15 Months with Hazel Jane

(Originally written on 11/29/20.)

Yesterday marked 15 months of having our sweet Hazel Jane in our arms. I seriously can’t believe it’s already been 3 months since her first birthday! Where has the time gone?! 3 more months of me being the biggest procrastinator I’ve ever known. So much for that one year blog I started but never posted. I really do plan to hit “publish” one day on it, so I’m not going to back track on an update today, but instead share some of our favorite things about our 15 month old Hazel Jane.

Her joy is still just as contagious as ever. She has the sweetest spirit that continues to melt our hearts by the minute. We are constantly saying to one another “she is so precious.” She really is!

She also has a feisty side of her that keeps us on our toes. She has strong opinions about certain things and she knows how to make them known. One of the funniest things right now is the offense she takes at things being in order. Blocks lined up, towers built… whatever is in line, she doesn’t just enjoy destroying it like most toddlers; she legitimately gets offended by it and destroys it with a very serious and intense “nooooo.” It’s hilarious and sometimes exhausting and leaves us wondering what’s behind it in her little mind. We can’t wait to get to know her more and more!

Hazel can say quite a few words very clearly (no , bible, apple, baby, up, amen, more, boot, night night, car, ball, go, poo poo, knee, neck, nose, daddy/dada, mama) and there’s others that she can say less clearly but that we can understand (airplane, potty, out there, banana, bow, dark, milk, brush teeth, bird, water, off, Hazel). It’s remarkable how many words she repeats back to us; it seems like she’s learning at least one new word a day lately!

In general, Hazel is incredibly good at communicating! She tells us when she’s ready to go night night (even walks us to the room or sometimes just lays down right on the spot) and also tells us when she needs to go poo poo. If we don’t take her when she tells us, she just keeps telling us and walks herself to the bathroom. If that doesn’t get our attention, she simply brings us her potty.

Some other fun things I want to remember about this age:

Hazel loves to dance; as soon as Alexa starts playing music she runs with giddy excitement over to the speaker and begins dancing.

She is really captivated by classical music. Jeremy started her young on some of his favorites, and it has definitely paid off! Her and daddy love to dance to Camille Saint-Saens and Tchaikovsky, and love relaxing to Claude Debussy.

She absolutely loves to read; she would read all day if that were an option. I especially love the way she backs her little bottom up into my lap with a book in hand.

Shoes are a current favorite. It doesn’t matter whose shoes or how big, you can almost guarantee if shoes are in sight, they will soon be in her hands or on her feet.

I adore the way Hazel pats our backs while giving us hugs. It melts my heart every time.

Her favorite way to go down the slide is on her belly. But she’d much rather climb up a slide than go down it anyways.

The way she says “nooo” makes it difficult to keep a straight face. She’s got a lot of passion in there!

Hazel is still really into buckles, especially the buckles on her booster seat. She’s got incredible focus for such a young age.

She loves all of her babies so very much, including the one in mama’s belly! She loves pushing babies in strollers and giving them big hugs and kisses! No matter where she goes, if there is a baby there, she will find it and be sure to smother it with all of her love!

She’s continuing to develop her great climbing skills! It’s not uncommon to turn around and find her on something other than the ground.

I love the way she pulls her sandwiches apart and takes the first bite right into the center of the bread, essentially smashing her entire face into the sandwich.

She likes to eat her carrots like corn on the cob. Her go-to breakfast is still a massive amount of oatmeal with blueberries on the side. She eats a banana a day. She’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen walking around eating her apple whole.

She loves to identify her body parts! Her current favorites are her knees and neck.

Hazel is such a great road-tripper. It’s certainly not always smooth sailing, but by and large, she is a champ! She loves her carseat and is so great at independent play in general that she does a great job of entertaining herself in the car. We love just listening to her chat to herself back there, saying “hiiiii” and “knee” and anything else that excites her. She loves singing, especially in the car!

She is the best little helper around the house. She loves to be given a task to help, and takes great pleasure in being able to contribute! She’s especially good at unloading the dishwasher, dusting, and taking clothes to the laundry room.

Goodness, I could go on and on! What a joy and privilege it is to raise little ones?! To be the ones to shepherd their little hearts, ultimately pointing them back to the One who allowed us this gift to begin with!

Hazel is truly the happiest, most joyful little girl we know! We get remarks on it constantly, and we can’t help but agree, thank the Lord, and pray her joy points others back to Him. It’s such a beautiful gift to be her Mama and Daddy. We are so grateful for 15 months of living life with our beloved Hazel Jane! We love you, baby girl!

(Some favorite photos from months 13-15.)