Picture Overload, Part 1

Let's start in mid-August with Grammy and Papa C's visit to SA.

 That smidge of a quilt you see was a gift from Marin's Great Grandma McKay and Great Aunt Sandy, who had it made for her and came complete with "Lulu Cupcake" embroidered on it.

Our little Cupcake.

Big time in the BebePod.

Marin loves spending time with Aunt Becky!

She's just cute.

Gram Ava and Pa Gary came to see us!  Well, maybe they came to see Becky and Marin and took us as a package deal.  We're up to mid-September now.

My Uncle Rusty and Aunt Jody sent this little outfit.  Too cute for words!

We went to Houston for Marilee and Clayton's wedding.  Marky got to keep Marin all day Friday till they came to the wedding -- his first full day with his girl.  He took her to the pool, so she finally got to trot out that darling little swimsuit I'd bought her earlier this summer.

This is what she wore to the wedding. Not that you can see much of her outfit. But she was cute!

After the wedding, we headed to Chappell Hill to visit Chuck and Marilyn at their place.  It was beautiful, and so much fun!

Finally getting big enough to enjoy her jumperoo.  Pink camo dress courtesy of Aunt Arwen and Aunt Becky.

halfsies

Marin turned 6 months old this week -- her very first half birthday!  Now I know some folks caution you against making a big deal over the half-birthday, but those words fall on deaf ears in this house.  I always acknowledge my half-birthday and like to get a little treat for myself.  I had Mark so convinced of the importance of my half-birthday when we were dating that he took me out for a nice dinner and gifted me with a diamond necklace.  Score!  I don't really make too much fuss about it now because my half-birthday is my nephew's actual birthday and I am not so cold-hearted that I'd steal an adorable boy's thunder. 

At her well child visit with the pediatrician, we found out Marin weighs 15 pounds even and measures 25.5 inches long.  That puts her right around the 40th percentile for height and weight.

Here are 6 quick things about Marin:
- She almost always rolls to her side when I put her down for nap/bedtime.  Before too long, she rolls to her tummy.  And then, she will somehow manage to ooch her way all over her crib, often ending up at the opposite end from where she started, and usually in a perpendicular direction.  Go figure.
- She takes 5 bottles a day and now has rice cereal in the morning and baby food at night.  So far, she's had squash and prunes (due to an unfortunate constipation issue) and will begin carrots tonight.
- She still laughs and smiles like there's no tomorrow.  One of the things I love most about this girl is her joyful exerberance about life!
- She's still in size 2 diapers and her 3-6 and 6 month clothes. 
- Her favorite toys are her jumperoo, her flower rattle, and her teddy bear lovey.
- Her hair is growing in -- no more bald ring around the head or receding hair line!

My life has totally turned upside down in the past 6 months -- and I wouldn't change that for the world.  I am beyond blessed to be Marin's mommy and can't wait to see what adventure the next 6 months will hold for us.

I'm late for dinner so I'll just get this posted and promise that pics are coming soon.  And if you haven't sent me your email address to get on the blog invite list, please do so.  I plan to privatize the blog this month!

Happy Fall, Y'all!

I am overdue on a post, I know.  But while I'm working on it (okay...before I start working on it), I wanted to share a few things.

1) I've been thinking for a while about making my blog private for a few different reasons.  I'm not 100% sure yet, but am leaning heavily in that direction.  So if the three of you who read this thing would like to come forward, send me an email or leave me a comment with your email address so I can make sure you're on the list!  And if you don't want your email address made public, just let me know and I will delete your comment rather than publish.  I'm sorry for any inconvenience this might cause you!

2) We've been gone a lot!  We had the family retreat with church, then went out of town for Marilee's wedding and to visit some other friends along our way back home.  As Mark noted, we will either have to get another car or not travel when we have another kid.  (That's not an announcement.)

3) I went to the doc yesterday and was SEVEN pounds higher than when I went for my 6-week postpartum check-up.  Thus, the diet begins tomorrow.  Unbelievable what eating junk all day and sitting on your butt will do...  I'm mostly telling you this to keep me accountable.  If you know I'm fat, then I have to know it too.  And then hopefully I will do something about it, other than just wear the same two things that still fit.

4) It's fall, my favorite season of the year!  That really means little to the local folks because the heat and humidity have not mysteriously vanished, giving way to glorious cool breezes and the need for a sweater.  My chai latte will have to remain in the iced version awhile longer, I'm afraid.  But bring on the fall candles and pumpkin bread!  (Oh wait...did I say something about a diet???)

5) Marin turned 5 months a couple weeks ago.  I hope to post about her and add some pics before she is 6 months!

the stats

The girl did GREAT with her shots today.  What a trooper!  Here are her measurements, as promised:

Weight - 13 pounds, 9 ounces (50th percentile)
Height - 23.5" (25th percentile)

I guess I might've exaggerated in my head how big she's getting.  But still, she's big! 

4 months!

I decided to try something new and actually update my blog on the day I intended, rather than weeks later.  I know -- it's a radical move. 

My sweet girl is already 4 months old today!  I can't even believe it.  I was rocking Marin this afternoon and I just couldn't help but tear up, thinking how much she's grown in such a short time.  Everyone always says how quickly the time flies with little ones, and I've discovered that they say it because it's true!  Blink, and a quarter of a year passes with it...

Marin goes tomorrow for her well check and shots, so I'll have to post again with her official measurements.  I'm guessing she's in the ballpark of 25" and 15.5 pounds.  Feel free to take your guess, too!

Our little cupcake is not only a hands-on girl, but also a mouth-on girl.  I've caught her more than once putting toys to her mouth in recent days.  She's been putting her thumb, hand, arm, blanket, dress, you-name-it in her mouth for weeks -- but getting beyond swatting at toys  on the play gym to actually putting them in her mouth was new.  She's down to 5 bottles of 6 ounces a day.  She's in her 3-6 and 6-month clothes and still in size 2 diapers. 

Here are some pics from the last few days.  My cup runneth over!

catching up...in pictures

I know none of you (two) faithful readers cares much about what I say -- it's what pictures I show that really matter.  Without further ado, here is the girl:

Marin, 2 mos.

That only looks like a pot holder under her head because it is.  Thanks, Dad...

Marin loves her baby papasan -- really, she does.

Happy Father's Day!

Plum tuckered out after all that play.

Sweet girl

Sometimes, when Mark's not around, I like to put the big bows and flowers on Marin's headbands.  Let's face it, she's adorable in them!

She likes working out almost as much as I do. 

And sometimes, Mark gets to see my handy work.  I'm sure there was a little eye-rolling when he saw her in this little ditty.

Our happy girl!

More tummy time.  And less hair.

Mark and his mini, although some people think she's starting to look more like me.  I knew my genes weren't completely recessive.

The balding started with this ring around her head.  It's now progressed up the sides and onto the top of her head.  She kind of looks ridiculous.  And might hate me in a few years for posting this. 

Marin's wearing the ring attached to the dolphin while grabbing at the other rings.  She is a very hands-on kind of girl!

And for those who care, here's a quick 3-month update on our nearly 4-month-old girl.  She loves the play gym and gladly bats at and grabs the toys dangling above her.  She gets frustrated with tummy time after a few minutes and must've misunderstood my directions to turn over.  She's not flipping her body over so much as around, as in spinning like a pinwheel. Crazy girl!  She talks to us all the time and has the greatest belly laugh.  She's starting to outgrow her 0-3 and 3-month clothes now.  She's eating about 30 ounces a day -- 6 bottles of 5 ounces each.  And she moved up to size 2 diapers a couple weeks ago.  Oh, and she now sleeps in her crib upstairs full time.  We are so blessed to be this girl's parents!

Food!

I'm cooking more now that I'm home.  But I kind of feel like we get stuck in food ruts.  You know, eating the same few things over and over.  Since I'm trying to make something new or different every week-ish, what are some of your favorite go-to meals? 

we're still here

I was pretty sure that when we had a baby, there would be tons to blog about.  That was part fact, part fiction.  There are a million adorable things Marin does each day.  Does anyone beside me and a doting relative care?  Probably not.  Do I document them with pictures and video?  Not enough.  Do I know how to upload video from our camcorder?  Not a chance.  So what are we left with?  Not much.  Sorry about that.  I will try to do better.

In the meantime, we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of family this weekend.  In addition to caring for my child and taking daily showers, my goals for the week are to get the books put away in the D.A.R. (we got new shelving not long before Marin was born), get the laundry done, open the door for the housekeepers (I will be SO sad when this treat is over...but I conned skillfully negotiated begged Mark to keep a monthly visit through the summer while I'm adjusting to domesticity), and then not mess up the house too much before the family arrives. 

Someone's acting like it's lunch time, so I'd best get.  I'll try to share some pics soon.

2 months!

Our girl turned TWO MONTHS OLD last week.  What?!  Two whole months, you say?  I know, the time is flying by...

Marin had her well-baby appointment last Friday.  The girl might've screamed bloody murder for 20 minutes after getting her shots, but that was to be expected.  I bet she's glad she gifted me with the most massive front blow-out diaper EVER when we arrived for the appointment.  And I bet Mark was glad to be running late so as to miss the joy of that particular clean-up. 

Notes to Self: Take shot record book with you when you know your kid is getting shots.  When your kid outgrows a size, be sure the spare outfit in the diaper bag gets an upgrade too.

Marin weighed in at 10 pounds, 9 ounces.  She was being a wiggly worm during the measurement part so the nurse said 22 inches, but I'm pretty sure it's more like 23 if the "ruler" on her tummy time mat is accurate.  These put her at the 50th percentile in both height and weight.

All the...excitement...of the day wore the girl out and that night, she officially "slept through the night" with 6 continuous hours of sleep.  She doesn't do this every night, but we'll take what we can get.

At 2 months, Marin is a delightfully joyful baby.  She gives lots of smiles and laughs.  She cracks us up, really -- an impressive feat for a girl with no words.  She is a hands-on girl and often tries to "help" with her bottle.  She also poses and gestures constantly.  Too cute!  She can roll over to her side, is a pro at holding up her head, and can track objects of interest with her eyes.  She's discovered how fun it is to gnaw on her hand or suck on her clothing, but is also happy to take a paci.  She eats about 4 ounces of hypoallergenic formula every 3 hours, except during her nighttime sleep.  We moved her up to size 1 diapers when she was a month old, and she's still in them.  I just put away the last of her newborn clothes and got all of her 0-3 month stuff washed.  The girl has a wardrobe!  We read two Bible stories and say prayers at night before bedtime.  And I'm pleased to report that her bedtime is usually somewhere in the 9:30-11:00 p.m. range, which is way better than the 12:00-2:30 a.m. range it was previously.  Bath time and story time are some of her favorite parts of the day.  Her favorite toy is her flower rattle.  She really enjoys time in the swing and vibrate-y seat a lot more now, too.

If a picture's worth 1,000 words...

...then here is my word count for the week: