Kaitlyn 4 Months and more summer fun!

Kaitlyn's 4 month stats: Height- 24 1/4 inches 60%  Weight-14lbs. 12oz. 75%  Head-16 1/2 80%

Hooray for my big girl! She is still chubby, and cute, and exceptionally smiley. We are so in love with our littlest bean! She is such a happy, well behaved bundle of love. She loves to eat and she sleeps pretty well at night. She still wakes up around 1:00AM and 5:00AM to eat but goes right back to sleep! During the day she loves her saucer, play mat, and watching Natalie. tummy time is her favorite along with the bath! She rolls over both ways now and has started scooting herself across the floor (lord help me). She fights her naps 80% of the time lol. Apparently she doesn't want to miss a thing. She officially, as of a few weeks ago, can get a good baby laughing rolling...its absolutely adorable. We are still doing awesome breast feeding. Hit a few bumps about 2 weeks ago and had to supplement a bit a formula (which she guzzled down) for a few days but got ourselves back on track. She is eating more than I can pump at work so keeping enough of a supply is getting challenging, but we are still making it work! Dr. Gina said we can start rice cereal and purees. Im waiting until 5 months for cereal and probably 6 months till purees. She loves Mrs. Diane and the feeling is mutual. She goes to her house Mondays and Thursday now. Wednesdays is our day together while big sister is at school. I'm trying to find something fun for just the two of us to do that day. Hoping to start a little music class in september. Miss KK also drools....EVERYWHERE! I'm expecting a tooth at some point. She really does a number on my knuckles, or shoulder, or her fist, or anything she can get her hands on lol. Bibs are a must....she eats those too. We still aren't sure who she looks like. We get anything from "A combination of all the Tatge boys." to "V, she looks like your dad." She's got some pretty awesome blue eyes. We are thinking they are going to stick around, but my current favorite feature are her thighs...and all the rolls...that I love to squeeze!!

Oh my miss Natalie! She is such a delight! She makes me smile multiple times a day and we always make each other laugh. She is funny, smart as heck, and sometimes rather challenging...but I love every minute of it. She has such an awesome personality and her imagination lately is my favorite thing. She tells the best stories with hand motions and facial expressions that make you feel like they totally happened!!! She changes her outfit about 87,409 times a day, and its almost always a princess dress. We are on Disney Princess over load in this house. Clearly this is what I get for being a tomboy growing up...Pay Back. It's still cute and I am learning to embrace the girly girl that she is :)

She started a new school last week and aside from a few tears the first day she really is loving it. She doesn't like that I pick her up late on mondays and thursdays but I know she will get adjusted soon. I really like her teachers, and the administrators already have memorized our names. They are just a great group of people, and we are super excited for what Preschool has in store for our big girl this year.

Natalie is still doing amazing at swim. We are doing once a week this session instead of twice due to our busy back to school/work schedule. She swims to the wall on her own now, its so cool to see (made me well up the first few times). I'm so very proud, and it makes me much less nervous around pools knowing she can handle herself if she falls in. Miss Stephanie is a terrific teacher! Natalie has had a very fun filled summer. We've done lots of fun playdates, splash parks, story time, beach days and swimming in the pool! I'm excited for things to cool off in a month or so...its been pretty darn hot the last few weeks. Too hot for Kaitlyn to really participate in any of the fun....good thing she won't remember lol. Nat's current favorite buddies are Bradley, Maizy, Tristan, Chase, and her "orlando friends" as she calls them. Ryker taught her how to blow bubbles in her cup. Now every time she gets a new drink she does it...then tells me who taught her lol :)

Its been a big adjustment not having Grandma here! We miss her very much, for multiple of reasons, but mainly because she is just plain AWESOME! We are already counting down to when we go to WI and see everyone in November. Deer Hunting and Turkey Day will be on the agenda among other things! We also got to spend some quality time with Aunt Jo! We are so lucky she was able to come hang, she was a huge help and Natalie loved playing with her. We get some more Aunt Jo love when she drags Uncle Wally down here in October!! HOORAY :)

It's now Nick's busy travel season, which I know is super hard for him now that he has to leave two cutest all week. The girls defiantly miss him...almost as much as I do. By Thursday I'm ready for a trip to target alone and a beer :)

Upcoming fun events here in The Southern Most Tatge world:

-Orlando this wknd for the UCF game

-Getting high hat lightening put in the house. LET THERE BE LIGHT!

-New Playground delivery and install!

-Our Buddy Maizy's 3rd Birthday party

-Kaitlyn turns 5 months!

-I'm sure a food truck invasion is in store

-Story time starts back up

-We hopefully set up interviews with 2 date night babysitters

-Nat starts soccer!

-Move Kaitlyn into her own room....fingers crossed!

I'd say I promise it won't be 2 months in between posts next time...but I'd be kidding myself! 

Ice Creams been consumed, its past my bed time :)

Nat took a selfie :)

Usually who I wake up next too!

Always. Outside.

On our way to Orlando with Aunt Jo

Happy Chaos :)

4 mth checkup

Nat tat held her hand for shots. 

morning cutie

pirate fairy

holding her bottle like a champ

2 Months! 3 Months! House stuff! And Family Fun!

So clearly moving with a 3 year old and a 4 week old kept me from posting for quite a while. Lots has happened since my last post, so here goes the short of it! We closed on both houses the week of May 13th, and the four of us moved in with my parents! They were awesome and a HUGE help the whole time we were there. My mom cooked, cleaned and did our laundry. Everyone pitched in with both girls, and Nick and I (mainly nick) orchestrated all kinds of fun projects going on at the house. We stayed at the Sheehan Residence for 2 weeks and a few days. It could have been a bit sooner, but I didn't want the girls breathing paint fumes. Plus I at least had to have a functioning kitchen, bathroom and Nat's room ready for action.

During our stay there was also a lot going on with the girls. Natalie was finishing up Tot time at school, so i got to attend an end of year party/graduation. It was adorable and I was so glad to have my mom watch Kaitlyn so I could be there with Natalie. Kaitlyn and I continued to struggle breastfeeding so after talking with a few friends with SP background, I had Natalie's SP come over and evaluate her for me. Mrs. Michelle is amazing, and I really don't know what I would have done without her! She recommended I have her lip and tongue tie released. This was causing Kaitlyn to struggle and me to have lots of discomfort. Best. Decision. Ever. My mom came with me to the appointment, thank goodness cause I was a hot, hot mess.  It was a difficult decision and I think I cried for 3 days, but we are now doing beyond amazing nursing, and I know KK and I wouldn't have made it to this point without having the procedure done.

Kaitlyn is growing like a weed. At her two month checkup she was in the 90th percentile for weight and 75% for height. I love my little chunker!! lol. I just weighted her last week at 3 months and she was 14 pounds. We outgrew our 3 month stash of clothes before we were actually 3 months. She is wearing all 6 month stuff now, and size 2 diapers! She is such a happy baby. Constantly smiling, she loves Natalie. She watches her and giggles at everything she does. She loves to be talked too and will have a whole little conversation with you. Its beyond adorable. Definitely my easy baby. She likes to eat, she's been nursing about every two hours (except at night) up until last week. Now she goes about 3 hours. At night she gives me one 4 hours stretch usually from 10pm-2am. Then she's up every 2-3. We stayed at my moms this last week cause the fireplace was being removed (dusty is an understatement), and she slept in the rock n play sleeper. That thing is like baby crack. She slept from 10-5.....WTF! I couldn't believe it!! Now I don't know whether to break the rules and have her become addicted to sleeping in it so I can get 6 hours of sleep or be a dumb ass and continue to wake up every 2-3 hours. Of course grandma and mimi think I'm crazy, clearly she isn't hungry when she wakes up in the middle of the night...just nurses to fall back to sleep. hhmmmm what to do?!?!?! She still spits up quite a bit but doesn't seem to have any discomfort at all. She's a happy happy baby. She's been rolling over tummy to back since about 4 weeks...it's creepy i know. I took video just because i knew no one would believe me lol. She now rolls to her side from her back. thats how she likes to sleep. She loves the exercaucer and her ocean mat. Laying down is not her favorite thing, she prefers to be sitting in your lap or held facing outward so she can check everything out. She spends most of her day content, sucking on her hand or thumb, smiling, drooling, chatting, and her favorite thing is taking a bath!

Grandma AKA our Mary Poppins arrived on June 7th....My life has been amazing since! She is a huge help. We would not be unpacked if it wasn't for her. Natalie is absolutely loving having her here. She plays in the pool everyday with her, they do crafts, play dress up, and basically do whatever Nat wants all day. She is great with Kaitlyn also of course! Lets not forget she does all my mommy chores while I'm at work! I love having her here just as much as the girls do...if not more. Its like having two mommies in the house. Not to mention we are buds. And get to hang out and have ice cream or a beer every night together while watching HGTV...after the girls are in bed of course :)

I never want her to leave....ever lol.

Fourth of July weekend went by way too fast! We had an awesome time having nicks whole family here. Hung in the pool, at the beach, and just spent time together! Ian (the 3rd brother) proposed to Amanda and she, of course, said yes!! I'm so excited to have another sister!! And attend another Tatge boy wedding!! So very happy for them. It was so fun to introduce Kaitlyn to everyone. She got passed around for 4 days and loved every minute of it. Natalie had a great time with all her Aunts, Uncles and Poppa Gary. She didn't stop talking, playing and swimming the whole visit. She is still talking about everyone. And is already counting down to us visiting WI in November. Too awesome. We miss everyone very much, it was a total blast :)

We are also doing lots of fun things with our friends this summer. Splash Parks, Museums, BBQs, Swim Lessons, the beach, the park etc! So much fun. Ive taken Natalie to a few story times at the library just the two of us...which is totally priceless. Getting to spend time just her and I is my favorite thing to do lately. She is so sweet, so smart, so funny, and growing up so fast. She's my favorite 3 year old :)

The house is really coming along now. Aside from needing to redo our bathroom and replace vanities in the other two, the inside renos are about done. Outside the pool looks incredible! The paint colors look great inside and out, fireplace is gone, and we have even started decorating a bit. Nick did a great job coordinating all the projects and handling all the contractors. We really are making this our dream home. I never want to move! It's just the perfect home for us. So blessed!!

I'm missing tons of little details I'm sure, but I promise it won't be that long in between posts again!

....It's been a while :)

Yes, it's been quite a while! An entire year actually! I'm going to start writing again cause frankly, I miss it! AND we have lots and lots going on!

First of all, my Natalie is the coolest 3 year old I know. She is smart, funny, full of personality, and very sassy. She knows what she wants, and is learning how to manipulate mommy very quickly. She is a good listener when its convenient for her, but sweet as pie most of the time. When you tell her you love her, she commonly responds with "i love you more". She is smiley and silly and remembers EVERYTHING!!!!! Her memory is incredible, she shocks us on a regular basis. 3 year olds are defiantly challenging....more challenging then two year olds. But we are both learning how to discipline her, and she is learning how to be a better listener....kinda.

We've spent september thru march in food aversion therapy. The short of that is she is doing MUCH MUCH better with her eating. She is still a picky eater, but all her little issues have greatly improved. We are thrilled with her progress. A big THANK YOU to Mrs. Michelle :)

She LOVES school, and we have been thrilled with where she goes! Such a family friendly environment! It has been with the drive this last year. May be looking for something closer to our house this upcoming year...we'll see. Doing projects and the playground are her favorite things. Her teacher Mrs. Tobia has been so awesome. She absolutely loves her :)

She is finally potty trained as of March! It was a long road of her being completely uninterested, but we waited for her to let us know she was ready. It paid of because then it literally only took a weekend! So excited for her, such a big girl. Of course she has princess undies!

She only wants to wear dresses....everyday....we fight to put on school clothes most mornings, but bribes usually help (good parenting...i know).

She loves to read, especially Pinkalicous books. And is still a big fan of music, but Disney princesses are definitely our favorite thing to play with, or watch (aside from mary poppins). She has also been doing a little soccer class at school! She was nervous at first but really seems to enjoy it now. She even comes home and shows daddy what she learned!! It's cute! We are going to try out gymnastics this summer, and NEED to do swim lessons!!

Natalie is an EXCELLENT big sister so far. She loves her Kaitlyn, and is very helpful. She gives her lots of kisses, and always asks to hold her. It completely fills my heart with love! Learning to not be the center of attention has been a challenge for her however. TO BE EXPECTED for sure. We are trying to be extra patient and understanding when she is acting out to get our attention. But I know it will get easier for her with time :)

KAITLYN IS HERE!! She is just over 3 weeks old! Her at birth stats were 7 pounds 10 ounces and 19 inches. She is such a good baby. We are very blessed! She is struggling with breastfeeding a bit, but we are hoping to work through it! She's a puker, just like Nat was. So lots of laundry and burp cloths happen. We thought maybe she had reflux but after a week of medicine and no changes, that doesn't seem to be the case. So I'm back to thinking she may have a latching issue. She does much much better when I pump and give her a bottle, but trying to only do that when she is having a really tough feeding. We've been so busy I haven't even had time to get to the dr for her, or see a lactation consultant yet, but hoping to do so this week. She's already out grown her newborn clothes and diapers! So at least we know she's getting enough milk. I've been so much more calm this time around, its so nice! She is fussy everyday from about 4-8 but all and all is just an easy baby. She sleeps like a champ. She usually goes about 3-4 hours at night between feedings, so I've been getting two 2 and a half to 3 hour blocks! I can deal with 5-6 hours of sleep for sure! It may not last, but i'll gladly take it for me. Nick has been awesome. He gets up with Natalie every morning so I can get that last few hours of sleep in. AMAZING husband, daddy, and teammate! <3

WE ARE MOVING!!! I know the word hasn't really gotten out much yet, but we are still so shocked this is happening so quickly we haven't even had time to process it ourselves lol. We put an offer in on our dream home on march 30th and listed our house the same day. We accepted an offer on our house on april 1st. BOOM. It was a crazy 24 hours! Luckily we have a kick ass relator! Thanks Steph! We have had a few bumps in the road (to be expected), but we are all set to close on our current house May 13th. We will be moving in with my parents next weekend and then closing on the new house May 16th. We have a bit of work to do inside that we'd like to do before we move in so I'm sure we will be spending a week or two at my parents house. Boy are they in for some chaos lol. We are super excited and I'll post lots of pictures (before & after) as soon as we get the ball rolling. Nick has done a great job handling EVERYTHING this last month. I haven't done a thing, I just packed my first box yesterday actually lol. He really has taken on a lot with this move, the timing is a bit rough, so Nick has been doing everything he can to make it easy for the girls and I. We can't wait to be in that house! I could go on and on, but I'm tired, so ill do a separate house post soon with more details!

TWO MORE SUPER EXCITING THINGS:
1. Nicks mom is coming to stay with us this summer!!!! I cannot even express how ecstatic I am for this. BEST MOM-IN-LAW EVER! :)
2. TATGE FAMILY JULY 4th is fast approaching. Can't wait to spend time with everyone, and can't wait for them to meet Kaitlyn. Natalie talks about this daily. She lists all her aunts and uncles by name and tells me they are coming to see fireworks in July!

Ok I'm going to have some ice cream, feed bean 2 and hit the hay!

It's starting!