33 posts tagged “photos”

It's a Baby Shower!

Oct 18, 2009
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Not for me, but for our friends Amy and Chris, who own the CSA farm of which we are members. Today we attended their sweet baby shower and had a great time. This is the sweater I worked like a madwoman to finish:

BSJ Gift

They are going to wait and find out the sex when the baby is born, so I thought orange and gold would be perfect and more appealing than pastel colors. I used Knit Picks machine washable sport yarn, which is super squishy soft and great for a baby. They loved it, which made me happy :)

In that the spirit of new parents, I made a video today of what we like to call "Please Take a Nap."

13 months - stair climbing clip

Happy Birthday Hazel

Aug 26, 2009
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Today is the anniversary of several things:

The worst pain I've ever felt.

The first time my Mama saw all my junk in probably 20 years.

The first time someone I barely knew helped me go to the bathroom.

A bunch of even grosser stuff that I won't mention again. Ever. Probably.

But most importantly, the moment that our daughter was born, the moment we became parents, and the moment our parents became grandparents, our siblings became aunts & uncles, and our friends honorary ones. Happy Birthday Hazel, our sweet, funny, squishable, beautiful daughter.

and some more crying

Hazel

This video I just took! Birthday dancing!

Birthday Dancing

Videos & Photos & Stuff

Aug 25, 2009
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I've got a backlog of stuff that I haven't uploaded, so stuff has just been sitting around, looking cute from the desktop of my computer. This video was taken just a few days ago - short but sweet!

12 months - blowing kisses

This photo was taken last week, just her playing with her blocks in the living room. Those blocks are her favorite toy; she plays with them everyday.

Playing with blocks

These pictures I took this morning. Hazel has been learning to feed herself with the spoon, all by herself! She fed herself applesauce this morning.

Feeding herself!!

This baby makes some crazy faces.

I guess she loves applesauce

Cutie

This is from last week, I think. It's classic Hazel; she's looking at me like I'm nuts.

mama and hazel

11 Months Old

Jul 27, 2009
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This is scary. Eleven whole months! It's a cliche because it's true; the time just flies away.

Here is Hazel from last week, eating puffed wheat and playing with my sunglasses.

Whoa, the coolness.

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On the Map

Jul 4, 2009
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We are just living up the short, not too hot summer that we are allotted way up here in the tundra. I've been slowly adjusting to the 3 hour time difference (staying up all night while flying back probably threw me off more than the actual time change), so in between my naps and Hazel's naps we've been walking outside, visiting our CSA farm, and hanging out with Amos. Next weekend we're going to Pennsylvania for a Slavic festival with Amos's parents, followed by a 3-day stay in Geneva, NY, for a quiet little vacation together. Geneva is a sweet town on the finger lakes, which incidentally really do look like fingers from the sky, and I am excited for our stay. We're shacking up in a B&B run by a very sweet couple, and between his parents & us we are taking up the whole house. That's a B&B stay I'm willing to risk! Plus Nancy has spoken to the couple, and they are both thrilled to have a little baby there for a visit. After that we aren't traveling again until Christmas, but my mama will be up at the beginning of August for a quick long weekend. I'm really looking forward to seeing her again. While she's here we're going to have a slightly early birthday for Hazel. Oh, and I bought her birthday outfit in Portland, and it's SO cute, not to mention being orange & blue, which is just a cool bonus.

Here are a few photos taken just yesterday, plus one of her dress. Amos dressed her that day as the Incredible Hulk; he's such a dorky laugh riot!

In the grass

Trying to grab the camera

In the rocker

Party Dress

And boy, are my arms tired

Jun 12, 2009
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Right after Amos finished up with classes, right after my birthday and all my friends' birthdays and mama's graduation, right after all that, Amos & I loaded up Hazel for another family vacation. We were gone for almost 3 whole weeks! Sometimes I think we are certifiably insane. We've been home since late Monday night, and I still feel shell-shocked from the whole affair.

We went to St. Louis first, like we did at Christmas, but this time we stopped over in Cleveland. Our hotel was cute, functional, and got the job done. Of course I left a sippy cup and some of Hazel's food there, but that was bound to happen, right! It was kind of helpful to split up the trip, but not as much as I thought. We spent one lovely week in St. Louis, including a ladies' tea that Amos's mom's family holds annually. This was my first time attending, as well as Hazel's first. It was adorable and sweet, all the ladies dressed up and having tea out in the garden. Hazel slept through half of it, but I was fine with that - it gave me a chance to actually have some tea! The rest of our St. Louis week was spent in the usual fashion - late nights with Laura & Nick, movies, Global Foods shopping, trip to the Loop, plus a trip to 2 yarn shops.

After STL we headed down South again. This time we went all the way to Fayetteville, spending one night with Mama in Athens first. It was so fun and relaxing to be back where I grew up; of course I went to the Wal-Mart, and of course I saw about 35 people I knew in there. When you go to that Wal-Mart you better make sure you look pretty good, otherwise you'll hear about it before you even get home. We were only there for 3 days, and clearly next time we need to plan for a longer trip. I didn't get to see everyone I wanted to, and I feel like I didn't get to enjoy my grandparents and the beautiful countryside as much as I could have. Time was running short, though, and we still needed to see my mama & stepdad in Athens. That leg of the trip was the absolute most relaxing for 2 reasons: first, Mama has central air, and second, the only other people I know up there are my stepsister & her family, which we saw at Mama's house. After just a couple of short days we headed back, making the 18-hour drive all in one go. Tennessee and Kentucky go by fast, but going through Ohio & PA, then all the way sideways through NY is LONG and CRAPPY. Hazel is thoroughly versed in road-tripping, though, including the fine arts of eating in the car and diaper changes on the trunk lid.

Seriously, though, that baby is quite flexible and easygoing. Well, normally she is; her two top teeth are cutting right now, so she is in a lot of pain and is having just a hard time, but they are coming on out and shouldn't be much longer in cutting all the way through.

So, I'm happy to be back to the normal daily routine, but not happy to leave everyone back home. I guess I'll have to drown my sorrows in the Diet Grapico I smuggled over the Mason-Dixon.

In her grandma's garden

Hazel and Nana

I've got Spring Fever

May 14, 2009
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Like, bad. So bad that I don't want to be inside for anything, ever. That includes updating this blog, but last night I was gently reminded about not posting by my mother, who kindly said, "So you haven't updated your blog in a week. Why? Go put something on there." So, mommalicious, here you go.

We have been busy and not busy; cleaning, playing, going for walks outside, just hanging out and meeting the people. Amos's schedule was all weird the past three weeks with the following: a trip to a conference in Plattsburgh for 3 days, then finals, then grading, then graduation. He doesn't have classes anymore, but is still at work most days. Hazel and I get outside everyday when the weather permits. Though it's been as hot as 90 degrees, most days it settles around the high 50s, low 60s, and of course there's the famous overcast/rainy days here (like today). I've also been knitting up a storm, as Hazel seems content to play by herself for blocks of time everyday. I sit in an armchair, let her practice standing by holding on to the coffee table, and just knit away while she laughs and tries to grab things.

She's actually getting pretty good at all the walking/standing business, but still cannot stand up by herself. She is so fidgety and busy that she turns to look every which way as soon as you get her up. She can pull up by herself, but had a nasty fall coming down about a week ago, so now she's kind of scared to try it. It's kind of funny; she stands up until she's tired/bored, then looks around and hollers, not cries, for me to come and help. We are working on those skills, though!

Here are a couple of photos I took with one-time cameras and scanned in. Enjoy!

Nachos and Lemonheads and my Dad's Boat

Apr 28, 2009
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Yesterday Carrie, Britt, and I thought it would be a spectacular idea to have a picnic at Lake Delta State Park. It wasn't a spectacular idea, turns out, but it wasn't horrible either. I did learn some things, though:

1. Picnics are more complicated than you think, unless all you bring is potato chips and cheese sandwiches.

2. When you're picnicing with two 8-month-olds and one 18-month-old, don't expect to last all day. Expect to last maybe 2 hours.

3. Bring 17 extra onesies and a lot of wipes.

4. You will have to get your baby all the way naked at least once.

5. Do not bring cameras, phones, lipstick, books, anything that's important or expensive. Go with stuff that can be knocked over repeatedly in the wet sand.

6. Speaking of sand, babies will eat it.

We did have a good time, but not in the same way I expected. Everything is different with a baby! Hazel loved being in the water, absolutely adored it, and I think Trent did too (this was both their first times being in water outside). Emma's feet got sucked down into the lake muck so that she couldn't move, which made her fuss a little but was pretty funny. All in all I think we'll go again, but we were joking that we need to outnumber the babies by at least one!

Hazel and I at Lake Delta

90 Degrees

Apr 26, 2009
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That's what the temp hit here -- 90. It was unexpected and kind of annoying, but I was so happy to feel some kind of heat that I didn't complain (I hope) too much. Here's a crappy photo of Hazel before we fled our insanely hot apartment:

Ready for Summer!

She had a big day yesterday. We went to Old Navy and bought some new shoes for her, strolled around, hung with Trent (that's her boyfriend, she shares him with their other friend Emma), Britt, Sean, & Abbie at the tattoo shop, then Daddy came home! Amos had been in Plattsburgh, NY, for a conference since Thursday, so we picked him up late last afternoon. We took a mini-walk with her and dipped her feet in the fountain. She went nuts! This kid loves bathtime, loves playing in water, and she tried to do a swan dive out of Amos's hands into the fountain. We also let her feel the grass for the first time yesterday. She looked a little confused for a minute, then started cracking up. It was so adorable; in retrospect I wished I'd had some kind of camera on hand.

Today we are going to make all her baby food, take a walk, maybe see Britt & Trent. Tomorrow looks like another fun day - a picnic at Lake Delta with Carrie & Emma!! We are going to have such a fun time, especially Hazel. She'll feel sand, be in a bikini, maybe even get in the water a little. I'm so happy it's warmer here and that we can start in on all the fun summer things we have planned.

PS: It's Hazel's 8 month birthday today!

Finger Casts & Nice Weather

Apr 20, 2009
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Yesterday Hazel got her first real boo-boo. She cut her index finger on some mystery object and just bled all over the place. I was holding her outside while Amos got the stroller all set up, and when I set her in the seat I noticed blood on my hand. We started searching for the source and saw blood everywhere; on her onesie, my leg, Amos's shirt, her stroller straps, her face, until finally we saw the tiny cut on her finger. It was a terrifying couple of seconds. She wasn't crying or anything, so it must not hurt much, but she had to wear this giant bandage all day:

Finger Cast

If you guys could see how small this cut actually is you would laugh at how big the bandage is in comparison. FYI - the smallest band-aid in the box is still about 3 times bigger than a baby's finger.

Other than that drama things have been exciting here! Hazel is so great at her little army crawl, it's ridiculous. She's also exploring pulling up, though most often she gets frustrated before she gets herself up. I think this little girl *may* have a short temper...lol/dammit.

I forgot to put up a photo of Hazel's first Easter, which we spent with my friend Carrie's family. We all went to this fancy buffet at the casino here. This buffet has crazy amounts of food, whatever you want pretty much, and last year when we went it was close to my favorite day of being pregnant. This years was fun also, but a little more hectic with a sleepy baby. She did very well, really, but you can see in these photos that she was a little sleepy before we even left.