4 months of Hazel.

How is my baby already 4 months old today?! We really cannot get enough of this little honey graham - she is just the absolute best. Here's a little rundown of her at 4 months:

Development/Milestones: This month was a big one as she started daycare! I think it was probably harder on us than her, and she seems to be flourishing there so far. We are lucky that it's right in our neighborhood, which makes it convenient for pick-up / drop-off. Other developmental milestones include rolling over for the first time (front to back), reaching for toys / things nearby, chatting and laughing, and occasionally grabbing her feet. We love watching her learn and grow.

Eating: Breastmilk all day, everyday. I would like to note that she has adapted quite well to bottle feeding at daycare, since she hadn't used one at all before. We still exclusively breastfeed at home - I mean, it's free and convenient! Plus, I know I'll miss these days!

Sleeping: Sleeps for a 10 hour stretch from ~ 7PM-5AM and then another 3ish hours 5:30-8:30AM. It's pretty great! I have some of the cutest videos waking her up at 8:30 because it's time to get going for daycare - this girl loves her sleep (and we are so grateful)!

Likes and Demeanor: She is still all around a very happy baby! She likes people and is happy to be held by anyone with a heart beat. She is generally very cuddly, likes to babble, and is particularly chatty on her changing table in the evenings. We love (and LIKE) this sweet girl so much!

My 2017 Goals.

Something I've learned throughout my job at ONA is setting goals really matters. We set our goals at the start of each year (sales and otherwise), and there is nothing quite as satisfying as working toward them and then ultimately reaching them. Since the method of writing down goals generally helps at work, I figured I'd take the same approach for my personal ones. There's a sense of accountability having them out in public, and also it's a surefire way to not lose the paper ;)

Read 8 new books
I know, I know this is a pretty low goal. But hey, I'm a new mom! I have a list on my phone of books I've been dying to read and am already beginning to work through them. Thankfully, I have most of them on our shelf or downloaded to Kindle which has made them all the more accessible. Right now I'm reading Attachments, The Magnolia Story is next, and then The Good of Giving Up.

Do one round of Whole30
We're planning to do this starting January 30 - February 28. For those of you who don't know, Whole30 is a program you follow for 30 days and only eat REAL, whole foods. No sugar, no crazy ingredients you can't pronounce. This is a long time coming and we're excited about the reset. The goal isn't to lose weight (it's not a diet), but we're looking forward to the feeling that comes with fueling our bodies with the food it needs.

Date Aaron once a month
Now that we have a baby, going on dates just the two of us is a bit trickier. In fact, we haven't yet! While Hazel is a great dinner companion and we LOVE bringing her along, we'd like to set aside some time each month where we go out just the two of us. Aaron and I tend to be spontaneous when it comes to going out, but this will require some additional planning. It might even make it more fun, since we'll have been looking forward to it rather than planning day of!

Travel somewhere new
We already have a trip booked to Puerto Rico in March! I was inspired by my friend Christine who is going in a few weeks, and we have plenty of Jet Blue points to spare. We're going to stay HERE and I'm looking forward to some beach time and relaxing in the sun with my little family. If there's one thing I know about us, this likely won't be the only trip we take this year (#sorryfinances).

Host a party at my house
I'm thinking I need to utilize my lovely backyard for a spring time tea party or some other kind of lady soiree. I have a handful of wonderful girlfriends in the area and I'd love to treat them to an afternoon of fun (with an Instagram worthy set-up, of course).

Compile my clothes into one closet
We have pretty small closets in our house and just one in our master bedroom. Right now, I primarily live out of this one closet but I also have off-season / lesser worn clothes in the guest bedroom closet. Since I really only use the clothes in one closet, I'd like to find a way to minimize my wardrobe to where everything I own can fit in the one in our room. That way, Aaron can take the guest room space and Hazel's can be free for her growing wardrobe and toys.

A month without unnecessary spending
We're actually doing this the month of January, where we aren't spending money on things we don't absolutely need. For instance, while roaming the aisles at Target it's so easy to spend an extra $50 on things that aren't absolute necessities (i.e lipstick). I'm hoping that this will set the tone for the discipline and we can implement more often than just this once.

Get involved at our new church
We started going to Church of the Advent in Columbia Heights after Hazel was born, and it feels like this is where we'll be calling our church home. While we've met some wonderful people already, I'd like to be more involved and connected with both our time and money.
Already looking forward to seeing how I / we do with these. Let's go 2017!

2016. A Year in Review.

WHAT A YEAR. I would venture to say this was our most life-changing year yet. I'd like to declare 2016 the "Year of Hazel" because we found out we were pregnant on January 3 and thus set into motion the preparation for her arrival and all it encompasses. It would be difficult for me to recap all that 2016 was in a single blog post (you should see my iPhone camera roll - we did so much!), but since I love a good trip down memory lane, I'll at least give it a try...

JANUARY
We rang in the New Year in our lovely New York City apartment after an amazing dinner at our favorite West Village restaurant and getting to experience a whole subway car to ourself. Only three days later, we found out the most life changing (and surprising) news... we. were. pregnant! The next few weeks were filled with morning sickness, lots of bagels, and checking things off from our New York bucket list (like the frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity, Dia:Beacon, and trekking through Central Park during one last snow storm). My co-worker and I also made a trip to our Orlando warehouse and spent the afternoon at Disney World after work!


FEBRUARY
We kicked February off with a visit from our dear friends, Natalie and Derek. We took them to the Comedy Cellar where the legendary Chris Rock make a surprise performance. Despite feeling sick the whole weekend, we had so much fun! Another February highlight was the spontaneous invite from Christine to attend the Zoolander 2 premiere where I more than doubled my list of NYC celebrity sightings in one night! And then on February 27, we packed up our apartment and left our beloved New York for a new life in the DC suburbs.




MARCH
After buying our first home in Garrett Park, we spent the early spring months exploring our new surroundings in Maryland, getting our home set up, and deep diving into the world of pregnancy and birth preparation. We also made a trip to Greensboro, NC to celebrate the wedding of my dear friend Elizabeth Joy. The whole weekend felt a bit like heaven - so many wonderful people in one place and a wedding celebration to top it off!


APRIL
My main goal in April was to SEE ALL THE FLOWERS. With the DC cherry blossoms to local gardens, we made our rounds to see all the spring beauty bursting forth. I also took a quick work trip to southern California, and made a pit-stop at the Carlsbad Flower Fields while there. We also decided in April that it was time to finally time to announce our good news - we were making a human! And then on April 18th we found out that we were having a GIRL human. Best news ever.


MAY
Despite being colder than expected, Christine and I took our Annual Girls Weekend Trip to Portland, Maine and enjoyed a bounty of lobster while searching for all of the lighthouses. And about a week later, Aaron and I embarked on one of my favorite adventures yet - Iceland for our baby moon! Right after we got back, we headed to Bethany Beach for our annual Memorial Day beach weekend with my family and also bought ourselves a brand new Hyundai Santa Fe!


JUNE
My one request for my 28th birthday was to go strawberry picking, and so we did! It was muggy, but wonderful and we enjoyed the berries for several days afterward. Later in the month, we were completely spoiled by my sister and Sam who hosted the most amazing fiesta-themed baby shower for us. It was absolutely one of this year's highlights. We joked that it was like a small wedding, and we felt so loved having people from far and wide come celebrate with us. To round out a month of endless celebration, we celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary, made multiple pregnancy-craving trips to Ice Cream Jubilee, and went to a Nationals baseball game on a perfect summer night.


JULY
Our goal for July was to spend as many Saturday's as possible at our neighborhood pool. I was finally able to procure a bit of a tan, and we relaxed to our hearts content knowing next summer would be a bit different. We also finally got to see the sunflower fields in Poolesville! We had always missed their bloom while living in New York, but we got to see them at their prime this year and it was everything and more. I also made my monthly trip to NYC for work, and got to go sailing with the ONA team. We took a quick getaway to the beautiful Charlottesville area. We stayed one night downtown at The Graduate Hotel and a second night in an adorable A-frame cabin we found on Airbnb. We made one of our all time favorite memories picnicking atop Skyline Drive while watching the sun set.


AUGUST
August was busy with our weekly birth class and general labor / delivery preparation. We finished the nursery, took an infant CPR class, installed the car seat, and got our hospital bags packed. In the midst of baby preparation, I hosted a baby "sprinkle" for my sister at our house, helped plan a bridal shower for my longtime friend Caitlin, and attended another bridal shower for afternoon tea in Georgetown. In a final effort to get everything set before Hazel's arrival, I made one last trip to NYC to get all handed over to my co-workers and tacked on a weekend trip with Aaron to enjoy the city one last time sans baby.


SEPTEMBER
Once September began, our calendar was officially cleared for baby watch. We filled the passing days with things like long walks, picnics, DC gallery visits. Our due date came and went so we took advantage of every last moment with just the two of us. And 6 days after her due date, our darling Hazel Belle Wishart made her grand entrance into the world and changed our lives forever. The weeks after were spent soaking her up and getting to know all the ins and outs of our newest family member. And then just two weeks after she was born, we made our way to Deep Creek Lake for our first annual fall weekend away with the Boro family. We also took full advantage of Aaron's paternity leave and made sure to go pumpkin picking to kick off the holiday season.


OCTOBER
At the beginning of October I put a bridesmaid dress on and got to stand beside Caitlin as she married Sean. What an honor to be there for my oldest friend! And just 5 weeks after Hazel was born, my sister quickly delivered Sullivan "Sully" Thomas Boro in the early morning of October 26th. We rounded out October with Halloween and Hazel dressed as a sweet little fox. I was entirely uncreative (unlike my sister) and wore my "mom uniform". AKA the outfit I wear every day.


NOVEMBER
I continued to enjoy my maternity leave, and we welcomed November with an overnight visit from Christine and Gertie the pug. Not long after, we took our first vacation as a family of three to Norfolk and the Outer Banks during the long weekend for Veteran's Day. The rest of November was spent enjoying our growing babe and preparing for her very first Thanksgiving and holiday season.



DECEMBER
About a week before Thanksgiving my sister (who was also on maternity leave) and I joked that we should take a trip to Waco, TX in December to visit the Magnolia Silos made famous by Chip and Joanna Gaines of Fixer Upper. AND SO WE DID. It was the best sister trip and we felt so empowered traveling alone with our newborns. Bucket list item fulfilled! We also celebrated Aaron turning 32 on December 4th. I love this man and am continually SO grateful he was born - life is infinitely better because he's a part of it. And then we kicked off the Christmas festivities with a trip to New York, our annual Wishart Family Christmas Weekend with Aaron's immediate family, followed by all of our other family Christmas traditions. This year was extra sweet as there were TWO new babies in tow.


2016 will be hard to beat for us! We were blessed beyond what we deserve and are so grateful to God for the sweet provision this year. With our intentions set and some scheming for next adventures, we're excited to see how 2017 unfolds.