Miss Independent

After I received a harassing e-mail today, I thought I should update Tessa's blog. I expect nothing less from Crazy Uncle Aaron. :)

She had her 4-month checkup last week and did wonderfully, even with the vaccinations. Eric took her to the appointment and stopped by to see Mommy at work afterward. Tessa now weighs 13 lbs., 14 oz.; she has almost doubled her birth weight! So exciting! She is 24 3/4" tall (can I say that even though she can't stand yet?), and her head size is 16 1/8. I'm sure you're all going to measure your heads now just so you have a comparison. :)

Tonight was Tessa's first time trying rice cereal. To Eric's dismay, the nurse was not talking about Rice Krispies. No, I'm not joking. :) We mixed it with some of her milk (it was more like soup than cereal), and she did a great job eating off a spoon for the first time. We had to hold her hands down because she kept wanting to grab the spoon and feed herself. So I said, "Fine. You can just change your diaper then, too!" Ha – not really – but it's great to see she is actively learning. She now plays with her toys instead of just staring at them and grabs everything within reach, including hair, earrings, large blankets, Christmas decorations, wine bottles ... (just kidding about that last one).

These pictures were taken a few weeks ago. Mima gave her the Vikings cheerleader outfit before she was even born. (OK, it was on Tessa's birthday.) At the time, it was difficult to picture her ever fitting into it!

New Tessa Loves:
*When we kiss her tummy (this really makes her giggle)
*When we sing "Zip-a-dee-doo-dah"

How big is Tessa? SOOOO big!

I know, I know. I should be updating this more often, but I'm a working mom, and I'm tired. :)
Tessa is growing every day. She now clutches a rattle and is actually interested in the different toys she has. Our new favorite Tessa-ism is her laughter - ADORABLE. It's good to know she has a sense of humor. She would never survive in our family if she didn't.
Eric and I recently discovered that Tessa loves watching football. I don't know if it's the noise because it reminds her of Eric's volleyball games, which she also loves watching, or what, but we think she'll be a sports fan.
We missed a great photo op. Tessa was a kitty for Halloween, but I forgot to take her picture in her costume with our kitty, Sam. Maybe I'll dress her up again just for the photo (before she grows out of it!). More updates later ... I promise!

Little Lamb of God

I realize it's been almost a month since I last posted, but life has been busy. I've been at my job as a newsletter coordinator for The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society for 2 weeks now, and Tessa has been at daycare. It is going very well. I drop her off in the morning and pick her up by 5:15 each day. I am happy to report she has slept through the night ever since she started going to daycare. I think the kids wear her out. She has been taking a lot of naps lately and still sleeps through the night. I think she might be going through a growth spurt.

Yesterday Grandpa Bill and Grandma Beth visited, and we spent the day at Eric's volleyball tournament here in Canton. Tessa did really well. She slept through most of it but had her moments of interest when she would watch a few games. Afterward, we went to Pizza Ranch with Lynn, Marilyn, Luke and Amy (Eric's uncle, aunt and cousins who live near Canton). As always, it was a lot of fun. We're getting more comfortable taking Tessa to more public places – probably because we usually know what she wants, what soothes her and can better prepare now that we know her routine, likes, dislikes, etc.

She was baptized on Oct. 12, and we were blessed to share the occasion with family. Eric's brother, Matt, and his wife, Natalie, are her godparents. She slept through most of her baptism – she didn't even wake up to the water being poured over her head. She was fussy toward the end but had a good day. I've posted pictures of her baptism (photos compliments of Joan and Mike, Tessa's great-aunt and uncle); we'll have more later. I will update the blog with more once I find a cord for my mom's camera. (Our camera broke, so we're borrowing hers.)

I don't think we'll do anything crazy for Tessa's Halloween costume. (If you have any great costume ideas, let us know!) We're not going trick-or-treating, just handing out candy. TTFN!

Baby likes & dislikes

Tessa absolutely loves her activity mat. I thought she might be too young yet, but no. The crazy light-up star with the smiley face really makes her smile, which makes Mommy and Daddy smile. Part of me is relieved it doesn't freak her out. It seems like she's discovering new toys on the mat each time she is on it. She's touching the rattles and turning her head more.

Another thing Tessa loves: bath time. She is pretty content as long as the water stays warm enough for her. I'd cry, too, if I were forced to sit in a cool tub of water. She has yet to relieve herself during bath time. (And, I just jinxed it, I'm sure.) I think we time it well; we give her a bath after she has eaten and pooped and seems fairly content. It's the getting out of the tub that she protests. She enjoys her spa time, I guess.

One thing that Tessa absolutely hates: Poly-vi-sol drops. At one of her appointments, the nurse suggested we start giving her extra vitamins (mainly Vitamin D) because babies who are nursed often lack it. Well, we did buy the Enfamil brand, and Eric just gave the dropper a good squirt in her mouth. I swear I heard her say "Yuck!" She might have also said, "Why are you poisoning me with your repulsive vitamin drops?!? Mark my words, my teen years are going to be payback ... WAAAA!" I've started mixing the drops in with her daily bottle ... it may be the only way.

Recent Happenings

Tessa has been quite the busy bee.

Yesterday, we visited a potential daycare provider in Canton. It went well, and we plan to choose her to take care of Tessa while we're at work. She was very caring toward the kids yet disciplined them appropriately when needed. All the kids were very sweet and interested in Tessa. I think she'll like it there.

Tessa also met great-aunt Julie yesterday. She treated us to dinner at Johnny Carino's in Sioux Falls. Mmmmmm. And much to my relief, Tessa was an absolute angel throughout the meal. She was mesmerized by the lights and sounds. Maybe we'll try the movie theater next ... or maybe not.

We introduced Tessa to her activity mat on Saturday, and she loves it. Hours of fun. Not really; more like minutes, but it gives her something new to do, which she seems to enjoy.

A Road Trip and a Football Game

Tessa had a fairly busy week. Thursday marked her first trip to Minnesota - we visited my former co-workers at the Daily Globe in Worthington. Julie gave us the birth sampler she made, which is very nice (see photo). I actually completed a portion of the moon until I decided cross-stitch was not for me. Justine is convinced Tessa dislikes her since she cried whenever Justine looked at her. Tessa finally came around, though, and let Justine hold her without protest. The trip from Canton was only 1 1/2 hours long – not too shabby. Tessa slept the entire time.

Friday was Tessa's first football experience – go C-Hawks! They lost the game, but during halftime, the elementary school principal and the superintendent landed on the football field in a helicopter. It was a surprise for the kids who participated in a summer reading program. Tessa was definitely wide-eyed during the landing; it was loud, but not as windy as I thought it would be.

Grandpa Bill's birthday was on Friday, so Tessa decided to make him a card, which we e-mailed to his office. She's very artistic.

I can definitely tell she's growing. She doesn't have her next checkup until the beginning of October (her 2 month), but Eric and I estimate she weighs around 10 pounds. She is cooing a lot more, which is adorable, especially after I get done talking to her. Oh, the things she tells me – what a riot! :) By next week, I think we'll be able to have book discussions.

Oh my gosh, I'm a parent

OK, you'd think that I would fully grasp the fact that I'm a parent just by my daily activities: primarily, taking care of Tessa. But no. It took a trip to Toys 'R' Us for me to realize what new responsibilities I have.

Eric and I went to Toys 'R' Us today because we had some good coupons (another great indicator I'm a parent – I scope out all the bargains and use COUPONS). :) We were standing in line at the checkout, and I was watching a brother and sister pester their dad to put a quarter in the machine that would allow them to sit on a "ship" with Tigger and move back and forth. Basically, it was a souped-up version of the "horsies" we rode at stores as kids. Well, this machine also played music – annoying music that as a parent I now have to tolerate. That's when it dawned on me; I looked at Eric and said, "Oh my gosh, we're parents. We're spending part of our Saturday afternoon at Toys 'R' Us." Now all I have to do is sign up to bring the orange slices for the next soccer game. But that will have to wait a few years...

Our main reason for going to Sioux Falls today was to meet with Father Tom to set up a baptism date for Tessa. (It's Oct. 12.) The meeting took all of 10 minutes. Father Tom said that once Tessa is baptized, she can cry in church all she wants. But until then, he'll say (in his own words – not mine), "Shut up, pagan." :) Eric and I found this very amusing. But of course, we would never say that to her. I'm sure Father Tom wouldn't, either.

We captured a smile

Tessa is now just more than a month old, and every day she is smiling more and stays awake for longer periods of time. We captured her beautiful smile with the camera last night.

Last night, we also went to Eric's volleyball game, which they won! Tessa was attentive through most of it, especially during the warm-up music. Unfortunately, I think her new favorite song is "Soldier Boy." She'll be hitting the clubs any day now ...