The Amazing Hazel Baby

Yesterday, Hazel, Benny and I went to my office Christmas party. Having been out of the office since mid-October, it was great to see everyone again. And Hazel was absolutely the Belle of the Ball. I couldn't keep her asleep and all of the women at the party had to hold her and play with her.

This, of course... made me a little nervous as I knew that a missed nap could cause a huge bomb to go off in our house later that night when we tried to put an overtired baby down to sleep. I was also worried that she would get all sorts of fussy as she normally does in the evening and ruin a perfectly good Christmas party. But my baby girl.... my sweet, curveball of a baby girl... was absolutely amazing. The only time she acted up was when it was time to eat. And she took four whole ounces of formula from Benny... not even choking on the bottle one time!!!

And then she fell asleep on my shoulder... perfectly content to be in the moment, in the middle of a party with lots of laughing and talking. My little girl... turns out she's a bit of a social butterfly... even at 2 months!

We came home last night at about 9:30, fully expecting a meltdown from Hazel. None came. Even after her bath, when Benny took her out of the tub... which is also the moment that Hazel loses her ever-loving mind. I think she just loves the water so much that she abhors leaving it. But last night? Not one scream. Not even one peep. For a minute, I worried that she might be a little sick. I fed her while Benny (who had been working outside all day and was exhausted) hit the sack.

Here's the thing... Hazel loves her Daddy. And apparently, when it's time to go to bed, the only one who is worthy of putting her down is Daddy. Even if Daddy is dead to the world... Mommy just won't do. So, after 45 minutes of trying and getting NOWHERE, I woke Benny up and ordered the Daddy Special for Hazel.

The result? 5 minutes later, she was out and Benny was back in bed... again, dead to the world.

We've noticed that if we can get Hazel to bed before 11 p.m., she will usually sleep for 4.5-5.5 hours. But if we get her down anytime after 11 p.m., she only sleeps for 2.5-3.5 hours. So... you can see where WE REALLY WANT HER IN BED BEFORE 11. Last night, she went down at 11:05, but took mercy on me and slept for 4.5 hours. I'm looking forward to the first time she sleeps through the night. Also, I'm looking forward to her bedtime being earlier than 9. I know that's a few months from now, but a girl can still dream.

I'm having mixed emotions right now about the future. A month ago, if you had asked me how I felt about taking her to day care, I would have told you that while I love my baby girl... DAY CARE NEEDS TO HAPPEN. Because I have got to have some adult interaction and I just don't do the stay-at-home with the baby thing well. And I'm kinda bored. And I'm getting nothing back from this child!!!

But now? Well... at almost two months, Hazel's starting to be fun! She smiles, she coo's, she loves to look at me and loves to look at the shapes book that we have for her. She's downright enjoyable! And I can't believe that I have to miss that... that I have to miss her growing up right before my eyes. Because now that things are settling down and I'm settling into my new role as Mommy, I can appreciate how much she changes from day-to-day. It's SCARY fast and I have been relishing watching it happen before my eyes. SO. COOL.

Luckily for me, the day care facility we're taking her to is A) Top of the line; and B) Close to my office... so if I need to run out there for some time to love on her, it shouldn't be too hard. But still... it breaks my heart to think about what's coming.

Speaking of what's coming... Hazel's got a doctor's appointment on Dec. 23. I think she'll get some immunization shots at that time, which scares the hell out of me. Seriously. Benny may just have to jump on the grenade again since I know I can't be in the room with her when she gets the shots, as it will KILL ME DEAD to hear her cry in pain.

And now I'm all stressed about THAT. Way to go, Mommy. Freaking out a full week before you need to.

Benny and Hazel at Rooster's... catching some zzzz's.