Jill & Pete's Baby Web Site

May 5, 2003: Hazel is 7 weeks old today, so it's about time we sent an update letter to let everyone know what great progress she's making in her young life. We're very lucky to have such a strong, healthy little girl.

Everyone asks if she's a good baby. We're not quite sure what that means, but in spite of some crying (usually when she needs something) and a distinct distaste for being burped (already minding her manners) we do think that she is a little angel ... even at 2 in the morning. The next question people ask is whether she sleeps through the night. Not yet. But she is starting to eat more at each feeding and go longer between feedings, so we hope that the nighttime feedings will end in the next month or so.

Hazel is a chatty little thing these days. Even her crying has become more varied and conversational. She has several alert periods a day, which we call "wakie wakie time," and she spends much of that time kicking and expressing herself.
Hazel sleeps in her carrier, 5 weeks old
We don't hear many consonants yet, mostly vowels -- "ah aaaahhhh" is a big one, as is "iiyyyyy." She loves it when we imitate her sounds, and when we stick out our tongues she responds by copying us. She seems to be trying to roll over already, with little success, but she can lift and hold her head steady now. She even had a good push up today, building that arm strength in preparation for crawling. Occasionally she reaches for or flails at something she's excited about. She especially likes a bright red butterfly toy that makes crinkly noises. We've also discovered that she likes the sound of the bathroom fan and running water, so she spends some calm time each day in there while we groom ourselves.

We'll be taking our first big trip to California over Memorial Day weekend for our friends' wedding. Hazel will be 9 weeks old by then and we're crossing our fingers for a sane trip. We bought her a very cute little sundress for the wedding. We can't wait for her to meet the old gang.

Jill goes back to work May 7. She's not sure how she feels about that yet, but she'll still be working at home, and Pete and Hazel will both be home too.
Pete with Hazel at 3 weeks old
Pete will be staying home to take care of the little nugget for a while. He has some irons in the fire for contract work and had an interview recently for a full-time position in the IP telephony industry writing software again. Both situations have their upsides -- either Hazel has Daddy to care for her during the day, or we have a second salary and Hazel can spend some time socializing at one of the many local day care centers.

All in all, we're having a great time with Hazel. Our only complaint is a common one -- lack of sleep! But that will pass and there will be fresh new joys and challenges to look forward to. Visit www.TheKochers.com any time to see what we're up to, with lots of pictures. We hope you get to meet her soon, if you haven't already!

Love,
Jill, Pete & Hazel