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!

6 Month Check Up

Marlee's well visit was this morning. She is 14 lbs 11 oz and 26 1/2 inches long, and she still has a pin head :). Her weight is on the low end, so the doctor ran some extra tests. She is exceptionally healthy, but she has a very fast metabolism. Combined with her high activity level, she is burning calories quickly. The solution: more food! As many of you have witnessed, the girl can EAT. She finishes every morsel, so this is good news for her! We go back in a month for another weight check.

Other than that, the appointment was like any other. Dr. Jina watched Marlee sit and scoot and clapped for her, which pleased MJ greatly. She had some shots, which were horrible of course, and cried for her daddy. I'm now thinking that she may actually know what she's saying.

Come on, MJ, say it with me....MA MA!!!