Easter weekend was a blur of activity, but we had a great time, ate lots of candy, and got to visit with all sorts of family. Here are some highlights:
Marla and her cousin Brennan got to hang out at the Swoboda family gathering on Saturday. We continue to be amused at the size difference between these two. I can't believe in six months Marla will be doing the things that Brennan does now: play with toys, crawl, pull up and stand without support. It blows my mind!
Marla got some "kisses" from her big cousin:
Family fun can be exhausting!
Marla with her first Easter basket! I realize a basket is a little silly at this point in her life, but it was fun to put together. And it's not as if the candy went to waste...
Grandma Pam didn't want Betsy to feel left out, so she got this toy, which fits her personality perfectly:
Marla's Easter dress was big, poofy, and totally adorable (note the tights... will we EVER have a warm Easter weekend?):
Marla's favorite new game is peekaboo, as evidenced by this video of her and Grandma Pam. It's a little long, but I had to post it. Listening to her laugh just never gets old!
I went back to work two and a half weeks ago and left Marla to the devices of her father. I had been dreading the end of my maternity leave for a long time, but going back to work wasn't nearly as bad as I'd been expecting. Part of this is because it's kind of nice to get out of the house and interact with adults again. It's also nice to feel like I at least have some idea of what I'm doing... after months of feeling like I was in uncharted territory, getting back to a routine was a relief. But the biggest reason returning to work has been relatively easy is because I know Marla is with Jeff.
I'll be honest... I had my doubts about paternity leave. I wasn't worried so much about Marla as I was about Jeff's sanity. He is (admittedly) less patient than I am, so I was afraid he'd get overwhelmed quickly and decide that staying home with a baby wasn't his cup of tea. I'm happy to report that he's been doing great. He loves being home with Marla, and the two of them are bonding and getting to know each other even better than before.
Just look at these goofballs. Two peas in a pod.
Now, I'm trying not to be petty about this, but of course there is a teeny tiny part of me that can't believe anyone besides me could take such good care of Marla. Another part of me really hopes she doesn't forget about me in favor of Dad. But mostly, I'm just jealous, because now this is how Jeff and Marla get to spend their days:
As usual, it's been a while since my last post. Shocking, I know.
It's been eventful around here! Marla is doing very well. She's changing and growing so much every day. It's hard to believe that this is the same baby we came home from the hospital with three and a half months ago! A few updates on her newest accomplishments:
1) She has much more head and neck control, which means she wants to get up off the floor and look around. She can sit up with the help of pillows and tries to "stand" whenever someone is holding her.
2) She's found her hands and is able to get them into her mouth pretty easily now. She can also hold onto lightweight toys and guide them to her mouth occasionally. Just this week, she began reaching out and swatting at toys hanging above her.
3) She can roll from her back to her front, but can't get from her tummy to her back yet. This is unfortunate for her, as she still loathes tummy time.
4) She smiles and laughs a lot more now.
5) Have I mentioned that she's a screamer? She always has been, but lately she's become positively piercing. In fact, she seems to do a lot more squawking and squealing than cooing and gurgling. Our newest nickname for her is "Screech."
Here's a video of Screech demonstrating her lung strength. (Pay no attention to Jeff talking to me about The Sopranos in the background.)
Crazy, huh? I wonder where she gets it from... oh yeah, her dad.
In other news, we got her 3-month pictures taken. We hired Swanstrom Photography to take the pictures and are so happy with the results. They came to our house for the shoot and were able to capture some of Marla's cutest expressions, even when she started to get crabby. Here's a few of my favorites:
Of course, Betsy had to get in on the action, too.
They took lots more photos, all of which are just as fantastic. If you want to look through the whole album, go to this link: http://photos.swanstromphotography.com/families/schmidt. The password to view the photos is husky.
