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!