Another Weeekend, Another Party

This time for our nephew David who turned 1 year old! It sure is nice to get out of the burbs from time to time and go enjoy the fresh air and dirt of the country.

Here's a photo recap. Happy Grandparents

The birthday boy checking out his loot and cake.
And walking!

Charley got to go in a real swing for the first time. I swung him for a long time, until he started to doze off.

The kids had squirt guns and it took Tessa no time at all to figure it out. I think squirt guns are her new favorite thing, although she was really frustrated when she couldn't drink out of the back like the big kids.

You can see she wasn't scared of getting squirted...she was right in there with them! By the time we left her hair was dripping.

I love this pic because you can tell all of the adults are pointing to the yard and telling Tessa to go squirt the other kids, haha.

A Tall Drink of Water...and Milk

Today we had Charley's 4 month appointment. He is a big healthy guy!
16lb- 75th %tile
26in- 90th %tile
17cm head- 90th %tile

The doc suggested some Aveeno cream for his super dry flaky skin, he got shots and that's it. Tessa was actually just as upset about his shots as he was. She kept say 'it's okay baby!'.

For such a short appointment we were still there for an hour and forty minutes, bleck. Tessa did a really great job behaving and playing during that time. So on the way home we rewarded ourselves with Starbucks. Tessa got a caramel macchiato....okay she got a kid's size milk.


The main thing I chatted with the doc about was the fact that our insurance company has decided to only pay for 9 well checks before the age of 3, whereas both our doc's office and the Association of Pediatrics has a standard of 11 well checks (1 week, 1 month, 2,4,6,9,12,15,18,24 and 36 months).

Anyway they said they won't pay for Tessa's 24 or 36 month checks because we hit the limit. Doc was honked off because the AAP tells all docs to have a standard 11....but there are two of those where they don't get injections. I guess those are the two we were supposed to skip, but they waited until now to tell us. Anyway, doctor and insurance are going to figure it out I guess.

More Product Endorsements

We were out today and swung past the Country Nutrition store where we picked up a few favorites, including...

Spinach bites...basically like a potato cake with lots of spinach. They are super tasty. I had to keep myself from eating all of Tessa's and she loved them too. I wonder if I could make such a thing myself and freeze them, hmmm. But then I guess they wouldn't be shaped like stars and bears.


QB's (I have no idea what that stands for), pretty much the best thing ever. They are basically rice krispie treats filled with ice cream. What a great idea and only 3 WW points! I can only find them at the health food store here in town (the whole reason we went actually) but I suspect they are also available at places like Whole Foods.

Per suggestion of my friend Traci, yesterday we went to the teacher store to look for activity books for 2 years old. Everything else I had found were for 3 and up. Let me just say the teacher store (United Education I think it's called) is very cool and apparently not just for teachers. They had tons of books, toys and art stuff. I swear between that place and the toy prices at Buy Buy Baby, I'm never shopping at Target again. Okay well maybe that's a little drastic.

Anyway I found these cool workbooks for two year olds. They are super basic. We bought three "I can" books...fold, cut and trace. She hasn't tried them yet, so I will report back!

Honorary 4th Graders

Hi everyone, this is Tessa. Since I spent the day in 4th grade I'm feeling super smart and thought I should write my own blog tonight (even though technically I went to bed 2 hrs ago, ahem)

Today Mommy took me to Mamaw's school where she has a big room full of kids and toys. What a cool place to hang out. I even got to eat lunch where they have this strange kind of brown milk that only Mamaw gives me. I got to teach the class for a while where I taught them everything I know...how to sing, dance around, draw with crayons and dirty your diaper. Ya know, the important stuff
They were such good students that after I taught I gave them each a hug.
I even taught my brother. Babies don't know much.
I was snoozy after lunch so we laid on the bean bag and read a story with Mamaw. Charley was looking at Mommy upside down.

4th graders have lots of cool toys like Snoopy and pianos that play music. I loved recess the most, but there are no pictures of that. The playground is alot like going to the park, but with an entourage of 4th graders all vying to hold your hand!

Then Mamaw gave me cookies and juice!
I don't see what's so hard about 4th grade, seems like alot of fun to me. Maybe next week I'll take a class in Papaw's high school, or just head on up to Purdue.

I gave up!

I've been trying to let Tessa's hair grow long but after many many months of pulling the front of her hair into ponies and braids that never stay, I got out the scissors. I would still love to see her with long hair but this is just easier for now. It'll still grow long in the back. I'll admit it does look really cute.

Before (showing off her fruit leather):


After (showing off her toast):


I guess it goes without saying that the only time I can get her to sit still for a picture is when she's eating.

Comparison

If only Charley's hands weren't in his face!

Charley and Tessa- May '09


Laura and Andy- Nov '80

Happy Birthday Bob and Andy

Saturday we went down south to visit, then went to my brother Andy and nephew Bob's joint birthday party. Bob is 4 and Andy is, well really old :) Here's the highlight reel.

Check out this cool baby seat that Aunt Jessie sent us! He really likes it because he prefers to sit up, and it's made out of foam so it's really light and easy to transport. Thanks Aunt Jessie!!

Handy Manny was the theme, but Tessa was just happy there were hats involved.

Mad Andy, Happy Andy

Happy Birthday boy Bob. He seems pretty stoked about the 'my first chemistry set' we got him, although I doubt he knows what it is. I think the adults were a little surprised we got him a chemistry set, but it's for ages 4+ !

Partying make Charley tired
Tessa having a whack at the pinata. Actually I helped her cause the board was a little heavy. I took like 7 kids and some adult help to actually break it open.

The whole gang partying in the barn
David with his Daddy. He has a birthday coming up soon too.

The Usual

On Mondays and Friday we usually go through the Subway drive-thru on the way home from stroller aerobics, and the other days of the week we make lunch at home. I'm told by my mommy friends that Tessa's usual order is not very toddler-like...a tuna salad min-sub (3 inches) on wheat with olives and green peppers.

She didn't really care for lunch meat...she usually just picks it off and eats the bread, so I decided to try chicken or tuna salad and she really likes it. Then she begged all of my olives off my sandwich and the peppers off Jer's, so we loaded her up with her own. And that's how we landed on 'the usual'. We have to scrub up really well afterward or she'll stink all afternoon.

We are lucky that Tessa is a good eater. She will eat anything and everything. That's not to say she doesn't have preferences, but at least she's open to trying new things. I guess eating is one of the areas we've been 'stict' on. She eats what we eat and has since she started table food. She doesn't ask for different stuff cause I'm pretty sure she knows she won't get it anyway.

I guess I figure if she's hungry she'll eat, which is pretty much true. Some nights she doesn't eat much of anything and some night she chows...but if she's hungry because she chose not to eat something, that's her choice not mine. Man I sound mean, huh? I'm equally as mean regarding sleep training, but that's off subject.

If she's done or chooses to boycott dinner, then she still has to sit in her seat until Jer and I are finished. Usually at dinner she'll start squalling for her bath, but obviously she has to wait. If she intentionally throws food on the floor we take her food away for about a minute...she gets mad and we explain why, then give it back. No toys at the table, no TV after about 4:30. We've also been working on saying 'more ___ please' instead of just screaming MILK!!...which she's starting to get the hang of.

Just call me the dinner nazi ;)

Happy Mother's Day

What a great gift, to have Charley's dedication this morning at church. There were 5 babies being dedicated, and our man was the youngest (only by a couple of weeks). Mom and Dad joined us at church and afterward we went out to Japanese steakhouse, where Tessa devoured her own salad and some fried rice. I also got to take a mother's day nap, yay for that!



The gang also bought me a bracelet. I got a blue bracelet for my first mother's day that I loved but it broke and got stranded somewhere on the streets of Ottawa. This one is purple beads, very cute.

Bottle Attempt #2 Failed

...this time administered by Jeremy.

Looks like Charley may have to get his dancing shoes on for the wedding.

First Attempt Failed

I pumped Charley a bottle of milk and tried giving it to him this morning. I am hoping to get him okay with using a bottle so we can leave him for several hours to go to Eva's wedding. He wasn't having it at all. I tried for about 20 min, dripping milk into his mouth and he was just swirling it around with his tongue.

Eventually he got upset cause he was hungry so I just let him nurse and put the bottle in the fridge for a second attempt later.

Any suggestions? They are Avent bottles which I think are supposed to feel like the real deal. Tessa only took a handful of bottles in her babyhood, never once she was old enough to know the difference.

Plan B of course is to just take him along, we'll see.

Also in Charley news, yesterday he pushed himself backwards in the walker across the kitchen floor. I was kind of surprised that he could do that already! Tessa didn't do that until much later but she wasn't as tall so her feet didn't touch. An advantage of being ginormous apparently!

Thanks Mom-mom!

Here's Tessa checking out the awesome quilt that Mom-mom (aka Grandma Day) made for her birthday present. It fits into her country room just perfectly.
We now have to say 'night night' to all of the 'beers' one by one. You can see from the upper picture that she also had to introduce her Paddington Bear to her new friends, and he even ended up joining the party and sleeping in bed with her.

There's lots of little details because each bear is doing something different. Very neat and pretty and something I think she'll claim forever as hers. I still have my old favorite ratty tatty quilt as a runner on our dining room table. If you sneeze it might fall apart but I love it. Of course this one is more for looking than cuddling.

Tessa's 2 year checkup

Tessa went today for her two year well check. She's perfect in case you didn't know :)

27.5 lb- 60th %tile
35 inches- 75th %tile
19.75 cm head- 100th %tile!!

The big head must be all of them brains.

She checked out fine on all of the questions (does she stack blocks, speak well, eat well) and didn't have to get any shots until 4 years old. I said we were lucky cause she never gets sick and he asked if she was in daycare. When I said no he said 'just wait, your day will come.' Haha, probably right.

Buy Buy Mommy

This afternoon after Tessa's appointment we went over the newest super store in town, called Buy Buy Baby. It's alot like Babies 'R Us, but with tons more gadgets and gear. There were things I have never seen and I thought I was an expert in baby gear!

We went to buy nipples for Charley's bottles. He hasn't taken a bottle yet and I figure it's time to try because we have Eva's wedding coming up and plan to leave him with Blythe. So I thought we'd practice, but after I'd pumped a big bottle for him I discovered I had thrown away the old nipples Tessa had used, whoops!

So we go in for that and leave with a cart full, whoops again. Tessa got a Cookie Monster puppet for doing so well at the doctor's (they have the whole Sesame Street gang so I plan to use them as incentives for doing good things like potty training) and also a step stool for her to reach the bathroom sink and wash hands.

We also got..."Boo Boo Bunny" ice packs that are shaped like rabbits. Cute huh?...for when she falls and hurts herself and whatnot. I remember Bob falling once and asking for boo boo bunny.

I made Tessa's baby food in ice cube trays but these are kinda cool...individual ones that have a lid so you can pop them out and take to restaurants and stuff, for when Charley starts on food. I'll see how they work, kind of expensive to invest in alot of them.
The Bumkins waterproof laundry bag...what's known in cloth diapering land as a 'wetbag' for dirty diapers. We've always put diapers in a plastic pale and then scrubbed it clean but this might cut out some work. You just throw it in the wash with the diapers!

How nice to have a store in town that carries cloth diapering accessories, but also potentially dangerous on the wallet.
A 'Snack Trap' tether. We are fans of the snack trap and this just secures it to the stroller so she doesn't throw it down....especially handy for stroller aerobics.

Registration

Two cool sign ups this week. Believe it or not, Jeremy and I registered to participate in the 2010 Indy 500 Mini-Marathon. That's right we are going to (presumably) walk 13.1 miles, and the final leg goes around the Indy motor speedway!

I've never entered any kind of walk/run event so I guess there's a first for everything. But it's our fitness goal and we have a year to prepare. They started registrations for next year's (it's in May- kick off to the 500 festivities) this week so I went ahead and signed us up and paid so we're committed and if we don't do it, we'll be out $100!

I'm also planning to register Tessa for her first swim lessons in July at our community pool. The stinky part of that is that since she's under 4 years old I have to don a swimsuit and get in with her, ugh. I think she'll really love it though.

Just Some Saturday Cuteness

This morning Tessa helped Jeremy pull some weeds. Well actually he pulled, made a pile and she scooped them into her bucket or wagon. They were a good little team! I swear that girl will do anything to get into some dirt.

We had a nice day despite my disappointing showing at Weight Watchers. We did chores, then drove up to the wine store on the north side and had a dinner at a sports bar type place where we could watch the Derby. Tessa got a little carried away screaming "GO HORSIE!!"...we had to calm her down a a bit.



Here' s just a cute video of Charley smiling and hanging out in his walker. He gave a little semi-laugh on Thursday and I've been trying desperately to recreate it to no avail.

Charley Smiling 2 from Laura Sargent Bennington on Vimeo.