Dear Tabitha,
Today I took your 11 month old picture on the laundry room floor-it had the best lighting and it also seemed fitting because you seem drawn to the laundry room for some reason. If I can't find you, I always look there first...and there you usually are, pulled up on the washing machine, looking in...not sure what the big deal is, but thank goodness you can't climb yet, or I'd have to start checking for babies before turning on the laundry! ha!
This month you've done a lot of growing per usual. Though I feel like it was a little less tangible but there nonetheless.
You're "talking" a lot- pointing at things and jabbering on very insistently and I really wish you spoke english or we spoke Baby because I know you've got a lot to say.
If anything the major change this month is that you've become just a little bit less laid back-in a good way...instead of being content to stay in one place, play with just the toys in front of you, you have become quite the explorer. You're into everything. Particularly anything your brother is doing. This has created a lot of conflict, but hey, I figure it was coming...might as well start dealing with it now ( I guess. sigh). You are also into the destroyer phase. This is mostly the "I must take all of this out of that" compulsion. Books on a shelf? THEY MUST ALL COME OFF! Shoes in a basket?! THEY MUST ALL COME OUT!!!
This leads to the fact that while we started a little discipline last month, you've gone full blown into learning about consequences. You definitely understand "Tabitha no!" and you usually stop what you're doing and turn and give this super winning smile. "Like no need to do anything else!"
But of course, even though you are adorable we follow through because we want you to be adorable later too when you're not so little.
This month your mommy and daddy had a pretty big development too. We left you for the very first time for an overnight trip. And it wasn't just any overnight trip! We left you in the good hands of Papa and Spicy and went to New York City! No quick drive home if anything went wrong! Mommy felt very brave, but of course, you were in good hands and you had a good time without us.
You had your very first Thanksgiving, we had a house full of people including Uncle Joshua and Navigator guy named Matt. You loved having the extra attention and especially liked how Matt would walk around with you letting you hold onto his fingers and practice your walking skills.
You will definitely be walking before we know it! But don't do it too soon,ok? You're still my little baby and I feel like we still have several months of baby ahead of us. Thankfully. This year has gone by entirely too fast.
Much love,
Your Mommy.
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
10 months old
Dear Tabitha,
I struggle to believe that this has only been a MONTH of your life since your last letter! You have done so much! And grown so much! How could it possibly fit into just one month....
However, without further ado, you started this month by finally popping out those top 3 teeth you were working so hard on ( there is still one working its way in...). That was a huge relief I'm sure! How awful to get three in at once! And yet you were still such a happy sweet baby, you'd hardly think it hurt at all!
A few days later while playing on the floor in the living room while Mommy chatted with our friend Deb, you decided to wave. At first we weren't sure if it was on purpose, but you waved over and over again when we would wave at you and you've officially mastered the skill!
THEN you learned how to crawl. At first it was just a few inches here or there, but by the end of the month you were crawling perfectly all over any given room! You aren't particularly adventurous, which may be why it took you a little while to get started. Maybe you just didn't see any reason to crawl places?! But now that you realize that you crawl to places where you can pull up and stand, there is no stopping you! ( apparently that is the biggest reason to crawl! Get thee to a chair, or the fireplace, or a person's leg! This girl just wants to stand!) We also have a couple of balloons that were left by your babysitter last week and you love chasing after them...they always seem to stay JUST out of reach which you find particularly infuriating/fun.
And like I mentioned pulling up on things and standing is by FAR your favorite thing to do. I think you could really care less about crawling, you'd much rather just stand tall and look around. I think you're going to be a walker before we know it!
Of course, we were so excited by your crawling and clapped and cheered so much, that you decided that clapping might also be something you could do, and so you added that to your list of accomplishments as well! Whew! You were one busy busy bee!
You'd think this would mean you would take incredibly awesome long naps to recover from all that learning and moving, but no. You're not a very good napper and often they last only around 45 minutes. No matter what your Mommy does she can NOT get your morning nap to extend any longer. Luckily we can sometimes get you to go back to sleep during your afternoon nap and sleep a little longer, but for the most part your napping skills are rather lacking. Luckily you are so sweet and good natured its not like youre ultra cranky from the lack of sleep!
The other big news from this month is that you are completely weened. Its crazy to think that we'd only added one bottle to your schedule last month, but by taking away the other middle feeding ( so that you only had Mommy feedings in the morning and at night) my supply dropped considerably and it became apparent that you were just going through the motions and waiting patiently for the bottle to come at the end. Honestly it was sad and even though it was a whole 2 months later than with your brother, I still felt like it was too early for you to be all bottles! But, you also worked so well with me ( by taking what I did have for a few weeks) that stopping all together was much easier and much less "cold turkey" thanks for helping a Momma out! We first took away the middle feedings ( after each nap) then took away the night feeding and then the morning feeding was gone in just a few days after that. *sigh* My baby is growing up!
Your current schedule looks like this-but only because we just had the dreaded daylight savings....so I'll just tell you what it USE to be until two days ago when society dictated we make a big change ( boo!)
7:30-wake up ( 8 oz bottle)
10am-first nap ( 8 oz bottle)
2-pm second nap (8oz bottle)
7pm- bedtime ( 6oz bottle)
You also are eating more finger foods and much less baby food, but I've noticed that your appetite has decreased a little bit the last few weeks, maybe because you are finally getting enough milk again? Not sure exactly...but you still seem happy and chunky! You usually eat bananas cut into tiny pieces and cheerios for breakfast. For lunch you have one serving of babyfood ( usually spinach/sweet potato or corn/chicken) and some puffs and for dinner you have peas/carrots finger food or some beans chopped in half or other "real" foods that you can pick up.
You love baby yogurt and yogurt bits. You also like cheerios, bread, puffs and any other grain you can get your hands on...you like most fruits but like apple sauce, fruit squeezes and bananas the best.
As I said before you are such a laid back baby! On the first day of daylights savings we met Daddy's cousin John about 45 minutes away for dinner at 6pm ( which felt like 7pm to you! Which is your BEDTIME!) and then had to stay up until 8pm ( which felt like 9pm!) and you were a perfect angel! You would never know how tired you were! You just whimpered on the way home and had a pretty rough day napping the next day because you were overly tired, but even then you were sweet...and only a mommy would know that your whimpers and periodic little cries were not normal at all!! Thank you for being so laid back and reminding me that sometimes its ok to do things a little different and reap just a few consequences.
I was so stuck to the schedule with your brother, mostly because that's the only way he was remotely happy, I sometimes forget that that is not the only way! Thanks for making this mommy just a tinnnnny bit more chill ;-)
Love you sweet girl!
Mommy
I struggle to believe that this has only been a MONTH of your life since your last letter! You have done so much! And grown so much! How could it possibly fit into just one month....
However, without further ado, you started this month by finally popping out those top 3 teeth you were working so hard on ( there is still one working its way in...). That was a huge relief I'm sure! How awful to get three in at once! And yet you were still such a happy sweet baby, you'd hardly think it hurt at all!
A few days later while playing on the floor in the living room while Mommy chatted with our friend Deb, you decided to wave. At first we weren't sure if it was on purpose, but you waved over and over again when we would wave at you and you've officially mastered the skill!
THEN you learned how to crawl. At first it was just a few inches here or there, but by the end of the month you were crawling perfectly all over any given room! You aren't particularly adventurous, which may be why it took you a little while to get started. Maybe you just didn't see any reason to crawl places?! But now that you realize that you crawl to places where you can pull up and stand, there is no stopping you! ( apparently that is the biggest reason to crawl! Get thee to a chair, or the fireplace, or a person's leg! This girl just wants to stand!) We also have a couple of balloons that were left by your babysitter last week and you love chasing after them...they always seem to stay JUST out of reach which you find particularly infuriating/fun.
And like I mentioned pulling up on things and standing is by FAR your favorite thing to do. I think you could really care less about crawling, you'd much rather just stand tall and look around. I think you're going to be a walker before we know it!
Of course, we were so excited by your crawling and clapped and cheered so much, that you decided that clapping might also be something you could do, and so you added that to your list of accomplishments as well! Whew! You were one busy busy bee!
You'd think this would mean you would take incredibly awesome long naps to recover from all that learning and moving, but no. You're not a very good napper and often they last only around 45 minutes. No matter what your Mommy does she can NOT get your morning nap to extend any longer. Luckily we can sometimes get you to go back to sleep during your afternoon nap and sleep a little longer, but for the most part your napping skills are rather lacking. Luckily you are so sweet and good natured its not like youre ultra cranky from the lack of sleep!
The other big news from this month is that you are completely weened. Its crazy to think that we'd only added one bottle to your schedule last month, but by taking away the other middle feeding ( so that you only had Mommy feedings in the morning and at night) my supply dropped considerably and it became apparent that you were just going through the motions and waiting patiently for the bottle to come at the end. Honestly it was sad and even though it was a whole 2 months later than with your brother, I still felt like it was too early for you to be all bottles! But, you also worked so well with me ( by taking what I did have for a few weeks) that stopping all together was much easier and much less "cold turkey" thanks for helping a Momma out! We first took away the middle feedings ( after each nap) then took away the night feeding and then the morning feeding was gone in just a few days after that. *sigh* My baby is growing up!
Your current schedule looks like this-but only because we just had the dreaded daylight savings....so I'll just tell you what it USE to be until two days ago when society dictated we make a big change ( boo!)
7:30-wake up ( 8 oz bottle)
10am-first nap ( 8 oz bottle)
2-pm second nap (8oz bottle)
7pm- bedtime ( 6oz bottle)
You also are eating more finger foods and much less baby food, but I've noticed that your appetite has decreased a little bit the last few weeks, maybe because you are finally getting enough milk again? Not sure exactly...but you still seem happy and chunky! You usually eat bananas cut into tiny pieces and cheerios for breakfast. For lunch you have one serving of babyfood ( usually spinach/sweet potato or corn/chicken) and some puffs and for dinner you have peas/carrots finger food or some beans chopped in half or other "real" foods that you can pick up.
You love baby yogurt and yogurt bits. You also like cheerios, bread, puffs and any other grain you can get your hands on...you like most fruits but like apple sauce, fruit squeezes and bananas the best.
As I said before you are such a laid back baby! On the first day of daylights savings we met Daddy's cousin John about 45 minutes away for dinner at 6pm ( which felt like 7pm to you! Which is your BEDTIME!) and then had to stay up until 8pm ( which felt like 9pm!) and you were a perfect angel! You would never know how tired you were! You just whimpered on the way home and had a pretty rough day napping the next day because you were overly tired, but even then you were sweet...and only a mommy would know that your whimpers and periodic little cries were not normal at all!! Thank you for being so laid back and reminding me that sometimes its ok to do things a little different and reap just a few consequences.
I was so stuck to the schedule with your brother, mostly because that's the only way he was remotely happy, I sometimes forget that that is not the only way! Thanks for making this mommy just a tinnnnny bit more chill ;-)
Love you sweet girl!
Mommy
Monday, October 7, 2013
Nine Months
Dear Sweet Girl,
I feel like you've grown up so much this past month and it makes me so sad! How can you be nine months old already?! You're still my little baby!
Alas you've been very busy this month making strides to rid yourself of the baby title. First of all, on September 10th you started pulling up all on your own, and you looooved it! It is still by far your favorite thing to do, and on the 16th you took it a step up and stood unadded for a good 5 seconds straight. I think your longest record is currently around 15 seconds so its not like you're just a full on stander-upper ( that's a word, right?) but you're making some big progress. That being said you've also made some strides in the crawling department too! You can officially go backwards and you spend a lot of time on all fours rocking back and forth and babbling loudly at whatever it is that you really really want. One day, little one, one day.
This month we went to Nacogdoches for a few days for Uncle Ryan's cookoff competition and you cried when anyone other than your Mommy tried to hold you. Uncool daughter. Especially since this month you showed and great interest/love for dogs of all shapes and sizes. I'll have you know that dogs are FAR more likely to bite you than the sweet ladies at the Burger cookoff....you really need to work on those intuitive skills. Looking back however, once again we visited Nacogdoches right in the middle of a major learning bender on your part and you just have a harder time with people during those times. Just two weeks later we went to Cleburne, TX to visit some other family and you went from person to person without any trouble at all! Come on, kid! Let's get consistent!
However, if there was a person I wouldn't mind hanging out in my lap for hours and hours and days on end, it would definitely be you! You're so fun and sweet and I love watching you learn. Probably because you have the constant entertainment of your brother, this month was really the first time you watched Baby Einstein. On our last two road trips you got kind of bored so we rigged up a slide show of baby pictures of Ransom and your cousin Kilsyth on the first road trip ( which you fully enjoyed) and on the second road trip I was prepared with Baby Einstein, and. you. loved. it. You would babble and talk SO loudly any time any of the puppets came on and you would get fairly upset when the video would end. I swear you watched that thing three times in a row during our five hours in the car.
You probably wont get many chances to watch Baby Einstein unless on a trip, but don't worry, you have a lot of fun playing on the rug in the kitchen while Mommy cooks, on the floor in the living room watching your brother run around and play and in Ransom's room where you try to scoot to as many corners of the room as possible to create the largest amount of mess. Your favorite thing is to pull things out of buckets or baskets or cups...really anything that can be taken apart, you're all over it.
In the practical department, this month we replaced a Mommy feeding with a Bottle feeding. I was definitely not ready for it, but if Daddy and Mommy are going to take a trip to NYC in November then we had to start teaching you about the bottle now. You took to it great and are very cute holding on to the bottle for yourself. I think you actually like having the freedom to take the bottle in and out of your mouth and lounge while eating.
Your feedings are now as follows:
7am-wake up/Mommy feeding
8am-breakfast
9:30-nap time
10:30-bottle
1pm-nap
2:30-Mommy feeding
5pm-dinner
7pm-bedtime/mommy feeding
Any day now you will be cutting FOUR new teeth on the top and I can't wait for them to pop through and allow you to eat even more yummy things ( you definitely like solid food more than baby food!)
Baby girl, may I never forget what a gift you are to this world and to our family. I am so grateful for every day I get with you!
Love, your Mommy
I feel like you've grown up so much this past month and it makes me so sad! How can you be nine months old already?! You're still my little baby!
Alas you've been very busy this month making strides to rid yourself of the baby title. First of all, on September 10th you started pulling up all on your own, and you looooved it! It is still by far your favorite thing to do, and on the 16th you took it a step up and stood unadded for a good 5 seconds straight. I think your longest record is currently around 15 seconds so its not like you're just a full on stander-upper ( that's a word, right?) but you're making some big progress. That being said you've also made some strides in the crawling department too! You can officially go backwards and you spend a lot of time on all fours rocking back and forth and babbling loudly at whatever it is that you really really want. One day, little one, one day.
This month we went to Nacogdoches for a few days for Uncle Ryan's cookoff competition and you cried when anyone other than your Mommy tried to hold you. Uncool daughter. Especially since this month you showed and great interest/love for dogs of all shapes and sizes. I'll have you know that dogs are FAR more likely to bite you than the sweet ladies at the Burger cookoff....you really need to work on those intuitive skills. Looking back however, once again we visited Nacogdoches right in the middle of a major learning bender on your part and you just have a harder time with people during those times. Just two weeks later we went to Cleburne, TX to visit some other family and you went from person to person without any trouble at all! Come on, kid! Let's get consistent!
However, if there was a person I wouldn't mind hanging out in my lap for hours and hours and days on end, it would definitely be you! You're so fun and sweet and I love watching you learn. Probably because you have the constant entertainment of your brother, this month was really the first time you watched Baby Einstein. On our last two road trips you got kind of bored so we rigged up a slide show of baby pictures of Ransom and your cousin Kilsyth on the first road trip ( which you fully enjoyed) and on the second road trip I was prepared with Baby Einstein, and. you. loved. it. You would babble and talk SO loudly any time any of the puppets came on and you would get fairly upset when the video would end. I swear you watched that thing three times in a row during our five hours in the car.
You probably wont get many chances to watch Baby Einstein unless on a trip, but don't worry, you have a lot of fun playing on the rug in the kitchen while Mommy cooks, on the floor in the living room watching your brother run around and play and in Ransom's room where you try to scoot to as many corners of the room as possible to create the largest amount of mess. Your favorite thing is to pull things out of buckets or baskets or cups...really anything that can be taken apart, you're all over it.
In the practical department, this month we replaced a Mommy feeding with a Bottle feeding. I was definitely not ready for it, but if Daddy and Mommy are going to take a trip to NYC in November then we had to start teaching you about the bottle now. You took to it great and are very cute holding on to the bottle for yourself. I think you actually like having the freedom to take the bottle in and out of your mouth and lounge while eating.
Your feedings are now as follows:
7am-wake up/Mommy feeding
8am-breakfast
9:30-nap time
10:30-bottle
1pm-nap
2:30-Mommy feeding
5pm-dinner
7pm-bedtime/mommy feeding
Any day now you will be cutting FOUR new teeth on the top and I can't wait for them to pop through and allow you to eat even more yummy things ( you definitely like solid food more than baby food!)
Baby girl, may I never forget what a gift you are to this world and to our family. I am so grateful for every day I get with you!
Love, your Mommy
Friday, September 6, 2013
Eight months
Whaaaat?! How are you already eight months old? It snuck up on me so quickly that I literally missed it ( it was yesterday)! And I would say that one day won't make much difference, but in the last 24 hours your front 2 bottom teeth FINALLY broke the surface! Hallelujah! I was really starting to think you were going to be the toothless wonder forever!
It's a good thing those teeth came in because you've definitely been not your happy go lucky self. But when you have a bad day no one would ever really notice. You're still incredibly sweet and easy to get along with. There was just far more drooling and your loud "talking" which is half way a fuss, half way a babble.
The only thing that will kinda get you worked up is for someone OTHER than your Mama to hold you while I'm still in the room. That's right. The stranger danger or more like the "other people dislike" is back. I'd blame your teething but, really? I feel like you've had waaaay too much of this behavior!
But back to the positive things about you from this month- you dropped your third nap with very little fanfare. I'm not going to compare you to a certain brother of yours, but lets just say that I was preparing myself for major drama and it was NOT. The only big thing is that you need to go to bed even earlier ( sometimes as early as 6:30) for you to not get over tired so that you will to get a good nights sleep....but other than that you have taken the changes in strides.
This month as I mentioned you've become far more vocal and you talk a lot when you're playing. You love chewing on anything you can get your hands on and nontoy items are your favorite. Mom's phone is by FAR your favorite thing to try and get your hands on. You're still pretty happy being stationary but you will reach for things that are far away and will do your best to stretch both arms and legs out as far as they will go without leaving your current location to reach something...we've explained that crawling would help in this area, but you have yet to take us up on that suggestion.
You're still enjoying pretty much every food we put in front of you and you're enjoying the practice of putting food into your mouth. You're pretty good at it actually, though your chair and the floor would beg to disagree. Luckily you have a puppy/brother who really likes your puffs and will eat all the ones that you drop.
This month I finally dropped your dreamfeed, basically a feeding at around 10:30 at night where I would wake you up, feed you and put you right back to sleep. Basically I should have gotten rid of it months ago but you were just so cute and cuddly and it was just so convenient that I kept it for way longer. Once again it was no biggie and you haven't seemed to have any reaction one way or the other. As with most things, I had a much harder time pre-worrying about it than actually going through with the process. You'd think I'd learn my lesson from you and start being much more laid back!
But since this is how I am, and one day I'll want to remember: here is your current schedule:
Wake up and eat: 7am
Have breakfast: 8am
Go down for your first nap: 9 or 9:30
Wake up and eat: 10:30
Have lunch: 12
Go down for second nap: 1pm
Wake up and eat: between 2pm and 2:30
Dinner: 5pm
Bath and last feeding: 6:30
Bedtime: 7pm
Of course as I write that those times will often vary from day to day which doesn't seem to bother you too much. A shorter nap here, a longer nap there...you go with the flow and we flow rut along with you.
Thanks for continuing to laugh and learn and remind us every day of God's great blessing to us through your little life. This month marked the year anniversary of the surgery that helped to save your life. We went out and sent balloons up into the sky in honor of your sister Priscilla who was lucky enough to go first to heaven. In doing so she gave you an even greater chance of survival. In a way she gave her life for you and I hope that we will all learn from that and live each of our days to the fullest knowing that ALL of our lives were made possible because Jesus died for all of us. We love you so much baby girl and are grateful for ever miracle that brought you to us.
Love, Mommy
It's a good thing those teeth came in because you've definitely been not your happy go lucky self. But when you have a bad day no one would ever really notice. You're still incredibly sweet and easy to get along with. There was just far more drooling and your loud "talking" which is half way a fuss, half way a babble.
The only thing that will kinda get you worked up is for someone OTHER than your Mama to hold you while I'm still in the room. That's right. The stranger danger or more like the "other people dislike" is back. I'd blame your teething but, really? I feel like you've had waaaay too much of this behavior!
But back to the positive things about you from this month- you dropped your third nap with very little fanfare. I'm not going to compare you to a certain brother of yours, but lets just say that I was preparing myself for major drama and it was NOT. The only big thing is that you need to go to bed even earlier ( sometimes as early as 6:30) for you to not get over tired so that you will to get a good nights sleep....but other than that you have taken the changes in strides.
This month as I mentioned you've become far more vocal and you talk a lot when you're playing. You love chewing on anything you can get your hands on and nontoy items are your favorite. Mom's phone is by FAR your favorite thing to try and get your hands on. You're still pretty happy being stationary but you will reach for things that are far away and will do your best to stretch both arms and legs out as far as they will go without leaving your current location to reach something...we've explained that crawling would help in this area, but you have yet to take us up on that suggestion.
You're still enjoying pretty much every food we put in front of you and you're enjoying the practice of putting food into your mouth. You're pretty good at it actually, though your chair and the floor would beg to disagree. Luckily you have a puppy/brother who really likes your puffs and will eat all the ones that you drop.
This month I finally dropped your dreamfeed, basically a feeding at around 10:30 at night where I would wake you up, feed you and put you right back to sleep. Basically I should have gotten rid of it months ago but you were just so cute and cuddly and it was just so convenient that I kept it for way longer. Once again it was no biggie and you haven't seemed to have any reaction one way or the other. As with most things, I had a much harder time pre-worrying about it than actually going through with the process. You'd think I'd learn my lesson from you and start being much more laid back!
But since this is how I am, and one day I'll want to remember: here is your current schedule:
Wake up and eat: 7am
Have breakfast: 8am
Go down for your first nap: 9 or 9:30
Wake up and eat: 10:30
Have lunch: 12
Go down for second nap: 1pm
Wake up and eat: between 2pm and 2:30
Dinner: 5pm
Bath and last feeding: 6:30
Bedtime: 7pm
Of course as I write that those times will often vary from day to day which doesn't seem to bother you too much. A shorter nap here, a longer nap there...you go with the flow and we flow rut along with you.
Thanks for continuing to laugh and learn and remind us every day of God's great blessing to us through your little life. This month marked the year anniversary of the surgery that helped to save your life. We went out and sent balloons up into the sky in honor of your sister Priscilla who was lucky enough to go first to heaven. In doing so she gave you an even greater chance of survival. In a way she gave her life for you and I hope that we will all learn from that and live each of our days to the fullest knowing that ALL of our lives were made possible because Jesus died for all of us. We love you so much baby girl and are grateful for ever miracle that brought you to us.
Love, Mommy
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Seven Months
Dear Tabitha,
You are seven months old today! You've had another busy busy month of growing and adjusting to life! You started the month off with another reminder that you are Loved. Not just by your Mommy and Daddy but by your heavenly Father! We had a little accident involving your carseat that ended with you on the pavement of a parkinglot and substantial bump on the head. I lost several years of my life worrying over you the next 48 hours or so, but other than some initial crying and the awfulness of being poked and prodded at the hospital you came out no worse for wear! ( but you've now visited the Picu and the Pedicu...busy girl) How blessed and happy we were! And how much I was reminded that you are indeed our miracle baby!
In other much less dramatic news, thankfully, you went on another plane trip this month to a Calhoun Family Reunion. No one would even have GUESSED that you've suffered from such crazy stranger danger the last few months because you smiled and flirted with complete strangers at the airports and on the planes and continued to charm the pants off of everyone at the family reunion too! Its funny that now you seem to definitely have a preference for men and the rougher the better. There was a big dude with a huge beard sitting behind us on an airplane and as soon as he caught your eye you started grinning and cooing. You're too funny!
We had such a great time at our family reunion and you got to meet so many people that have prayed for you over the last year! Its hard for us to believe that at our last family reunion you and your sister were still hanging out in my tummy all teeny tiny! As easy as you were to carry around in my tummy you're almost as easy outside. You were SO good traveling-sleeping whereever you needed to and not putting up a fuss when you couldnt sleep at all or when your meals were a little off schedule. You continue to blow my mind with how wonderfully laid back you can be.
We ended your month with a visit to Nacogdoches for Ransom's birthday, you showed your angel colors yet again by being SO good on the train ride birthday party. It was super HOT and you completely missed a nap and yet you just chilled in peoples laps and looked around at all the people. THANK YOU for making our lives such a joy!
This month you continued to perfect your sitting skills, I'd say you've mastered the art, and the way you've started lunging for anything in sight I bet you aren't happy being stationary for too much longer. You're still working hard on your first tooth ( or teeth?!) but not one has pushed through yet! However, this month we did start you on some solid foods! I've gone so much slower than with Ransom, but you've enjoyed everything that's been put in front of you. In fact, if we don't get it into your mouth fast enough you start lunging at the spoon with your mouth open like a little baby bird. While we've let you play with some cheerios and mum-mums you're not a fan of the "actual" solid foods...maybe its going to take some teeth before you figure out the actual "chewing" concept!
At the end of this month you've started taking "cat naps" instead of actual normal length naps so it looks like you'll be dropping a nap in the coming weeks. It will be interesting to see how our days change now that you'll only have two naps...Whatever happens we are so grateful for your little life and the joy that it brings all that you've impacted. If there is one thing I have learned in your seven months of life it is that Life is a Gift and I am thankful every single day that I get to spend living it with you!
We love you baby Bee,
Mommy
You are seven months old today! You've had another busy busy month of growing and adjusting to life! You started the month off with another reminder that you are Loved. Not just by your Mommy and Daddy but by your heavenly Father! We had a little accident involving your carseat that ended with you on the pavement of a parkinglot and substantial bump on the head. I lost several years of my life worrying over you the next 48 hours or so, but other than some initial crying and the awfulness of being poked and prodded at the hospital you came out no worse for wear! ( but you've now visited the Picu and the Pedicu...busy girl) How blessed and happy we were! And how much I was reminded that you are indeed our miracle baby!
In other much less dramatic news, thankfully, you went on another plane trip this month to a Calhoun Family Reunion. No one would even have GUESSED that you've suffered from such crazy stranger danger the last few months because you smiled and flirted with complete strangers at the airports and on the planes and continued to charm the pants off of everyone at the family reunion too! Its funny that now you seem to definitely have a preference for men and the rougher the better. There was a big dude with a huge beard sitting behind us on an airplane and as soon as he caught your eye you started grinning and cooing. You're too funny!
We had such a great time at our family reunion and you got to meet so many people that have prayed for you over the last year! Its hard for us to believe that at our last family reunion you and your sister were still hanging out in my tummy all teeny tiny! As easy as you were to carry around in my tummy you're almost as easy outside. You were SO good traveling-sleeping whereever you needed to and not putting up a fuss when you couldnt sleep at all or when your meals were a little off schedule. You continue to blow my mind with how wonderfully laid back you can be.
We ended your month with a visit to Nacogdoches for Ransom's birthday, you showed your angel colors yet again by being SO good on the train ride birthday party. It was super HOT and you completely missed a nap and yet you just chilled in peoples laps and looked around at all the people. THANK YOU for making our lives such a joy!
This month you continued to perfect your sitting skills, I'd say you've mastered the art, and the way you've started lunging for anything in sight I bet you aren't happy being stationary for too much longer. You're still working hard on your first tooth ( or teeth?!) but not one has pushed through yet! However, this month we did start you on some solid foods! I've gone so much slower than with Ransom, but you've enjoyed everything that's been put in front of you. In fact, if we don't get it into your mouth fast enough you start lunging at the spoon with your mouth open like a little baby bird. While we've let you play with some cheerios and mum-mums you're not a fan of the "actual" solid foods...maybe its going to take some teeth before you figure out the actual "chewing" concept!
At the end of this month you've started taking "cat naps" instead of actual normal length naps so it looks like you'll be dropping a nap in the coming weeks. It will be interesting to see how our days change now that you'll only have two naps...Whatever happens we are so grateful for your little life and the joy that it brings all that you've impacted. If there is one thing I have learned in your seven months of life it is that Life is a Gift and I am thankful every single day that I get to spend living it with you!
We love you baby Bee,
Mommy
Saturday, July 6, 2013
six months old
Dear Tabitha,
Your fifth month was quite a busy one and a growing one for you! As I mentioned last month you had some pretty significant stranger danger that meant that even friends could not make eye contact with you for long periods of time ( and strangers?! definitely not!) without you bursting into dramatic tears. I was starting to think it was going to go on forever and we'd have to buy stock in Kleenex, but lucky for you and us, we had a month stock full of visitors that basically FORCED you to become more social.
We had about a three week period where we had some College friends of Brett's come visit us before starting more of their training to become missionaries in South America. Your namesake Tabitha visit from Canada and your Papa and Spicy from Nacogdoches. At one point we had five adults and two other children in the house with you. Through sheer survival you learned that other people deserved your smiles and the privilege of holding you just like your family. Well done!
On June 6th ( so barely into your 5th month) you laughed for the first time. It was pretty cute. I was holding you while Ransom was "doing his business" on the potty. I was also reading the book "Blue Hat, Green Hat" to Ransom. It seemed like, for the first time, Ransom got the humor of the book and started belly laughing. You in turn started laughing at Ransom laughing and it was like a bathroom comedy hour! Now you laugh quite frequently, but mostly at Ransom or other children.
The other thing that you did for the first time this month was sit up by yourself! You still can only do it for about 10 seconds at a time before you start to leeeeean forward for support, but you're pretty adorable and look very grown up when you're practicing.
You had your very first Independence Day in Nacogdoches and you were very good and allowed all sorts of strangers to look at you and hold you! You seemed to really loved meeting many admiring fans and family members and we hope that you'll start to show the love more and more in return! Afterall, pretty is as pretty does!!
We are still struck by what an easy going baby you are and how, even when you haven't gotten good sleep or you are hungry, you really are very good about not making too much of a fuss! You still light up when you see your Daddy or Mommy or Ransom walk into your view and you love to chew on anything that is within your grasp!
You are our Angel and our little Miracle and with thank God for you every single day!
Much love, Mommy
Your fifth month was quite a busy one and a growing one for you! As I mentioned last month you had some pretty significant stranger danger that meant that even friends could not make eye contact with you for long periods of time ( and strangers?! definitely not!) without you bursting into dramatic tears. I was starting to think it was going to go on forever and we'd have to buy stock in Kleenex, but lucky for you and us, we had a month stock full of visitors that basically FORCED you to become more social.
We had about a three week period where we had some College friends of Brett's come visit us before starting more of their training to become missionaries in South America. Your namesake Tabitha visit from Canada and your Papa and Spicy from Nacogdoches. At one point we had five adults and two other children in the house with you. Through sheer survival you learned that other people deserved your smiles and the privilege of holding you just like your family. Well done!
On June 6th ( so barely into your 5th month) you laughed for the first time. It was pretty cute. I was holding you while Ransom was "doing his business" on the potty. I was also reading the book "Blue Hat, Green Hat" to Ransom. It seemed like, for the first time, Ransom got the humor of the book and started belly laughing. You in turn started laughing at Ransom laughing and it was like a bathroom comedy hour! Now you laugh quite frequently, but mostly at Ransom or other children.
The other thing that you did for the first time this month was sit up by yourself! You still can only do it for about 10 seconds at a time before you start to leeeeean forward for support, but you're pretty adorable and look very grown up when you're practicing.
You had your very first Independence Day in Nacogdoches and you were very good and allowed all sorts of strangers to look at you and hold you! You seemed to really loved meeting many admiring fans and family members and we hope that you'll start to show the love more and more in return! Afterall, pretty is as pretty does!!
We are still struck by what an easy going baby you are and how, even when you haven't gotten good sleep or you are hungry, you really are very good about not making too much of a fuss! You still light up when you see your Daddy or Mommy or Ransom walk into your view and you love to chew on anything that is within your grasp!
You are our Angel and our little Miracle and with thank God for you every single day!
Much love, Mommy
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Five Months
Dear Tabitha,
You are five months old today!!
You had a busy month of growing and learning. For starters this month you had your four month wellness check up. This was rough for you because it required another person outside our immediate family to make extended eye contact with you. This made you beyond sad. You were definitely Miss Sensitivity this month! But I enjoyed some extended snuggle times with you after your appointment, and I must admit that I love it when your Daddy watches your brother so I can hold you while you sleep. Snuggles with you are a gift from God.
Your stranger danger got pretty extreme this month, you literally cried when people looked at you on FaceTime, or when I tried having you facing outwards in the carrier at the grocery store. ( all things I tired to get you use to other people!) you even cried at other moms holding their own babies... Lucky for us our Aunt Donnave came to visit us this month and she did a great job of helping you work through your hesitations and by the end you had learned to smile and be happy around another person! This is good because you have such a sweet smile! We hate not getting to share it with others! Remember that you are a miracle to a LOT of people, my dear!
This month you continued to develop your voice and are really good at babbling and often let out little squeaks and high pitched screams ( very girlie of you). Your eye hand coordination continues to develop and you can now grab toys and shake them around, or more than likely, stuff them in your mouth.
You continue to be a really easy baby to have in our family, even if we're out and about and you miss a nap time, you're so laid back about it. Even though you are now way too alert and looking around to fall asleep outside your bed most of the time, you're very contented to sit quietly and look around, even when you're tired.
Tabitha you are such a sweet heart and you bring such joy to our lives, we look forward to all that you will continue to learn and do, and we look forward to when you will understand all the many gifts The Lord has given us in you!
Love you,
Mommy
You are five months old today!!
You had a busy month of growing and learning. For starters this month you had your four month wellness check up. This was rough for you because it required another person outside our immediate family to make extended eye contact with you. This made you beyond sad. You were definitely Miss Sensitivity this month! But I enjoyed some extended snuggle times with you after your appointment, and I must admit that I love it when your Daddy watches your brother so I can hold you while you sleep. Snuggles with you are a gift from God.
Your stranger danger got pretty extreme this month, you literally cried when people looked at you on FaceTime, or when I tried having you facing outwards in the carrier at the grocery store. ( all things I tired to get you use to other people!) you even cried at other moms holding their own babies... Lucky for us our Aunt Donnave came to visit us this month and she did a great job of helping you work through your hesitations and by the end you had learned to smile and be happy around another person! This is good because you have such a sweet smile! We hate not getting to share it with others! Remember that you are a miracle to a LOT of people, my dear!
This month you continued to develop your voice and are really good at babbling and often let out little squeaks and high pitched screams ( very girlie of you). Your eye hand coordination continues to develop and you can now grab toys and shake them around, or more than likely, stuff them in your mouth.
You continue to be a really easy baby to have in our family, even if we're out and about and you miss a nap time, you're so laid back about it. Even though you are now way too alert and looking around to fall asleep outside your bed most of the time, you're very contented to sit quietly and look around, even when you're tired.
Tabitha you are such a sweet heart and you bring such joy to our lives, we look forward to all that you will continue to learn and do, and we look forward to when you will understand all the many gifts The Lord has given us in you!
Love you,
Mommy
Thursday, May 2, 2013
4 months
Dear Sweet girl,
This month we finally got over the grumps at night...either you grew out of it, or we finally wised up and put you to bed earlier...probably a bit of both! Parenting is such a crazy guessing game sometimes.
This month you learned to roll over ( from tummy to back)! Yay! You did it for Papa and I when we were visiting Nacogdoches. You rolled over 3 times in a row just to prove that you really knew what you were doing. Speaking of our trip to Texas. You also chose that time to get a serious case of Stranger Danger and proceeded to cry when all of your grandmothers tried to pick you up! What gives?! Those ladies would do ANYTHING for you! But don't worry, you will soon learn your mistake and they are all very forgiving.
Along with rolling over you are now sleeping with one arm out of your swaddle. Your left arm to be exact, and you do the cutest thing: you loop your arm around your bears leg ( or arm depending) and nuzzle in.... You will often hold on so tight to your bear that when we go to pick you up and you're still asleep, we'll take bear along too by accident, because you just dont let go. I hope you love your bear as much as Ransom loves his!
One thing I KNOW you love is your own fist. You try to shove the whole thing in your mouth all at once, and you enjoy chewing on as much of it as you can manage.
I would give your current schedule. But right now that's a bit tough to say... You're going through another growth spurt and are eating extra meals at random times and getting up earlier in the morning. It does not make this Mama very happy, but then again you growing healthy and strong DOES make me happy and I am continually reminded how quickly this time is over! You're already four months old! This is hard for me to believe.
You continue to bring us all joy every day. You are truly our little miracle and I hope that I never forget what The Lord did in giving you to us.
This month we got to walk ( just kidding you threw a royal fit right before the walk started and had to stop to eat) in the Nacogdoches March of Dimes with our friend Dub Dub. We love honoring her twins Elliot and Evan and all the other babies that have benefited from that organization every year. This year I can truly say I understood and appreciated the stories of these families struggles and stories so much more because of this last year with you and your sister. Another gift you have given me!
Dub Dub also surprised us with stickers that read "Honoring Tabitha and Remembering Priscilla" on them for her whole team to wear. It was so sweet and your Mama cried. We are truly blessed by wonderful friends!
I'm excited to begin a new month with you, I know we have many fun new milestones to go through together!
We love you "baby bee",
Mommy
This month we finally got over the grumps at night...either you grew out of it, or we finally wised up and put you to bed earlier...probably a bit of both! Parenting is such a crazy guessing game sometimes.
This month you learned to roll over ( from tummy to back)! Yay! You did it for Papa and I when we were visiting Nacogdoches. You rolled over 3 times in a row just to prove that you really knew what you were doing. Speaking of our trip to Texas. You also chose that time to get a serious case of Stranger Danger and proceeded to cry when all of your grandmothers tried to pick you up! What gives?! Those ladies would do ANYTHING for you! But don't worry, you will soon learn your mistake and they are all very forgiving.
Along with rolling over you are now sleeping with one arm out of your swaddle. Your left arm to be exact, and you do the cutest thing: you loop your arm around your bears leg ( or arm depending) and nuzzle in.... You will often hold on so tight to your bear that when we go to pick you up and you're still asleep, we'll take bear along too by accident, because you just dont let go. I hope you love your bear as much as Ransom loves his!
One thing I KNOW you love is your own fist. You try to shove the whole thing in your mouth all at once, and you enjoy chewing on as much of it as you can manage.
I would give your current schedule. But right now that's a bit tough to say... You're going through another growth spurt and are eating extra meals at random times and getting up earlier in the morning. It does not make this Mama very happy, but then again you growing healthy and strong DOES make me happy and I am continually reminded how quickly this time is over! You're already four months old! This is hard for me to believe.
You continue to bring us all joy every day. You are truly our little miracle and I hope that I never forget what The Lord did in giving you to us.
This month we got to walk ( just kidding you threw a royal fit right before the walk started and had to stop to eat) in the Nacogdoches March of Dimes with our friend Dub Dub. We love honoring her twins Elliot and Evan and all the other babies that have benefited from that organization every year. This year I can truly say I understood and appreciated the stories of these families struggles and stories so much more because of this last year with you and your sister. Another gift you have given me!
Dub Dub also surprised us with stickers that read "Honoring Tabitha and Remembering Priscilla" on them for her whole team to wear. It was so sweet and your Mama cried. We are truly blessed by wonderful friends!
I'm excited to begin a new month with you, I know we have many fun new milestones to go through together!
We love you "baby bee",
Mommy
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Dear Priscilla,
Dear Priscilla,
Your sister is 3 months old today and that's when I mark things like how much she's grown and what she's learning and doing. It is days like this that make me miss you the most. You see, when you went to be with Jesus before you could even make it outside to meet us, I knew that you were going to a place that would be without pain, without sorrow and that by going there before you were born you would miss out on some awful things-like pimples, heartbreak, bad hair days, traffic jams, hunger, bullies, taxes, sickness, suffering and sin, all things that a Mama never hopes here child would face, but that she just might have in her life. And in this way, I was able to comfort myself when we lost you.
But, when I look at your sister and when I see her little grin and I rock her and think about her future life-a life that I hope includes, days that she feels beautiful, days that she feels smart, a day she knows that Jesus loves her and that she wants a relationship with Him, days when she finds purpose in her life, a day when she finds someone who loves Jesus too and that will love her above all others, a day when she might marry such a person, days that she gets to meet her own children-physical or spiritual, a day when she sees beauty in life....and as her mother, I look forward to hopefully getting to celebrate with her on such days. And, to be honest, it makes my heart hurt that I will not get to do the same with you.
It hurts my heart when I hung Tabitha's baby picture on the wall last night and it was virtually identical to Ransom's newborn picture. Identical. To think that in someways I get to see your face every day in my other babies, and yet I still long for yours! Strange.
But then when I do start to feel sad about all that you are "missing" I hear a little whisper in my heart reminding me that Heaven is not just the absence of bad things, it is also the very FULLNESS of all good things! You my dear are both beautiful and smart every single day, and you also know Jesus in a way that even your Mama doesn't understand, but I do envy! You also are not alone in that love, but are enjoying the great "cloud of witnesses" as the Bible calls them, young and old-but all ageless in heaven. You are living in a world of True Love.
So where does that leave us, your parents... Your sister, who I am sad will miss the joys of having you as an earthly sister, where does it leave us? Well, I've thought about it and I think your absence from our lives has left a hole. A hole that must be filled, with either grief , pain and despair OR hope and faith and conviction. It is my job to fill that hole, and loosing you has made me choose how I'd fill it all over again. It has made me look harder at my take on Reality. Thank you for giving me surer footing on that which I choose to stand. Thank you for giving me legit ties to heaven even now, and thank you for your little life that spent twenty one weeks with your sister and I. One day we will celebrate the life you're living now, together with Jesus. But until then know that I love you,
Your Mommy
Your sister is 3 months old today and that's when I mark things like how much she's grown and what she's learning and doing. It is days like this that make me miss you the most. You see, when you went to be with Jesus before you could even make it outside to meet us, I knew that you were going to a place that would be without pain, without sorrow and that by going there before you were born you would miss out on some awful things-like pimples, heartbreak, bad hair days, traffic jams, hunger, bullies, taxes, sickness, suffering and sin, all things that a Mama never hopes here child would face, but that she just might have in her life. And in this way, I was able to comfort myself when we lost you.
But, when I look at your sister and when I see her little grin and I rock her and think about her future life-a life that I hope includes, days that she feels beautiful, days that she feels smart, a day she knows that Jesus loves her and that she wants a relationship with Him, days when she finds purpose in her life, a day when she finds someone who loves Jesus too and that will love her above all others, a day when she might marry such a person, days that she gets to meet her own children-physical or spiritual, a day when she sees beauty in life....and as her mother, I look forward to hopefully getting to celebrate with her on such days. And, to be honest, it makes my heart hurt that I will not get to do the same with you.
It hurts my heart when I hung Tabitha's baby picture on the wall last night and it was virtually identical to Ransom's newborn picture. Identical. To think that in someways I get to see your face every day in my other babies, and yet I still long for yours! Strange.
But then when I do start to feel sad about all that you are "missing" I hear a little whisper in my heart reminding me that Heaven is not just the absence of bad things, it is also the very FULLNESS of all good things! You my dear are both beautiful and smart every single day, and you also know Jesus in a way that even your Mama doesn't understand, but I do envy! You also are not alone in that love, but are enjoying the great "cloud of witnesses" as the Bible calls them, young and old-but all ageless in heaven. You are living in a world of True Love.
So where does that leave us, your parents... Your sister, who I am sad will miss the joys of having you as an earthly sister, where does it leave us? Well, I've thought about it and I think your absence from our lives has left a hole. A hole that must be filled, with either grief , pain and despair OR hope and faith and conviction. It is my job to fill that hole, and loosing you has made me choose how I'd fill it all over again. It has made me look harder at my take on Reality. Thank you for giving me surer footing on that which I choose to stand. Thank you for giving me legit ties to heaven even now, and thank you for your little life that spent twenty one weeks with your sister and I. One day we will celebrate the life you're living now, together with Jesus. But until then know that I love you,
Your Mommy
Sunday, April 7, 2013
3 months
Happy three months, baby girl! You celebrated in the best way this Mommy knows how, by giving up your 3am feeding! Yay!! Mama is soooo happy!
You've also switched to mostly 0-3 clothing and moved on to size 1 diapers. Best of all, you're squarely in the double digits weight wise. Hello 10 lbs 4 oz!
All in all you're growing up and still such a sweet girl, though you've recently developed the nasty habit of crying and crying at bedtime... Whether we go earlier or later, you are not a happy camper... But we are on the case, and hopefully we can make you a happy girl again soon.
Much love
Your Mommy
You've also switched to mostly 0-3 clothing and moved on to size 1 diapers. Best of all, you're squarely in the double digits weight wise. Hello 10 lbs 4 oz!
All in all you're growing up and still such a sweet girl, though you've recently developed the nasty habit of crying and crying at bedtime... Whether we go earlier or later, you are not a happy camper... But we are on the case, and hopefully we can make you a happy girl again soon.
Much love
Your Mommy
Sunday, March 31, 2013
2 months ( looking back)
Dear Tabitha,
I am a second child too, and your Daddy is the third, so we definitely know what its like to be the "younger" sibling! And so I totally understand it if, you bring up the fact that I missed your second letter....but believe me when I say, if the current circumstances had happened with Ransom I would have missed a letter then too!
That being said, let me catch you up on the last month of your life! We've moved to Texas! Now you're in your home state and we're so happy to be here! When you were 9 weeks old, your brother and Ms Deb and I took a two day trip from Georgia to Texas, and then a week later you and I took one more day trip to our new home in San Antonio. Can I just stop and say that you were a DREAM BABY!?! You literally slept and sat quietly in your carseat the WHOLE WAY unless you were hungry and then you'd wail a little bit until we stopped to feed you! What a sweetie you are!
On our way to our new home in San Antonio, we stopped in Nacogdoches for a week. You got to see your Spicy and Papa and Nana and Grandpa and Mimi, you got to meet your Uncle Josh for the first time and play with your cousins and Aunt Anna and Uncle Ryan. But my favorite day of the trip was definitely when we went to Bethlehem Mission and we got to show you off to our church family there. You were so surrounded by love and it was so striking to me that these were the people who prayed so hard to keep you in my tummy and for your heart to be healed. You, my dear, are so loved! And many people exclaimed that God must have great things for your future. And indeed He does! But even now, in your present days He is using you to remind others of what He can do! That is a very cool gift to have!
We are now in our new home and your first week here was not your best...you had a bad head cold and you can put any pig to shame with your awesome snorty ways! But, don't worry, its very cute ;-) But now we are settled in and hopefully creating a normal schedule again. For my own reminder here's what a normal day for you looks like:
You wake up around 6am and ask "sweetly" to eat ( scream). I then feed you and lay you back down and you usually sleep a little more until 9am when you eat again. This is when I "officially" get you up for the day. You watch your brother play or eat breakfast or come along with us on some morning adventure, and you usually take a nap around 10 or 10:30. So far you're still happy to take a nap in your car seat if needed, which I know Ransom and Mommy are both happy about! You wake up from your nap around noon and eat again ( as you can see, you're living the 3 hour eat/sleep schedule dream right now). Then you're up for another hour and usually go down for a nap again around 1:30. You are usually pretty good about going down for a nap, but you usually cry a little before each nap time. But never longer than 30 minutes ( but believe me, 30 minutes seems like a looooong time when someones screaming). But once you're good and swaddled and have your paci , have had your cry-you go right to sleep. The schedule continues on at 3pm and 6pm eating times, and then you go to bed around 8pm. You often have a rough time going to sleep at night and we start the sleep process around 7:00 but you usually take a good hour to get nice and settled-you'll sleep on and off between crying from 7-8.
I will then get you up at 10pm for a "dream feed" and more settled into the night. After that feeding you go right back to sleep until 3am when you wake up and eat again. I'm hoping beyond hoping that you'll drop this feeding soon. Mama wants to sleep through the night again one day...but I'm not pushing you! You're still my tiny little thing and I figure you need as many meals as you can get!
I hope that now that we are more settled into our new home I will do better about sharing about your days. You have a wonderful little smile that lights up your whole face. You like to follow your brother around the room with your eyes-he is definitely the most interesting thing going on around here! And he is very sweet to you and loves giving you kisses and asking you if its ok if he plays with your bear. He also likes to lay on blankets with you and pretend that you're riding a boat or a trolley or a plane or whatever other kind of motor vehicle he feels like "riding" with you. I know the two of you are going to have great fun together!
Love you with all our hearts,
Mommy
I am a second child too, and your Daddy is the third, so we definitely know what its like to be the "younger" sibling! And so I totally understand it if, you bring up the fact that I missed your second letter....but believe me when I say, if the current circumstances had happened with Ransom I would have missed a letter then too!
That being said, let me catch you up on the last month of your life! We've moved to Texas! Now you're in your home state and we're so happy to be here! When you were 9 weeks old, your brother and Ms Deb and I took a two day trip from Georgia to Texas, and then a week later you and I took one more day trip to our new home in San Antonio. Can I just stop and say that you were a DREAM BABY!?! You literally slept and sat quietly in your carseat the WHOLE WAY unless you were hungry and then you'd wail a little bit until we stopped to feed you! What a sweetie you are!
On our way to our new home in San Antonio, we stopped in Nacogdoches for a week. You got to see your Spicy and Papa and Nana and Grandpa and Mimi, you got to meet your Uncle Josh for the first time and play with your cousins and Aunt Anna and Uncle Ryan. But my favorite day of the trip was definitely when we went to Bethlehem Mission and we got to show you off to our church family there. You were so surrounded by love and it was so striking to me that these were the people who prayed so hard to keep you in my tummy and for your heart to be healed. You, my dear, are so loved! And many people exclaimed that God must have great things for your future. And indeed He does! But even now, in your present days He is using you to remind others of what He can do! That is a very cool gift to have!
We are now in our new home and your first week here was not your best...you had a bad head cold and you can put any pig to shame with your awesome snorty ways! But, don't worry, its very cute ;-) But now we are settled in and hopefully creating a normal schedule again. For my own reminder here's what a normal day for you looks like:
You wake up around 6am and ask "sweetly" to eat ( scream). I then feed you and lay you back down and you usually sleep a little more until 9am when you eat again. This is when I "officially" get you up for the day. You watch your brother play or eat breakfast or come along with us on some morning adventure, and you usually take a nap around 10 or 10:30. So far you're still happy to take a nap in your car seat if needed, which I know Ransom and Mommy are both happy about! You wake up from your nap around noon and eat again ( as you can see, you're living the 3 hour eat/sleep schedule dream right now). Then you're up for another hour and usually go down for a nap again around 1:30. You are usually pretty good about going down for a nap, but you usually cry a little before each nap time. But never longer than 30 minutes ( but believe me, 30 minutes seems like a looooong time when someones screaming). But once you're good and swaddled and have your paci , have had your cry-you go right to sleep. The schedule continues on at 3pm and 6pm eating times, and then you go to bed around 8pm. You often have a rough time going to sleep at night and we start the sleep process around 7:00 but you usually take a good hour to get nice and settled-you'll sleep on and off between crying from 7-8.
I will then get you up at 10pm for a "dream feed" and more settled into the night. After that feeding you go right back to sleep until 3am when you wake up and eat again. I'm hoping beyond hoping that you'll drop this feeding soon. Mama wants to sleep through the night again one day...but I'm not pushing you! You're still my tiny little thing and I figure you need as many meals as you can get!
I hope that now that we are more settled into our new home I will do better about sharing about your days. You have a wonderful little smile that lights up your whole face. You like to follow your brother around the room with your eyes-he is definitely the most interesting thing going on around here! And he is very sweet to you and loves giving you kisses and asking you if its ok if he plays with your bear. He also likes to lay on blankets with you and pretend that you're riding a boat or a trolley or a plane or whatever other kind of motor vehicle he feels like "riding" with you. I know the two of you are going to have great fun together!
Love you with all our hearts,
Mommy
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
one month
Dear Tabitha,
You are one month old today. This is MIND BLOWING because when I think of all the things that we've fit into the past month its hard to believe its just been four weeks.
Sure, I've shared your birth story but I havent shared that just three days after you were born you went into the clinic at Texas Children's Hospital and we were told you were jaundice and that meant that you'd need to be admitted BACK into the hospital, into the NICU and go under the big blue lights....Now, many people when I announced this news on facebook, told me that this was NO BIG DEAL and that babies get treated for jaundice all the time ( and for the record, they are right). But I was a bundle of nerves and emotions and for the first time since you were born ( with Ransom it was more like the first 12 hours so I was getting better!) I totally lost it. I cried and cried in a little waiting room while your Daddy went to get me pain meds because lets just say that sitting on a really hard chair for 8 hours is NOT good for a Mommy's recovery. And then when we arrived in the NICU and were given our own special little room ( this was a super blessing from the Lord, everyone else was in one big room together!) and your Daddy told me to go back to the Ronald McDonald House to rest, I told him he'd have to physically RIP me from that room before I'd leave, and I MEANT IT. You couldnt get me to leave you if armageddon was literally happening all around....You and me, baby girl, we're connected.
So, we spent a long 24 hours in the hospital, you tanning and me pumping ( you would eat faster from a bottle and therefore spend less time outside of your lights...). But, when we left we left in good health, and I was once again reminded just how LUCKY we were with you. In fact, I think that has been the theme for me this month...You are healthy little girl and that's a blessing.
Yes, it seems that God has spent all month reminding me about your good health...by giving me bad health. Ive spent more time in the hospital and the ER this month than I have since....well, October when I actually lived there. And every time another illness or bat sent me to the hospital I was reminded that it wasn't you. That YOU were a perfect little baby.
Yes, this month you've had some nipple confusion ( due to those lovely bottles in the NICU) and therefore you got cut off of the paci and bottle cold turkey for a while. This month you've mostly slept during the day , but these last few days you've spent more time awake during the day ( crying) and it looks like we'll have to start putting you on more of a schedule soon to help you take better naps, because when you ARE awake you aren't very happy and only like to be held. This isnt cool when your brother and a house that's about to be moved to a different state are calling my name, but mostly you're the kind of baby that I'd like to just hold all day.
The other wonderful thing about this month is that you've gotten to meet a lot of the people that prayed for you while you were in my tummy. I got to watch person after person hold you and fawn over you and experience their own little miracle. Because that's what you are, you aren't just our miracle, you are the miracle of many....and just as the Bible says about your name sake, we hope that because of your Life many will come to believe in Jesus Christ.
As of today you weight 6 lbs 10 oz...which is awesome! You've gained over a pound in your first month of life! Good work baby girl!
We love you,
Mommy
You are one month old today. This is MIND BLOWING because when I think of all the things that we've fit into the past month its hard to believe its just been four weeks.
Sure, I've shared your birth story but I havent shared that just three days after you were born you went into the clinic at Texas Children's Hospital and we were told you were jaundice and that meant that you'd need to be admitted BACK into the hospital, into the NICU and go under the big blue lights....Now, many people when I announced this news on facebook, told me that this was NO BIG DEAL and that babies get treated for jaundice all the time ( and for the record, they are right). But I was a bundle of nerves and emotions and for the first time since you were born ( with Ransom it was more like the first 12 hours so I was getting better!) I totally lost it. I cried and cried in a little waiting room while your Daddy went to get me pain meds because lets just say that sitting on a really hard chair for 8 hours is NOT good for a Mommy's recovery. And then when we arrived in the NICU and were given our own special little room ( this was a super blessing from the Lord, everyone else was in one big room together!) and your Daddy told me to go back to the Ronald McDonald House to rest, I told him he'd have to physically RIP me from that room before I'd leave, and I MEANT IT. You couldnt get me to leave you if armageddon was literally happening all around....You and me, baby girl, we're connected.
So, we spent a long 24 hours in the hospital, you tanning and me pumping ( you would eat faster from a bottle and therefore spend less time outside of your lights...). But, when we left we left in good health, and I was once again reminded just how LUCKY we were with you. In fact, I think that has been the theme for me this month...You are healthy little girl and that's a blessing.
Yes, it seems that God has spent all month reminding me about your good health...by giving me bad health. Ive spent more time in the hospital and the ER this month than I have since....well, October when I actually lived there. And every time another illness or bat sent me to the hospital I was reminded that it wasn't you. That YOU were a perfect little baby.
Yes, this month you've had some nipple confusion ( due to those lovely bottles in the NICU) and therefore you got cut off of the paci and bottle cold turkey for a while. This month you've mostly slept during the day , but these last few days you've spent more time awake during the day ( crying) and it looks like we'll have to start putting you on more of a schedule soon to help you take better naps, because when you ARE awake you aren't very happy and only like to be held. This isnt cool when your brother and a house that's about to be moved to a different state are calling my name, but mostly you're the kind of baby that I'd like to just hold all day.
The other wonderful thing about this month is that you've gotten to meet a lot of the people that prayed for you while you were in my tummy. I got to watch person after person hold you and fawn over you and experience their own little miracle. Because that's what you are, you aren't just our miracle, you are the miracle of many....and just as the Bible says about your name sake, we hope that because of your Life many will come to believe in Jesus Christ.
As of today you weight 6 lbs 10 oz...which is awesome! You've gained over a pound in your first month of life! Good work baby girl!
We love you,
Mommy
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