What a Difference One Year Makes!

This Memorial Day weekend was much different than 2007. One year ago, I deployed with my squadron on the night before Memorial Day. At that point, I had felt Tatum kick once or twice and Lindsey was just starting to show!

This year, our friend Melissa came up from D.C. to visit. After picking her up we walked around Old Port in Portland and then drove down to Cape Elizabeth in order to see Portland Head Light. This is the most photographed lighthouse in the world!

On Sunday we drove North on Route 1 to the picturesque town of Camden where we had lunch and did some sightseeing.

Tatum's New Friends!

After 7 months of living together, it appears that Tatum and the dogs are finally aware of each other. Tatum is especially interested in their paws. Sadie and Eli are interested in anyone who will pet them!

Milestones!

With advancing age comes new milestones and Tatum has had "her" milestones and "our" milestones in the past couple of weeks. Once the teeth set in and she started solid foods it was time to learn how to brush teeth (with Fluoride Free Toothpaste of course). We received this "finger brush" as a gift and it introduces Tatum to the concept of brushing her teeth. We can't say that she loved it, but we can certainly say that she'll get used to it.



While in Quebec City Tatum started army crawling. Unfortunately, we were unable to record it at the time, but we've included some new videos of her crawling at home. We thought it was cute at first, but we aren't so sure now. She is interested in everything, but her things! Televisions, DVD Players, and Electrical Oulets beware!

Mother's Day Weekend in Quebec City

This past weekend we traveled North to Quebec City in order to celebrate Lindsey's first Mother's Day. We had a great time and managed to squeeze in many sights over the course of our 2 1/2 day stay. Tatum is an excellent little travel companion as displayed by her willingness to be in her stroller/Baby Bjorn carrier for almost 12 hours on Saturday in addition to 5 1/2 hours in the car on both the way to Quebec City and back home to Brunswick. She also had her first sample of "real" food here, which was Poutine. Here are a few highlights from our trip:

As you can see, this is as close as it gets to being in Europe while in North America. This also happens to be the city's 400th anniversary, and they are starting to celebrate it as the weather warms up. The heart of the city is Vieux-Quebec (Old Quebec), which is divided between Haute-Ville (Upper Town) and Basse-Ville (Lower Town). Because of its immaculate preservation and historical significance, Old Quebec has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. If you watched the slide show, then you likely noticed many pictures of Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac. Not only is this the most photographed hotel in the world, but FDR and Winston Churchill met here twice in 1943 and 1944 and planned D-Day. This is a place we plan to visit again in the future.

Tatum goes to California

Playing in the bouncy seat at Grandpa's

Although it has been two weeks since we returned from our trip to California, I wanted to post a few of pictures of Tatum enjoying the trip. Unfortunately however, while we were able to enjoy the sun and the warm weather my dad fell ill the day after we arrived and he spent the duration of our trip in the hospital. I know that my dad would have much preferred to be at home spending time with Tatum, however I was glad that we were able to be there to visit him in the hospital and to lend a helping hand around the house. Luckily, my mom made the trip West with Tatum and I so we had some company while my dad was in the hospital.

Hanging out in Palm Desert, CA

Shopping on El Paseo Drive - the Rodeo Drive of the Desert!

Tatum's Baptism

Today was a special day for us as Tatum received the Sacrament of Baptism at the Chapel on base. This day was all the more special as Tatum wore her great grandfather's baptism gown, which is nearly 100 years old! Additionally, Tatum was the 5th child to be baptized in the official VP-10 Squadron bell - a military tradition. Her name will be inscribed on the inside of the bell along with the names of the other children who have been baptized in the bell. When, and if, the squadron is decommissioned in the future, Tatum's name, along with the bell will be forever preserved in this piece of our country's military history.

Tatum getting ready for the big day.

Mom and Tatum

After the ceremony with Karen Rueda (the proxy) and the squadron bell.

Long Day!

Today was a busy day at work for dad and a day full of errands for Tatum. After our afternoon walk, Mike was supposed to be getting Tatum ready to eat, but they had a different agenda!

Tatum's Future Looks Bright

This was the nicest weekend of 2008 thus far, so we decided to to take Tatum outside to explore. It was very sunny so she had to wear sunglasses to protect her from the harmful UV rays. On Saturday, we went to a dairy farm called Pine Valley Farms located in New Gloucester. We walked around their trails and visited some of the farm animals. Tatum was fascinated by the 2 week old dairy calves, which were also quite interested in her. Unfortunately, we left the camera in the car during this visit.

Getting ready for a stroll

On Sunday we took a drive up to Boothbay Harbor with our friends Mike and Dana along with their 6 month old daughter, Caroline. During the summer, this is a busy lobster harbor, but today it was quiet, so we just walked around and did some window shopping and ate a casual lunch.

On the footbridge in Boothbay Harbor

Tatum's 6 Month Birthday!

Tatum celebrated her 6 month birthday today in high style! The 3 of us ventured a few miles north to the town of Bath where we had some caffeinated drinks at a local coffee shop and then shopped for a new coffee press before heading home. This was then followed by Tatum's first taste of banana baby food which resulted in a much needed bath. After that it was time for bed! We are pretty sure her first birthday will be a bit more hectic.

Fun in the Sun!

Lindsey and Tatum decided to celebrate April 15th by playing on the Orletski's newly installed swing set. Tatum is definitely enjoying the "warm" weather and she loves being outside. Warm is still a relative term here as there are still 12 foot high snow banks next to the runway on base!

Warning: Sharp Objects!

Tatum recently started to show off her newest addition-her two little teeth. While they certainly are cute, they are also razor sharp and she is biting everything! Don't say you weren't warned.

Tatum's New Hiking Backpack!

This is Dad and Tatum testing out her new hiking backpack while playing fetch with the dogs in the backyard. Tatum gave it raving reviews, commenting, "If dad would get his haircut then I could throw it to them overhand". This will definitely be nice to have when we go to Acadia National Park at the end of May.

Bedroom Play Time!

Tatum has learned to sit up unsupported and loves playing on her animal themed bedroom rug.

Tatum's 1st Meal!

Having fun in her chair

After a week of deliberating, we finally decided to let Tatum have her first taste of solid food (if you don't count the Maple Syrup Sundae from Easter). The recipe was simple: rice powder + milk. Tatum seemed to enjoy this experience, but it will be a long time before this is her sole source of food. We also think that we will be doing a lot more laundry in the near future!

She decided to help herself to some more...what are we in for?

Maine Maple Sunday

Today, Easter Sunday, we had the opportunity to join in an annual Maine tradition, "Maine Maple Sunday." On this day, which annually falls on the 4th Sunday in March, sugar makers all across Maine open the doors of their sugarhouses and allow the public to join them in their rites of spring - making maple syrup. Dependent on which farm one visits, there are opportunities to taste pure maple syrup, sugar, candies, and homemade ice cream as well as to tour the livestock and greenhouses by foot or by way of a wagon ride. We chose to head out to Jillson's Farm, about 45 minutes away from Brunswick, where we proceeded to eat a maple sundae for lunch followed by pure maple sugar poured over ice (which allowed it to crystalize and then be consumed on a stick) for dessert. Even better we then headed over to a friends house for Easter dinner where we then consumed a wonderful dinner followed by more chocolate and dessert. Tatum was one lucky gal as daddy offered her a taste of ice cream which she appeared to enjoy. We had a great time and it was nice to get out and do something local as we have just over a year left in Maine and there is a wealth of things to do here. Oh and also, we did get to see a demonstration of maple sap being converted into maple syrup - the real objective for opening up the sugar houses to the public!

our pure maple sugar on a stick

a chilly but beautiful day!

Meet Tatum

For those of you who have not had the opportunity to meet Ms. Tatum in person we have uploaded some videos of her playing in her "Jumperoo" today. She absolutely loves this toy and is able to entertain herself for long periods of time which is a great help to us! Enjoy.

What is Daddy thinking???

While we in no way encourage underage drinking, this was pretty funny and worth some snapshots. As I mentioned in the prior post, these days things make their way into Tatum's mouth quicker than we realize!...

Going in for the grab...

Almost there...

Got it!

Daddy and his little girl

5 months old...

Well, we are again a bit overdue with updating the blog thanks to some travels and adjusting to our regular daily routine of naps vs. no-naps vs. going to the gym, etc. Time certainly flies when you are having fun and it is hard to believe that Tatum is already 5 months old! We are beginning to get into everything these days and anything that is within arms reach is headed straight for the mouth. I could worry extensively about germs however I realize that within the next few months she will be able to get things into her mouth quicker than I can grab them out! Tatum is now rolling over front-to-back and back-to-front as well as she is trying very hard to crawl by scooting her little bottom up into the air and stretching her arms out. We are working on sitting up and I figure that this will be a milestone that is reached very shortly as she can sit unassisted for short periods of time. Keep checking back as we will be posting some pictures from our 2 week trip to St. Louis to see family and friends...

Fun with Mom and Dad

Just a few pictures from our at home "photo shoot" on Sunday:

Sleeping

We have finally purchased a mattress for Tatum's crib and we have begun the transition process from our room to her room. Now that she has a rug, music player, and mattress, her room is just about complete!

Look who is 3 months old...

...Tatum is!

Hanging out in the kitchen during dinner time

Playing in her exersaucer

Weekend Walk

This past weekend we had the opportunity to take Tatum on her first walk in her jogging stroller. Since her head control seems to be improving on a daily basis she is able to enjoy a walk sitting up rather than lying down (which also helps to keep her awake, which in turn helps with bedtime!). She really seems to enjoy going on walks and looking around.

Getting ready to go

We were very lucky to have 5 days of 45+ degree weather - which may seem cold to some, but is a warm welcome for us after 2 feet of snow blanketed us the previous weekend. Unfortunately it is back to the cold though because we received 10 inches of snow yesterday (Monday) and it is predicted that there will be more come Friday. Oh well...there is not much hope for warm weather in Maine during the winter.

The stroller (which come spring will get a LOT of use)

Back home and getting "unwrapped"

Some recent pictures...

A little behind the times...

Well it would seem as though time has stopped since this blog was last updated. Apparently Tatum has been 3 weeks old since mid-November! As most of you know, she is no longer 3 weeks old...she is just one week shy of 3 months now. Since we last posted on the blog time has flown by and Tatum has grown and changed tremendously. Overall, since Tatum's arrival on October 17th life has changed in so many wonderful ways.

During November we had a nice week-long visit with my dad who helped Tatum to celebrate her 1st Thanksgiving, we then welcomed Mike home on December 7th after a 6 1/2 month deployment, and shortly thereafter Mike's family came to Maine to celebrate Christmas with us. This was the first time that any of them met Tatum so it was a very special visit. To cap it all off, we then flew to Minneapolis to spend the New Year with our friends Tim and Carlye. It has been a great time but a very busy two months. Mike had a nice 2 1/2 week vacation after he returned home and it is hard to believe that he actually had a break because time went so quick. We have easily adjusted back to our life as a family and almost too quickly, returned to the regular daily routine of eat, sleep, work, and play. It will be fun to see what these next few months will bring us.

Keep checking back for more updates and pictures as we continue to chronicle our life with Tatum and our time here in Maine.

Our 1st "official" family picture

The plane that brought Mike home (this was taken just minutes before we were reunited!)