My baby girl!

Just a warning, this blog should probably be called, "Pieces of Marlie," since Nick and I are obsessed with her. Parenthood is wonderful. I feel like I finally found my calling in life. The only hard part for me is the lack of sleep. Those of you who know me well, I love to sleep. Ten hours plus. If I get 5 hours I am lucky. She usually wakes up every 3 hours in the night. That is definitely a challenge for me. It's ok though, she is well worth it. The first 4 weeks were really tough. I was nursing her and all she did was cry. I didn't know what to do. We found out that she is allergic to milk protein and now she is on a specific and yes, expensive, formula but all worth it because she is so much better now. She has her moments but what baby doesn't.

Marlie has many nicknames- Here are just a few.

1. Poopy pants- this is because she has projectile poop and it always seems to get on me.

2. Little Miss Marlie Marie- this is what my Mom sings to her. She just keeps repeating it in a very high cheesy voice that Marlie loves. I do it now too so I can get her to sleep.

3. Chubby cheeks- the formula is definitely fattening her up. I think my milk was skim. :)

4. Balding baby- for some reason all her hair has fallen out in the front. It is so funny. She really looks like an old man. I am investing in some cute headbands until it grows back. Good thing she is adorable and can put off the balding look.

5. Princess- this is another one that my Mom calls her and she is right on. Marlie is a demanding and impatient little thing. Like I said it is all about her and it should be. We worked hard to get her here. And of course here are some pictures of our princess! Notice in the pictures that she has red hair, especially the eye brows. Her Daddy has a little red in his beard and hair so I'm guessing that's where she got it from or there was a mix up at the fertility clinic. :)

Welcome Miss Marlie!

Miss Marlie Marie has arrived and in a big way. We love her so much. Life really couldn't be any better. Granted I would like more than 2 hours of sleep each night but other than that everything is wonderful. It is so adorable to see Nick with her. You can tell she already has him rapped around her finger. It's all about Marlie now. :)

The birth went so smoothly. I was very blessed. My water broke at 4:30 am on Thursday, May 6th. We went to the hospital around 6 am. My contractions weren't consistant so they decided to give me pitocin. Thank goodness I got my epidural first. They told me that I most likely won't deliver her until late at night so Nick and I prepared for a long haul. Then all of a sudden I felt horrible and could still feel the contractions a little. They checked me and said that I was 9 1/2 centimeters. This was at 12 pm. We coudln't believe it. We called my Mom to rush over and I started to push at 12:37. I wasn't scared at all which was nice and couldn't feel much. Her heart rate kept dipping so it was a little scary at times. I pushed with all my might for 20 minutes and then she arrived at 12:57 pm. She shares her birthday with Grandpa Coleman which is always fun. Six is my lucky number too so that worked out well. She weighed 5 lbs. 6 ounces and 20 inches long. Everybody kept calling her peanut because she is so tiny. She is a skinny little thing but very long and she has some good lungs on her too. She still doesn't fit into any of her clothes yet. Hopefully soon. They said that she is perfectly healthy which is a blessing. Her one foot is turned out a little from how she was in the womb. Probably because she ran out of room in there. Sorry Marlie. We are going to a orthopedic to check up on it.



Now she is 11 days old and a ball of fire. She is definitely a night owl. We really need to break her of this habit. Everybody says that it will pass. We will see. I hope so. I love holding her and watching her look up at me. It is priceless. I could hold her all day. She loves to make all different faces and sounds at you. It is so cute. She also loves to pee on you when you are changing her diaper. It's pretty funny. I swear she times it. The kitties are curious but really good with her. They just look at her like she is from mars and smell her. I have posted a lot of pictures because they are all my favorite and can't get enough of her. I hope you enjoy them. Until next time!




Poppop and Mimi MacMillan with Marlie.

I love this picture!

We need you to do this at night Marlie!!!!

8 1/2 Month Photoshoot Thanks to my Best Friend Kelli!!

We just got a new camera that I absolutely love. Still trying to figure out all the crazy gadgets but I will get there one day. My best friend, Kelli, was nice enough to take the pictures for us. Here they are! The next pictures will hopefully be Marlie Marie outside of the womb. Yay!

Marlie's Nursery is Complete! Yay!

Thank Heaven for Snow days!

So, once again we had another snow storm. It has been absolutely crazy. We have gotten 75 inches so far this winter while Alaska has gotten 50 inches. There is something weird but good about this. Being a teacher is the best profession ever. I love hearing my phone ring at 5:30 in the morning telling me that I don't have to go in yet again. The best thing about it is that I don't have to make up the days at the end of the year because I will be gone by then. Yes!

It's so nice to have an extra day to get things done around the house and update our blog. I only have 6 more weeks of work before my maternity leave begins. Can't wait for that. It will be nice to have the month off before Marlie makes her way into this world.

I have so many things I want to get done and work on before she gets here. I want to read a couple more baby prep books to help me to be more prepared and not so scared. I got Nick some books on tape for future Dads. He really enjoys them so that is nice to hear. It's so cute when he talks to Marlie. I'm sure she loves it.

I would like to get my square foot garden started with Kelli's help if she doesn't mind. :) Practice some prenatal exercises, stretches, and breathing techniques and so much more. I have a long list.

We worked on the nursery. I was a little nervous about painting this mural on the wall. I didn't think we could do it but it came out so cute. I absolutely love it.

I've been feeling pretty good. I am almost 7 1/2 months. It really is coming fast. I am starting to get a little nervous and scared for the birth but I'm trying to not think about it. My back and ribs are still hurting but other than that I am doing pretty well. I'm still in my own jeans, with a belly band of course. I don't know how long this will last. We will see. I have to get through six more weeks and then I am going to live in my sweats when I am home. I have a breastfeeding class this upcoming weekend. Very excited for this. I am determined to breastfeed. I have heard horror stories and how painful it is but I really want to be successful for Miss Marlie. She has been moving a lot. That is definitely my favorite part. Last night she kicked me so hard it woke me up and scared me. She is getting pretty strong. Nick can hear her heartbeat also when he puts his head to my belly. If I ever get nervous or haven't felt her move in a while, I always ask Nick to listen to her heartbeat. It helps me to not get scared. Our doctor's appointment is every two weeks now. This Tuesday is my next. I am hoping to be able to get another ultrasound done. I have gained 18 pounds so far and will probably weigh more than Nick soon!

6 Months and Counting!

We're having a........

We are having a precious baby girl!!! I am so happy. I would be happy for a boy too but I will have to admit that I was secretely hoping it was a girl. I don't know what to do with a boy. I'm sure I would figure it out but my Mom and I need a new shopping partner and we were afraid we would make him gay. :) Plus it is so much fun shopping for little girl clothes. My Mom and I are having a ball of course. Nick just put the crib up and we are already starting her baby library. I have never been so happy in my life. I am so blessed. I really enjoy being pregnant. I have aches and pains once and awhile but other than that everything is going really well. Much better than the 1st trimester. That is for sure. The only thing that has been a struggle is trying to find maternity clothes. I wish I could sport sweats everyday but that won't fly as a teacher. None of the pants fit me. I tried on so many and looked hilarious. I am now turning to leggins or stretchy pants. Thank goodness they are in style right now. I got a couple of sweaters and shirts so that is good. My belly is getting so big. I love it. I'm sure I won't be saying that in a couple of months. I love feeling her move too. It is the best feeling. Nick and I are starting birthing classes soon so we can be as prepared as possible. I am sooo scared.

Here are some pictures of the last ultrasound. She is a thumbsucker like her Momma was. Braces here we come. Oh, and I forgot, the best part. Her name is Marlie Marie Coleman.

The Winter Storm of 09'

I love snow storms. They are so beautiful. I love cuddling with my honey and kitties with the fireplace roaring. It snowed for 24 hours straight. We ended up getting 2 feet of snow. It's nice to be forced to do nothing but watch the snow come down. I don't have school today either. Yahooo. Here are some pictures of Nicholas after he snow blowed the driveway. It took about 3 hours. Thank goodness our neighbor let us borrow his because we didn't even have a shovel. When he was finished he decided to be silly and play around in the snow. It was cute, my little California boy playing in the snow like a little kid.