A Full Night's Sleep!!!!!!!!

For the third night in a row, Peter has slept through the night.

Friday night - 11:00pm-6:00am
Saturday night - 10:45pm-6:45am
Sunday night - 9:30pm-8:00am

Wahoo! It's amazing how much happier he is when he has a full night's sleep. Let's see if we can make it four in a row!!!

Peter's New Talent

Amy, Andrew's younger sister, captured this video of Peter this afternoon. You will see him batting at the toys on his bouncer and following Amy with his eyes as she moved around with the camera. Both of these are new skills that we are very excited about! You can hear him making some noise if you have your volume turned up. Enjoy! :)





Andrew and I also got to go out alone for the first time in 3 months! Andrew's mom watched Peter while we had dinner at Friendly's, this wonderful little restaurant in Midland Park (the town Andrew's family lives in). Andrew's grandma gave us a gift certificate there for Christmas. It's about 5 minutes away from the house, so we didn't go very far. The food is good, but the ice cream there is even better. I always make sure to go every time we come to New Jersey. It was weird not having Peter with us. It was nice to eat and not worry if he was going to be fussy or want out of his car seat. Peter enjoyed playing under the tree and hanging out with Grandma while we were gone. We came home to find him napping. It was a nice time for just the two of us.

Daddy's Here!

Peter and I went with Grandpa to pick Daddy up at the airport today. Peter sure was happy to see his daddy!

I think our years of not putting up a Christmas tree are over. Peter has thoroughly enjoyed looking at the lights on Grandma and Grandpa's tree. It has helped calm him down numerous times when he's been fussy. He hung out under the tree in his diaper for quite a while last night. I guess I better find our ornaments next year!

3 Months!

Peter turned 3 months today! We have had a great time in New Jersey so far. Andrew comes tomorrow, so we are quite excited about that. Here are a few pictures from our time here so far...











Peter and Grandpa sleeping



Great-Grandma feeding Peter

Mommy and her boy

This is Peter's first trip to Build-A-Bear Workshop. As you can see, he was thrilled to be there!

Love to everyone from Midland Park, New Jersey!

Merry Christmas!

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Isaiah 9:6

As I hold my precious little boy this holiday season, I am so thankful for the gift that God has given our family. As some of you know, 2 years ago, during this season, I was going through blood work and testing for a miscarriage. This year, during the same season, I am holding a sweet and wonderful little boy. God has blessed our family immensely through him, and we are so thankful for that.
I feel like I can relate to Mary as she held her own precious son Jesus on Christmas morning. I know exactly how she felt as she looked at him for the first time. However, I cannot even begin to fathom how she felt knowing that 33 years later, her precious little boy would be crucified on a cross for the sins of the world.
As you celebrate this season with friends and loved ones, I pray that God reveals himself to you in a brand new way. I pray that the materialism of the season is put aside as you worship a king who came to earth, was born as a baby, lived the same life as you and I, and then died so that we can live eternally with him.

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16

Hello from Beautiful New Jersey!

Peter and I have enjoyed our first few days here in New Jersey. The weather has been chilly and damp, so Peter is having to bundle up when we go outside. We went to Grandpa's work so Grandpa could show him off. Here he is all bundled up in his new snowsuit!

Peter also met Great-Grandma Van Slooten for the first time. Peter was named after her husband, Andrew's grandpa. Pop passed away last summer, and it was an honor to name our son after him.

We went to church with Aunt Kim and Aunt Amy this morning. Andrew's Uncle Fred is the pastor of the church. He was dressed as a Christmas tree for a skit, so Peter posed with him.

We are having a great time!

My new favorite store is...

Nordstrom!!! No, not because of the wonderful clothing that they sell for more money than I could ever afford. No, not because of the piano player - although I do enjoy the music. It's because of their restrooms. :) You might be wondering why I care about restrooms in a department store.


Nordstrom has a lounge attached to their restrooms that is perfect for nursing babies. There are chairs and a couch and a soft changing table. There is one mall in Austin with a Nordstrom. It's about 10 minutes further away than the mall we used to go to. However, I will drive the extra 10 minutes because I know that I will be able to feed Peter in a comfortable place. Now if only I can convince Wal-Mart to do the same...

Cardiologist Appointment

I realized that I never gave an update on the cardiologist appointment...

I took Peter to a pediatric cardiologist on Tuesday. We were there for 2 hours, but he did great. He weighed 12 lbs 5 oz and was 24 1/4 inches long. That's up a pound from his 2-month check-up! The nurse did an EKG first. Peter had little stickers all over him with wires connected. It brought back memories from the NICU. He was a good sport and talked to the nurse the whole time. After that, Dr. Holt came in and listened to his heart. We had been there for a while by then, so Peter had fallen asleep. Dr. Holt let me hold Peter while he listened, and Peter stayed asleep the whole time! The last thing they did was an ultrasound of Peter's heart. He was wide awake by this time. The ultrasound tech needed him to be as still as possible. I sat on the table with him and helped distract him. They had a mobile, music, and lots of lights to keep him occupied. He was very interested in the picture of his heart, so he stayed pretty still as he was watching it. 20 minutes later - he was finished!

Dr. Holt called the murmur an innocent murmur. Apparently there is a small hole between two chambers of the heart that hasn't closed yet. It's not uncommon for babies to have this, and the hole should close on its own within a year. We will have another appointment in a year to make sure everything is ok. It shouldn't cause any problems at all because it's so small. Praise God that it isn't anything to worry about!

First Plane Ride

Peter took his first plane ride today, and he did GREAT! We were up at 3:30 am to catch a 6:30 am flight. Andrew took us as far as security and then had to say goodbye to his little boy for a whole week. Peter and I were able to pre-board, so that was helpful in getting settled. Except for a few small crying outbursts that only lasted a minute or two, Peter slept most of the time. He slept on take-off and landing - it was wonderful for his little ears! Everyone commented on how good and sweet (and good looking!) he was. We arrived in New Jersey safe and sound. Peter even earned his wings from the Continental ticketing agent. :)

Now Peter is taking a MUCH needed nap - poor guy...getting up at 3:30 is hard!

More to come from snow-covered New Jersey...

7 1/2 Hours!!!

That's how much UNINTERRUPTED sleep I got last night! :)

I nursed Peter for about 10 minutes at 10pm. Then I put him down (awake!) and wondered if he would fall asleep on his own or not. We didn't hear a peep out of him until almost 6:30 this morning! I woke up when Andrew got up to get in the shower and realized that I hadn't heard him all night. I got up to check on him and he was starting to stretch and wake up. I got him up, changed him, and fed him. It was so nice to actually get sleep. Now if only this will become the norm...

Packing Clothes...

I have been packing clothes for as long as I can remember. My parents are divorced, so I packed a bag every other weekend as a child to visit my dad. After the visit, I would return home and unpack. I started attending summer camps when I was 8 years old. I would pack a suitcase for the week, have a great time at camp, and then unpack when I returned home. The Christmas after high school graduation, I traveled out of the country for the first time to Malaysia with a group from my church. That trip sparked a love for overseas missions, and I have had the privilege of traveling to Malaysia, Thailand, Costa Rica, Mexico, Taiwan, and Romania. Each time I would pack a suitcase (ok, those of you who know how I pack know that I packed several suitcases!), visit for a couple of weeks or so, and then return home. After returning home, I would always unpack.

I packed again this week. The difference this time is that I won't be unpacking for a very long time. Peter has finally outgrown all of his newborn clothes and many of his 0-3 month clothes. I packed them all in a box to store under the bed. It makes me a little sad to think that Peter will never again wear these clothes. He is growing bigger everyday! He has such a cute little personality - he makes eye contact and gives us the biggest grins, he holds conversations with his "oohs" and ahhs", and he is just such a little joy.

One day another little Hazen will enter the world...until then, the packed clothes will just stay packed.

Peter's First Friends

Peter has his first friends - three little bugs that travel with us everywhere we go! The bugs hang from the handle of his carseat. They jingle when they move, and Peter is starting to learn how to bat at them. I have no idea what they talk about, but we hear Peter "talking" to them in the car all the time. Andrew and I went to get him out of the car last night, and we could see and hear him just chatting away with his new little friends. It's adorable!

An Adventure!

Well, we tried something new today. We've taken Peter on walks in his stroller around the neighborhood, but today we thought we'd try it with the dogs. For those of you who have never seen our dogs, here they are...

Homer is a 7 lb Toy Fox Terrier and Armani is a 111 lb Doberman. In the past, I walked Homer and Andrew walked Armani. I pushed Peter in the stroller today, so Andrew had both dogs. The difference in size makes walking both at the same time quite an adventure. Armani was very patient as Homer stopped at every other house to mark his territory. He was also patient as Homer kept going under and around him trying to tangle up the leashes. We need a bit more practice walking both dogs and the baby, but we'll get it down. The dogs definitely enjoyed getting out!!!

2 Month Doctor Visit

Has it really been two months? Time is flying! Andrew and I took Peter to the doctor today for his 2 month check-up. He is 24 inches long and 11 lbs 5 oz! I was so happy to see his weight gain. It's hard knowing how much milk he's getting when I'm nursing him, so knowing that he gained 2 lbs in the past month was very reassuring. He did great and didn't cry when the doctor examined him. Dr. Esparza listened to his heart for what seemed like longer than normal. He heard a slight heart murmur and wants us to get it checked out by a pediatric cardiologist. The doctor said that it is probably nothing to be concerned about, but he wants us to get it checked out just in case. The neonatologist in the NICU also heard a slight murmur. Please pray that it takes care of itself on its own and doesn't prove to be a concern!

Peter also had his 2 month vaccines today. 3 shots in the leg and one oral dose. Andrew held him because I just couldn't do it. Peter screamed when the shots went in, but he calmed down pretty quickly. Now we just continue praying that he doesn't have any reactions to the vaccines. He is now sound asleep in his carseat.

Answered Prayer

My grandfather was hospitalized in August with West Nile Virus. Andrew and I went to Houston when I was 33 weeks pregnant to see him. I prayed over and over that PawPaw would make it so that he could meet his newest great-grandson. That prayer was answered last weekend when Peter and I were able to visit PawPaw at the hospital. Although he is still on the ventilator, he is making progress with coming off of it. We can't wait to visit again - hopefully at his house!

Peter meets June Bug for the first time.

Mom held Peter up so PawPaw could see him. Then he layed next to PawPaw in bed!

First Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

We celebrated Peter's first Thanksgiving in Houston. It was the first time that Peter had ridden in a car for more than 20 minutes or so, and he did great! He slept the entire way and woke up just as we were turning into Jersey Village. I was able to eat while Grandpa and Peter chilled in the living room. It was nice to eat warm food! Andrew had to return to Austin on Thursday evening for work on Friday, but Peter and I stayed until Sunday. Peter got to meet a lot of new people in Houston. Here are some pictures from our weekend...

Ready to go...

Hanging with Grandpa while Mom eats

Cousins Jennifer and Heather clean the kitchen

Meeting cousin Jennifer

David (Jennifer's husband) and their dog Pepper

Meeting Uncle Bryan and cousin Christopher

Meeting cousin Katelynn

Peter and Mommy

Peter and Daddy

Sleeping in Aunt Becky's arms

Carolyn and Peter (Carolyn and Kara worked at Camp Peniel together.)

Meeting Uncle Jonathan and Aunt Amy - Can't wait to meet Baby Beeler in April!

Annick and Peter (Kara and Annick went to middle school together.)

Arranged Marriage

Ok, so maybe we can't arrange his marriage, but they sure are cute together!

We took Peter to church on Sunday. It was his second time in Sunday School and his first time in "Big" church. He fell asleep during Sunday School and slept through part of church. Then he fell asleep again once I was holding him. The picture is of Peter and Addie. Addie is a month younger than Peter, and her grandparents are our Sunday School teachers. Aren't they a cute little couple? :)

When All Else Fails . . . Use the Wii!

We were introduced to the Wii last weekend after watching UT beat Tech at Chris and Kristen's house. Peter went through three cycles of eating, napping, and playing while Daddy tried to beat Chris at Wii tennis time after time after time. After hearing "Just one more game..." for the fifteenth time, we finally left after 10pm after being over at their house for 8 hours!

On Sunday, Daddy and Uncle Vinny went to Walmart to see if they had the Wii in stock. Vinny had also been recently introduced to the Wii, and he wanted one of his own. Walmart was out, but Target had 2. Well, now they have 1 - Vinny bought the other!

They plugged it in at our house on Sunday, and Vinny left it here for a few days. For the past couple of nights, Daddy and Peter have been improving their bowling skills. The movement is perfect for Peter - it puts him right to sleep!!!

Some people rock the baby, some people put the baby in the car and drive around, some people put the baby in a sling - We Wii!! :)

Success!

Peter slept in his bassinet for most of last night. This is the first time! He slept with me on the couch for about an hour before we went upstairs.

He slept in our bed from 10:30 - 12:30. Andrew woke me up at 12:30 to let me know Peter was hungry. He wasn't fussing or crying - he was just enjoying sucking on his hand. This is a sure sign that crying is next, so I got up to feed him. I swaddled him and put him in his bed at 1:30. He slept until 4:30 - 3 hours of sleep for Mom!!! I fed him at 4:30 and put him back to bed at 5:30. He slept until 8:20!

He usually takes his naps either in my arms, his pack 'n play, or his carseat (if we're out running errands). Today I took a chance and put him down in his bassinet. He was tired, but he wasn't asleep. I swaddled him, put him down, and turned on the radio. A few minutes of fussing and he was out! He slept from 10:30-11:20 this morning!!! I was able to take a shower and still have time to spare. :)

He napped again this afternoon for 2 hours in his bassinet. This is the first time that he has napped for this long alone. I was so proud of him. Now we are headed to bed . . . I'm hoping for a repeat of last night. :)

You Might Not Believe It...

Last Tuesday evening, Andrew took over Peter duty so I could take a shower. After showering, I was getting dressed when I heard a very sweet sound downstairs. Andrew's mom had given us 3 Praise Baby DVDs back in July. Praise Baby is very similar to Baby Einstein DVDs with a Christian twist - it's 30 minutes of praise music sung by a female with pictures of babies, nature, numbers, letters, etc. For those of you who know my husband well, this is NOT his style of music at all! When we got the DVDs, I figured it would be one of those things that Peter would watch while Daddy was at work because I wasn't even sure Daddy could tolerate the sweet music of the DVDs. Imagine my surprise when I came downstairs after my shower to see Daddy and Peter singing and dancing to the Praise Baby music. Andrew had sung almost the entire DVD to him! It's amazing what a dad will do to calm his fussy baby. I wish I had a video of it, but I think Andrew would have definitely deleted that footage!

Time Flies!

Peter Andrew Hazen

Peter is already a month old! Time sure flies by. It's hard to believe that just a month ago we were at the hospital. We have had TONS of visitors since arriving home! It was nice to have so many people staying with us for the first month to help with laundry, dishes, cleaning, and loving on Peter. It's amazing the things I took for granted before he was born -- things like showering every morning, eating warm food, sleeping for more than an hour at a time...Although life has changed drastically for us, our little boy is absolutely worth every bit of it. I never thought I would be so in love with someone so little and completely dependent on me that getting up in the middle of the night was actually a blessing - a time to snuggle and enjoy the new little blessing that God has given to us.

Here are a few pics from the past few weeks!

Grandma and Grandpa Hazen visit from New Jersey!

Aunt Amy visits from New Jersey!

Grandma visits from Houston!

Papa John and Grandma visit from Johnson City!

Mr. and Mrs. Hastings visit from across the street!

Visiting with the Great-Grandparents!

Grandma Karen visits from Las Vegas!

Grandpa visits from Houston!

Mommy and Peter reading the mail.

Aunt Kris and Uncle Bill come for dinner.

It's a . . .

BOY!!!!

Peter Andrew Hazen was born at 12:37 pm on Friday, September 28, 2007. After almost 17 hours of labor, I ended up having a c-section. Peter was face-up, his heartrate was going up with each contraction, and I was running a fever. Dr. Smith felt it would be better for both of us if we did a c-section. After he was born, Peter spent 48 hours in the NICU. They gave him IV antibiotics because of my fever and the length of time between my water breaking and his birth. They also monitored his blood sugar levels because he had several low readings right after birth and then again the second day. He was able to come to our room on Sunday for the first time. I was so glad to finally be able to hold him whenever I wanted! We came home on Tuesday afternoon.

After spending 9 months waiting to learn if our baby would be a boy or girl, I will definitely do it again next time. I'm so glad that we chose to not learn the gender - I highly recommend letting it be a surprise!

Here is a picture of our new little blessing. More pictures to come...

Mommy and Peter in the NICU

2 Weeks!!!

Well, I always said that I would start blogging when I really had something to say. I think being 2 weeks away from my due date is a great time to start. We've waited so long to meet the newest little Hazen. I can't believe he/she is almost here! People are surprised when they find out we chose to not find out the gender ahead of time. It's been tough, but it just gives us that much more to look forward to at the hospital. I can't wait to hear the "It's a ....."!

Hopefully there will be a post soon with a picture of our new little one...