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Hellooooo...

I have been shamefully absent for the past month and a half or so. Let me tell you why.

1. I made a prom dress for my sister.

Though I was asked to do this a year ahead of time, things really started to get down to the wire. I kept getting sick, sewing is hard with a baby around, and the plan kept changing. But, with with dedication on my part and Anthony's as well, the dress was finished.

2. Taxes

What is there to say? We did them. On time, too.

3. Weaning

I ended up weaning Hazel the same week we moved. It was earlier than I had planned, but due to health reasons and frustration levels, we decided that would be best. I got her down to just two breastfeedings, one at bedtime, and one in the morning, then decided to just go cold-turkey from there. After a few days of soreness for me, and a few days of gas for Hazel, things normalized.

Despite feeling sad about it for a bit, I think that really was the best thing to do. Hazel had no problems just switching to bottles; she didn't even seem to miss nursing! In fact, I now realize that she actually wanted to wean. Every time I went to feed her, she rolled away, over and over again. When I gave her bottles, she settled down and finished it all. Oh, well. We made it nine months, which is pretty darn amazing, considering the obstacles we had!

4. Moving out/cleaning the apartment

This was pretty hard. Anthony and I have made a lot of moves since getting married (this makes the fourth, including moving in together when we got married) (did I mention we've only been married a little over two years?). However, all the other moves were just from one place in town to another. This time, we had to pack some stuff to come with us for the summer and pack the rest of it to go with us. We couldn't reuse boxes, unlike previous times, and we actually had to rent a truck! (This was new also, because for the first two moves, we had virtually no furniture, and for the third, our new apartment was a two minute walk from our old one.)

We probably wouldn't have been able to do it if it weren't for the many friends and neighbors who helped us move and clean. Seriously, there were a lot of them! Even with their help, we managed to get everything done several hours later than we planned, just barely in time to...

5. Drive across the country

We'd never done this with a baby before. Really, though, it wasn't so bad. The car was packed to the rafters (of COURSE we have rafters in our car--don't you?), courtesy of me! I really was quite proud to fit everything in. A Civic can hold more than you'd think.

Hazel and I rode in the backseat together, while Anthony drove the whole way. Hazel was extremely good. She did get bored, though, and it was a challenge to keep her entertained. When all else failed, Anthony and I sang primary songs to her, which she usually likes. We were going to try to eat food we brought with us in the car, but ended up just eating out along the way. It turns out that Hazel can have a lot of fun in a booth at a fast food place. She got to stretch her legs and we got to eat. Sweeeet.

It got to the point where when the car stopped and Hazel heard the parking brake, she would start to kick her legs, flail her arms, and look around for Daddy. It was pretty cute, and she always went along with us when we put her back in her carseat. I was afraid she would start getting upset to go back in, but she never did. What a sweetie. (By the way, this seems to have become a permanent habit. Even if we're only in the car for five minutes, she gets totally excited to get out.)

We did learn that we weren't very good at stopping in time for Hazel's wet diapers. Kirkland Signature is the best, but even they couldn't hold up long enough! Whoops...

6. Visiting family

We got to stop for about a week and stay with my parents. It was really fun, and I know they loved seeing Hazel. And she loved seeing them. My dad is apparently the master of peek-a-boo, and Mom kept giving Hazel lots of different foods. What a fun grandma and grandpa!

After a little more driving, we got to visit the other grandparents. Grammy Anita read Hazel lots of books, and Grandpa Selino charmed her quickly, possibly because of his glasses...but possibly not. :)

7. Starting a job and trying to find better housing

Aaaand, then, we finally wound up here in Virginia, where Anthony has started his internship. The thing is, the place we're staying in is a bit too expensive. It may be asking a lot, but wouldn't it be nice to actually make some money this summer?

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We did more things, but those are the big things I can think of. I'm planning on posting more regularly now, if my "i" key doesn't give out on me...