Parenthood: 3 Month Update
Tatum at 3 months
Tatum hit the 3-month mark a few weeks ago and so I thought it would be a great time to share a quarterly update on how our family’s been doing. Most days and nights have felt long and yet it also feels like time flew since his unexpected early birth. Looking at him now, you might find it hard to believe this chunk was a premature baby!
Tatum a few weeks after bringing him home
The first few weeks after Tatum was discharged from the NICU were challenging in terms of settling into the endless cycle of feeding, pumping, diaper changes and sleep. Breastfeeding was a huge hurdle as Tatum had become used to the bottle in the NICU and almost always got frustrated with attempts to breastfeed. We also dealt with a month-long diaper rash, which meant we had to wash his bum in the kitchen sink at each diaper change. Fortunately by the end of July, Tatum finally began to successfully breastfeed (he’s currently taking a combination of breast milk and formula) and we eventually discovered the diaper rash was due to a reaction to the Pampers Pure diapers we were using (we’ve since traded them in for Huggies Special Delivery).
August 9, 2020: Tatum’s Baptism
With the ongoing pandemic, we were concerned about what it would mean for socializing Tatum. But as limitations on social gatherings began to reduce and restaurants and shops started to reopen, Tatum was able to meet the majority of our closest relatives and friends and visit a few restaurants (mostly patios) and join our shopping trips before the end of the summer. We even had him baptized in an intimate ceremony that included his godparents and grandparents. We’ve noticed that Tatum seems to thrive in group settings and will be perfectly content being held by just about anyone. He’s also become accustomed to noise and can sleep through a lot of it—so far, a huge advantage considering how loud our Filipino families can be!
Bath time in the summer
Over the past three months, Brentley and I have really embraced and enjoyed our new roles as parents. Since day one, Brentley’s been very involved in the responsibilities; we’ve shared all of the feeds and diaper changes, bath time is always a two-person job and we take turns sleeping in the nursery with Tatum (I take weeknights and Brentley takes the weekend shift). He’s started to sleep longer stretches at night, although inconsistently, but we’re hopeful he’ll start to sleep through the night before the end of 2020.
Brentley and I often look through our photos and videos of Tatum in our camera rolls, admiring our baby and being in constant awe of how far he’s come, both in size and in mental development. He’s hit a few milestones along the way, like rolling over, self-soothing and—arguably our favourite—all the smiling! We love all of his little quirks, including an obsession with mirrors and his “pooping grunts” (they’re basically warnings that have really helped avoid the unwanted blowouts!). Seeing Tatum grow so quickly is bittersweet for us. Each week we realize he’ll never be this tiny again, and we’ve already had to pack away the majority of his 0-3 month sized clothing. But at the same time, we’re so excited to watch more of his personality form, and for all the next big milestones this first year will bring.
