Just keep swimming

Life in the Tatum house is pretty predictable these days: Eat, sleep, poop, cry, repeat. And as for the sleep part of that equation that is mostly just Jack doing the sleeping. Mommy and Daddy are kept busy with big sister playing house, babies, princesses, bubbles, candy land, legos, doctor, kitchen, going to the park (and that's all before noon). No seriously. Jack is still good, but he is definitely more aware of the outside world and for the last week has had extended periods of crying. I guess that's to be expected. He likes to be carried in the front pouch which is helpful so mommy can still get out and take Hannah places. Jack eats a ton. The recommended amount under 4 weeks is 24 oz of breat milk in a day. Jack eats at least 32, but I'm told it's okay and he is just growing. Good thing mommy has a ton of milk in the freezer, so much big sister might not have room to store her beloved pancakes any more. It's so much fun getting more and more toys out for Jack. Last week we took out bee friends and now we have our old friends yodeling goat and musical computer. That's about all the news here. I will leave you with some pics because lets be honest that's what keeps you all interested.





snuggle buddies for mornimg cartoons




my greatest blessings! The last few weeks my favorite time of day is six am. Jack is normally asleep on my chest and Hannah is just waking up and comes and lays next to me on the pillow. I feel like the luckiest mommy and for a brief moment there is silence and snuggles:)

It's Back!

Sweet Jack is just 2 1/2 weeks and already I am getting emotional about how quickly he is growing. Every day he looks older and bigger to me. He also seems more awake and alert each day. I can tell he is already starting to cluster his naps into more defined increments. He also increased feeding size (this boy can eat!) Over the weekend Jack had his first Daddy/Son football day while mommy and Hannah went to Disneyland. This week we also started tummy time and took out the legendary 'bee friends' activity mat. Jack is working on holding his head up and is getting pretty good. Hannah learned that bee friends was her favorite toy as a baby and so now frequently encourages Jack to play with it. It's funny how something as simple as a musical mat can bring back so many memories. So far Jack seems to love bee friends too. He watches and makes good eye contact.

Like I said, emotions have been coming out strong this week. I already want him to slow down. Tim would call me crazy as he is anxious for the middle of the night feedings to be done, but honestly they really don't bother me. I know this time is so short, a brief moment in time and I hope when I look back on my life it's the simple things like bee friends and midnight feedings that I can be proud of and smile about. Today as the three of us journeyed to Target, the song 'My Wish' came on and I started crying (hormones I know). I've always loved this song and it was also the song Tim and his mom danced to at our wedding, but now I love the song even more. Listening to the song thinking of Jack was just overwhelming. I love him so much and just want his little life happy. And with that, I leave you with the lyrics by Rascal Flatts:

"I hope you never look back, but ya never forget,
All the ones who love you, in the place you left,
I hope you always forgive, and you never regret,
And you help somebody every chance you get,
Oh, you find God's grace, in every mistake,
And you always give more than you take.

But more than anything, more than anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish..."


BEST BUDDIES ALREADY (P.s. I do dress Hannah every day as well, but the child finds one way or another to only wear underwear, don't ask)

Two Weeks

My little man is officially two weeks old. I cannot believe how fast time is going. Jack is so good. I just can't explain how easy and sweet he is. Today we went to our two week doctor's appointment and I had no questions because he is just perfect. It was a weird feeling because with Hannah I always had questions and was always getting referred to specialists. With Jack we were in and out. He looks perfect! He weighed in at 8lbs. 6 oz. The doctor weighed him twice to be sure because it is typical for newborns to be back at birth weight at the two week check. Jack has far surpassed that. I told you he eats and sleeps a lot. Growing boy needs his rest. I was worried I was over feeding him, but they were very pleased and even said I should be proud because each oz. was due to my hard work. As most of you know I am not a fan of breast feeding and I really would prefer not getting out of bed every three hours to pump milk, but I do it so that Jack gets the best. It made me feel good that I am helping him grow big and strong. I don't know Jack, it's going to be hard to beat your daddy in height, but maybe. The whole family is doing well. It's a weird feeling knowing that I have two kids, and I couldn't be more blessed.







Daddy wore this outfit 30 years ago