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