Monthly Photo - Month 1

I decided to take a monthly photo of Tessa.  A few weeks ago I tried to get a picture but didn't catch T in a great mood.  Oh well, there's always next month!  The rabbit is there to show her size and will be next to her each month.

I think she's still cute, even when she cries:)

First Mother's Day

One Month Down

I promise this isn't turning into a baby only blog, but I can't help but show a few photos of baby T from the past few weeks. 

As I mentioned earlier, she loves TV.  I bribe her with TV when she does tummy time.  This time I let her watch Wendy Williams.  Sorry, mom;)

She loves her crib mobile and it keeps her busy for awhile.  It plays Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (at a tempo much too fast).  I'm glad she likes it since I paid far too much for it at Pottery Barn.

 And here she is sleeping, so precious.

And finally, Matt's aunt gave her this adorable hat.  Baby is discovering her hands, and has quite the grip!  

Other than taking pics of my sweet girl we've been spending time reading books, going for walks and taking naps (Tessa).  I can't believe I'm already 1/3 through my maternity leave, it's going so fast.

Baby Likes

It’s amazing how quickly little Tessa has developed a personality of her own.  I just wanted to jot down a few Tessa-isms at 3 weeks of life.

• Gets hiccups and sneezes pretty often, and she usually sneezes 4x in a row
• Is really strong.  We call her our little “chicken wing” because she likes to curl her arms so tight.  We also call her “Tessa bear” and “little T”
• Loves car rides
• Does modern dance-like moves with her hands and arms, she’s constantly contorting them in different positions
• Doesn’t like the sound of the crinkling from plastic bags
• Doesn’t mind wearing hats but hates it when they cover her eyes
• Loves her nuk
• Loves baths
• Likes watching TV.  I don’t think she can even see that far away, but she must see some of the light or something because she is clearly mesmerized 

And no post complete without a picture:) 

 She's got some strong lungs, that's for sure!

 

Tessa's First Weeks

Our baby Tessa was born on 4/5.  She was born a healthy girl at 41 weeks (scheduled induction but she ended up coming on her own the day before – nothing like an induction date to get her moving!).  We stayed at the hospital an extra day to work on her feeds, and then were sent home.  Over the next few weeks she still showed little interest in eating, and we could tell she was in pain when passing stool through her body.  Her poor little tummy hurt.  

After undergoing several tests we found out she had Hirschsprung's disease.  We were admitted to Children’s hospital and she underwent surgery to remove the “bad” part of the colon which had no ganglia cells and have it reconnected to the good part of the colon which did have ganglia cells.  Poor baby went through the ringer, but we are so thankful everything went well and to have her home for good.  She’s a trooper, that’s for sure!  A huge thank you to everyone for your thoughts and support. 

Here are a few pics from her first weeks of life.

Matt wanted Tessa to watch the Twin's game with him.  I don't think she got much out of it sleeping.

Our first attempt at a family picture once we got home.  Tessa wasn't having it.

Daddy's girl.

Sometimes we think she's smiling.

 

Our little patient.

So happy to have her home and healthy. 

Overdue

Well, this baby is officially overdue.  I totally realize that a due date is a guess date and doesn’t really mean anything, but once it has past it’s slightly depressing (okay, very depressing).  But, I also can say I’m very thankful that I made it full-term and that she’s had plenty of time to grow and develop.

But now I would like her to be out:)

Here’s my “you know you’re 40 weeks pregnant when…” list: 

…when trimming your toenails is a huge accomplishment

…when every meal could be “the last meal”

…when you feel “good” in only 3 shirts so you constantly rotate them; fashion isn’t a priority

…when your belly is so large that you wonder at times if it could just explode

…when nice and caring people who ask “how are you feeling” drive you just about insane

…when getting off the couch from a reclined position is near impossible, rolling off and onto the floor is much easier

(feel free to add others!)

And I’ll leave you with what I promise is my last photo, me post-due.  

Happy Easter!

38 Down, 2 to Go

Here was my picture at 38 weeks.  I think this might be my last photo post, I'm getting too rolly polly with this watermelon inside of me.  I got a lot good advice via facebook about what to pack in my hospital bag so I put together a list and just need to actually throw it in a bag.  

Other than baby stuff not too much has been going on.  I'm trying to get organized at work for while I'm out and just keep on with my daily routines.  I've also spent some quality time in the kitchen making things, like muffins.  I think I've made 5 batches in the last few weeks.  I'm a muffin making machine.  

Now that I think about it, I've actually been pretty domestic in other ways, too.  Last weekend I got my sewing machine out and made some flags for above the crib.  I got the sewing machine for my birthday (which, ahem, was in the summer) and finally got it out of the box.  I really want to get into sewing but was too overwhelmed to just start.  Thankfully Matt threaded the bobbin for me, then I was on my way.  I like how the flags turned out.  I wanted something that was light in weight (in case it falls down) and textured for the room since everything on the walls are framed.  So that was an accomplishment.  Now I have a bit of confidence to make something else which I hope to do over maternity leave in my spare time:)