SUNFLOWERS!

I'm completely serious when I say I look forward to this day all year. There is a 30 acre field of sunflowers just a half an hour away, and I've been anticipating this since our visit last summer. My friend Christine and I always joke about how flower anxiety is a real thing - we're either afraid we'll miss peak bloom, or when we go everyone else in the world will be there, too. The fears were real this year as peak bloom happened on a Saturday and there were multiple news stories about the blooming flowers. I knew we'd be in for a crowd, so we headed there around 9AM. We shouldn't have been surprised, but A LOT of other people had the same idea. Thankfully, with 30 acres to work with, there were plenty of flowers to go around and it was just as magical as it looks. Giddy doesn't even begin to describe how I felt, and Hazel loved them, too. See you next year, sunflowers! 

4th of July Parade!

Every year the town of Bethany Beach has a lively 4th of July parade - which includes a bike parade - and this year we decided to join! We decked ourselves from head to toe in red, white, and blue and had the most fun walking in the parade. Hazel recently learned how to wave, and it was the best seeing her wave to the people as we walked by in the wagon. Her and Sully were definite crowd pleasers!

9 months of Hazel.

Welp, I meant to post this like three weeks ago, but here we go...!

Development/Milestones: We officially have a crawler! It's a combination of being the cutest and most nerve-wracking thing. I love seeing her explore and get around by herself, but I've also never been more aware of all things in our house that aren't baby-friendly. Hazel has also continued to find her voice and is saying things like "da-da", "ga-ga", and "ba-ba" regularly. She also waves hello and goodbye on cue, knows what we mean when we say "no" and is growing like a weed. At her 9 month appointment she weighed 20lbs and her head is in the 98th percentile - hilarious!

Eating: She has started really enjoying solid foods and we're giving her more stuff that isn't pureed. She's able to use her pincher fingers to grab small bites and is becoming more independent with feeding herself.

Sleeping: Still a great sleeper! I'll say it till the day we die, WE ARE GRATEFUL.

Likes and Demeanor: She's definitely becoming more opinionated and Aaron and I have joked that parents always say "they are developing a personality" when really they mean their child is being SASSY. I have to say, I really like that we have a strong, spirited girl and I hope she remains this way. Other than her developing "personality" she is still content most of the time. She definitely still loves to be held, and I find that she's the most calm when I'm carrying her around.

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