Fussy Baby...what is wrong?

Long story, short, today Tatum was being a little fussy and we weren't sure why. She woke up during the night a few times and finally got up around 7:45am. She also had a runny nose. Well, after reading Kimberly's blog about Adalie's new tooth coming in and they didn't even know it(the dr. discovered it at her checkup), I decided to put my finger in Tatum's mouth to just feel around in there. What did I feel????? A tooth!! That's right, Tatum's first tooth is coming in. It has already broken through the skin and everything. I have noticed that everything is going straight to her mouth these days, but I just figured that was because she learned how to control her hands enough to get everything there.

Now, for all of you new parents or soon-to-be parents out there, I must put out a warning...

As soon as I felt the tooth, I decided that I needed to RUSH to the store (in the RAIN) and get her some baby orajel and some teething tablets. I rush off, find the orajel, but can't find the tablets. I am on my way home and Antonio calls me to tell me that she has been crying her head off for 10 minutes straight which is just not like Tatum, so we knew she was in REAL pain(poor Tatum). I get home, apply the orajel and wait. She is still just screaming and Antonio and I are both looking at each other with the most desperate looks on our face. What do we do!?!?!? We were clueless. I did get the things where you can put food in them and the are kind of made of a net so Tatum can chew on them and get the juices, but doesn't swallow the food and choke, so I put a frozen stawberry in it and she won't take it. Anyway, about 20 minutes AFTER I got home, we are still trying everything we can and then it hits me.....Tatum should have EATEN like 30 minutes EARLIER!!! We were so wrapped up in doctoring and nurturing this NEW tooth, that we forgot what time we needed to feed her. After figuring this out, we quickly fixed the bottle and she chowed down. THEN after the bottle, we tried the frozen strawberry again and she LOVED it!!! So the warning is, don't forget to feed the baby, even when a new tooth comes in!!! It sure is hard being a first time parent! lol

Break Time!!

Home study, home study, home study.....I need a break, so I am taking one. My brain is FRIED and I still have 1 more module to read over before tomorrow's test. I just talked to my Regional Trainer and he said he was going to give us a "VERY INFOMRATIVE" study session tomorrow. He said he has to take the test tomorrow morning, so he will clue us in as to what we need to know in our conference call tomorrow morning. I was getting to the point of possible pulling my hair out (don't worry, I am just kidding), but his phone call could not have come at a better time.

Anyway, on to better things, here are some more pictures of Tatum that I took when we went to Botanical Gardens. I thought I posted the good ones, but looking back, I didn't post the all of the best ones. Sorry that they are all out of order, but it would just require too much time from me(that I don't have right now) to rearrange the photos on here. Enjoy them anyway...

These first pictures should be at the very end of the blog because they are when she pooped out for the day and decided to go to sleep. Anyway, we will go backwards a little bit I guess...

Notice below how mad Tatum got when she realized that Mommy was not going to let her put the flower in her mouth...

The only ALMOST smile of the day captured in a picture is below...

Happy 5 Months Tatum!

Let me start by saying I am feeling a little like a bad mommy right now because Tatum's 5 month birthday was actually YESTERDAY, but I will use the excuse that I was sick(because I really was) and I couldn't blog.

Anyway, once again let me tell you how fast Tatum is growing and developing! She is such a happy baby and I am enjoying this age she is currently. Just today, I opened the door to her classroom at daycare and heard about 4 babies crying. I quickly scanned the room to find Tatum to see why she was crying. What did I see? I saw Tatum sitting in a swing and as soon as she locked her eyes on me she gave me the BIGGEST smile! She wasn't one of the ones crying at all, she was just talking and making noises. Needless to say, seeing her smile just made my day.

Tatum's latest tricks include:
~ trying REALLY hard to sit up (she has not mastered it yet, but it is only a matter of time)
~ giggling all the time (Antonio and I try to make her giggle every night by either tickling her or blowing raspberries on her tummy)
~ she has been rolling from tummy to back for a while, but she is now starting to roll from back to tummy some too
~ reaching out and grabbing toys, our hands, her bottle, our faces (if she can get to them), etc.
~ we also think she reaches out when we come to get her because she wants us, but I really just think she might be reaching to grab our hands or something
~ she really enjoys bathtime now. I think this is only because either Mommy or Daddy is in the bathtub playing with her, but if that is what it takes, we don't mind. We have just as much fun playing in the tub as she does.

I am sure there are other things, but my mind is going blank.

On another note, I went to another consignment sale today and got some more cute clothes for Tatum. She really doesn't need any more clothes for the summer, but we have one more sale to go to that I think is the best one in town. I actually work the sale so I can shop early, so I have been saving some money for the sale. Anyway, if you have a baby or are about to have a baby, I STRONGLY suggest shopping at consignment sales to get the best clothes at the best prices.

Finally, I am happy to say that I am feeling MUCH better today. I guess I had the 24 hour stomach virus that is apparently going around. Also, studying goes so much smoother when I feel well! I had 2 more modules to read today and either these medical terms are sinking in or the modules are getting easier. Either way, I am feeling a little more comfortable with all of this knowledge overload.

I apologize for not posting any new pictures, but I am on my work computer and there are no pictures on here. I will get some up this weekend.

Knowledge Overload

As most of you already know, I officially started my new job yesterday. I had to go meet with the 4 other people that got hired, our manager, our trainer, and my partner was there too. We ate lunch and signed some paperwork.

I must say that I experienced a pretty awkward situation while eating with everyone at lunch. We went around the table to order drinks and EVERYONE either got water or unsweetened tea (BLAH! to both) All I wanted was my Dr. Pepper, but I couldn't really be the only one drinking a soda, so I got water because I didn't know if someone would say something about sodas leading to diabetes. THEN we went around to order our lunch and I must say I was hungry. Luckily I was the last to order, so I listened to what everyone else was getting.....grilled salmon, grilled salmon salad, grilled chicken salad, and that was pretty much all that was ordered. It came down to me and I don't like salmon and didn't want a salad, but I had to order, so i got chicken salad and fruit. It was okay, but I must admit, I didn't even eat half of it, so when I left I got me a baked potato and a Dr. Pepper on the way home! I know that is so bad, but I was hungry still.

Anyway, all of the newbies asked questions and then we were done around 2. Everytime I am with my partner, I get more excited! He is just so awesome and I think he thinks the same about me(I hope.). I say this because he sure was picking on me yesterday, but not in a mean way, just joking around which was great!

After I got home, I called to line out a rental car because mine that I ordered is still being made! How awesome is that?!?! Antonio got home about 6:30 and I just wasn't feeling well, so I told him I was going to go to bed early. I skipped supper and I was in bed asleep at 7:30! I was snoozing great until about 10pm and I suddenly woke up and ran to the bathroom to "get sick". It came out of no where, but it sure did come! After all of that was over, I went back to bed and was up every 30 minutes to an hour in the bathroom. It was not a wonderful night.

Today was my first real day of having to study at home and I was feeling aweful! Antonio got Tatum up and took her to daycare and then came back to pick me up to get the rental car. I came home and did my studying with a little nap in the middle and now I am done for the day. I think i may read up on my next module. I NEVER thought i would be learning about Anatomy and Physiology in my life, yet here I am! It is actually pretty interesting, but WAY too much for my brain to process.

Please keep me in your prayers that my brain will process all of this information and I will start feeling better.
Also, please pray that I don't get Tatum and Antonio sick!! I am feeling a little better today, but I haven't eaten much either.

So much going on...

Well, I guess I will start from Wednesday night. Antonio gives Tatum her baths at least 95% of the time and she just loves bathtime with Daddy. We decided that since she didn't like the big bathtub by herself, maybe she would like bathtime with Daddy in there too. And we were right, she loves it. Daddy(Antonio) put on his swimming trunks and jumped in to play. She splashed, kicked, tried to float(I guess that's what you call it), etc. Here are some pictures...






On Thursday, I met my new work partner in person. First impression of him is that he looks JUST LIKE one of Antonio and my friends. He is nice looking and very laid back. We talked for about 2.5 hours about some work stuff as well as other things. I think we are going to be an awesome pair and I can't wait to get out in the field with him after training. He is very willing to help me whenever possible and I couldn't ask for a better partner!

On other work news, I got my new computer, my AMEX card, and my training material in this week. I still can't believe I got such a great job with an awesome company. Sometimes I feel like I am going to wake up and this is all going to be a dream. I am sure after Monday, I will feel like this is real because I have LOTS of information to learn in such a small amount of time. Please keep me (my head and brain) in your prayers that I can stay focussed and do well on all of my tests over the next 5 weeks.

On Friday, Jessica, Courtney, Maddison, Tatum, and I all went to the Botanical Gardens to try and have a photo shoot for the girls. It was a perfect Friday. The weather wasn't too hot or too cold. The sun was shining, and we didn't have to work. All was perfect, or so it seemed...

We got to Botanical Gardens and fed the girls right away because, as we all know, babies are usually much happier after they eat. After eating, we walked around and looked around. I have never been to Botanical Gardens, so when I saw some people feeding the fish I was just amazed how the fish were going crazy, so I had to get some pictures...


There were just so many fish that they were on top of each other. For a split second, I thought about putting my hand down just to see if I could grab one out of the water, but then I decided not to because I thought the people feeding the fish might think I was crazy and yell at me. I would have let it go immediately, but these people might not have known that. I mean, what if they tackled me or pushed me in or something even crazier? Now that would have been embarrassing...


Then we were off to take pictures. Tatum didn't like the sun in her eyes and I don't blame her. She wouldn't smile and didn't like being on the ground. Here are some of the pictures. I am thinking that maybe Antonio and I will go back next weekend or something because Tatum loves to smile at her daddy. Antonio hasn't ever been to Botanical Gardens either, so we were thinking that we would take a picnic or something and make an afternoon of it. Who knows, maybe I can talk him into getting a membership there! Anyway, here are the pictures...



We took outfits to change the girls and I am glad we did because after a few pictures, Tatum spit up on her pink dress. I changed her into the next outfit. I don't know if you can see it too well or not, but I embroideried her name on the outfit with my machine! I was so proud of myself because I was scared I would mess up and then the outfit would be ruined, but I didn't mess it up. I think it turned out great! The pictures, however, did not turn out so great.
After like 3 pictures in this outfit, Tatum decided to start fussing and I knew she was sleepy. We moved over to the tulips to try and get a few pictures. Maddie, Courtney's daughter, went first and she put down a blanket so the girls wouldn't have to lay on the ground. I put Tatum down and what did she do? She went straight to sleep. See??

We decided to call it an afternoon and try again another day. Tatum was OUT! I moved her from the ground to her stroller and she didn't move!
When we got home, Tatum slept for a while and when she woke up we went outside to watch Daddy do yardwork and enjoy the beautiful weather. We were outside for about 2 hours and she just LOVED it! After all the yard work was finished, we came in, got cleaned up and went to dinner with our neighbors. We had such a great time with them and hope to do it again soon. Tatum was in bed by her usual 8pm bedtime.

Saturday was great! I know everyone THINKS that their baby is the smartest baby in the world, but I have PROOF that Tatum is the smartest baby...She usually sleeps 11-12 hours at night and wakes up about 7:30am. Well, I woke up this morning at 9am and I was a little panicked because Tatum was still sleeping!! I jumped up and went to check on her and she was fine, but still asleep. She didn't wake up until right before 10am!! She just KNEW it was the weekend and her parents wanted to sleep in, so she slept in too! How smart is that!?!?

When she woke up, we fed her and she played in bed with us for about 30 minutes and went back to sleeep. We all got up at 11:30 and ate lunch. After lunch, Tatum and I headed outside for a walk and Daddy decided to wash the cars. After the walk that Tatum enjoyed so much, we sat outside and watched Daddy work. Our cars look great thanks to Daddy!

After the outside fun, we got cleaned up and went to Keith's house to watch the Memphis Tigers game. Antonio and I were so pumped up to watch the game and see the Tigers win another one. We were VERY disappointed when Memphis lost today. There were many missed calls we could blame the loss on, but it wouldn't change anything. Fact is, the Tigers lost today and they will not continue their journey in the NCAA Tournament. While I am very sad to report this, our team did have a great season and Antonio and I enjoyed watching the games. These guys on the team should come back to Memphis with their heads held high, because we still love them!! GO TIGERS!

New Beginnings

As if I wasn't already excited enough about my new job, I talked to my partner today and he got me even MORE excited!! We talked over an hour about everything just trying to get to know each other. He and I have a lot in common and I can already tell that this team is going to be GREAT! We are going to meet up tomorrow to talk more before the whole group gets together on Monday. I think we both have lots to add and contribute to the team, so I am looking forward to getting thru training and getting started. He has also been successful with our company,and he will be going on a trip to Hawaii that he won! I must admit, I was a little worried about who I would get paired up with, but not anymore. I know that he has a great work ethic and I plan on us going on another trip next year! I will keep you all posted on everything.

Until next time...

It's True What They Say.....Time FLIES!

I have realized that Tatum is growing so fast, but I have not wanted to admit it. Tonight I was looking back at some picture of her and decided to post several so everyone can see how much she has changed over the past 4.5 months. Enjoy.....

There are of course many more picutres, but that is all I am going to post for now. I hope you have enjoyed watching Tatum grow through pictures as much as I have enjoyed watching her grow everyday. She is the highlight of my and Antonio's lives. We love her so much and are amazed at how fast she is growing. We love to see her develop and learn new "tricks". Her newest one is fake coughing. I have helped out lots in developing this talent. Over the weekend, I would fake cough and she would smile. Now she fake coughs with me. I just love it!