Week 10: Baby's First Christmas

December 30, 2007













What better holiday than one spent in the company of good friends and family and to welcome into this world a new baby cousin, Caroline Marie. Caroline was born on December 28, 2007 in Euless, Texas. She is just adorable. Her big brother and sister were just so excited that she was born. Katherine just looked through the glass in awe of her new sister and Cody was hilarious because he kept saying "I big brother Cody."


This week Marshall got to see a lot of his family and I am sure that he will be bored once the two of us go back to a week of just the three of us. (Although, by the end of this week the little guy was just so frustrated with all of the driving around and meeting people he was just downright fussy at the Stranges - so he might just look foward to some R&R next week). I especially think that now that my sister Emily has gone home, my baby, my dogs and I are going to exhibit signs of EW Syndrome ("Emily Withdrawal"). Marshall also got to spend a lot of time with his MeMe and Grandpa-ha as well as Grandpapa Rex. It is so nice to have my dad and Chris' parents so close to help out with Marshall.

Last week Marshall had a little rash develop on his head and his Dr. said it was an allergy but we couldn't be sure as to the source. So early in the week I did a little experimentation on my little Guinea pig and found that he has an allergy to his baby formula, Similac. We put him back on Enfamil and by the next day he was all cleared up. YEAH MOMMY!!

Marshall was a very lucky boy to receive so many gifts from family and friends. Although his doggie Kohl had more fun opening presents than he did (he slept through most of it).




















He did find entertainment in other areas though. He has discovered his Mommy's hair and it is fun to wrap his little fingers and feel its texture. It is cute now but, I think it won't be long before it becomes fun for him to yank on it to see Mommy yelp. He seems to also derive a lot of satisfaction out of pooping. It is very funny to watch his face turn reddish purple and have his legs straighten out. I think he also likes to take aim and fire at Mommy and Daddy during diaper changing time this week. Mommy had a series of near misses this week (at least 4 separate occasions) but Daddy caught a line of pee pee full onto his chest before bath time. You almost wonder if the little guy had the timing all planned out to kick off the diaper cloth covering his asset and fire upon Daddy!

He is so sweet - when he isn't trying to touch his bottle he will grasp at my hand to hold onto. He just moans and moans at his bottle while he is eating as if he is so content (or he growls at me if I dally in putting it in his mouth). What is also cute is he seems to have found his ears (both of them at the same time) this week. He took ahold of them and wouldn't let go for at least 10 minutes. He is also starting to reach for things. He grasps at his beloved binky and giraffe that hangs in his baby carrier. He also will take his left arm and cover his eyes sometimes when he is sleepy.

It's very sad for me to think that we are down to our last two precious weeks together before I have to return to work. We are going to try to take the most of this time together.

Week 10 Videos:

Christmas Socks




Crazy Mommy

Week 9: ICE Christmas at the Gaylord

December 23, 2007

Well Marshall had a very interesting week. Sadly, he started it off a little sore from his shots, but it quickly became better and better. Developmentally, Marshall really enjoys (meaning lots of smiles and talking) when mommy says "OOOOHIIEE," "I love you" and sings "Shimaderink and Dink a Dink." He is becoming very good at holding his head up and when he is on his stomach, he tries hard to move his legs. Sadly he cannot move anywhere!! It's tough being a baby! He also really loves spending time with Daddy. Daddy is fun to snuggle and play with.
On Saturday, we went to MeMe's and GrandPa-ha's to have a Christmas dinner. Marshall had a fun time watching his cousin Cody play with his new Pirate Ship. It was funny because Cody kept saying "AHOY Mateys!" But it came out as "AHOY Maybes." Katherine was very interested in Marshall and asked a lot of questions on how to take care of him (especially since she will have a baby sister sometime next week!). She entertained him with her Moroccans. Marshall also loves his first ever Christmas present from his Aunt, Uncle and cousins. He is enamored by the Orange Star on his new toy.
Today we went with Aunt Emily to the Gaylor Texan to see the ICE sculptures and Christmas Decorations. We had a lot of fun. Marshall was very well bundled so he didn't really get to enjoy the ICE sculptures as much as the rest of us, but maybe in the future years he will enjoy the ICE Sculpture slide as well as the toy trains throughout the hotel!

We hope that everyone has a very Merry Christmas!

I'm 2 Months Old Today!

December 19, 2007



Well, we've hit another Milestone in Marshall's life! Two Months Old! It is amazing how time has passed so quickly! He is really such a joy to have around. He is starting to develop an independent sort of temperament - he really enjoys laying in his crib/travel carrier/bouncing chair/swing and just watch his surroundings. In the evenings he sits in his little chair and his eyes just follow me around as I bustle about in the kitchen. That's not to say that he doesn't enjoy his snuggle time with his Mommy and Daddy. He especially likes to snuggle with his Daddy, who can easily put the little man to sleep.

Marshall also enjoys being sung to. His favorite songs are Pat-a-Cake, the Alphabet, and Jingle Bells. He loves it and does a big smile when Mommy says words like Baby, Good Boy, Did you make a Poopy?, and of course his name. When he talks to us he says things like Ahhhh, Agooo, Yeahhh, ggggggghhh.

He still has a pretty firm schedule: sleeps from 12am - 5am, eats, then sleeps from 6am - 9am, plays from 9am - noon, sleeps for an hour or two, then wakes up and plays with Mommy and cooks with her until Daddy comes home and feeds & puts him down for a power nap, then plays with him until Daddy's bedtime. Then Mommy & baby bond until midnight (which usually has some crying involved since he fusses when he is tired). :-)

Today we visited Dr. Baker for the dreaded shots. His weight is moving up. He weighs 10.75 lbs, and 22 inches long. The poor little guy got stuck with the needle 4 times - 2 shots in each leg!!!! I have never heard him cry so hard, and he had real tears! Now he is home and sleeping off the stress of his hard day.

The photos in today's blog are from the Picture People. The photographer was great and Marshall just chatted up a storm with her. What a good boy!




Week 8

December 18, 2007

The Hallmark Santa that MeMe bought me its fascinating! Sometimes my head will bob a little to the beat of the music.
Don't you just want to pinch those chubby cheeks?!
" Moo" - Feed Me More Milk Bessie!
Nevermind I'll Feed myself.
Poor guy - his Momma is always making him dress up. Kind've reminds me of Ralphie in the Christmas Story...
Superman!!!!!!!!!

Week 7

Week 7 Photos: I love my giraffe!
Marshall thinks his Mommy is a crazy lady!
I'm a big boy in my Bumbo...
Boris and Kohl are fun to watch. They love kissing me (and sniffing my diapers).
Mr. Fussy was angry that I was taking a picture of his Mohawk. He's just like Daddy - doesn't like being caught with a hair out of place.
We are seeing more and more of this grin. He loves playing with Mommy and Daddy.
We love slumming it on the weekends ...
Blowing bubbles with our urp-up is also a lot of fun.
So is cooking with Mommy every night. He's a big helper. Daddy is a good cook too. He makes a great Bottle!
Week 7 Video:


Marshall likes to say "Yeah"

Week 6: Dear Santa...

November 30, 2007

Marshall is a growing boy! It is really amazing to see how big he is getting. Even when I look at his hands I am amazed at how much larger they are than when we first brought him home 6 weeks ago. He is really starting to be more alert and interactive with Chris and I. He's funny. He likes to talk to his hands. He laughs and coos at Mommy a lot. Especially when I ask him if his Mommy is a crazy lady. He also like it when Mommy sings Christmas Songs.

This week we left the nest to go and visit Santa at Willowbend Mall in Plano. He was really great with Santa. Then when I took him away from Santa he started to cry. I think he liked Santa more than Mommy!





Week 5: Marshall's Busiest Week Ever!

November 27, 2007

Were do we start with this exciting week?! Well, this week started out very nice since a 5 hour sleep pattern has started to emerge early in the week. But it was a little harrowing at first since prior to that sleep a new trend has occurred - he would have crying spells in the evening. What we noticed is that his red faced scream was his "last hurrah" before he dropped off into instant sleep (Marshall's Aunt Heather made him a friend to comfort him during these moments).

Wednesday, Mommy and Baby made their first outing together to visit a photographer that Mrs. Strange recommended to us (http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/store.aspx?p=40447). She does Anne Geddes type of work. Generally, the little Man is easy to put to sleep (which is how the photographer shoots her baby photos) but after 3 hours he would only sleep for about 20 minutes. He wasn't the greatest subject so we didn't get very many "artistic" poses. The photographer said it is tough being a Model. I'd have to agree -especially when you are a naked baby and a cold front is coming in.

Aunt Emily came up from Austin to stay with us for the holiday. Marshall loves his Aunt Emily - she knows exactly what to do to make him happy.

We all went and visited MeMe and Grandpa-ha for Thanksgiving. Marshall really enjoyed his time with his cousins and his Aunt Heather (she also knows how to make him a happy baby). On Friday, Olga, Uncle Nikki and The Grand-PAPA came over for a nice meal and The Grand-PAPA played patty-cake with the baby.








On Saturday, Marshall was baptised at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church. There were 11 other children baptised at the same time as Marshall. We were so proud that he was so quiet throughout the entire ceremony and even stayed asleep when the Deacon poured Holy Water over his head. Marshall was so lucky to have so many members of his family attend such an important event.Other memorable camera shots: