Category: Totally Tatum

Apparently, Tatum has a boyfriend. Huh? She has moved on from Jacob since now he’s in the 1 -year old room. Today, when Will saw she had arrived, he vigoruously crawled toward Tatum with a big toothless smile. She came toward him with her big blue eyes, and he was pleased. Then, she accidentally bumped the floor and began to cry. Will carefully placed his little hand on the small of her back. Oh my….

Pull; push

Slide to the left; slide to the right

Put it in; take it out

Her abilities continue to surprise me. Yesterday, she figured out which hexagon goes into the correct cup. There are 9 nested cups, and she is testing the sizes. It is adorable to watch her gurgle sounds while she figures it out.

The  goal is for her to stay focused on the task, and I find she tends to be focused on EVERYTHING else around her. I wonder where she gets that?? Hmm….  So, we are helping her try until she succeeds.

My mom is such a HUGE help to her, because I feel so ill-equipped in teaching her these fundamentals. When I am with her, I tend to entertain her and help her stay HAPPY! Mom helps me be patient with her and SHOW her HOW to do whatever the task at the moment may be. She has a plethora of “teaching toys” which are full of inherent skills like push, pull, in, out, up, down etc. This ranges from blocks to puzzles to things with wheels. (thank you MOM!! 🙂 I can tell that this is the time when she can truly develop some great habits. Perhaps the brain is making those connections right now so when she CAN do something, she can build on that. Yesterday, she actually PULLED the beads apart on her own. Now, if she could just get the little square person in the little square hole. One verb at a time!

 

Waiting in a pediatrician’s office for 30 minutes requires much creativity. I literally had her bag on the bench as she attempted to pull out all of the items as we waited patiently for Dr. Sotelo. She grabbed the Girls Rule book that a friend gave me. Perfect! She dived in to attempt to read taste it!

Whew! He showed, and we learned…How is Taters at 9.5 months??

She is only 16.8 lbs. This is about 15%ile. Now, her height??? Teeny girl! She is only 25.8 inches which is in the ONE %ile!!
It is time to venture out and give her meat now; what this looks like is now in a baby food jar. In a couple weeks, I can give her “table food.” I am supposed to know what this is. He says just give her bits of food. Huh? Bits of what? I need details. So, I am off to see a “day’s diet” for a 10 month year old.
Tonight, we tried sweet potato with chicken (compliment the Earth’s First chefs!) and she loved it. Add a few green bean pure ala Gerber, and you have a great meal. So, tomorrow? It’s time to shop the baby meat section. Sounds like an oxymoron.

Become Your Daughter’s Inspiration, Christian Women, Faith, Spiritual Life.

Yep! She is CRAWLING…movin and groovin on down the floor! 🙂

AND..I love waking up to this smile! 🙂

Tater time has become the focal point of my day (aside from my time with God :-)) Precious moments occur in the small doses, but they mean more now. From the moment I walk in her room with a melody of “Good morning to my Tot…” to the second we get into the car, it is quality. We play as much as possible while I get ready in the morning; it’s a good solid hour!

She also is learning to tie a shoe. Yes, this little Fisher Price boot, which was mine, is creating many learning opportunities! Square people…triangle people…laces! Oh, the choices.

Perhaps I should taste them first?

Once I pick her up, they give me the “report.” She is the class clown making everyone laugh constantly. She rarely cries, and loves to be silly. We come home and play in her playpen until dinner. Man, it challenges me to the core as I question our “bonding,” but I am constantly reminded that she is my gift from God. I will never take her for granted or forsake our relationship for the “other” in my life which, at times, can occupy all of my time.

This weekend, I spent ALL of Saturday and Sunday working…grading…planning. My job is round the clock, but NOW, I am so mindful of Tatum being number one. The work just happens around her/with her as I sit in her room and play as I try to focus on those countless Schaffer paragraphs I must assess. Soon, she’ll be my assistant!

Now, being Labor Day, I can rest with her ALL DAY, and be reminded that I’m so blessed. My goal for her is to be a kind, caring, loving person (who has some smarts but that won’t be everything.) Character counts, which keeps me aware of my character deficits and needs for improvement.

I must also thank my mom for being SOOOOO intergral in Tatum’s growth, my growth and my sanity. May we never forget the blessings.

It is hard to believe that one year ago today, I received a phone call from Dr. K. The opportunity crossed my path to become a mother. Three months TO THE DAY, November 22nd, Tatum Isabella was born. Yes, it is her 9-month birthday today, and I could not be more in love with her. Well, yes I could, but it just keeps getting more intense every day.

I rush to pick her up at 4pm and whisk her home to play with her. I soak in every minute, as I don’t even open my computer or phone for those 2 1/2 hours before she goes to bed. She is at the stage where she just wants to crawl all over me. We go up to her room for some “rocker” time before she goes to bed. She’s not a big cuddler and really would really be playing on the floor climbing all over the place. But, I don’t give up. We say our prayers and attempt to read a story every night.

Happy Birthday Tater Tot! :0)