Baby Ballerina

Dear Tatum,

You are going to be 16 weeks old this week and your progress is just amazing. In that past week I have noticed many new changes in your behavior. You have been grabbing a handful of my hair for a few weeks now, however, more recently, you clutch onto my shirt with your little hand every time I feed you. A couple of times you have even grabbed my lip... You have an exceptionally strong grip.

While shampooing your hair yesterday, I noticed that a small amount of your hair was coming off in my hand. As a baby I never lost any of my hair, however your Daddy did; yet another resemblance to your father. Not to mention that you have also begun to drool just like your Daddy. You either make bubbles that sit upon your bottom lip or you drool when falling asleep. Of course, I find it adorable.

Your growing obsession with the ceiling fan has reached an all time high. You are now talking and smiling at it. You have had some very happy conversations with the ceiling fan as well as with the kitchen light. They make you so extremely happy that you have even shrieked a couple of times. Your Daddy and I just watch, as we are thrilled to see you so happy.

You are now also enjoying sitting up. With Mommy supporting you of course. You are especially unsteady, but you are beginning to correct yourself when you lean to far one direction or the other.

I was counting out loud a couple of days ago as I was doing sit ups next to you. I looked over and noticed that you were lifting your legs up and down. When you are happy you tend to lift and kick like mad. You are becoming much more physically active.

Uh, oh. You have also become more obvious when you are tired and need to be rocked to sleep. You have begun sucking your thumb, rubbing your eyes and crying. This usually takes place about an hour before your supposed to eat again. We continuously swap out your thumb with your pacifier and each time you go right back to your thumb. We won't worry about this just yet as many of my reference books indicate that you find it satisfying and that it may pass.

Well, Mommy is tired and needs to catch up on her sleep before you wake up again.
I love you and look forward to tomorrow.

Love and kisses,
Mommy

Rough Day for Tater-tot

Dear Tatum,

We went to see the Neonatologist today to discuss your Apnea report and also for your monthly Synagis shot (a shot given to preemies to prevent RSV). Of course the shot was horrible for all three of us. It is so painful for your Daddy and I each time you are given a shot. It hurts you so bad and that is the last thing we want to see our baby girl experience. Your next visit is going to be even more difficult as you will be getting all of your vaccinations again, requiring 5 shots.

As for your heart monitor, the doctor advised us that you should continue wearing it in the evening as well as during any naps you take during the day. We will work with it as long as it takes. I am confident that you will be free of the machine by summer.

Although it was much better this morning, we had the doctor examine your left eye as well. It was extremely watery for the last day and a half and had a thick substance that would build up every couple of hours. I kept it clean with a warm cloth yesterday and you didn't seem to be bothered by it. The doctor suspects that it was a blocked duct and the warm cloth unblocked it. I am relieved that you are okay and that it was nothing to worry about.

You are growing so well as you now weigh 10 lbs. 7 oz. and you measured 22.5 in. long. We were very pleased that you are now over ten pounds. You will be moving into your 3-6 month clothing before we know it.

After the doctor visit we came home and you had a nice long nap. By the time Daddy came home for lunch you were awake with an incredible smile on your face. By the evening you were having lots of fun and ready to play. You stood on my lap for almost an hour moving your little legs as if you were going for a walk. It makes us smile to see you happy again after such a rough start this morning.

You are in your crib and sleeping well. Last night you slept from 10pm until 6am this morning. You would have thought that I would have enjoyed the sleep, however, I was up from 3am on checking in on you. Daddy checked in on you as well around 4:30am.

I love you sweetie and know that tomorrow will be a better day.
Sleep tight!
Love,
Mommy

Picture Perfect

Dear Tatum,

Today we were scheduled for your first portrait session... things went so well. You were so well behaved and easy to work with. The photographer made lots of fun sounds to hold your attention. You even held your little head up on your own. We were amazed as they were able to position and entertain you simultaneously. It made Mommy and Daddy smile from ear to ear. They even asked Mommy and Daddy if we wanted to be in one of the shots. Of course we said, "yes," and now we have our first family portrait. I was so worried and you proved to be such a great baby. Thank you for being such a little baby doll.

Since you were so well behaved, Grandma Vicki rewarded you with some new clothes and dresses for your summer wardrobe. I can't wait to see you in these new little outfits this summer. Grandma Rhonda also bought you some beautiful new summer outfits and dresses. Between your two Grandmother’s, you now officially have more clothes than Mommy.

While visiting at Grandpa and Grandma Carter's yesterday, you also received some more Valentines gifts... a pretty pink outfit and lots of new books. Mommy was really excited to see that you received more books as we were running low on books to read from your library and now we have lots more. I can't wait to begin reading the new ones. You still don't pay attention when I read them to you, but you will soon.

The last couple nights you have been waking up at 3:00 or 4:00am again for feedings. That’s okay, I'm sure you will begin sleeping through them again soon. Mommy is patient and understands that it will take some time. I am just thankful for a couple of nights here and there.

You are sleeping now. I imagine you are pretty worn out from your pictures. When you wake up Mommy will feed you and then we can pick one of your new books to read. I think we can skip your exercises today, as you are pretty tired from your pictures.

I love you so much!
Thanks for being such an angel today.

Lots of love,
Mommy

First Valentine's Day

Dear Tatum,

We began the day by making Daddy a Valentine's Day breakfast. You sat in your bouncy seat on the kitchen counter and watched as I made eggs, bacon and toast. Daddy and I enjoyed our breakfast and then off to work he went.

After getting ready for the day, we went to visit Grandma Vicki for lunch. Your cousin Bella and Aunt Randi were there too. Your cousin Bella was very happy to hold you and you were very well behaved. You are such a good baby.

Grandma Vicki watched you tonight so that Mommy and Daddy could go to dinner. Again, you behaved like a little angel. Grandma Vicki said when you weren't sleeping, your eyes were glued to the ceiling fan as always.

She also said that you had a gift for me. Thank you for the the Valentine's Day card and the flowers. It was very thoughtful of you to think of me on Valentine's Day. I have a strong feeling that you may have had some help though. :0)

I have been looking forward to today so that we could put your Valentine's Day outfit on you. We have some pictures of you and Michael in your little red outfits. In one picture, Michael grabbed onto your hand for a few seconds. Good thing we had the cameras ready.

For Valentine's Day you received a couple of gifts...
A smiling Mum and a new little outfit from Grandma Vicki. You also received a fun book that Mommy wears on her hand from your Aunt Jamie, Uncle Mike and Michael.

There are also a couple of new things that you are doing. First, you have been trying to stick your entire fist in your mouth. We are not quite sure why, but you are trying real hard. We remove your fist and replace it with your binky. I would rather work at weaning you off your binky than your fist.

You also now respond to us sticking out our tongue at you by sticking out your tongue at us. This might not be the best trick to teach you, however, we saw this in a baby video that Grandma Rhonda gave us to watch and decided to try it. You actually think it is funny and it puts a smile on our faces as well as yours. It is a fun game.

I also want you to know that Mommy received several emails today from friends and family letting us know how much they love your blog and appreciate being able to read it. You are very loved and have many people that care about you. You are very special to not only Mommy and Daddy, but many others.

I love you,
Mommy

Snow Day

Dear Tatum,

Today was a very relaxed day for us. We had plans to have your picture taken, however, we were hit with a winter storm that would not have been safe to travel in. So, we rescheduled your appointment and enjoyed a day of naps and playtime.

You woke at 4:30am after sleeping for six and a half hours (good job baby... another night of rest for Mommy). I fed you until about 5am and then we played on your nursery floor for about an hour. You were wide awake and very happy. You kicked your feet and waved your arms the entire time. Mommy then flipped you to your tummy for your daily exercise program. Afterwards we watched the morning news. Many schools were closed. I explained that someday you would be glued to the tv to see if your school might be one of them so that you could spend the day playing in the snow. Daddy and I will someday help you build snowmen and make snow angels. We look forward to the fun times.

I decided to take a picture of you laying next to one of your preemie outfits. The outfit in the picture was one of the first outfits you wore once you were released from the hospital. It was the smallest of all of the preemie outfits and it fit you the best. This proves how much you have grown in such a short time.

I look forward to our time together tomorrow.

I love you,
Mommy

Today's book: Baby Einstein's "Mirror Me!"

Playdate in the jungle

Dear Tatum,

Today was a very fun day. We started the day off with a bath and dressed you up in your little mini jean skirt. We wished Daddy good luck as he was going to an indoor racing event and then headed to your first playdate.

Your playdate was with your cousin Michael at Aunt Jamie's and Uncle Mike's house. Your Uncle Mike put two activity gyms together for the two of you to play in. Michael's Jungle activity gym was a big hit. You enjoyed the animals, brightly colored flashing lights and fun music. Aunt Jamie and I were so excited when we realized that "I Went to the Animal Fair," happened to be one of the songs playing. Your GG used to sing that song to us when we were kids.

You were bright eyed and happy all day. We came home around 7:30pm and you were sleepy. At the moment you are sound to sleep and hopefully dreaming of the pretty flashing lights, fun music and animals from today. There will be many more playdates to come.

I love you my beautiful baby girl.
Sleep tight!

Lots of love,
Mommy

Three Month Update

Dear Tatum,

It is hard to believe that you are three months old already. Everyday is so exciting for me and I look forward to every minute. We had a rough start given you arrived six and a half weeks before your due date. I am so relieved that you are a strong, healthy and beautiful baby. You are such a strong little girl, you are my little fighter.

You have changed so much and surprise me more and more each day. I thought it would be a good idea to begin a blog as a way to record all of the really cool things you are beginning to do.

Aah...Sleep
Before I get started I would like to say thank you for giving Mommy lots of sleep this week. It has been three months since I have had more than 2-3 hours of sleep at any given time. There were even two days in a row that you wanted to eat every 1-2 hours and I had no sleep at all. We made it though. It has been rough and I have been real crabby at times (ask Daddy). But something changed this week. You suddenly began sleeping 5-7 hours though the night. Not every night, but for at least three nights this week. I checked on you last night when I heard you at 2:30am and you were just playing and making cooing sounds. You then went back to sleep for a few hours.

Exercise/Strength Training
We have lots of fun during the day. We practice laying on your belly and lifting your hands, head and feet. You are getting better at it, however, you don't like this exercise for more than two minutes or so. You also enjoy standing in my lap several times a day. I hold on to you as you bend and straighten your legs. This is definitely your fun time. You smile all the while and look around with your little head. You are really beginning to notice your surroundings.

You absolutely love ceiling fans. You enjoy ours, however, you really enjoy Grandma Vicki's. Her ceiling fan is black on a white ceiling and not as high up as ours. You just ooh and coo every time you are over there for many hours. Daddy said our electric bill was a little high last month and we think a contributing factor is that we have the ceiling fan on for you 24 hours a day.

Finding your voice
You are also making some fun sounds now as well. You have been finding your voice for the last couple of weeks. Lots of cooing and oohing. A couple of times you have even made a sound that sounds like "Ma" when you get bored and want a change of scenery. Your Aunt Jamie witnessed this sound today for herself and was as shocked as I was. We believe it is just a sound and that you are not intentionally calling out to me. Although I can't wait for the day that you do.

Your first reach
While we were visiting Grandma Vicki at work yesterday, your Aunt Randi was holding you so that I could get situated. You drew a small crowd and your cousin Paul came over to have a look at you. He asked me how I have been feeling and as soon as you heard his voice you turned your little head towards in his direction. As shocked as we were, you really shocked us by raising your arms slightly and leaning towards him. You wanted him to hold you. He was a little nervous, but he couldn't resist. You were very content and held on to PY until he had to leave. You amazed us all. You are so smart.

Playthings
You are not interested much in your toys yet. Mommy practices daily by putting toys in your hand to see if you respond and you would rather look around the room. You enjoy your swing now and take a one hour nap each day in it. You like to grab at your binky and have even launched it a significant distance a couple of times. It makes Mommy and Daddy laugh. Mommy reads a book a day to you as well, however, you are not very interested and continue to look around the room.

Today's book: Baby Einstein's "Mamma and Me"

I am really proud of you as you are maturing right before our very eyes. I enjoy every minute of every day with you. You have made my world a beautiful place to exist. This is the world I have always dreamed of. Thank you and I look forward to every minute I spend with you. I'm having so much fun.

Love,
Mommy