Kid Pic Spam plus other stuff

An addendum to my previous post about Thinx, I'm also planning to try sea sponge tampons to see if they're more comfortable for riding (and pair with the thinx)  compared to my cup or disposable tampons.  The sponges are reusable for 3-6 months so you're still spending less and the product is somewhat renewable.

Anyway, I'll have the sponges in time for my next cycle, so I'll update then with how it all goes.


Hazel is making significant developmental progress. She can now easily crawl with her belly off the ground, is cruising around the house like a pro (when they walk but always hang on to stuff for balance) and has taken a single solo step on a few occassions.

She gets super  excited when she sees me pull out my carrier and loves being worn while I do stuff outside or go to the store. In general, she loves being the center of attention. Her favorite thing to say right now is Dada!  Which of course makes Eric very happy. I'm still getting her to work on Mama.

She loves Gwyn, Saffron and the cats and will screech excitedly/chase them.

She loves sitting in the high chair up above everyone. I think she likes watching them all.

Thinking about walking

We had a bout of sickness and she was diagnosed with RSV and had to have some breathing treatments. She's all better now though!

Sick baby passed out in the car. 

Using her toy to walk.

Two bottom teeth!

We did her 9 month photos a few days late.

Kaylee of course always wants to be in the pictures too.

Fun with colors at my job

The iridescent colors separate, it's really neat.

Kaylee insisted on riding in the snow.

Hazel is the center of attention while Kaylee is in gymnastics.

Kaylee is doing really well for her age group and she enjoys her once a week activity.

Eric is encumbered.

Side carred crib is also for cats!

A frequent sight.

Kisses for the kitty.

Sunrise on wednesday, my super busy day

I toured a school that I want Kaylee to attend for Kindergarten. It's a charter school that only accepts 40 students. Open enrollment ends Friday. This is the upper school (2nd through 8th grade)

Gym

Lower school (K-1)

Lower school recess. They are outside every day, regardless of weather.

Happy upside down baby.

Poking at Eric's moles.

Year in Review

I haven't posted since the end of September. Damn.

Anyway, onward to a quick monthly recap because I can.

January
We made the most progress we'd make all year with our aquaponics project by acquiring cinderblocks and the pickle barrels.
I had lots of little rides on Gwyn despite doctors orders but felt MUCH better because of it all.
I got the nursery painted and Kaylee helped.

February
I had a very against doctors orders trail ride and felt spectacular
I tried to make Hazel a blanket and didn't get very far
We got a harness for skijoring and introduction for Gwyn pulling something behind her went... off the rails so to speak and Kaylee got upset that I broke her sled.
We started the process of putting in tile where we had hardwood!

March
I made a trip to Ikea all by myself while hugely pregnant and it was awesome
I got norovirus and dropped a ton of weight
I made monthly horse goals that I largely met!
We made good progress with the floors
We toured the hospital where I'd be giving birth.

April
We finished the floors and they still look fantastic.
I ended up in the ER again with breathing issues. No more clots but we finally figured out why I had a 4 month long cough (reflux)
Hazel finally flips head down and my huge worries about labor ease up
I anxiously wait through many bouts of false labor before finally being induced
Hazel is born!

May
I spent most of this month snuggling new baby
I also rode for the first time post baby

June
We did a test run of the water circulation for aquaponics
I had more baby snuggles
We enjoyed the start of summer and Hazel was a portable potato
I set up the electric fence tape so Gwyn and Saffron could assist in lawn mowing, much to Eric's delight

July
I find time to ride where I can with the assistance of baby monitors and long naps
We acquire an ATV and a small trailer to assist with farm chores
Gwyn learns to hi-tie
Kaylee turns 4
We visit a cool fossil park in Canada
I get a paid writing gig!

August
I start ramping up prep for endurance rides
Gwyn and I do the intro ride at the Metropark Express and easily meet our goals
I finally find a riding safety vest that fits me!
I get an interview for a microbiology job and get the job!

September
I start the new job and LOVE it, even if Hazel refusing to eat from a bottle is stressful
We explore the back roads and I find beautiful horse and hunt country finally
My posting starts to significantly drop off since I'm not at home

October
Busy horse month!
I compete in the Hunter Trials
I meet my friend Heather on my birthday for a Hunt Pace (which I never posted pictures of!)
I compete the 30 mile LD at Oak Leaf Run and camp with Gwyn solo for the first time!
Kaylee went trick or treating with her Aunt while I hung out around a fire with Hazel. Very pleasant

November
Not much going on. I rode maybe once.
Dealt with family drama over who was hosting Thanksgiving. Had a good holiday in the end

December
Decorated for Christmas and dealt with the arrival of the deep cold
Rode once, on New Years Eve
Family came to visit for Christmas, which was really awesome, my brother got to meet Hazel
Hazel starts crawling and cruising (walking around while hanging onto stuff)
Eric got a new car (Chevy Volt) and I'm using his old one (Sonic) so that my commute cost in gas can be reduced and so that I don't go over miles for the lease of the truck


So there you have it! You get a quick run down of the stuff I didn't blog about because I just didn't have time. We had a rough go of bedtime for a while so I couldn't escape Hazel and sit on the computer uninterrupted. And I just don't like blogging on my phone or tablet, which is what I'm using when I'm nursing Hazel.

Hazel is almost 5 months, whaaat?!

Hazel is adjusting well to daycare. She's finally taking a bottle with gusto and I was immediately getting comments on how chattery she is and happy. Well, yeah, with a full belly she definitely is!  It just took some time for her to figure out that bottles still got her the good stuff.

I do have to say, when I went back to work with Kaylee I didn't need to really bother to take time and pump. She was pretty much on solids and cow milk and only nursed at night and in the morning.  This is a whole new ballgame for me with pumping! I'm constantly worried that I'm not going to make enough for the day, even though I'm really not gone long. Plus... how do you know how much to give them?! I'm used to just sticking a boob in the babies mouth until they tell me they're done. So much less guesswork!

Right after she actually ate, legitimately, from a bottle. 

Morning cuddles before we get ready to leave for the day.

Happy girl

Gwyn says "I see you're working on dinner. I can eat that dinner. Oh you left the stall door open? I didn't notice..."

Set up for a bacterial and fungal analysis of paint samples. Pretty colors! 

Not sure what this is, not what I'm looking for at least. On black agar (it has charcoal in it, typically used for isolating Legionella)

I might look ridiculous, but I did kind of miss dressing up like this from my days at BioRad.  I'm about to enter the production room at Biosan. Clean room attire required! Booties on my shoes, sterile jumpsuit, gloves and hair net.  If there was active production I'd add a face mask too. 

Hard to see, but there is roadkill over there with a Happy Birthday balloon tied to it. I was amused.

In baby news, Hazel is getting much more adept at grabbing things. Her favorites include Kaylee's hair.  She definitely communicates, it's great. She loves bathtime, especially with Kaylee in my big tub and will laugh if she sees the tub or if Eric starts getting her undressed.  She has learned other patterns of behavior. She could be crying and hungry but if I bring her to my room and lay on the bed the cry turns more into this hicupping excitement. She knows I'm gonna feed her. There's an instant mood change.  She laughs easiest for Kaylee. All she has to do is jump and Hazel is giggling. Kaylee can also soothe Hazel by singing a song. It's fascinating.

Hazel prefers being outside. Winter is going to suck. She gets bored inside. She is starting to be able to sit up on her own. I've also started to slowly introduce solid foods. I'm into baby led weaning, baby will let you know what they're ready for.  Hazel is interested in our food. She leans in and opens her mouth or will grab for things I'm eating if I'm holding her.  She hasn't lost her tongue reflex yet though so she'll automatically push things out of her mouth. That being said, I'm not opposed to food for fun and taste. It's not going to be a big part of her nutrition for a long while yet. So far she's had baby food apples, which she liked, and tonight I let her nom on a banana, which she LOVED. I doubt she's actually swallowing much, but she's learning more tastes, which is great. 

4 months: Big changes they are a'comin'

Hazel got her 4 month shots right on the nose and I tried to do pictures that same day. She wasn't having it.

Screaming Dalek baby.

She wasn't a fan of any positioning this time and too much fussing over moving her around was making her cranky.

Cranky.

So NOT having the full costume.  I wanted to do How to Train Your Dragon. My original idea was to dress her up as Astrid and get a Stormfly plush. But Astrid was movie only, not book, so I was torn on a purity level that I likely didn't even need to worry about. So instead I made Hazel into a dragon. I had a dragon costume after all!

Well... dragon costumes in August, even in air conditioned houses, are not appreciated by 4 month olds. In case you ever needed that information.

So the next day, after letting her aches fade a bit, and trying the dragon costume ONE LAST TIME just in case... I decided the wings alone would have to be sufficient.  Diaper decorated babes are adorable right? So that's what we went with.

She has a little Toothless to play with.

I'm pretty proud of those wings, by the way.

Made entirely with fabric and wire by hand.

Books are delicious. But eating out of a bottle is impossible. Obvi

Wing Creation

I picked up this pretty, spider webby teal fabric

And this shimmery tulle like stuff

At first I was going to go with one layer of each but realized it might not photograph well. So I sandwhiched the teal between two pieces of the tulle.

Then I cut them into wing shapes

And sewed together. I didn't do all the little wing details in sewing, just made a triangle. I was suprised I could sew this stuff.

Then I wove wire into the fabric, in and out. One piece did the main structure of the wing and then each point got a wire.

I got two different gauges of wire. I didn't realize this immediately. I added the thicker gauge to the outer structure for support so I had enough of the thinner for the inner wing

Assembled

I bent the wire into a harness to fit on Hazel's back and covered the wire ends with black duct tape. 

And in other news... I got the job offer!  The pay/schedule isn't ideal to start, i.e. I won't be making much profit after daycare and gas cost is taken out, but I'm looking forward to being back in the lab!