Sunday, March 30, 2008

A Couple Last Easter Pics..

...the Easter pics from outside didn't show Tessa's Easter dress because she was wearing a coat, so here's a couple more. Enjoy!

Eating on the Road

Hi guys~ Tessa here! I just got back from CA really really late last night (or early this morning.....I dunno I was asleep). I went on trip with my Mommy, Daddy and Mamaw. We had a great time in San Jose and San Francisco while Daddy worked. I don't remember everything that we did but I know that we ate a lot of food.
Good thing I don't have to diet like Mommy, cause I ate everything I could! Mommy says she'll post pics of other things later...but here's some shots of me eating my way through CA....

Look at this guy....a fruit smiley face! He's funny looking but tasty too

Mommy ordered me my very own pancake. I fed some of it to the floor but the doggies weren't there to help me.

I also had my own cheese quesadilla. I liked the mild salsa alot...Mommy wouldn't let me have the hot kind.


I had Japanese food on these funny spoon like things. Oh well, it delivered food to my mouth .


I had Thai food....I sure do like big handfulls of rice and 'angry beef'


Daddy drank something called Limoncello to help his scratchy throat. I wanted to try it but Daddy said it was for grownups.

Look here's Mamaw and Daddy drinking something else that I can't have, no fun.


We watched this man make sourdough bread in San Francisco, then we ate some for breakfast.

We went out with Uncle Colin and Paul, but you see I accidently fell asleep during dinner. They had crepes and I missed it.

I ate pears for breakfast in the hotel. There was no highchair so I got to eat standing up!


Nothing tops off a good meal like a nice plastic straw.

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Easter Pics

Hi all ~ Happy Belated Easter! We are actually in CA right now tagging along with Jeremy on a business trip. And since she is on spring break, Mom is with us. Mom, Tessa and I have been having a great time while Jeremy works. Today Tess had her first trip to a Children's Museum where she hung out in a special crawling room for babies. Stay tuned next week for lots of pictures from our trip. For now, lots of pictures from Easter!


These were all taken at Mamaw's farm where we had a big dinner and egg hunt for the kiddos. In the morning we went to church and Jeremy sang. After a full week of being sick, it was great to finally have a beautiful day out!....then later that night it snowed!

The kids out hunting eggs

Tess loves making funny faces with Mommy



...and eating Peeps with Dad

Our Family on Easter. If I were on my home computer I would dig up our Easter pic from last year when I was 37 wks pregnant!


Spilt eggs...the aftermath of running with a full basket

Tessa was happy to the let the big kids fight over eggs. She had two eggs and a Papaw, all that a girl really needs.


4 generations


Two girls in pretty dresses hunting eggs


She was really happy about putting the eggs in a basket. She's really into putting things in containers.

The tribe preparing for a big hunt

By special request from my friend Rachel...more pictures of Bob!


And let's not forget baby David...coming in two months

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Diaper Rash Tips

Poor Tessa got a diaper rash last week and while the rash is gone she has one little blister that's hanging on and looks sore. So I'm looking for tips from you veteran mommies on killing the blister.

We've been trying to let her go diaper free occasionally (she actually napped diaper free on a towel in her crib today!), and slathering her with A&D, neosporin or anti-fungal cream. I read online to lay off of the ointment like neosporin cause they are so thick that the blister can't breathe, so we'll see if that helps.

I'm open to your remedies! If we weren't on our way out of town I would take her to the doc, definitely if it's not gone when we get back.

Friday, March 21, 2008

A (sorta) Good Friday

Happy Good Friday all!

Well I am on day four of the stomach flu and finally went to urgent care this morning...who weren't very helpful. But my regular doc finally hooked me up with some meds I could take while nursing. I took them several hours ago and am finally feeling better and was able to eat.

A BIG THANKS to Mom who took her day off to come up and take care of me and Tessa. She certainly has a way with those crackers.

Poor Tessa has been cooped up since Monday but has been hanging out with Jer alot which she likes. We missed her first library storytime class and our play date with baby Abbey but she didn't seem to mind and was happy to occupy herself with her push car, toys and Yo Gabba Gabba. Since no one has been cooking around here she also discovered some new treats that she likes like mac and cheese and Arby's roast beef.

Back to normal life soon I hope. Looking forward to a nice Easter complete with Mamaw's cooking!

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Evidence

Evidence of Spring....




Evidence that your curiosity has gotten the best of you...

Happy 5th Anniversary

5 Years Later....

Showing off her new sippy cup with a straw
Do I look relaxed here...this is shortly after my massage and mani/pedi :)

Well yesterday was a wonderful day....our 5 year anniversary, can you believe it?...and Jeremy cooked up some nice plans for us. In the morning he dropped me off at Robert's salon and day spa and I didn't know what for. He had given me a gift card for my birthday back in June but I never made time to use it. But yesterday he scheduled me for a massage and mani/pedi. I was there for three hours!

It was very very nice. The masseuse noted which side she thought I carried Tessa on (and she was right) and worked out all kinds of kinks. Also my toes are all ready for spring- yay! On the way home we picked up salads at Chili's and Mom was at our house ready to babysit. We hung out at home and Jeremy worked on the garden, preparing for our mulch delivery this week. He readied the area for his grapevines (which we can't plant until May) and planted our garlic and asparagus bulbs, as well as pansies in the flower pots.

We took off again at 5 for a quick stop at Kahn's wine store. Since we don't get there much Jeremy bought three cases of wine, while I was happy with my $9 bottle of Cinzano! I didn't know where we were going to for dinner but when we landed in the trendy neighborhood of Broad Ripple I knew it would be good.

Jeremy had found a cute little restaurant called L'Explorateur tucked away in an old house. Long story short it was AMAZING, probably the best meal I've had since our little NYC dining tour last Feb. I'm sure Jeremy will write about it on his food blog.

At the end of our night we were too late for the comedy club down the street, but too tired anyway so we came home. What a wonderful day!! And Mom reports that Tessa was a good babe and ate dinner well and went to bed on time. When we got home she was fast asleep.

I wanted to share this great video. Our friend Traci lent us this little push behind car that her daughter doesn't play with anymore. Tessa loves it...look at her walk!


Friday, March 14, 2008

Tessa Look-alike Meter

I don't know why I'm doing this instead of getting to bed to catch up on sleep, but oh well. Everyone says Tess looks like Jeremy...looks like you're right (by a little)

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities - Collage - Morph



I remember that I once used this website to see what celeb I looked like and it list a few, including Mother Teresa. Seriously.

Oy...Sleepy

I don't what has happened to my good 12hr sleeping baby, but last night was horrible. I'm blaming that top tooth. But the bad part is that she's figured out how to stand in her crib, so she stands up and cries and can't figure out how to lay back down.

I know she's tired cause when we come and lay her down and cover her with her blanky she instantly goes back to sleep. This happened about 5 times last night. I think more than anything she is disoreinted and confused about why she's standing up....

Any tips?...should we ignore her and assume she will figure out how to lay back down? Or help her out every two hours?

We haven't had a night like last night in many months. All I have to say is ZZZZZzzzzzz.....

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Boo Boos

Here you can clearly see her three bottom teeth as well as a tiny white dot on the top. Also note the fading green bruise on her forhead from when she bonked the entertainment center :-(

I think we've officially entered the phase of the accident prone toddler. Tessa loves pulling herself up on anything and everything, and getting into drawers etc. So at least twice a day she bonks her head, falls down, drops a toy on her head or something like. I guess that's just part of it....her face gets all red and the tears start flowing. Poor babe, I'll have to learn to get used to this as she learns to walk.

We also now have to officially lock the dogs out of the kitchen when she's eating. They have always begged for her food, but now she's started dropping it for them or worse, taunting them with it. Yesterday Hayden jumped up and got something out of her hand and I think nipped her finger a bit, scaring the crap out of her which resulted in BIG tears. So that's the end of that....when she's done eating we let the dogs back in the kitchen to clean up the floor.


Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Check Out Our Chia Pet!

Look what we made in MOPS today! Actually I wasn't going to make one because I knew Tessa wouldn't care about it...but then I really wanted one for me! He is stuffed with dirt and grass seeds so he will grow 'hair' we can 'cut'. I think he needs a name....any ideas?




Once again Tessa screamed for at least half of her two hour stay in the nursey. Oy. Oh well, I'm hoping this clingy phase will pass eventually.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

oh yeah!...

...I forgot to mention that Tessa cut through her first top tooth this weekend. So she has a total of four.

Down on the Farm

Well no not the farm, as in Mamaw's farm, but today we went and visited a farm. We went to Apple Family Farm in McCordsville to check out their store that Jeremy's been interested in. It was way cool. They sell all locally raised pasture fed organic meats in a little house that they have converted into a store (and lending library!) on their farm property.

I was concerned that it would be expensive but was happy to see it wasn't too bad. They also have local cheeses and things, but were unfortunately out of eggs today, which is too bad.

We've been paying a little extra dough to try organic milk and I'm surprised to say it's worth the price (I was skeptical and too cheap). The flavor really is amazing, and I don't think that's just in my head. Anyway, I'm sure Jeremy has alot to say about it on his food blog, but folks local to Indy might want to check them out: http://www.applefamilyfarm.com/

While at the farm Tessa was really taken my a cat with no tail who greeted us in the driveway. I think she was trying to figure out what was wrong with this particular puppy.

To complete our country experience we had lunch at Cracker Barrel where Tessa chowed on pieces of roast beef, green beans, mushrooms and biscuit. Well and I guess Mommy chowed on those things too :)

The icing on Tessa's day was the purchase of her new sippy cup that has a straw. She was happier than a pig in...well you know. I have a cup with a straw I drink water out of and she loves it and is always begging to suck on it. So now she has her own! Unfortunately it made for some fussiness at dinner as I had to take it away from her so she would eat, but we'll adjust.

Sorry there are no pics. The farm folks would have thought we were real city folk weirdos had we pulled up with camera. Only Mom would do that.

Friday, March 07, 2008

Updates...

Hi all! Well I just have a couple of updates on recent happenings here.

Yes Jeremy does in fact have food poisoning in Korea so keep the good thoughts and prayers coming for him! I haven't talked to him since yesterday but hopefully that means he is resting. A hotel doctor came and gave him a shot and lots of meds.

What did he eat? No not squid or anything, just some pizza with ham on it. He is flying home tomorrow and will be home in time to sing with me in the church talent show. He'll have to muster up that ol' PMO 'the show will go on' mentality cause we're singing!

As for Tessa's bday present, thanks for all your awesome input! I have decided we will get her the fish for her bday, and save the kitchen for next Christmas. I think outside stuff is the way to go for this summer.

Thanks to RI Steph (as opposed to CA Steph or IN Steph) for turning me onto freecycle. How cool! Have you guys heard about this? It's basically like an online garage sale except no money is exchanged...you give away some stuff you don't want, and take others stuff for free. Awesome! Just google freecycle and you can find your town/county. Now I'm looking for stuff to give away...

Lastly I thought you'd like this video of Tess eating dinner. Note that about 50% of her food lands in her mouth. She is eating pasta tossed up with parsley and olive oil. The black specks are olives, the white specks are cheese.

Thursday, March 06, 2008

I Can't Watch this Stupid Show....

....A Baby Story without crying like an idiot. And y'all know I'm not a crier right? I didn't even cry at our wedding or Tessa's birth. It's a delayed reaction I think. Stupid show.

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

Decisions Decisions

...no I'm not talking about politics (although Jeremy has finally decided he's backing a certain candidate..but that's his business to share not mine)

I'm trying to decide what to get Tessa for her birthday. I already bought her a bracelet with her name on it. It's sized for 12-24 months so she can wear it now, but also more for a keepsake as she gets older. It should arrive in the mail any day now!

So since I bought that I have $60 left to buy her a new toy with. Here are my options. I need expertise from you veteran Mommies:


This would be a little under budget and I'm thinking a great outdoor toy for this summer. She has the slide our neighbor gave us but we need somethings small enough to fit into our little fenced in area. I have a feeling we are going to spend alot of time outside this summer, and if she can run free inside the fence that would be great.


I love love love this kitchen set but it would put us about $40 over budget, and also I'm not sure if she'd be into it just yet. Although my decision was swayed when I saw her playing with her little friend Maddie's kitchen set this morning. She was really into it....so maybe she's not too little for this? I'm thinking this might be better for next Christmas and we can save up for it.

Thoughts? I've never had a 'toddler' before...what do they like?

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Tessa Talk

People ask me alot if Tess is talking yet. The answer is of course yes! In conventional English?...no. She has her own language though, which I've become quite versed in. I guess my fluency comes from being around her 24/7.

Her most commonly used 'words':

Da Da or Dee Dee= happy noises, letting your know she's having fun or likes what you're doing, likes the toy she's playing with, etc

Shoosh or Sheesh= usually wispered to herself I think this means she's thinking or exploring. I'd like to think that this is her making mental notes to herself tracking the movement of the dogs, the function of her toys, new things she's sees while in the walker

Huh-Dye= I'm not sure but I think this is her way of saying 'hello'...she says this alot when I pick her up, and every day when we say good morning to the dogs

Nay Nay Nay= This is reserved exclusively for being upset or mad....like being strapped in the carseat, put down for a nap, having something cool like a webcam pried out of her hand. The nay is usually accompanied with crying, and often only a step away from a scream

Saturday, March 01, 2008

Napping Update


I posted a couple of weeks ago how I was going to start sleep training Tessa during naptime cause she was a horrible napper. Well I'm happy to say that afternoons around here are now a happy nappy time!

Like I said before I decided she will spend at least one hour in her crib every afternoon, no matter what. The first few days she cried when I put her in her crib (eventhough had been asleep) but I'm thoroughly surprised at how quickly she caught on. She is now napping everyday for at least 1.5 hrs, sometimes more.

I'm impressed at how responsive she was to this and how much she seems to understand, even at her age. I guess these kind of things just take patience, on the part of the parent that is. I can't even say how nice it is to have a guaranteed break every afternoon to use as I please...sometimes for chores, sometimes for napping or tv time of my own! What a nice relief.