Crazy Hair, Talking and Toes

Videos Galore! And they are all shorter than the 10 minute video I missleadingly said was 7 minutes. Sorry about that everyone. The funniest thing though, while I was previewing which videos to put up Marley was in my lap talking back to herself on the screen...it was great! She has definitely found her voice!

ENJOY!

Still waiting on the photos from the shoot with Helen...

My Oh My...

It's been awhile AGAIN. So sorry everyone but Marley and I have just been having so much fun spending all of our time together now that I'm on summer vacation. With that said you would think that I would have more pictures. What I do have though...in addition to a FEW pictures...is a movie montage of Little Miss...probably somewhere in the 7 minute range. Sorry it's so long but I edited around 8 videos that I had yet to post and put them all together in one. The first couple of clips date all the way back to the beginning of May. Enjoy!

So what have we been up to? Well most recently I joined the gym with Aunt Sarah and Marley had her first experience being cared for by someone other than family. Apparently she was "the best kid" in the Kid's Club at Gold's. Now you may think "Well yea, she's only 3 months old" but those of you who have had the pleasure of spending extended periods of time with our little gem would now that she is not always "the best kid." She does have a bit of an attitude sometimes so the fact she was successful in the Kid's Club made me think that getting used to daycare in August may be ok, granted she was only in the Club for about an hour and a half but who's counting?
Marley continues to do more and more everyday. Where to even begin??!! She's really enjoys her Exersaucer and pushes all of the buttons and swats at everything constantly. It keeps her occupied for a good 30 minutes which is good when I'm trying to pick up her room or do laundry. She's also bearing a lot more weight when we hold onto her hands or under her arms. She is a mover and a shaker and when we hold her up she likes to "dance."

Here she is watching one of her Baby Einstein videos...she'll sit for almost an entire one watching and talking to the TV! I think, so far, Baby Neptune is her favorite...of course it is...it's the one all about water :)
We now have to buckle her in everywhere (we didn't used to have too)...the bouncer, the high chair, the swing, the stroller...she's so intent on getting her toes or sitting up further that she will fall forward so buckles it is. She wants to sit up BADLY! Everytime I change her diaper or prop her up in the corner of the couch or chair she is picking up her shoulders or leaning forward. If I sit her up on her bottom she leans all the way forward, till her nose is just about touching her toes, but she does stay upright on her bottom for a little while. Not for extended periods or anything but we're working on that balance.
Little Miss has also found her toes! She was trying desperately, for a couple of days, to get them whenever we laid her down, changing her diaper or in her crib, and she's finally gotten hold. They haven't made it to her mouth yet but I'm sure that's coming because EVERYTHING else goes into her mouth!

She's also "talking" a whole lot more. Most of the time, if we're talking to her and leave a space for her to respond, she will, of course she's camera shy and doesn't always do it for the video camera. That or I'm just trying to catch her when she doesn't have anything else to say.

AND...we've gotten a few giggles out of the girl! Nothing consistent enough to get on video, and I was the only one who had heard it for a while BUT Brett can now attest to the fact the girl has the sweetest giggle :)
Other than that we're just pluggin' along. She still rolls over when doing tummy time but she'll stay on her belly a little longer than before. And, when she's on her belly her legs are moving frantically, enough that she has pushed herself forward (or her face into the floor).


I'll try to be better about posting again...the photo shoot with Helen went great! The first pose Marley wasn't so into it and didn't give us much but once her Fancy got there she was all smiles! She crashed towards then end too so we got some sleepy pictures as well. I can't wait to see them...they should be up sometime this week so keep an eye out for a post with the link and password :)

That's all for now...

Oh I Forgot...

The reason we're headed to Williamsburg Tuesday is because we've entered Marley in a little bit of a photo contest. The woman who did our engagement and wedding photos is having a Kid's Photo Contest to support the Williamsburg Regional Library. No sitting fee, all we have to do is make a $25 donation to the library. If she wins we get her portraits for free and her picture hangs in the library for a year. Now, I have no idea how this really works, who the judges are, or if there are categories, but I figured "What the heck? Why not?" We love Helen and she takes beautiful photographs so lets give it a shot. The problem is going to be if she doesn't win...then we'll end up spending a fortune on her 3 month baby pictures!

It's Been Awhile...

Sorry it's been so long since I posted. I was wrapping up the end of the school year and we had unreliable then no internet service. A big thank you to Fancy for watching Marley for the last two weeks. Marley was sad to see her Fancy go but it's alright, we're headed down to Williamsburg on Tuesday (more about that to come).

Not a whole lot has been going on around here. Marley continues to grow and exert her independence. She's been sleeping in her crib whenever we don't need her room as the guest room and she continues to sleep long 9-12 hour stretches at night! We are so lucky to have a little sleeper...well I'm lucky...it doesn't wake Brett up when she cries. She has started to break out of the swaddle in the early morning hours and she rolls around like crazy. I often come in in the morning to find her laying on her side, completely turned around from the way I put her to bed with a hand pressed up against her face or an arm stretched out under her head...We also put together the Exersaucer that Aunt Dana, Uncle Randy, Madeline, Randy, Jordan, Cisco and Savannah got for Marley. I know the box says 4 months...and she just turned 3 months yesterday...but the kid needs entertainment and if we put a blanket in front of her to help her stand straight up she does really well! She loves to spin herself around and she bats at all of the objects in front of her. I think her favorite is the piano that sings when she presses the buttons. She's such a big girl!!

Here is Marley cuddling with her baby that GiGi got for her. I swear, I did NOT pose this picture. I put her in the bouncer with the baby in her lap before dinner and when I came back in from the kitchen this is what I saw...

Every Super Hero needs Piggy Tails with plaid bows!So Aunt Sarah, Marley and I went to the semi-annual Occoquan Craft Show up in Woodbridge last weekend and I bought Marley some adorable bows with lady bugs on them, specifically for one particular dress. As I sat looking at these bows later that evening I thought to myself "Why am I spending money on what I could make?" I decided at that point that I was (most likely) only going to buy bows that were specifically made to match an outfit, such as the ones at Gymboree, and that I would MAKE bows to match the rest of Marley's outfits...and Kaley's...and Jaelynn's (if Auntie Em would like). So...without further ado...here are my first few bow and clippie attempts. I've made many more since these and they seem to get better as I go but I haven't taken pictures of them yet. I've also figured out how to make the "Korker" bows, the ones with all the spiral ribbon, I just haven't attempted it yet...Thanks Fancy for helping us get this project off the ground!

And yes, I am fully aware of the irony surrounding the fact that I have become bow obsessed and like to dress my daughter in dresses. I know, I know...