Walking for Real Now -- February 17

Over the past week, Hazel has turned a corner with her walking.  We've been slow to label her as a real walker, but it is undeniable now.  She is fairly casual about it already.  She still falls some, of course, but she often catches herself when she loses her balance and she often manages to avoid obstacles.  She may be fairly nonchalant about the whole thing, but we aren't.  We spend a fair bit of time watching her and being amazed at how much she can do now.

Toting -- February 18

Hazel was quick to discover that one of the best things about walking is that one can tote something.  Once one can tote one thing, it's worth trying to tote two things.  

 

Andrew has been working with Hazel on how to throw a ball.  She isn't quite there yet, but she does enjoy rolling or dropping a ball.

McNeely Conservatory and Como Zoo -- February 18

We've all been getting tired of being in the house so much, so we made a plan to venture out to the zoo and the conservatory.  Hazel was very engaged, she was much more interested than we expected. She liked the fans in the fern room:

 

The sunken garden is beautiful any time of year, but right now it's pretty spectacular with the spring flower show in full bloom.  The garden is full of lilies and pansies and hyacinths, and it smells amazing.  The room was pretty busy, with at least four other babies and their parents making the rounds.

 

Hazel was mesmerized by the lions pacing back and forth (above).  The snow leopard was playing, and looked remarkably like a really large house cat.  Hazel also liked the primates, the lemurs were hopping around and the gorilla was loafing about.  We stopped in to see the primates, the hoofed animals, and the large cats, and then came home for an afternoon nap.

15 Minutes in the Afternoon -- February 17

 

When Hazel gets up from her afternoon nap (if she takes one, that is), she has a snack.  Lately, her snack of choice has been a piece of sourdough bread with cream cheese on it.  She has mastered the art of the sippy cup, and she washes her snack down with water.

 

After her snack, she gets down and noodles.  Here, she is playing with hair bands that she absconded with earlier in the day.

 

 Here, she is clapping for herself and smiling at her dad.

 

She is busier than ever, and she moves pretty quickly now. 

 

 

After noodling, she settled in for a game of give-the-dog-her-bone.  

More Steps -- February 16

Here, Hazel was practicing walking.  Still not a primary mode of transportation, but getting there.

New Game -- February 10

 

Recently, Hazel has started playing with Emma's bones.  Here, she just wandered off with it.

 

Hazel eventually plopped down, and Emma joined her.  

Eventually, Hazel will give Emma the bone.  Often, she'll try to take it back again, and the whole thing will start all over again.  The most exciting part of the game is when Hazel puts her hand in Emma's mouth to retrieve a toy.  Emma is willing to play along, and is very gentle with baby hands, although she tends to be fairly eager for her turn with the bone.

Waking at a Minnesota Truck Stop -- January 29

 

We went back to Laramie so that Andrew could be at a job interview, and we came back through South Dakota instead of Nebraska because the weather was iffy.  We found iffy weather anyway, and instead of waking up at the Iowa welcome center, Hazel woke up at a truck stop in western Minnesota.

 

She enjoyed a breakfast of graham crackers.

Hazel-in-the-Box --January 24

 

Hazel learned how to climb on top of a box, and then she learned how to climb into one.  Once one is in a box, it is useful to learn how to  climb out again.

 

 

Hazel clapped for herself once she had gotten out of the box and was standing upright again. 

Goodnight Moon and other Adventures in the Living Room-- January 22

 Goodnight Moon is a favorite these days.  Hazel has really gotten into page turning, and she likes this one especially.  We read it at least once each day.

 

Conspiring.  

 

This is generally a much better window for peering out of.  Emma and Hazel watch out for cars, pedestrians, and especially the mailman.  

At the Window -- January 18

 

Once the tree was no longer in the window, Hazel and Emma were curious to peek outside and see what was out there.  On a good day, the neighbors might be outside.  Otherwise, there isn't much to see out this way!

Hazel-proofing -- January 17

 

When we left for Christmas, Hazel had just started to crawl.  When we got back, we had to go through a whole new round of baby-proofing the house, including packing up some books and magazines and putting them out of reach.  Hazel helped out!