2.05.2010
2.04.2010
Parent-teacher conferences ... Really?
Yes, really.
I didn't expect to be attending a parent-teacher conference for another few years, but apparently, the Y likes to keep parents on their toes.
I did the good parent thing and signed up for a 15-minute slot during my lunch hour. (Unfortunately, Eric couldn't skip out on school for this.) I expected to meet with Tessa's lead teacher one-on-one in a cozy room. I was even prepared to sit on a little chair. Little did I know I'd be meeting Tessa's teacher in the gymnasium, where all the lead teachers were sitting at their respective tables, ready for eager parents to get their child's assessment. (Think high school conference setup.) And it was quite the assessment. Tessa's teacher gave me a packet highlighting different skill sets. (Uh...skill sets?) There was a check mark by the activities Tessa did well, an "A" for "Attempts", a "P" for "Practicing", and an "NI" for "Not Interested". Wowzers. Tessa's assessment was great, and her teacher had nothing but praise for her. (How could you not, though? She's 1 1/2!) She assured me that Tessa does not scold others in her room (a legitimate concern of mine - see my post "Christmas Eve"), and that she's a puzzle whiz and loves to look at books. (Things we already knew, but it's great to know how well her teachers know her.)
I have to admit, attending conferences was a fun experience. Had they provided comment cards, I would have suggested they offer cookies.
I didn't expect to be attending a parent-teacher conference for another few years, but apparently, the Y likes to keep parents on their toes.
I did the good parent thing and signed up for a 15-minute slot during my lunch hour. (Unfortunately, Eric couldn't skip out on school for this.) I expected to meet with Tessa's lead teacher one-on-one in a cozy room. I was even prepared to sit on a little chair. Little did I know I'd be meeting Tessa's teacher in the gymnasium, where all the lead teachers were sitting at their respective tables, ready for eager parents to get their child's assessment. (Think high school conference setup.) And it was quite the assessment. Tessa's teacher gave me a packet highlighting different skill sets. (Uh...skill sets?) There was a check mark by the activities Tessa did well, an "A" for "Attempts", a "P" for "Practicing", and an "NI" for "Not Interested". Wowzers. Tessa's assessment was great, and her teacher had nothing but praise for her. (How could you not, though? She's 1 1/2!) She assured me that Tessa does not scold others in her room (a legitimate concern of mine - see my post "Christmas Eve"), and that she's a puzzle whiz and loves to look at books. (Things we already knew, but it's great to know how well her teachers know her.)
I have to admit, attending conferences was a fun experience. Had they provided comment cards, I would have suggested they offer cookies.
Christmas in Spring Valley with Aunt Tam & the Fam
Tessa gives high fives all around after having only a bit of Mountain Dew salad. No worries. She recovered quickly.
Great-uncle Dave & Tessa
The Girls (minus two)
Tessa's first haystack: Welcome to the wonderful world of marshmallowy goodness
Klarissa & Tessa before saying goodbyeChristmas comes but thrice a year
We finally got to have our rescheduled rescheduled rescheduled Christmas get-together with Grandpa Bill & Grandma Beth. It wasn't "the Trygstad" Christmas because the rest of the gang wasn't there, but it was like Christmas all over again. Tessa was more excited to unwrap gifts the third (fourth?) time around; she had a good nap and knew the drill. She loves the pillow and blanket Grandma & Grandpa made for her. She gets a running start and flops down on them. Eric and I probably appreciate the outfits more than she does, but she liked mimicking us after she opened a package. Our "Cute!" was Tessa's "Dute!" We even got her to say that after we opened not-so-cute things, like paint supplies. She's young. We can expand her adjective vocab later. Thanks, Grandpa & Grandma!
1.13.2010
1.12.2010
Tessa's World
Tessa had another opportunity to wear her Christmas dress when we went to a wedding on Jan. 2. During the ceremony, after we finished singing, Tessa said, "All done!" and started clapping. 
Little girl gets gussied up
She lets us know when she wants to go somewhere. Any outside apparel she finds will do, so she thinks.
Such a responsible pet owner — too bad she doesn't feed the real one!Daycare is fun at the Y-W-C-A!
These are some of the gems Tessa brings home from daycare. We love that she loves it at the Y! She's such a big little girl! She sleeps on a cot during nap time and sits on a little chair at a little table with other little Tessa-sized people during lunch time. One day, I dropped her off right before the kids went down to breakfast. I watched as she walked to the elevator with all the other kids. Before she went in, she stopped, looked back at me and smiled as if to say, "See, Mom, I know what I'm doing!" It's just amazing to me.
1.08.2010
Something new every day
Our Tessa Babe is learning so much, it doesn't seem accurate to call her a baby any more. Maybe because she points to other babies and says "baby." Or maybe because she does little girl things like play with my hair, sing, dance and has even started to pray before meals.
She definitely tests us to see what she can get away with. If she doesn't like a particular food, she tends to shove it in the cushion of her high chair, look at us and say, "All done!" Even though we're laughing on the inside, our parental instincts are stronger than our funny bones (sometimes!), and we try to put the kibosh on that behavior. :)
Her vocabulary grows every day, too. She's getting good at repeating words immediately after we say them. She even says "baby John" (her cousin), even though her "John" sounds like "Don." It's super cute when she walks by the fireplace or sees steam rising from food cooking on the stove — she waves her hands and says, "hot!" Her favorite words to say, though, are names of animals. Her recent ones are turtle, frog and butterfly. She loves to make animal sounds, too. Her monkey mimicking is by far her best! But hands down, the absolute best phrase to hear her say is: "Love you!"
She definitely tests us to see what she can get away with. If she doesn't like a particular food, she tends to shove it in the cushion of her high chair, look at us and say, "All done!" Even though we're laughing on the inside, our parental instincts are stronger than our funny bones (sometimes!), and we try to put the kibosh on that behavior. :)
Her vocabulary grows every day, too. She's getting good at repeating words immediately after we say them. She even says "baby John" (her cousin), even though her "John" sounds like "Don." It's super cute when she walks by the fireplace or sees steam rising from food cooking on the stove — she waves her hands and says, "hot!" Her favorite words to say, though, are names of animals. Her recent ones are turtle, frog and butterfly. She loves to make animal sounds, too. Her monkey mimicking is by far her best! But hands down, the absolute best phrase to hear her say is: "Love you!"
1.03.2010
Getting the hang of it
Tessa enjoys the art of gift unwrapping. 
Tessa's new best friend
Animal lover
Tessa breaks in the shoes Mima got her by running laps through the house.
Tessa can record and play back messages with the phone from Mima.Kory says ciao
Tessa was lucky enough to spend a week with Kory before he heads to Rome for spring semester. She showed him how she can brush her teeth and read some of her books. They also had fun playing with Tessa's foam battle ax (Eric had to get it after finding it at Target's dollar spot). And Kory gave Tessa the perfect Christmas gift: a toy doggy! When Tessa was opening the package and saw it was a doggy, she started squealing and dancing in place. Eric couldn't open it fast enough! We have never seen her so excited. It was really fun to watch. Thanks, Kory! Have fun and study hard in Italy! Ciao!
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