Weight/Length: 17.4lb & 28 inches long
Diaper: Size 4
Clothing: 9 - 12 Months
Eating: Nursing 3-4 times a day, eating 4-6 meals and snacks
Nicknames: Hazey, Hazlet, Hazelnut (Great Grandma Blue calls her)
HOW?! I can't believe we are here. This year was the most fast year watching this beautiful baby grow, change and develop.
Things we LOVE! She winks at us now, which consists of deliberately closing both eyes in a dramatic way with a giggle. She dancing on command anytime she hears me sing or a song playing. She can shake that diaper booty with the best of them! She whispers "Ssshhhhhh" to us when we take her to her room for a nap or bedtime, smart cookie! We play this cute marco polo type vocal game where I sing a little phrase from Frozen 2 "Ahhh ah ahhhh ah AH!" and she responds with "Ah AH!" She is such a great copy cat. We can show her something once or twice and she's already mastered it. She watched us snap to a song and now she mimics our snapping with her fingers. She gives us high fives. She blows us kisses when an audible "Mmmm-ma!" She still nurses her lower lip while she puts the palm of her hand to her face as she gets sleepy. That is probably my #1 favorite thing she does. She's just the BEST baby.
Things she's DOING! She cruising along furniture so quickly. When she stands now she'll only use one hand to balance herself, then work up to briefly letting go for a second or two. I hate that she's progressing so quickly to walking! She's practicing her "gentle hands" with our cats, but it's a work in progress. She can say "Wa Wa" for water, "Mama, Dada, Hi". She signs for milk and more. She's sprouted two bottom teeth so far and is still rocking white blonde hair with baby blue eyes.
Hazel loves so many things and dislikes very few. She loves table food of all kinds. She loves drinking from sippy cups. She loves bath time, walks outside, pulling tissues out of boxes, chasing after her sisters with Dad's help and all the toys she can get her hands on.
Hazel dislikes long rides in the car seat, that witching hour right before bed time, new people trying to hold her or the baby carriers a whole lot (girl prefers the stroller).
We just recently got her to start sleeping through the night. She's not 100%, but we're working on it. She naps once a day from about 12:15 - 3pm. She's pretty easy to put down. I nurse her for 5-10 minutes, sway with her for a few minutes then place her in her crib to let her go to sleep on her own. She still just sleeps in a sleep sack with no pillow or blankets yet. She wakes up with crazy hair and a smile!
As I mentioned before, this girl LOVES her some food. She's not a big gainer but she sure likes to eat. She loves eggs, chicken nuggets, mashed potatoes, avocado, fruits, yogurt, bread, mac and cheese and vegetables if it's the only thing left on her tray. We're still breastfeeding 3-4 times a day. She's pretty distracted, but still wants it for now. She's no longer taking bottles at daycare since she's moved up to the 1-2 year classroom, so the amount of bottles being washed has decreased greatly! Also I'm just pumping once at work now instead of two. My ONLY goal was to make it one year and we made it! It's an amazing feeling to exclusively provide your baby breast milk. I recently just received the COVID vaccine, and have decided to continue to nurse. I'd like to keep going until the Spring as long as she wants to, but whenever she's ready to quit I can quit too. I feel SO grateful to my body for allowing me to provide for all three of my babies by breastfeeding over a year. <3
As far as milestones we couldn't be more on track! As far as personality goes, she takes the CAKE. She is SO happy, constantly smiles or yells out in excitement. She's rarely unhappy and when she cries it's because she's fallen and hit her head. Hazel's laugh is contagious and her smile melts everyone. Her personality is by far the BEST thing about our baby girl.
This last month we weren't too busy due to COVID but we did get to celebrate her FIRST Halloween! She was a cute little black cat. We trick or treated at my in-laws awesome neighborhood with her cousins and had a blast. We also got out of the house for the weekend and enjoyed the fall leaves and a night lighted forest trail in Bentonville, AR. Due to COVID I feel like her uprasing this last year has been so different than her sister's in comparison. Hazel has never ventured through the mall. She's never sat in a shopping cart at the grocery store or through Target. She's never sat in a wooden high chair at a restaurant. I know these aren't huge things to miss out on, but I hope one day we can get back to normal without barriers.
Here some of my favorite photos of this sweet girl's last month as a baby!
This year her first birthday landed on Thanksgiving, but we had a small outdoor get together before then to celebrate her and her sister. She loved the presents and cake! Plus got pie on Thanksgiving (her actual first birthday).
This year was the most challenging yet because of COVID, school closures, life disruptions, death and many other things BUT I wouldn't change it. Watching Hazel grow each month and loving her more and more with each changing letterboard was the BEST thing about 2020. These three blonde babes of ours are the LIGHT in this strange, scary time of death, distance and sickness. We won't ever be able to fully explain how much they being alive, healthy and such a distraction healed our sad hearts.
Hazel, you're loved beyond measure. Your happiness is contagious and MUCH needed this year. May your second year of life be filled with more love, watching you learn to WALK, move into a house where you can finally get your own room and so much more! I love you Hazel Faye McVay.
