Jill & Pete's Baby Web Site

November 2, 2003: Hazel is seven and a half months old already! So much has happened since I wrote the last letter that I hardly know where to start. Hazel is rolling, sitting, babbling, eating solid foods and cutting teeth. Every day she surprises us with a new move or "word."

Hazel has been pretty good with her rolling for several months now, but sitting is a relatively new development. She can't push herself up yet, but if we sit her up she can support herself for a while. Usually she gets excited about a toy and topples over trying to get to it. She is also on the verge of crawling. Right now she wiggles and lunges until she gets there, but her efforts are a little more coordinated every day. The cats had better look out because they are one of her primary motivations for movement!

You couldn't call Hazel's sounds words yet, and she doesn't attach meaning to any particular sound, but her "vocabulary" is growing. She says "dadada" and "ahgoo," and I'm pretty sure I heard some "m" sounds too. Of course squeals and giggles are still pretty frequent as well.

A crayon and an octopus!
Hazel's diet is becoming more varied. She's getting her bottom two front teeth in now, but her food is still mostly liquid. She eats pureed fruits and veggies with some cereal thrown in for sleeping power. Her favorites are sweet potatoes, rice cereal, pears, peaches, and peas. She's not as fond of carrots, apples and oatmeal, but she still eats them. She's getting better at drinking from her sippy cup, too. But formula is still her primary source of nutrition, and will be until she's a year old.

Halloween was a lot of fun this year. It's amazing how much more fun the holidays are with kids. I made her a little octopus costume and Pete dressed up as a crayon again. We went around to some of our friends' houses and then went to the nursing home to visit with the residents. We had heard that they open the common room to trick-or-treaters and give the residents candy to hand out. We didn't take their candy since Hazel can't eat it anyway, but it felt good to visit with them.

Pete and Hazel out for a hike
Things are going very well for the Stoughton Kochers. We had another cat join our family -- Cricket, a brown tabby with white hind legs. She and Scooter get along famously and delight Hazel with their antics. Pete just finished his third community play this year, Neil Simon's "Rumors." He played a state senate hopeful with marital problems who attends a comically confusing dinner party. Pete will probably not try out for the next play in favor of spending more time at home with his family & perhaps playing some hockey. He recently signed a contract to work with some of his old robotics cronies writing software, so he's back on the job again. Hazel goes to a small family daycare 2 full days and 3 half days a week. She really enjoys playing with the other kids there, and hasn't cried for us since the first week! I am just finishing up a quilting class, something I've always wanted to do. For some reason I was terrified of ruining the beautiful fabric, but it turns out it's not as hard as I thought it would be. I'm traveling a little for work (still with Intel) but not nearly as much as in the past.

Don't forget to visit www.TheKochers.com to see lots of pictures, including Halloween pictures and her 6 month portraits!

Love,
Jill, Pete & Hazel