Thursday, April 22, 2010

It's been awhile!

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It's been awhile since I have updated. I find it so hard to find the time to blog anymore. Right now I'm writing this update from my phone while Tessa is sleeping in my arms. Today was the first day I have been super sick since Tessa was born...let me tell you what...being sick when you have a baby is 100 times worse. For once I was thankful I am not a stay at home mom because I was able to take full advantage of taking Tessa to daycare. I was able to sleep on and off most of the day. I say on and off because 1) I have to pump every 3 or 4 hrs and 2) the apartment complex is repaving the drives so I had my apartment shaking on and off most of the day. When it was time to pick Tessa up I really wasn't feeling any better but you can't call in on mommyhood like you can work so I put on my mommy hat and away I went. Thankfully Tessa was pretty content with playing on her activity mat or in her exersaucer this evening.

This past weekend we took the 4 hour drive up to good ol' Iggy (or St. Ignace to you trolls :-) Tessa slept basically the entire ride there. I drove while Casey chilaxed in the passenger seat totally driving me bonkers while taking control of the music on the mp3 player...I listen to country...he doesn't. He won...I lost...I had to laugh though...at one point I was complaining about his crap music and I saw "why can't we just listen to my music for just a bit" he replies as calm as ever "because I don't want to listen to you singing" I laughed a lot because its true...I'm always singing in the car and I am NOT good!

Anyway, it was a great trip. Friday we visited with my grandparents next door. They both have cancer so spending time with them was very important this trip. But they are both fighters so I am confident there will be many more visits with them. Saturday and Sunday was spent spending time with my family. It was great and makes me angry that we don't get up there more often. My mom, brother, and I went to the casino Saturday night. Lost the 20 bucks I went with within the first 20 minutes. Thankfully my mom was winning on every machine she touched so I got to play a lot longer! But then I got annoyed bc I wanted to leave and my mom just kept winning!

Sunday we took a ride to get some Clydes. It was amazing...but our second choice. We planned on going to Chinese but they were closed :-( no princess chicken on this trip. At Clydes my mom and I (boys were golfing) got cheeseburgers with the works, onion rings, southwest bites, and a chocolate malt!!!! Amazing!!! We went and ate it down at the bridge view...it was freezing out so I snapped a quick picture of Tessa in front of the bridge and we went back home and relaxed for the remainder of the evening. Oh yes! We watched the ACM's and Carrie Underwood won Entertainer of the year! That made me really happy!

Monday came tooooo quick. I was not wanting to come home at all. I miss the fresh air and fresh water so much. The drive back took forever. Tessa was fussy...pooped twice...and hardly slept. It ended up taking us 5 hrs to get home instead of the usual 4. But what matters is we made it home safely and can't wait to make it up there again.

We didn't get too many pictures. I kept forgetting my camera or forgetting to take pictures. Here are a couple from our trip:
The Good ol' Mighty Mac! First sign of home!
On the Bridge! Almost Home!!!
Tessa LOVES her exersaucer!
Watching Nascar with Grandpa!
Getting some love from Aunt Cella! They matched too!
Snuggle time with Great Grandpa Dave!
Rocking away with Great Grandma Max!
Tessa was held most of the weekend :-) Nana wouldn't put her down! And she wondered why Tessa wasn't going to bed Friday night...because she kept talking to her! :-)
Tessa's first picture with the Mighty Mac! Can't wait to make tons of memories involving this bridge!
Someone please remind me why I live downstate??? I really miss this right here.
Uncle Jason still kind of uncomfortable holding Tessa....
Tessa and Nana!

These next pictures were taken tonight!
She is just toooooo darn cute!!!!


This bunny was my "thing" when I was growing up. My Grandma Red found in her her attic and cleaned it up for me to give to my daughter. Tessa loves it!!!! Especially the ears!
She looks so much like Casey!
There's that smile!!!!! Check out those toes!
 She is always spreading her toes out like this!

She is getting to be such a big girl! She is also starting to love being on her tummy!
And has found her toes!
She is thinking "Mom seriously...enough with the camera!"
All snuggled up in my warmed towel after bathtime!
"Okay Mom...get me out of this towel!
"Thank You!!!! Now give me those toes!"
"Geez Mom...by now you should be quicker at these things!"
"Now give me my bottle or I will eat my hand"


I also want to share that someone anonymously donated to U of M in Alyssa's memory. It is wonderful to know that Alyssa's memory will always be alive. The letter I received from U of M states that her name will be on a plaque that will go on a chair in the new hospital once it opens. I am looking forward to seeing the chair. I believe the hospital is supposed to open in 2012. It is wonderful to know that there are still good people out there. I constantly worry that Alyssa will be forgotten by so many because Tessa is here now. But Alyssa is my daughter as much as Tessa is, only instead of being here with me, she is in my heart.  I think about her everyday and I feel like she is with me every step of my day...she is everyones guardian angel.

Whew! Okay! Time to end this blog! :-)  Hopefully my next blog post will be sooner than later!!!

Until next time.....

ps...please ignore any grammar/spelling mistakes! I wrote a majority of this post from my blackberry!

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Visit from Jackie & Co.

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Saturday one of my best friends in college and her wonderful family came to visit! It was such a fun time! She moved to South Dakota about 3 years ago and I have only seen her once since then! It was so much fun catching up. I made dinner (BBQ Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, and Green Beans!) and we had some yummy dessert (Cheesecake!). Jackie and her husband Brian have two kids...

 Jordan who is a little boy with an attitude and zero patience! He is 3 years old and a lot of fun! I realized how much I need to baby proof my house!

Taylor is about a year and 3 months....the same age Alyssa should be. She is so darn cute and full of energy...and ate some cat food while she was here...oops! She liked it though! haha. It was VERY difficult for me at first when I saw her because it dug up a couple emotions that I had buried for a bit but after I started playing with her I was able to put my emotions aside and have a blast with her! She is such a happy little girl!

AND...Jackie has another little boy cooking away! She is due in July with her 3rd!!!! Craziness!!! She is naming him Colton. They are going to have their hands full!!!!  I really wish they didn't live so far away. We had a blast the while they were visiting and besides the fast they have 2 1/2 kids it was like nothing had changed in the 3 years since!
Oh yeah... Tessa wasn't in any of these pictures because she was being a good girl and sleeping!

Here are a couple more pictures taken over the weekend!

This girl looks like she is up to something!

She loves this exersaucer!

Caught her mid squeal!

Too cute!!!!!


Tessa's First Cereal Experience!!!

Haha she is spitting it all out!!!!

Cereal is a new experience for us...so far we are both struggling! It is taking some major getting used to!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Tessa's 4 Month Well Baby Checkup!

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Today was Tessa's 4 month Well-Baby checkup! Her pediatrican said she was perfect!
Here are her stats:  25 1/2 inches long (87th percentile), and 13 lbs 9 oz (37th percentile)! Her pediatrician was very pleased with Tessa's growth and had no concerns...I thought it would be an issue since she was in the 54th percentile for her weight last time and dropped down to 37th percentile this time but the Pediatrician said she was just perfect! She does want me to start Tessa on cereal so that will be our next adventure. Tessa did very good at the doctors...she was smiling and making all her cute noises most of the time....that is until the shots came. UGH That cry just kills me! I hate shots...Tessa was over it quickly and was asleep by the time we hit the driveway!

Here are a couple pictures from the past week or so:

This was taken on her 4 month birthday!

Another!

If she is awake...this is probably what she looks like...always had her hands in her mouth!

She is mid-squeal in this picture...its her new thing...very loud squeals!

Good Morning! Don't you wish you were this happy in the morning?
This is usually how she wakes up in the morning...with a big ol smile on her face!

Playing in her exersaucer :-) She really doesn't know what to think yet!

 I just LOVE this picture of her!

She loves playing on her activity mat too!

Ugh tummy time...she hates tummy time!

until next time... Live, Love, Laugh!

Tessa's First Easter!

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Tessa's first Easter was pretty low key. Saturday we drove up to Flint to spend the day with Casey's two sisters and their families. Then on Sunday my Aunt and a couple of her kids came to stay the night! I cooked a wonderful dinner and it was a great day!

Here are a couple pictures from Easter weekend. Tessa did have this super cute dress for Easter but...of course...she pooped all over it! :-)

Tessa, my Sister-in-law Raeann, and my niece Brooke

My adorable niece Bella (Raeann's daughter)

Tessa on Easter
It is soooo hard to get a really good picture of Tessa these days because she is always moving and squirming! She was contantly trying to eat her dress!

Tessa's 1st Easter!

Tessa was not a fan...and Kadyn just wanted to play!

Thought this was a cute picture of the two.
Tessa looks sooo tiny compared to him!