She's Growing so fast!

She's six months and all the sudden she is sixteen months. She is talking some, walking, climbing things and she is getting into trouble. Speaking of trouble, I got to go........ she's in trouble.

Tessa Jane is One!!!!

I know... where the heck have we been???? Suffice it to say it's been a very, very busy few months! I somehow always forget that the first 4 months of the year are the busiest at work... I always end up working lots of overtime and weekends. But this year was especially tough with several new clients and a couple of huge projects. Thankfully, May brings us back to the usual ebb and flow that is the advertising biz.

So I owe a huge apology to all the friends and family that think we crawled under a rock or moved to Brazil or joined a cult!


Tessa Jane turned one on Tuesday. We had a family & friend party on Sunday. It was soooo good to see everyone & Tessa had a ball! She got lots of dollies and new duds. And, of course, covered herself in birthday cake!

Tessa is growing by leaps and bounds. She is 21 lbs. 5 oz. - not surprising since she eats just about anything you put in front of her! She's not walking yet, but we're pretty sure that's because she's totally fascinated with CLIMBING!!!!! Yikes! She'll take a few steps for us but she's more interested in conquering her environment. Her nickname is Tank... she won't go around something or change her course, she goes right through, or over, or off (the bed or sofa), bonking her noggin or chin but shaking it off with no tears!

She's also very vocal. She can say all the important stuff: Mama, Dada, Emma, baba, kitty-cat, doggie, bye-bye, night-night, baby, no more and (big time suck) what's that... which can also sound like wattsuuuuppp?

And, just in case you're wondering, the kid's smart as a whip! Just like all the other sucker parents, we've got all kinds of educational toys for her (even the stupid noise-makers with no volume control) that are supposed to make her brain grow. So on her birthday, in a feeble attempt to go "old school educational toy" I bought her the box that has all the shapes in it that has a lid with corresponding shape holes that you have to fit those shapes into get them in the box. Gosh that was difficult to explain! Anyway, I sat on the floor with her pretending to force the star shape into the square hole and the circle shape into the triangle hole for 15 minutes... no interest... AT ALL!! Finally got up to do something. Looked over, and she had taken the lid off and put all of the shapes in the box without forcing them through the stupid holes! DUH!!!!!!! She is soooo not interested in that toy anymore!

In other news, Emma heads off to big-girl-sleepover-for-two-weeks-camp on June 15. I can't believe my big girl is really that big! I'm still trying to prepare myself for the moment we have to say goodbye... I know I can't cry but sheesh!!! Emma's dance team also took first place last weekend at competition. I was so against her competing in dance but now I'm completely convinced it's one of the best things that's happened to her (I mean it's dance... real dance... not drill team or cheerleading).

In closing, we're all doing great and (to reiterate) have not moved or joined a cult. I'm really, really, really sorry for not keeping you all up to date. I'm sure you all think I'm a huge flake! Right now I'm thankful for two great kids, a wonderful husband and great friends and family... who love me despite my flakiness :)

I'm a bad, bad blogger!!

Everyone I know is mad at me right now (including my own mother) for hiding under my little rock for the past two months! There's no good excuse other than to say we have definitely bonded and Tessa has adjusted beautifully!

Looking back, the first few weeks were pretty tough. Then it only got tougher when I got the flu (for THREE weeks and even after getting a flu shot) and at times really and truly thought I was dying. As dramatic as that sounds, the flu that has been making it's way through our part of the world is particularly bad... in fact one of Emma's teachers died the week before Christmas two days after getting sick. Really unbelievable. She was only 52. It was pretty traumatic for the kids. It was equally traumatic for parents of the kids in her class. It was several days before the teacher's family revealed what had killed her and once they did, parents were scared... REAL scared. Good news is that most kiddos have far better immune systems than us old fogies and bounce back quickly.

Otherwise, the holidays were great! We got to spend lots of time with both sides of the family and Tessa stole the show everywhere we went! That kid is a real ham!!! Tessa didn't really understand the gift ritual but that was OK because Emma was all too happy to open a few extra presents - even if they weren't for her :)

Monday is D-Day. I go back to work :( The time I've spent at home was priceless and I'm soooo glad I was able to literally give her my time 24/7 for as long as I did. Next week will be tough for both of us - she is now a "velcro" baby and has quite a case of separation anxiety. Sometimes she will scream at the top of her lungs if I walk away from her... not a tired, cranky cry - a genuine hurt cry.

But to be 100% honest, I'm kind of looking forward to going back to work. I'm just not the stay at home type (at least without a nanny lol!) and having intelligent (or semi intelligent) adult conversations is something I'm craving. I'll miss Tess tremendously but I truly feel we've formed a bond that will endure me leaving her to "play" all day with three new friends :)

I've got to run because we have a dinner date. I intended to write a novel (hah!) but time got away from me today... something to do with velcro :) A BIG apology to those that have followed the blog and wondered what the heck happened to us (especially my girls on the Yahoo group). I PROMISE to keep everyone updated... really, I swear!!!

Here are a few pictures I took of Tess yesterday. As confident as I feel photographing children and babies, I have never done it all by myself. Usually I've got a mom just out of frame entertaining the baby and moving it back to the set after it crawls away. So it was definitely a learning experience!!!! Hope you like the pics - more to come soon!!!!


This is the shot I was going for when I set up the shoot. Unfortunately, Tessa didn't really care about the rose so this was the only shot I got... luckily it was in focus!


Tessa and Tex (Darn that wrinkle in the background!! Photoshopping will have to wait till I go back to work)

This kid loves hats!!!!!!!!!!! Couldn't make a shutterbug happier :)





See my new tooth? The other one's about in too... no more toothless grins!