Dinner -Kids +Movie

We went out sans bebes with Mike and Eva over the weekend. I love all my friends' kids (and have an extra special spot in my heart for Sophie, as we spent 8-12 hours a day in the same building for over a year), and miss Marlee terribly, but it was so nice! No kicking ourselves for forgetting cheerios, constantly watching MJ's quick hands, or fishing crayon out of Sophie's mouth. Marlee is finally old enough that I don't worry and feel like rushing home at every moment. We went to a pizza place, where Mike and Michael harassed the waitress. I believe that you will soon be able to order the Schug Special Stromboli at Mario's in Roswell. After dinner, we saw 21..I really liked it! Eva is beautifully very pregnant, and sometime in the next four weeks, Sophie will have a baby brother...if only he had a name. ;)

It'll be so exciting to ask for yet another highchair!

Pictures of MJ

Lori used Georgia's nice camera to snap some great shots of Marlee on our playdate...I had to share!

Playdate

We got together with some friends from my message board today for a playdate. It was so great meeting Lori and Georgia in person, and their babies are so cute! Marlee was giddy over having some friends to playwith...she was all squeals. After a fun lunch at the Fickle Pickle, we played at the playground.

Marlee and Cammie

Kate
Cammie

Confession

I complain about lack of sleep sometimes, but I secretly love Marlee's 4am wake up. I love bringing her into bed, nursing her back to sleep, and snuggling with her until we get up at 8. I get sad when I think about not having that time anymore.

Weight Check

We took MJ to see Dr. Jina for her weight check. She's 15 pounds, 9 1/2 ounces...that's still 22-23 percentile, so she's staying on her curve. Good news!

Ears, etc. all looked good, and as usual, Dr. Jina filled our heads with compliments about our little girl!

How Could I Forget?!

Casey and Jess shared some big news with us Easter Sunday...they're going to have a baby! That's right, another cousin for Marlee! Jessica's due some time around the New Year, but they don't have an exact date yet. Congratulations, guys...we're so happy for you!

Auntie Jess and Uncle Casey will soon be answering to new names...Mommy and Daddy!

Uh-Oh.

When I went to get MJ up from her nap, I found this. (She's on her knees)



While I was snapping pictures, she stood up!!!!!!!



I was cheering for her, and she decided to show me more...."I can do it with one hand, Mommy!"



She's very pleased with herself. Guess it's time to lower the mattress.

Happy 7 Months, Marlee June!

This picture was actually taken last week, but I love how it shows her little personality these days!

Happy Easter!

Sponsor Me in the MS Walk!

I am raising money for my friend Caroline's team, Wearing Red Shoes. To donate, click here.

Caroline's amazingly upbeat attitude throughout her battle with the "MonSter," has been truly inspiring. To hear about it from her perspective, check out her blog, Wearing Red Shoes.

Every little bit helps...thank you!

Big Girl Lunch

Marlee is enjoying her first adventures in table foods. I think she likes squishing around in them as much as eating them.

Zucchini, Squash, Pasta and Bananas

For dessert (and to occupy her while I ate), a cookie (aka teething biscuit)

I Have a New Blog!

www.supernaturalmomma.blogspot.com

I have lots of easy eco-friendly tips I just have to share! I want to post them all at once...but I'm going to stick to one a day. How many changes can you make?

On a side note, we're accepting Mommas on my private blog. Just requires an non-judgmental open mind, secret-keeping abilities, and a kid under 5. Shoot me an email if you'd like an invite.

You Found Us!

Welcome to our new address. Sorry for the confusion, and thanks for understanding!

Happy St. Patty's Day from Marlee

My Mommy forgot to dress me in green, so I had to find another way to celebrate!

About the Parents

I intended to use this blog as a way to keep everyone informed of the goings-on of all three of us, but, of course, it's much more fun to talk about Marlee! She has news everyday, while our lives are the same old stuff for the most part.

Michael and his compadres continue to develop "Dark Frontiers," their massively multiplayer online role-playing game (or MMORPG for those in the know). I have to admit, it's pretty cool. The concept is original, the story is fun, and I'm impressed with what these guys are capable of. They've made some progress toward getting the funding they need to finish development and get some players. Hopefully their big break will come soon. In the meantime, he continues to work for RM.

Staying home with Marlee has been wonderful. It's funny how much a baby can change who you are. Maybe it's not a change so much as a realization. I don't know. I'm just much more at peace with myself and my role in this crazy world.

This past weekend, I completed training and officially became a doula! Marlee's birthday was the most awesome day of my life, and I'm really excited to help other women have their own amazing births. I'm also going to be teaching classes and providing postpartum and lactation support. I'm hoping to be certified by DONA Intl. in the near future. In order to do that, I have to attend three births... so now I'm on the hunt for moms-to-be!

So there's a little bit of news about us. We're both working on ways to make doing what we love a full time reality. Oh, and we we got a good night's sleep last night! :)

A Portrait of Separation Anxiety

IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!

I will be changing the blog address in a week. Apparently, we've become quite popular, and I'm regretting the use of our last name. I'm finding that our site is linked on the blogs of people I don't know as a good read! This is cool, and completely fine with me!

If you link to the blog from facebook or thenestbaby.com, you will still be able to. If you come directly to our site, please email me at renee.wxxxx@gmail.com, and I will send you the new address.

To our friends that link us on your blogs: Please change our link to Michael, Renee and Marlee or something similar.

Sorry for all the trouble...just want to keep my baby safe!

VIDEOS! Trying to Crawl...But Can't

MJ wants to crawl, but can't do it. She's given up the rocking on all fours thing in favor of a forward-leaning butt scoot that cracks me up. She sits up, reaches way forward and puts her hands on the floor, then tries to lurch forward. Too funny. Here's some video from a couple of days ago. I love the moment in the second one where she just looks so sad that she's not actually going anywhere!

Grammy

She really wanted a picture on the blog...so here it is.

Ticklin' the Ivories

Marlee loves her new Leap Frog Learn and Groove Table! It is her new favorite toy! We are hoping it will inspire her to follow in her Uncle David's footsteps and be a pianist!

Smart Kid!

Caution: Proud Parent Bragging Below

Marlee and I went to the pediatrician today to discuss her eating habits. If you'll recall, the advice at her 6 month check up was to give her more food. The result was that she loved the food, but nursed less. This concerned me as everything I read says 6 monthers should nurse five times a day. Turns out I should stop reading this stuff as Marlee is not a average 6 monther. Some fine motor tests (can she put a cheerio in her mouth and chew it up? yes and yum. turn the pages of a book? yup.) and cognitive tests (which bowl is the toy under? that one! "Hi Marlee...Hi Marlee." "Haaaaaaaaaai!") reveal that she is on par with most 9 month olds. They've taken that to mean that her curiosities about food and ability to eat solids is about that level as well (could've told them that...see sausage incident below!). Apparently since solids are her future, we should just let her go there early if she wants. Cereal and the milk I use to make it, combined with nursing just three times a day, is fine for Marlee. They also said I can start table foods in about three weeks and predict she'll be on all table foods and nursing twice before she's 9 months. We'll see! I called my lactation consultant and confirmed all of this...she says it's rare, but happens, and if they did the "testing" to back it up, she's good to go!

I was sooooooo stressed out over nothing.

Separation Anxiety

Ugh, this is brutal. Marlee does not want me out of her sight for a moment. She was starting to show a few signs over the last couple of weeks that this stage was coming, but it came on full force Saturday. Dad and Wendy wanted some Marlee time, so we took them up on their offer to babysit and went to a movie. She was pretty good, just slightly fussy while we were gone. Instead of greeting us with the usual smiles when we got home, MJ took one look at me and screamed. I mean SCREAMED. It was like, "I just saw you and remembered that you left me. How could you?!" I picked her up and she squeezed me so tight and smothered me with her big wet slobbery kisses for several minutes. Since that moment, she wants to be within touching distance of me at all times. I'm making her spend a few minutes every few hours playing by herself (which used to be her favorite pastime), but she just cries. When I put her in her crib, she grabs my arm like she'll pull it off if I dare walk away. She was never much of a crier, so it kills me. I'm torn between tough love and rescuing her. We've also been dealing with some nursing strike issues, and the combination is wiping me out. I know both are just phases, but if they could end sooner than later, that'd be great.

Fast Fingers Marlee

Marlee loves to reach for and grab anything on the table if we hold her while we eat. It's not just to grab...she really wants whatever it is. Pizza crust? Delicious for gnawing on. Water through a straw? Such a big girl. However, it backfires frequently. When we were in California, she reached for my coffee cup and poured the scalding goodness all over her daddy (thank God it wasn't on her). Out to dinner with the Schugs, she dumped Michael's Coke in his lap. I know you're thinking: If you know she's going to do it, keep her hands away from stuff. Easier said than done. She is FAST! We underestimate her sneakiness.

This morning, we decided to skip our usual cafe due to the nasty weather and went to a different restaurant. Toward the end of our meal, MJ started fussing, so I held her. I was finished eating, and there was a bite of sausage on my fork resting on the plate. Before I could blink, Marlee had picked up the fork, turned it to her, and put the sausage in her mouth. She was very pleased with herself and definitely would have eaten the sausage if I had let her. We're thinking of giving her a ribeye and baked potato next week ;)

Finger Painting

Sunday

Marlee had a fun day Sunday! We went to a party for her friend Jackson's first birthday. She loved having another baby to play with!


After the party and a nap, we decided to enjoy the warm weather (72 degrees!!!) and walk down to the park. Marlee had her first swing ride!