The Return of Video

 

I am going to try to post more video of the girls, because they are too cute to miss.

This is a video of Miss M doing what she does best these days...rolling all over the place! It's a little dizzying, I warn you.

Seven Months

 

Miss M is seven months old and oh boy, how cute is she??

She's a real grabber and reaches for anything and everything sight (see photos below for exhibits A, B and C). She likes to grab hair, clothes, glasses, earrings...anything within reach.

Right before her 7-month birthday, she started talking! Ok, really just babbling, but the first thing she said was MAMA! It was more like, mamamamamamama, but I'm pretending she's saying my name. She also is fond of saying, bababababababa.

Marin's fourth tooth is about to surface. It's on the bottom and joins her other three bottom teeth. No teeth on the top yet, but I'm sure they're lurking just under the surface.

Marin's biggest accomplishment this month is learning how to sleep through the night! Hooray!

 

 

Merry Christmas!

Christmas girls!

We celebrated Christmas with the Ackermans this year. Dan and Charlotte flew out from Idaho and  on Christmas Day, Luke, Michaela and Everett came down from Baltimore for Christmas dinner and gifts.

Santa was good to both of the girls and Lily was thrilled with both her and Marin's gifts. Lily was more than ready to "help" M open her presents and try them out for her.

Marin's very own copy of Goodnight Moon

Lily got a bike from Santa and she's a natural when it comes to cruising around our street. She's taken one or two spills, mostly as a result of turning too sharply, but mostly she's kept it upright!

Lily's most favorite gift is her Dream Lite, which is a stuffed animal that projects stars and a moon on the ceiling. It's actually pretty cool!

Rosie the Dream Lite

More Christmas pictures here!

Six Months!

This happy girl is six months old! She's sitting up (with some assistance,) reaching for anything in sight, and of course, putting everything in her mouth. She has two teeth now, with more on the way. She's finally gotten the hang of eating solid foods. She's tried bananas, sweet potatos, carrots, apple sauce, peas and pears, and she's loved every one of them!

Her six-month doctor appointment told us what we already know--she's growing like a weed. Her six month stats:

Weight: 19 lbs, 7.6 oz. or 94th percentile
Height: 26 3/4 inches or 84th percentile

Harvest Time

Ethan loves to plant a garden every year, and Lily loves to be his trusty assistant. This year because of our move mid-summer we were unable to plant one at our old house, and we were a little too late to plant one at the new house. Ethan and Lily still managed to get a few seeds in the ground this fall, so we had plenty of lettuce and peas. The one "crop" that took the longest was the carrots. They finally pulled them in December. Lily is the proud owner of the shortest, fattest carrots we've ever seen!

Sad about the shorty carrot.

Just kidding!

Chomp Chomp

At five months, two weeks and five days old, Marin has her first tooth!

Five Months

Our little cutie is five months old! She's been in daycare for a month and that's just enough time for her to get her first bug, that brought with it a fever of 102 AND, she got pink eye! Marin spent a few days at home getting cuddled during her virus and then she bounced back to her happy self.

Marin LOVES her big sister. No one can get her to giggle quicker than Lily. Lily likes to get down on the floor with Marin and "help" her play with her toys. They're quite a pair.

How big is M this month? Still growing! At her doctor appointment for pink eye, she weighed 18 lbs, 3 oz. HUGE!

Happy Halloween

Fairy Princess Lily

Last night was Halloween, and Lily was more than ready to hit the streets to trick-or-treat. She and Ethan made the rounds in our new neighborhood and came back with a bag full of candy. Also, Lily came back with TWO DOLLARS! They went to a house with its light on, but it turns out the man inside didn't have any candy. He didn't want Lily to go away empty handed, so he insisted she take $2.00! Too funny!

Marin decided to forego a costume this year and just wear a My First Halloween onesie.

The pumpkin Lily designed herself. She drew the face on paper and Ethan did the carving.

 

Marin and I stayed behind to hand out candy. I had to stop mid-way through to put Marin down for bed, but I had a pair of eyes helping me out when I left the bucket of candy on the doorstep for the kiddies.



Four Months Old

 

 

The day after her big sister turned four years old, Marin turned four months old! At her four month appointment, she weighed 17 lbs, 2.6 oz, or 98th percentile! She's 24 3/4 inches long, or 65th percentile.

 

In the last month, she's discovered her hands and feet. She's always got her hands in her mouth, or she's using them to grab her feet. Her legs aren't quite long enough to get her feet to her mouth, but if they were, I'm sure she would. She's becoming much more adept at using her hands and now she can grab things like toys or a rattle...and put them right into her mouth. Marin is also valiantly trying to roll over, but so far, she has not succeeded. It's coming soon though.

 

She's such a happy, good-natured girl. We love her!

Four Years Old!

On October 20, our sweet Lily turned FOUR YEARS OLD! Like every other parent on Earth, we’re wondering where the time has gone and how our little baby is a full-fledged kid. No more baby. No more toddler. Lily is definitely growing up. 

Her stats, in case you’re wondering (and yes, they still chart these things at the pediatrician’s office, even when they’re four):  

• Height: 36 inches (92^nd percentile)
• Weight: 37 pounds (68^th percentile) 

To say Lily is bright would be an understatement. On most days, she’s smarter than her parents, much to our dismay. She can negotiate better than a car salesman, which usually gets her what she wants. On the rare occasion that she doesn’t get her way, she says defiantly, “I want to do it the way I want to do it!!!” And if that doesn’t work, a nasty temper tantrum is next on her agenda. In the last year, she’s become very familiar with time out! 

But for every temper tantrum she has, she’s 10 times as sweet on a regular day. She loves her baby sister like no other and is free with hugs and kisses for Marin (and us). She’s really into My Little Pony and anything princess. Lily is very independent and enjoys picking out her own clothes for school each day (sometimes with “interesting” results) and deciding what she’s going to have for dinner each night. 

She really is a super star kid and we’re so happy she’s ours!

 

Me and my big girl!

Opening presents.

Pizza before birthday cake.

Cake!

Birthday snack at daycare.

Tummy Time!

Lily likes to help Marin practice her tummy time.

Another Daddy's Girl in the Making

Fun day at the pumpkin patch with Daddy