1 month

I have been a mommy for a whole month now! The time has gone so fast. It has been a challenge, but it is also one of the best things that has happen in my life. Zoe is so strong for her age. She has already rolled all the way over! She holds her head up ALL the time....she doesn't want to miss anything. She may be small but she is making up for it! Here she is at one month old...she looks like such a big girl!

Welcome Zoe

Zoe Madeline Tatge was born August 13th at 12:39. She weighed 6lbs 11oz and was 20in long. She is the most precious baby I have ever seen, of course I'm sure I am partial. We are all doing fine and just enjoying having Zoe home with us.

It's getting close!!

Today was my last day to be with my little buddy Q. As I get closer to my due date it gets harder and harder to pick him up. We all thought it would be best to stop now so I can relax and get prepared for birth. I plan on going drug free so I know I need to get rest and prepare myself mentally for this. My visit to the Dr. this week was encouraging. I am already dilated to 2, almost 3cm, and I am 70-80% effaced. If you know what that means, great, if not...it means things are starting to happen. My Dr. said he does not think it will be more than a couple weeks now. Of course it's still all up to the baby and it will come when it is ready. I'm just really hoping that it will be sooner rather than later!

It's in the air....or maybe my belly

CHANGE. I can feel it coming. These are the last few weeks that RJ and I will be just RJ and I. Another person is about to be introduced not only to our family...but to the world. Since we found out that we were going to have a baby we have been preparing. We switched around health insurance, started paying off debts and saving money. I quit my job to prepare to stay home. We have researched everything from birthing methods to how much it will cost to send our child to college. We now have a room set up that is devoted to our coming baby. It is full of all the "necessities" for our little one. It's decoration has been thought about, planned and finally executed. All this we have been doing day to day....doing something baby related almost every day since December, but most of the time I forget what is really happening. We are expanding our family, we are bringing a new life into the world. A person that has never existed before. Unique, special...a gift from God. This little baby that wiggles inside me, and keeps me up at night already, could be anything it wants. A great poet....or a great parent. We get the privilege of watching this new life grow and learn and explore. And we have front row seats. This change is coming, and though I'm not sure all that will come with it, I am so excited for it to start.

My Boys

I spend most of my days here at home now.

My entertainment is Jackson, my dog

and Quinten, my little buddy.
Some days I have a hard time getting anything accomplished. They are both so cute it's hard to do anything but talk and play with them.

Jackson is a wonderful dog, who happens to have a bit of a barking problem. In most other aspects he is great. While playing fetch he is considerate and lets everyone in the room have a turn throwing his toy for him. I have noticed that this also includes Quinten. Though my buddy is only 3 months old, Jackson thinks that he needs a turn of his own. Jackson will walk up to Quinten, drop the toy next to him and then sit back and patiently wait for him to throw it. I haven't decided if is it one of the cutest things I have seen...or a sad sign the dog doesn't have a brain in his head. Either way it is rather amusing. One afternoon I was working in the kitchen and turned around to find Quinten sitting quietly in his bouncy seat surrounded with dog toys!

Yes I know my life is so very rough....

To Whom it May Concern

I thought that now that I am not working outside the house I would create a lifeline to anyone who might be interested in what is going on in my life and with my family. I am pregnant and due in Aug. RJ and I decided that I would stay home with the baby. My dear friend recently had a little boy and I had been watching him on my days off. A few weeks ago I decided to just enjoy the summer and quit my job early. Now I get to be a housewife and watch my little buddy 3 days a week. Right now the big things going on in our house are getting the baby's room ready and helping our little MinPin, Jackson, get use to the idea of having a baby around. He does pretty well...he does seem to have a problem when the baby cries. He doesn't seem to think that I take care of it fast enough! As we make progress in the room I will post pictures. For now I have highlighted our life. More later!!