Running in Circles

Henry is sleeping through the night! 

Its been a solid two weeks now and I'm really starting to feel more alive and rested. It took four nights to make it happen, but I was ready and I knew he really didn't need to eat at night.

Henry goes to bed at 8:00 and I nurse him mostly to sleep and then we put him down swaddled still. He is still sleeping on his tummy and rolls quite a bit during the night but doesn't even wake up crying anymore. We slept with the fan on high and with our door shut so we wouldn't hear him cry and its hard to do but worth it! 

We love Henry and we love feeling rested again :)

It's been a while since I did an update just on Hazel so here's what shes up to just before she turns TWO!

Hazel at 23 months

- She loves singing songs with us. She's got the hand movements down for Book of Mormon Stories, Popcorn Popping,  and Itsy-Bitsy Spider. 

- Loves singing the ABC's, Sunshine on my Shoulders (Brice taught her this and it is hilarious when they sing together), Row, Row, Row your Boat, and more

- Can identify most colors and letters and is really good associating letters to words that begin with the. We need to work on shapes though.

- Hazel is a really good eater right now- loves applesauce, sandwiches, cheese, chicken, pasta, avocado, Quesidillas, carrots and ranch, hummus, ICE WATER, and any snacks from friends houses ;)

- Is sleeping in a toddler bed now! It's been a week and shes never gotten out when she isn't supposed to. She loves her big girl bed and we love how easy the adjustment has been.

- Goes to bed at 8:00 pm and wakes up between 7:00-7:30 am.

- Naps from 12-2, but sometimes she talks in her bed for a whole 45 minutes and then sleeps which makes nap time longer for me :)

- Hazel loves wearing girly accessories- my hats, necklaces, her headbands, shoes! Every morning I come home from a run to a closet where shoes and jewelry are scattered about.

- Loves animals, especially happy when she gets kisses from dogs when were out on walks.

-Loves to feed the ducks and turtles in the lakes in our complex.

- Lays on the floor and does "exercises" with mama.

- Does great in nursery- and does great at making new friends. 

(Sometimes sharing baby dolls is hard but what are ya gonna do?!?)

- She asks me to paint her toes on a weekly basis.

- Loves playing at the park, splash pad, swimming in the pool, doing puzzles, playing with baby dolls, reading books at the library, and rough housing with daddy on the floor.

- Hazel is quite the talker and is really good at remembering words or phrases shes heard once or twice. Yesterday she told Brice "Big Butt!"

- Most of her sentences are 3-5 words now. 

- Has started answering "no" when we ask her to do anything but time-out or a stern talking to works well.

- Loves playing with friends, holding their hands, and giving them hugs & kisses goodbye.

- Loves coloring with crayons, sweeping the floor, and taking her shoes off by herself.

- Hazel is really affectionate and loves to give hugs and kisses to us when we come home or just out of the blue during the day. We love it!

We love you Hazelbug!

Our next big learning curves are a big girl bed and potty training- any tips? Let's hear em!

Today I watched my little girl turn into a toddler.

 Okay, sure it hasn't happened all in one day, but I noticed it all today more than ever. I watched as she picked out her own clothes and almost put on her shorts entirely by herself. I watched as she asked for "flip-flops" and a hat. She loves to accessorize for our exciting days around the house. I watched as she threw all the pillows from the couch to the floor and then enthusiastically jumped straight onto the pile below. Again? again! She says. 

I watched and listened as she told me what she wanted for lunch and snacks. Mostly requesting bananas, carrots and dip (RANCH), bread (Sandwich), and a big piece of cheese. I'm amazed how she's putting sentences together already- not perfectly but three or four words. This girl of mine knows what she wants and asks for it. I'm in awe as I watch her pull out the kitchen chair for herself, sit down, and say please mama.

I watch her build houses, towers, animals, one Duplo block after another. I listen as she giggles and uses her hands to cover her mouth. I watch as she cocks her head back from laughing and then immediately looks at me straight on and rolls her eyes.  I watch her as she carries around the baby doll that I swaddled for her, patting its back and saying "shh- shh" and forcing the eyes closed so she can lay her down on the bed (or in our case an empty Aldi box with another blanket in it.)

I could go on and on about her learning colors, and recognizing half of the letters of the alphabet. Or learning to sing along with mom and dad to her favorite songs, and learning the differences between boy & girl, fast & slow, floor & ceiling... or the part how she recognizes pictures of family members and friends and knows their names. And even recognizing pictures of the temple-- which also includes the Eiffel Tower which is sacred and beautiful in its own way ;) -- and of Jesus Christ and sitting still for scripture reading each night. Everyday she learns more and more and I catch myself watching in awe as she takes it all in. 

I feel like I'm watching her more and more and doing less and less for her. My day still revolves around her needs and demands but I think this is the part that they're talking about when they say being a parent is hard but so worth it.

Hazel and I spent a few hours exploring the Museum of Ancient Life and enjoying a yummy lunch at Thanksgiving Point yesterday. It sure is nice to have a sister on maternity leave who wants to meet up all the time! 

Hazel seemed to really like walking around and touching things and seeing animals that she recognized.

Our baby girl is a toddler! 

Most of the time I still look at her as our little baby but other people apparently don't because the "when are you going to have another?" and the "are you pregnant yet?" questions are being asked constantly.

Hazel at 18 months:
Height: 31 inches (22%)
Weight: 21.43 lbs (32%)
Head Circumference: 17.75 inches (19%)

- Sleeps from 7:30 to 7:00 most days. She will practically put herself to bed some nights.

-Naps from 12:00 to 2:30-3:00 every day.

-Loves nursery at church!

- After we've said prayers at night she just runs to her crib.

-Loves bananas, Ham & Cheese sandwiches, cheese, apples, applesauce, oatmeal, beans, quesidillas, sour cream, yogurt, pasta, sausage, chicken, and treats.

-Working hard to get her to eat more veggies. Sometimes she'll eat purees still but has really not been interested in broccoli, green beans, or peas.

-Continues to surprise us with her vocabulary.

-Loves DOGS! The obsessions is getting out of hand. If we see a dog for 2 seconds she notices and gets so excited.

-Loves babies, especailly baby Savvy! She insists on holding her and giving her her binki.

- Spent her first weekend away from mom & dad. We know she loved being with her grandparents!

-Loves to feed the ducks at the duck pond.

-Loves saying animal noises and names.

-Loves cuddling with stuffed animals and playing with her letters that I made.

-Favorite book currently is "Brown-Bear, Brown-Bear" of course, because of all the animals :)

- Still wont drink any kind of milk or juice but we're actually kind of happy about that. Girl loves her water and that is the best thing right!?

- Loves to climb, jump, jump on the bed, dance, jump on pillows, go up and down stairs ALL BY HERSELF, and tickle people and things. We often catch her tickling her car seat when we're in the car.

- Has a bad habit of whining instead of talking when shes hungry.

-She can get so caught up in her crying that she can't stop even when she's gotten what she wants/needs.

-Still signs: please, thank you, more, all done, drink.

-Wakes up starving and yelling "ma-ma" until we get her a banana. 

- Loves playing outside with her little friends but doesn't quite understand the dangers of the street/driveway.

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