Yipee, I'm three!!

Yay!!  We've made it all the way to the end of the "Happy Birthday Blogging Bonanza!"

Happy 1st Birthday, Tatem Rose!

A SPRINKLES Party!

Party Pics

Peas in a pod

Yes!  I LOVE it!  (The many obsessions of an almost 3 year old)

Breastfeeding vs. formula...the stuff you won't read in a book:)

I LOVE YOU!

Rejoicing over T's 1st HEALTHY well check!!

Traditions that make me

Happy

Dancing baby

Adoption vs. Pregnancy

Yipee, I'm three!!

That means that our precious Landrie Grace is THREE years old!  (Well, she turned three on Sept. 14th!)  Mark took the morning off to celebrate her birthday, as if we hadn't done enough celebrating already!  

We saved a few presents for her actual birthday, but she opened most of them during the weekend of her party!  She was SO excited to get more!

There's a commercial for a Baby Alive who can walk, and Landrie thinks it's the funniest thing.  When I asked her what show she wanted to watch, she would say, "Baby Waddle!"  (They say something about her waddling in the commercial.)  I guess because they advertise so many other kid shows she thought it was a new show.  One day I think we watched the commercial 20 times in a row.  She just giggled the whole time!  This was her face when she opened her very own Baby Alive!

SO in love!  She got the one that you can feed pretend food that disappears, not the one that requires diaper changes. :)    

We let her pick a breakfast spot, and of course she wanted to go get donuts!

Look at my THREE year old baby!  When I call her "Baby,"  she likes to say, "Silly Mommy, I not a baby, I a BIG girl!"  Then I have to tell her that she'll always be my baby girl!

My cake-hating Tatem tentatively tried a donut hole.  Landrie and Baby were there for moral support, cheering her on!

"Hey, I like this!!"

Daddy and the birthday girl, who took a break from devouring her donut just long enough to smile.  She even offered Mark a bite.  Well, it was actually one, single sprinkle from her donut, but as much as she loves donuts, that's impressive!

We love you, Landrie Grace!!  Happy THIRD birthday!!

Did you miss part of the series?  Check out all the birthday posts here:

Happy Birthday Blogging Bonanza!

Adoption vs. Pregnancy

Haha!  I'm cheating by finishing this post I started 5 months ago and never finished! :) Tomorrow is the final day of the "Happy Birthday Blogging Bonanza!"

Happy 1st Birthday, Tatem Rose!

A SPRINKLES Party!

Party Pics

Peas in a pod

Yes!  I LOVE it!  (The many obsessions of an almost 3 year old)

Breastfeeding vs. formula...the stuff you won't read in a book:)

I LOVE YOU!

Rejoicing over T's 1st HEALTHY well check!!

Traditions that make me

Happy

Dancing baby

Adoption vs. Pregnancy

Yipee, I'm three!!

I feel like I'm FINALLY out of the new baby fog (7 months later!), which is probably because Tatem is sleeping all night long!  Also, April marks the anniversary of Landrie's Gotcha Day, which is the day her adoption was finalized.  What better time than to compare adoption and pregnancy?  I know you want to know.  Lots of you have asked, but there are so many more of you who I only know through the blog!  So, here goes!

1.  What was the first moment you laid eyes on each baby like?  Was is better with Tatem since you gave birth to her?  This is question I get asked the most often.  Before I gave birth I wondered too!  The answer is that I actually bonded with Landrie easier and more instantly than with Tatem!  Landrie was our first, and I physically felt GREAT when I first held her.  She was maybe 20 minutes old and all our dreams came true in that moment.  With Tatem, I was in labor all night and on some crazy drugs that made me SO tired.  Of course I was happy to have a baby, but I think I hugged her and took a nap.  I didn't even stay awake during those first precious hours when they let the baby stay in your room!  Later that day, I had taken a nap and got to love on my baby.  Of course, I was head over heels in love with her too!  :)

2.  Everyone LOVES a pregnant girl.  Did you miss that by adopting?  I thought I would.  I was the girl who couldn't wait to be pregnant.  I actually bought maternity clothes before we even started trying to have a baby!  Actually, people were SO intrigued by our story that I felt like I got what a pregnant girl gets x10, and no one ever rubbed my belly.  haha!

3.  How did people react when you told them you were adopting?  Did people say the wrong thing and upset you?  Our families were overjoyed!  One of the reasons we started this blog was to just put it all out there.  We wanted to answer questions people have about adoption and clear up lots of the assumptions many people still have.  Since we wrote all about birth moms in general here, when we got matched, no one assumed she the worst. (or at least they knew better than to tell me. :)  )  I think in our situation, if we got pregnant (instead of announcing an adoption), everyone would have been ecstatic because we had waited so long.  I know many girls who have not gotten a great response with their pregnancy announcement, even with a silly reason, like if their babies were close together or they were newly married!  Bottom line is that it may take some people awhile to warm up to the fact that you'll be bringing a baby home, but if they love you, they'll love your little bundle of joy too!

4.  Was it hard to wait so long with adoption?  Well, I don't know.  I feel like we waited FOREVER to have a baby, but each step of the adoption went by pretty quickly.  No step lasted longer than two months!  When I was pregnant with Tatem, I actually had a book that showed how the baby developed each day!  Each day seemed soooo long, and waiting for what was happening until next week was too long.  Ask a pregnant girl how far along she is.  There's a good chance she'll answer with something like almost 27 weeks.  Yup, she's counting the days!  It's just a different kind of waiting.  One, you have a deadline, and the other, you know what's coming, but not when!  With adoption, you might actually get your baby sooner than 40 weeks!

5.  Was it agony knowing she could change her mind and take her baby back?  In Texas, a birth mom can sign the adoption paperwork after 48 hours.  Birth moms taking their babies back after months or years just is not a reality.  In adoption, the uncertain "first trimester" just happens in your baby's birth mom's LAST trimester.  Losing a baby, whether she's in your belly or in your heart is just heart breaking.  If everything goes well though, instead of breathing a sigh of relief that your pregnancy is okay and announcing your pregnancy, you bring a baby home!

6.  What's the best perk of adoption?  Hands down, that I felt GREAT for the entire 9 months before Landrie was born, and and I got to wear my jeans home from the hospital.  :)  Not putting my body through the wringer, but still getting a baby was a big plus!  Wait a minute...that's what our husbands get every time!!  :)

7.  What's the best perk of pregnancy?  That Tatem's birth was happy for everyone.  It was agonizing watching Landrie's birth mom with her, knowing that she was making such a tough decision.  Of course, everyone's first fear is, "What if she changes her mind?"  Well, once "she" has a face, it's a whole different ball game.  It was hard to even pray that she would go through with it, because I knew what heart ache it would cause.  That's why we are so thankful for our open adoption, because we still get to keep in touch with Landrie's birth mom.

Here's a picture and caption from this post:

This was the first moment we laid eyes on our little miracle! It was such a dream come true! I can't even explain the joy we are feeling. Our hearts are full and overflowing.

Here's one of each of us with Tatem from this post.  We never got a family shot until a few days later!

Look at that beautiful baby (and tired mamma)!

True love!

Landrie grew in Brianna's belly and in my heart, and Tatem grew in my belly and my heart.  Although the ways God brought our girls to our family are very different, they are both 100% ours, and we couldn't possibly love them more!!!

Dancing Baby

It's "Happy Birthday Blogging Bonanza!" time!!

Happy 1st Birthday, Tatem Rose!

A SPRINKLES Party!

Party Pics

Peas in a pod

Yes!  I LOVE it!  (The many obsessions of an almost 3 year old)

Breastfeeding vs. formula...the stuff you won't read in a book:)

I LOVE YOU!

Rejoicing over T's 1st HEALTHY well check!!

Traditions that make me

Happy

Dancing baby

A

Yipee, I'm three!!

Traditions that make me Happy!

Well, today is my precious baby girl's THIRD birthday!  Eek!  Her post is coming up soon!  I'm a bit behind on my "Happy Birthday Blogging Bonanza!" If you are so crazy as to bite off a series for your blog, then choose a shorter phrase.  :)  

Happy 1st Birthday, Tatem Rose!
A SPRINKLES Party!
Party Pics
Peas in a pod
Yes!  I LOVE it!  (The many obsessions of an almost 3 year old)

Breastfeeding vs. formula...the stuff you won't read in a book:)
I LOVE YOU!
Rejoicing over T's 1st HEALTHY well check!!
Traditions that make me
Happy:)
Dancing baby
A
Yipee, I'm three!!

Oh, I LOVE traditions!  Mark's parents have a really sweet one.  When the first grandchild in each family turns one, she gets a table with one chair.  When siblings are born, they get their own chair too!

Did I mention they are beautifully hand painted??  Do you see their names painted on the seats?  I LOVE them!  Mark's dad is amazing!  When our nephew Cade saw Tatem's new chair, he started talking about the chairs and table his family has.  He said, "Yeah, he's really, really good.  Like, he should probably paint for his job or something!"  :)

Tatem is always happy in the kitchen, and this morning she was checking out her new chair.  :)

See all the little details?  And those adorable squishy toes?  

I'm so thirsty!!

A few days ago the girls were having a little tea party and hardly noticed me as I snapped away.

Yay for tea parties!!

Yay for a little sister who is doesn't just lay there anymore and is finally old enough to play!

Oh, Tatem is pretty proud of herself when she realizes she can do a "big kid" thing!  Do you see her just sitting in that chair?  Where did my baby go?

Hi, Mommy!

"Tatem, you like your cupcake?"

"Yup!  It's so yummy I've gotta lick my plate clean!"

haha!

Notice how Tatem is slowing encroaching on Landrie's chair...  I'm sure Landrie won't mind though!

Awwwwww!

"Get back in your chair!  I help her, mamma."

"I don't want your help!"

Oh my!  I guess this is what they mean by a love/hate relationship!  haha!  

Thank you, PonPon and Amma for the BEAUTIFUL new chair!  We love it!  I hope one day that little table is full of chairs!  :)

Rejoicing over T's 1st HEALTHY well check!!

Welcome back to the "Happy Birthday Blogging Bonanza!"  I'm loving catching up on this blog, because it's the only scrapbook/ baby book of my girls that exists!  I'm so thankful to have all these sweet memories written down!   

Happy 1st Birthday, Tatem Rose!
A SPRINKLES Party!
Party Pics
Peas in a pod
Yes!  I LOVE it!  (The many obsessions of an almost 3 year old)

Breastfeeding vs. formula...the stuff you won't read in a book:)
I LOVE YOU!
Rejoicing over T's 1st HEALTHY well check!!
Traditions
H
Dancing baby
A
Yipee, I'm three!!

Today we went to Tatem's 12 month well check.  Guess what?!!  She's HEALTHY!  That's right, for the 1st time we went to a well check and didn't come away with a scary new diagnosis!  Check out the past year:

(photo by Jenny Sawyer Photography)
newborn

When Tatem was born, she was just gorgeous and snuggly.  The pediatrician on call said her head was "squished."  We didn't like him so much!

2 month well check
She was diagnosed with torticollis, and began weekly trips to see her physical therapist, the AMAZING Miss Morgan.  We also started doing her neck stretches at home 6-8 times a day.  I was a bit over the edge at first, but it soon became so normal.

4 month well check
Tatem was diagnosed with Phlageocephaly!  This asymmetrical head problem is really common among Torticollis babies, since they like to lay on the same side of their still-squishable heads.  Tatem was fitted with her oh-so-fashionable helmet.  It took me about 2 minutes to scotch tape a bow on there!  

6 month well check

We were kind of expecting the other things, but we were shocked to find out she also had hip dysplaysia!  Thankfully she was able to wear this soft, removable harness instead of the full body cast the doctor originally said she needed!  It was HARD to bring my baby in public in this head- to- toe get up.  People were so kind, and it seemed like everyone we saw managed to strike up a conversation about it!


9 month well check
I filled out the developmental paperwork for her appointment and soon realized I wasn't able to check off many boxes. :(  As a matter of fact, little miss was behind in every single area (speech/communication, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, social development and whatever other categories they had!).  Tatem's doctor said I could wait until her 12 month check up or call ECI (the state's early childhood intervention program), but we opted to work with Tatem's physical therapist instead.  I quit treating Tatem like a newborn, and we got to work!!

12 month well check

Tatem can talk, walk, play peek-a book, wave good-bye, throw a purse over her arm, pick up her favorite tiny black beans and frozen peas...she's right where she needs to be!  We are SO, SO thankful for such a great report.  This morning her doctor said she looks like a very healthy little girl. :)  We will continue PT for a bit longer to help strengthen her neck as she learns to walk, but all the other problems are completely healed!  No more x-rays or sonos or appointments with specialists or stinky helmets or driving all over town!  

As a Christian, God does not promise me a perfect life, free from any problems.  He DOES promise to be right there with me, every step of the way.  We are so thankful for Tatem's complete and total healing!!  I am so thankful that my God was there to comfort me and give me peace through the past year of so many things we were not expecting for our beautiful baby girl.

I... LOVE... YOU!

Welcome back to the "Happy Birthday Blogging Bonanza!"  

Happy 1st Birthday, Tatem Rose!
A SPRINKLES Party!
Party Pics
Peas in a pod
Yes!  I LOVE it!  (The many obsessions of an almost 3 year old)

Breastfeeding vs. formula...the stuff you won't read in a book:)
I LOVE YOU!
R
Traditions
H
Dancing baby
A
Yipee, I'm three!!

Breastfeeding vs. formula...the stuff you won't read in a book!

Hey, y'all!  We've moved on to the 2nd word of the "Happy Birthday Blogging Bonanza!"  Thanks for sticking with me!

Happy 1st Birthday, Tatem Rose!
A SPRINKLES Party!
Party Pics
Peas in a pod
Yes!  I LOVE it!  (The many obsessions of an almost 3 year old)

Breastfeeding vs. formula...the stuff you won't read in a book:)
I LOVE YOU!
R
Traditions
H
Dancing baby
A
Yipee, I'm three!!

Don't be scared by today's title!  I'll keep this fun for all. :)

When you are expecting a baby, whether waiting for an adoption or if you are pregnant, there's one thing we all have in common.  We want the absolute best for our babies!  No matter what you decide is best for you and your baby, as long as you feed her something, you're doing a great (and really hard!) job!

source

Mark and I took a parenting class at the local hospital.  There were 9 couples.  Six were pregnant and three of us were adopting!  It was so neat to be in there with other adoptive couples.  Even so, the teacher went on and ON about breastfeeding and made us feel like inferior parents for formula feeding.  Eek!  It was not fun.  Now I know why they do that.  It's hard!!  

As of this week, I've made it through 12 months of formula feeding with Landrie, and 12 months of breastfeeding with Tatem.  I read all the books, and if you've read them (or even the back of a formula can!), you know that breastfeeding has LOTS of benefits.  Here's a few that they don't write on the can. :)

cute nursing covers from here

1.  Breast milk never ever spoils.  Ever.  I once pumped a bottle when we were going somewhere and accidentally left half of it in the car.  When we got back in the car a few days later, (we didn't get out much at first!) it still looked and smelled fine!  Of course I didn't use it, but I was amazed! I have heard that organic milk lasts a lot longer than regular milk.  Obviously, I'm not suggesting that you leave your pumped bottles out indefinitely, but I LOVED not dealing with gross formula bottles I forgot in the diaper bag.  Ewww.

2.  Breast milk doesn't stink!  Formula smells really bad.  Really, really bad.

3.  Breast milk doesn't stain clothes!  Landrie spit up a LOT.  Her cute little clothes got so stained.  Tatem doesn't spit up much, but when she does, it washes right out!

4.  It burns an average of 500 calories a day!  WOW!  I can't think of anything else that burns that many calories while sitting still. :)  That's like doing 1 hour of Zumba a day!

5.  Speaking of #4, breastfeeding is like exercise.  For a lot of people, it's really hard in the beginning, but once you get the hang of it, it's amazing and much easier than bottles!  So, now I get why the people at the hospital were so forceful about it and why the people in the books list a million reasons why you should.  Just like all the exercise gurus, they know that if you'll just push through the first, hard part, then you'll love it!

on the other hand...

1.  If you bottle feed, you never will experience the awkward moment of being in the middle of feeding (well-covered, of course) and realize that you should have gone in another room!  haha!

2.  Your husband can never say, "I would get up in the middle of the night, but there's nothing I can do!"

3.  While I love the closeness of feeding Tatem, it's complete HOGWASH to say that you'll be closer to your baby if you breast feed her!!  I loved snuggling Landrie when I gave her a bottle.  As a matter of fact, I had a huge problem with quitting the bottle and kept it up until Landrie was 13 months.  :)  I had to put this one on here, because I read it more than once.  :/

13 month old Landrie still snuggling with me and having a bottle. :)

After reading all those books and reading my oh-so-informative lists, (haha!) you are still on the fence?  Just adopt your baby and have your friends give you their frozen milk!  I know lots of people who do it!  :)  It's actually been done for thousands of years, well, minus the Medela pump-in-style and the freezer!  Remember in the Bible how Moses' mom put him in the basket in the river so he wouldn't be killed?  When the daughter of the pharaoh found him floating along, the royal family sent for a woman who could feed their newly adopted son!  (In an only- God-could-do-this twist, Moses' bio mom was actually the one who fed him!)  

Of course, there are many other options if you adopt too.  You can even take herbs and some medicines, pump and start up milk production without ever being pregnant!  Isn't that amazing?  

YES! I LOVE it! (The many obsessions of an almost 3 year old)

Welcome back!  It's already Day 5 of the "Happy Birthday Blogging Bonanza!"  

Happy 1st Birthday, Tatem Rose!
A SPRINKLES Party!
Party Pics
Peas in a pod
Yes!  I LOVE it!  (The many obsessions of an almost 3 year old)

Breastfeeding vs. formula...the stuff you won't read in a book:)
I LOVE YOU!
R
Traditions
H
Dancing baby
A
Yipee, I'm three!!

When Landrie is into something, she's REALLY into it!  I thought the Elmo phase might never end, but although we still have a DVR full of Sesame Street episodes, she doesn't ever ask for them!  Sometimes she sticks with things awhile, other times they are over before they start.  Here are a few of her 2 year-old obsessions. :)

Landrie LOVES too cook, to have tea parties, to make cupcakes, to bring us drinks or basically anything to do with her kitchen!  Tatem, of course, is starting to follow in her footsteps. :)

current status: still in love

"School" type games are some of her favorites.  I cut these fish out of leftover scrapbook paper, hot glued one of the MANY metal washers leftover from assembling our play set, and wrote a letter on each tail.  Landrie loves fishing with her magnetic pole, then telling me the letter and sometimes even the sound!

current status: still in love, but only during Tatem's naps!

We have a park with trails a short walk from our house.  We love to take walks down there and check out the fish, turtles and playgrounds!  

current status: It's too hot now, but we can't wait for fall walks!

Look under that yellow swing seat.  Do you see the bunny?  We have a family of bunnies that lives on our highly-suburban cul-de-sac!  They are really used to people and let us get really close.  Landrie loves to leave snacks for them. :)

current status: still in love

During her afternoon rest time and at bedtime, Landrie always requests her "yibrary" books in her bed!  This time she literally fell asleep reading.  So sweet!

current status: still in love

This was another easy school project.  I drew blanks on a paper, put out the letters of her name and sprayed water (well, actually I used her hair detangler because it was in a spray bottle!) over the letters.

Then Landrie worked quickly to put the letters in the right spot!

current status: still in love

Oh, the puzzles!  I was shocked at how quickly she caught on to these jigsaw puzzles!  Here she's working with her bio sister, Brynn one day when her birth mom Brianna was visiting. :)  We started with a set of 3 Dora puzzles, and every time we start, she says, "We do DOR-UH'S face!"  In the peak of her obsession, she would do them for 20 minutes at a time, multiple times a day.  It was crazy!

current status: She's kind of over the puzzles!  She might do one here and there, but not anything like at first.

current status, part 2:  She's kind of over Dora too!  She still plays with her Dora toys, but almost never asks to watch the show.  

That brings us to this guy.  Super Why is her new favorite show!  This cute PBS is actually not an annoying one (very important from a parent's perspective!) and it teaches all the early reading skills.  She LOVES it!  (Tatem loves dancing to it, but I'm getting ahead of my blogging.  That's for another day!)

current status: head over heels in love!

She is happy to let me take her picture!  That makes me so happy. :)  She really, really loves to make videos on my phone, and watch them, but unfortunately they don't transfer to my computer easily. :(

current status: still in love

Oh, Landrie ADORES her daddy!  Once Tatem started getting old enough to demand more of his attention, Landrie started getting a little jealous!!  We realized that while I get time alone with each girl during the day, both are awake from the time Mark gets home until bedtime.  Landrie needed more attention!!  Here they are on their way to an ice cream date one night.  Now we try to let Landrie go with Mark to run an errand or on a date.  She LOVES the special time with just the two of them.

current status: still in love

Just like Landrie loves to play in her kitchen, she loves to cook in the real kitchen too!  It's hard for me to do anything without hearing a sweet little, "I help you, Momma?"  From bringing things to the table for me to pouring ingredients into a bowl, she's happy to help!  I don't remember where I got this idea, but it works GREAT.  Landrie uses a cheese knife to help me cook.  She cuts fruit and can (kind of) make her own sandwich!  She thinks she is so grown up!

current status: still in love

The oh-so-wise-and-mature side of Landrie loves to teach Tatem new things.  I often hear something like, "TayTay, say it like this: wo-ah.  Like this.  Great job, TayTay!"  I love this shot of Tatem saying "woah!" for the first time!  What was so amazing that prompted this new word, you ask?

current status: still in love

A messy project!!  This one caught my eye after Noelle (another adoptive mom from our agency) posted it on facebook.  I can almost guarantee you have the 3 ingredients needed to make these smash balls!  When she was little, I tried to let her finger paint, and she was grossed out.  I'm glad to say that she's overcome that fear and is happy to get messy!

current status: still in love

Mark, Tatem and I have an obsession too!  It's almost three-year-old Landrie Grace!!

current status: head over heels in love FOREVER!!!