Christmas Video

Merry Christmas everyone! We have had a great couple of days and are busy getting ready for our trip to CO tomorrow to start round two of holiday fun. Instead of posting a 1,000 pics Jeremy put together this awesome video of Tessa's first Christmas. Enjoy!

To view in full screen please use this youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbE5g4lpdKQ

Christmas So Far...

...has been very good but a little tiring for a little babe....

Stay tuned for a slide show of Christmas pictures, coming very soon to a baby blog near you.

Present Thief Caught on Tape

Look What an Army Crawler Can Do...

...when Mom's not watching! She can scoot all the way across the room to get at the tree! I have to get used to this mobility thing.

Eat Your Veg

I couldn't resist snapping of pic of this 'pond scum face'. I made Tessa some pureed kale that she had for lunch today and really liked. So far she happily eats almost anything I give her which is great. The only thing she has rejected is pears but I wonder if that was because of the grainy texture. I made another batch and blended it real smooth so we can try again.

I think Hayden must have taught her to beg for table scraps because she's pretty good at it. I like to give her tastes of what we're eating so she's used to that now and bangs her hands and opens her mouth when there's food around. Eventhough she has no teeth she has started gumming soft pieces of bread which she really likes, especially if I dip it in some tasty baby food.

I forgot in the previous post to give a special thanks to Jeremy's sister Carrie for the suitcase full of Vicki's baby clothes she sent us home with! We got both a stash of clothes and a new suitcase out of the deal. Yay!

Home for a Bit

Can you believe it's almost Christmas? Only a week left- ack! So much to do still! I guess since we have been vacationing in CA and Seattle the time has slipped away from me. We had a great time. In CA Tessa and I mostly relaxed and shopped, etc while Jeremy was at work. It was really nice to just hang out with no housework, laundry or dogs to worry about!

We had a great visit in Seattle with Jeremy's sister and her family including our new nephew Zack. I am totally deliquent because I forgot the camera, and I'm not sure if Carrie took any pics or not. Whoops :( I think Vicki, who's 4, found Tessa alot more entertaining this time. She likes to roll around and squeal and Vicki liked squealing back at her.

Right after Christmas we are heading to CO to celebrate New Years with Jeremy's family so it's a busy travel month for the babe!

And now I would like to give a shout out to Hayden Elem where I know I have many very faithful blog readers, including a classroom full of 4th graders. They were recently recognized as a blue ribbon school! I went down today to pick up the dogs who were weary from a long week at their Mamaw's house, and her classroom on the way. Everyone loved seeing Tessa.

Tessa is pretty close to crawling. She can 'army crawl' by pulling herself with her hands, and she can also get into this position below. I think it's time to baby proof!

Of course Monkey went along, who is now famous in his own right

Tale of a Monkey

So Mom thinks I should write a children's book series about Tessa and her adventures, and my friend CA Stephanie (as opposed to RI Stephany) is writing a sitcom based on my everyday life....so is that to say that our lives are entertaining? I'm not really sure...but I do know that Steph's premise is about all of the clumsy and stupid things I do everyday so there you go.

Anyway a possible book topic could be about the day that Monkey was almost permanently lost at the mall in California.....

So Tessa has a brown courderoy monkey named Monkey who goes everywhere with her. He has magnet hands so he sticks to the stroller, carseat or highchair. His tail and hands are all hard and grossed from being lovingly sucked to death.

Two days ago I was hanging out here at the mall in San Jose, waiting for my friend CA Stephanie to meet me for lunch. After a long time shopping I finally got a call from Steph saying she was in 15 min parking outside and we could drive to local sushi place for lunch. Now this is a BIG mall. Big enough that they give you a map when you enter so that you don't get lost.

After about 7-10 minutes of walking to get down to the door where Stephanie was I noticed that Tessa was squealing and hollering alot. Normally she's so quiet in her stroller and just plays with her toys...toys...she has no toys. Where's MONKEY? Oh no.

I call Steph and tell her to wait in her spot, I have to backtrack and look for Monkey. I retraced my steps to Lane Bryant where I had been in the dressing room (yes I'm plus sized- get over it). I looked under racks of clothes, all along the ground, I looked on the dressing room floor....no Monkey. I felt kinda silly leaving my phone number with the cashier but given her fellow mother empathy she insisted she would keep an eye open.

Let me take a moment to say that Monkey is a cheap toy, probably less that $5 and has no real value other than his ability to make Tessa smile. He even has a French cousin that Jeremy brought back from Paris named Le Monkey.

Steph was still waiting in 15 minute parking so I pick up the pace. But of course I can't walk very fast because I am wearing shoes that are one size too big. Why? Because they were like $12 at Meijers and they didn't have my size so I bought a 10 instead of 9....yes I am just that cheap. How could I pass up that price for such cute shoes? Everytime I try to walk fast the come flying off, so I am waddling as fast as I can back to the door. I had JUST gotten out the door when Lane Bryant called...we have your monkey!

I tried calling Steph to tell her to look for another spot because we had to go back but she didn't answer. This was getting serious now, even if Steph had to re-park, like a soldier in combat I was NOT leaving a man behind. Waddle waddle as fast as I could back to the store while Tessa squealed and screamed in her stroller. I think the grief of her loss was starting to hit her. Until we arrived at Lane Bryant and there he was...Monkey!

That's basically the end of the story. This whole affair took about 30 minutes running around the huge mall and I probably looked like a crazy person waddled around and helplessly apologizing to my 8 month old (who obviously doesn't speak English) for losing her best friend.

Other than that our trip to CA is going fine. Tessa and I have just been hanging out while Jeremy works. Tomorrow we head to Seattle to see Jeremy's sister and our new nephew Zack.

And lastly I wanted to say congrats again to my cousin Eva for her awesome performance in her final PMO Christmas Show *sniff*. I totally remember how weird it is to dedicate so much time and hard work to this event over the years and then just move on at the end of senior year. I'm not sure non-PMO alum can fully understand the feeling of performing for 25,000 people every year. We went to her last show on Sunday and Jeremy and I got to go onstage with other alumni during the audience carol sing and pretend like we were big stuff.

The starlett and her crazy old cousin after the show. And Tessa stayed with one of her favorite babysitters, Blythe, I hear they had a good time.

Stranger in a Strange Aisle

Since we use cloth diapers and wipes, homeade baby food and Tessa is breastfed...I am a total idiot in the 'baby aisle'. Well we are going to CA and Seattle next week (yay!) so I had to venture there for disposable diapers, disposable bibs and some jarred baby food.

Holy monkey is that aisle overwhelming! I couldn't find the disposable bibs to save my life but I knew that they existed...they are paper so I don't have to worry about washing her bibs in the hotel next week. After finally finding them in a hidden corner behind some diapers, I stared cluelessly at the baby food wall for like 10 minutes. What the heck is a stage 1 or stage 2 baby food? I wanted to get some of Tessa's faves like peas and squash but didn't know if 'stage 2' meant a certain age?

I contemplated asking a fellow shopper but thought she might think I'm an idiot with my almost 8 month old....thinking perhaps I hadn't fed or diapered my child in all this time. Isn't a suburban housewife supposed to be an expert in such topics?

So I just guessed and grabbed some different choices...I plan to buy more when we get to CA. Luckily I did know what kind of diapers to buy- Luvs. All of the other brands of sposies have caused us leaks in the past.

I didn't know that would be so hard!

Now What is THIS Stuff?

It was only like a week or so ago that aliens landed in my house and brought the big twinkly sparkly thing to the living room. Then I woke up this morning and Mommy showed me that THIS had happened. What's going on around here? ~ Tessa

Yay It's Here!

Merry Christmas to us!

At the beginning of 2007 when we set the budget we decided that NO extra money (bonuses, stocks, etc) would be spent on frivilousity....no new appliances or housewares, no 'toys', no unplanned vacations, etc. We've actually done pretty well (with the exception of our riding lawnmower that our moving neighbors sold us for an awesome price).

Well with almost three weeks left in the year I guess we didn't make it cause look at our new fridge! The old one had a broken icemaker and would only get moderately cold, so it now resides in the garage.

Jeremy found a 20% off appliance sale at Sears on 'black friday' so it was apparently a steal. The thing I'm excited about is the extra freezer space, especially since I've been making and freezing alot of baby food. So the garage freezer will be dedicated to freezing prepared meals like lasagna and marinated meats, in order to be more organized and maybe even save some on the grocery budget. How domestic of me huh?

With the 20% off appliance sale Jer couldn't help but throw in a dishwasher too. Now this is even more excited because our dishwasher has been on the fritz for a while but actually stopped disolving detergent about two weeks ago. It still hasn't been delivered but I am very excited about it!

So today at the grocery I didn't have to buy a bag of ice for once....yay!

Aliens Must Have Landed in My House.....

.....And they left behind this strange big shiny thing. Kinda strange~ Tessa

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hi everyone- this is Tessa. I wanted to tell you about the past couple of days in my house. At first I thought my parents were neglecting me because they didn't play with me much. Mommy was cleaning and Daddy was cooking and making pies. I tried to tell them there was plenty of food here but they had to make ALOT.

Then yesterday our house was all full of people....my cousins, second cousins, grandparents, aunts and uncles. It was alot of fun, but made me really tired! Last night I was so cranky that Mommy even let me sleep in bed with her- yay!

Mommy set both the tables with pretty plates I had never seen..

Then after Daddy had cooked for hours and hours it was time to eat...

I had pureed turkey and sweet taters, and Mommy let me taste cheeseball and spinach dip- yum!

And everyone was very happy....

And we all played and visited until we were worn out. Maybe next year I can run around and wrestle too?

Today we went a town called Metamora where they have lots of little stores outside. It was cold but I was really bundled up. I hate it when Mommy puts those things on my hands, they're so confusing!

While we were there we saw some family again. Here's Uncle Andy with my cousins Mark and Bob. Mommy said this picture belongs in a frame...

If I Can Stop Laughing Long Enough To Type

See now I think THIS is the kind of thing that the internet was made for. I can't stop laughing eventhough I've watched it like six times. Our family has been elfed! (minus Rosie because they would only let me do four)

Enjoy.... http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9550060892

7 month pics

Hard to believe it's been 7 months, but it's time again for a photo shoot. Today Tessa wanted to wear the tshirt her Auntie Jessica got her. It's a great choice since we are going to airport later to pick him up....I'll let it speak for itself

This picture below isn't the greatest of Tessa but it shows off her fuzzy hair.

Mmm..turkey

As if cloth diapers, breastfeeding and pureeing baby food didn't make our house messy enough I thought I'd get Tessa one of those mesh feeder things. Basically you put food in it and they suck on it through a tiny mesh bag. It's not really for eating- just so they can try new flavors and practice feeding themselves. Plus good for teething!

So the pics above are of her trying some turkey! (and now she's all sticky and her and her walker stink of poultry) I bought a single serving turkey breast and pureed and froze it tonight so she'll have some for next week...I figure our kitchen will be busy enough making food for 20+ guests without trying to blend up baby food.

She seemed to like the turkey and really liked chomping on it. She held onto it for about 2 hrs which I think it a record given how she loves to throw things. It made the dogs NUTS but hey they have to get used to her holding food, right?

Here's a pic I thought I'd share of some of the things Tessa's crazy parents put her through. She was getting undressed for bedtime the other night and her clothes somehow turned into a superbaby costume...

Vote For Us!

Well last week Tessa and Rosie's giggle video was 'discovered' on youtube and rated as one of the top five dog videos of the week by worldwidefido.com.

So the worldwidefido folks asked me to post the videos on their site for competition for cutest dog video of the month or year. Cool huh? I posted them and now we need people to vote so we can win prizes!

I posted both the giggle video and roll over video and now we just need lots of votes win! Click this link to see our videos and vote: http://www.worldwidefido.com/search?q=hayden+and+rosie

:)

Look We're Famous..

...well just a little.

Look at this link below, Tessa and Rosie's video got discovered on Youtube and was featured on this week's blog on a website called Worlwide Fido...all about cute dogs. I knew we'd eventually become an internet sensation :)

http://www.worldwidefido.com/favorites/

Growing Girl, Shrinking Storage

Tessa and I were just cleaning out her closet and we have officially filled up her first rubbermaid storage container :( It contains baby clothes from Newborn through 6 months. She is now into 6-9 month clothes so it was time to once again weed out those that were too small. Especially since I noticed that last night's sleeper was so tight I could hardly zip it!

I looked in her drawer of 'big clothes' and found a bunch of new stuff that's 6-9 month that she hasn't worn yet. Isn't nice to find things you forgot you had? I set aside a couple of special things to save, pulled out some things that were stained and the rest will be saved to be reused for future babies or maybe that little *girl* we hope that Becky is cooking :)

FYI if anyone is wanting to buy Tessa cute little clothes for Christmas she would like 9-12 month size or bigger.

I thought I'd leave you with a look back on one of the special little dresses we are saving. I had to dig for a picture, but here is one from when Tessa was about 2 wks old.

You Crack Me Up

I've finally figured out how to get video of Tessa cracking up....stand behind her so she can't see me or the camera! So sorry you can't see her big smile, but check out this great video I caught today. This is what Tessa and Rosie do everyday. Are you guys getting tired of my videos? If so just let me know...I never know what our 'audience' wants to see!



In case you were wondering about Tessa's ear infection, she is doing great. She's still on antibiotics and coughing a little but otherwise back to normal. She bounced back very quickly!

Cool Website

Here's a place online where you can find some cool kids toys *not* made in China! Just thought I'd pass it along :)

http://www.ape2zebra.com/default.asp

Seeing a Pattern...

Mom took a picture today that I noticed was similar to one I'd seen before..

Dad with Mark- Christmas 2003

And today with Tessa- Christmas 2007 Not to say that the Christmas season has started but almost. Mom has her tree started anyway! While we were at Walmart, "Santa" also threw Tessa's main Christmas present in the cart (she saw it but I think she'll forget by then :) Click Here to check it out...the Super Star Sing Along Stage! Tessa doesn't really have any cool 'big baby' toys that light up and stuff, so I think she will love this. I hope I don't regret buying something so noisy.

First Sickies

Well we've gone 6.5 months with absolutely no illness so I guess Tessa's number was up. That case of the sniffles I mentioned in yesterday's post actually turned out to be a double ear infection :(

She hadn't been pulling her ears so I wasn't expecting that, but after a rough night last night we went to the Doc's and that's what he saw!

She's on antibiotics and baby tylenol and is snoozing away on the couch (after finally allowing me to put her down!). I think we'll all be just fine.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween from Baby Cow Tessa! We've had a fun day eventhough Tessa has what I think is her first case of the sniffles. She's doing okay, just sneezing and coughing alot, so we're going to skip the church 'harvest bash' tonight and stay home to hand out candy.

We went to MOPS and then went to Martinsville to have lunch with my old coworkers at ACA. And of course to get our money's worth out of the costume, she's been wearing it all day! Everyone agrees she is super cute, especially her tail.

Here's a little picture overload for you. You can tell from her red eyes that she's not feeling good, and got really tired of posing after a few minutes. I think it's about time to take it off and put on jammies :)

Finally Caught on Tape...

In another somewhat futile attempt at capturing Tessa belly laughing at the dogs on tape, I did at least get some good footage. And finally you can hear her giggling in this one! I love how she stops like....okay Mom I'm done laughing now...


This one is kinda long but shows her playing with Rosie. Of course she was laughing her face off before I turned on the camera, oh well! This is still pretty cute, oh and look at her sitting up!

Big Girl a Swingin'

Tessa and I finally visited a park about 5 minutes away from our house...wish we would have discovered it sooner! Much nicer and quieter than the big park. We've been twice this week for walking and a little swing time.

When I was looking on the camera I found a good pic from last weekend we forgot to post. Thought I'd share...Tessa and her Mamaw on a different kind of swing!

6 Month Stats

Hello all!
Tessa and I ventured out in the rain this morning to go visit her pediatrician for her 6 month appointment. Doctor Johnston think she's doing great and is very happy with everything. He even bragged on her 'cool' cloth diapers and said he had been telling people about them. Spread the word!

Best of all we have gone a full 6 months with no illness at all (I better knock on some wood here), not even a cold! The Doc said she could get the flu vaccine if we wanted but he wasn't really pushing it. Since she is so healthy I think we will pass (plus Jeremy has had an allergic reaction to one before so she could too)

So here are her stats:

-- 80 %tile of weight- 17.4 lbs

-- 85 %tile of height- 27 inches

-- 90 %tile of head circumference

That's right, she's tall and thin with a giant head just like her Mommy used to be (I'm still tall with a giant head)

A Typical Day (at the farm)

Hi guys- Tessa here! I wanted to tell you about what I like to do when I got to visit my Mamaws in North Vernon. It is so fun!

First I like to smile and squeal at everyone. They all think I'm cute

Then I like to get hugged and cuddled by everyone....

Then I like to eat. I like the breastaurant or the food my Mommy gives me on a spoon. Today I had Mamaw Creech's mashed potatos!

Then I am so tired I have to take a nice snoozer (sometimes with Dad)...

What a perfect day!