More Halloween...

Happy Halloween!

What do y'all think - do you see any similarities?

I would definitely say that Marshall enjoyed his first Halloween. We stayed in and let him help us answer the door and "hand out candy." As you can see, his idea of handing out candy was to grab it out of the bowl and chomp on it himself. Isn't he a bit young for that? You'd never know from these pictures that he's never had a piece of candy in his mouth (I guess I have to qualify that as an "unwrapped piece of candy" now) and won't for a while, but he sure looks like he's an expert sugar-a-holic.

After a while, Marshall seemed to have enough of the hood in his face and ears dragging the ground -- how does Daisy stand it? -- so we stripped him down to the bare bones and let him stay up for a little more trick or treat fun.

These last ones are just for his great aunt Carol. A new favorite is the stuffed rattler. His favorite part is the rattle -- not to rattle, though. Marshall prefers to suck on it. Who knew rattlesnake tasted so good?!

Oh yeah, one last comment. I am NOT showing dog favoritism with the costume choice. I'm just not that skilled a costume making and figured I'd better go with the one that was easiest to make recognizable. But just to be fair, here are some cute photos of Fado!

Another Basset Hound???!!!

Yep, we are adding to the pack. This Halloween we've added Daisy - part Deux!

What do you think???

I'll try to post more, but these are the first from today.

And after the costume top comes off. Well, that's when we see what little boys are really made of and it is NOT snips & snails (though it does involve a puppy dog tail!). Nope, this one's made of cute little heart shaped bones!

The shots below are from this afternoon when I took his costume top off and let him hang out in the kitchen with me.

Don't all topless dogs love to roam around and forage for raw potatoes?!

Baby Wrangling

McKenna and Marshall love their Uncle Brad!

He's an expert at baby wrangling...

even when they try to escape!

Where's That Pacifier?

Soon-to-be big sister McKenna knows the secret to a happy baby -- never EVER let the pacifier fall out!! On our trip to Texas she remembered that Marshall liked his pacifier and made sure he had it ALL the time!!

Anytime she saw it lying around, she would say, "Uh-oh" then grab it and stick it in. She definitely likes for things to be in their proper places!

Above, she demonstrates her screwdriver technique which proved not to be as popular as the one-fingered approach shown below.

Sand, Sun and Solids, Oh My!

Under construction....This post is missing some pictures, but it will be another couple of weeks before I can get home and get them all filled in so I decided to post it as is for now so you (especially some of you in Oregon and Illinois) can see some sort of update. Check back later for more.


I guess I should have put the title in red letters because it sure was that kind of week. Pops and Zanny (that is David and Suzanne...pronounced like Annie -- not Zany) gave us a wonderful week at the beach. What a treat! We got to spend time with the Cousin Harris and his mom and dad as well as try out life on the beach, in the pool and even take a whack at eating solid food. We have loads of pictures, but we'll post just a few.



I'll try to hit the high points.



The beach. The first day we went out, it was pretty windy, Marshall was about ready for a nap and he didn't last long. All the wind, waves and sand can get pretty overwhelming. He checked it all out, tolerated some photos and then let me know he was ready to head inside. The next time out, he had a little more fun.



Daddy and Boy under the umbrella

Hmmm...maybe next year it will be more fun to bury the boy in the sand!



Relaxing in the sand - it will be SO much fun to clean it out of the swim suit and all the crevices!

Hanging out with Zanny - Marshall's making sure the keys to the condo don't get lost!



The pool. A bigger hit than the beach. Its fun until you get water in your face and have to spit it all out. Marshall likes splashing the water and had fun kicking in his little float. When he kicked, he would giggle and keep going. I think we'll find a Y to join once we get back home!









Big Cousin. Harris is a source of constant entertainment for Marshall. He will gladly lie on the floor fascinated with how Harris can eat Cheerios and I'm pretty sure he was taking notes on how to stick them to his head and throw them on the floor (the pups will be thrilled!). The boys had fun around one another more than together. Harris liked petting Marshall and Marshall just wanted to get Harris (or anything or anyone else) in his mouth. Looks like the beginning of a beautiful cousinship!

Wow, Harris! You can move yourself around the room! How do you do that?

Hey, let me grab on to your hair and I'll show you my trick!

Ummm, Harris, have you been watching Ultimate Fighting with my dad?

The 4th! Marshall fell asleep before any big time fireworks, but we did get this family picture on the back porch of the living room. What a great location we stayed in - the beach was RIGHT THERE!



Solid (sort of) Food. At our last appointment the doc said that we could wait until 6 months to start solids, but then he would need to have the iron fortified rice cereal. I fully intended to wait until after his 6 month check up. BUT...she also said if he starts to show a lot of interest in food (like watching us intently while we are eating, etc.) that it would be good to start a bit sooner since he should be ready for it. For the past couple of weeks, I've been thinking that Marshall has been watching me while I eat - often I snack while he nurses so I was never sure and thought he might just be watching my hand or letting himself get distracted. I wanted David to be around for the first "meals" so I decided we would either determine he was ready and give him rice cereal at the beach or wait until Marshall and I get back from our upcoming trip to Texas. I was still on the fence.



One night David was holding Marshall while he ate dinner and we all watched as Marshall tracked his Daddy's every food-related movement with wide eyes and an open mouth. He would stare intently at David's fork and follow it with his eyes all the way to David's mouth while simultaneously opening his mouth and stretching his little hand up in an attempt to grab the fork. I decided - time for this boy to have solids.



Next morning - solids for breakfast (after an early morning nursing). He did great. In fact, he did so well we don't have any really funny pictures. Seemed to like it and gladly sucked back the runny cereal. The next day I made it thicker and he's doing really well with it.

From Bellies to Babies

Brad took a great picture of Erica and me just before he left for Hawaii

Here's a look at the changes 6 months brings.

From big bellies...

to big baby boys!

and two TIRED mamas!

Loooong Overdue

Dad/David finally made it home. Well, as I write this, he's been home for almost two months, but we have a LOT of pictures to catch you up on.

Last time David got to feed Marshall, he was in the NICU with electrodes stuck to his chest, alarms going off if they came loose and we were in a tiny little cubicle (number 23, David always likes to point out!).

What a change several months brings! This time, instead of having to wrestle with wires and IVs, keep his tiny head supported and wake him to drink his milk, David just handed Marshall his bottle and he grabbed it gulped it down!



Ok, so that is a slight exagerration. Still, I had no idea that Marshall could hold a bottle for himself. While David was feeding him for the first time, he let Marshall hold onto it and do most of the work himself. Sure surprised me!



How does this thing work?



Oh, the milk comes out here.
OK, Dad, you just hold up the back end and I'll do the rest. I'm SO big now!




I got it. Now, you just relax, Dad, and have a root beer with Grandpa Tom.


Later, McKenna got in on the act. She's had lots of practice feeding Baby Doll so she seems to be a natural at this. Still, it is a good thing Uncle David is there to lend a hand.




One last afternoon of playtime for the cousins before Marshall heads south for a awhile.



More SOON.....

From Giraffes to Bears and Puppies

Since Marshall learned to grab his giraffes he's been working on holding on to more and more animals. Below are pictures of him holding/eating his Carolina bear (a gift from the Baddours) and his soft puppy (a gift from Aunt Erica). He loves them both and if I put either within reach, he will grab them and shove them up to his face and start chewing on any part he can get in his mouth.

Watch out! I think he looks like one tough baby munching on his puppy's ear in his hand-me-down hoodie! Is that a pit bull on his shirt? Mom says it is, but I'm not so sure.

Flying Giraffes

About three weeks ago Marshall started reaching out and grabbing for a few of his toys. The first time I really noticed it was with the giraffes that hang on the bar in front of him in the bouncy chair. The bouncer just got a lot more fun. These pictures are from the day after I first noticed him hitting them and looking like he meant to do it. It didn't take long to progress from hitting to grabbing.










Now he will sit in the bouncer and have fun playing with his giraffes for a pretty long time. Several times, I've put him in the bouncer on the floor in the kitchen while I made dinner and it worked out pretty well. I know Grandma likes it too 'cause it means I am helping with dinner more now!

McKenna & Marshall

Here are a couple of photos I took of these two cousins in late March. McKenna is making a lot of comparisons lately. She is recognizing things that are alike even if they aren't exactly the same. For example, she might see a giraffe in a magazine then go and get two of her toys that are also giraffes and show them to us. It is so fun to watch her learn and make connections.

Here she is doing that with Marshall. On this morning, she was showing us that he has feet and so does she and in this picture she's noticing that he has hands and fingers like hers.

Easter

Well, this is being posted a little after the fact, but I still wanted to make sure I put up some photos of Marshall's first Easter. We had a family dinner on Saturday evening at Mom and Dad's house with the Suttons and the Riveras. Only Brad and David were missing. Mom made a great meal - ham, potatoes, fruit salad and a really tasty coconut cake. Erica's crew spent the night and we all went to church on Sunday. Joaquin and Marshall did well during the service - Marshall slept through most of it while Joaquin tried to speak with all the passersby. When we got home, it was sunny and relatively warm (even though it had snowed on Good Friday) so I asked Mom to take some pictures of Marshall, me and the girls out on the deck. It was a bit too sunny for Marshall so he kept his eyes closed in most of the shots. Here are a few.

Fado is a little more interested in Marshall

than Daisy who mostly is interested in her comfort - in this case basking in the sun!

Marshall also enjoyed playing in the vicinity of his cousin. He and Joaquin haven't quite figured out how to play together yet, but their moms love to put them side by side to play - making sure Marshall is just outside of Joaquin's arm reach, of course.