Catch Up & Tatum’s First Birthday!

I should stop saying I’m going to try to be better about posting on here because I’m the worst at it. To be honest my next series of posts will probably months down the road, despite my best intentions.

January wasn’t that exciting but February was jam packed full of fun! In January, we took advantage of a discount Walt Disney World was having for Florida residents and bought 4 day passes that can be spread out through mid-June. I am LOVING that Tatum is still free for so many fun things! Brian and I laugh that she's been to Disneyland and Disney World before she turned one. We used our first day at Magic Kingdom in January, and hit Animal Kingdom on February 19 to kick off Tatum’s birthday week!

There are a few travel tips I learned as a travel agent that I didn’t take advantage of the first time we went to Magic Kingdom... at WDW, you can book your fast passes months in advance online. Although we rode everything we wanted to except Space Mountain our first trip, we swore we would be better prepared next time.. When we went to Animal Kingdom, we booked our fast passes two weeks in advance and ALL OF THE PANDORA ONES WERE GONE FOR THE WHOLE DAY. We should have known to decide on a date and book at least a month before but we didn’t and we weren’t waiting 3 hours each so we missed out on those. We did however hit everything else. We got fast passes for the Kilimanjaro Safari which we all enjoyed (and enjoyed not waiting even more), hit the single rider line for Expedition Everest and each only waited 5 minutes, and Tatum loved the Triceratop Spin and Finding Nemo live show! She wasn’t sure what to think of the Wildlife Express Train but when we got to the Affection Section (petting zoo) she was obsessed with brushing the goats haha.

My mom and stepdad were able to come down starting the day after we got back from Disney, Brian’s parents came into town on Tatum’s actual birthday Thursday, and my dad and stepmom made it in town for the weekend. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday were all spent at the beach. My mom and stepdad and Brian’s parents both stayed in hotels or condos right on Clearwater Beach so we had free parking and a short walk to the beach all week. On Tatum’s birthday we had our parents over for a spaghetti dinner (Tatums favorite) and her first smash cake. Friday, Brian and his dad and my stepdad went parasailing while my mom and I and Brian’s mom prepped for Tatum’s party the next day which we held at my grandma’s house! It was an Under the Sea theme for my little mermaid and we had a piñata, cotton candy maker, bounce house, and pin the tail on the mermaid! We’re so grateful for all our friends and family for making her first birthday so special and showering her with love and sooo many presents! She is definitely a lucky little girl and we loved having all her grandparents fly in from different corners of the country to be there for it! My mom also made Brian and I the cutest "Mer-Mama" and "Mer Daddy" shirts for the party so we could correspond with the birthday girl in her shell onesie and tutu.

The next few days after that we’re filled with more family time and beach time, with yummy Clearwater Beach restaurants thrown in! I’m happy we live in such a beautiful place, it makes more people want to come visit us! :) I can’t believe my baby girl is ONE. Time has flown by and I’m trying so hard to document as much as I can!

*images below are scrambled between birthday party, Animal Kingdom, and family time with grandparents here!*

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Baldwin Family Photos 2017 by Calder Photography

My girl Aneisa killed it again with family pics, thanks 'Neis! 

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Thoughts as 2017 Closes...

*UPDATE: Legit posting it while eating my hummus and celery. Come at me, 2018.*

Currently lying in a bathtub while I write this post (which I’ll probably post tomorrow when I’m at an actual computer and can attach images...). It’s 8:25 on New Year’s Eve and the only partying I’m doing consists of relaxing with my bath bombs and face mask and looking forward to watching the ball drop after some serious Netflix binging and sparkling cider with Brian. 

I read this great article on Facebook that I later shared about how pampering yourself isn’t about the bubble baths and shopping sprees, it’s about financial stability, working out, eating healthy, etc. It really made me think and was a fantastic article, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t still enjoy my bath bombs. I’ll be making resolutions to drink more water in 2018 but I’m not giving up my baths. Also I got about a thousand bombs for Christmas so if you need me, I’ll be in the tub. 🏼

Earlier I was talking to a friend who said she also wasn’t doing anything for NYE and was sad she wasn’t at our home to celebrate this year. It made me miss our old house and the hosting I was able to do there. It was so nice to be surrounded by friends and good food whether the occasion was a summer BBQ or our annual Christmas/NYE Party. However, I must be growing older because this year there’s nowhere else I would rather be than on the couch in pjs and slippers evaluating the previous year with my hubby while our baby sleeps upstairs in her room. 

2017 was definitely the greatest year of my life thus far. It had its struggles, but it definitely wasn’t the hardest year of my life either. The obvious greatest blessing given to Brian and I is Tatum and now that she’s here I cannot imagine life without her. Almost a full year so far (yes, I already have her first birthday party planned out), and every day I wake up loving her more than the day before. I could never imagine the way being a mother would change my attitude about everything in life, but it’s made me so much happier, more fulfilled, more grateful, and more cautious than ever before. That probably sounds conflicting but it’s the best way I know to describe it. I went through the struggle of leaving her with family when I went back to work part time after maternity leave, then had to adjust and find myself again after becoming a stay-at-home Mom after our cross country move to Florida. I miss my old job and coworkers but there’s not a day that goes by where I miss working more than I want to be with Tatum. It’s been hard finding ways to adapt to being home and not having as much adult social interaction, but I’m grateful everyday that Brian has a good job and he supports me in staying home with her. I’m learning to rediscover my likes and find new hobbies now that I actually have the time to pursue them (somewhat). 

We’re all looking forward to 2018 and as it stands now, we’ll be traveling a ton. Two friends from high school (one of Brian’s and one of mine) are getting married, we’re planning a family vacation with my mom and stepdad, all Tatum’s grandparents are coming to Florida for her first birthday party, we may have to go away for a week for Brian’s school, and there’s always Thanksgiving and Christmas! We’ll be utilizing the heck out of airline miles for sure this year, but it’s all so fun! 

Every single day when I wake up, I try to remind myself that we live in paradise. 2017 threw us some curveballs but we ended up making it somewhere gorgeous. We miss our families all the time but we’re making new friends here and exploring all the time! 2018 will be another adventure and I’m so excited to see all the ways we’re blessed this next year. We are so lucky and loved! ️

I’ve never been a huge resolutions person, meaning I make them and immediately break them. However, my last years resolution was to become more financially smart and stable, which is ironic since I stopped working, started selling Lipsense, and it took awhile before Brian accepted a good job when we moved to Florida. I’m scared to make a resolution this year because I’m afraid it will be tested! In the hopes that none of our family gets sick this year, I say this cautiously. Instead of trying to lose weight or get in shape, my 2018 resolution will be to eat healthier (and hope the previous mentioned goals follow). Maybe like 2017’s resolution, this one will stick because I have higher motivation: Tatum. The girl wants to eat everything I eat so I better eat healthy!

I’m thankful for all my friends and family that supported us this year, physically and emotionally. We cannot thank you enough! Here’s to a happy, healthy, prosperous new year! 

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