Tessa is Nine Months!

I pull myself up to stand!

I weigh a little more than17 pounds and grew a little taller than 25 inches, still just a peanut.
I am adjusting to daycare, though I'm still not sure about this being away from Mom all day stuff. 
I decided it's best to sleep in Mom and Dad's king-size bed, especially since I miss them all day. 
I eat everything!  Sometimes, more than my sister at dinner. 
I love chasing my sister to her toy room.  (She finds it cute the first couple of times.)
I knock down the domino tower at Grandma and Grandpa's house. 
I still don't have any teeth. 
I had my first stuffy nose and cold, thanks daycare. 

Tessa is Eight Months!

I can say "Mommom," and it's really clear when I am tired and mad. 
I still don't want anyone else after 7:30 pm except Mom.  And I continue to make that VERY clear.  

I love to swim!  I can spend two hours in the pool kicking, playing, and watching my sister pretend she is a mermaid. 

I had ear infection number three.  One more and I earn a trip the to ENT. 
I have the perfect "Hercules Mulligan" yelp that Mom and Dad are trying to capture on video. 

I don't have any teeth yet, but I sure chomp on teethers like I do. 

I try really hard to do summersaults. 

I am slow going, but I can crawl and lunge forward to get to where I need to go. 

I love knocking down blocks. 

I am not afraid to tell you what I want, as you can see from these pictures. 

Happy 7

 A little different anniversary celebration this year.  

We traded in our fancy dress clothes for comfy lounge clothes.  We didn't shave or put on make-up.  We snuggled on the couch instead of nestled next to each other at the bar. 

But the meal was just as good -- maybe better.  The cocktails were cheaper.  The atmosphere cozier. 

And the love is still as strong. Happy 7.  

Tessa is Seven Months!

I am sleeping through the night!  I even had one night of 12 hours of sleep.  Mom and Dad are thrilled!  

I have mastered some yoga poses: cobra, down dog, plank. 

I almost have this crawling thing down, but I keep bonking my head on the floor trying to get going. 

I will walk across the house if someone will just hold my hands.  

I love to eat puffs!  I can even get them to my mouth by myself.  

I eat many of the same foods my sister does.  I wasn't so sure about some of those textures at first, but I'm getting used to it.  

I love peas, watermelon, avocado, and pouches (baby food). 

I hate wearing sunglasses.  Thankfully, I look adorable in hats. 

I hit my stacking toys together and I can knock them down.  

I don't like riding in Daddy's new car because I am so far away from my sister. 

I stayed up with Mom to watch Act I of the Hamilton premiere on Disney+.

I don't have any teeth yet, but I swear they have to be coming soon.  

I am still a Momma's girl, which makes her a little nervous for when she goes back to work next month. 

Tessa is Six Months!

I spin everywhere to get where I need to go.

I am starting to crawl backwards.

I love playing peek-a-boo.

I think my sister is hilarious.  

I tried cereal for the first time and love it.

I am not a fan of mangos, way too sour. 

I had my first (and second) ear infections. 

I FINALLY slept through the night when my ears stopped hurting.  And then they started hurting again.

 

Tessa is Five Months!

I am sitting up!
I weigh 14.1 pounds, and the doctors are now happy with my growth.
I roll all over the living room floor.
I am still living the quarantined life.
I tried daycare for the first time and only lasted four hours.  Day two went better.
I STILL don't sleep through the night.  Mom and Dad are going to buy stock in coffee.
I toss and turn and spin in circles all over my bed all night
I love Mom's Apple Watch, and I am learning how to work it better than she can.
I have lots of stories to tell.
I chew on all my toys, blankets, and hands.
I have the best giggle, according to Mom and Dad.
I am a Momma's girl, especially after 7pm.
I will start crawling the minute I decide where I want to go.

Raising an Empath

Yesterday was a rough day.  For many reasons.  And for no reason.

I kept watching the clock waiting until I could crawl into bed, let my armor down, allow the tears to come, and hide from everything.  That time when no one was depending on me to be a mom or a wife or a teacher.  I spent the last few hours of my day just going through the motions.  I finally threw in the towel a little early and handed a half-asleep Tessa to Casey, so I could shower and wash the day away.

As I got out of the shower, I heard Mila calling out.  It was well past 9 pm.  She should have been asleep an hour ago.  But she napped earlier in the day, so I was not all that surprised.  I dressed quickly so she wouldn't wake her sister.  I'm ready to be mad at her for wanting help putting her dolls' clothes back on or some other silly request.

I walked in and her expression changed my mood.  And my heart.

She tells me it was an awful day.  I swear this kid is an empath. I tell her some days are like that.  Even Mommy has awful days.

Yeah? she asked.

I tell her one thing that helps is taking deep breaths.  Then, I remember how much I love you, and Tessa, and your Daddy.  Am I saying this for me or for her?  By now, we both have tears in our eyes.

I crawled into bed with her.  Clearly, I was not going anywhere for a while. 

We snuggled in and talked about our plans because, thankfully, we finally had some.  We planned a movie night for the next day.  And daycare was finally opening up, so that was something to look forward to.  She would finally get to see her friends and teacher after two months.  We talked about all the random things a four-year-old brings up at bedtime.  She points to my neck and says, you have a nipple just like Daddy.  We had a quick lesson on the difference between moles and nipples. 

Then, she wanted a story.  Casey has been entertaining her with stories of our dating days -- well, the censored versions.  She specifically asked for another one.  I tell her about the time I fell in love with her dad.  It was the first time he grilled for me, just like he had that night.  I knew then I wanted to marry him and have two girls with him.  And now here I am, married to him, and he is an amazing dad to two girls. 

"Yeah," she says, "and because he has nipples."

A little humor and a lot of cuddles.  In a moment where I just wanted to hide, I was reminded of all that I have.  Apparently, being alone was not what I needed.