Growing Up!

April in Pictures

In no particular order...

"Daddy, May I Please Have Some More??

Marlee can now sign "please," "more," "fininshed," and "milk." She's almost got "cup," but it's still iffy. I tell her, "Use your signs, not your whines!" Most of the time, she does...so cool! Notice how those all relate to eating or nursing...that's Marlee for you! I made a quick run to Home Depot this afternoon while Michael was feeding her snack, and she used "more" and "finished" for him without prompting! I'm so proud!

She also understands, but does not yet sign, "book" and "bath."

Yay, MJ!

(I really need to get to work on a video to share :))

8 Months Old!

8 months. 35 weeks. 244 days...2/3 of a year!

Some not-so-good pictures from today's trip to the park.

Sweet face :)

What's that over there?

Eating dirt (yes, really)

PeekABoo!

Nicholas Jacob Schug

Born Saturday, April 19th at 1:30(ish)pm. 8 pounds, 4 ounces and 21 inches long. He is just beautiful! Mom and Baby are doing well, Dad is getting to know his son, and the verdict is still out on Big Sister.

Congratulations, Mike, Eva, and Sophie!

A More Thorough Update

Marlee June is closing in on 8 months old. She had mastered the art of crawling, and she is fast! She's pulling up on anything that doesn't move and some things that do (like Mommy, Daddy, and George). She has a second word, and it's not mama. :( She says "kitty," though it comes out sounding more like "key." She loves to play peekaboo and will cover herself with her blanket or towel then pull it off, laughing. I need to try to get a video, it's super cute!

Michael has a new job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There aren't enough exclamation points to express our excitement. He will finally be doing what he wants to do: write video games. One major perk is that he'll be working from home 100%. We're trying to get the office fixed up over the next couple of weeks so that he has somewhere to work.

I don't really have any new skills or big news :) Sorry to worry everyone about the hurt foot. I have plantar fasciitis, which is a pretty common affliction that causes pain in the arch and heel. Because that was hurting me, I was kind of walking funny trying not to aggravate it, and I sprained a tendon along the outer edge of my foot. It was trying to detach itself from the bone :( Anyhoo, not too terrible, and already feeling a little better. The biggest bummer about it is that I missed walking with Caroline in the MS Walk.

So that's it for news in the W household...Thanks for reading!

Sorry So Slow

I know I've been slow with the posting lately...not too much is new...Marlee is cute, I have a hurt foot, Michael is great. More soon, I promise!

The Lion King

Jenna and I went to see the Lion King musical last night. I've never met a musical I didn't like (okay, one), but I was not prepared for how AMAZING this show is. Within 10 seconds (no exaggeration) I had goosebumps. My eyes were teary during the opening number, just from the sheer power and beauty of it. The creative minds behind the show are no less than genius. The sets, costumes, choreography, puppets, effects...blew.my.mind. Oh yeah, I guess music and book were decent too! ;) I simply cannot find words at the moment to really do this show any justice. Here are some pictures for an idea, but--- Please, GO SEE IT.

(Side note for Pam Heath: Thank you so very much for the tickets! The seats were wonderful, and The Lion King was an experience I'll never forget!)

Henry James

We finally got to meet little Henry! He is so sweet and such a little cutie. Marlee was excited to see him...sometimes a little too excited for Henry. He had lots of smiles for her, but preferred her at a safe distance. Henry brought his mom and GranMary with him, so we got to see them too! We had a fun time just hanging out together.

The Meeting

The Professional Pic: This was a tough one to get! :)

Uncle Michael and Henry

GranMary and MJ

On the Move

Marlee's definitely got this crawling thing figured out, and she's EVERYWHERE and into EVERYTHING. I kind of wish I'd had a little time with just the crawling instead of adding pulling up to the mix. Michael's got his work cut out for him this weekend...cabinet latches and furniture anchoring. Oh, boy!

The Creeping Crawler

Don't mind the crazy mismatched outfit...we're having a sick day :)

Forgot the Very Worst Part

Kathryn and Henry arrived yesterday, and because we're sick, we can't go see them :(

What A Weekend!

We had both a great and miserable weekend! Saturday Jenn and I surprised Eva with a Mommy Shower with Melissa and Kelly. It was really great to spend some quality time with the girls! We had lunch, then we were off to the nail salon for pedicures. After the pampering, we came back to our house for cake and gifts. Eva got a few of the blue things she still needs for he-who-has-not-been-named.

Michael had said that Marlee was a bit fussy and out of sorts while we were gone. She seemed fine when the girls were over...she loves being part of the crowd. She even sat up from her belly for the first time! The veteran moms also said that MJ is crawling. It's still not the grace and coordination I look for in a true crawl, so we deemed it "creeping," but it sure is close!

After everyone left, Marlee woke up from her nap with a fever. She'd had a runny nose since the morning, but I figured it was just a cold. It hasn't gotten up very high, so just a bug, but she was so sad! I woke up in the wee hours Saturday night with the worst sore throat I've ever had. It was so bad I got in the car and drove to the 24 hour Kroger for meds. I was glad to be sick on the weekend, because Michael was home to help with MJ.

I had to pull it together...last night was the first night of my apprenticing gig in a childbirth class series. I was mortified to be a few minutes late-- my car wouldn't start after stopping for tea on the way, and I had to be jumped. Other than that though, the class went really well. It was exciting to be able to put some of my training into action!

I felt worse and worse as the class went on, and by the time I got home, I had a fever of 101. MJ is on the mend...she's at about 75%. I'm just a 60% and hoping to survive today.

The Ticker at the Top...

...looks so much closer to 1 than 0! Just an observation.

No Longer Sleeping Like a Baby

I got a chuckle out of Marlee's sleeping positions last night. Not that long ago, we'd put her down on her back and find her in the exact same position hours later. Now it's different every time I check on her...on her back, on her belly, first the left side, then the right, all stretched out, butt in the air, feet at this end of the crib or that end, or maybe she's perpendicular. No matter the position though, she always looks so sweet and peaceful.