8 Month Update

As of yesterday Marley is 32 weeks old...that means she's 8 months! This past month has been full of the most changes by far. 

Since my last update Marley learned to crawl, sit up by herself, then get on her knees, stand up, and now she is walking around the room using the furniture! 

Any predictions on when she'll start walking? I'm thinking for sure before 12 months. This little girl is ALWAYS getting into something. 

Here's how other things are going:

Marley Likes

Standing up

crawling

bath time in the big tub

Squealing/Mimicking sounds

Playing with Daddy

Being outside

Time with cousins

Feeding herself

Grandma and Grandpa's doggy Toby

TV/Movies with singing

Dropping her toys out of the stroller

Sitting in highchairs at restaurants 

Applesauce, squash, green beans, puff snacks 

Marley Doesn't like

Falling over...especially when tired

Being covered in the car

 Being rocked

 Peaches, carrots, cheerios

Since last month we got into a good sleep routine that didn't require being swaddled. But, just last week Marlene decided that she would NOT sit still for me to rock her to sleep anymore. So what I do now is hold her in the rocking chair and sing one song, then I just lay her in the crib and that's it. If she starts to cry I look at the clock and tell myself "let her cry until..." (Usually I give her 20 minutes) 

Its been almost a week and so far I haven't had to go back in to calm her down. Sometimes she doesn't make a peep, and other times I can tell she's mad but eventually puts herself to sleep. I'm grateful we are getting into a good routine where she can "self-soothe."

Overall, we a truly blessed with an amazing, sweet little girl. She got her first cold a few weeks ago, and even then she was still so happy. 

This Saturday we are getting her pictures taken and I can't wait to see how they turn out. Hopefully they can capture her personality!

Thirteen Years

Today marks 13 years since I had my back surgery. 

And I just realized that I was 13 years old at the time. Freaky! 

For those of you who don't know, back in 2000 I had surgery to correct an insane curve in my spine caused by Scoliosis. My spine was shaped almost like a "C" and was starting to twist my ribcage so an operation was necessary. 

They did some crazy stuff that I can't really explain, but as a result I grew 2 inches in 8 hours, am missing a rib (it was fused into my spine), have two rods in my back to keep it straight, and have a total of 4 scars.

I'm kicking myself for telling my mom I did NOT want any pictures taken to document my surgery (after all I was a teenager), because it was a big event in my life. Oh well! 

One other "bonus" from my surgery, that I didn't find out until last year, is that because of the rods I will never be able to have an epidural during labor. That was hard to accept, especially since I didn't find that out until I was already pregnant!

I was extremely lucky that Marlene's birth went as quickly as it did, and I know Heavenly Father was looking out for me. I was also blessed with an extremely fast recovery thirteen years ago that I am so grateful for.

Its so interesting to look back on trials and realize how much they really help you grow. 

This quote says it all:

"The Divine Shepherd has a message of hope, strength, and deliverance for all. If there were no night, we would not appreciate the day, nor could we see the stars and the vastness of the heavens. We must partake of the bitter with the sweet. There is a divine purpose in the adversities we encounter every day. They prepare, they 

purge, they purify, and thus they bless."

James E. Faust

Our Insta-Weekend

We had lots of fun this weekend! Jason had two days off, and we got to 

spend lots of time with family. 

Friday:

We went to McDonald's with Nellie and Evie and discovered these SUPER 

cute happy meal toys. 

Saturday:

 These cousins had lots of fun outside while we had a yard sale. We didn't make a ton of money, but it was still fun. My favorite part was when the boy who bought our CD player came back to give me my Michael Buble Christmas CD that I left inside.

Later on in the day, Marlene decided to show us how daring she is and we found her face-first inside her toy bin. She was not amused, and I realized that it was seriously time for us to lower the crib.

I put her in it to play for a little bit so bedtime wouldn't be such a shock. She loves it, and now I can feel a little better about her standing up. 

Sunday:

I love watching movies on gloomy Sundays. Marlene and I watched the Tigger Movie and she was in heaven! Tigger is her favorite.

Next weekend Marley gets to have her pictures taken! I'm so excited, wait till you see the cute clothes I picked out. 

Henderson Update

Figured it has been awhile since I did a Henderson update. Here's 

what's been happening...

 

Jason: He started school a few weeks ago and has been SUPER busy. Not having a crazy commute this semester is a real plus, but this time he has a SUPER early class everyday. He's still working at Olive Garden and enjoys it most of the time.

 

Jen: I quit my job about a month ago because we realized that Jason could make in a day what I would make in a week. We also realized that once he started school, that my availability would basically shrink to nothing. So now I get to spend my days at home with our sweet little girl.

 

Marlene: She is quite a busy girl nowadays. Marley spends her days crawling all over and getting into EVERYTHING. She is determined to grow up so fast! I'm pretty sure she will be walking before 12 months. Her new favorite thing to do is try standing herself up. Its great to see, but we have had SO MANY bonked heads...

 

Our little family of three is having fun living life here in Salt Lake. We're enjoying trying new places to eat, fixing up our apartment, and we have a fun trip to CA

next month to look forward to!

Can't wait! 

 

 

Partying with Baby J

A year ago Sunday, my favorite nephew was born!

I am so grateful I got to witness Jackson's birth and be a part of such a special day. 

Something Funny I remember about that day:

When the doctor came in to break Suzanne's water, I was sitting on the couch next to her mother-in-law Marni. When the doctor got ready to do it, without thinking, Marni and I both leaned back on the couch bracing ourselves like we were in the "splash zone" at the killer whale show. We both looked at each other and laughed. What were we expecting to happen?! Needless to say, we didn't get wet. 

Sunday we celebrated with the Ashby's and it was a blast! Marlene had SO much fun playing with her cousins now that she can keep up with them. Jackson got a tent from IKEA as one of his gifts, and they had so much fun playing. Marlene crawled inside and didn't want to leave. She kept squealing out of pure joy, it was hilarious!

It was also hilarious watching Jackson eat his first cake! It was placed in front of him and all he did was lean in with his mouth open wide. It was so funny watching him try bite after bite because he was making the funniest faces too. He looked like he didn't like the taste, but couldn't stop eating. He also kept smacking the top of his cake...

I love spending time with family! I'm so glad we had this great reason to get together. Jackson is such a sweet addition to our family, and I can tell he and Marley are going to be great friends.  

Week of Firsts

What a difference a week makes! Holy cow. Its actually been less than a week since I wrote Marley's 7 month update and she has decided to go crazy! 

The day after I posted her update, Marley decided she was ready to crawl. 

(For now, this is how we keep her contained.)

A few days ago she sat up on her own. She was playing on the floor and then just propped herself and sat there. I was glad I looked at her right at that very second. This morning I also found her sitting up in her crib. 

Yesterday I caught her up on her knees, trying to get into the toy bin. Then a second later she actually stood up by herself, and then proceeded to fall over and bonk her head 

just a little bit. (Nothing serious) 

It blows my mind how fast my baby is changing. She has become such a curious little girl and the wheels are constantly turning in her head. I love it!