Meeting Santa Claus

Dear Tatum,

Today you met Santa for the first time. Last year you were too small and still to new, so we didn't want to risk taking you to meet him. When we arrived you were awe struck by the oversized Christmas tree and all of the bright decorations. In fear that you might be afraid of him, Santa's helpers suggested that I not let you see Santa before placing you on his lap. Once I placed you on his lap, his helpers called for your attention, you looked towards them and smiled just a little and they snapped the photo. They weren't quick enough and weren't able to get your big beautiful smile, regardless, it's a great first picture of you and Santa.

Once Santa's helpers advised Santa that they had gotten the picture, Santa turned you towards him and asked, "Tatum, what you like for Christmas?" Your bottom lip jetted out so quick and you exploded into tears. You had realized you were sitting on this long bearded, deep voiced mans lap and you were not at all happy about it. Mommy picked you up, hugged you tight and told you it would be okay. You continued to cry and kept looking back at him. This went on for a couple of minutes. It is safe to say that you are officially petrified of Santa Claus. He was a very nice Santa and he thought you were very special, but he understands that some children are a bit afraid of him. He doesn't mind as long as we leave him some milk and cookies on Christmas Eve.

Lately, the weather has been perfect for Santa and his reindeer. Over the weekend we received a large amount of snow. Mommy and Daddy are sure to keep you warm and bundle you up each time we leave the house. You have a plethora of coats, hats, gloves, scarves and mittens thanks to your Grandmothers. Grandma Rhonda even hand knit a little white sweater for you. Mommy is hoping that more snow is on its way for Christmas and promises to keep you warm. You truly enjoy looking at the snow falling from the sky, however, you can't seem to master breathing while faced with the cold wind.

Daddy and I look forward to someday building your first snowman. It will be so much fun.

Love and kisses.
Mommy

Today's book: Cinder the Bubble-blowing Dragon

13 Month Update

Dear Tatum,

I am a week late with your 13 month update as we have been busy getting ready for the Christmas holiday. Our tree and ornaments have survived your curiosity for the past couple of weeks now. You only partially unwrapped two of the gifts that are nested around the base of the tree. Considering our tree stands in the same room you spend a large part of your day, I am happy you now only have interest in it when it is lit. If Mommy points and says the word "tree" you can now repeat it.

Aunt Chel spread some Christmas spirit by emailing us an adorable link of her, Uncle Dave and Brody after they had been "Elfed." Mommy thought it looked like fun and wanted to see how we would look as elves as well. I plan on placing a link to the friends and family members that share their elfamorphosis with us, under "Tatum's Friends" in the right hand column of your blog. It is so much fun to watch them.


Since your first birthday, you have become more of a chatterbox than ever. You are becoming increasingly confident in speaking and Daddy and I are amazed that you seem to know German. It sounds as if you have a German accent when you get on a roll. You talk all day long at home. Sometimes if Mommy is on the phone, the person on the other end of the line will ask, "Who's talking? Is that Tatum?" You were definitely born with the gift to gab.

In the past few days your language has changed to two words... "Ohhh, noooo!" Daddy and I realize now that we may have made a mistake in teaching you "No." It seems that we have not sounded stern enough when telling you "no" and you now think it is a positive word. For example, you reached your little hand to the top of the kitchen table, grabbed Mommy's address labels, tossed them to the floor, looked up at me and said, "Ohhh, noooo!" It is near impossible to not find it funny. You cruise the house chanting, "nooo" as you pick and poke at any object within reach. We can ask if you would like to play, need something to drink or eat and you respond... "noooo." You are napping at the moment and I am sure of it that when you wake, "no" will be the first word formed from your mouth. You make us laugh and feel so incompetent as teachers.

You are a pro at surfing the furniture and walls now and have left hand prints to prove it. You haven't attempted taking any steps without the help of Mommy or Daddy just yet, but I am sure that is right around the corner. You can walk around the coffee table and cross over to the couch now without having to drop to your knees and you are able to sit from a standing position. You have also mastered climbing up and down stairs. Mommy and Daddy support your efforts and provide you with plenty of encouragement and praise. There is no rush so you can take as much time as you need to figure it out.

Eating is somewhat of a challenge for us as are an extremely picky eater. You have your favorites and often reject the more nutritional vegetables that Mommy repetitively tries to feed you. You absolutely love your waffles in the morning. Mommy spreads a small amount of butter on them and you eat every last piece. No syrup needed, you have no idea what you are missing and I would like to keep it that way for a while. You also love bananas, black olives, honeydew melon, strawberries, Cherrios, cheddar cheese, PB&J on whole wheat, sometimes broccoli and you love yogurt. Mommy is unable to feed you the yogurt fast enough and you will often give me a scream and tap my hand when you are ready for more. You are also big on cottage cheese as long as you can feed yourself. You refuse to eat it when I try to spoon feed it to you. This can be quite messy, but again I am encouraging you to feed yourself and it works. Meals including cottage cheese require a bath immediately after. You will always try whatever it is Mommy is eating, even though it may be something you just rejected from your own plate.


We are now a bottle and formula free household. It is sippy cups of whole milk all the way. We learned that this transition is something that is just done and is more difficult on the parents than the child. You babies are just amazing to be able to learn what is put in front of you and just move on. During meals you are in charge of your own sippy cup and require very little assistance. A little extra tip of the cup is all you need once in a while.

Coloring is becoming more fun. You are staying on the paper more and more each time and only attempted to eat the crayons once or twice. Last night, Daddy joined in the fun and learned to not get to attached to his artistic creations as artist Tatum will need to put her mark on it. I save our drawings and made Daddy sign and date his as well.

The past couple of weeks you have begun expressing both excitement and anger in a couple of unique ways. Sometimes you make fists and tighten your arms and give a quick anger scream and other times you flip your hands open palms up and let out a quick high pitched sound. I believe these gestures are meant to express your feelings. It is charming in a very cute monster kind of way. Mommy gets quite a kick out of it and is working on getting it on video.

Well I hear your voice calling from upstairs. Nap time is over and it is time to prepare lunch. Keep growing my little beauty.

I love you.

Love,
Mommy

Rest in Peace

Dear Tatum,

I am sad to write that my Grandmother and your Great-Grandmother Marie passed away on Wednesday. She suffered a stroke the week before last and was unable to come back to us. She will always be remembered as a strong woman, a hard worker and a very funny lady, even when she didn't mean to be. She worshiped her family and loved to tell us grandkids funny stories from years ago. Her son, my Dad and your Grandpa and her daughter Judy, were with her when she passed.


She is resting peacefully in heaven now with Grandpa, the love of her life. We will miss her and hope that she will keep an eye on us from up above.

May she rest in peace.

Love,
Mommy

Wedding Bells

Dear Tatum,

Today you attended your first wedding. Aunt Jamie and Uncle Mike planned a very small, very intimate, civil ceremony. Both their immediate families were present for the ceremony. We celebrated afterwards with a champagne toast and some delicious Italian food.


At one point during the dinner, Mommy told Daddy that you shouldn't have the salad and I was surprised to find out that Daddy hadn't given you the salad, you had helped yourself. You are a quick little monster when you want something.
Aunt Jamie and Uncle Mike were beaming with pure happiness. We are all so happy for them . Aunt Jamie made a beautiful bride and pulled me aside to let me know that she wasn't comfortable with the fact that you were outshining her on her wedding day. She was joking of course. You were not only wearing your adorable little red sweater dress, you were also wearing your little black patent leather purse slung across your body. Inside your purse you were carrying play lipstick, car keys and your cell phone.


Your cousin Michael was all decked out in his corduroy hat, leather jacket and pinstripe shirt for his Mom and Dad's wedding. He was just too cute for words. The look on his face shows how thrilled he was to see everyone together. He is being held by his Grandpa Luera in the picture above.

You were a very well behaved little wedding guest today. As always, you enjoyed the party and a little taste of the cake too. It was a wonderful day and we wish Aunt Jamie, Uncle Mike and cousin Michael all the happiness in the world.

I love you.

Love,
Mommy

So Very Thankful

Dear Tatum,

Today is the one year anniversary of your homecoming. It was one year ago that I explained to Daddy that I would be unable to celebrate the holiday anywhere beside by your side in the hospital. The thought of attending any of the family gatherings without you, broke me down in tears.

I woke early that morning, made my early morning phone call to the nurses station, had a tall glass of water and pumped as it had already been 3 hours since the last time. Although I was not expressing much milk, I kept at it every 2-3 hours for two weeks hoping that my milk would come in so that I could nurse you once you were home.

I began getting ready for the day, as I just wanted to get to the hospital by you, when the phone rang. It was one of your nurses. My heart was pounding out of my chest since the nurses had never called the house before. Nurse Kelly explained that the pediatrician had come in early and signed off on your discharge papers. I will never be able to explain how I felt at that moment. A tingling sensation charged through my entire body. I couldn't speak for what felt like forever. When I finally did speak, it was a tearful sobbing thank you.

I could not believe we were going to finally bring you home. Daddy and I were told many times during those two weeks that you may not be released until your due date of December 24th. You had done so well and made such great progress that they were releasing you a month early.

Daddy and I scrambled to get ready and we couldn't get their fast enough. I remember looking at the speedometer several times as I wanted Daddy to drive as fast as he could. Once we arrived, Mommy nursed you and then we met with a technician to review the functionality of your heart monitor. We were also given a crash course in CPR, should you stop breathing.

We dressed you in your little soft pink preemie outfit, which was too big, placed you in your car seat and drove you home. I remember smiling all the way out of the hospital and and all the way home. Complete opposite of my departure two weeks earlier. Finally, it all felt so right.


The three of us spent the rest of the Thanksgiving holiday together in your new home, our home. It was the second best day of my life, marrying your Daddy was the first. I will forever be thankful for the day in which we were able to bring our little baby girl home from the hospital.

Looking back instantly makes me cry. It was such an emotional time for me and still is. I am so very thankful for the health and happiness we share today.

The Thanksgiving holiday this year was much different, as we attended four family celebrations. You were able to visit with almost all of your family members. Mommy and Daddy will always celebrate your homecoming on this holiday. It definitely brings new meaning to our holiday.

Happy Thanksgiving.

I love you,
Mommy

Birthday Parties & Cake Diving

Dear Tatum,

In honor of your first birthday we had two parties. The first was a celebration at home on the day you were born. I spent a couple of days decorating the house as you were sleeping with balloons, streamers and other birthday decorations. This day was such a special day, I could not imagine not treating it as such.


Many family members joined us as we sang "Happy Birthday" for the first time. At the end of the song, we applauded. You then discovered when we were done applauding that if you applauded, we would then applaud again. This continued a few times and brought laughter to all of your guests. You were so much fun at your own party.

Then for the long awaited first piece of cake. Wow... We were all surprised to see how you dove face first into your cake once you discovered its sugary goodness. Oh my, there was no stopping you then. You were coated in the butter cream frosting up to your shoulders and had plenty in your nose as well. I had never seen this approach to eating cake before. We were rolling with laughter as you continued to finish your cake.

After cake and ice cream, you were allowed to open your gifts. You received so many great gifts, we are very lucky to have such a wonderful family. Daddy and I had a custom cloth doll made for you – a preemie doll designed to your actual birth measurements. It also has a personalized ID bracelet that has all of your birth information on it. We thought it would make a great keepsake.


You fill Daddy and I with so much gushy happiness that we wanted to celebrate your first birthday with friends and family so we had a bigger party on Sunday as well. Since your first party was a traditional birthday party, we decided to go with a princess theme for your second party so that all the little girls could dress up for fun. It was fun to watch all of the princesses as they arrived. We weren't able to get pictures of all the girls and really wish we had thought to take a group picture.

This time you had your very own smash cake. Again, the sugary goodness did not stand a chance of surviving. You dove in face first devouring every last morsel providing entertainment for all your guests.


We asked your birthday guests to write you a special message to be kept in your time capsule until you turn twenty-one. We also included a few other items so that you can someday enjoy the special moments that Daddy and I will always remember about your first birthday.

Celebrating your first year with family and friends was wonderful. I want you to know that you are celebrated every minute of every day in my heart.

Happy first birthday my beautiful girl.

I love you.

Love,
Mommy

12 Month Update

Dear Tatum,

Happy Birthday. One year ago you surprised us all by arriving six and a half weeks early. You gave us quite a scare and then proved how strong you were. Daddy and I look back at the pictures from the first few weeks and can't believe how small you were, so tiny, yet so strong and determined. You were born weighing 3lbs. 14oz. and at one point dipped to 3lbs. 9oz. Instantly, we had nothing but pure love for you and realize now what a difficult time it was for us emotionally. I thought I was going to crumble the day they discharged me from the hospital and we had to leave you behind. I knew you were in good hands and they could care better for you than I, but I never prepared myself to be separated from you so quickly. My heart hurt more that day than it ever has, I couldn't breath and cried all the way home and for hours after that. Poor Daddy. He must have felt to same way, yet he consoled me throughout the next two weeks. We visited you in the hospital twice a day for hours each time and it still wasn't enough. I would call your nurses at 3am just to check on you. They would update me with how well you were eating, breathing and if you had gained or lost any weight. Those two weeks felt longer than the duration of my pregnancy. Looking back I realize now what a strong and healthy preemie you were and how fortunate we are.



One year later, you weigh 20lbs. 2oz. and measure 30in. in length. You are the beautiful daughter I always dreamed of. Your eyes sparkle and your personality fills Daddy and I with laughter. We had no idea that having a child would be this amazing. Every day you do something that makes us laugh or catches us off guard, you definitely keep us on our toes.


Watching you grow and develop this past year has been remarkable. We used to just sit and stare at you for hours. Now we are chasing you around the family room, blocking off areas of the house, negotiating deals to regain custody of our remotes, phones and magazines, singing Elmo songs, discussing the quality of your poop over breakfast and finding Cherrios in our socks. You crawl at the speed of light, try to climb anything you can get your leg around, clap, wave, point and dance when you hear music. You also like to yell, "hey," to strangers in the store to get their attention.


Did I mention how fun you are to dress? I have more fun finding stylish little outfits for you than I ever had shopping for myself. On several occasions, while out shopping, people will ask if you just had your pictures taken. They are surprised when I tell them "no" that we are just running errands.


There are two parts of my day that I look forward too. The first part is finding your bright smiling face as I enter your room in the morning. The second is the hug that Daddy and I often have in the hallway outside your bedroom door after one of us has successfully put you down for the night. There are no words to describe our love for you, but I want you to know that while Daddy and I hug outside your door, the words uttered from our hearts are usually something like this... "we made her," "she's so beautiful," "wow," "she is so smart," or the occasional "we are in so much trouble," and sometimes we just laugh about something you did that day.

You have changed our lives forever. We are so proud of you and love you so much. You are truly amazing and we can't imagine live without you.

Love,
Mommy

Treats for Tots

Dear Tatum,

This past Wednesday you experienced your very first Halloween. Dressed in your fancy little ladybug costume, we began our four hour 'Trick or Treat' excursion. We made six stops visiting family members living within 20 minutes of us. First, we drove to Aunt Laurie's house, then to see Gigi, Bipa and Aunt Toni. From their we headed to Aunt Randi's where you not only helped Bella hand out treats, but you enjoyed rifling through the candy they had for their trick or treaters. Next we were off to visit Aunt Mirth and Uncle Robert before heading to Grandpa Dale's and Grandma Rhonda's house where you enjoyed a bit of playtime.

Mommy thought she would let you have a little taste of her lollipop, you were instantly hooked. After being spoiled with more treats at Grandpa and Grandma's house we headed to our final stop. Grandma Vicki had dinner made for us and was thrilled to see you in the little ladybug costume that she had bought for you.


Some how you managed to rack up some serious booty... Stuffed animals, cash, an Old Navy gift card, an apron, crayons, books, snacks, a balloon, a trick or treat bag, etc. I think it is safe to say that you are beyond spoiled. You did make the most irresistible lady bug I have ever seen. You were also exceptionally well behaved considering our long journey. Needless to say, we all slept very well that night.

As a Halloween tradition, Daddy and I carved a pumpkin for each of us this year. Daddy chose to sculpt the traditional pumpkin face, while Mommy opted for more of a challenge. I had intended to create a portrait pumpkin for each one of us. Daddy said I was out of my mind and I agreed with him after the first hour of my challenge. I'll try again next year.

Daddy and I had a lot of fun and enjoyed our little adventure. We look forward to next year already.

Love,
Mommy

Many Blessings

Dear Tatum,

Today we celebrated your baptism into the Catholic faith at Saint Jude Church in New Lenox. Daddy and I decided to have you blessed so that we could raise you with some of the same values and beliefs that Mommy was raised with. We selected two of the most wonderful people we know to be your Godparent's, Mommy's long time friend, Kimmy and Daddy's brother-in-law, Scott. Daddy and I admire both Kimmy and Scott for their commitment to their work-life and families. You are so blessed to have them as Godparent's.


We dressed you in a traditional long white gown and I made a matching hair bow for you the night before. You looked so beautiful.




Someday when you are older, Uncle Scott will tell you how he was asked by the Deacon at your baptism to lead one of the prayers in front of the church. So many family members commented on how well he read and thought that maybe it was something he did all the time. He was very brave and it will always be a special memory for us. You are a very fortunate little girl to have so many people that care so greatly for you, Uncle Scott proved to be one of them.


Aunt Jamie and Uncle Mike also had your cousin Michael baptized today as well. We thought it would be very special to have you baptized together. Michael was very excited when it was his turn to go to the font to be baptized as he thought that he was going for a swim.

You were both very well behaved... although I have to admit that I fed you a continuous stream of Cherrios to keep you from getting to antsy.


As a baptism gift to both you and Michael, Aunt Randi and Uncle Paul hosted a reception for you both at their restaurant following the service. This very generous gift allowed us to celebrate with all of the family and friends that supported us on this special day.

It could not have been a more perfect day.

I love you.

Love,

Mommy

Picking Pumpkins

Dear Tatum,

Lately, Daddy and I have been referring to Friday nights as "Date Night." Basically, you and I are Daddy's date. He enjoys taking us girls out to dinner or sometimes even shopping. Last Friday he took us to Bengston's Pumpkin Farm.

It was a bit on the cold side, so we bundled you up in your new shiny brown coat and layered your clothes to be sure you stayed warm. Once we arrived, we walked around the farm and enjoyed the festive decorations, attractions and even watched the pig races. You ooh'd and ahh'd at the animated singing chickens among many other things. Before heading home, we carefully selected three of the most perfect pumpkins. Halloween is a couple of weeks away and we plan to carve our pumpkins this weekend. Daddy and I enjoyed our trip to the pumpkin farm with you.
We have so much fun with you and love you so much.

Love,
Mommy

Today's book: Mimi's Toes

11 Month Update

Dear Tatum,

It has been almost a month since I last wrote you. In just 3-4 shorts weeks you have grown into such a different little person. Daddy and I see changes in you daily and the progress that you have made is just incredible.


You now have 5 teeth with a 6th one coming in. Your hair has grown so much that I can actually make the cutest little pigtails on the top of your pretty little head. You can pull yourself up on everything and anything within reach. You race to the door with excitement when you see Daddy pull up in the driveway and actually yell, "Hi Daddy." You also say "dog," "go, go, go" and "hey."

You are learning to sit when you lose your balance and fall down. You know how to yell at people to get their attention in restaurants, stores, and other public places. Yes, this can be quite embarrassing at times, however, you are learning to communicate. We just need to refine your method of attention getting.

Your napping habits have also greatly improved in the past month. A friend of Mommy's recommended a book by the name of "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Mark Weissbluth, MD. Within the first week of practicing sleep training, you were napping 2-3 times per day. After the first week you were napping for 2 hours twice a day and going to bed at 7pm each night. Of course it all depends on the days activities and is difficult to be consistent when we are not at home.

You also do this funny thing where you wrinkle your little nose and breath really fast. It makes everyone laugh. The best part is you know it is cute and funny. It has been so much fun learning to communicate with you.

We have encountered some problems in the food department. You love all of your yummy snacks... wagon wheels, apples, oatmeal cinnamon cookies, and Cherrios to name a few. However, when it comes to actual vegetables, pasta, chicken, or even cottage cheese you gag as soon as you feel the food hit your tongue. You still enjoy the soft baby foods and eat an entire jar at each meal. We will keep working at it.

We are just amazed with you more and more each day. You seem to be growing so quickly now. It's hard to believe that next months update will be your one year update. You will get to eat cake for the first time on your birthday. We can't wait to see the expression on your face when you taste all of that sugar for the first time.

Good night baby girl.

I love you,

Love,
Mommy

Baby Fashionista

Dear Tatum,

When it comes to shopping, the past ten months have really been the best. You are by far much more fun to buy clothes for than myself. Recently, we have been shopping for warmer clothing and building your 12 month wardrobe. Mother Nature surprised us with some cool weather this week (60's and 70's) and we were lucky that you had a couple pair of new jeans that Grandma Vicki bought a couple of weeks back. Mommy also purchased your first pair of jean overalls last week. They all look so cute on you.

It is exciting for me each time you outgrow your clothes, as we get to go shopping for more. Here is a glimpse of some of the latest additions to your wardrobe:

Coats:

The khaki corduroy peacoat is so cute on you. Daddy and I had fun picking it out and we couldn't stop laughing as we were trying it on you. So cute. We figured it was a nice coat for the current weather. Last week we went shopping with Grandma Vicki and we picked out the little brown satin coat with faux fur trim. It even comes with little matching mittens. You were such a good sport and let Mommy try both coats on in the store without a fuss.

Shoes:I just love these little pink Converse. Your Cousin Michael also has them, but in blue. Aunt Jamie and I would like to have your pictures taken in them, maybe sometime this week.

We also bought another pair of black patent leather Mary Janes. I think you will always have a pair of Mary Janes no matter how old or what size you are.

Jeans:

I just love that they make such fashionable clothing for little tots. The embellished jeans are very cool, however, the skinny jeans are just too much. I could not believe that they actually had them. We could not resist.

Dresses:

This little jumper was coming home with us the minute I laid eyes on it. This is your baby mod look.

Hair accessories:

You have finally moved from Velcro bows to hair clip bows. We purchased an assortment of colors and sizes the other day. We had lunch with Aunt Kimmy (Winter) last week. We met at Big and Little shoe store for children and they also sold hair accessories. Aunt Kimmy bought you this adorable leopard print bow to wear with your skinny jeans. So stylish.

Daddy just keeps repeating, "I am in so much trouble," and he's right. Mommy loves to shop and loves clothes and you are well on your way. You love being in stores and never seem to mind when we are out shopping. I love having you as my little shopping buddy.

You are so much fun in so many ways. This is just one of them.

I love you.

Love,
Mommy