October 31, 2012 Halloween!!! 8 month's old

It has been a fun couple of weeks!! It's Tatum's first Halloween and we did it up! We had a Halloween party that we went to with my Mom's group, we got together with our friends Andrea and her adorable Daughter Madison, a Halloween party at Musicology, and we had fun with the trick or treaters at the house! We also took T to Schnepf Farms to her first pumpkin patch. She thought it was really neat. She smiled and laughed the whole time. We got some really cute pictures of her there. Our friend Mandy also took some pictures of her last week in a pumpkin that I carved and with some cute Halloween decorations around her. They turned out so cute!!! A couple of weeks ago I went to a pottery painting place and ordered a special pumpkin with T's name on it and I custom painted it for her. It turned out really cute and it's her very own special pumpkin that she will always have. I love how it turned out!

A couple of days ago Rich and I took T to the park so she could swing in a real baby swing for the first time. She absolutely loved it! I knew she would since she has always loved her little baby swing. She had so much fun and I just love to see her so happy!

October 15, 2012 Almost 8 month's old

A lot has been going on lately. Firstly, Rich and I just got back from our first weekend away without Tatum. He and I went up to Sedona for a wedding of our friends, JT and Andy. It was a really fun weekend! We hiked, shopped, lounged around, and of course shared in wedding festivities. It was truly a great time but we missed T very much. She stayed the weekend with my brother and sister in law Charlie and Melissa. They took really great care of her and said they had a fabulous time with her. It was so hard to be away from her but it was really nice to get a break too. We felt really weird without her though. :)

The really big thing that happened today was that I walked out of T's room this morning for a minute and when I came back she was standing up!!!! I couldn't believe it!! It was the first time ever and now of course she has been doing it all day. She pulls herself up and then stands for a few seconds. She's pretty wobbly but I am so impressed that she's doing that already! She's not even 8 month's old yet so I think that's very impressive! Everyone is telling us that she will probably be walking by 10 month's.  We will see.

At the beginning of the month, T started using a sippy cup for water. It's so cute! My little girl is growing up so fast. It's just funny all these little things just keep adding up to become big things. Little by little she gets bigger, stronger and more independent. It's all very exciting but at the same time I get so sad. On one hand I want to keep her my little baby forever but on the other hand I can't wait to see what/ who she becomes. I'm always excited for the next thing. I suppose it will always be like that. It's bittersweet to see your baby grow. It's wonderful and what they're supposed to do but you just want to keep them little and take care of them forever too. :)

Good news for me is that my medication is working and I am feeling a whole lot better! I'm not crying everyday anymore and I feel like some of the hurt and anxiety over Tatum's birth is slowly subsiding. It's so hard to verbalize what I have been feeling but I truly have had this heavy heart and it feels as though it's becoming lighter and lighter.

One crappy thing that happened last week is that I developed calcific tendonitis in my left shoulder and it is causing severe pain in my shoulder that radiates down my arm. The morning of the 9th I woke up with such severe pain that I couldn't lift my arm. My sister was so wonderful and came over to my house so that she could help take care of T. I couldn't even lift her, it was so awful. I got in with an orthopedic doctor and he gave me a shot of cortisone and it helped take the inflammation down and the pain subsided thankfully. It's been a crazy couple of weeks around here but fun nonetheless!

Friday September 21, 2012 7 month's old

I met a new pediatrician today that was recommended to me but another Mom in my group. Dr. DaSilva was becoming problematic for me and we were just not meshing well. She kept treating me as though I was going to harm Tatum by taking her to a chiropractor and to a naturopath doctor. She told me that infants have died by getting adjusted by a chiropractor and basically alluded that I am risking her life by doing so. That couldn't be further from the truth! Pediatric chiropractic is so gentle and Tatum loves it. It's very relaxing for her and it obviously makes her feel good and it's working so I will continue taking her. Her reflux is almost all gone and I contribute it to the adjustments and to the homeopathy that Tatum's naturopath gave us. I don't feel comfortable giving her medications all the time and I know from my experience, reflux meds just cause further problems down the line. So, I found a new pediatrician that seems to be on board with my desires and she seemed to be pretty supportive of the natural things that I'm doing. I set-up Tatum's 9 month well with her (Dr. Romero) and hopefully it will go well.

I'm having a lot of fun with T and I continue to make her baby food. She seems to love it all and I am so pleased that she is such a great eater so far! She pretty much likes everything that I make and hasn't been too fussy at all.

Thursday September 6, 2012 - 28 Weeks Old

We started carrots today! So far it seems like she really likes them!

Sunday September 2, 2012 - 27 Weeks Old

Today we started peas! She was less then thrilled with them, ha ha! I can't stand peas but Rich loves them so who knows if she will love them later or not.

Saturday September 1, 2012 - 27 Weeks Old

Tatum's second tooth cut today!!! The one on the bottom right next to the first one that cut 2 days ago!!! This is just crazy! No wonder she has been so unhappy lately. Poor baby! She has been a teething fool! Rich called me at work today to tell me he noticed sometime during the day that it cut through. Well hopefully she will be feeling a lot better soon since they both have now cut. My poor sweetie!!

Wednesday August 29, 2012 - 27 Weeks Old

Tatum's first tooth officially cut today!!!! I cannot believe it! I checked her mouth last night and I still didn't feel anything coming through but this morning I noticed a few cuts on her hand and I thought it was odd but I had to rush out to get to work. My sister called me later in the morning and said that she could feel a tooth! It's just so crazy how fast it happened! Hopefully her fussiness with the teething will end soon because she has been a bear lately. The first tooth is on the bottom in the front and it's the right side one if you're looking directly at her. It's so cute!!! :)

Tuesday August 28, 2012 - 26.5 Weeks Old

Today we started sweet potatoes! She absolutely loved them!

Friday August 24, 2012 - 26 Weeks Old

We started our next food today…Bananas!! I thought she would really love them but she didn't.

Saturday August 18, 2012 - 25 Weeks Old

Today Tatum tried her first taste of real food….not rice cereal but real food!! I made her Avocado!! It's supposed to be a really great first food because it's easily digested and packed with a lot of nutrients that babies need. She was a little put off by it at first and didn't totally love it but by the end, I think she thought it was pretty good. It was so cute to watch her eat, although very messy! :) I cannot believe we are already at the point where we are feeding her real food. It is so crazy!! Everything I plan on making her will be fresh food. Nothing from a jar. If I'm in a pinch and away from home and she needs to eat, then I will feed her jar food but otherwise I will make everything. It's really easy, super inexpensive and the most healthy and nutritious for them.

Gabby and Tatum "playing" :)

 Einstein diaper. I love this one!! Cute butt!!! 

Succession of Tatum's first meal of Avocado's….She didn't really enjoy it the first time!! Ha!

Open wide Tatum

Not too sure about this :)

I think this look says it all!

Starting to gag

Completely gagging

She says, "YUCKY!!!" Ha ha!

Awesome, new highchair for Tatum because she is a big girl now!

Sweet, tender moment with my lovebug :)

My beautiful girl got my long eyelashes. Lucky!!

Friday August 10, 2012 - 24 Weeks Old

We went to a play date with one of my Mom's groups. The ladies are all really nice and we have started some nice friendships. It's so cute to see all the little ones together. They are really starting to notice each other and it's just so sweet and cute.

The other big thing that happened today is we officially plunged into the world of cloth diapers!!! We went to Zoolikins, a store in old town Scottsdale that specializes in cloth diapers. The owner literally spent 2 hours with us explaining everything we needed to know about cloth diapers. She was really amazing and I am super excited for this! I thought about it briefly when I was pregnant but every company that I spoke with made it seem really complex and very expensive. It seemed truly overwhelming and I just couldn't make that leap at the time but I am ready now. Tatum has been having a lot of issues with diaper rash lately and I just can't get it to go away. I've tried everything and I just get sick when I think about putting that horrible diaper rash cream on her every time that I change her diaper. It's full of chemicals and I don't want to keep putting that on her body. I don't use any chemical based products on her. I try to keep everything in our home as natural as possible so why should diapering be any different? It's not as difficult or gross as most people think. It's actually pretty easy and the choices in patterns and styles is endless and there are some truly cute diapers out there!! I'm really excited about this and Rich is totally on board too. I'm just really hoping this will be the answer that I'm looking for to clear up her bottom and keep her healthy!

Play group. Tatum wasn't happy during this pic but loved playing with her friends!

First set of cloth diapers and cloth wipes we purchased. They are all so adorable!!!

She looks so darn cute in these! I call them her Mary Poppins diaper!

 Another cute print and fluffy butt! :)

Monday July 30, 2012 - 22.5 Weeks Old

I feel like such a jerk. Tatum and I were laying in bed this morning and I was taking pictures of us with my phone and the stupid phone slipped out of my hand and dropped right on Tatum's face!!! I could not believe it! I know she will have many accident's in her life but this one was caused by me. :( I feel so bad! She cried for a little bit but it left a red mark on her face. Bad Mommy!!!

The Summer Olympics has started and we are really enjoying watching them. I grew up watching the Olympics and have always loved them! Tatum is watching them right along with us. It will definitely be a tradition we will keep up with over the years. I busted out my Ergo carrier again this week because Tatum is now big enough to really fit well in it. She was always so dang small and would get lost in it so it is so great that she fits well now! I love putting her in it when I shop. It makes it so much easier to do what I need to do while carrying her. I love it and she seems to also!!

Rich started his new shift today at work so he will be working Monday-Thursday 9:00 am-8:00 pm and have Friday's off. It will be challenging because I will have to put Tatum to bed by myself every night because I usually get her in bed by 8:00 at the latest and Rich won't be home until around 8:30 every night. He's bummed about not seeing her every night but it will be nice to only have to get a sitter 2 days a week now and he will have Friday-Sunday every week to spend with her so that will be nice!

Tatum and I grocery shopping at my favorite store, Trader Joe's. Everyone walks by and comments on how cute my baby is. Ummmm...I already know, duh!!! :)

Tatum having fun in her Einstein jumper this week trying out her new hair bows. The middle picture is such a typical Tatum look, ha ha!

Daddy and T at dinner this week

My fun breakfast for the Olympics!!

Tatum and I in bed before the phone dropping incident :(

Later that day :(

Even though she had an owie, she is still having fun in her bath! Her "faux hawk" :)

Wednesday July 25, 2012 - 22 Weeks Old

Today I took Tatum to The Little Gym of Gilbert for a trial class. The class started out like the class at Gymboree and Musicology with the same types of songs but then we got to do all kinds of activities with the Gym equipment. She walked on a balance beam and then I took her through it again on her hand. It's amazing how fast she catches on! I also got to put her hands on a bar while I held her torso and we sort of flipped her up. We didn't go all the way over yet but in the next few month's or so they will. She did some tummy time and played with balls and even rolled over on the mat while we were there! She had a lot of fun and so did I!

Later this afternoon I had to take her to Dr. DaSilva's office to get caught up on her vaccination's. She didn't get all that she was supposed to at her 2 month mark because I didn't want to load her up with all those shots when she was so little. She was supposed to catch up when she was 3 month's but then she got that UTI so the doctor didn't want to give the shots to her then. So, we had to go today to get caught up. I always hate taking her in for vaccination's because it hurts her and I always feel sick to my stomach after. Today she was a lot better then she has been in the past, thankfully. Every time we go she gets better and better. It still makes me so sad to see her get the needles put in because she cries instantly. It hurts my heart for her. I guess it's a Mom thing.

Tatum is laughing more and more all the time. She did the funniest thing tonight. She was fussy when I was feeding her the last bottle of the night and all of a sudden in the middle of feeding her, she stops eating, looks at me and started cracking up! She just kept laughing at me. It was the cutest thing ever! I have no clue why she was laughing but I absolutely loved it! I just love hearing her cute little laugh. It just makes me laugh. God, I love being a Mom and especially I love being her Mom. She is THE BEST!!!

Soooo cute in her jammies and socks that we call her "MJ's"…Mary Jane's!! :)

Rolling on the mat at The Little gym

 Tatum had so much fun and so did I!

Just playing with the balls!

Us being silly :)

Monday July 23, 2012 - 5 Month's Old Today!!

Tatum is 5 month's old today! I cannot believe it. Time is sure flying by. It really is bittersweet. On one hand I get so excited at every milestone she hits because she is growing bigger, stronger and maturing. On the other hand I want her to stay small and remain my little baby that needs me. She is making such great progress that it's hard to believe that she was a premature baby. We still haven't had to "adjust" for her age. She is doing so well and we could not be more proud of her! This past week she has really started laughing. I mean the super cute baby laugh. I absolutely love it and could not wait for that to happen and here it finally is! She has started rolling over more and more and has also started to push up on her knees a little when she is on her tummy. She desperately wants to start moving around and I just know she will be crawling soon! When she's on her tummy she starts thrusting herself forward and rotates around. It's so cute. Today in her Musicology class, she was really great at reaching for the ball and grabbing it. It was a huge deal for her to do that!

Yesterday we gave Tatum her first taste of cereal! This is another huge milestone. The look on her face was so cute! She wasn't sure of it at first but after awhile she got the hang of it. Today when we fed her, she was opening her mouth for the spoon really well. She really loved it today! I am so proud of all her accomplishments. I just cannot believe how well she is doing and how fast she is growing! Speaking of growing, her hair is finally growing too! It is definitely brown and it's starting to stick up a little on the left side. It is too cute. Her eyes are also starting to really soften into a really beautiful blue color. We knew she was going to have blue eyes because we both do but it's so fun to see what shade they will end up.

Sunday July 15, 2012

Today marks one year since we found out that we were expecting Tatum Elizabeth!! I can still remember that day so clear. I wasn't going to test because it was supposed to be too early to tell if I was pregnant after my IUI but I was just too excited that morning. I think something in me just knew that I was and I couldn't wait any more. I remember taking the test and setting it on the counter in the bathroom and walking away for the 3 minutes it would take to process. I kept busy for those 3 minutes but I just glanced at it and could not believe my eyes when I saw 2 RED LINES!!! This meant I was pregnant!!!!!! I thought perhaps I was seeing it wrong because I just could not believe it!!! I just remember saying over and over, "oh my God, there's 2 lines" and then screaming it over and over and crying my eyes out. I was soooo excited and just was in complete shock. I called Rich immediately to tell him and all I could say was "there's 2 lines!!!!" while I was crying. He, of course had no clue what I was talking about. I told him through tears that I was pregnant and he didn't believe me! He thought that maybe I was mis-interpreting the test or something. I think he was just in disbelief like I was and didn't want to believe it unless we were 100% certain. I met him for lunch at Habit Burger and brought the test. He still wouldn't believe it yet but I knew….I WAS PREGNANT!!!!!! After all we went through, it was actually happening. It was so amazing and IT IS AMAZING!! We love this little baby girl so much and we still can't believe she is here and that she is ours. We are so lucky and so blessed. We love her so very much!!!

Friday July 13, 2012 - 20 Weeks Old

Today we took Tatum to her first Gymboree class. It was a blast! They do some similar things that we do in Musicology class but they also incorporate some play items in too. They had big rolls to balance on, teeter-totter's, etc. for the babies to play on. Tatum had a lot of fun and so did Rich and I! :)

This week Tatum has really been responding when I kiss her mouth. She is sooooo cute!! She has been grabbing my face and really trying to kiss me back! I just love it. She is developing the most adorable personality. She constantly amazes me with the funny things she does. She's always changing and growing. She laughs now and is starting to really recognize Rich and I when we speak. I see her turning her head toward us when we come into the room now. It is so awesome!!