Eleven Months!

(As of 2-24-15) It seems as though I can only get in Tatum's monthly updates, but that is what is most important anyways.  Eleven months came way too fast.  We are staying really busy with building the house so naturally, days with our girl are flying by.

Tatum Blair, you are month away from being one year old!  You are the biggest joy we have ever known and we can't get enough of you!  You are a dream baby and so fun to be around.  

You still sleep about 11-12 hours at night but your bedtime has been moved a little bit later.  If you are happy, sometimes we will keep you up as late as 9:00 because we just love to watch you play!  

You love to get in Millie's dog bed.

On average, you go down between 8:00 and 8:15 and will wake up between 7:30 and 8:00.  You sleep so well these days and I am still forever thankful!  You drink a 6 oz bottle when you wake up (which you like to hold by yourself) and then have fruit about 9:15.  You play until around 10:30 and go down for an hour and a half nap.  When you wake up, you get another 6 oz bottle and a little bit of lunch.  When you eat, we give you a sippie cup and you can down some water!  This is something that I have always felt was very important, which is why I still have not truly introduced any other liquids besides water and formula.   

On Tuesday's, we go eat lunch with Mema.

We usually try to get our errands run and see daddy for lunch before your next nap between 2:30 and 3:00.  Another 6 oz bottle when you wake up and more play time.  Dinner is around 6:00 and this usually includes vegetables or whatever we are having for dinner if you can eat it.  Bath is around 7:00 and then you play until about 7:45, when you get an 8 oz bottle and you're off to bed!

You have mastered the fake cry and fake laugh.  Both of these are absolutely hilarious.  Your main words are "mama", "dada", "heeeyy" and "bye", but you will you say a few other things and will try to mimic any other sounds.  You like to bang on the xylophone, give mommy and daddy "love", "love" your stuffed animals, get in Millie's dog bed, play in the bathtub and play peek-a-boo.  You also love to help mommy with the laundry.  You will get out every single piece of clothing and hand it to me to fold.  It melts my heart every time.

You climb on absolutely everything!

 You are so close to walking.  You will let go of things without realizing it so we know it is only a matter of time before you gain enough confidence to take off by yourself.  For right now, you are perfectly happy holding our hands for support.  You love to be outside, especially in your wagon.

You are the sweetest, happiest baby, although you have a little bit of stranger danger.  You definitely know what "no" means and will shake your head and say "uh uh" when someone tries to do something that you don't want them to, like try and hold you.  The best way to get you on someone's good side is by feeding you and getting down on the floor and playing with you.  

Hopefully our last picture in the snow for the season!

Trying on your new smocked bubble that "Sugar" got you, while it was snowing outside.

We are so blessed by you each and every day.  The Lord has been so good to us.  You are so much fun and we can't wait to see what this next month brings!! 

Ten Months!

Ten months old!  I just can't believe it.  I don't even know where to start!  I guess I'll start with a day in the life of being 10 months old!

At ten months old, you are sleeping 7:45-around 7:15.  You have never slept better and I am forever thankful!  You wake up and immediately stand up in your bed, most of the time you throw your paci down on the floor and start talking to yourself.  If daddy or I wait just a minute too long to come get you, you definitely start to "tell" us about it!  You wear size 4 night-time diapers or you will wake up because you are wet.

In the morning, I change you into regular size 3 diapers, make your 6 oz bottle and most importantly, make mommy a full glass of coffee.  I sit you in my lap and you give yourself your bottle, which I have to say is pretty nice.  You play independently so well these days.  We stop to have breakfast about 9:00.  This is usually in your highchair and is normally a variety of fruits.  

At 10:00, you are ready for your first nap and this will usually last until about 11:30.  About once a week you stretch it until 12:00 and I am normally pacing around trying to find more things to do with those extra 30 minutes.  You get another 6 oz bottle between 11:30 and 12:00.  Sometimes daddy comes home for lunch at this point and other days we get out to run our errands for the day. 

You still highly dislike your carseat, but I have pretty much gotten use to this and it doesn't bother me like it did when you were really little.  You love to get out and about though, so once we get somewhere you are just fine. You will smile at any stranger and I know it just melts their heart. 

About 2:30, you go down for your afternoon nap and will sleep until around 4:00.  You get another 6 oz bottle and more play time.  Most of the time we stay home at this point, but sometimes we have to run maybe one more errand before daddy gets off work or we run out to the house to check on the progress.

You go back in your highchair about 6:00 and eat vegetables or whatever we are eating.  You know "more" in sign-language and usually will do this over saying "mmbite" like you use to.  You do still yell at us if we don't get you the food fast enough or if we don't see your sign-language.  I put you straight into the bath and then we normally play until your 8 oz bottle about 7:30.  We put you in bed, on your tummy with a paci and you put yourself to sleep within a matter of minutes.

You love to walk with your walker (getting closer to walking by yourself), pretend like you are talking on the phone, "help" mommy with the laundry, take everything off of your shelves, playing with cabinets (which is  a "no no"), dancing, chasing Millie around, bath time and being tickled around your collar bone.  You say "mama", "dada", "mmbite", "kitty kitty", "thank you" and "uh oh".  You will repeat many other words but don't know what they mean yet.  You also love to shake your head no, and you know exactly what it means!  You crack us up and keep us on our toes. 

You are getting a little attitude and even though it is quite funny, daddy and I are trying to be more stern with you (hah!). You definitely try and push the limits already.  Man it's hard to be a parent sometimes!  We would literally give you whatever you want, whenever you want, because you melt our hearts to pieces.  There are times however, that we want to try and teach you good manners and that you won't always get what you want.  We believe that it is never too early to start teaching these things but know that we have a long road ahead of us.  We just pray that you will always be respectful to others and treat others like you would want to be treated.  

You have the biggest personality and we laugh at you constantly.  I can't believe that when I look at you, I am starting to see more and more of a toddler coming through.  You are the biggest blessing we have ever received and cannot wait to find out what you do in month ten!

Three Months!

Three whole months!  This whole "my baby growing up" thing is happening way too fast!  Next thing I know you will be married and have your own little family.  Ok, I guess that's going a little overboard, but it really is going by so quickly.  

Every month so far has been so different.  It just keeps getting better and better in every aspect of your little life...well maybe besides the sleeping part.  Where to even start...

You still nurse every 2-3 hours during the day for about 5-7 minutes on each side.  Sometimes you fall asleep like the above pictures.  If I don't feel like you nurse for long enough, I will try to finish it up with pumping so I can make sure my milk supply is kept up with and it puts a little milk in the freezer.  TMI?  Sorry 'bout it.  This is something that we will work even harder on during month 4.  

About a week after you turned 2 months old, I moved you in to your crib to sleep at night.  You surprisingly started sleeping better and we have kept you there ever since.  You "usually" will wake up once during the night to nurse and then wake up between 6:30 and 7:30.  You have slept through the night (10:30-6:30) twice.  I am so ready for this to be a constant in your routine.  In the past 3 weeks I have had you on the "Baby Wise" schedule and you have adjusted to it pretty well.  You wake up, eat, we play for about 45-55 minutes and then you go back to sleep.  You nap only in your crib now anywhere from 45 minutes to about an hour and a half so it still makes for a somewhat unpredictable schedule throughout the day.  I am ok staying home most of the day right now so that you can get the rest you need to grow those little bones.  

You like your baths a whole lot better now and don't even cry when I get you out to dry you off and put lotion on.  You still get mad when there is not milk in your belly as soon as you wake up, but daddy and I just think it's pretty funny.  You like to "move it, move it"!!  People always comment on how active and alert you are.  We are "afraid" you will be an early crawler/walker and that mommy will be chasing you all over the place in a just a few months.  We most definitely have our hands full with you!  You have so much personality it is just hilarious.  You laughed out loud for the first time this month and it melts. our. hearts.  No matter how much Daddy and I try, we just can't get you to laugh like Sugar and GayGay can. I guess they are just pretty funny!  You still get tickled for Daddy and me though and it is the best thing ever.  

You took your second road trip this month and we went to Katy to visit Aunt Amy and Uncle Matt!  It was a little bit of a wake-up call for Mommy knowing that my days of doing anything I want at anytime when on vacation are over.  You did great in the car and only cried a little bit when we had to wait to pull over in a safe place to feed you.  '

You also celebrated Daddy on Father's Day.  You are so lucky to have him as your daddy.  You went to the annual Father's Day Swim at Mike and Kelly's house and was happy the whole time!

You are still in 0-3 month, 3 month and a few 3-6 month clothes fit you now.  You are in size 2 diapers.  Growing, growing girl.  It is so hard for mommy not to buy you so many cute outfits but I do resist...most of the time.  

You still like to be swaddled whenever you go to sleep.  I have tried putting you to sleep without your "Swaddle Me" and you wake up as soon as I put you down.  One thing I have continued to do during month three is rock or sway you to sleep.  Sometimes I just have to hold you and sway back and forth a few times and you are out.  I have tried the 'laying you down and letting you cry' effect a few times and it just breaks my heart so I always end up picking you up, swaying or rocking you and you fall right to sleep.  You don't like to snuggle anymore, so really this is the only time that I get to hold and snuggle you like my little baby anymore.  I am hoping one day though, that I can just put you in your crib, without your swaddle and you will take a good nap.  

As always, I would not trade my "job" for anything.  Staying at home with you is the most challenging but rewarding job I will ever have.  Being able to be here almost every second for anything that you do is something that I will cherish forever.  I will always be grateful for your Daddy in making this sacrifice for our family.  You will learn one day that he truly is the best.  We love you so much, baby girl.

Two Months!

I'm back!  It has been one crazy month to say the least.  We haven't had internet for over a month but we finally have it back and I am ready to start blogging again!  I will do a major update some time but for now, just to keep things in a timely order, I will start with Tatum's two month post.  I wrote this when Tatum was two months exactly so I wouldn't forget anything for our sweet girl.  

Tatum, how it is even possible that you are two months old is beside me.  Everyday is so much fun with you; even the hard days I am so thankful for.  You learned so many new things in the past month, I can't imagine what wonderful and exciting things another month will bring.  

You still only cry when you don't get your "food" fast enough.   You would think we were starving you!  You completely got off your schedule of eating this month and it has given mommy a run for her money.  I was pretty concerned that you weren't getting enough milk because you were only eating 5 minutes or so on eat side, usually totaling less than 12-15 minutes each feeding on a good day.  However, you were (and still are) chunking up pretty nicely.  I think my worries were more about if I was doing something wrong and not about you.  

At your two month (and one week) check-up, you were 11 pounds, 8 ounces and 20 1/4 inches long...50 percentile for both.  He said you were a healthy, perfect little girl!

Nursing definitely has its ups and downs, but I would never go back on my decision of choosing to exclusively breastfeed you (with a pumped bottle every now and then).  Your pedi said you were gaining weight just fine, like I said earlier, so I figure that you only about a 10 minute eater altogether and that gives you enough nutrients.  However, you still eat every 2-3 hours.  I am hoping that month 3 will bring a little bit more of a routine as far as nursing goes.  

You lost a lot of your hair on top of your head this month.  We called you "baldy" for a little while but thought that maybe it might hurt your feelings so we stopped. :)  It's growing back in and is still pretty dark and beautiful.

You have gotten so much better about liking your baths, but as soon as I take you out you are not a happy camper.  It is very rare that you don't cry when I dry you off, put lotion on you and put your PJ's on but like I said, you are getting better about this.  After bath time, we have started reading a chapter out of your Beginner's Bible which you love.  We sit in your rocker and you just talk and get excited looking at the different colors and shapes.  I love this new addition to our bedtime routine!

You still sleep in mommy and daddy's room because mommy is too lazy to get up during the night to go get you...much easier to reach down and pick you up beside my bed!  However, if you keep sleeping like you have been the past week, I will move you into your crib.  Your routine as of the past week as been going down around 9:00, sleeping until about 3:00 and then waking up again around 6:30.  

When I am not playing with you during the day, you are either in your Mamaroo, your swing or on your play mat.  You take naps in your swing and Mamaroo but we are working on getting in two solid naps in your crib and the rest in either your swing or Mamaroo (or in my arms occasionally).  We also try to work in tummy time, which you have gotten pretty good at and surprisingly don't really mind it.  You are so good at holding your head up, I think pretty soon we will have to get you a little jumper so you will have another activity to do during the day.  You are one. busy. girl!!

You are in 0-3 month clothes with a few 3 month mixed in.  Some of your 0-3 month onsies are even getting too short for you as I think you have a long torso.  You are in size 1 diapers but who knows for how long!  You are growing like a little weed.  I started putting you in your onsies at night instead of your sleepers because you were getting so hot.  You love to be swaddled so I knew the sleepers weren't going to work during the summertime.  Speaking of swaddling, you still like to be swaddled every time you go to sleep.  As soon as 

I swaddle you up, you usually go right to sleep. 

You went on your first road trip to Fredericksburg for the night with Granddaddy and Sugar and did great!  This makes me rest a little easier knowing we have a Katy road trip in the coming weeks.  

Being your mommy is still the most rewarding thing I have ever known.  Your daddy and I are head-over-heels in love with you and your sweet spirit.  We love you more than you will ever know!