Weather Girl

Crime – boring!
More government bailouts – snooze fest!
Tessa wants the weather!

The Weekend of Precious Pictures

Saturday, March 28 & Sunday, March 29

What does Tessa want to be when she grows up?

Visiting Ardis

The Girls

Tessa's idols, Lola & Tommy

We don't know, but right now, she wants to be a puppy.

We visited Minneapolis this weekend because Eric had a coaches clinic in Apple Valley. We stayed with (Crazy) Uncle Aaron and Aunt Jessica. Tessa just loved seeing dog cousins Lola and Tommy – so much so that she started sticking her tongue way out and licking her chin, which convinced us she wants to be a puppy. It's both adorable and odd.

Tessa and I also went to Farmington (just south of the Cities) to visit a friend and former co-worker of mine, Ardis. Mima was there, too, and we had a great time!

On Sunday, we met Grandpa Bill, Grandma Beth, Uncle Charlie and Aunt Christina at Old Chicago for lunch. It was a full weekend.

Monday I took Tessa in to see her doctor because of some ear issues she has been having. What Eric and I thought was correct: Tessa has her first ear infection. :( She's taking antibiotics, so we hope it clears up soon. Wish us luck.

In addition to crawling, Tessa can pull herself up to stand if she's holding onto something or someone. I'm tempted to tape my eyes open; if I blink, I know I'm going to miss something!

Break out the baby gates – we have a crawler!

Tessa has been working on it for a while now, and on Sunday she made her move. She likes to rock back and forth on her knees, and when she sees a toy she wants (or Mommy or Daddy she wants to crawl to), she does! It's so amazing to see how she learns and grows. It's also a treat for us to pick her up from daycare. She is usually sitting up playing with toys or on her tummy roaming around. When I come in and say, "Hi, Tessa!" she spins on the floor and flashes a huge grin. It's truly the best feeling in the world. She does the same thing for Eric. We're so happy she's happy!

Recent Tessa Loves:
*Peas (to my astonishment and Eric's delight), green beans and carrots
*Watching the meteorologist report the weather on the 6 o'clock news
*Being taxied about in her stroller

Recent Tessa Dislikes:
*Apples and bananas (I'm guessing she won't like the song, either)

Tessa Babe at 7 months

Actions speak louder than words

Caught red-handed

Tessa shows an early affinity for Dr. Pepper
(and pretty much anything in bottle form - uh oh!)

Saturdays with Tessa

Play time in the a.m.

Tessa loves love

Tessa's first Valentine's Day was filled with love, as every day is for her, only more so, though, because of her Valentine's Day outfits from Grandma & Grandpa and because she got to spend Valentine's night with Mima. From what I hear, they had a blast. :) Mima was the cool babysitter and let Tessa stay up a little later than normal, but she was already asleep by the time we got home around 9:30 p.m. Party pooper! (This couldn't be more true, as she had poopy pants on the washer when we got home.)

Tessa is on the verge of crawling; right now, she's doing what Mima calls the inch worm. She's getting so strong! She hasn't sat up by herself, but if we position her, she can keep her balance for a while. Tessa has started to eat stage 1 baby food other than cereal. We don't want her to get a sweet tooth like her Daddy, but to appease him, we started her on sweet potatoes, which he loves. It's a good compromise. The other choice was carrots, which Eric likes, too.

New Tessa Loves:

*Her Glo worm

*Tessa Hat! (This involves me sitting Tessa on my head and saying, "Tessa hat!" This garners automatic smiles.)

*Samantha, who is now considered Tessa's kitty cat. Tessa follows her with her eyes, and when Sam sits there and stares at Tessa, she starts laughing.

Tessa Protests:

*Getting her snotty nose wiped

*Having lotion put on her face

Perhaps the most adorable sound in the world