Our first Christmas with Hazel came and went. We had a good time spending the holiday with the in-law's in Texas and taking lots of pictures. In fact, we took so many that I had to split them up into two galleries: Part I and Part II. Merry Christmas (though somewhat belated) and a Happy New Year to everybody!
Since it's been about 3 weeks since my last update, it's only fitting to have a lot of updates available. For one, there are some random photos of Hazel we took in the past few days. Also, Stevi shot a video of Hazel playing with her rattle while laying on the bed (which is one of her favorite places to be, by the way). There are some other photos and videos that have been posted over the last few weeks but were never mentioned here, such as the photos taken over Thanksgiving and during the month of November, or the videos of me playing with Hazel (here and here) and a video of Stevi laying on the floor playing with the baby.
I must admit...I have been pretty lazy about posting new pictures and videos. This doesn't mean that we didn't take any, just that I did not have much time to keep up with the updates. So, to make up for that here are a few videos: first one is of Hazel not being too happy about being filmed. Second one is of Hazel playing with her new chew toys and last but not least is a lovely video of Stevi making Hazel laugh for minutes on end. Enjoy!
An important event happened this past week: Hazel got some new chew toys. She is also a lot keener on playing with them, which in her case really means sticking them in her mouth and chewing on them :) Here are some photos that illustrate that pretty well, as well as Hazel in her pumpkin Halloween suit and a nice photo session of our Doberman Jordan.
This past Friday we were invited to a Halloween party, where Hazel was one of the stars of the night; she wore a Pumpkin outfit and a matching Pumpkin hat. Pictures from the party and some other miscellaneous ones can be found here. Also, earlier this afternoon Stevi was fortunate to have the video camera on as Hazel decided to roll over. Finally, I have posted a video taken about a week ago of Hazel pushing herself up onto her feet as Stevi was holding her. Enjoy!
Today Hazel has turned 4 months old and in order to celebrate this milestone we have decided to post some new pictures that were taken during the last 10 days or so. As you can probably see, she is more interactive now and much more aware of her surroundings. She is laughing, smiling, and cooing at us and really enjoys being played with. Hopefully one of these days we'll be able to shoot a video that will demonstrate these abilities :)
Hazel was very 'chatty' and happy the other day and we thought that it would be a perfect opportunity to shoot a video so that everyone could see how cute she is. As it always happens, though, as soon as I got the camera out she became quiet as a mouse. The video is still pretty good though so here it is.
We took some more photos today and decided to post them right away (haven't been too good at that lately, it seems like the turnaround is a few days on most occasions, but I am getting better!). They're mostly of Hazel laying comfortably on the bed, as well as some in her bassinet while she is doing a 180 :)
To make up for the lack of updates as of late, I wanted to post some new photos that we took over the past 10 days or so. Nothing too special, just quick snapshots of Hazel hanging around with us. She turned 3 months old 8 days ago - time really flies, doesn't it?
My aunt and uncle from Germany came for a visit this past weekend accompanied by my parents - it was nice to get to see them again. They seemed to like the Cleveland area: it reminded them of home weather and nature-wise. We took lots of photos while they were here and I also shot a video of my aunt holding Hazel as she was babbling away.
Lots of updates today, which will hopefully make everybody happy! Last Monday (Sep 3) was Labor Day and we celebrated the holiday by taking Hazel to the Zoo for the first time. We took some photos while we were there, and we also shot a video of Zuri, the baby rhino born July 11 and already weighing in at about 300 lbs (there is a bit of Hazel in the video too). Furthermore, there are several new photos from this past week-end, as well as a video of Hazel talking to the camera for the very first time.
As we all know, the Notre Dame Irish football team had their season opener yesterday. In honor of the event Hazel wore her very first ND Cheerleader outfit. Unfortunately, her looking cute did not help the Irish at all and they ended up losing by a horrible 33-3. Photos of Hazel in her new outfit can be found here. Also, today is Hazel great-grandma's birthday - so Happy Birthday Grandma!
Hazel is continuing the process of acquiring new knowledge. After figuring out how to 'talk' (i.e. make sounds) a few weeks ago, she has also just learned how to suck her thumb - here are some pictures to prove it. She is also a lot stronger now, we almost don't have to hold her head up at all...
This evening was a very nice one to be out and we took full advantage of it. More importantly, I recorded several videos along the way. First is a video of Hazel sitting in an armchair while we were getting ready to leave. Then there is a clip of Stevi walking through the park near our house with Hazel in the sling and Jordan on a leash. And then there is a video of the sunset over the lake - it was very pretty today...
It has been about a week since I last posted some photos, so it's time for some new ones that we shot the past few days. Most of them were taken on Saturday when we dressed Hazel in her new blue dress. Then there is Hazel on her side in the playpen (she turned all by herself!). And finally we have Hazel doing her best impression of a baby leopard on Stevi's leg :)
As I promised in my last post, I have uploaded a new video today. Hazel once againis having a good time lying on a pillow and just being herself ('talking', hiccuping and moving her arms and legs around)...
I guess time really flies when you're having fun...It's been more than a week since our parents have left and I only now found the time to post the last of the pictures that we took while they were here. We also took some more today so here they are. No new video today, but stand by, I'llprobably have a new one of those coming up in the next few days...
On Sunday, July 29 we celebrated Hazel's baptism at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Willoughby. Hazel's godmother was Stevi's sister, Kati. Here are some photos taken on Baptism day, as well as some taken one day earlier. I also noticed that I was lacking updates in the video department, so today I shot a video of Hazel just having a good time laying on a pillow. That 4-minute video can be found here.
To compensate for the lack of updates as of late, I have added a bunch of photos to the Photo Gallery. First, there are some photos of Hazel's first 'real' bath, as well as some more pictures taken the past week. Also, my parents and in-laws are in town this week for Hazel's baptism which will be on Sunday. A few snapshots of us all are also available. Lastly, Stevi's parents and sister went to Niagara Falls a couple of days ago and wanted to share some photos of that so here they are too...
Added a few new pictures of Hazel doing her second favorite thing-sleeping. (The first is crying). Eddie's work sent the embroidered throw that is on her crib.
Today Hazel took her very first stroller ride! We didn't go far this time (only around the neighborhood) but Hazel seemed to like it. She didn't cry or fuss at all and actually ended up falling asleep about halfway through the ride. Of course, we wanted to immortalize the moment so here is a video. There are also a few new photos of her being very comfortable on various pillows (under supervision, of course)...
Based on popular demand I have posted some more photos of our Hazel in the Photo Gallery. This time around, you will notice that in most of the shots she is in somebody's lap. This is no coincidence, because for the past few days she has been very keen on being close to somebody. Also, there is a new video of her as well. She is, you guessed it, in my lap...
A few days ago, our Doberman Jordan had a very unlucky encounter with a neighborhood dog while I was out walking him. They got into a pretty intense fight and he ended up with a few very deep puncture wounds. Since he was bleeding rather heavily and fearing infection, I drove him to the local veterinary E.R., where they cleaned and dressed his wounds and gave me some antibiotics and NSAIDs to give him for a few days. Also, perhaps more dreadful for him than the injuries is the fact that he has to wear an A-collar so that he does not lick his wounds too much which would interfere with the healing process. A few photos of our very sad looking dog, as well as some more of Hazel, can be found here...
Yet more photos of Hazel have been posted in the Photo Gallery. Most of them were taken this past week-end when Hazel's grandparents (on her father's side) came for a visit. Also of note, the Video Gallery is now fully up and running; there are only a couple of videos in there now but stay tuned for more coming shortly...
As is the case with most new parents, we have been taking lots and lots of pictures (and videos) of our new baby ever since she was born. This is a good thing, as her grandparents, other relatives and our friends have been asking for photo updates on an almost daily basis :) Oh well, it's all good, since this web site's first and foremost role is to keep in touch with our loved ones...
Our daughter, Hazel Maria Kovalik, came into the world on Friday, 6/22/2007 at 8:11 PM, weighing in at 6 lbs. 9 oz. (2975 grams) and 20.5 inches long (52 cm). Mom and baby are doing very well. Some photos from the hospital and from the first days at home are available in the Photo Gallery...
Welcome to kovalik.org and Happy Valentine's Day! And this will be a Valentine's Day to remember, at least here in Cleveland. The Valentine's Day Blizzard of 2007 as I'm sure it will go down into the history books has just ended but its effects will be felt for a while. The whole area seems more or less like a ghost town, since not a lot of people have dared to get on the streets (so far). Schools, businesses, government offices are for the most part closed. Officially, we got about 15 inches of snow, but with the high winds that we had all night the snow drifts are much higher than that. Here are a few photos of the snowy mess around our house...
Archive: 2007