Just Like Mommy...

I used to suck my thumb when I was a baby...and here is my little girl, hates pacifiers with a passion, but loves her thumb!  Just my opinion, but she looks pretty sweet......

Travis and I are the luckiest people in the world to have Marley in our lives!  Our baby girl :)

Bikini Season Is Almost Here!

I have soooo many swimsuits for this summer, but this is my very first bikini!  Auntie Heidi bought it for me and sent it all the way from Florida!  I absolutely love it!  Mommy says I will be the cutest baby at the lake!  What do you think???  Pretty cute, huh?

Our Crazy Family!

Rolling Over and Other News...

It's official...she's on the move!  Marley rolled over from tummy to back on April 19th when I got home from work!  At first I think it happened by accident, because she kind of tipped to the side and then swung her leg over!  She surprised herself when she realized she was looking up at us!  So, I flipped her back on her belly and immediately she rolled herself over again!  Tummy time may be a challenge from now on!

In other news...we had our first trip this spring up to the cabin.  Grandma and Grandpa Severson had not seen Marley for a while and we were able to catch up!  I had a terrible cold, plus a sinus and ear infection, so I was able to take some naps (it was rainy) and recuperate a bit.  Travis is anxious to get the boat in the water and for summer to be here so we can get Miss Marley in the lake!  I'm in desperate need of a tan.  10 months of being pregnant and avoiding tanning beds has made me pale, pale, pale!!  Ready or not, bikini here I come!

Daycare with Jesse is going wonderfully!  We couldn't be happier with how the situation has turned out and we know she is in very loving hands each and every day!  She is not struggling with the bottle anymore, in fact has turned in to quite a bottle champion!  The plan is still to nurse her until almost 1 year, so we are going to stick exclusively with breastmilk.  I think we'll be thinking about introducing solids when she is closer to 6 months!

Now that we've settled in to a bit of a routine, Travis and I are in dire need of a date night!  We looked at the calendar the other day and realized that we have gone on 1 date, yes you read that correctly, 1 date...in the last 4 months!  I miss my alone time with Travis...going to dinner, having a beer or two, watching a movie!  We know we need to make this time more of a priority in our lives and are working to make that happen!  Though we love Marley to pieces, we realized we need that time away to re-charge!

I'll post pictures of our most recent happenings!  Hope everyone is doing well!

Lots of love from our home-
Stevie, Trav, and Marley!!  And Sasha too!

Marley's Turn to Talk...

Last weekend was sooooo busy for me!  Not only did I attend my very first bridal shower (for Michelle LaVigne) and meet my 2nd cousins at a baby shower thrown in my honor by Mommy's aunts, I also turned 3 months old and got my ears pierced!!  Whew....by Sunday night, I was exhausted!  Luckily, I was able to rest up on Monday, because on Tuesday, my friends Emilia and Brady came over to play!  Mommy and the ladies had a Baby Sprinkle for Sarah and baby Olivia, who is still in her mommy's tummy!  That was me not so long ago!  And boy, does it feel good to be out of there...now I can stretch and talk and hug and kiss!!  

New news for the week...Daddy is now feeding me a bottle when I wake up at 11:30pm!  I'm getting the hang of this bottle stuff.  I still prefer Mommy, but I know she needs her sleep!  She told me that she's getting a cold and feels a little run down, so I'm trying to sleep longer at night.  I just get sooooooooo hungry!  And I've been far less crabby, which is good for me and my parents!

I talked to my Daddy this morning and he said we are going to RELAX this weekend!  We might go to the mall tonight to walk around/shop for a bit, and then on Sunday we are going to take Sasha (my BFF) to the dog park and I get to be in the front pack!  It's supposed to be nice and sunny.......I'm so excited!  On Saturday I am going to a wedding sale with Mommy and Auntie Angie!  Which reminds me, Mommy needs to find me a dress for that wedding!  Something really pretty and fancy!  Auntie Angie's sister just had a new little baby girl on the 15th and I'm hoping that someday I can meet her!  Her name is Ella Marie and I saw a picture...she is so cute!

What I'm most looking forward to.......on the 23rd we are going to the cabin!  This will be my second visit Up North, and I haven't seen Grandma Kathy in a very long time.  I hope the weather is nice and I'm sure we'll be able to go for lots of walks!

Hugs and Kisses from me!
Marley Jean

LOOK AT ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WE DID IT!!!  WE GOT MY EARS PIERCED!!!  So, today was the BIG day and I finally got up enough courage to bring Marley to get her ears pierced!  I mean, she is only 3 months old, but I've known I wanted to do this for quite some time and I kept putting it off another week.  It's hard to fathom that I could willingly inflict pain upon my little girl...so I just was holding out.  I finally convinced myself that it's better to do it now, when she's not yanking on her ears and I can clean them easily.  Anyway, we went to the mall with Auntie Ang and scoped out the staff in Claire's.  A girl in her late 20's or early 30's was working and she was the store manager.  She actually made me feel more at ease than I thought I would feel, and Auntie Ang held Marley while the actual "piercing" part was going on!  Mommy just couldn't do it!  I will just say that it was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be, in terms of her reaction to the piercing, and within (and I'm serious) 20 seconds after they finished she was done crying and smiling at people in the store.  Whew!  So, that was my BAD MOM moment for the day.  I felt guilty, but she sure does look cute!  I put her in the bath tonight and just couldn't believe how adorable her little sparkly earrings look with her cute blue eyes and bald head!!  Check out the first photos of Mars...showing off her new jewels!!

Do I look cute or what???

Daddy's Little Mini-Me

Marley loves her daddy!!

She smiles and becomes extra noisy when he gets home from work!

My family ;)

Playing the "Stick Out Your Tongue" game!!!!

Love-Love-Love...

Hard to believe or comprehend the depths to which you'll love your children before you are a parent.  All I can say is that it is terribly overwhelming...loving this little human being more and more each day, and loving her more than you have ever loved anyone the very second she is born.  It's the most wonderful feeling in the world!  Someone posted a comment on Facebook the other day about being a parent and it said, "I knew I wanted you before I had you.  I loved you before we ever met.  I would die for you the second you came into this world."  So true!!

Marley does not cease to amaze us, make us smile, and literally, make life worth living each and every day.  She is growing and becoming more curious of the world around her.  Her crankiness has died down significantly and we are enjoying nights with a little less crying.  She still loves to stay up late though...maybe she gets this from her daddy.  Getting her to sleep before 9pm is a miracle!! 

Today is Friday...the end to my first week back at work full-time.  All in all, the week went well.  We were so busy at work that the time flew by and I was very occupied, which was nice.  But the thought of being away from Marley was a constant distraction.  She spent the week at home with Uncle Jesse, which has turned out to be a great relationship for the two of them.  I think they both have a lot of learning to do, in terms of getting to know each other, but I know that the bond they will build through this daycare/manny/etc situation will be priceless.  They've been enjoying many outdoor outings...especially walks around the lake, which Marley loves.  And Jesse is good at making sure she gets plenty of tummy time and playtime everyday, which is great for her too!  It was very hard to leave Marley at first, but I knew that we didn't have the option (not a chance) for me to be a stay-at-home mom.  So, off to work I go.  But I'm leaving her in good hands...and she is getting lots of 1 on 1 attention from her Uncle while in the comfort of her own home!  There is no one that will love her more than "family"...so this situation really is ideal! 

Other family to-do's...we're looking into getting Marley into some infant swim lessons.  Trying to prepare her to be a super water baby at the cabin this summer!  And I think we're going to get her ears pierced very soon.  Some would say it's too early, but my parents pierced my ears when I was teeny-tiny, so I may follow suit with Mars! 

Milestones:
We have about 10 size 1 diapers left and then she is OFFICIALLY on to size 2!!!  My little chub!
She is getting to be a little champ at holding her head steady, looking around, and pushing herself into a standing position!  I bet she's walking by 10 months!
Marley is obsessed with her tongue!!  Daddy always tries to "steal" her tongue and it makes her laugh!
Speaking of laugh...she's a noisy little thing.  Always smiling, coo-ing, well...or CRYING!!  Boo to colic!
She is FINALLY taking a bottle!!!  For the first week I was back at work, she starved herself.  Literally went 9+ hours without eating!

Marley and Momma have a busy weekend!  We are going to Michelle's wedding shower tomorrow in Mendota Heights and then we are going to have dinner with Auntie Angie!  Dream about the upcoming Bersie/Larson wedding!  Sunday is a big day!  We have a baby shower to go to that is for MARLEY!!  My dad's sisters are throwing us a belated baby shower and it will be everyone's first time meeting her!  Super excited for that.  We get to meet 2nd cousins Brinley and Jacey....and that will be the most exciting part!  Daddy is in Chicago for a bachelor party and we're missing him...but we have a lot to keep us busy!

Happy weekend to everyone!

Heart,
Stevie and Marley