Hutch Marshall - 11 months

This time last year I was doing everything in my power to keep this rambunctious boy in my belly. Now he's almost a year old! How does the time go so quickly?!?

This boy is the light of our lives. He loves to make his people laugh and is (not surprisingly) quite a ham. He's also very independent and, as his Grammie says, should be the star on the bizarre show his daddy loves, How It's Made. He's constantly trying to figure things out.

We are amazed at how smart he is and how much he's talking. He has a pretty great role model in his big sister.

He LOVES to eat and although he has less and less interest in nursing, his momma is still his fave. Seriously, though, I am terrified at what this kid's going to be like in his teens. He screams and cries to get in his high chair, where the eating happens, and always shovels food with two fists like he's starving. I imagine things will be quite similar at age 13.

After a bout of trying to take him off reflux meds, and two straight weeks of pretty much no sleep for anyone, he's back on them. And as an added bonus, covered in essential oils that will supposedly help him calm down and sleep. We'll try anything.

I'm slowly but surely planning this guy's big one year party, while living in complete denial that my baby has grown up so much.


Weight:  19.5 pounds
Length: 26.5 inches

New things:

• More and more and more talking. He's definitely saying milk, usually yelled at me, but also for his cup. He says "hi" while waving ... at everyone. He also says hat (while putting any available object on his head), all done (complete with sign language), ball, Pawpaw, "this" (while pointing) ... and he sometimes calls the cat Ma ... or something that sounds like either Mia or meow. He calls bananas either nana or ba.
• Pulling up constantly, and cruising minimally. And standing up in the bathtub.
• Finally eating avocado. I guess we'll keep him.
• And eating lots of new things. His favorites are banana, sweet potato, pancakes and chicken. He's liked beans, brisket, pork tenderloin, sausage ... all fruits and most veggies. He also loved drinking water from a water bottle.
• Imitating everything. Addie is very into letters and their sounds, so when she's sounding out a word to figure out what it starts with (G-G-G Grammie, starts with G!), Hutch is in the background saying dadadadada ... like he's trying to participate.
• First hair cut! He did not care for the holding still part. But now he can see and looks less like a heathen.

 

 

Likes: 

• Dancing to any music remains near and dear to his heart.
• Laughing when we laugh, and delighting when he does something that makes us laugh.
• Pulling everything he can reach off the fridge, which usually includes sister's priceless artwork.
• Chasing Mia and trying to lay down on her. Doing better with "pat pat pat", instead of pulling her fur out.
• He loved going to Gymboree one Saturday with me. Loved the music and bright colors, and especially the pretty girl babies.
• Continued obsession with doors and toilets.
• Picking up toys and turning them all over to see how they work.
• Loves putting objects into and out of containers.
• Stacking/nesting blocks, particularly putting the blocks on his head and saying "hat"
• A hand-me-down signing Handy Manny toolbox. The tools dance. It plays music. It's pretty much his favorite thing ever.
• Playing with his sister. Anything and everything she does is magical to him.
• Down to four nursing sessions a day. When I ask him if he wants milk, he makes a laughing/crying combo sound and waves his hands frantically. :)

Dislikes:

• Sleeping.
• His stationary jumper. He no longer believes in stationary.
• Having anything taken away from him, including things like dirt or sticks that he's trying to eat.

Hutch Marshall - 10 months

 

 

I'm gonna go ahead and say it. He's a genius. This guy has really blossomed over the last month, hitting milestone after milestone. Reminding me so much of his sister, especially the part where he's going to do things on his own schedule, his own way. I just assumed he wouldn't speak till he was 5 (boy and second child, you know) and he's totally proved me wrong. I had also assumed he would just never crawl. After all, his sister does everything for him.

He is such a love bug and is happiest when he's with his people. He's especially enamored with his daddy. His expression and flailing arms when Jordan gets home every day are priceless. And if Jordan doesn't pick him up first, or tries to give him back to me, he let's us all know LOUDLY that he disapproves.

He is a clown. He loves to make us laugh and to laugh when we are laughing. He's obsessed with all things musical.

The sleeping is still questionable. Whatever, man.

Weight:  19 pounds
Length: 26.5 inches

New things:

• The talking. It's unreal. First word at 9.5 months was definitely mama. Followed by dada. And then his favorite word ... Adda or sometimes Addie. He calls for her anytime he wakes up and she's not yet up or when he's away from her. We were at the doctor recently, without her, and he kept looking around saying Adda? Adda? Next was Izzy. This is so bittersweet as we said goodbye to our precious dog just a few days ago. I love that he learned her name before she left this earth (Izzy was his sister's second word). And that he would bark back at her anytime she barked. He also says bye bye (complete with the wave) and uh-oh. He's tried to say book, bubble and milk (which is always yelled at me ... usually sounds like Ma! Ma!)
• The crawling. Once he figured it out, there was no turning back. He is FAST! He never stays where I put him anymore ... He's very proud of his newfound independence. And his ability to hide from us.
• Pulling up on all manner of things. His preference is to pull up on his people. Usually pulls up to his knees, but sometimes his feet.
• He rocks the downward dog pose
• Clapping. He does it constantly. If we say hands or clap or sing pattycake or say yay ... any chance he gets to clap, he's on it.
• Eating all finger foods. He pretty much loves everything - even chicken these days. Avocado is still a no-go.
• Drinking from a sippy cup! Hallelujah! He can even do it by himself.
• That drinking from a cup means he's doing SO much better at school. He's eating well, drinking his milk ( and consequently not quite so frantic to see me when I pick him up) and taking naps. Praise Jesus. That school thing was pretty touch-and-go for awhile. I continue to be SO thankful for his wonderful teachers who love him so and are so patient with him.

 

 

Likes: 

• Dancing. Listening to any music. Holding Jordan's jam box or a phone and rocking out to the music playing. Homie can always find the beat.
• Giggling. He and Addie will start laughing at each other and can't stop.
• Chasing his sister. :)
• Still loves his jumper. He's especially fond of the ones at school. He jumped himself right to sleep in one last Sunday.
• His four-legged friends. Even until her last day,  Izzy was so tolerant of him. Even Mia will snuggle him, briefly.
• Going to the library. He loves the stories, the music and all the people to look at.
• I think I can finally say he likes school and church. Finally.
• He still likes to nurse, but we've dropped another feeding and unless he's sleepy or feeling bad, he's not interested for long. I'm thankful, and a little sad, that he's self-weaning.
• Eating. I think pancakes and banana are his favorite.
• His sister. He totally misses her when he's away from her. She can do anything to him and he thinks it's hilarious. Someday he'll learn to fight back, but for now he's content with her attention.
• Doors. He has a serious door obsession. He finds any open door and swings it back and forth, back and forth. Several times a day, he shuts himself in his room and lays against his door so I have to very carefully push it open to get him out. He thinks it's hilarious.
• Toilets. His father's son?

 

Dislikes:

• Being alone in the middle of the night.
• Having anything taken away from him, including things like dirt or sticks that he's trying to eat.

Addison Mae - 3 years, 2 months

My best girl. Who is a big preschooler now!
 I feel like my baby has grown up so much in the past two months. Addie was a jumble of excitement and nerves in anticipation of preschool (which reminds me of no one else I know). She loved going to Cookie Lookie to see her classroom and "meet" her teacher, who is actually the mom of one of her school friends. We had to instruct her that she had to call the teacher by her name, instead of "Tucker's mommy." She cried when we had to leave Cookie Lookie, saying, "but I wanted to eat dinner here and spend the night."


She did great at her first drop off, with just a few tears. Her teacher is just fabulous and has had glowing remarks about how my girl is as close to perfect as you can get. Apparently she saves all her sassiness, orneriness and inability to listen for her momma. Which is fine by me. She has learned so much in the past six weeks - I am just amazed. I am constantly hearing her singing a new song, telling a story or writing/drawing something she's learned at school. She is such a little sponge.
 
This past month was marked by an adenoidectomy and replacing ear tubes. A little rough on all of us, but we're thankful and hopeful it will keep her feeling better. She's also made great strides with her reflux and asthma. We love her pulmonologist and feel like we're finally on a course of meds that's keeping everything under control.

Addie continues to be the world's best big sister. Which in no way means that she doesn't often (intentionally) smack, push or pinch her brother. But she sure does love him, and most of the time is so good and gentle with him.

Weight: 30 pounds
Length: 36.5 inches

 New things:

• Such awesome sound and letter recognition. She can almost always tell us what words start with when sounding them out. And she is writing so well, sometimes what she draws even resembles letters. :)
• Preschool! She's doing so great and loving all the activities. She loves going to chapel once a week, and talking about the Bible verse. They concentrate on a letter each week, and we love playing a game where we name everything we can that starts with that letter. Apparently all the teachers love her, too. Reminds me a little of someone I used to know :)
• Adenoid removal and new tubes. Fingers crossed this will give us an easier cold and flu season.
• Back to gymnastics, which she just loves.

Likes:

• Playing pretend. Coming up with new names for all of us. Playing school, doctor, grocery store, Sonic, anything where we get to pretend. When we told her about her surgery, she reacted by immediately wanting to play pretend. "Mommy, I will be the doctor. I'm putting a mask on your and I'm going to take your add-e-nudes out."
• All Disney movies. I've successfully removed TV watching, for the most part, other than movies. New obsessions are Tangled, Pete's Dragon and Homeward Bound.
• Singing songs from school, including the song they sing when getting ready for chapel and a song about mommies, which I suspect is for the special VIP Mom's Day coming up later this month.
• Her bubs. One of my very favorite moments of the two of them happened at the library when they had parachute play. All the kids got on the parachute and the parents pulled it around, merry-go-round style. Hutch was so nervous and clung to her for dear life. She held on tight and talked/sang to him to calm him. They are so precious.
• Cooking and baking
• Gardening and watering. Especially with Grammie.
• Going shopping, only if we're buying stuff for her. Carter's and Daniel's are her faves.
• Taylor Swift's new song. And dance parties.
• Painting, coloring and crafting. Making bird feeders.
• Crazy 8s and her Snail Race game.
• Our nightly frog and moon finding routine.
• Daddy's new fire pit, especially when it involves roasting marshmallows.
• Pete the Cat books.
• All things in preparation for fall and Halloween
• Watching OSU football. And getting videos from Grammie of Bullet.

. 

Dislikes:

• Her brother getting all the attention.
• Being by herself, which usually means time out.

Hutch Marshall - 9 months

This guy. He is so funny. And SO busy. It continues to amaze me how exactly like his sister he is. He LOVES his momma, and his sister and his daddy. Anytime he's been away from any of the three, he acts manic depressive upon their return - crying like he's so upset to have been left and smiling/laughing like he's ecstatic to be reunited.

Anytime he sees his sister's face, whether in the morning, after a nap, after school, his whole face lights up and he HAS to get his hands on her. Which usually means pulling her hair. When his daddy comes home from work he cries and cries until he picks him up, then he grins and pats his face over and over. Sometimes he rubs his head all along Jordan's beard for good measure. And I swear sometimes this baby acts like he wants to get back in the womb. I am constantly telling him, dude, seriously, you can't get any closer to me.

He makes us laugh all the time, which he loves. He loves to be loud, babble, drum on anything, listen to music, eat, move and see pretty girls. Any age - he doesn't discriminate.

He started Starbright, which has been a rough adjustment for a guy who refuses to take a bottle. He won't eat or sleep (much) but I think all in all he has a pretty good time. He just really misses his people. For the record, I miss him a lot, too. :)

Weight:  18.5 pounds
Length: 26.5 inches

New things:

• Still more new sounds. He says mamama often when crying, upset or tired. And when he's happy/playful, sticks to dadada. Seriously?? Sometimes I think he totally associates those sounds with us, but that may be wishful thinking. A few times I could almost swear he's said Izzy.
• Still no crawling. I know, right?? But his method of rolling, scooting, pushing himself backward (it's kind of like a crawl, just in the wrong direction), pushing himself in a circle and, my favorite, lying on his back and pushing himself around with his feet get him pretty much wherever he wants to go. He is getting all the way up on all fours and rocking ... and then promptly lying down and rolling. Some day. 
• Our first bout with croup. Not fun. But not as awful as I remember with his dear sister.
• The waving is for real. He's stingy with his waves, but oh my are they darling. Please mark that as one of the first (only?) milestones he's hit ahead of sister.
• Pulling himself up when holding my hands, or up to his knees on a musical toy. Other than that, no interest in that pulling up nonsense.
• Eating even more finger foods. Loves pineapple, watermelon, banana  and cooked apples. Blueberries remain his favorite. All manner of protein is immediately disregarded. He still does not love avocado. I keep telling him that must mean he's not really a Page, but he doesn't seem to care.
• Going to school. Which is, as noted above, interesting since he refuses a bottle for the whole five hours he's there. And a sippy. He just waits for me and then screams bloody murder when I arrive. So thankful he has such sweet teachers, who are kind and patient, and remember a certain baby girl who was similar.
•  Working on a sippy cup. Since that bottle thing is a no-go. Mostly he likes to play with/chew on it, but I think occasionally some liquid makes it's way to his tummy.

 

Likes: 

• Singing. Talking. Making any sort of noise with his mouth.
• Izzy and Mia, who tolerate him so nicely. He loves to pull on their fur. And ears. And tails.
• Playing with his kitchen toys while I cook.
• His stationery and doorway jumpers.
• Dancing. To all music. And turning anything into a drum to make music.
• Laughing. And making his people laugh.
• Books, although his preferred method of enjoyment is drumming on them or chewing them. He loves his nightly Goodnight Moon story.
• Nursing.  He's down to six times a day, and goes for about 10 hours overnight. Sometimes I worry he'll be nursing till he's 12 (don't worry - he won't), but then I remember his sister eventually weaned herself. And I'll be sad when it's over.
• Swimming and water in general.
• Watching his sister do anything. He does love to watch her at gymnastics.
• His lovies. Thankfully he's not partial to one in particular, but he does have to cuddle something to go to sleep. And has to have the paci.
• His bed. Though sometimes he likes to be rocked to sleep, there are lots of times when he's sleepy that he asks to just get in his bed and be left alone. He's usually pretty good at putting himself to sleep. That does not apply when he wakes up in the middle of the night, however.

Dislikes:

• Bottles.

Addison Mae - 3 years

 

 

Y'all. She's THREE. I have no words. She, on the other hand, has lots of words. She constantly surprises me with the words she knows, her manners, her social skills ... and her stubbornness. She's definitely three.

She finishing up school in late July by wearing her birthday shirt and taking insane purple cupcakes for her friends. I CANNOT believe that she'll be starting preschool in just a few weeks. I'm so excited for the new experiences and all she's going to learn ... but it also means my baby is growing up.

Just before her birthday, Jordan's Granny and her Gigi passed away. My sweet girl misses her Gigi but is quick to tell us that she's in heaven where she's feeling better and with Jesus. I'm amazed at her faith.

She had such a fabulous birthday, starting with a jillion balloons and streamers outside her room. Her requested favorite breakfast was "breakfast crack," complete with a candle. She opened a million gifts, almost all of which were Frozen-themed, and then we went to the Myriad splash pad and playground with friends. She requested lunch at Saturn Grill, where she got to eat her pink cupcake first. We had a special dinner with all her grandparents and Jordan's aunt and uncle who were in town. The following day was her awesome Splatter & Splash Bash at Grammie and Pawpaw's house. I loved watching her and her sweet friends paint and swim and giggle.

I remember this girl as a teeny, tiny, brand-new infant, who relied upon me for every little thing in her life. And now she's so big, so confident, so brave. And I love that she still needs me sometimes, too. She often tells me, "Don't worry Mommy, I'll still sit in your lap when I'm firty-one." I'm so proud of the little person she's becoming.

Weight: 30 pounds
Length: 36.5 inches

 New things:

• Upper and lower case letter recognition. Letter and number tracing. Some writing on her own. Definitely a better command of writing utensils. I'm so impressed with her!
• Recognizing sounds, and which letters make which sounds. Although sometimes she says things like .. Guh-Guh-Guh Grammie ... starts with a Q. Makes me laugh.
• A continued obsession with games. Crazy 8s, Memory, Candyland and a new game called Chicky Boom are her faves. I love watching the wheels turn in her head as she strategizes. She's seriously competitive.
• Oh the attitude. Some days she's my perfectly sweet, only occasionally sassy girl. Other days I'm sure we're going to duke it out and there will be only one of us left standing when Jordan gets home

Likes:

• Oh, Frozen. I've seriously limited TV time, which means that anytime I let her watch, she requests Frozen. (Which is secretly OK with me - I love it too!)
• Singing Frozen. At the top of her lungs. All. The. Time. (I join in. So does her daddy. And brother dances)
• Speaking of her brother, she loves him and she is SO good with him. Be still my heart.
• Using her amazing imagination. Lately, we often pretend one of us works at Sonic and the other is ordering (complete with button pushing).
• As noted above, Sonic. She loves to go.
• Cooking. I love that she loves one of my favorite activities too.
• Going to Carter's to pick out clothes. I'll probably regret this later, but it's pretty fun right now.
• Listening to "her" music in the car, which she calls "my music" or "Jesus music."

. 

Dislikes:

• Getting in trouble. Going to time out. Going to her room.
• Being denied her way.
• Having any of her Frozen items taken away, which has been a very effective punishment!

Hutch Marshall - 8 months

 

 

 

Y'all. This baby is 2/3 of the way through his first year. I feel like I blinked and he's turned into this big boy. A big boy who is his sister's exact replica (well, you know, almost). He is so smiley and happy most all of the time (at least, when he's around other people - he saves his most dramatic self for his momma). He loves to meet new people, although he's definitely getting more clingy to me in new situations. And by clingy I mean holding on to me for dear life and hiding his face in my armpit. But, just like someone else I know, after a little time to warm up, he feels pretty at home in any situation.

This guy loves to move and see what's going on everywhere around him. And protest loudly if he can't. His current method of transportation is rolling - and he gets pretty frustrated about not having figured out that crawling thing yet. I keep thinking it's coming any day, but we'll see.

He loves music. Of any kind. On the radio, sister's singing, my singing, drumming, all musical toys. They all make him dance and sing. The Happy song on my phone remains his very favorite. He's definitely a water baby - whether in the pool, water table or bath tub, water makes him smile.

Sometimes he sleeps. Sometimes he doesn't. We've reverted back to the swing (to save our sanity) several times over the past month. Whatever, man.

We've had the delight of an ever-returning stomach bug the past month. So very sad for my poor little guy. But, his reflux and colic are definitely better. Hallelujah. We still see some remnants of both (and don't think we're brave enough to take him totally off meds yet), but we're making strides.

Weight:  18ish pounds
Length: 26ish inches

New things:

• Lots of talking and babbling and trying out new sounds. I try not to hold it against him that  his sister already had several words by now. Being that he's a boy and a second child, I'm holding out hope that he'll talk before he's 2.
• Figuring out how to get from a seated position to his tummy or back. Which usually means falling over and crying about it. But we're working on it.
• Not crawling ... but some funny scooting methods. His favorite is lying on his back and pushing himself around with his feet. He will roll until his movement is stopped by furniture or a wall.
• Being a total momma's boy. Be still my heart. I mean, he has always really liked me, but his new method of holding on to me for dear life/crawling up me/hiding in my armpit take it to a new level. He's not a fan of anyone taking him away from me. Unless it's his Daddy.
• Asking his Daddy to hold him when he gets home from work. So, so sweet. It usually includes whining, grunting and arm flailing until Jordan picks him up. He gives his daddy a HUGE grin and pats his face. I've pretty much never seen anything cuter.
• Figuring out his toys. He's pretty content to sit with a mound of toys (for up to five minutes) and sort through them/try to figure out how they work. I'm driving him crazy trying to teach him to take objects in and out of a container.
•  Eating. Real food. Still having quite a lot of pureed foods, but he's doing GREAT with finger foods. He loves puffs, Cheerios, blueberries and peas. He's a little unsure about chicken. His No. 1 fave are "green pancakes" (God bless my friend and neighbor for sharing the recipe - which is basically steamed veggies, a banana, oats and an egg in the blender and cooked into little pancakes).
• Waving. I think. I waved at him several times, he waved back several times (in that cute baby way where they are actually waving back at themselves). Of course now he won't do it again.

Likes: 

• He still loves the Happy song. And all Frozen music. He dances to all of it
• Sister's new talking Olaf. He's pretty much stolen it and her talking, singing Elmo. These also make him dance.
• Being out and about. Just like sister, he's a fan of Target and Sam's. He enjoyed going to see the giant Clydesdales at the Express Ranch, and he loves the zoo. I think mostly he likes all the people watching, but animals are pretty high on his list too
• All manner of beach balls, which he prefers to hold in his feet, circus-monkey-style. Balloons are excellent for this, too
• Banging on anything like a drum
• Pulling all of Mia's fur out. And her tail. Which she let's him do. Weirdo.
• Giving kisses to momma and sissy when we ask for them. Love.
• Going to the library. Looking at/chewing on/pulling pages out of books.
• Chewing on everything. 
• His paci

Dislikes:

• Being away from his momma. Or his sister. He's extra fussy/clingy on the days she's at school.
• His teeth. 

Addison Mae - 35 months

So I pretty much almost always cry when I think about my baby turning 3. In just ONE month. There may be a lot of difficulties about 2 and 3-year-olds, but in all honesty I just love this age. She still needs me so much, but she's also learning so much and asserting her independence. She's figuring out how the world works and her place in it. Everything is new and exciting. Her sense of wonder and fun are contagious. How I love this little person.

She had the best Fourth of July with our family in town from Houston/Colorado/NY, including my cousin's daughter, Emily, who was Addie's personal assistant throughout the weekend. Addie is obsessed with her, and Emily played along so sweetly. Highlights were swimming, going to a parade (complete with a ridiculous amount of candy) and setting off small (not noisy) fireworks with her daddy.

Weight: 29 pounds
Length: 36 inches

 New things:

• An obsession with playing Crazy 8s and Memory. We do this every night from the time her brother goes to bed until it's her bedtime. She loves to say "I winned the game." And then has a great victory dance comprised of practically standing on her head and kicking her feet in the air.
• Even more letter recognition, and getting better at writing a few of them. She can spell her name, although she gets a little confused at the end depending on which name she is spelling. She often says "A-D-D-I-N." Close.
• Swimming like a boss. Well, a 2-year-old boss. She was AMAZING at her swim lessons and can totally swim underwater, as long as a responsible party is nearby to help. We've abandoned floaties and life jackets and have just let her have at it. She's great at holding her breath and loves to jump off the diving board. She also loves to dive for rings and can get them off the bottom of the shallow end. 

Likes:

• Twirling. Anytime. Anyplace. 
• Frozen. It's a total obsession at this point. Jordan finds himself singing the songs, out loud, at work. We all have a problem.  
• Making up gymnastics circuits with me. 
• Playing pretend. Whether with her babies, dress-up clothes or her kitchen, her little imagination is flourishing. She loves to ask me "What's your name, Mommy?", which means I'm supposed to make up a name, and then she does, too. We play school, gymnastics, library, grocery store ... and she mostly prefers to be the teacher or the one in charge (shocking)
• "Painting" with water and paint brushes on the back patio.
• Swimming. And that when she's swimming at Grammie and Pawpaw's, she can just pee in the yard.
• Donuts. She loves going with Daddy occasionally on Saturday mornings to pick them out.
• Sunflowers. Be still my heart. We love to look for them and point them out to each other while driving around town. We did this last year, too, and she totally remembered it. Although last year she called them "funflowers." She was ecstatic when I recently bought some for her.
• Cooking. "I need to get my chair, Mommy." (for standing on next to the island so she can reach the action)
• Meeting people. "Hi, my name is Addison. What's your name? Nice to meet you."
• Praying. She has two prayers she loves to say at dinnertime. And always tells me what she wants to thank Jesus for at bedtime. She recently told me when on the way to school that she was going to teach the other children about Jesus when she got there. Took my breath away. 

Dislikes:

• Time out. Or being told to go to her room. Really, she just doesn't like being by herself.
• Being denied watching Frozen.