Growing Up

When I had been nursing Marley for a few months I thought about how hard it would be to wean her one day. It was something that both of us loved so much, that I didn't even want to think about the day that she would grow out of it. I knew I would cry. But a few months ago when I started the weaning process, I really felt like I was ready to be done. My goal was to make it to two years, and I have done that! I feel ashamed admitting this, but it was becoming a burden sometimes, and I felt like she was too dependent on it. But my guilt would immediately kick in and I would think, "She's still my baby!" I loved nursing her. It was such a special time that only she and I could share and the smile on her face made it worth everything. But every baby grows up at some point, right?

I started getting really serious about it while I was in Nacogdoches. I thought I would take the opportunity while we would be busy and she would have other people to entertain her to lessen her nursing time. There was more crying than I wanted. There was less sleeping than I wanted. But every night it got easier. We started with having to nurse her all the way to sleep, to now we nurse until I count to ten and then she happily moves on and goes to sleep. Which seems like HUGE progress! So, two weeks later, it seems I have a grown up little girl!

She now sleeps for about 11 hours straight every night! She falls asleep while I lay next to her, but then I get up and don't see her again until her smiling face greets me in the morning! She used to wake up crying every morning (probably because she hadn't gotten enough sleep trying to nurse all night) and now she wakes up a happy baby, ready to cuddle and gossip with me in bed!

And she suddenly has a huge appetite! She will eat more at one meal than she used to eat in an entire day. She eats so many more things now also. She is still not into vegetables, but pretty much everything else we can get her to eat. She is constantly asking for more food, which makes me so happy!

She talks like crazy now also! This probably doesn't have much to do with nursing, but I think it does have to do with growing up and becoming her own person. Words that she used to say wrong, she is figuring out how to say correctly. And she is just constantly repeating the words I say. I told Asa that we are reaching the point where we can't say anything we don't want her repeating!

And finally, laughing. For the past 3 or 4 days Marley has been laughing like crazy. Maybe she's just feeling well-rested and energetic. Or maybe she is so happy because Asa and I are so happy. Either way, I love it. She is so happy and can't stop laughing!

When I started this process I wondered, is this the best thing for her? For me? Well, judging by all the positive ways she has changed, I think she was ready. She may not have known she was, but a little nudge from Momma in the right direction was all she needed. It's obvious to me that she is happy and thriving. Was I really ready? Who knows. Sometimes I think I was, and sometimes I think I wasn't. It does break my heart when I think about that time ending. It was so special and I couldn't even put into words how much I will miss it sometimes. One day I will wish I could just curl up with my baby Marley and cuddle while she nurses again. And on the day that I miss that, I will cuddle up with my little girl and tell her stories about what a sweet baby she was and how much I used to love to feed her and rock her to sleep and spend the night next to her in bed. One day, I will nurse Marley's little brother or sister, and I will get to show her how I used to take care of her, and I will explain to her how special it was to both of us. She won't remember first-hand, so all I have are my memories to keep those special moments. It's so hard to watch your baby grow up and realize all the things that you will miss. Things that you took for granted at the time and now, if you could only have that time back.

Breast feeding is something I am so passionate about and something I held so dear. It's a beautiful, magical thing and I am so thankful every day that it worked so well for us. It is part of why Marley is the way she is now, and I wouldn't change it for anything! I am so proud of my little lady.

The Park with Grandma

A few days after Marley's birthday, Donna called us and wanted to meet us at the park for the morning. It was hot as blazes outside, but Donna came prepared with an ice chest full of water, strawberries, peanut butter, and crackers. Marley had a blast dragging Grandma all over the playground, and Grandma didn't seem to mind either!

Zane's Birthday Party

While we were in Nacogdoches, we got invited to Zane's birthday party! They actually share the same birthday, and he even spent his birthday at Marley's party! So, the Sunday after, we went to Zane's birthday party. I still can't believe how much Zane can talk! He says complete sentences and repeats back anything you ask him to. Like Samantha says, he gets it from his Daddy who can talk to anybody. They had a little pool set up for the three kiddos, and Marley had a lot more fun than I thought she would. The boys were a little rough and seemed to want to pick on Marley as much as they could. But she ignored them most of the time and kept to herself.
We have such a sweet little girl, and we are lucky she likes to avoid the boys right now!

Girly Stuff

Marley got her first bottle of nail polish for her birthday, a pink sparkly one. So, the morning after her birthday, her Mimi painted her toenails for the first time! Marley knew this was very serious work, so she sat perfectly still and patiently waited for Mimi to finish.
And they were gorgeous!

Long over-due

My poor neglected blog. I have been so busy with life, that I don't have time to write about it!

We got back to Missouri yesterday afternoon, so now I am trying to unpack/clean/get organized. My mom and Joel drove Marley and me up to Tulsa and handed us over to Asa. I will make separate posts about some of the activities we have been doing in the past two weeks, especially those with pictures.

We have an appointment to look at a house on post tomorrow! I am so excited! With Asa deploying in February, it would be nice if I could stay in the house until after he left so that we didn't have to spend our time together moving. I am going to move back to Nacogdoches while he's gone, but hopefully I can move everything in the few weeks after he leaves. That would be a lot less stressful I think, rather than having to squeeze it all in. But I can't wait to live on post! I will be around other people, we will have a nice yard to play in, and Asa will be able to come home more often during the day! It will be a huge relief, so every one cross your fingers that tomorrow goes well!

It will take me a few days to get everything done around here that needs to be done and update my blog with everything. But I will do it!

Marley's Second Birthday Party!

Marley's birthday started off with immediate bouncing. Asa and I went to get the bounce house on Friday afternoon and she bounced as much as she could all afternoon. And after waking up on Saturday, getting Mimi up, and greeting Papa, she wanted to bounce! So, she did. Because a girl should be able to bounce first thing in the morning if she wants to on her birthday!Mommy bounced, Daddy bounced, Papa bounced, and Mimi bounced. And Marley loved every minute of it! Well, except for when I tried to get her to pose for a picture! But she bounced for a good hour until her head was covered in sweat!

After breakfast, we all started getting ready for the party. Our friends and family were coming at 3 pm, so we got the house all set up and the food all laid out and we were ready to party! Luckily Marley got to take a pretty good nap in the early afternoon to give her a boost for the party. And I am also lucky that I had my mom, Joel, Grandma Karen, and Grandpa David there to help us with everything we needed to do!

We had the bounce house set up, along with the shark pool and sprinkler ball. And when everyone arrived, we were ready to play! Marley swam with her cousins...

And bounced with anyone who was brave enough to enter the bounce house!

She also loved sitting around her table with all the kids. She shared grapes with David, hotdogs with Zane, and kept a close eye on Trinity who was trying to get a piece of all the action. She loved Trinity, and especially wanted to take care of her in the bounce house. She petted her arm and showed her how to stick her finger in the netting. She will definitely love having a little sister one day!

Once the kids were all played-out, we came inside for cake and ice cream! Marley absolutely loved being sung to and the whole blowing out the candles thing. We even did it twice, just because!

The cake part ended way better than last year. At her first birthday, she barely wanted to touch it and ended up crying when Asa stuck her hand in the icing. This year, she loved the cake and ice cream (which was no surprise)!

After cake, we opened her presents! We had tons of kids wanting in on the action and it was hard for her to focus on what she was doing. But since the party she has gotten a better look at everything and loves her gifts! She got a Barbie cup from Jenna and Cory, and when I held it up Marley and asked her who the picture of Barbie looked like, she pointed right to Jenna! She also got an adorable outfit from Zane and immediately took off her clothes to put the new clothes on!

The party ended with more bouncing, of course!

And figuring out creative ways to hydrate!She had so much fun at her party and it was rewarding for Asa and I to see how happy she was. So many people love her and want to spend time with her and make her happy. She had such a big smile on her face, getting to play with her friends and enjoy everyone's company. It made Asa and I feel amazing to see her having such a good time. I hope all her future parties are as fantastic as this one was!

August 7th, 2010. 9:03 PM

Mimi, Papa, Grandma Karen, Grandpa David, and Leelee joined the three of us around the kitchen table and sang Happy Birthday a few more times. And in my lap, Marley officially turned two years old.

Exactly two years before, I had been giving birth to this beautiful baby. And here we were, two years later with this beautiful toddler. It baffles me how much has changed in the past two years. We've moved houses, moved states, gotten new jobs, made friends, gotten married, and grown significantly. It's crazy to think about how much has changed for us and that we have continued to be such a strong threesome.

Two years ago, Asa and I were wondering what to do with our lives. And then at 9:03 PM on August 7th, we became a family. I am so thankful to Marley for changing our lives forever. The past two years have been amazing and unforgetable and rewarding in every way.

24 Months. 2 Years.

My baby is 2 years old today.OMG.

It's so hard to believe that I am lucky enough to be the Mommy to such a wonderful, sweet, happy girl. More and more I am realizing the little lady she is turning into.

She has the cutest little habits. She lines up everything and wants all her belongings organized just the right way. She might have a mild two-year-old case of OCD! Her Daddy taught her how to kill bugs, so she is the new protector of the house. She chases down the ants with a shoe in her hand, slamming it on the bug repeatedly until I ask her to slow down! She loves drinking tea with her Mimi and watching baseball with her Papa. And, oh the lipstick! If there is a tube of chapstick within ten feet she will be asking to put it on!

It makes me so sad to think about how old she is now, but at the same time I am so happy and excited for what will be coming. People have been telling me for months that she looks so much older than she is, but now I feel like it's the truth. Two seems totally different from one, and she seems to look like a two year old now. She grew up over night. When she woke up this morning, I asked her, "Do you know how old you are today?!" And she immediately said "TWO!" and held her fingers up. She didn't miss a beat and she was ready to be able to say she was two. She ran in to see her Papa cheering "TWO!" and woke up Mimi saying "TWO TWO TWO!"

She is saying so many more words, but she doesn't always want to repeat what I ask her to. If she signs something, I will ask her to say it with her mouth. So, she signs it again with her mouth wide open! She has also switched from "Dada" and "Mama" to "Daddy" and "Mommy". That also makes her seem like such a big girl. But even if she doesn't want to say the words for what she wants, she definitely knows how to get her point across. She finds a way to tell you whatever it is!

She is sleeping about the same as she was a few weeks ago, and she is nursing less and less. Some days I feel very ready to be done with nursing, and luckily she is adjusting well to it. We still have a ways to go, but we're getting there and I feel very lucky that I have been able to continue for so long.

Hopefully her "terrible twos" will be short lived and painless! I can see little hints of her attitude and stubborn tendancies shining through, but it is never too much to handle. And I definitely don't think she will ever be as difficult as some kids are. My mom says that two is one of her favorite ages. Two year olds start talking so much more, saying funny things, and learning so much every day. So, I am more excited than scared for the next year. Two will be tons of fun! Two will also be a stressful year for Marley, with Asa leaving for deployment and moving again and getting used to many changes. But she is such a strong girl, with a sweet heart and so many people who love her. I know she will be happy.

Happy Two Years, Sweetheart! You mean the world to us and you put a smile on our faces every day!

The Last Day with Our One-Year-Old

Marley loves being back with her Mimi and Papa! Friday was a great day, filled with playing in the backyard, picking flowers with Papa, eating ice cream sandwiches, and seeing her grandma, pappy, aunts, and cousins for dinner.

Do not continue looking at these pictures if you are on a diet!

It really does feel amazing to be home with all of our family near us. We got the last minute things ready for Marley's birthday party, and tried unsuccessfully to get Asa a tattoo he has been wanting. It was our last day with Marley as a one-year-old. I tried to savor it as much as I could, but of course it went by too quickly. I told her over and over again that she was one today, but she would be two tomorrow!

Getting Home

On Thursday we traveled to Nacogdocehs for our weekend and Marley's birthday celebration! We weren't sure if we would be able to go, and then when we did know that we could go, we had no idea when we could leave. But, the stars aligned and we were actually able to leave early, something very rare in the Army! So we got a good amount of driving in before we stopped in Glenpool for a snack and to let Marley run around on the playground.

She was such a good sport in the car, watching Mary Poppins in the back seat, talking to us about everything she saw, and playing with Asa's glow-stick.We got to my mom's house around 2 in the morning, and even though Marley had been alseep for hours, she perked up when she saw Mimi! She walked up to her in the yard and didn't to let her to an hour later when we tried to put her to sleep. It was an exhausting evening, and Marley didn't exactly sleep late the next day, but it felt so so good to be back!

A Package from Mimi and Papa!

We got a package from Mimi and Papa today! Marley was so excited to get something in the mailbox just for her, and she was so happy to open it all herself!She got a shirt from Mimi and Papa's recent trip to New Orleans.

And six pennies for her piggy bank (one of her favorite activities)!

She loves her shirt, in fact she didn't want to take it off to go to sleep. She loves talking about who got her different things. Mimi got her those shorts, Lele got her those shoes, Mama got her that dress... it is a constant conversation while I get her dressed!

Mowin'

Mowing the lawn is a chore that Asa hates to do. Our backyard is huge and on a big hill, so he borrowed a riding lawn mower from someone is his platoon, and Marley was determined to ride it! The lawn mower was very useful for getting the grass cut, but even more useful for making MArley smile! She loved it!

Lots Going On

I am such a bad blogger lately. It seems so busy here, but at the same time I can't think of what I have been doing to keep myself so busy. We go work out, clean the house, take Asa lunch, play for a while, and then before I know it Asa is home and we are making dinner and going to bed. I want to be better... I really do! But it's hard! However, today Emily V. is here and Marley is enjoying playing with her, so I have a second to write!

We had a company picnic last Friday for all of Asa's company and their families. All the guys played football while the wives and kids cheered for their husband's platoon. It was so, so hot and Marley and I couldn't stay at the game very long so we retreated to the bounce house where Marley bounced for about an hour. She loved it by herself, but she also loved it with other people in it. She just loves bounce houses! Asa and I are trying to figure out if we can get one for her birthday party next weekend. They had a big bar-b-cue and dunking booth. Marley had a blast playing with the Bollin girls again and learned to say Abby's name! Now when Marley does something wrong, she blames it on Abby! Unfortunately, I did not take any pictures. I had my camera with me the entire day, but I never got it out of the case.

We are officially number 28 on the housing waiting list! That isn't as low a number as I would like, but it is way lower than 72 where we started!

We are leaving on Thursday after Asa gets off to drive to Nacogdoches for Marley's birthday! I cannot believe that she will be two in less than a week. Well, in some ways I can definitely believe it. She is really acting like a two-year-old these days and she definitely looks like a two-year-old. But I can't believe that it had been two years since I had her. We will be having a party on Saturday with our family and friends, and I know she will have a blast. She is going to love getting to see everyone. Then, Marley and I are staying in Nacogdoches for two weeks and hanging out with everyone there for a little while. My mom, Marley, Emily, and I will get to go to Schlitterbahn while we are there, which I am really excited about!

We also found out a tentative schedule for Asa for the next few months. While I am in Nacogdoches, his company is going out in the field for a week. But Asa got chosen as the only person who will go take a robotics class! The next few months will be full of training, and then in November he will go back to Louisiana for more training. So, I will be going home for that month. And then his block leave will start around December 19th. So we will have time to take a little vacation somewhere together, spend time with everyone for Christmas, and then just relax. He will get about a month off, and then we'll come back to Missouri and he will deploy sometime in the first three months of 2011.

The next few weeks will probably be hectic and not leave a lot of time for blogging, but I will take plenty of pictures and put them all up when it calms back down! I promise!