JANUARY PHOTO DUMPAGE

WHAT A MONTH!!
Anyone else feel like it was a whole YEAR long?!

"Nugga huh" (Snuggle her)

Hillary & Kaci took me out for my birthday! Was a HUGE treat. 

After taking care of Marli, Lyla, Evan post-surgery, and my own healing body, my well was feeling  empty. They sure made me feel loved.

Keep that leg elevated!

Trying to capture this stage... for both Marli AND Lyla...

I think she looks like Lissy here!

Marli LOVES Heidi!

"Hehmet" (helmet) made by Grammy

Post-bath fluffies

BOY is she observant lately. My little copy-cat!

Here she is "nursing" her dolly before naps

More "nursing" her dolly...

Nana snapped this photo. DON'T YOU JUST WANT TO EAT HER?!

Playing with "Taahlee"

I mean...Lyla WAS sat on for 9 months...perhaps this makes Marli's loving NOW more tolerable...?

A favorite recipe this month! Thai quinoa salad

Marli brought her own dolly over and laid her next to Lyla...

Taste testing with Grammy...

Snack bites?

So tired.

And so happy.

I can't even tell you how many times the stories in this book have been read to Marli. 

She LOVES Dora!

"Skins"

Some days are harder and more stinky than others...

But just LOOK AT MY BABIES!!! I LOVE THEM!!

Here Lyla is 1 month old...

She requests different things to sleep with, but more often than not, it's her "Nana bear"

Practicing spreading butter

YOU GUYS!! I attempted a dairy-free alfredo sauce for my mom, and it was actually decent! It used cashews and nutritional yeast. I'd eat it again!

More Dora...Do I look exasperated? haha

Always a highlight to spend time with these folks

And again...DORA (*sigh*)

Nursing baby "'taytoe"

Pudding snack time fun

Time with King cousins, too!

SO GOOD to see Lolly! Didn't take Marli long to warm up to her once she pulled out the marble run!

Chopped my hair!

Riley says it makes me look like a mom.

Tama says it makes me look less like a "teeny-bopper"

I think that's a good thing?! 

Either way...the stylist fed me chocolate and diet coke, so we're friends now.

Yes...she's eating JUST the frosting disk from her oreo...think she's mine?! haha!

Stories with Pum-Pum

Okay so THAT'S why Riley needed a brand new TV in her room...

For when she's away on weekends...

Pulling out all the stops for our journey back east...

LOVE this wrap! Lyla just hung out bundled up on my chest for a large portion of our travel day.

More skins. Grammy held off trimming her nails so that they'd be better for the journey.

She sure loves you, Marli girl.

We SCORED and got an extra seat for Marli on BOTH flights!

We THOUGHT the second flight was 100% full.

That's what they said...when we asked TWICE.

So here we are. With our two lap children.

Then apparently, we learned that there are only FOUR air masks per row.

So the stewardess moved the gal next to my mom to a hidden seat somewhere...?

WE DID NOT COMPLAIN.

WE REJOICED.

Welcome home art by neighbors. We missed them!

Evan paid a neighbor to build me this delicious cake as a belated birthday dessert.

It is THE BEST CAKE I HAVE EVER EATEN.

It was gone in less than a week...

And I think it is the reason Lyla is almost 13 pounds at 6 weeks...

She's getting straight CREAM!

Finally. FINALLY got to squeeze this sister.

So special to get to see her the weekend my mom was here, too.

And introduce her to Lyla.

She makes us all feel so loved.

They were both a bit shy once they finally reunited.

He's running in circles around Marli with his car.

I mean...SERIOUSLY?! Didn't know it was possible to have this much personality THIS YOUNG.

So, so concerned for baby bird.

My angel mother. We all miss her.

Got to try a new lunch place with my mom before she left.

YOU WERE RIGHT, LISSY!!!!

Cava is officially a favorite.

Dropping Grammy off was a hard day.

Little flower gifts from Marli made it better.

Such a mellow soul. 

I frequently find her awake in her bassinet, just looking up at this picture.

She refuses to take these off. Even inside.

She LOVES them.

I LOVE that she loves them!

THANK YOU, Aunt Lissy!

New favorite children's book from McKibbon clan.

Marli calls it The "Pum-Pum" Fish - haha!

MARLI REMEMBRANCES: 

• "Nugga huh" (snuggle her)
• "Luva" (love her)
• When Pum-Pum asked Marli to tell him a story, Marli replied, "Once a time...once a time...little giyal"
• "Hi Lyla, hi Lyla...haha funny Lyla!"
• "Needa bup" (Lyla needs to burp!)
• "Hi mama! Wake up! Good sleep!" (When I go into Marli's room in the morning to get her)
• "Pet huh" (Pet her. Usually when Lyla's sleeping on the couch - think Marli's learning about being soft? haha)
• "Is it, mama?!" (What is it, mama? Referring to...EVERYTHING lately. She's very inquisitive about EVERYTHING lately!)
• She'll frequently see Lyla laying flat on the ground, and go and lay side-by-side next to her, giggle, and say, "FRIENDS!"

LYLA REMEMBRANCES (7 weeks!):

• SUCH a mellow soul. So different than how things were with Marli...even from the moment she was delivered. She doesn't cry much, just hollers here and there. And she sleeps long stretches at night 6-8 hours!
• Just about 13 pounds.
• We still get frequent giggles and smiles during her sleep.
• Loves her carseat, and will sleep almost the whole time she's in it (Marli HATED it, and still has a hard time being strapped in!)
• Only poops every couple days, but when she does, it's a LOT. Marli had poop almost every single diaper when she was this little. Perhaps TMI...but I want to remember!
• Loves bath time.
• Loves being close to mama in the wrap.
• Loves tracking Marli.
• ALL of us are infatuated with her. I worried that I'd be able to love someone as much as Marli...it's SO TRUE what they say about your heart growing to accommodate. I love these two girls so, so much.

Video montage from this month!

Only one week left of maternity leave, then it's back to work. I'd like to become consistent again with these posts, but we'll see what life brings. Trying to stay sane and off the 6:00 news...being a mama of two under two, and a wife of a med student is no joke.