no” that you don’t want it, but then you immediately ask for “more” like you want something different. It’s been fun to start ordering you new things off of the kids menus when we go out.

You are so incredibly sweet to everyone. You are not fiercely attached to mom and dad, but very social instead. You are friendly and love people, but you are very independent so nobody can keep you for very long. You want to be off doing your thing, as you are always busy with important things to do and carry. Sometimes, we long for quiet snuggly moments with you on the couch, but those moments are few and far between. You would much rather be inspecting your books (or chewing on them) or carrying around your wallet. Recently though, if I get down on your level and stretch out my arms you’ll come running walking quickly into my arms for a quick but oh-so-precious hug. These are some of my favorite moments lately.

You LOVE your books. You are always flipping through pages, and sometimes you’ll even sit on our laps long enough to let us read them to you!

You are so even tempered with us and such a mild mannered baby, although you do have your crazy moments that make us think you may have completely lost your marbles. You make us look like good parents, but really I think it’s because you are a good baby.

…Although, we’ve gotten a couple reports from daycare that you sometimes lose your temper with the other babies and yell in their faces, and one day you even tried biting another little girl! I really hope that doesn’t continue.

Lately, your favorite thing to say is “uh-oh!” I think you purposefully drop things on the ground just so you can say it! You wake up from a nap, I hear the distinct sound of your pacifier hitting the ground, and “uh oh!” coming from the nursery.

Last night you really seemed to discover your belly button…  Your belly sticks out pretty far so you were having a tough time seeing it, but you were certainly trying to inspect it… and then you lifted your dad’s shirt to discover his belly button and then had to check if I had one too! … We might have a shirt lifter on our hands (guard your belly buttons, folks!)

I cannot believe an entire year has gone by. I have this tight knotted up feeling inside me because I just can’t find the words to describe the past year. It has been wondrous to watch you become you and to have to privilege of being your mom (and favorite person… shhh, don’t tell your dad).
We are so excited for your future, but right now it is so great to relish in the little moments that make up our everyday with you. You bring us such happiness. I hope that you will decide to have children of your own so that one day you can know how much we actually love you. I don’t think it’s possible to understand this kind of love until you experience it for yourself.

Loving you extra hard today,

{  Biggest carrot at Soulard Market - 1.5 lbs!  }

{  First time drawing with crayons  }
{  That belly!!!!  }

{  Presidential candidate in our town!! - First political activities }

{  Climbed in her toy basket all by herself  }

{  This slays me  }
{  <3 <3 <3  }
{  You do NOT want to get on our bad side...  }
{  Just kidding, we don't have a bad side... ;)  }

{  Good morning, Birthday Girl!  } 

{  The nose never stops...  }

{ 1 & 1/2 inches in 1 & 1/2 months  }

{  You can see our baby getting bigger and our carpet getting dirtier.  }