12 months

I know I’m a little late with this as my daughter is now 12 months and two weeks. To be honest, I have been putting off posting about my baby girl turning one because I can’t put my feelings into words. I don’t quite know where to begin. However, begin I shall.
Let’s begin with M’s 12 month (and two week) stats:
22.12 pounds – 65 percentile
30 inches – 75 percentile

Just graduated to a size 4 diaper although a little big

Has eight teeth (four top front and four bottom front)

She is thinning out. This is probably due to that fact that she does not stop. ever. She’s gone from lying so still in my arms or anywhere I place her, to kicking her feet and flapping her arms, to rolling all over the place, to sitting up, to scooting, to crawling, to crawling faster, to standing, to walking. At 12 months M was taking about 12 steps. Now, at 12 months and two weeks she is walking all over the place. It is so exciting to watch her discover this new found independence, so curious of every new discovery she comes upon. She's also gone from disliking most people and being very shy to a little social butterfly.

Although I am saddened to see each stage pass, I am enjoying this stage with Marlee so much. Yes, many days are filled with frustration, tempers, crying fits, and breakdowns. They are also filled with smiles, giggles, and fun. Everyday is so different yet somehow just the same.
Marlee Kay’s favorite things…
Water. Whether it be swimming and splashing in the pool, taking a bath, playing in water puddles, or splashing in the sink as I wash her hands, Marlee loves water.
Mirrors. Oh how she enjoys looking at herself. She just stares at herself and laughs.

Books. I cannot even begin to explain how my little one adores books. I have read to her since the day we brought her home from the hospital and I think it has paid off.
Being outside. My little girls loves to play outside. Living in the desert has made this quite challenging the past few months. At least once a day we hang out on the patio and at least once a day Marlee goes to the backdoor and cries to go outside and play.

Exploring. Forget about toys. If I give Marlee free rein to run wild around the house (supervised of course) she will make an entire day of just roaming around.
I could go on and on.

Kids. She loves other kids. However, I think my little love is going to be a serious bully.
Marlee’s choice of words thus far have been (in no particular order): Dada, MomMom, bubba or baba, dog, ball, hi, ruff ruff, owww, owie, wow, . She also signs milk. I’ll say Marlee you ready for milky and sometimes she gets so excited and signs milk with both hands.
So, at one year Marlee refuses to feed herself. She sits in her high chair and opens her mouths and waits for the food. As my Dad always said to us kids, she’s like a little bird waiting for food.

Oh how I love and adore you my beautiful daughter…your scrunched up face when I go in your room to greet you first thing in the morning, your smile and laughter, your curiosity, listening to you sing yourself to sleep, your innocence, watching your face light up when you hear Dada coming through the door, your determination, your unexpected snuggles..so few and far between, watching you sleep with your little butt in the air..I could watch you sleep for hours, your fearlessness, watching you explore the world..you find joy in the smallest things. Never lose this curiosity.

You have taught me so much this past year, from patience to unconditional love to true devotion and I want to thank you. Thank you for being everything I could have ever hoped for and more. We were meant for one another my sweet girl and not a day goes by that I don’t look at you and think how lucky and blessed I am to have you in my life. You amaze me. You humble me. There are no words to convey my deep love and devotion to you.

You have stolen my heart baby girl. Always know that I am your biggest fan.

Happy Birthday Alexee

Marlee Kay wants to wish her cousin Alexee a very happy 5th birthday.


07.18.07 - M and Lex meeting for the first time

Thanks for spending your special day with us. My Mama says you are growing so fast, too fast. She can still remember the day you were born.

We love you so much and hope your day was extra special because that's what you are, extra special.

Uncle Dave, Auntie Angela, and Marlee Kay

Birthday Girl

We celebrated Marlee Kay’s first birthday Saturday with family and close friends. I planned a pool party. We live in the desert and everyday is the same, hot and dry. No worries since we haven’t had rain since March, right? Wrong. A storm came barreling through the valley late Friday night and into Saturday. Of course, I was freaking out. Thankfully, the storm came and went and Saturday ended up being a beautiful day, expect for the humidity. Overall, it was a great day.
Many pictures from the party…

Playing in the pool with Ada.

Marlee Kay's applesauce banana cake...yum!

If you're wondering whether or not she gorged on the cake, the answer is no, since she still refuses to feed herself! Other than me feeding her a few bites, she just played in the frosting.

Cupcake cones for the kids. Thanks for the idea Mom.

Yummy homemade carrot cake for the adults. Decoration a la Angela.

The kids loving the treats.

Even though the only memory of this day for M will be pictures, I really wanted to make her very first birthday special. Dada and I love you Marlee Moo <3.

Thanks to everyone who came and for all the presents!

One and Counting...

Tonight at 5:09pm, Dave and I sang Happy Birthday to our beautiful daughter. You see, Marlee Kay was born 07.10.07 at 5:09pm. Yes, my baby is 1 year old. I am so overcome with emotion today that I will save my thoughts for another time.



Happy Birthday my beautiful baby girl.

07.09.07

One year ago today, Dave and I were headed to the hospital. I remember thinking how surreal it was to know that when we left the hospital it would be with our baby girl. It wasn’t just Dave and I anymore. I had so many feelings, so many emotions as we walked hand in hand into labor and delivery.

A little back story…
I had an induction date scheduled for Monday, July 9th at 8:00pm. I had reservations about getting induced from the moment it was scheduled, hoping my little baby no name would work her way down when she was good and ready (comical, I know), but after three weeks of being dilated to a fingertip and 50% effaced I gave up. Throughout my great pregnancy, I heard time and time again that by the end of my pregnancy I would be so miserable and so ready to have Marlee Kay, to meet her and hold her and know that she was healthy, but I wasn’t. Don’t get me wrong, I was miserable, it was hot, I was so so swollen, peeing every hour, and I had heartburn from hell. However, knowing this would probably be the only time I was pregnant made me sad.

I will save my birth story for another day, or maybe I won't.

Tomorrow, July 10th at 5:09pm, my daughter will have been a part of this world, my whole world, for one year. One year has passed. Tonight she had a rough time going to sleep. I happily rocked her and just stared at her in amazement. How much she’s grown this past year, how much she is so different but just the same…

She's Walking

Yes, Marlee Kay has started walking. Okay, more like taking 5 and 6 unassisted steps at a time.
Lord help me...

America's Birthday

Marlee Kay wants to wish everyone a Happy July 4th.


Look at that index toe...=)
We just had a quiet, relaxing day at home. It's usually still light outside when Marlee goes to bed, but not last night. Oh no. She must have known something was going to be going on after bedtime, therefore she decided to stay awake long enough to see the fireworks...at 9:00pm. She was having a rough night so at about 9:00 we decided to take her outside to see the firework shows that the casinos have. I thought they would scare the hell out of her as she is not a fan of loud noises. I was wrong, she loved them. We sat outside and watched them for about ten minutes and then Dada brought her in and put her right to sleep.

PS-thanks again Sissie for the bows!

Marlee's Blessing - 06.21.08

Marlee Kay was blessed on Saturday. Nothing formal as we are not active members of a church, just close family at my parent’s house. My Dad blessed her and, as you can see in the very last picture, she was not the best about cooperating. She lost it about halfway through the prayer.

The beautiful white dress M has on is the same dress I was blessed in. It was made by my Grandma Mary.

Marlee wants to thank her Grandpa for making her blessing so special. We love you!

**PS-Two middle pictures courtesy of my sissie Lesley.

11 Months

After I became pregnant with Marlee Kay, known as baby no name back then, I heard a song on the radio, a song I had heard a couple of hundred times before, but there was something different about this song now that I was going to be a Mama. I remember tearing up and thinking that this is exactly how I feel about Marlee, even though I had yet to meet her. Although there are many songs that strike a cord with me, this one has lingered.
From the day I brought Marlee home from the hospital I have sang this song to her. Whether I am putting her to sleep, trying to calm her, or just want to sing to my baby, this song is always at the top of the singing list.
Now, after hearing this song day after day, month after month, Marlee hears me begin to sing the chorus and she smiles. This started a few months ago. If Marlee is having a rough time, or she can’t go to sleep, or she can’t get settled, I sing this song…instant calm and smile (usually).
Moments like this I never want to forget. I want to embed them into my mind because I know how quickly things change, how quickly they are forgotten. How quickly my baby girl is growing up. Eleven months has passed since the two of us met and my life has yet to be the same. I never knew I could feel this way, love this pure and deep. It cannot even be explained, you must be a parent, maybe even a mother, to understand.

As stated, my sweet little lovey is 11 months old. She is so fun, so, so energetic, so curious, so temper mental, so determined, so serious, so Dave and myself wrapped into one. Everyday I think, this is it, I love her more than yesterday, but how is that even possible when yesterday I thought my love could not seep any deeper? Somehow, it does. Somehow she works her way more and more into my heart.
Thank you for all the bows Auntie Kristy.
11 Months…
Marlee now has a lovey she is becoming quite attached to. His name is Mr. Bear. There are times when I grab Mr. Bear and just inhale my daughter’s scent that has now become Mr. Bear’s scent. As much as it is due time to wash Mr. Bear, I cannot bring myself to wash Marlee’s scent that lingers on her lovey.

Marlee loves the water. Whether it be a shower with Ada (Dada), a bath, or swimming in the pool…if it involves water Marlee is happy. She also loves to explore. She is so curious and just wanders aimlessly, absorbing everything that surrounds her. She loves books, rather it be Dave or I reading to her or Marlee just sitting so content flipping through a book. She loves mirrors. Give her a mirror and she will talk and talk to her “friend”, which is really just her. When will she realize this? It’s so entertaining to watch.

Marlee is now a crawling machine and also walks with the aid of furniture. She is very careful and has great balance. My prediction, she will be walking by the time she is one year old. She loves to squeal, shout, laugh, and “talk”. Her words of choice thus far (in order): Ada (Dada), MomMom, bubba, hi, dog and just last week she said ruff-ruff. She also waves.

This past month has been so much fun. Marlee is on the go from the time she wakes up until the time goes to bed. Yes, the days can get exhausting and monotonous, but there is nowhere else I’d rather be than spending my days with my sweet, loveable, temper mental, energetic, beautiful daughter.



You are my I love you baby girl...<3

Father's Day

To my Ada,

Happy Ada's Day! Thank you for taking such good care of me...for playing with me, reading to me, singing to me, swimming with me, being so patient with me, rocking me to sleep... Thank you for loving me so much.

I love you so much,
Marlee Kay
..your punkin


The very first time we met..7/10/07


Taking such good care of me, as always...1 week old

Hangin out...November 2007 - 3.75 months

Reading me a bedtime story...March 2008 - 7.75 months

Playin with Ada...April 2008 - 8.75 months

At the fair...April 2008 - 9 months

Playin hi-5...June 2008 - 10 months


Swimmin...June 2008 - 10.75 months

**Marlee also wants to wish a great big Happy Father's Day to her Grandpa Earl and Papa Harland. We love you!