10 months

Our sweet little Ilyana is now 10 months old! I can't believe how time flies. Ilyana has been getting bigger, stronger, and smarter every day. She pulls up to stand and cruise on everything possible and has been working on standing by herself for short periods of time, usually when she doesn't realize that she's doing it! This month she also learned how to climb up stairs (with our supervision of course), now if we could just teach her that crawling down the stairs is not an option like she seems to think... She has also become very interested in books recently. She loves to look at her books (and scatter them all over the living room in the process) and be read to. Her favorite book right now is "The Pout Pout Fish", and yes, I have it memorized at this point. She also loves to drum on objects so we're trying to take advantage of this and teach her how to give high-fives! She is still an awesome sleeper and eater. We figured out this month that she seems to have some issues with certain forms of dairy. She does fine with formula, but both cheese and yogurt make her super grumpy (I'm guessing her tummy hurts or some other form of unpleasantness that she can't express). Currently we're just staying away from any sort of dairy (besides formula) until we have a chance to talk to her pediatrician at her next appointment in February. Other than that she does great with food though! She loves fruit, shredded meat, steamed veggies, most anything that we give her. We're so excited to celebrate Ilyana's first Christmas later this week so keep an eye out for pictures!

Ilyana loves: standing and "walking", eating, bath time, her baby doll, mommy and daddy, Super Why, looking at pictures, reading books.

Ilyana doesn't like: being told "no", invasions of personal space, riding in the car for long periods of time.

Christmas Card 2015

Merry Christmas! I hope you are enjoying this (so far) relatively snow-free holiday season as much as we are! 2015 has been an exciting year in the Marzen household. In February we welcomed our beautiful daughter, Ilyana into our lives. She has been such a fun bundle of joy to have around! She is currently learning how to walk and is truly hoping to get her two front teeth for Christmas. 

This May we moved into our beautiful new home and also celebrated Jake graduating from Mt. Mercy College. Jake worked extremely hard and not only graduated Summa Cum Laude, which is a huge accomplishment in itself, but also graduated with the honor of the "top computer scientist" award. 

Moving day selfie!

At the beginning of June, Jake started working full time at Rockwell Collins as a software engineer. We both agree that it is such a relief to have him only working 8-5 instead of working full time along with a crazy class schedule! Also in June, Jake and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary; this has definitely been the best (and most busy) year of our marriage so far! Near the end of June we received the exciting news that we were expecting another little bundle of joy this coming March. We found out in October that this little bundle would be a boy! We are so excited to meet Mr. Ryker Paul!

All in all, this year has been jam packed with large and exciting events; none of which we would trade for a moment of peace and sanity! We look forward to celebrating this Christmas season and can't wait to see everything that 2016 brings.

9 months

I can't believe this is Ilyana's last single digit month! What happened to my snuggly little newborn? This past month Ilyana has really taken off developmentally. She has finally started doing more of a "traditional" crawl but wasn't content with that for long. She also has started pulling up to stand on everything possible, walking around with her activity walker, and even cruising holding onto furniture. It won't be long before she is walking! This month, she also had a burst of language development and can now say "mama", "dada", "hi", and "bye-bye" along with many other new sounds. It is such a joy to hear her chattering to herself throughout the day. Ilyana also experienced her first snowfall yesterday and today. She really enjoyed watching it fall and when we brought some inside for her to play with she really enjoyed eating it. This month also brought with it 2 teeth and some major separation anxiety. Separation anxiety is common at this age however Ilyana seems to be on the more extreme end of the spectrum currently. The best way to interact with Ilyana right now is to be respectful of her space bubble and talk and play with her while mommy or daddy are holding her, letting her lead the amount of interaction taking place. Although this can definitely be frustrating at times, we are very thankful that, so far, the separation anxiety hasn't had much of an effect on her sleeping habits. She is a rock star sleeper! She also is a rock star eater! This girl just loves to eat! She has said good-bye to purees and loves to feed herself. She will eat most anything we give her but especially likes meat, corn, strawberries, and blueberries. We're excited to see what she thinks of the thanksgiving turkey! We're really looking forward to celebrating the holiday season with our sweet girl!

Ilyana loves: Mommy and Daddy, bath time, drumming (this makes daddy very happy), chasing Nala, standing and walking, electronics, super why, her bunny, eating.

Ilyana doesn't like: people in her space bubble, mommy or daddy leaving, being told "no", being out of her normal routine.

8 months!

Ilyana is now 8 months old! She is getting so big so fast! She can sit, army crawl, and has even started pulling up on furniture to stand. She loves to play with her toys, explore the house (especially under the table), and eat. She's been eating most everything that we eat and loves being able to feed herself. Her personality is really starting to shine through, she's smart, silly, curious, obedient, introverted, and a home-body. She recently transitioned to only 2 naps a day, it's nice to have a little extra time in between naps to run errands and play with my sweet girl.

Ilyana loves: eating, playing, exploring the house, mommy and daddy, bath time, nala, "talking" to herself in the mirror, her bunny.

Ilyana doesn't like: being held by people other than mommy and daddy, getting out of the bath, going through a car wash, not being at home for long periods of time.

Ilyana weighs: about 15 lbs.

It's a... Boy!

Today we found out that Player4 is a boy! We are so excited to meet Mr. Ryker Paul! Originally we were scheduled to go in to the doctor for our anatomy scan next Friday, however after experiencing some cramping this week the doctor decided to have us come in a week early just to make sure everything was ok. Praise God, everything turned out to be just fine! Ryker's right kidney was slightly dilated (4.4 mm with 4.2 mm being 'normal'), however the doctor was not too concerned. We'll have another ultrasound in a month or two to check it again, however it's more than likely nothing to be worried about. We are so glad to have a happy and healthy little boy on the way! We've been having so much fun feeling Ryker kick over the past few weeks. He definitely is an active little guy! Besides the cramping this week, I've been feeling pretty good. I've struggled over the past month or two with some severe migraines, however the doctor suggested daily neck rubs and it seem to be helping quite a bit. I won't complain (about the lack of migraines or the nightly neck massages)! We are definitely looking forward to March and introducing Ryker into our little family!

7 Months

All of a sudden our sweet little baby is 7 months old! When did she get this big?? Ilyana is growing bigger and stronger every day. This past week she has been working hard on learning to sit. She has figured out how to get in and out of a sitting position, now she just needs the core strength to hold herself up. It's amazing to see how much stronger she gets every day! She has fallen in to a good 3 nap routine and has been sleeping 7 pm - 7 am most nights, which is great! She continues to love playing with other babies and with toys that she can bite or are musical. She's also become really interested in eating, if we eat in front of her we had better be prepared to share (if it's something she can have of course)! Her (and daddy's) favorite part of the day is watching outside for daddy to get home from work, as soon as she sees him get out of his car a big smile spreads across her face and she tries to leap out of my arms to get to him. It's adorable! She's entered into a bit of a clingy phase where mommy (and usually daddy) are the only people who can hold her. I'm just enjoying the love while she's in this season though!

Ilyana loves: Mommy and Daddy, other babies/kids, scratching different surfaces, putting everything in her mouth, eating, being thrown in the air, chasing Nala around.

Ilyana doesn't like: being held by other people, being told 'no', laying still for diaper changes.

Weight 13.5 lbs

1 down, 2 to go

Today I got to hear Player4's heartbeat for the first time! It was a strong 158 bpm and the doctor found it right away (maybe player4 won't be as stubborn as miss Ilyana!). Player4 was also moving around a lot while the doctor was trying to listen, I suppose they have to keep up with big sister who doesn't want to stay still! I was sad to find out that my usual OB was out of town for a family emergency and it sounds like she won't be back for a while. I'm hoping to try out a doctor that a friend recommended at my next appointment and assuming I like her, stick with her until my doctor comes back. We are now (almost) done with the first trimester! I have been feeling pretty good lately, I usually have a day once every week or two where I feel pretty nauseated, but I can't complain too much, this has been a fairly easy pregnancy. Jake and I have narrowed down names, which has been fun, but we won't share officially until we've fully decided on both of them. As for Player4's gender, we've decided this time around to go team green and let it be a surprise at birth! I'm so excited to find out in this way, I really think it will be a very special experience! We're so excited to meet you, Player4!

Ilyana's half birthday!

It's hard to remember what  life was like without Ilyana but it's also hard to believe that she is already 6 months old! Ilyana is such a sweet, funny, curious, and joyful girl. She loves to scoot around exploring everything (especially things she's not allowed to play with like power cords, daddy's belt, and her favorite: plastic bags). She is constantly chasing Nala around the house and always gives her the biggest smile when she sees her. Nala definitely has her boundaries of how close Ilyana can get, but I think she secretly enjoys the attention. The other morning she even played with Ilyana, rolling a ball back and forth. Ilyana is working hard on learning to crawl, developing fine motor skills (like putting food in her mouth), and constantly adding new sounds to her vocabulary. We're also working on teaching her some baby sign language; we're currently working on: milk, eat, and all done. She tends to think that it's really funny. We've also been having a lot of fun exploring all sorts of new foods. This girl loves to eat! So far she has loved everything we have given her to try. I think her favorite has been a combination of apples, carrots, and parsnips. I couldn't get the next spoonful in her mouth fast enough with that one! Ilyana has been doing great with sleeping lately. She generally sleeps about 12 hours at night, sometimes waking up for one feeding, and she usually takes 3 naps a day. We are so lucky to have such a sweet, smart, and happy girl!

Ilyana likes: Other babies (she's going to be such a great big sister!), Nala, musical toys, food, anything that she can chew on, plastic cups, mommy and daddy, and the animals on her mesh crib liner.

Ilyana dislikes: having to sit still, having to be patient, being tired.

Ilyana weighs: 13 lbs.

Ilyana's height: 26"

Marzen Player 4

Life has been a bit crazy keeping up with Ilyana so I haven't had a chance to write this blog post until now, but Jake and I are excited to announce that we are expecting! We had been hoping to get pregnant again rather quickly after having Ilyana. Having siblings so close in age just sounds like so much fun! Our bold prayer had been that we would be pregnant again by mid-July. By the end of June I was starting to get discouraged about becoming pregnant again, I hadn't even got my period back so we had next to nothing to work with, timing-wise. I can remember on the night of June 30th lamenting to Jake about how discouraged I was feeling and praying together that something would happen soon. The next morning I woke up feeling nauseous and tired, I didn't even think about the possibility of being pregnant and just accounted it to fighting off some sort of bug. By mid-morning I was starting to feel better and that's when it started to dawn on me that maybe I was pregnant. I decided to take a test that afternoon. I knew how unlikely it was that we had gotten pregnant before my cycle had even returned. Most of the time the first few times a woman ovulates after pregnancy she's not actually fertile. Before testing I prayed for God to protect my heart and give me peace no matter what the results were. As it turns out, the test immediately turned positive! I couldn't believe my eyes! I ran downstairs and had little happy freak out with Ilyana and immediately called a close friend, I had to tell somebody! After celebrating the good news with a friend, I used a plain white onsie of Ilyana's and painted on "Big Sis". I texted Jake and told him that Ilyana and I had made a craft and asked if he would like to see it. He said "of course" and I sent him a picture, he was ecstatic and couldn't believe that it was true! To announce to family, we used the "Big Sis" onsie as well. Everyone was so excited! It was fun to watch the realization of what it meant wash over everyone's faces. On 7/13 I had a dating ultrasound and found out that Player4's due date is March 4th 2016. We were even able to see a little heartbeat on the ultrasound. We are so excited to meet our newest little family member!
So far, this pregnancy has been a bit of a roller coaster. I had about a week of miserable, unable to function, morning sickness. Since then, most days have been pretty manageable as long as I don't think too much about food. However there are still the occasional days that I feel horribly sick again. With Ilyana I definitely felt sick more consistently but didn't feel as horrible. Some other differences this pregnancy have been having a lot more heartburn and feeling a lot more exhausted (I was even taking care of 3 kids when I was pregnant with Ilyana!). Jake has been so wonderful with helping me out. I'm excited to continue to keep everyone updated on Player4!

5 Months

I can't believe my itty bitty baby is already 5 months old! Ilyana is now rolling all over, trying so hard to scoot, and loves to smile, laugh and babble. She is such a joy to be around. She has been learning a lot about the control she has to manipulate the toys that she plays with and over her own body movements. She also has started to eat some solids, so far we have tried rice cereal, avocado, and peas. Now that we've made it through a sleep regression and weaning her from a swaddle Ilyana is sleeping great! She goes to bed at 7 and usually wakes up to eat around 3-4 am (although she has made it all the way to 6!) and then goes back to sleep until around 7 or 730. We're currently working on nap training and shooting for 3 naps a day. Another exciting development this month has been Ilyana learning to respond to her name! We are so proud of our smart girl!

Ilyana likes: Standing, looking at her reflection, listening to mommy and daddy sing, playing peek-a-boo, rolling everywhere, watching the cats, and putting everything in her mouth.

Ilyana dislikes: Being hungry and being away from mommy.

Weight: about 12 lbs.

Baby Hacks

There is a lot of work that goes into taking care of a baby! Here is my list of "baby hacks" that we have found helpful!

1. Double up on sheets
To make middle of the night crib sheet changes easy, layer your crib like this: mattress protector, crib sheet, mattress protector, crib sheet. Then all you have to do is rip off the top layer and you're done!

2. Prepare night bottles ahead of time

If you're formula feeding, instead of having to fix a bottle for every night feeding, plan ahead and keep pre-filled bottles and pre-measured formula nearby at night so all you have to do is pour and shake!

3. Drink cold water while breastfeeding

I had already quit breastfeeding before I had heard this hack, but during the early weeks when breastfeeding is painful, I've heard that taking a sip of ice cold water while latching the baby on can help get your mind off of the pain! Even if it doesn't work, staying hydrated is always important during breastfeeding!

4. Use less wipes

When your baby poops, instead of using a ton of wipes, use the dirty diaper to wipe away most of the poop before using wipes. As an added bonus, most of the stinky poop is folded up in the diaper too!

5. Starting solids

When you're starting solids, if you're having a hard time getting baby to eat off of a spoon, let them suck the food off of your finger!

6. Pants under a onsie

For a cute chic look, try snapping the onsie shut over the pants! I especially like this look with patterned pants!

7. Reusable changing table

Instead of buying a changing table that you'll be done with once you're out of the baby stage, use a dresser and a changing table pad on top of it! Bonus hack: If you live in a 2 story house, keep diapers/wipes on the other floor too!

That's all for now! But keep an eye out for a very special blog post tomorrow!

4 months

Jake and I were talking today about how we can hardly remember a life without Ilyana, but at the same time we can't believe she's already 4 months old! The time with her has been flying by and she is continuing to grow bigger every day! Some of her new skills this month include: rolling over (back to tummy), putting everything in her mouth, giggling (cutest thing ever!), and squeeling (usually with delight!). Everyday she just seems bigger and more alert. She's so much fun to be around and play with! She's starting to turn into a bit of a mama's girl but still enjoys playtime with daddy! She is getting so strong and wants to be on the move at all times. We're going to have to put up baby gates pretty soon! This month has been a little rough as far as sleeping goes, the 4 month sleep regression has been tough. But we are slowly but surely getting back into our good sleeping habits. Plus in the morning when we get her out of her crib we receive the happiest greeting in the form of a big, toothless, wide-mouthed smile! Ilyana is such a wonderful baby!

Ilyana loves: splashing in the bath, play time, reading books, standing, 'conversations' with mommy and daddy, music, her bunny.

Ilyana dislikes: being passed around, being held like a baby, being patient ;)

Weight: 11 lbs. 4 oz.

3 Months

Ilyana is now 3 months old! I can't believe how time flies! Ilyana is now starting to get into a regular sleeping pattern. We start our bedtime routine around 7, she feeds once throughout the night, and then sleeps until anywhere between 8:30-10 usually. We've recently started working on taking consistent naps throughout the day, usually about 2 hours after every time she wakes up. During her awake time we've been having a lot of fun playing under our activity gym working on grabbing toys, playing in our Fisher Price sit-me-up, reading, and doing tummy time. Ilyana has recently learned how to roll over from her tummy to back and has been holding her head up like a champ! She's getting so strong! She also giggled for the first time recently! Whenever she giggles she seems to scare herself into getting the hiccups. Haha! Ilyana is such a fun baby and we love getting to watch her grow!

Ilyana loves: Splashing in the bath, books with bright pictures, mommy and daddy, her activity gym, standing (with help), watching daddy play video games.

Ilyana doesn't like: being held like a baby (boohoo!), getting out of the bath, being passed around.

Weight:10 lbs. 5 oz.

Sorry for the late post, we've been busy moving! We're so excited to finally be in our house! Moving went really well and we have been working hard at unpacking and getting settled. We love our new house and our new neighborhood and we can't wait to make memories in this house!

Top 8 baby gear picks for 0-3 months

Recently, I've had several conversations with pregnant friends about just how much stuff there is for babies. You have the essentials: diapers, wipes, crib, clothes, etc.. but what about all that other stuff, is it really worth it, or is it just a waste of space? Well here's my list of my top 8 favorite (non-essential) baby items for 0-3 months!

1. Boppy Pillow
The boppy pillow is advertised as a nursing pillow, which it definitely does the job. I definitely prefered the boppy over it's large competitor, the my breastfriend. I felt like it was more comfortable for both me and Ilyana. However if the boppy was only good for nursing it wouldn't have made this list. As it turns out, the boppy pillow can be used for so many other things! At Ilyana's age, she loves to use the boppy to be propped up on her back, use it for tummy time, and even be cradled in the center hole to take a snooze! As she gets older she'll be able to continue to use it to have support while sitting too. The boppy has so many different uses which definitely makes it worth it.

2. Summer infant swaddleme
It's the middle of the night, you're running on 2 hours of sleep, and you just finished feeding and changing your little bundle of joy, can you still successfully swaddle your little one? If so, I'm impressed, especially as they get bigger and stronger! Ilyana LOVES to be swaddled so the swaddleme has been a life saver. It's the perfect thickness to keep her warm but not let her overheat and it's super easy to use. We originally tried out the woombie but found that it was really tight around her neck which made us nervous. The swaddleme is tight enough to keep her otherwise flailing arms contained but loose enough that it's not like a straight-jacket. And as an added bonus, she ends up looking like a cute little baby burrito!

3. Sound Machine
When a baby is in the womb there is constant noise, the sound of your heartbeat, the amniotic fluid swishing around, even your voice. Now that they are out of the womb, having things that remind them of the comfort and safety of their past home helps to relax and comfort them. We have used a sound machine in Ilyana's room since day one and I really think it has helped her to be a good sleeper. Not only does the sound comfort her, but it drowns out background noises as well. The sound machine we have is the "mybaby soundspa". It works great as a sound machine, you can set a timer or have it run all night and it has 6 different sounds to pick from (we prefer rainstorm). My only beef with this specific machine is the projector. It was really neat the first few nights and Ilyana loved to look at it, but the projector portion quit working after a week of using it.

4. Layette gowns
Technically this is clothing, but I feel that these gowns have definitely earned their spot on this list. Diaper changes in the middle of the night usually consist of one eye half open, the other eye still shut trying to sleep. I can not imagine trying to correctly button, whilst keeping kicking feet in a onsie in the middle of the night. These wonderful little gowns are definitely a lifesaver. They come in both boy and girl patterns so either gender can wear them, and they are usually long so a baby can continue to wear them for several months. Another added bonus is they usually have sleeves that you can flip over and cover up their razor sharp little finger nails so they don't cut themselves at night.


5. Activity gym
Babies need to stretch out and work their limbs to develop the muscles necessary for rolling, crawling, and eventually walking. An activity gym is the perfect toy to help with this. Ilyana has loved her activity gym since she was just a few weeks old. She loved to just lay there, squirm and just look at all the colorful objects hanging down. Now that she's a little bit bigger she's working on grabbing and batting at the toys. The activity gym has been great for entertaining her while I shower or get chores done. The activity gym we bought was the infantino grow-with-me activity gym. As Ilyana gets bigger and is able to sit on her own, we will be able to put up the sides and make it a ball pit! We really love having an activity gym!

6. Bouncer seat
A baby bouncer seat is a lifesaver. We've gotten pretty lucky with having a pretty chill baby, but there are still some days when she just doesn't want to be put down, but sometimes mommy needs to go to the bathroom, or eat, or get blood flowing back in her arms and the bouncer usually keeps Ilyana content for at least a little while. The one we have vibrates and plays music too so it's not only comfortable for her to sleep in, but it's fun to play in too! Ilyana loves to bat at the little dangling sheep. Another added benefit of the bouncer has been that it's an easy way to keep Ilyana sitting up right after eating to help with her not spitting up.  I will say that as she is getting a little bit older we aren't using the bouncer as much, however it was definitely really helpful in the beginning!

7. Fisher-Price Sit me up
We just got this today, but as you can tell, it was an instant hit! Ilyana LOVES to sit upright, but she isn't quite strong enough to sit by herself yet so I really wanted to find a chair that she could sit in. I had found a bumbo seat at a consignment sale but after reading this post by a pediatric physical therapist about how bad the bumbo is for a babies development I knew I needed to find something else. After lots of research and recommendations we finally decided on the Fisher-Price sit me up. It's perfect for babies who love to sit and have decent head control but maybe can't sit by themselves yet. It has a little tray, toys, and little squeakers that make noise when the baby kicks them. Not only is it fun, but it's a great opportunity for her to work on her neck muscles! It was super easy to put together and folds up nicely to take it places too! I definitely recommend the Fisher-Price sit me up!






8. Video baby monitor
A regular, sound-only, baby monitor can definitely do it's job, however I have LOVED having a video monitor. Although they are a little more expensive, it is so nice to be able to just peak in on Ilyana while she's sleeping without having to worry about waking her with opening or closing her door. It's also really helpful to be able to look in at her to see if she's just making noises in her sleep or if she's actually starting to wake up. Another benefit to the video monitor will be when she's a little older so I can see what she's doing during nap time. The video monitor we have has a button that allows us to use it like a walkie talkie. This feature could be really handy in the future!




Do you have any baby items you love? What do you love about them?

2 Months

Our sweet little girl will be 2 months on Tuesday! We are falling more and more in love everyday! Ilyana is such a great baby. She is an amazing sleeper. She goes to sleep around 10:30, eats around 5 or 6, then goes right back to sleep until 9 or 10 (sometimes even later!). She has also learned to fall asleep on her own, which is great! Ilyana also had her first social smile! I was talking to her and asked if she wanted to go see her aunt Jenna and she gave me a HUGE smile! She doesn't smile consistently yet, but she smiles the most for her daddy (I can't blame her, he's pretty great!). All we could get on camera for today were a few half smiles, but they're still pretty cute :)

Ilyana loves: Daddy and mommy, going on walks, listening to music, her toy zebra and light up turtle, bath time, Mommy and Me time at the hospital.

Ilyana doesn't like: waiting for a bottle, getting out of the bath, being tired, being passed around to a lot of people.

Weight: 9 lbs 9 oz.

Height: 22 inches

May will be a very busy month for the Marzen family. Jake will be graduating from Mount Mercy on May 17th. We close on our house on May 20th and move in the following weekend. Our house is really coming along and looking great! Finally, the last week of May Jake has the week off before officially starting full time at Rockwell.

1 Month

Miss Ilyana is already a month old! Where did the last four weeks go? Life with Ilyana has been more wonderful than I could have ever imagined! I just love being her mommy! She has a very sweet, calm, snuggly demeanor and has been such a wonderful easy baby. She rarely cries for any reason besides being hungry or gassy, usually sleeps about 3.5-4 hours between feedings at night, and is a great napper during the day as well. We really could not have asked for a better baby!

Ilyana loves: Snuggles, being swaddled, laying chest to chest, being wrapped up in warm blankets (just like daddy!), sucking (on a pacifier, her hand, a finger, a bottle, anything she can!), listening to mommy or daddy sing.

Ilyana doesn't like: Being gassy, being cold, having to wait for a bottle.

Weight: About 8 lbs. 

Height: 20 in.

In other Marzen family news, it sounds like our house should be done sometime near the end of April. We are so excited to finally be able to move in and have more space! Also, in May Jake will be graduating college and starting as a full time employee with Rockwell. I am so proud of how hard Jake has been working, especially these past few weeks. He works so hard to get good grades, support our family, and still manages to make time to spend with his girls. He is such a fantastic husband and father, I couldn't ask for more!