Marlee is Three Months Old

Hello!

Marlee is three months old today!

Our usually photo shoot did not go quite as planned. She was more interested in everything else but taking pictures. I have to say that she is still cute - even when distracted.

As you already know, Marlee is rolling over from her belly to her back and I was finally able to witness it with my own eyes. I almost cried. Motherhood has made me sappy. It was just so darn cute. And she is getting so big!

She loves her play mat and tries her hardest to slap at the toys hanging above her. 

She also loves her crib. I do not know what it is about her crib but she laughs and smiles and 'talks' the most when she is laying in her room. Always brightening my day right from the start. 

She is cooing everyday and I love to hear the different noises that she makes. I could have conversations all day long saying nothing but coo and goo. 

Feedings are amazingly smooth! I am so happy with how far we have come. I wanted to throw in the towel so many times in the beginning but now we have our method down pack. I truly enjoy having Marlee nuzzled against me and bonding with her. Now if I can just keep her focused sometimes...

Now on to every ones favorite part - pictures!

Marlee looking at the dog. Silly puppy.

Marlee looking at her feet. 

Marlee eating her fingers and flashing the paparazzi. 

And Marlee just being freaking adorable. 

And this may or may not have happened. Mom with binky. Baby looking like cyclops. Ha!

Feeling so blessed today with a happy, healthy, three month old Marlee!

Weigh-in Wednesday

Marlee is not the only impressing one in the household this week.

I have hit a huge point in my weight loss goals and am officially down 30 lbs since Marlee was born. 

Look at that line go down, down, down!

I am feeling great and even more motivated then ever before. Nicholas and I finally moved the treadmill in the house so I am amping up my workouts to reach my goals even faster. Of course this means walking a little everyday but even walking is better then nothing! And I am in no shape to run just yet - but I will get there. 

I have twenty more pound to go to be at a happy and healthy weight. Add an additional five to that and I will be right where I was before the Marlee conception! If I continue to lose 1 lb a week, my goal will be reached by the end of March which is right around the corner (kinda). 

Hoping this motivation stay around. 

Marlee the Magician

Just another typical day.

Nick just got home.

I had to go to work.

Then it happened.

 

Marlee rolled over!

 

And NO ONE saw it!

It was like magic.

 

I was in the basement getting my clothes out of the dryer. Nick was standing right next to Marlee winding up the mantle clock.

Yes, Marlee has a huge milestone and Nick was winding the mantle clock.

This is humorous to me. Only fancy people have mantle clocks and actually wind them.

 

This was Marlee before I went to the basement - for literally TWO seconds.

 

She was being all strong and cute. Apparently, she had her Wheaties this morning.

(Do they even make those anymore?)

Then Nick yells for me and I come upstairs and he is staring at Marlee on her back. Half on, half off her little play mat. Looking like an earthquake just happened and she was exhausted from all the trauma it caused. Nick said "She rolled over."

 

No! No she did not! I am not prepared for this type of movement! I need to scrub the carpet! And remove all pointy objects from the living room! And place plastic things in the outlets!

Ekkk! My baby girl! Rolling!

 

So I placed her back onto her belly and watched.

And watched.

And checked the clock.

And watched some more.

Nothing.

 

She did not feel the need to duplicate the moment that both of her parents missed.

One roll was her maximum for the day because even after I was at work, Nick said she did no rolling.

 

She gets the stubbornness from her Aunts. Not sure which one. Possibly all of them.

 

That is my story and I am sticking to it.

Pumpkin Patch

I love October.

I am pretty sure I have stated this a couple times before.

I love going to pick out pumpkins and go on adventures to different pumpkin patches and having a great time with the family.

Two years ago we went to Nickajack Farms with a couple friends that are now super lame, last year we went to Maize Valley where they shot pumpkins out of cannons, and this year we decided to check out Kingsway Pumpkin Farm with our dearest friends Ben, Emily, and the kiddos.

I dressed Marlee all up and had this fabulous vision of finally getting some family pictures and then going to buy frames and placing them loving in my home etc etc. And then we would pick out pumpkins and laugh and go thru the maze and drink hot chocolate!

 

None of those things happened. It rained. I mean poured. We stood in the barn and looked at the barn kitties and talked about how wet it was. Then we ran to pick out a pumpkin and decided the rain was not stopping and should probably head home. I did let the little ones do the zip line thing a couple times and go down the slide once. They were drenched. Just soaked. All the way down to their socks. We then packed up and left.

Not exactly how I saw it going. Damn rain.

 

I did get to see some lady really bite it in the mud. I should not have laughed as hard as I did but it was freaking hilarious. I mean she rolled and did not even try to stop herself.

Evil maybe. Funny definite yes.

 

So these were the only pictures I took from the day. 

 

 

Not pumpkin related. Just the normal Marlee photo shoot. That face though makes me laugh pretty hard though.

 

So I will have to wait for the pumpkin carving day to get any pumpkin related pictures. Stay tuned for that madness.

 

The Sunshine Award

Hello all! Welcome to Marlee and Me - the blog about my journeys through being a first time mom, stepmother, and wife - all while trying to lose weight and keep my sanity! I like to write about everyday moments and share lots of pictures from my experiences.

I was nominated for The Sunshine Award by an amazing mother and blogger

Lauren at The Life of Lauren (Mother, Wife, Chronic Pain Fighter)

She is an incredible inspiration as a mother to three little ones (which includes a set of twins!) and advocate for education and awareness about the illness she suffers from - Interstitial Cystitis. She has a great sense of self and I love to read her posts so go check her out!

The Sunshine Award is given to those who inspire us and bring Sunshine into our lives. 

There are a few simple rules for the Sunshine Award:

1. Include Award Logo in or on your blog post

2. Link to the person who nominated you

3. Answer 10 questions about yourself

4. Nominate other bloggers to give this award

So with that, Lauren has left some questions for me to answer.

1. Tell us about your blog in one paragraph.

My blog started because I wanted to share my experiences and pictures of Marlee and my little family without completely overflowing social media. I understand how annoying it can be when someone posts 50 pictures a day of a child, dog, family member etc etc when one can be more than sufficient. I also knew that my family does not always get an update on what is going on in my life so this was a better way to keep in touch. Marlee (daughter), Isaac (stepson), Nick (husband), food, weigh-ins, and crafts all have a big place on this blog. 

2. What is your most favorite and least favorite thing about blogging?

My favorite thing is being able to write down my thoughts and being able to relate to others. My least favorite is not having enough time to do a daily post like some other bloggers - or just not being exciting enough to have something to post! I live a very boring life.

3. You're having a fabulous dinner party. Which three celebrities would you invite and why?

Oprah because for one - she is Oprah - and two - my sisters do great impersonations of her. 

"You get a car! And you get a car! And you get a car! Look under your seat - Its a car!

Second I would invite Gordon Ramsey so he could yell at everyone in that fabulous angry accent.

Third I would invite Larry Bird. It would make Nick pretty damn excited and he is a pretty quiet guy so would not steal Oprahs spotlight. 

4. You are giving a motivational speech to a captive audience of thousands. What are you speaking about?

Ha. For one this would never happen - hate public speaking and motivation is something I lack a little too often. Something about hard work and reaching goals I suppose. 

5. Tell us three really random things about you. 

I hate when my dog licks himself (like right NOW! I could just die).

I sing inappropriate songs to Marlee and she loves it (Robin Thicke = not kid friendly).

Fuzzy socks are pure heaven to me. 

6. For one month, your blog can only be read by men. Give us a small sampling of what you'd write. 

Pshhh what do men like? Sex, football, and food? So I guess I would have to write about food considering my football knowledge is lacking and sex is not family friendly. (I am pretty sure my gma reads this ha!)

7. Show us a silly or quirky picture of you from when you are younger.

Thank God I do not have any pictures from 4-8 grade. Quirky does not even grasp the awkwardness of this phase. So I will go with a baby picture. Can you see where Marlee gets her grump face?

Picture of a picture

8. Does your immediate family and your close friends know that you blog? Do they read your blog?

I post every three or so blog posts to Facebook so that my family can look at my daily ramblings and see pictures of Marlee. I know some of them really enjoy it which makes me really happy. I love sharing my Marlee with everyone. She brings so much joy to my life so I enjoy sharing the joy with others.

9. Generations after you've passed, your grandchildren discover your blog. What lessons could they learn from your blog?

Oh gosh, I don't know! Maybe a couple recipes? Hopefully how a good marriage can last forever? How love can make everyday worthwhile and exciting? That laughter is the key ingredient to life? 

My grandchildren will think I am lame for sure.

10. Five years from now, are you still blogging? Is your content still the same? What goals have you achieved? 

I hope so! I really enjoy looking back at posts from two months ago so post from five years ago will be awesome to read. I am sure my content will evolve a bit from now. I will then have a five year old and (possibly!) other little crazy babes running around. Marlee and Me could very easily turn into Marlee and the Rest of Her Crazy Family! 

Now for my Nominations!

I only really religiously follow a few blogs so I nominate...

1. Kirsty Phillipson-Lowe at Hijacked By Twins

2. Kerin Ramella at Confessions of a Serial Napper

You have all been nominated for The Sunshine Award!

Answer the following questions and do your own nominations. Have fun and congrats - you guys have really inspired and brought a smile to my face :)

1. Give everyone a little info about you and your blog.

2. What was the inspiration for starting a blog?

3. What would your perfect date consist of?

4. You have been cast on a reality TV show. What show and why?

5. If you could travel to any place in the world, where would it be?

6. You are stranded on an island and only have three items in your suitcase. What are they?

7. Name three celebrities that you would like to invite over for dinner and drinks and why?

8. For your birthday, you can have any gift you want. What is it?

9. Name one materialistic thing that you cannot life without and why?

10. How long have you been blogging and do you think you will be blogging five years from now?

Thanks again everyone and I look forward to reading your posts!

Best Half Week Ever!

I might be completely jinxing myself but I am really having a fantastic half-week so far.

On top of getting my haircut with a side of motivation, I think my motivation has rubbed off on my husband who is going to help me with my diet and exercise goals by joining in! We are going to sit down tomorrow and go over some goals for us to reach together. I am thinking Nike Training Club with some additional cardio 3x a week would be a good goal and we can really push each other to be accountable. Keep in mind my husband is a green bean and does not need to lose any weight but I appreciate that he is being supportive. Of course, he is demanding I put in some applications for area hospital jobs - always a catch with that man.

NTC is a great fitness app!



I also won a contest on Facebook for some super cute custom made shirts, bags. and tutus from Lucky 4 Creations! I was so excited that I had to read it a few times just to make sure that was my name. Now I am having a hard time deciding what I want done since she also does custom designs and my mind is running with ideas. Possible Christmas outfit? Or six month outfit? Or a shirt that says "Little Sis" and get Isaac one that says "Big Bro"! And then do family pictures! My sister saw this one and really thought it was appropriate for my little crabby patty. 

Lucky 4 Creations

Let's just say that I am pretty excited about this win.

Nick and I are heading to the pumpkin farm with a couple friends this weekend also so I have lots to look forward to. Hopefully my happy streak continues! 

Oh and I blogged twice this week - BAM!

Motivation in the Form of a Haircut

I finally did it! Chopped all my hair off and I seriously cannot be happier with the results.

I feel new! And fresh! And motivated!

Motivated to be more motivated. Motivated to do the things I love to do! Motivated to go running and loose this baby weight. Motivated to make dinner for my husband because I really do love to try new recipes (even if he is brutally honest at times). Motivated to do some laundry (not because I want to but because it really, really, really needs done).

I was even motivated to get out of sweats and put on something pretty! And put on makeup! 

Motivation from a haircut? I do think it was some kind of beautician hookus pookus.  

I did not measure how much was cut but it was long enough to donate which was an added bonus.

No more grabbing my hair for Marlee!

Speaking of my little peanut, she has a new favorite toy!

She loves her little jumper! She can jump and swing and drool and kick her little feet as much as her little heart desires. This is usually my coffee time.

Other exciting news is that I was nominated for The Sunshine Award by my blogger friend +Lauren! I have plans to complete a post and nominate others as soon as I get a little more time. My break is over though so I should probably get back to work!

Marlee, the Grouchy Mouse

I thought my big news of the week was the fact that I am down another 1.2lbs but instead, Marlee gave me the birthday present of a full night of sleep. That's right, she slept an entire seven straight hours!

I woke up feeling like this.

This was a nice surprise since she was such a pistol yesterday. A complete grump on her mothers bday - not cool. 

Marlee, the grouchy mouse

I was so excited to see Nick when he arrived home. My shoulders were killing me from carrying her around all day. He even arrived with flowers which instantly brightened my day. He once told me that every girl deserves flowers on her birthday and he has yet to disappoint. 

He can be a charmer every now and then. 

So after a nice long walk with Nick, we headed out to eat.

We just went to get wings at Bdubs since we had Isaac and, well, I love wings, beer, and sports. As soon as I walked in I thought that it was loud as hell in there! It was a blessing in disguise though because Marlee continued her grumpy mood. She screamed and fussed and whined the entire time. I felt awful. I was sad for Marlee and sad for the people trying to enjoy their dinner around us. I tried feeding her, rocking her, changing her - nothing was working. She was just not a happy camper. I could not get out of there fast enough. Nick thinks I get all excited for no reason and I admit, I get so flustered when she cries around other people. Even family. I hate it. I always feel like I should be able to make her happy. I am her mom after all! Unfortunately, like Nick said, it happens. Babies cry. Even in public. And I am sure this will not be the last time. 

Side note, does anyone watch Parenthood? The couple with the newborn - yea, almost too real to watch sometimes. Ugh. 

Marlee woke up smiling and laughing this morning. I am even enjoying a cup of coffee while she naps. My friend Emmy is bringing over pizza for lunch and then it is adult nap time before work. Not a bad start to my Friday!

Blog or Take a Shower?

This has honestly been my dilemma ever since Marlee was born. Sometimes it is 'pumping or blog?' or 'make coffee or blog?' or 'brush my hair or blog?' but this week, everything else wins over blogging.

Everything but the hair brushing.

Confession: I rarely brush my hair. It is not even a necessity at this point.

I digress.

Considering I have very few minutes of free time at this point, I give you...

My week in pictures.



Marlee was a pumpkin



Marlee is grabbing things with more accuracy!

Marlee sleeps while daddy does fantasy football.

I wanna start this Fall Checklist!

Marlee watches Doc Mcstuffins - She is a toy doctor!

Marlee wears fancy pants with matching headbands.

My paper mache pumpkin turned out pretty good!

Marlee was a skeleton.

 

Cute even upside down!

Who me?!

We made pepper butter. Yum!

Marlee was Minnie Mouse.

My sister and I celebrated birthdays with ice cream!
Diet friendly, of course.

And Marlee was all smiles with cousin Brit and her awesome MJ slippers!

That is all I have for now. I promise to have something with a little more content next time!