Marin: Three Years Old

RICHLAND, WASH. -- Oh sweet Marin, what on earth would I do without you?! Isaac and I sat with Marin last night (on the eve of her birthday) in her window seat, staring at the falling snow in the night sky. We both reminisced about how the weather was similar on the night she was born three years ago. 

Three years ago, a New England blizzard was rolling in and the nurses called to tell us to come in early to avoid problems getting to the hospital. I had to be induced, because Marin was a week late, and we headed to the hospital before any snow even touched the ground. But boy was it cold outside! That first night after they started the induction, I was in so much pain from contractions that I couldn't sleep a wink. Isaac was sound asleep on some little makeshift bed in the hospital room, and every time I'd get up to walk around or go to the restroom, I'd walk past him to take a peek out the window and watch the snow swirl all around. Scared to death that I was about to become a mother.  


We've been in heaven since with our sweet little, spirited girl. She is such a character, loves to draw, sing, watch princess movies, tease her little sister, and be my helper. She helps me sweep the floor, bake treats, fold laundry, and loves to hold Paige. And, most of the time, Paige loves her. Often mimicking her, in word and action, for good or bad. 

For weeks, ever since trying on her friend's Belle dress, all Marin wanted for her birthday was a Belle dress. She loves Beauty and the Beast and when Paige naps, I let her watch a movie, and for the past few weeks she has only wanted to watch Beauty and the Beast, in anticipation of getting a Belle dress. My sweet mother made one for her, after I wasn't satisfied with any of the ones for purchase online. She even made a cape to go with it. Marin was in heaven when she opened it this morning. She wanted to put it on immediately. 

Marin is the youngest one in her nursery class at church, but has done pretty well holding her own in there every Sunday. She's in a class full of mostly boys and I think I can understand her better than most of the kids in there. 

We are attempting to teach her to read. Isaac is making a big attempt at working with her every night to sound out simple words. I can't tell if she's interested or if she's just trying to amuse her daddy. She can spell the word "mom" and will write it on her drawing board and show me quite often. 

THREE YEAR STATS: 

• 37 lbs. (93%)  
• 3 feet 3 inches tall (95%) 

EATING: This girl is still incredibly picky. She isn't interested in most things that used to be a sure thing... like macaroni and cheese. She still eats apple sauce like candy and will now at least try a bite (sometimes two) of something new at dinner. Usually if bribed. 

SLEEPING: In bed usually by 7:30 and has been sleeping lately until 7:30am or so. 

WEARING: 3T and sometimes 4T. She's tall. 

INTERESTING TIDBITS:  

• She loves being with other kids. If I'm hanging around when she's playing with other kids, she'll say, "You go!" Motioning for me to leave.
• She loves to play at the park and with friends (at the park) and is generally happy when she's around other kids. 
• Since it's been a while since I've written a Marin update, she was finally potty trained last May, so at 2 years and 4 months. Once we ran out of pull-ups for the night time, I think in June, I just stopped buying them. She's done fairly decent, with an accident at night here or there, but we've never had a daytime accident. Thank goodness. She now likes me to leave and close the door while she's going.
• Sometime in the last several months, she's developed a fear of the dark. She'd have to have every light in the hallway and rooms across the hall turned on. We now have Christmas lights in her room and she loves it. 
• She's not the greatest at sharing her own toys. The few times we've had kids over to play (we need to do this more, apparently), she FLIPS when someone starts playing with her drawing board. It's really irritating. 
• She gets a little aggressive with Paige when she gets tired. Poor Paige is often the recipient of a push, kick or hit when Marin is getting sleepy.
• Marin is so good at memorizing things. If I sing a song to her just a few times, she often has the whole thing down pretty good after that. 
• She has an incredible memory. Things that happened a while back, that I have forgotten about myself, she'll often bring up. 
• She's very good at giving compliments. She will often say to me, "Mommy, you look pretty today" or "Mommy, I like your hair." When kids came trick or treating on Halloween to our house, she liked to answer the door to give them candy, and gave out compliments very freely all on her own, "I like your dress," or "I like your costume." 
• She likes to say, "Mommy, just come cuddle with me!" when she is tired and just wants to be held. 
• When Isaac gets home from work she will usually drop everything she's doing to go run and jump into his arms, screaming, "Daddy! Daddy you're home!"  It makes Isaac melt.

Paige: 15 Months Old and Mimicking

RICHLAND, WASH. -- Oh, this little girl. She melts my heart more and more daily. Paige is so sweet, yet such a tease. Over the last few months, her communication has really taken off. The best thing she has said, that has helped me be a better mom to her, is "yeah, yeah, yeah." When you ask her if she wants something, she will respond in favor. It has helped us so much. 

We spent Thanksgiving weekend in Boise with Isaac and his extended family. His Grandpa Peterson turned 88, so there was a big birthday bash. It was a lot of fun. In October, we spent a week in San Diego (Solana Beach to be exact), and it was delightful. Paige loved playing in the sand and the ocean. And playing at the playground near by. She and Marin could have spent every second of the day there. 

Here are a bunch of photos from the last few months. It's a serious picture overload... but she's just so cute. How can I not share them all?

Likes to drink juice. And then squeeze what she doesn't drink everywhere.

Sometime recently she decided she doesn't like her high chair and would much prefer to sit at the table with us.

Loves playgrounds! 

Hasn't quite mastered the bridges at the parks, despite her love for climbing.

Oh, I love her. She has become a much heavier sleeper lately. She used to wake up at the sound of someone breathing. 

Helping me make brownies. 

She just likes to chill in random places sometimes.

Bathtime is her favorite time of day. She likes to sit underneath the trickling faucet and fill cups and bowls.

She climbs and gets into EVERYTHING.

She did not care for sitting on her great Grandpa's lap.

She LOVES music and playing the piano.

Hanging out at some shopping center in Meridian, Idaho, all dressed up from Great Grandpa's birthday party.

Waiting at the doctor's office for her fifteen month appointment. She got three shots. And was not happy.

Went to the park after her shots to try to cheer her up. It worked.

Loves her big sister so much.

FIFTEEN MONTH STATS: 

• 22.7 lbs. (75%)  
• 31.5 inches tall (80%) 
• 18.5 HC (86%) 

EATING: Has irritatingly started to become picky. She will eat most fruits and vegetables I give her though, so I guess I can't complain. Fruit is her favorite. 

SLEEPING: Naps once a day. Sometimes twice still. Sleeps like a champ at night. She's in bed by 7 usually and sleeps until 7 or so the next morning. 

WEARING: 18 months

INTERESTING TIDBITS:  

• She likes to growl like a lion/bear/tiger. 
• She likes to climb. On anything.
• She likes to mimic Marin's behavior. If Marin is up dancing, she is too. If Marin is playing with daddy, she wants in on the fun. If Marin is playing with a doll, Paige will grab it and run away (ha ha). She also puts phones up to her ear and says, "hi." 
• She is a sensitive little thing. She cries easily and loves hard. If Marin cries, she often runs over to her and gives her kisses. 
• Her kisses are open-mouth with a very strongly emphasized, "MUH!" 
• She has seen me push a chair over to the counter for Marin to stand on to help me bake, and now whenever I'm making something, she will push over a chair to help. It's cute. But sometimes she'll push a chair over when I'm not there... and... ugh. 
• She loves music. She loves singing, dancing and playing the piano. When Isaac plays his saxophone, she is right up at his feet to listen. 
• She is so cuddly and always wants to be held. 
• Her favorite thing lately is her soft, gray fleece blanket. She holds it tight and cuddles into it when we put her to bed. 
• Other words she says often, "Tickle, tickle," "no," "yeah, yeah, yeah," crackers (cah-cahs), water (wah-wah), and tries to mimic other words we say quite often, though doesn't say them frequently. 
• Likes to point to her/our eyes, ears and mouth and say, "Ahh (eye), ehh (ear) and muh (mouth). 

And now for more pictures...

At SeaWorld

Watching the whales at SeaWorld

Hanging out at our vacation rental.

Solana Beach... one of the best vacations we've had! It was so relaxing and so beautiful!

Paige: One Year Old!!! And Walking

RICHLAND, WASH. -- My sweet baby girl is ONE! It makes me emotional just thinking about it! How on earth does time go by so fast? It seems like such a cruel punishment of some sort. I remember so vividly everything from a year ago, like it was just last week... waking up in the middle of the night when my contractions started, sitting through Sunday School breathing through strong ones and telling myself they weren't that bad, crying while I made dinner for Marin because they hurt so bad and Isaac was at work, and feeling a rush of relief as soon as he came home and we made it to the hospital and they admitted me without doing all the "checking" they needed to because those pesky contractions were so intensely painful my toes were curling up in pain. And then just a few hours later... that beautiful baby girl was in our arms. 

Oh what a delight she has been! She is so happy, giggly, sweet, sharing, such a tease, and the prettiest thing.  She is the definition of beauty to me... always happy (unless she's being tormented by her big sister) with smiles for anyone who look her way. 

It's such an emotional thing raising children. Its the greatest thing on earth watching them learn new skills and develop such delightful personalities. But time can be such a cruel thing. It goes by so fast I feel like I barely have time to soak up all these precious moments before my baby is no longer a baby. She's a walking toddler.   

ONE YEAR STATS: 

• 22.7 lbs. (85%)  
• 30.5 inches tall (91%) 
• 18.31 HC (88%) 

EATING: The girl loves food.What she doesn't love though is cow's milk. This has made weaning her slightly frustrating.  

SLEEPING: Still naps twice a day.  Once in the mornings and again around 1ish. She's in bed by 7 usually and sleeps until 7 or so the next morning. 

WEARING: Wears anything from nine months to 18 months. 

INTERESTING TIDBITS:  

• A few weeks ago she decided that she was done crawling and just started walking. She rarely crawls at all anymore and does her cute little wobbly walk with her hands up while she walks. It's my favorite thing to watch. She'll walk one way, lose balance and head in a new direction when she gains back her balance and walk whatever new way with purpose. 
• When I hold her at night next to her crib, I usually sing a few songs to her before I lay her down. She has started "singing" with me. It's so cute. She just kind of babbles and hums/moans in a sing-songy kind of way.
• She's happy 90% of the time, unless her big sister is harassing her or she's really tired. 
• She LOVES being outside. She squeals when we go to the pool or outside to do anything. 
• If she sees water, she will drink it. This goes for swimming pool water or water in the water table. She just dives her head right in and starts slurping. When the faucet is running in the tub, she goes over and starts drinking it like a drinking fountain.   
• She is starting to learn how to defend herself a bit from pesky older siblings. If Paige has something Marin wants, Paige will hurry and thrust it to her side as if to guard it. 
• She also takes great notice in what people (particularly Marin) are interested in. She likes to hurry and crawl/walk to grab whatever it is and then run away with it with a huge smile on her face.  
• She has gotten more cuddly the older she's gotten. She will often lay her head on mine or Isaac's shoulders when we pick her up... it makes us melt. 
• She likes to shake her finger at me when I say "no." And when she's doing something she knows she shouldn't, she turns around to look at me with her finger shaking. It's pretty cute. 

Paige: 11 Months Old and Taking Steps

RICHLAND, WASH. --  Our little Paige has gathered up the courage to finally start taking steps. She isn't walking, I wouldn't say... that would be much too frightening. But she is taking a step or two here and there.  I think the most we've counted is four steps at a time.  If she takes too many, she likes to hurry and sit herself down and crawl the rest of the way. She took her first steps about a month ago and I thought surely she'd be full on walking by now... but this girl moves at her own pace.

This past month has been filled with traveling and lots of family time.  We headed to Utah earlier this month for a Candrian family reunion in Park City.  It was fun to have family together, even though my little sister and her family weren't there. It doesn't seem to happen very much these days. It's sad to think that Paige is almost a year old and she hadn't even met some of her cousins yet. 

All the cousins in attendance... minus Lincoln who was asleep.

With Grandpa Candrian

With Aunt Brittany

Playing in Grandma and Grandpa Candrian's backyard

Family reunion number two happened this past week at the Oregon Coast with my mom's side of the family... the Thatchers. We grew up going to the Oregon coast with them almost every summer. We spent three days there, and stayed in a beautiful vacation rental in Neskowin, Oregon. Paige loved playing on the beach and digging in the sand. We exhausted both she and Marin out by the end of the weekend. 

Fell sound asleep in grandma's arms 

EATING: Everything. Especially likes fruit and veggies.

SLEEPING: Finally sleeping through the night. Usually.

WEARING: Mostly 12 - 18 month

INTERESTING TIDBITS:

• Her second top tooth finally made its appearance this week. For the longest time she just had these three teeth... with just one on the top. It looked kind of goofy. 
• She is starting to look more like a toddler and less like a baby. 
• She tries to make some animal noises, though they still don't sound quite like they're supposed to. She now knows what owls, dogs, and cows say. Or at least I know that's what she's trying to say.
• She likes to search her toy basket for books and then hand me the one she wants to read.
• She loves the water and will often stick her face in the bathtub, swimming pool or water table to take a drink.

See that fourth tooth finally coming down?

Loves playing with Marin's dolls

Paige: Ten Months Old and a Top Tooth

RICHLAND, WASH. -- Cute little Paige has really got quite the fun personality. She is happy, giggly and likes to chat up a storm. She's also got separation anxiety like you wouldn't believe. If I step anywhere away from her she freaks out like I'm about to head to China or something. 

She finally has a third tooth. Finally. A top tooth decided to show itself a few weeks ago. We keep waiting for the second top tooth to appear, but nada so far. So for now, she is a three-toothed babe! 

TEN MONTH STATS: 

• no doc appointment this month

EATING: The girl loves food. Especially fruit. 

SLEEPING: Still naps twice a day.  Once in the mornings and again around 1ish. She's in bed by 7 usually and sleeps until 4:30 or 5. She goes back to sleep for a few hours after I feed her.  

WEARING: Wears 12-18 generally, with smaller sizes in some things. 

INTERESTING TIDBITS:

• Got her first haircut. We put her in the sink, gave her some toys, and I chopped off those long, stringy strands.
• Words she can say now: Ma, Daddy (sounds like Dah-eee), dog (Da), ball, and just a few weeks ago at church I got her to say Jesus (Jsss). 
• She likes to crawl off my lap and head toward the nearest exit to try her hand at opening doors. If there is the smallest gap in between a closed door, she will weasel it open and crawl away.
• She is SO close to taking her first steps. But she's so cautious that she'll stand for a long time and just when you think she'll step forward, she sits instead.
• It's been this way for a few months, but she DOES NOT hold still if I try to change her diaper. It is the hardest task to complete. 
• Loves bath time with Marin. She squeals and bounces up and down when we start the water running.

See those stringy strands on the sides? They were getting really bad looking. They had to go.

Despite how the YouTube tutorial depicted, it was actually hard to get her to hold still long enough to even trim off those few strands.

We tried to entertain her in the sink with some toys. It was a challenge. 

LOVES bath time 

My mom made this smocked dress for Marin, but it never fit her at the right season. So, this hand-me-down is brand new.

Paige: Nine Months Old and Standing

RICHLAND, WASH. -- Oh, sweet Paige, please stop growing! I can hardly stand it!  My little baby girl is already nine months. I feel like her personality is really shinning big time these days. The girl is still my happy, giggly baby. She loves to play too. She loves the water, bath time in particular and the swimming pool. She likes to squirm away from us when we are trying to change her diaper or get her dressed, and if we chase after her she crawls faster and lets out a hearty laugh. She has also figured out that if she is hanging on to something, she can still stand when she lets go. She will stand for a good 5 seconds or so before the cautious part of her kicks in, and she slowly lowers herself down.

NINE MONTH STATS: 

• 21.6 lbs. (91%)  
• 28.5 inches tall (82%) 
• 17.72 HC (81%) 

EATING: The girl loves food. 

SLEEPING: Still naps twice a day.  Once in the mornings and again around 1ish. She's in bed by 7 usually and sleeps until 4:30 or 5. She goes back to sleep for a few hours after I feed her.  

WEARING: Wears a few nine month things with 12-18 month items thrown in. 

INTERESTING TIDBITS:  She is a speed demon crawler, and makes it all the way up the stairs or down the hall before we even realize she's gone.

-Took her first boat ride over Memorial Day weekend when Isaac's parents were in town. We kept thinking she'd fall asleep, but she fought on and stayed awake and engaged the whole ride.

-She can wave, clap, say Ma, Da, Ba (for ball), and probably a few other things I can't yet understand. 

-She has separation anxiety like crazy and freaks out if I even start to exit the room. The second I pick her up, of course, she acts like nothing was ever wrong. The sweet thing always wants to be held. 

-She is teething (drooling like crazy and always wants to suck on something) and I cannot believe other teeth haven't popped through yet. 

-She likes to climb. If there is something to climb on that leads to something else, Paige will find it. She particularly likes to climb into Marin's little lounge chair, and if the chair isn't leaning into something, the chair topples over with her in it. She has used the chair to climb onto the couch, to see out windows, and to get onto the fireplace bench. 

-She is fascinated with outlets and anything plugged into outlets. We have covers on every outlet not in use, but she somehow manages to unplug everything and check out what's behind it. Heaven help us.

-Though she can now stand on her own, I think taking actual steps may be a ways off. She's pretty cautious. But who knows... I could be wrong, and maybe we'll have a walker on our hands soon.

-She had her first ice cream cone on Memorial Day. We went to a friend's house for dinner and they passed around ice cream cones. I took one, and mistakingly let Paige have a lick. She grabbed her little hands around it as fast as she could and when I tried to pry her fingers off it she threw a fit. So, instead of causing a scene, I just let her keep it. Hey, we only live once, right? 

Isn't she the cutest? She makes me melt.

I like to play peek-a-book with her on the stairs. She giggles every time.

She is such a speed demon on the stairs!

She took her first boat ride over Memorial Day weekend.

She had her first ice cream cone on Memorial Day.

I love watching her sleep. Isn't she such a cute sleeper? And her hair...

She loves the pool! And drinking the pool water.