for the love of july : tatum ross

i just want to freeze time right.HERE.

this boy is so.good.

TATUM:

four months old :: 18 lbs 1 oz (90%) :: 26.5 inches long (97%)

birth: 8 lbs 2 oz :: 20.5 inches

2 days: 7 lbs 10.5 oz

12 days: 8 lbs 10 oz

one month: 11 lbs 6 oz :: 23.5 inches

two months: 14 lbs 6 oz :: 24.8 inches

long sleeve tee // little bipsy

tatum name sign // quincyjeanart

month banner // hooray everyday

crib // franklin & ben - from sugar babies

if you can remember back to when tatum was first born, he had a full head of hair (that we were all shocked to see at birth! -he's our first baby to have the hair that he did), as his cute little head has grown, that hair has spread out + thinned out. BUT i'm starting to see some new little growth and am so excited for it! it's one of my obsessions with him- to run my fingers though his hair :)

as hair has thinned, thighs have GROWN.

we've got those obvious rolls on the outside, but even in under that diaper are a couple more that stay hidden for just his mama to enjoy ;)

it's taken a good 3-4 months, but i'm feeling like we've found our true, new normal. where the past days of just two babes in our family seem so far in the distant and i can hardly imagine the life before we were a family of five. we've got our flow figured out and now it's all we know.
and it is so.good.
tatum, you are so.good.
everything feels right having these THREE sweet babes in our little family.
**disclaimer:: don't get me wrong- there are surely moments of struggle + feelings of overwhelm. but i wouldn't trade it for the world. the five of us are in this together. there isn't anything better than family.

S L E E P
we've slowly creeped into the four month sleep regression and are doing our best to get night time sleep to be more solid. though i've gotta say, as i've anticipated this time to come (both of our other babies went through it too, so it's certainly not my first time at the rodeo), it's actually been not as bad as i was expecting. thank goodness! and as i type this, last night my sweet tatum only woke once. which has been the first time for that over the last couple weeks.
naps haven't been effected but the second half of sleep during the night has. he's been doing great stretches of sleep initially. going down around 7:30/8 :: earlier than it had been the month before, when bedtime was more like 8-9pm. but as he's gotten a little bit older, and a little more regular, he's tired for it and we're having an easier time with bedtime routine for harper + tanner if i can get tatum down before them, rather than after.
he gives me about a 6-7 hour stretch of sleep at first, often waking around 2am. he nurses, and then right back to sleep (no diaper change anymore). then the same thing has been happening at 4 and 6 :: there's the sleep regression part for ya ;) he's ready to wake for the day around 7:30/8am, and i'm happy to see his smiling face!!!

there were a handful of nights where he was seeming restless during those wake ups, and i wasn't quite sure what he needed. maybe trying to get comfortable and back to sleep? not totally sure. but he seems to have settled in and bypassed that little stage.
if there's one thing i've learned time after time that i've had a baby :: phases come, and phases go. don't think on it too much. don't hold pressure on yourself to 'figure it out'. embrace it and before you know it, it will likely pass.

E A T

he's still a nursing boy. and nursing well!

i've got the same goal for him as i did the others, and i'm hopeful to think we will reach it as we did in the past too. nursing for my baby's first year of life is a strong desire in my heart. i'm thankful to have succeeded there twice before, and pray tatum and i will too. there aren't any signs that we shouldn't be able to. harper breastfed for 13 months, and tanner for 14.

giving our babies a bottle hasn't ever been anything we've been good at in the past. both harper and tanner took a bottle a handful of times. but that's it. i haven't been in a position where i have NEEDED them to be solid on a bottle and i'm just fine with that. i hold the expectation that they are my baby for one year and for this one year, i am 100% ok with being fully attached to them. and that works for us. this time goes too fast and no matter how it goes, my heart longs for that first year.

with tatum, this boy has surprised me here. he's taken from a bottle (with freshly pumped breastmilk) four times now. without a fuss. this may not seem like much to others, but for us that's kinda big. i don't want to be away from him, but i've also found being at my third baby, my needs are a little different. and i do need a little bit of time 'for me'. and it's been good.

P L A Y

this is where tatum is just getting more and more fun! it always amazes me how babies just keep getting BETTER. seems impossible at the age they're currently at, that anything could surpass it. but then the smiles that come. the giggles. the laughing and playing. and that's where we're at. it's so fun playing with tatum and the kids never get tired of trying to make him smile and laugh. such a JOY this boy is! toys are such an interest. and we've entered the stage of 'if it's in grabbing distance, the baby is going for it'. it is so fun to see his eyes light up and watch him inspect anything new with such amazement.

brandon and i have both made mention that we think he is our chattiest baby yet. we, harper included, call him our 'talky boy' :) if he's feeling excitement, you'll know about it. and if he's mad at you (particularly me not getting to him quick enough if he's hungry) he's sure to let me know all about it too. literally yelling at me from across the room. yelling. not crying.