A Tooth, Rolling Over and Stinky Little Feet

Dear Tatum,

The last few days have been so amazing. To start, your first tooth broke through last Thursday (April 19th). Daddy and I prepared for this last week and purchased some teething tablets and a cute little teething ring. The tablets work very well. All of the resource information that I have read indicates that your bottom front teeth should come in first. In your case, your first tooth to erupt is either your lateral incisor or your canine (on your left side). You usually seem to experience discomfort in the evening and drool heavily throughout the day.
Then, while Mommy was making poached salmon for dinner tonight, I asked Daddy to work on tummy time with you in the living room. Within a few minutes Daddy was calling for me to come watch. I ran from the kitchen to find you lying slightly on your side not sure what to do. Daddy suggested that I sit on the side of you with him. You were trying so hard to look at us that you ended up rolling over. We were so excited. You then just laid there as if you were trying to figure out what had just happened. It made us laugh so hard. Daddy and I celebrated with some strawberry shortcake for dessert. Cheers!

This weekend, we attended a couple of birthday parties. You were good as long as you were on my lap or Daddy's. We still have some work to do on you going to others. You are definitely getting better though.

Many family members are also convinced that one of your cries is actually you yelling "Mommy." Your Aunt Jamie and I though this a while back, but thought that it was too early. You only say it when you are upset though. I will be more convinced when I hear you say it for the first time without crying.

Okay, so I have to mention that you have also developed the most adorable stinky feet. That's right, I find it adorable. Mommy noticed while playing around with your feet Sunday morning. I immediately took you upstairs to Daddy and had him see for himself. We spent the next couples of hours laughing and playing with your little stinky feet. Mommy dressed you up the day before in one of your pretty little dresses and your fancy patent leather shoes. The combination of the warm weather and the patent leather shoes must have been the cause. I let you go barefoot to Sunday's party. You deserved it.

I am also extremely relieved that we have not had any heart monitor alerts in quite some time. There were a couple of disconnect alerts, which we fixed by replacing the old leads and wires with new ones. We are feeling much more confident in your breathing and look forward to seeing what the doctor says in a few weeks.

For the first time in my life I feel that there is nothing I would do differently. I am content with my life and have what I need to be happy. It's the first time that I don't need or want anything else. My time with you and Daddy is so valuable to me and that is what I look forward to everyday. You were what I was missing all along.

I love you and I am so proud of you.
You are responsible for the smile on my face everyday.

Love and kisses,
Mommy

Fancy Girl

Dear Tatum,

Today you and I had a low-key day at home. Mommy felt it was much needed, after we were gone all day yesterday. Mommy also just wanted to spend a day just holding you in her arms after watching all of the horrifying news coverage on a devastating event that took place on Monday at Virginia Tech. Our world can be such an unpredictable and scary place to live. The thought that I will not be able to protect you from everything is very unsettling. I am confident that you will grow to be an intelligent and independent young lady some day, however, not being able to protect you at all times is horrifying. I can only hope that you will always be in safe hands and that an event as disturbing as the Massacre at Virginia Tech will never take place within the vicinity of my baby girl. My heart goes out to all of the families that are suffering such incredible loss.

On a lighter note, I enjoyed spending the morning going through your new clothes and reorganizing your nursery a little bit. Over the weekend, I was able to remove all of the tags, wash and iron your entire 3-6 month wardrobe. Yes, you have officially outgrown your 0-3 month clothing. I will miss your little outfits, but look forward to all the fun new outfits and shoes. Here are a few of my favorite dresses that you have yet to wear:


Your shoe collection has outgrown the small drawer space and has been relocated to your closet floor:

Yesterday we (Grandma Vicki, Aunt Jamie, Michael, you and myself) spent a day shopping in Oakbrook. Overall, both you and Michael were well behaved. You were not too happy on the ride up, but you were fine once we were settled and you could see what was going on. After all, you have become the most curious little girl and must know what it going on around us at all times. You had lots of fun looking and touching all of the pretty clothes. Grandma Vicki bought you a couple of new outfits and this assortment of pastel colored Mary Jane socks by Trumpette. I have seen several other knockoffs out there, but these are the ones I have been wanting for you.I also decided we would have some fun and try on your bathing suits today. The little crocheted bikini makes Mommy and Daddy laugh so hard. You look so darn cute! All you are missing are some sunglasses and of course, sun block. We will have to invest in a baby pool and umbrella for our backyard once Mother Nature decides to bring us the good weather. We will have lots of fun splashing around on those hot summer afternoons.
I am also pleased that for the last few evenings you have been falling asleep by 8:30-9:00pm. Up until now, you have not gone to sleep for the night until 10:30-11:00pm most nights. Today was a bit tiring for Mommy as you decided to nurse every 2.5 hours again. It has been a while since we had a day like today. I offered you formula supplements several times and you rejected them. It’s just your way of increasing my milk supply I guess.

Well, it is time for Mommy to get some sleep. I love you and look forward to your smiling face when you wake up in the morning.

I love you.

Love,
Mommy

Five Month Update

Dear Tatum,

You turned five months on Easter Sunday and have hit several new milestones this week. You are still getting closer to rolling over, but not there yet. You are using your hands to pick things up and you even reached for the teddy bears that hang from the top of your swing. You surprised us several times today alone with your ability to pick things up. I gave you a teething toy to play with tonight and it was lying on the couch next to us when I noticed that you had picked it up and began playing with it.

You and your cousin Michael have also really begun to notice each other. Michael made a sound while looking at you and then the two of you grabbed hands. It is so cute.

You were a little grumpy tonight and I noticed that you have been sticking your fingers in your mouth on the left side of your mouth quite a bit. So I decided to feel around and it feels as if you are cutting your first tooth. Tomorrow Daddy and I are taking you out for the day. We are going to buy some teething tablets and a few more teething rings.

While I was getting you ready for your bath yesterday, I noticed that you had a couple of red spots on your belly and a few on your back. I was worried and thought we better see the doctor. They got us in right away and diagnosed the spots as hives. The doctor said you must have come in contact with something new… new detergent or a new pet. We are not sure what it could have been since I have not changed your detergent and you have been around the same pets for a while now. They prescribed some ointment and said it was nothing to be concerned with.

While we were at the doctor, that asked to weight you. You gained more than 2 lbs in that past 3 weeks. You weighed 13 pounds and measured 24.25 inches long. You are growing so quickly. I am in the process of washing all of your 3-6 and 6 month clothing now. You are ready for them now. Some are going to be a little big yet, but we will work with what we have.

Your heart monitor has also been very quiet the past couple of weeks. We are so thankful. We will see what the doctor wants to do at your next appointment. The original plan was to monitor you for 6 months and that is only a month away. I think Mommy and Daddy will have some sleepless nights once the heart monitor is gone to say the least. It has been reassuring to know that you are breathing easily when we put you to bed. The worry truly never ends.
This week while we were visiting over at Grandma Vicki’s, you shocked us by reaching out to pet the dogs. You like Tinkerbell more than Gia, and reached for her several times. The dogs are very patient around you allowed you to pet them.

You also have a new cry that Daddy calls your ‘War Cry.’ It is a bizarre type of cry since it is really a combination of a yell and a cry. It is more like you are using your voice and realize how loud you can be. You don’t actually cry at all. It makes us laugh although we are trying to figure out what it means. Although it makes us laugh at home, we are afraid of what it will be like the first time you display it in public. Eeh!

You have also become so squirmy that you absolutely must be belted in to every bouncy seat and swing the minute we sit you down. Daddy put you in the swing today, which is reclined, so you are pretty much lying on your back. He turned for just a couple of minute and you were already squirming your way out of it. You don't get upset about it at all. That is what is so funny. If you could, you would just get up and walk away. You are so ready to just take off and go somewhere. It makes us laugh how badly you want to get up and go. You have this amazing strength in your legs and you take little steps if we hold you up. You have been doing this for a couple of months now. We are beginning to think that you are going to walk before you crawl. We would not put it past you. Besides I walked very early as a baby myself.

I can’t believe how much you have changed this week alone. We have been told numerous times how quickly you will grow and it is so true. It really scares us how quickly it all happens. But we look forward to each and every day of it.

I love you.

Love,
Mommy

Today’s book: Touch and Feel Baby Animals

Blessed with bunnies

Dear Tatum,

Today is Easter and this year it has an entirely new meaning to me. From the time I was a little girl, I was raised to honor Easter Day as the day in which Jesus rose from the dead. Jesus' resurrection represents a day in which new life is gained after death. For years our family has exchanged plants or flowers as a symbol of new life. The children have always looked forward to receiving Easter baskets filled with lots of fun toys a chocolate bunny or a stuffed animal bunny.

Bunnies symbolize new life during Spring as they were once known as the most fertile of animals. Ironically, one year ago on Easter Day is when Daddy and I found out we were expecting a new life... a baby.

It was exactly one year ago today, last Easter, that your Great Grandmother looked at me when Daddy and I arrived for Easter dinner and said, "You are pregnant." She and my Aunt Toni were insisting that they could tell by my eyes. Daddy and I were a bit hesitant to express excitement since it had been almost one year of hoping and wishing for a positive pregnancy test. After dinner, and on our way home, we decided to pick-up a pregnancy test just in case. After all, what if they were right? Afraid of being disappointed yet again, I was unable to look at the results, so I handed the test over to Daddy. He looked up at me with glassy eyes and said, we're going to have a baby. This was such an exciting moment for us.

This holiday will always remind us that you are the new life we gained. We are so thankful for you... you are our little miracle.

Happy First Easter baby girl.

Love,
Mommy

Great Day!

Dear Tatum,

You have been on a consistent schedule for a couple of days now and you have been extremely happy. You are napping in between feedings and seem to be much happier and more playful when you wake up. As soon as I see you begin to rub your eyes, I take you to your nursery and lay you down in your crib. You play for a couple of minutes with Mr. Panda and then you fall asleep all on your own. Your naps last for anywhere between 45 minutes to a couple of hours. You no longer like to be held when you are tired and you haven’t wanted your Binky in almost a week. In fact, the Binky makes you cry.

You also are becoming more and more playful with your hands and even grabbed a tissue from Mommy's hands. You then grabbed it with your other hand and tore it in two. You also grabbed the head of you duck rattle that hangs from your car seat handle. So I attached "Freddie the Firefly" to the handle for you to play with as well. I was excited to tell Daddy that I could hear you playing with his crinkle wings as I drove.

For the last week you have also begun to smile at your reflection in the mirror more and more. It is a lot of fun to see how happy you are to see the baby in the mirror. You are also beginning to smile at other people. You are still a bit shy, however, you are getting a little better with being around a large crowd.

Daddy and I are also preparing for your first roll from belly to back. We decided that your "tummy time" sessions will be moved to the evening when Mommy and Daddy are home together and the video camera is rolling. It is going to be such a special moment for us, we are so excited. You have worked really hard and are getting super close to the big roll over. We know you can do it and it will be an amazing moment for us as parents. You are such a strong baby girl.

Tonight you met two more of your many cousins. Your cousins Darien and Alex traveled all the way from Kentucky for a visit this week. It was a fun family reunion and you allowed many of the family members to hold you. You even talked to a few of them as they held you. Aunt Toni was thrilled that you grabbed her chin with your tiny little hand. I stayed close by and you were handed back to me the minute your bottom lip dropped. This approach seemed to work out well. You were passed back to me before you would get too upset and then we would try again once you were okay. We really seemed to get the hang of it. Yay!


(Shown in picture - Front row: Alex, Gracee and Declan - Back row: TJ, Great Grandma Patty-poo holding you, Darien, Grandma Vicki holding Michael and Nichole)

I am including this picture of your cousin Michael... also know as "Yummy". I have received a couple of requests to see more pictures from some of his fans. He is growing beautifully and has passed you up in size for now. His Mommy and Daddy are working on a website for him too. We can then add his link to your list of friends.

Tomorrow I am taking you to Grandma Rhonda's house for a couple hours so Mommy can work for a bit. Grandma Rhonda and Grandpa Dale are looking forward to spending some time with you and I am sure you will have lots of fun.

Thank you for such a great day.

I love you.

Love,
Mommy

Today's story: "Goldilocks and the Three Bears"

Meeting the Easter Bunny

Dear Tatum,

Today we took you to meet the Easter Bunny. You looked so beautiful in your pretty green Easter dress. Mommy had so much fun dressing you up in your pretty outfit as it has been hanging in your room for over a month. I was planning on saving it for Easter, but thought that we could get more use out of it by dressing you in it to meet the Easter Bunny.

The Easter Bunny was sitting in a large mint green egg that matched the color of your dress. You were just fine until we put you on the Easter Bunny's lap for the picture. They took one picture before you began to cry and that is the one we chose. We attempted second time but you we already tired as it was to close to your naptime and you begun to cry again.

Your cousin Michael had his picture taken with the Easter Bunny as well. He was such a little gorgeous man dressed in his little blue sailor suit. We wanted to have a picture of both of you on the Easter Bunny's lap, but you fell sound asleep. We can try again next year.

Afterwards, Me, You and Daddy went to Potbelly's for dinner. Well, Daddy and I ate while you slept in your car seat on the table. Since you were still sleeping from all of the excitement, we also stopped off at the Creamery for some ice cream before going home.

I enjoyed taking you to meet the Easter Bunny today and looked forward to Easter Sunday. It will be one year ago on Sunday that we found out we were expecting. I can't wait to spend this Easter with you in my arms instead of in my belly.

I love you.

Love,
Mommy

Slumber Party

Dear Tatum,

We went for dinner at your cousin Michael's house on Friday night. While we were there you and Michael drifted off to sleep. Here is a picture of the two of you in “Boppy” heaven. You are both so adorable to watch sleep. I am sure there will be many more slumber parties with your cousin Michael.

Earlier in the day, Mommy spoke with the doctor in regards to your heart monitor results. We were relieved to find that the majority of alarms were again, false. It had gotten to be extremely stressful to hear the alarm sounding constantly throughout the night. Each time we were terrified and would race through the hallway to get to you. We would make sure that you were okay and then try to go back to sleep… until the next alarm would sound. After several weeks of this we are happy the three of us can get back to a more consistent nightly routine.

Although it has been almost 5 months since you were born, you are treated medically as a 3-1/2 month old baby since you were born 6-1/2 weeks premature. The heart rate threshold was set at a setting for a 1 month old baby and needed to be adjusted from 80 bpm to 60 bpm, which is more appropriate for a 3-1/2 month old baby. Since this adjustment was made last week and we have all been sleeping much better. You are beginning to sleep through the night again as well. The doctor indicated that there was evidence of Apnea in the 200 plus page report; however, it is questionable as there was no low heart rate leading up to it. We are going to continue to monitor you on the machine for a while yet as the doctor also found something referred to as "period of breathing." Which is when you breath quickly (almost hyperventilating) between periods of Apnea.

March was an extremely rough month and Mommy looks forward to spending some quiet time with you, friends and family now that things have settled down a bit and we are sleeping again.

We love you very much.

Love,
Mommy