Showing posts with label baby's first. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baby's first. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 3, 2019

30th birthday celebration! :: Dallas/Waco

I was so excited when we came up with the idea of making a trip we've dreamt about actually happening! to visit magnolia in waco, and what better reason than to celebrate turning 30! kaylani and i both had our 30th birthdays, being just one month apart in january (her) and february (me), so it worked so perfectly to make this a joint trip.
i had so much anticipation leading up to this trip and couldn't wait to really visit the silos in person! to actually get to see all that has been so beautifully created there- down to the perfect details. I COULDN'T WAIT to step foot on the place i've seen a thousand times on tv and instagram! 
with getting grandparent schedules to line up so that between us three couples, we'd be able to leave our five (!!!) other children behind, we tried to make it a quick trip. and then keep in mind we brought along our three babies! all within 4 months of age of each other. we flew out from seattle saturday afternoon, and returned tuesday afternoon. that allowed for us to fit in our day in waco (the reason for the trip!) as well as some time to spend in dallas, where we had our hotel booked.
::SATURDAY::
three babies. grouped together in three rows on a flight. could be a recipe for disaster. but let me tell ya, the three of them did amazing! us six parents (and no doubt all the passengers around us) couldn't have been happier.
take a second and watch this video. REALLY. stop and press play.
as if traveling around with three babies and three strollers didn't bring enough looks + comments, our 'ride' for the four days only added to it! it was so fun and we wouldn't have done it any other way!
we stayed at the crescent court in dallas and had such a great experience there. they were so thoughtful and courteous of our group. and not to mention it was beatiful! i couldn't get over the amazing architecture and detail to the building of the hotel.
once we got to our rooms, we quick refreshed and then headed out to grab a bite to eat.
::SUNDAY::
we hit the ground running. well... brandon and I overslept and we had to delay our "meet time" by about 45 minutes ;) but then we all loaded the babies up in their strollers and off to breakfast we went. the bread winners cafe was within walking distance to our hotel and OMG the food was divine. best breakfast i've had. pineapple upside down mimosa + breakfast tacos hit the spot.
this won't be the last time i say it, but i was so shocked at how good the food was in texas.
after breakfast we headed back to the hotel to refresh a bit (we were already sweating hot!) as well as nurse a few sweet babies. then we headed out for a little bit of shopping before we headed to top golf for the afternoon.
the people we met in texas were so kind! a sweet couple about our age stopped to chat with us for a good 10 minutes as we were just strolling down the sidewalk- which is when this photo op came along ;)
after a few hours, a few cocktails, and a handful of times extending our 'time' at top golf, we headed back towards our hotel (changed again haha!) and then went to a highly recommended restaurant right by our hotel- sixty vines and enjoyed the most delicious dinner!
i can almost taste our meal just thinking about it. tending to a baby didn't really allow me to snap a picture of our food, but the crispy zucchini, chicken fettuccini, and pizza paired with a couple glasses of wine was SO GOOD. i would go back there in a heartbeat.
::MONDAY::
the day that we had come for.
MAGNOLIA.
took our 1.5 hour drive from dallas to waco in our 12 passanger van and voila, we made it!
a little bit of wind here and there, but it was such a beautiful day!
thankful beyond the words i can express for the friendships we've got going on here. there was a time (shortly after moving to washington from idaho) that i remember so often putting in my prayers a request for good friends. i've never been one to have a "ton" of friends, but more so the handful of good, close ones. these people here hold me grounded. and life without them, wouldn't be the life that it is. 
traveling together + having babies together continues to deepen those roots.
everything is so beautifully done and all done so well. 
the food (here i am again talking about the food), the bakery, the food trucks at the silos, the photo ops, the landscaping + flowers, even the bathrooms were so perfectly created.
it was an experience i soaked in, and i just wish we lived closer so we could make our way back!
maybe i can talk brandon into making this trip happen again! because i am certain he enjoyed it too and what fun it would be to take our kids along.



after spending most of the morning + afternoon, we headed back to the hotel in dallas before heading out for our last dinner.
quick snapped a few pics in the room of these cute cousins! they're just four months apart, and we can't wait to watch them grow together! along with their two older brothers :) between brandon + i and tyler + angela, we've got these four boy cousins who are two years old and younger. so many fun years ahead for us all. and i am thankful for their strong fathers to help in guiding and teaching them!

::TUESDAY::
our last day! we wished we could stay longer, but also were all so ready to get home and get back to our other babes waiting for us.
tatum was completely wiped from the busy days we'd had. zonked out and took a quick little morning cat nap while we got ready and packed up our room.
...and no way we were leaving town without a second stop for the most delicious breakfast we've ever eaten. i would pay top dollar if someone in the tacoma area would open up a bread winners cafe & bakery. the breakfast tacos + potatoes. TO.DIE.FOR.
friends who are family. and also family who are friends.
i miss seeing these three sweet things lined up together in the car!
tatum literally slept all but 10 minutes of our four hour flight home.
angel boy was WIPED.
Xoxo
-Brittney

follow along on instagram @brittneyhjelseth

Monday, January 14, 2019

tatum ross | 2 + 3 month update

trying my hardest to get this done NOW before tatum turns four months, and this would have to turn into a 2 + 3 +  f o u r  month post :)
time is flying yet somehow at the same time i actually feel like it has gone by just as it should. we've had this sweet, sweet babe in our lives for a little over three months now! and though it's hard to believe, i also feel like we're right where we should be.
i'm trying my hardest to be right in the moment with him and it's working. don't be sad about the past being gone, and don't be sad about the growing future ahead.
right in THIS moment is where we're meant to be.
and it is ever so sweet!
tatum name sign // quincyjeanart
month banner // hooray everyday

TATUM:
two months old :: 14 lbs 6 oz (90%) :: 24.8 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
this boy is such a trooper. tags along amongst the busyness of our lives with three young children and often without a fuss. he is my easiest baby yet and is so so precious to us all!
...just how delicious is he here!? xoxo
between about five and eight weeks, we had a nightly "witching hour" that we had to work though. but that has gone and passed and i found that if i was able to get him to sleep before it began, we were more likely to soar through it. but not always. ;)
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giggles! sweetest sound on this planet! to get his little high pitched squeal to come out is on the daily agenda. 
this boy is so ticklish! 
he LOVES the bath. he could just hang out in there five times as long as his bath actually needs to take. as well as diaper changes. LOVES them! the second his diaper is undone and his little baby bottom is cleaned, he gives a soft little grin.
and melts his mama into a thousand pieces.
i love this baby boy with all my heart.
i crave him when he sleeps.
my heart misses him when we're busy and attention is focused elsewhere.
SLEEP
such a great sleeper he is!! he is down for the night between 8 and 9, a dream feed when brandon and i head to bed around 10:30/11, and wakes somewhere between 7:30-8:30. he used to have weeks of no wake ups during the night (amazing!!) and now we're at more of one wake up a night being our norm. generally around 3 or 4am. which in my book, that is still amazing!
we've got a pretty solid bedtime routine and that seems to make a difference:: dim lights, jammies + diaper change, essential oils rolled on bottom of feet, swaddle, white noise, essential oils (frankinsense + lavendar) in the diffuser in our bedroom, nurse, and down to sleep.
tatum is pretty flexible on how he goes to sleep during the day. whether it's rocking, nursing, or just being laid down. right around christmas, he took a strong liking to his paci and it is now sometimes a part of him falling asleep. if he's going to sleep on his own, it is most helpful! swaddling during naps helps for them to last longer, though he has sometimes fallen asleep without being swaddled while laying on our bed. which i have been very surprised about since he is out of that sleepy newborn stage!
three naps a day is where we're at. a shorter one in the morning about an hour or two after waking up, the biggest nap of the day in the afternoon (usually 2-3 hours, sometimes 4!), and then another small one around dinner time to get us though to bedtime. i always swaddle him during that afternoon nap to make it be a longer nap (which is also when tanner naps!). mama thanks the heavens for the stars aligning when this happens!
he's still sleeping in the snuggle me and i'm not sure i'll ever be ready to move him to his room. down the hall just seems too far away! though i know it will come where we're gonna need to be in our own spaces. we moved tanner to his room at four months so i'm feeling like it's coming on in our near future.
EAT
when he's sleeping so well at night, i feel like he makes up for all that time of no nursing and nurses so much in the day. which i am just fine with! i love nursing him. we have always nursed on demand and will continue to do so. tends to be about every 2-3 hours. i generally offer before and after naps. and any time in between if he's acting hungry.
by the thigh rolls and cheeks he's got, there's no question that he's a good eater!
PLAY
i'm loving his awareness of his surroundings. and the kids are too! as we've exited the sleepy newborn stage, harper and tanner get so happy when they feel interaction from tatum. harper often comments to me how tatum's eyes are open more than they used to be. she loves when he's awake!
he is entertained by everything around him and we've been slowly bringing out some of his baby toys to play with him. i love watching his little eyes and seeing him taking in all the newness that he is experiencing. 
adding two months together in this post- there are too many pictures i want to share! it would've been quicker and easier if i had just given access to my iphone camera roll. butttt that's not gonna happen, so here's a good ol' photo dump with our most precious pictures of our baby boy.
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Xoxo
-Brittney

follow along on instagram @brittneyhjelseth