Thursday, April 22, 2010

It's been awhile!


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!

1 comments on "It's been awhile!"

Ling on April 23, 2010 at 9:31 AM said...

Jenalee,
Tessa’s super cute! The picture where she was in front of Might Mac is so impressive so breath taken! I haven’t been there yet. But definitely it will be a place in our plan when the kids are a little bit older.
You almost made me cry when you mentioned Alyssa… It is so great to hear a donation in Alyssa’s memory. Yes. She is an angel and will be remembered by all of us who knew her when she was in her mom’s tummy.