Lots of Video's

Time for some cute video's of Tessa!
I will post some pictures and a new post soon!
Enjoy!

Future BFF's

Today we had an amazing visit with my sister in law Raeann and my niece Bella! Bella was born about 6 1/2 months before Tessa. They played soooo well together! Both have only child issues with sharing but overall they did great! Tessa was copying EVERYTHING Bella did! It was so cute. Here are some pictures from today!

playing together! Tessa was everywhere Bella was!

super cute!

Bella always likes to look at pictures...now Tessa does too!

Bella loves pretzels...now Tessa does too!

see the pattern???

my adorable niece Bella! She is so much fun!

Teaching Tessa bad habits!

Tried to get a picture of the two of them

This was when Tessa was just 8 months old trying to get a picture of the two of them!

CUTE! :-)

Tessa trying to tell Bella what to do :)

Tessa obviously annoyed that Mommy has blue socks on her when she has a pink shirt on! In my defense she was wearing a blue and pink shirt earlier until she got her lunch all over it!

Bella and Tessa reading together :)

I can't wait to see the two of them grow up together! They are going to be best friends!

Until next time...Peace, Love, and TESSA!!!!

Tessa loves the Library!

Tonight after dinner Tessa and I went to the library!

This has been Tessa's first trip to the library NOT in a stroller!

 

She played for a bit with some toys, saying whatisthis over and over again :-)

We picked out three books to read a bunch over the next week. Next week we will go again and pick out three more books! I want this to be a weekly thing! Reading is enjoyable to me and I want Tessa to feel the same way! There are too many kids these days that never pick up a book!

After pulling about 15 books of the shelf we then put them back one by one! She would open them and talk very loudly while reading them! She is going to be so smart! Thankfully there were no other kids in the area so no one minded my rather loud daughter "reading".

On our way home! Such a cute site seeing her looking at the books while I am driving! Such a proud momma!

Until next time...Peace, Love, and TESSA!

Gave me a Giggle!

This article made me laugh! Super cute! I knew there was something us parents didn't know about :-)
Enjoy!!

Awake Training for Parents:


Dear Fellow Babies,

OK, here’s my situation. My Mommy has had me for almost 5 months. The first few months were great – I cried, she picked me up and fed me, anytime, around the clock. Then something happened. Over the last few weeks, she has been trying to STTN (sleep thru the night). At first, I thought it was just a phase, but it is only getting worse.

I’ve talked to other babies, and it seems like its pretty common after Mommies have had us for around 5-6 months. Here’s the thing: these Mommies don’t really need to sleep. It’s just a habit. Many of them have had some 30 years to sleep – they just don’t need it anymore. So I am implementing a plan. I call it the Crybaby Shuffle.

It goes like this:
Night 1 – cry every 3 hours until you get fed. I know, it’s hard. It’s hard to see your Mommy upset over your crying. Just keep reminding yourself, it’s for her own good.
Night 2 – cry every 2 hours until you get fed.
Night 3 – every hour.

Most Mommies will start to respond more quickly after about 3 nights. Some Mommies are more alert, and may resist the change longer. These Mommies may stand in your doorway for hours, shhhh-ing. Don’t give in. I cannot stress this enough: CONSISTENCY IS KEY!! If you let her STTN (sleep through the night), just once, she will expect it every night. I know it’s hard! But she really does not need the sleep; she is just resisting the change.. If you have an especially alert Mommy, you can stop crying for about 10 minutes, just long enough for her to go back to bed and start to fall asleep. Then cry again. It WILL eventually work. My Mommy once stayed awake for 10 hours straight, so I know she can do it.

The other night, I cried every hour. You just have to decide to stick to it and just go for it. BE CONSISTENT! I cried for any reason I could come up with:

-My sleep sack tickled my foot.
-I felt a wrinkle under the sheet.
-My mobile made a shadow on the wall.
-I burped, and it tasted like rice cereal. I hadn’t eaten rice cereal since breakfast, what’s up with that?
-The dog said “ruff”. I should know. My Mommy reminds me of this about 20 times a day. LOL.
-Once I cried just because I liked how it sounded when it echoed on the monitor in the other room.
-Too hot, too cold, just right – doesn’t matter! Keep crying!!
-I had drooled so much my sheets were damp and I didn’t like it touching me.
-I decided I was sick of all the pink in my room so I cried.

It took awhile, but it worked. She fed me at 4am. Tomorrow night, my goal is 3:30am. You need to slowly shorten the interval between feedings in order to reset your Mommies’ internal clocks.

Sometimes my Mommy will call for reinforcements by sending in Daddy. Don’t worry Daddies are not set up for not needing sleep the way Mommies are. They can only handle a few pats and shhing before they declare defeat and send in the Mommy.

Also, be wary of the sleep sheep with rain noises. I like to give Mommy false hope that listening to the rain puts me to sleep sometimes I pretend to close my eyes and be asleep and then wait until I know Mommy is settling back to sleep to spring a surprise cry attack. If she doesn’t get to me fast enough I follow up with my fake cough and gag noise that always has her running to the crib. At some point I am positive she will start to realize that she really doesn’t really need sleep.

P.S. Don’t let those rubber things fool you, no matter how long you suck on them, no milk will come out.
Trust me.

Sincerely,
Baby J


Source: Unknown (If you know, let me know)
Copied from: http://www.babysleepsite.com/awake-training-for-parents/

15 Month Well Baby Appointment

The picture above says it all! The appointment went wonderful! Tessa was as cute as can be and super well behaved! Totally made me feel like Mom of the Year :-) Ped has no concerns and said she is perfect! Tessa was Chatty Cathy while we were in there and just loved the Monkeys that were hanging from the ceiling! She keps saying Oooh Oooh!

Here are her stats!

Weight: 22lbs 11oz (47%)

(I totally thought she was heavier than this!)

Height: 32 1/2 inches! (93%)

(YEP! My baby is TALL!)

Head: 18.27 Inches (64%)

(Big Brain! Smart Girl!)

Tall and Skinny like last time! Hopefully she is always like that and doesn't get her Momma's oompa loompa genes! Like the awesome Mom that I am, I dropped Tessa off at daycare after her appointment and I went shopping! I got some great deals on clothes for the husband and Tessa....but nothing for me. I just hate shopping for myself! I did manage to pick up a Green shirt to wear next week so I can wear jeans to work. Crazy that I don't have any green clothes! Now I have a green shirt :) Busy afternoon ahead of me organizing the million diaper boxes of clothes that no longer fit Tessa!

Until next time..Peace, Love, and TESSA!!!!!

All Smiles!

This week made me hate being a working Mom. I hated coming home from work and Tessa going to sleep not long after I got home. I hated not being able to cook her dinner and play with her afterwards. I totally need to win the lottery. It's in my 5 year plan... :-)

I have been looking forward to the weekend all week! I really wanted to make Tessa a REAL dinner since this week we haven't really been eating great...more like convenient foods, mac & cheese, meatballs, ravioli...stuff that is quick and easy to cook. I did manage one crock pot meal so she did get one home cooked meal! I got off work around 4 today and rushed home to get meatloaf in the oven. Tessa LOVES meatloaf and mashed potatoes...and ofcourse green beans. The entire time Tessa ate her meatloaf she was making the mMMmmm noise and didn't let one bit miss her mouth! She loves it!

After dinner I got some much needed Tessa play time in. She is just so much fun and full of energy! Even though she was not tired at all I put her in her PJ's around 7pm, she was still wired so we played a little more and I was able to snap a few cute adorable smiley pictures of her!

Tuesday is Tessa's 15 month Well Baby checkup!!! I am super looking forward to finding out how much she weighs and how long she is! I will try to update after her appointment!

Hope everyone has a nice, relaxing weekend!

Until Next Time....Peace, Love, and TESSA!!!

15 Months!!!!

Can you believe it!?!?! Tomorrow Tessa will be 15 months old! Seems like just yesterday she was tiny as can be!

Now she is a super active, super happy Toddler! She's walking, running, talking, screaming, and just a ton of fun! She is exhausting, but so worth it! She loves Mickey Mouse and Handy Manny. Reading books, and playing with toys (duh!). She says hi to everyone we walk by in the store and stares until they say hi back. Its the cutest thing ever...but can be uncomfortable when they don't say hi or acknowledge her at all...she just stares!

I figure since tomorrow she turns 15 months I should post a couple more of her 14 month pictures!

LOOK! Tessa is starting to grow HAIR!!! I am looking forward to cute clips, bows, and pigtails!!! I think we still have awhile though...but SOON!

Just relaxing, sporting her most recent bruise on her cheek...

She is once again in LOVE with books! She brings them to me all day long to read them to her. She will sit on the floor with her book and make all these noises like she is reading!

This is her typical MOM! READ THIS TO ME yell!

She spins this toy and barks...so weird but she loves it!

Another current fav toy! She will stack these and put them into each other over and over and over again.

Another picture of her growing hair!!!!

HAPPY TESSA!

A couple pictures Jessica sent from her visit! Cute picture of the two of us! Tessa was too busy staring at Jessica to look at the camera!

I love this picture of the two of them!!!

Looking forward to Spring and warm weather! This summer is going to be so much fun with Tessa. I am so looking forward to it!

Until next time...Peace, Love, and TESSA!

Besties Reunited!!!!

Today my best friend Jessica came to visit!

I didn't get a ton of pictures because my camera batteries are basically dead! I need to get new batteries...but who has the time! Anyway! I somehow managed to get Tessa down for an early nap and she was up and ready to go when Jess got here around 11. We went out to lunch at Chili's which was yummy! Chili's is absolutely one of my favorite places. Next we went shopping...Jessica style. lol. We did some shopping and Tessa ended up with a super cute dress, jean jacket, and pink shirt (that she is wearing in the pictures) from Baby Gap. I would NEVER shop there (unless clearance!) but again...we were shopping Jessica style! It was fun, but exhausting because she walks so flipping fast that my short oompa loompa legs cant keep up with her...and she was wearing heals! Crazy girl I tell ya. After shopping we headed back home to just hang out and visit. Tessa was obsessed with Jessica and wouldn't leave her alone. She loved her necklace and bracelets. I think we have a girly girl on our hands!!! :-)
Here are a couple pictures of Jessica and Tessa playing:

Jessica is coming back over tomorrow but the only thing we have planned is picking up her new laptop from Best Buy and grabbing some Jimmy Johns for lunch. The rest of the day will just be us playing with Tessa! Which I am glad because my legs need a break!!!! :-)

I also got some get news!!! My wonderful mom will be down visiting us for a WEEK! She will get here tomorrow night (Wednesday) and stay until Wednesday morning!!! My mom misses Tessa so much so I am really glad it is all working out. My mom doesn't drive much, especially not down here, so she is hitching a ride with my aunt that is flying to Florida for a couple of days. Tessa is going to be so excited when she see's her. She gets super excited when she see's her over skype so she will have a great surprise when she wakes up Thursday morning...that is if my mom doesn't wake her up Wednesday night!!!!

Here are a couple more pictures of Tessa from the past week:

This happens daily...Tessa is trying to reach Casper but Casper sits just far enough away from her that she can't touch him. When she does get close enough Casper usually paws at her! Tessa thinks its hilarious!

Love her! She is getting so big!!!!

Tessa loving her Dolly. She gives dolly hugs and kisses daily!

Whats a girl really need in life besides her dolly and sippy cup?

Until Next Time...Peace, Love, and TESSA!

Updated Look!

Updated the look of my blog!!!! I know a couple of my loyal readers (ha) read my blog through Google Reader so give your reader a break and actually come to the blog!

Who has the time...

Apologies first...I haven't updated in awhile!!! So sorry! I just don't have the time to blog! I need to start setting some time aside each week to make sure this blog is not neglected! Tonight I decided to not neglect the blog and instead I am neglecting the laundry that needs to be folded in the dryer, the dishes that need to be put away that are currently calling the dishwasher home, and the tornado called Tessa that has thrown toys all across my living room. BUT...The blog will not be neglected and that is most important...right?!

As you all know, my mom was down for the months of December and January. She left a couple of weeks ago. We had so much fun while she was down here and appreciate all the help she gives us! There is someone else that I miss sooooooo much...LACY! Yes...my parent's dog! I never realized how much food my darling daughter Tessa throws on the floor until the dog left. I miss Lacy...my knees miss Lacy. I hate wiping down the floor after every meal. I have two choices...I can either feed Tessa pasta or ravioli every night for the rest of my life OR I just have to deal with it and clean it up nightly. I look forward to the pasta or ravioli nights...Tessa's favorites! She eats every last bit of those meals and will look around her chair and on her to make sure it all made it in her mouth...it usually does. She is such a great eater. Although she has recently started becoming quite particular about what veggies she is eating I can usually get her to eat them! She LOVES green beans...she could eat those every day if I would let her. But what she doesn't know yet is that it isn't fun to eat green beans everyday! She likes carrots if I put them in her mouth for her...if I set them on her tray she immediately throws them on the floor. I blame the color. Why orange?! such a weird food color. ANYWAY...back to the topic...food. Tessa loves meat. I have yet to find a type of meat that she won't eat. As for fruits...blueberries. She loves them. She is also a huge banana fan. She will eat the mandarian oranges IF I need them to her...again...orange...weird.

 saying bye to nana

 we miss you nana! come back soon...and bring LACY!

This past week was a tough week for me as a parent! First off, Saturday night around 11pm our power went out. It was out for 11 hours...yes...completely out...as in no power...as in no power and no heat...yes no heat. It was rough. When the power went out the temp in Tessa's room was 69 degrees. She was warm and toasty so we threw her blanket on her and hoped the power would come back on soon. It didn't. Come 3am my Tessa woke up crying so I brought her into our bed...something I never do because it just scares me! But ofcourse at this point her room was around 63 degrees and we needed to keep warm. Casey ended up sleeping on the couch with a couple blankets because Tessa totally hogs the bed. She moves around soooo much. We woke up around 8am and came into our living room...temp was 57...cold. I tried to think of it this way. This spring when its 57 degrees out we will think its a a heat wave! Windows will probably be cracked open and we will go for a walk in fresh air...WELL winter 57 is much different than Spring 57. We bundled up and had some milk and fruit hoping that the power would come on soon...yeah...it didn't. Finally it was just too cold so Tessa and I headed out to do some shopping! Obviously shopping did the trick because around 10am Casey called to say the power was back on. THEN of course since the place was freezing we cranked the heat up! Thankfully it stayed on and we didn't have to worry about being cold! I am just glad it went out at night. Much easier to keep Tessa warm while she is sleeping!

Another wonderful time this week was when I was sick! It was the first time I had really been so sick where I couldn't really do anything,. Started Monday night with a horrible headache and continued into Tuesday with flu like symptoms. It sucked. I stayed home from work and Tessa went to daycare. Although being sick sucked I totally lost 4 pounds :-) only about 10 flu's away from my goal weight! KIDDING!

Besides power being out and being sick things are great! Tessa is a blast. She is a sponge and learning new things daily. She is a walking machine. She would rather walk anywhere than have us carry her. If we are carrying her she will stiffen up straight and its so hard to carry her so we have to put her down and she will walk next to us. Its adorable but can be frustrating when you are running late for work or need to be somewhere! Daycare is working out great now that my mom is gone. Tessa has fully adjusted to it and has a blast.

A couple of weeks ago we finally got some pictures taken of Tessa! Below are some of my favorite pictures. Blogger shrunk them down so the quality doesn't look as sharp as they actually are. They turned out great! Now I just need to order some prints! Who has time for that! :) Enjoy the pictures!

 this is my favorite picture!!!

such a big girl!

Jessica is coming for a visit next week so I am sure I will have tons of pictures to update the blog with!

Until next time...Peace, Love, and TESSA!!!!!!