The Missing Post

Oh dear Hazelnuts--we've been remiss in our postings of sweet little Hazel! Our apologies for letting too much time slip by without keeping you updated on her wondrous achievements, like inch worming across the floor, drooling up a storm, babbling like a tiny talker, and waving and clapping. We'd like to think that she is already showing signs of the genius she will one day become, but most likely we are the typical overly-proud first time parents, so please bear with us as we wax on about her greatness (since we know you agree anyway).

As of this posting, Hazel is just a week and some change short of her 9 month birthday, and it truly is amazing how fast it has gone by already! She has turned into such a fun, happy, and really sweet little girl with a secret stubborn side and a determined nature. Now that she's mobile, she's unwilling (and most likely unable with her energy) to sit still for long. She recently has become quite enthralled with Zoe, who does not quite return the love but and seems resolved with the fact that this little loud person is already her boss.

I'm posting some photos of Hazel Mae from the last month or so. Enjoy!

Pensive Hazel.

Big foot Hazel.

Floppy hat Hazel.

Hazel on Earth Day (a little overhyped in my opinion, but a good opportunity to enjoy some fabulous weather that day while Dad went surfing.)

Hazel enjoying a delicious meal.

Hazel at swimming lessons--she just graduated from "sea otter" to "manatee."

Hazel enjoying her Dad's musings on the guitar.

Our little Hazel is growing up!

The Hazelnut continues to grow, as babies tend to do, and we find our little munchkin as amazing as ever, even on a daily basis. Since our tropical Thanksgiving with the Silvas, Hazel has added a few more notches to her travel belt, spending some time in the OC with her gal pal Karina (and parents) and then a quick jaunt to blustery Minnesota to visit the Jeno family for Christmas. Luckily, with the exception of the occasional airplane/car blowout (daddy was the last one to deal with this in the tiny airplane bathroom), she is an excellent traveler. A ruined onesie and some bedhead are pretty much the worst travel incidences so far.

Hazel is a lucky girl to have such an extended family (on both sides) to adore her and her curly-haired mop; while we were in Minnesota, she met her great-grandparents, great-aunts & uncles, and many cousins of different varieties. On the big Jeno Christmas gathering, she spent the whole day spellbound at those surrounding her (it may have been the extraordinary heights at which she was held or the booming voices of the Jeno men). Regardless, it was clear that she is definitely a newly loved addition to the family.

Hazel meets her great-grandmother Marcella.

Hazel and Nana.

Hazel and the Jeno cousins.

Hazel (4 months) and her girlfriend Karina (7 months).

Paul and Rajiv--the proud papas.

A few photos from Hazel's first photo shoot--she's a natural.

Hazel's first visit with Santa. If she looks a little shellshocked it's because this was taken after they got her to stop crying.

Hawaiian Thanksgiving!

Hazel mastered her first travels (kind of) abroad and spent the holidays in Maui with her grandparents, aunt and uncle and cousins Saya and Rubi. We were a little nervous about the flights there and back, but she was a perfect angel (even on the return redeye). Spending the holiday with the family was so much fun--we had lots of time on the beach, walking around Lahaina and just relaxing with the people we love. It was a fabulous vacation!

With cousins Saya and Rubi.

Family photo.

Curly-haired girls.

Hazel's first swim!

A baby Pope!

All smiles!

Wow! It's been a while since we've posted some new pictures of Hazel (aka "Pumpkin"), so our apologies to all the Hazelnuts out there. The main reason for the lapse in posting is that Mom put together a Shutterfly share site for the multitude of photos we take of Hazel every week. If any of you are interested in getting access to WAY too many photos of Hazel and have hours to sift through them, let me know and I'll send you the link and password.

Hazel just turned 10 weeks last week and is actually like a tiny human now. She can follow you around the room with her eyes, focus on objects more than 12 inches away from her face, and can grasp her hands together, which sounds uneventful but really is a significant milestone in development. Other than that, the only exciting news on our front is a giant blowout to rival all blowouts last week. After not pooing for 5 days, she decided to let loose when Mom and Dad were at lunch. Luckily, Mom was smart enough to have packed back up clothes and lots and lots of wipies!

But this post is dedicated to the many smiling faces of Hazel...now that she's a little older, her smiles are much more frequent and very endearing. It's a good thing she doesn't know that she could ask for anything right now and get it with these faces! And not only does she look adorable, she even makes cute cooing sounds to mimic talking.

This is what happens when my Mom brushes my hair...clearly she's unamused with her Mom's styling.

At the zoo with my Mom and her mommy group. She is loving naps in the Moby lately! Good for baby, but not so good for Mom's back...

And finally, resting with my daddy...

Hazel's first Halloween

Happy Halloween! For my first foray into this unusual American tradition, my parents dressed me up as a Tootsie Roll, but from the head up, I look a little like a flying nun. Either way, I think I'm pretty cute. It's too bad my parents are going to score all of the candy until I grow some teeth, though. Maybe next year I can try out this Tootsie Roll thing.

My mom and me at the PEP Halloween party where I hung out with my other small peeps from the mommy group.

This is Hazel and her boyfriend Dean--they share the same birthday and the parents have decided that they are destined to get married because they both have old people names.

Yet one more photo shoot by my obsessed mom...this time in my froggy pajamas.

And finally last but most definitely not least: earlier this week I had lunch with my peeps, Emilia, for a delicious bowl of pho (Vietnamese chicken noodle soup). We had a great time together, laughing about old times when I was only 4 weeks old...good times, good times.

A big weekend with Yiayia and Papou

This weekend Hazel got to meet her Papou for the first time and it was love at first sight for both of them. Since this is Papou's third granddaughter, he is very good at charming little girls already. And Yiayia works her magic with Hazel every time, getting her to sleep and soothing her. Hazel turned 8 weeks old this week, and we can definitely see the difference: she's more alert, can make better eye contact, and has longer periods of non-fussiness. We're hoping this means she's on the way to becoming a chill baby!

Paul's girls.

Yiayia contributing to the piggy bank college fund.

Smiley face!

Super silly smiley face!

Mommy and Hazel in her new jammies.

Papou feeding Hazel his first bottle.

Hazel with her Papou and Yiayia.

Hazel with mom at the Farmer's Market.

Mom enjoying lunch at Los Arroyos (Hazel enjoyed the lunch a little later on).

Sleeping on daddy's chest.