1 month

Oh what a wonderful month it has been. Marlee is an incredibly sweet little spirit and such a great addition to our family. I can't believe we have had her for a month now. And what a great month it has been. We sent the big brother and sister to Idaho for a week and got to enjoy lots of quiet one-on-one time with Marlee. The kids had a great time visiting too, so everybody was happy. Lots of family and friends have come to meet Marlee, and we even took a short little trip to visit everybody on the west side of the state last weekend. Although she has chosen to sleep through most of her first month, we have taken plenty of photos to show her later.

During this first month, Marlee has been slow to find a schedule. She is seeming to fall into an eating schedule about every three hours just over the last week or so. She had her days and nights mixed up. Hoping that month 2 brings us longer stretches of sleep during the night, or perhaps all night! She has fussy time in the evenings. Over the past week, we have had whole days that are fussy. There seems to be no pattern for sleep at this point. Heath and I are working together to make sure we each get some sleep at night.

Hayden and Sage love Marlee. Hayden cries if he is told he can't hold her. He likes long turns too. Breastfeeding is very intriguing to him, but Marlee is a natural nurser and doesn't seem to mind his strange glances. He is a huge help with her. She doesn't get to nervous when he holds her. Sage however, is quite rough, and even a bit jealous. She tells people not to poke her, or sit on her. Marlee is less than happy to have Sage hold her, but Sage really only has a 2 minute tolerance for sitting still (if that) so its usually over with quick for Marlee. They both refuse to go to bed at night without giving her a kiss and hug and ask about her first thing anytime they have been away from her for any length of time. Its cute to watch them interact with the baby. Hayden mimics me and so sometimes he tries to calm her with a song or gently rubbing her head or feet. It is very sweet.

Marlee is sleeping in her cradle at the foot of our bed, however, Heath and I are frantically trying to get her room all ready so she can move in. She makes the cutest loud grunts all night long. I think having her own space will help her to sleep longer too. Love the baby monitor!

She is firmly in size 0-3 clothes now. She has lots of cute things, and we are getting to change her several times a day. We are finding that Huggies are not our favorite anymore. Cousin Avery's favorite Swaddlers seem to work much better for containing the huge mess that I find a little shocking to have come from someone so small and sweet. She is wearing size 1 now, however was in newborn sizes until a week ago.

She loves to be held, especially when its dad or mom, likes her carseat, having her hair washed, and being outside; is indifferent to toys, noise from the siblings, cameras, pacifiers and headbands. She does not like being layed down in the evenings, bouncy seat, swing, or baths.

This month has been a really special time for us as we adjust to three kids. We can't wait to see what fun the future holds for us, but we are sure that Marlee with be just as much fun as her brother and sister. What an incredible thing it is to have her as part of our family and watch her grow.

Marlee at one month old