San Juan, Puerto Rico.

When I hopped on JetBlue a few weeks into the new year and saw that we could get round trip tickets with our points to Puerto Rico, I jumped at the opportunity. Knowing that we typically get the itch for some kind of "spring break" come March, it seemed like perfect timing to take a quick vacation. The best part about Puerto Rico - no passport required! It felt like one less thing to worry about when traveling with Hazel, as we thought through all the logistics and timing. Since this was our first time traveling with a baby (other than my sister-trip to Waco, TX), we went in with realistic expectations of how much relaxing we'd get to do, and kind of treated it as an experiment vacation. As usual, Hazel exceeded all our expectations and was just as go with the flow as she is in our normal life. While we didn't read as much of our books as we would have hoped, we had such a wonderful time away as family and felt absolutely spoiled staying at The Condado Vanderbilt Hotel. Most of our days were spent lounging by the infinity pool, and enjoying our oceanfront balcony. We also had a lovely outing in Old Town San Juan, which surpassed our expectations as well. We headed off the beaten path, and found some of the less tourist-traversed areas which were all so beautiful. We also discovered an amazing craft beer bar which was run by a couple who used to work at a bar in New York City - on the block where we lived, no less! All in all, we had such a fun time soaking up sun as a family (with plenty of sunscreen!), and hope to make a trip back someday!

Hazel's Baptism and First Easter.

We had such a sweet day of celebration yesterday as Hazel was baptized on her very first Easter. We were surrounded by our families as Aaron's dad baptized our sweet baby in front of the congregation that has been a meaningful part of our lives since day one of dating. We celebrated afterward with lunch at Aaron's parents cute house, and felt so loved as our families joined together for this most important Sunday. Our prayer for our baby girl is that she would come to know Jesus as her Savior and lead a joyful and faithful life following Him. 

Bethany Beach Weekend.

For the past five years it's been a tradition to head to Bethany Beach for a weekend to celebrate my dad's birthday. It's always good to get away together, and this time it was next level fun and chaos with three kids in tow. We lucked out with gorgeous weather on Saturday - to the point that we were all sad we'd worn pants to the beach! We spent the day lounging by the ocean, getting a few pages deeper into our books, and of course taking some pictures. I love these images and I'm grateful for another restorative beach weekend with my family.

DC Cherry Blossoms!

One of the highlights of living in the DC area is the easy access the cherry blossoms when they arrive each March. This year was a little touch and go as it seemed like there wasn't going to be a true peak bloom with the warm weather we experienced so late in the winter, quickly followed by snow. Alas, all of the predictions were wrong and there was a peak bloom after all! We were so happy we went early one morning last year, so we headed out this morning while the crowds were at bay and parking was easy. We almost didn't go because it threatened to rain, but I'm so glad we did because the blooms were at peak and beautiful as ever!

6 months of Hazel.

It's official - our baby is 6 months old today! Every new month brings the same conflicted feelings of loving seeing her grow and feeling sad her time as a baby is so fleeting. I can't count the number of times people stop us to tell us "enjoy this stage!" and I always promise them we really are. I've heard several friends say the fun really starts at 6 months, and while I've genuinely loved every stage so far, I can totally tell things are getting good. See below for some recent developments!

Development/Milestones: Within the last week she has started sitting up all on her own! It pretty much happened overnight because when we were in Puerto Rico (just last week) she really couldn't stay up for more than a second, and this week she's been sitting up on her own for long periods of time. My mind is constantly boggled by how quickly these little ones develop! I'd also like to note that we took her on her first real vacation and she did so wonderfully. Not a peep on either plane ride, and she seemed to giggle more than ever while we were away. Apple doesn't fall from the tree - this girl knows vacation is something special! 

Eating: We are still breastfeeding, and are finally introducing some solids. Earlier this week I chopped a banana in half and let her pick it up and squish it around. Pretty much everything these days goes straight to her mouth, and so did the banana! She didn't seem to hate it, but I can't say I'm looking forward to this next stage - it all seems so messy.

Sleeping: She's still sleeping really well - about 10 to 12 hours per night. We've joked recently that she turns into a pumpkin at 7PM because she basically demands we put her to bed then. There have more than a few nights where it'll literally strike 7:00 and her demeanor instantly changes. It's the strangest thing, but we'll take it!

Likes and Demeanor: She loves grabbing anything and everything in sight. Like I mentioned above, everything seems to go straight to her mouth and she seems all around very curious. While in Puerto Rico she seemed to really enjoy the pool, but not so much the ocean. We're going to have to work on that since we're definitely a beach family. Other than that, she's still as happy and curious as ever. We've also noticed her "flirting" and trying to get people's attention while we're out and about. It's ridiculously cute!

5 months of Hazel.

5 months down with this little lady! Something about approaching 6 months makes my heart a little sad. Wasn't she just born? While it's sad for time to so quickly pass, it's such a joy to watch her learn and grow. Every day we are more amazed by her and find ourselves laughing constantly at the cute things she does. We're having so much more fun than we could have ever expected! 

Development/Milestones: She has TWO teeth! Practically on her way to eating a steak ;) She's also developed a knack for standing and grabbing things. She can roll from front to back, and we're working on the other way.

Eating: We are still breastfeeding, but the pediatrician recently gave us the go-ahead to try out some baby food. Eek! I mean, I think it'll be cute to see her eating and trying new things but breastfeeding is so dang convenient that it'll be an adjustment bringing in another element.

Sleeping: There was a bit of a sleep regression this month, but things are back to normal now. During the regression she would wake up in the middle of the night just happily chatting. No tears! Not hungry! Just awake and chatting. Thankfully, just popping in the pacifier helped her go right back to sleep.

Likes and Demeanor: She's seeming a little bit less cuddly as she's eager to look around and be involved. I don't have much baby experience, but I've been so surprised by how observant she seems to be. If I have her in the Solly Wrap she will crane her head around to see whatever it is I'm doing. She also finds it very amusing to practice standing! When she looks at us for approval it's pretty much the cutest thing. 

(ps. totally meant to post this like 2 weeks ago. OH WELL!)