Monday, April 30, 2018

Mother's Day Gift Guide

Mother's Day is right around the corner - my first time celebrating as a mom in addition to celebrating my own mom too! I still haven't decided what I want to do that day but I have dropped some hints to Derek for gifting.

My favorites are the standard card, flowers, chocolate covered strawberries and a gift card anywhere - preferably for nails or spa.  There are a bunch of new cook books out right now that I'd love to get my hands on too.


Wednesday, April 25, 2018

This & That

Tatum is into just about everything these days! We've been spending much of our time just like these photos... playing.


Last weekend Derek and I snuck out for a a night by ourselves for dinner and drinks.  It was a great way to kick off the weekend.


Mommy Spa Morning... the best way to spend a weekend morning.  An hour of peace and quiet along with a massage and then some more time to sit was the perfect relaxation.


Meanwhile the rest of the weekend was pretty relaxing too.  We spent time with friends, went to a street fair and enjoyed some quiet time at home.


The most recent update is Tatum starting in with baby food! We started off on Monday for the first time with just a little bit of baby cereal and will go from there - you can see below that Monday didn't go great, Tuesday went a little better - we finished the bowl at dinner and played with the spoon as a reward.


In other Tatum news, we have a mover on our hands.  He crawls from his playroom into the office, he pulls things from my bookshelf while in his walker (I've already rearranged anything fragile) and keeps us on our toes!

Monday, April 23, 2018

Tatum Beau: Six Months


Nicknames:
Tater-Tot, T-Beau, TB, Tater

Height/Weight/Health:

17 pounds 10 ounces (50the percentile) and 26 inches (38th percentile)

Clothes:

He started the month pretty solidly fitting into 3-6 month outfits.  More shirt/pants combos with a bodysuit under and less onesies - we still love the zip onesies for bedtime.

He started out in size two diapers and about halfway through the month moved up to size three.  We use the baby dry at night for him.

Feedings:
He eats anywhere between 5-8 ounces - most of it's dependent on how his previous feeding went.  If he has closer to 8 ounces - he's good to go for 3 hours, sometimes a little more.  If he has less then I usually save the bottle and we have a "snack" of a few ounces an hour or so later.  Before each of his naps he usually likes just a little bit of the bottle.

As we got closer to the six month mark he started eating more - we think he hit a growth spurt and was always hungry or fussy for a few days!

Sleep:

We tried moving into his crib early on and then brought him back into our room for a few more nights. We finally made the official move at about five and a half months and it was a smooth transition - it took me a little while to get used to seeing him sleeping on his stomach.

We usually start his bedtime routine of pajamas, owlet smart sock on, sleep sack on, some nights a bath and then always a bottle at about 8:15-8:30 and he goes right down.  He usually sleeps until between 7:30-8am other than waking for a quick 5am bottle and then right back down to sleep.

He'll usually lay or play in his crib for a little bit before we get him up for a diaper change and then usually will play a little bit more before his morning bottle.

For naps he isn't on a strict schedule yet - he'll usually do a morning, afternoon and evening nap - sometimes an extra little one in there if we're out and we just go with his flow.  Afternoon is always the longest nap - sometimes two hours.  We are still using his swing for naps because he loves it - we'll use it as long as we can before he outgrows it - getting close!

Activities:

He started music class shortly before six months.

Another favorite continues to be being pushed in his stroller - he loves naps too!

His little walker chair is his favorite - he "runs" all over the house in it and it can entertain him for a half hour + sometimes which helps mom out a lot! Since Easter he's been playing with his Easter eggs on the tray of it and throwing them all over.

Eating his hands is a favorite and he's started to enjoy sucking his thumb - just like his mommy did when she was little.

Likes:

Pushing himself up, moving around in his walker, playing in his activity centers/bouncers/playmats, eating his hands, blowing bubbles, watching sports on TV, when we blow on his face, grabbing faces, playing with his diapers and wipes packs.

Dislikes:
Not much at all :)

Milestones:
We moved him into his own room.. finally! We'd meant to do this at four months but with Derek traveling, loosing power for an entire weekend and then just finding little excuses we kept waiting. The first night was hard on all of us but after a couple nights we were adjusting well.

He sat in a high chair for the first time - won't last a whole meal but it's enough to keep him entertained for a bit - he's still a little small for them but we're giving it a try.

He uses his paci almost as a toy now and can put it in his mouth and take it out himself.  He's also slowly started trying to hold onto his bottle a little bit by himself too.

He had his first babysitter and we loved her! 

Adventures:

Even thought it was the "first day of spring" he experienced yet another huge snow storm.

He had many playdates with friends and even started music class once a week.

We did a bunch of Easter activities - a hayride to meet the Easter bunny, an Easter egg hunt, Easter Eve dinner, Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday at church, dying Easter eggs, a little Easter craft.

He attended his first settlement at the office at just 5 and a half months old - real estate is in his blood!

Other:
He celebrated his first Easter, went on a little egg hunt, saw the Easter bunny and all that fun stuff.  At Easter breakfast we gave him a tiny lick of syrup and icing.

He was baptized on Sunday, April 8th - it was a wonderful (chilly!) day spent celebrating with family and friends.

He's trying so hard to crawl! Right at about 5 1/2 months he really would start pushing himself up on his hands and knees and trying.  He'll scoot around a little bit and move all over the place.. I think we're just weeks away from actually crawling.

Friday, April 20, 2018

Friday Picks

Happy Friday! I always laugh each week how I used to get these posts together week after week for each Friday and now that I spend most of my time mom-ing it seems I can only get them together once a month.  Now that spring seems to be here.. almost I'm getting back into the shopping grove.

We are ready to enjoy a "quiet" at home weekend.. a date night, a birthday party, a spa morning for Mom, a family day and lots of relax time. 

A few favorites from the week.. I got this top in two colors yesterday (and wanted the other two colors so bad) - it's so flattering and perfect for a night out or something casual.  Amazon is beginning to be my new go to for sunglasses - they have great options for the best price.  These sandals are very similar to my favorite pair from last summer and so comfortable! I've been gathering ideas for my first Mother's Day gift and while many things are on the list... I've been eyeing this backpack/diaper bag and I love all the Chanel palette options (1st Mother's Day wishlist coming soon!).

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

A Day in the Life (3-6 months)


Another day in the life post... I did one for 0-3 months and that was a day that we were based from home so for 3-6 months I did a day that we were out and about.

Our weeks are starting to look a little similar - usually Mondays we do anything we need to around the house, catch up from the weekend, etc.  We either go into the office Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday Thursday (as we did this week). A typical Tuesday is the day I picked for this week.  Wednesday can be anything from errands to housework, to playing.  Thursday we usually do some kind of fun lunch and Friday I try to keep clear to do something "fun" and out/about.  We usually hit the grocery store twice a week, go on formula runs, to the car wash, wine pickup, etc.

Morning:
Today I was up at 7 (it can be anywhere from 6:15-7:30 usually... sometimes "snoozed" until just after 8) I usually lay in bed for a bit and check social media/blogs.  I almost always start my day by walking Stella if it's dry out (a little wet today) while Derek listens for Tatum - he can get up anywhere from 7-8 but doesn't mind cuddling in bed with us or playing in his crib.  Tuesdays are always one of two laundry days (the other is either Thursday or Friday) so I throw a load in before Stella and I head out.

After our walk it's the morning blur that's the same each day - workout with weights, empty the dishwasher, tidy up, pack our bags for the day if we're leaving - Tatum usually plays in his walker during this time and then we have a bottle - today a little early at 8:45 but usually between 9-10 and get him ready for the day.

This morning Derek helps me out and gives the bottle and I beg him to change the laundry over so I can have a bite of quiche before running out the door... late.  Last week Tatum started music class so at 9:30 we do that for 45 minutes and he's a little young but loves it, holding the instruments and watching the teacher.  He falls asleep right after in the car for about 40 minutes and then we do our weekly Target run which is almost always on Tuesdays too - whatever we need and whatever can fit under his stroller (if I need a lot my mom will usually watch him at the office for an hour so I can run in with a big cart and get everything).


Afternoon:
As we pull up at the office right about noon Tatum is crying for a bottle so we do that first!  I keep a stash of his things there so I don't have to pack him every day.  Typically I'd have tuna, a cheese stick and some peanut butter or something else light at my desk but Derek was in the office today so the three of us walked over to our favorite sushi place while my mom let Stella play in our office (our house cleaners were in today so we couldn't leave her home alone).  When we get back I get some work done at my desk while Tatum plays on his playmat before another bottle around 2 and a nap right after - when he woke up he played in his crib quietly so it was my big window to get things done. Other days he'll help handout checks and documents to everyone!

Before we left I did a little planning for our upcoming family trip to Charleston and Kiawah so I could get all our dining reservations - isn't that the most important part down there?!

We usually get home from anywhere between 3 and 5 depending when we get into the office - today we walked in right about 4:30 and I opened packages, checked the mail, etc. while Tatum finished his nap from the car in his car seat (if we're home he always takes his best nap of the day late afternoon in his swing so I'll either take a tv break or get work done in the office).

I throw my last laundry load of the day in - Tatum's and him and I set out for a walk - I love now that it's warmer I usually walk Stella in the morning and him in the afternoons.


Evening:
Tatum played in his walker while I finished up a few things in the office.  Like most days I'd wanted to sit in the living room for a glass of wine and quiet time and like most days that didn't happen, ha! Derek had a phone call and Tatum wanted to play so play we did.  I started getting dinner together - usually M/T/W it's something really simple and light but tonight we did chicken, mushrooms and potatoes.  I ended up getting about 20 minutes to sit by the fire and browse on my iPad before we ate... in front of the TV which we haven't done in a while, usually we just sit at the counter and eat quickly but we both had so much DVR to catch up on.

We rotate who puts Tatum to bed (and what time he goes down - anywhere from 7:30-9) so tonight Derek did it around 8 while I cleaned up downstairs.  Recently he's been going through a phase where he'll cry loudly for his pacifier about an hour or two after going to bed - he fell right back to sleep after getting it!

I worked on my blog post for the next day (and finished it the next day... something that never happened before Tatum) and headed up to bed an hour later than I thought.  No time for many things on the to do list (like most days) so baptism thank you's, an amazon order and finding a babysitter for an upcoming event will just have to wait until the next day.

I'm usually up to bed anywhere from 9 until much later - tonight was about 10:30 so after a little reading I went right to bed instead of my tv watching hopes.  Tatum was up around 1am and sucked down a whole bottle - thinking we are going through a growth spurt this week because an overnight bottle is rare these days!

Monday, April 16, 2018

Weekend Scenes


This weekend was a good one - it finally felt like spring - actually, more like summer... until yesterday when it was cold, wet and rainy.  We took full advantage of the nice weather on Friday/Saturday though... Friday was spent mostly outside - Tatum went to the park for the first time and both he and Stella each got a walk.  We went out with friends Friday night for dinner and drinks to enjoy the nice weather.


Saturday was all about LVP - Lisa Vanderpump was in town at one of the wine stores to promote her Vanderpump Rose.  I went with a few girlfriends to lunch and a couple hour wait in the line but it was the warmest day so all was fine.  Once inside we met Lisa, Pandora and Jason.  We finished off the day with some grilling to soak up the last little bit of the nice weather.


Yesterday we had a lazy day - we haven't had a weekend day with no plans in the longest time.  Last night we celebrated Tatum's half birthday with a little fiesta - he's six months old today! We won't celebrate a "half" every year but we thought it could be a fun thing to do for his first year!


I made two kinds of tacos and all the fixings, Tatum got to stay up past his bedtime and we had some great family time. 

Friday, April 13, 2018

Masters Weekend


About a week delayed but last Friday we had a party to kick off the weekend of The Masters.  Usually we have a little party on Saturday but with Tatum's baptism we decided to go with Friday night.  It worked well as we had friends in town and it was a great way to start the weekend as opposed to ending it.  

We kept it simple with sandwiches - some egg salad of course - and other easy salads and apps.  We had classic yellow tulips to keep the "Masters yellow & green" them going and it was a fun night. 


Tatum had fun helping set up - basically running around in his walker and in theme in his kissy kissy golf onesie.  Since he'd be going to be only an hour after the party started we just let him stay up and visit with everyone until bedtime.