A Pearly White!

Unbeknownst to us, Marshall cut his first tooth today! After dinner we noticed he was a little punchy and awfully snuggly, a strange combination for him. Since I've been very eager for him to get a tooth, I went in for a little inspection expecting to find nothing as always. But to my surprise there was a tooth, not a bud...a tooth!

Our prediction was Marshall would walk before he got any teeth, so this is a very pleasant surprise! We're not looking forward to all the crankiness and sleepless nights that usually accompany this milestone, but oh well. I'll try and take a picture, but Mr. Lock Jaw isn't a fan of us fishing around in his mouth...just makes him angry, frankly!

Here's a picture of the boys during one of his snuggly moments...just adorable!

Nothin' But Trouble

I'll let the video speak for itself.... ;)

REAL Snow

We got some real snow in Dallas yesterday. I think we got about 10" here at the Uphues house. It definitely reminds me of being back in Chicago. Just beautiful, until you see all the dirty snow on the roads. :) Here are a couple of pictures of the house from Thursday morning to Friday morning, so you can see the amount of accumulation.

Thursday AM - Front Yard

Friday AM - Front Yard
Thursday AM - Back Yard

Friday AM - Back Yard
Look how high the snow was!!!

No amount of snow was going to stop us from going to playgroup, so Marshall got to take some pictures in the snow with his friends. I'm happy to report he has not one, but two Valentines this year....Camryn and Mia are two very lucky ladies!!!

(L to R) Jennifer & Mia, Kristen & Jake, Amanda & Camryn

Don't they look so happy!?! (Mia, Camryn, Jake & Marshall)

10 Months Old

10 Months Old

9 Months Old

Well, I took his 9 month picture on time, but didn't get to the post until now...on his 10 month bday. So you get both! Marshall has become just a bundle of personality recently! He's constantly pulling up and standing either with his cube, the couch or just a wall. He can stand on his own unassisted for a couple of seconds and the concentration on his face is adorable. Much to my dismay, he starting cruising down the couch this week. Walking is definitely in our midst, sigh.

Unfortunately for Creighton, Marshall's got his mommy's gift of gab. He "talks" constantly while he's playing but they are very boyish sounds which cracks me up. Still no "ma-ma" but I swear he's working towards it.

We've officially weaned from breast milk to formula and thankfully the transition went well. He's eating more finger foods, although the Lord has yet to bless him with teeth. I don't think he'll get them until he's a year old since both Creighton and I didn't get our first tooth until we were one.

Marshall loves it when his daddy gets home. He rapidly crawls towards the door when he comes through the garage. It's precious to watch and I know it melts his daddy's heart. As Creighton says, he's definitely a mamma's boy but he does LOVE his daddy!

His stats from his 9 month Dr appointment:

Weight: 19lbs - 25% (Although he's probably 20lbs by now!)

Height: 28.5" - 50%

Head: 17-3/8" - 25%

He has a slight obsession with Gordo's nose, as you can see from the sequence below

The Polar Express

I must confess, I haven't been in the blogging mood. No reason, just taking a little break. But I'm getting back on the horse, and trying to catch up before I head out of town. So here goes...

During the holidays the Texas State Railroad offers a Polar Express themed ride for families. Since my sister and her family were going to be in Texas for Christmas, we decided to make a Harrelson family trip to the railroad. My niece and nephew are the perfect age for this sort of thing, so Marshall and I were just along for the ride and to experience it with the kids.

If you've read the book or watched the movie you know this magical story, and the railroad did a wonderful job of bringing the book to life. The trip was complete with hot chocolate and cookies served by chefs in their white coats and hats, a conductor that comes by to punch your ticket with a "B," The Polar Express story read aloud over the speaker (I think it was Liam Neeson's voice?), and a magical ride to the North Pole (sans snow) to see Santa. Santa even boards the train and gives each child a bell!

Everyone had a wonderful time, minus the gigantic candy cane decoration that fell on Marshall's head, but thankfully he isn't scarred!?! I have no doubt we will go back when he's older, but I think he enjoyed it regardless...just watching all the kids and the chefs walking by. Thanks Gana & Papa for such a wonderful time!

Marshall getting festive in the RV on the way there. Yep, we all rode in my sister's RV to the train!

Vicki, Austin, Dad(Papa) and Andy in their PJs on the train. (A little wet, from all the rain!)

Mom(Gana) and Elizabeth

The Three Amigos!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

We had a wonderful holiday season this year, so much to be thankful for! Christmas is just simply more fun with a child around, so we tried to make Marshall's first Christmas a memorable one. We started off the season with a trip to see Santa with the playgroup. One never knows how their child will react to Jolly Saint Nick, so I was prepared for the worst. But Marshall was all about Mr. Claus and was happy to sit in his lap and give his beard a tug.

My playgroup decided to have a little holiday party with a gift exchange for the moms and we dressed the little ones in their Christmas PJs. I'm really bad about not taking pictures so this blog has been a great reminder and motivator for me to do so. Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures at the party, but we did take a group shot with all the cuties on the couch...this was no small task! Unfortunately Marshall is covering up Piper, which as you can see, she wasn't too thrilled about. We're only missing Lily and Raylee, so that's 11 little ones! Miss Lisa made all the kiddos Christmas lovies and Marshall has thoroughly enjoyed his this holiday season, Thanks Lisa!

Before we left for Tyler and the tree was filled to the brim with gifts, I did take these sweet pictures of Marshall in his Christmas PJs. He didn't understand why I wanted him to sit there so he kept crawling towards me. He's also holding his Christmas lovie from Miss Lisa, it was a great distraction tactic for a couple of shots.

Marshall's First Christmas

8 Months...and a weekish

Eight months old, really!?! Our little butternut is just growing like a weed. He started pulling up last week, so we've had a little more tears recently from all the falls that come with standing. But he's getting the hang of sitting down "easy" and gets the concept that letting go quickly isn't to his advantage. He's a speed racer in the crawling department so he constantly keeps me on my toes. It's fun to see him explore the house, until he finds the room with the Christmas tree!

He's still sleeping and eating like a champ and in perfect Uphues/Harrelson fashion his love for green peas is waning. Initially he was all about them, but now he'll only eat them if I mix them with his cereal. But he comes by it honestly since there is a long list of family members on both sides that don't favor those little green suckers...including both Creighton and I.

No stats to share since he doesn't go back to the Dr. until his 9-month appointment. But the boy is heavy...the return of my back pain is proof. We love that our house is filled with constant baby chatter, gummy smiles and laughter. What a fun time...and I'm trying to soak up these days as much as possible. Our little baby is quickly growing into a boy before our eyes. Thankfully he still likes to snuggle with his momma...cheek to cheek is our favorite.