Some of Her Last Baby Pictures

Oh, this child. The moment she turned ten months old, the toddler came out, and the baby receded into the background. But this birthday tomorrow, as arbitrary as it can be, is the final cut- the coup de grâce of her babyhood. Every day she is doing something new. Today she said, "woof". She blows on her food like she is cooling it down. She does "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" with her hands and dances and sways to any song she hears. Even car commercials. She stretches her arms up when I ask, "How big is Hazel?" and I say "soooooo big!" and she cracks up. She climbs all over me like I'm her gym. Today I caught her stacking blocks, two at a time! She puts thing in a container, instead of just dumping them out. She talks to herself. She points to her crib when she wants her nap. This child is amazing, beautifulandperfect.

It's hard for me to be sad about my baby disappearing, when this emerging kid is so cool. It's been such a dramatic year for our family and it's impossible not to reflect on everything that has happened. There is so much to look forward to though that I can't contain myself. I'll be printing out this blog thus far into a hardcover book for Hazel very soon. All of your comments are going to be a part of it. Thank you for being a part of our lives. Thank you for loving my daughter like one of your own. Thank you for all of the love and support this year. Thank you for taking an interest in our little life, for checking in on us, and for introducing yourselves and your babies to me. You are all a part of my families life, and will always be a part of Hazel's childhood.

There are so many things coming up in the future- on March 10th Hazel is scheduled to go back to Children's Hospital Boston for another procedure. The scar tissue in her esophagus has formed a stricture, or a narrowing and she has had a lot of difficulty swallowing beyond purees. It's frustrating, because developmentally she wants to feed herself, but physically she can't swallow anything that she might be able to self- feed. They will put her to sleep under general anesthesia and thread a balloon into her esophagus under xray. They will inflate it to a certain pressure that will tear her scar tissue and hopefully open her esophagus. This is a procedure that Hazel may have to have repeated several more times. Can I ask you all one more favor- will you please think of her, and send us your best, strongst, healthiest wishes? There is still the risk of a rupture of the esophagus, but there is also the opportunity to get her swallowing again without choking, regurgitating and aspirating. It would be really nice for us all to be able to relax a bit.

But there are other things to look forward to- spring is coming, and while we are sad to see this snowy winter go, we can't wait for days at the beach, walking along the river, swinging at the playgroud, exploring in the woods, spending time at the lake in Maine, and with our friends in Vermont. This will be Hazel's first year in the Warren, Vermont Fourth of July Parade and at the Tunbridge Vermont World's Fair. Our CSA farm will be opening for the spring season, soon and Hazel can participate in all of the fun things going on there this year. Hazel will be walking any minute and she is ready to explore the larger world. We are so looking forward to everything that is to come. We love you more than anything, Hazel Porkpie.