Kirsten

I want to dedicate todays post to my sister, Kirsten. She deployed for Iraq today for 6 months on an assignment to a base in northern Iraq to teach Iraqis to fly. She's been deployed before, but she has never been based in Iraq, she was always in some remote (sometimes tropical) locations and was refueling other aircrafts. She was in her combat fatigues which made it all the more difficult. I'm so proud of her and I am trying to be optimistic and supportive. I know she is in a much safer region and since she is probably the only female pilot these guys have seen, I'm sure everyone will take extra care of her.

We got to spend some GREAT quality time with her over the Holiday weekend. We basically camped out at my parents house and had a great Christmas. I will be thinking of her constantly and can't wait for all of her e-mails and updates and skype. We also have a blog just for her where she can post stuff, but other people can post stuff also. Several of my parents friends along with my parents have decided to make a certain sacrifice or "resolution" for her deployment. Some people are going to lose 17.9 lbs (she's being deployed for 179 days), I think my dad is going to one push-up for every day that she is deployed. Of course he won't have to do them all at once, just through-out the day. My mom is giving up margaritas while she's gone. I plan on doing yoga 5 days a week while she is gone. I need to get back into a work-out routine any ways, and then calmness of yoga will help me with the anxiety of having a loved one deployed.

My sweet cousin Aly organized Captain Kirsten's home team, and every week someone is assigned to sending her a care package. She knows about the packages, but she has no idea who is assigned each week. I will probably also get Tessa and Ellis' school involved and try and get some things together that Kirsten wants once she is over there and knows more about what's going on. If she has a lot of interaction with Iraqi children or their parents, I know soccer balls are a HUGE favorite.

Anyways, I love you so much and can't wait to hug you soon.

Santa & Birthday

We went and saw Santa on sunday. Tessa was so excited and talked about him all day. "We go see Santa today. I go take a nap, then we see Santa. Let's goo see the colors (aka lights) and Santa." Once we got there and actually saw him she was a little scared. She talked to him from afar, but was a little hesitant to sit on the couch. We put Ellis down to show that he was really nice. She sat down for a second and we got a few good pics. But she said bye and gave him a hug afterwards. Now she won't stop talking about him of course.

Yesterday was Mike's 50th Birthday! Wow, he's an old goat! We went over the my parents house and opened presents. Tessa and Ellis gave him a really nice sweater, Omi and Opa got him these great landscaping lights, and I got him a set of insulated hunting camos. He loved all of his gifts. Then Peyton came over the watch Tessa and Ellis, while the grown-ups went to Fogo de Chao. We had a great time with just the grown-ups. The food is amazing there. I know it's a little on the expensive side, but DAMN it's so good. I think I will be in a meat-induced stupor for the next two days. Just in time for Christmas...........

Grandpa

Somewhere in school Tessa has picked up Grandma and Grandpa. Of course she calls my parents Omi and Opa, and Mike's parents are Gramm and Poppa Tim. Gramm was in town this weekend and Tessa was so excited to see her again. But she keeps calling her Grandpa! "Come on, Grandpa. Let's go build a tower" or "Grandpa, what you doing?" or "Wook at the lights, Grandpa" NO matter how many times we corrected her, she is just determined to call Gramms Grandpa. Maybe she feels slighted that she doesn't have a Grandpa, only and Opa or something.

Santa

Of course with Holidays all around us, we talk about and see Santa Claus a lot. She loves counting the ones we have in the house and will give them hugs, point them out on the Christmas tree, or when we see them in peoples yards. What's hilarious is that she points to one on our mantle and says "Wook Mommy, that's San-Ta" very deliveratly and making sure to pronounce the T. When I say, "That's right Tessa, that's Santa Clause, she says "No, mommy, that's not Santa Claus that's San-Ta" as if they are two totally different people. It's so cute.

I absolutely LOVE the Holdiays with a toddler. The pure joy and excitement she gets out of the smallest things are so much fun. She loves looking at the Christmas tree and for the most part has been really good about not tugging and yanking, she just points and shows us different things she sees. The lights are by far her favorite, she still gets SOOOO excited over the smallest decoration with lights. I mean, we see the same lights every day and you would think it was the first time in her life she was seeing them.

The other funny thing she has started saying is "OH.......MY.......GOSH" She even says it with dramatic pauses in between. She usually uses it when we see a particularly elaborate display or snow/rain.

Laughing Babies

St Nikolaus Tag

Traditionally, German's celebrate Christmas on the eve of the 24th. They don't have a Santa Claus that comes down the chimney to fill up your stockings. In Germany the tradition is that on December 5th all of the children have to polish thier boots and leave one of them out on the front porch. They polish the boot to show how well behaved they are, but only put out one boot so as not to seem too greedy. Nikolaus rides around the countryside on a donkey and leaves candy and coins in the boots of the children that were well behaved. The bad children would get coals and switches and depending on how old-school you want to get, sometimes a beating. There is supposedly this little troll guy called Knecht Ruprect that would travel around with St Nikolaus and he was responsible for the bad kids.

Sometimes he would come inside and ask the children how they have been and if they always do thier chores and listen to thier parents. Other times, he might just knock on the window to let you know he was there and then leave. This tradition stems from St Nikolaus who was bishop of Myra (he's from the area of what is now Turkey). He is the patron saint of children, sailors and travelers and was known to leave coins and food in the shoes of the needy and poor.

We did a boot for Tessa this year, although she didn't polish it (that's next year). I also put together little gift bags for the kids in her class and I included a little explanation of the German tradition.

Christmas Lights

Tessa's latest obsession is Christmas Lights. Every time we get into a car, she wants to 'go find some more'. And she gets SOOOOO excited when we see some. All it takes it one rinky-dink bush with lights in them and she goes nuts. Last night when Mike got home, we loaded the kids up and just drove around the neighborhoods. She was non-stop screaming. 'Look, Look, mommy. Daddy, do you see them. Oh right there, look at all the colors. Do you see them Daddy? I want more. More lights." We decided to drive around the little down-town Smyrna area that has a festical of lights. She nearly passed out, she was so excited. We drove around the round-about three times and then down the main street. She talked non-stop. When Mike and I tried to talk about some other things, she would say "No, Mommy. Don't talk to Daddy. Be quiet. Look at the lights, see them? Right there? And way up there? You see them? Daddy, don't talk to Mommy."

She was so excited last night she didn't go to sleep until almost 10:00pm (which is very rare for her). She talked to herself for a long time. She keeps talking about the lights, and Santa Claus is coming, and something about Mommy Daddy, and baby Ellis. At about 9:00pm I was taking a bath and literally could hear her talking non-stop. It was so cute.

I can't wait until we get our lights and tree up this weekend. We may also try to go see Santa this weekend.

The Boy Cave

Currently there are only boys in Ellis' class. He is still in Infant I with Ms Andrea and there are three other boys: Coen, London, and Jake. It is so cute to see all of those boys hanging out together. Ms Andrea is definitely in her element as she has two boys of her own. When Tessa was in Infant I there were two other girls, Samantha and Mekel, that were in there with her. All three of them are still together. I had a picture of the three of them from thier first Christmas two years ago and was showing it to the moms.

I'm hoping Ellis gets to grow up with his homies just like Tessa did. Coen is only a few days younger than Ellis and I have a feeling they are going to become good buddies. Ellis is the next one to move up to Infant II, where he will be with Ms Laura. Ms Laura had Tessa when she was in Infant II. Tessa still has to stop by and say 'Good Morning' when we drop Ellis off.

I'm very grateful to have them in such a wonderful school.

Spicy

Tessa has been a little crabby the last few days. I think she may have a urinary tract infection, she's been complaining that it hurts when she pees. She says it's spicy! I think she means that it's stinging. But I like the word spicy for something that hurts or stings.

Static

There is this great new playground over by Morgan Falls. They have the fake turf grass, which is nice because it doesn't get really dirty, especially when it rains. The down side is of course it's fake, but it also generates huge amounts of static. When Tessa comes down the slide her hair sticks out every where and then she shocks herself on the steps (metal handle bars). Then she comes running up, laughing and squealing yelling "It SHOCKED!" Anyway, I pulled Ellis' hat off and it seems there was some residual static built up. I just love the expression on his face.

Rough Week

This past week has been a rough week for the Hartley Clan. Last Sunday we went to Bryce's 1st Birthday party at Catch Air. Tessa really enjoyed playing on all of the jumpy stuff and playing the ball pit. Ellis just hung out with me, he still was congested and coughing. On our way home, I got a call from Kirsten (who was very upset). She was driving to Atlanta from Texas (2-day drive) with her three dogs, when her car broke down in Mobile. I left the kids with Omi and drove to Mobile to get her. We drove back Monday morning after dropping the car off at a repair shop. I got this nasty head cold on the way down and have been fighting it all week. I took a couple of days off and kept Ellis home as he was really sick and running a high fever. Monday night he was up most of the night and Tessa woke up at 4:00am and didn't want to go back to sleep. Of course, I don't want to take NyQuil knowing that I may have to get up and tend to kids. On Tuesday I took him to the Doctor and he had an ear infection and is on anti-biotics right now. It must be a pretty severe infection, because he is just now returning to normal. I am pretty exhausted right now. I need a full nights sleep and maybe one nap to get back to normal. Unfortuantely I left a wake of destruction in my path, as Mom is sick and Mike sounds and feels terrible also. So, I'll probably have to nurse a sick husband this weekend.

C'est la vie. Maybe next weekend I'll get to recupperate.

Ellis - 6mo Check Up

I forgot that I hadn't posted his 6 months stats. He weighed in at 17lbs 12oz and was 26.5" long. This put him in the 50% for weight and 75% for height. I'm wondering if I should be worried that my son is 6 months old, wears size 9-12 months clothings and his feet fit in 2T-3T socks (that's what Tessa wears). I hope it's not like dogs where you can tell how big they are going to be based on thier paws.

Halloween

Halloween was a rough day for the Hartley family. Both kids did not sleep well the night before, so most of Sunday was spent crabby. Ellis had gotten his shots on Friday and although had no fever or anything, he was really fussy and did not sleep most of the day. He is normally such a great baby, so this was way out of charachter. Tessa was really cantankerous (terrible two's? teething) and if she had been any older and really understood what she was missing, we would have canceled all Halloween plans.

The original costume plan was that Ellis was going to be a lobster. Mike was going to put on an apron and chef's hat and we were going to put Ellis in a big spaghetti pot. But he had finally fallen asleep when we got to Vicki and Casey's and then when he woke up, we put it on him for five minutes to get some pictures and then took it off. Tessa was a giraffe and I was going to dress up as a Safari girl. But, with Ellis being sick I knew I would have to carry him in the carrier and keep him warm, so our costume plans got scrapped.

We did have a great time and Tessa really enjoyed trick-or-treating. She thought it was so cool walking up to the houses and wasn't scared of any of the really scary noises, decorations or costumes. The only problem was that she didn't want to walk, so Mike carried her on his shoulders. I had Ellis in the carrier. It was some great family time. This past Friday when I picked her up from school she asked if we were going Trick-or-Treating again. I tried to explain that it was only a once-a-year type thing. Hopefully she understood.

The whole Gang



My Giraffe (with her bruised face)



The flying Giraffe? She loved wearing Kaitlyn's Grim Reaper wings.



The Devil wears Prada and loves Ellis




Mommy making sure her little man is warm. This is my favorite picture of him right now.

Pumpkin Carving

Ellis wanted to be part of the carving posse. He entertained us and talked to us while we carved. We did a spider this year. It turned out really cool, but in typical Atlanta fashion we carved in a week before Halloween and the damn thing rotted before Halloween. I never did get a good picture of it at night all lit up. I guess next year we carve the day of or the day before Halloween.

Below is Tessa helping me get the seeds out of the guts. I wasn't going to do this at first, but then I realized that it basically occupied her the entire time Mike was gutting and carving the pumpkin. She helped me clean the seeds and place them on the cookie sheet. I love toasted pumpkin seeds.



Daddy showing Tessa how it's done.




'I do it. I do it.'




So much joy in such a simple little task.



'I carry it'

Pumpkin Picking

Ellis was more fascinated by the straw than having his picture taken. These pictures aren't that great. I'll have to go to a REAL pumpkin patch next year. This was one at a little church down the street.

Why toddlers shouldn't dress themselves

I am playing catch-up. I have been a slacker on posting pics from this past month. There will be multiple posts today.

Below is a series of pictures of Tessa in her favorite boots and not much more. The socks she's wearing are mine and she has her tights on her head. She wanted to go to school like this.

Insight

I have actually started pumping/nursing again. I just wasn't ready emotionally to give it up and in talking with a co-worker of my dad, it just hit me like a ton of bricks why. I am just not ready for Ellis to grow up! It was very different with Tessa. She is the first child and everything is so new and exciting, and as a parent you just can't wait for them to eat solid food, crawl, walk, talk, etc. But then you realize how fast it goes and how quickly they move from one phase to the next. With Ellis, I feel like I need to hold on to those moments and cherish them because I know how soon he will be moving on to the next adventure. He already has two teeth and rolls all over the place. I'm guessing it also has to do with the fact that I have to share my time with Tessa and Ellis. Tessa had my undivided attention all the time. Now I have to focus my attention to two kids.

I'm also trying really hard to make sure that Ellis gets enough quality time with us. Of course, he would prefer quality time with Tessa. He just stares at her and laughs at her non-stop. It doesn't matter what she's doing or if she's even paying attention to him, he is just in awe of her. I hope they grow up to be great friends.

Moose

Ellis is now 6 months old. I can't beleive it has gone by so fast. We have his 6mo doctor's appointment on Friday so I will update all of his stats then. He is still growing and doing amazing. He rolls all over the place and I am sure will be graduating up to the next class soon.

I stopped nursing him once he started getting teeth about a month ago. He is definitely a chomper and my nipples would not have survived (almost lost 1 one day). Anyways, since I stopped nursing I was still pumping, but my supply dropped even more. This last week, I was pumping just enough for one bottle a day. I have decided to stop pumping. For some reason this has been a very emotional decision for me and still brings me to tears when I talk about it. I know he is a healthy boy and that six months of nursing is a good feat these days, but it's still difficult to let go. Since I make my own baby food, I guess I can pour my energy of pumping into making good and yummy baby food for him.

I guess my grand plans of pumping for at least 9 months when down the drain. It's just so much work (and time away from work) to get a mere 3oz each time. I know it's fine, but as I mentioned, for some reason I am having a difficult time accepting this emotionally. I can't rbing myself to turn in the key to the Mother's Room at work. I may hold onto it for a little while longer.

Ducks

Tessa has these little bath duckies. They used to blink when they touched water, but the battery has long since died and now they just float. Lately, they have become Tessa's favorite bath toy. Last night, she put the two baby ducks in time out (perched on top of the cold and hot water knobs) and told them they couldn't go to the other end of the tub. Mommy duck was at the other end of the tub and was told "No bite, it's not nice". The when one baby duck fell, she picked it up and cradled it in her arms, pet it's head and said "Oh no, you bonked your head. I'm sorry" and kissed it, the she asked "Are you OK? All better?" Then they had to slide down the faucet, but apparently one of them went out of order and she scolded him pretty good.

It weas pretty funny to see her carrying on an entire conversation and 'play date' with rubber duckies.

Gibberish

OK, so I know Ellis can't talk yet and it's just babble, but he definitely says "Dada" all the time. WHY? He's supposed to be my little man and love his momma. Tessa said 'mama' first.

Halloween Fun

We went and had pictures of the kids taken in their Halloween costumes this morning. Here a two teasers. We also had some pictures taken in regular clothes, so we'll see how those turn out.

No More Donuts

I had to do some Training down in Peachtree City, so I had to get up at 4:30am so that I could get ready, get the kids ready and get them to day-care by 6:30am and get down there by 7:30am. Needless to say, it was definitely a Dunkin Donuts coffee type morning. Tessa got her two little munchkins. After she got the last one this was our conversation

Me: That's it, Tessa. All gone.
T: All gone, mommy?
Me: Yup, all gone. No more
T: Oh. OK. No more donuts Ellis

It was like she was saying "Too bad Ellis, no more donuts for you sucker?" One day, Tessa dearest, Ellis will be old enough to eat donuts and you will have to share with him.

Catch Up

I'm playing catch up from this summer on posting pictures. Some are newer and some a little older.

Ellis' first teeth, he got both of them in at the same time.

Go Jackets!

Mommy's little cool guy.

Ellis rocking the camos.

Ellis loves his squash. So far pears are his favorite. He does not like Avocado. I should have guessed as it is just about the only food Tessa won't touch.

My daughter

Tessa continues to amaze me. She is getting more and more affectionate. She will say "I wuv you, mommy" (unsolicited) and always wants "fast kisses". She is such a great big sister. Whenever Ellis cries or fusses she'll say "It's OK, baby. Don't cry" and will give him his pacifier. She loves to show him how stuff works or play music with him. In the bathtub she quizzes him on the different colored ducks "What color, Ellis"? She definitely has her sassy moments, but she just melts my heart when she smiles that beautiful smile at me when she wants me to read "Pinkalicious" again. Side bar - my cousin Kim got her that book so that she would have something girly, and currently it's all she wants to read. She has most of it memorized so she reads it to me sometimes also.

She can count in Spanish now. I should be working with her on her German, but I'm worried she'll get too confused. At her school they are learning, Spanish, French and Mandarin. She know's most of her letters and can count up to 20. We iChat (video chat) with Kirsten a few nights a week and she is also obsessed with calling Daddy and Omi & Opa on the phone. So most nights before bed time we make our phone calls so that she can talk about her day and say night-night.

My life has been so busy and crazy I feel like I'm always rushing through everything (dinner, bath, bedtime) and then once the kids are asleep, madly doing all of my chores. Last night I was really tired (Ellis woke up really early yesterday morning- 3:30am) so I just said screw it! I just played with the kids and didn't try to multi-task at all. Tessa helped me put Ellis to sleep and then took a long bath. We played for a while afterwards and then I laid in bed with her for a long time, reading several books and singing 'Mama Tech' (Georgia Tech fight song) over and over. It was so nice to just chill. THEN after she was asleep I took a really long, hot bath; pumped and then went to sleep. Of course the den is a mess and I had to get everything ready this morning for thier days and mine, but it was worth it to have a relaxing night like that.

My son

I know I am getting repetitive, but I cannot stop talking about how lucky I am to have such a wonderful baby as Ellis. Considering the circumstances we are in right now, this could have been a nightmare. Luckily, Ellis is so low key and go-with-the-flow that it has gone much smoother than anticipated. This morning we went to the zoo and Tessa loved it. The weather was perfect, clear skies and slightly cool. And Ellis just chilled in his stroller the whole time. He was awake, but just taking in the sights, throwing us some great smiles. He has a GREAT huge smile.

This afternoon we went to a baby shower for Katie, who is expecting a little girl. As you can imagine it was all women and a very girlie shower for little Lucy, but Ellis just eased right in. He was very calm and just sat in my lap most of the time. He fell asleep during the present opening portion of it (somehow, little pink frilly things don't excite him). Tonight before bed I was holding him while he was trying to stand and he was just squealing with delight. Which was made only better when Tessa would run up and give him a big kiss and hug. This went on for about 10 minutes, it was so cute. He was in such a great mood this whole day, I hated to put him to sleep, but I know he was tired.

All in all, it was a great day.

Donuts

I absolutely love Dunkin Donuts coffee. Although I have cut back significantly, I stop there about once a week or once every two weeks to get some coffee. We drive right by one on our way to day-care, so of course when I do stop have to get Tessa a munchkin. It's pretty sad, but she even recognizes it when we drive by. She always says "Donuts! Dukin Donuts!"

Last week I was at the drive-thru and as the guy was handing me my coffee Tessa started yelling "Muffin Man, Muffin Man". I laughed so hard and then told the guy that my daughter called him the Muffin Man. He laughed, but he is either Indian or Pakistani (they get VERY offended if you accuse one of being the other, so I aplogize for not being able to recognize the differences), but I'm not sure if he really understood what she meant (the song, of course). We've never gotten muffins from there, so I'm guessing there was a picture somewhere and that prompted the loud outburst.

Here comes the Muffin Man!

Yeah (not for the faint of heart)

As you may have read in some of my previous posts, I have been getting really frustrated with the whole potty-training process. I feel like every one around us just transitioned so easily and we are really struggling. Well, in a very proud moment, Tessa POOPED on the potty tonight. After pee'ing a couple of times I knew she had to go and I just left her underwear off. Every time she looked like she was getting ready to poop, I scooped her up and we ran to the potty. She actually sat on it for several minutes each time (she tooted a couple of times). She got to the point where she was telling me she had to go poopoo. Finally, she was sitting on the potty and told me "Go get Ellis, mommy" (aka Bye Bye I want to be by myself). So I went around the corner and left her alone. I peaked a couple of times, if she caught me she just blew me some kisses and said bye bye. Ever since she could crawl, she has always wanted to be by herself when the does the #2. So, privacy she wants, privacy she gets.

I rewarded her with a BIG Hello Kitty band-aid (don't ask, she's obsessed and it worked) and lots of hugs, kisses, and high fives. Hopefully we can keep this up.

My babies

Tessa always wants to "Hold It". I keep trying to explain that 'It' is a 'Him'. The second video is of Ellis blowing bubbles. Sorry for the bumpiness, Tessa is now obsessed with watching videos of herself on my camera and always wants to take it from me.

My Moose

Today McDreamy is 5 months old! He is truly a wonderfully awesome little man. He has been such a great addition to our family. We have just recently started him on solids (baby cereal and vegetables) and so far so good. I'll be making most of his food as I did with Tessa. I know I keep saying this, but he just such a happy baby. He always has a huge grin on his face (my cousin Kim said he totally has my smile) and loves to laugh. Of course his favorite is Tessa. No one can crack him up like she does. He's also very active. HIs teacher has a hard time containing him in the Infant room as he just scoots and rolls his little butt all over the place. She is predicitng that he will be moving up to the Infant II room fairly soon as it is more designed around mobile babies.

I am, so thankful for my wonderful family.

My buds

Ellis and Tessa watching cartoons together on Sunday morning.

On another note, I am getting really frustrated with potty training. It seems like all of Tessa peers (even the boys) are doing so great and most of them are in underwear and Tessa just can't seem to not pee in her underwear. She continues to pee on the potty (no pooping on the potty yet), but then five minutes later she will pee in her underwear and THEN tell me. I know I shouldn't compare her to other kids and let her develope at her own rate, but it just makes ME feel like I'm doing something wrong. At this rate, Ellis may be potty trained before her.

Teeth

Well, my handsome boy has started cutting his first TWO teeth. I have tried to get a picture, but it is impossible. But they are his two lower front ones. He chews on his hands and feet a lot, but in general they don't seem to bother him that badly. I have used the Baby Orajel and he makes the funniest face of disgust. THAT I should try and get on video. I also have these teething tablets that are natural/organic and just dissolve in his mouth. He doesn't mind those and they seem to do the trick. I just can't believe he is growing up so quickly.

Good Job, Mommy.

I guess I like to quiz Tessa a lot. I'm always asking her to identify different shapes, colors, letters, numbers, objects, etc. She amazes me all the time with what she knows and how quickly she learns. We read 'Brown Bear' a lot. This is a series of three books: Brown Bear, Panda Bear, and Polar Bear. For some reason when I read it, I will read "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, what do you see? I see a ......" then wait for Tessa to identify the next animal "Red Bird" or "Water Buffalo" she will scream. She also like to read the books herself, and sometimes will read the entire book out loud.

The other night she decided that she wanted to read it to me, and started quizzing me. So I answered "Red Bird". She replied by saying "Good Job, Mommy" every time I got it right. I even got one wrong on purpose and she said "No, that's the Macaroni Penguin. Good job, mommy."

Boss Lady

I always wanted to be called Boss Lady. In construction the Amigos (NOT politically correct - I know) will call a female supervisor Boss Lady. I prefer this to Hefe (which is what they call male supervisors). It's too close to calling me a heifer. Well, it seems Tessa has achieved this title before me. She is one bossy little lady.

Her teachers keep telling me that she is definitely the "leader" of the class. I'm really worried that she may be more of a bully than a leader. There's a big different in having people following you willingly versus being forced into submission, as may be the case with Tessa.

When she speaks to us, it's usually in a loud, direct command.

Sit down, Daddy, Sit.
T: Eat it, Mommy Me: No Thanks, T: EAT IT! MOMMY!
Go peepee, Daddy. Go peepee like a big girl, Daddy.
Mommy, you drive, etc.

When she wants you to come with her, she is very insistent, and will totally ignore you when you say "I don't want to come, I'm reading this book". It's like she doesn't even acknowledge our response. She just keeps on insisting on you coming, or you eating whatever she wants to shove down your throat. Now she has started SNAPPING her fingers to get you to come. She did this to Mike and Opa this weekend and both of them reacted with "Did she really just snap her fingers at me?" I don't know where she picked this up, because neither of us are finger snappers. It was pretty funny at first, but now I'm worried that she is learning some bad habits. We're really going to have to work on her manners.

Grandparents Day

Today was Grandparents Day at Tessa & Ellis' school. They invite all of the Grandparents to come to the classes and have a snack with them and do Circle Time. Omi had to work, so she couldn't make it, but Opa got to go. He first went to Tessa's class. She was so excited to see him and showed him his picture on the Family Collage in the class room. Then they sat down for snack time. Tessa made sure Opa had a chair (picture Shrek sitting in tiny chair) right next to her. Tessa ate her half of a muffin and drank her juice and then she apparently went on to eat Opa's muffin half and drink Opa's juice. That's my Girl! She sure does love to eat. Then they all got to read some book during Circle Time and then they finished with a song and a dance. Opa also stopped in on Ellis' room and was rewarded with a HUGE grin from him. I know I am biased, but Ellis is one handsome little man.

Siblings

When I was preggers with Ellis, my dear Aunt Kathy told me that one of the great joys of having multiple kids is watching them entertain each other. I now know what she means. With Ellis becoming more and more responsive and vocal, Tessa is really getting into "entertaining" Ellis. She will try to make him laugh or make him happy. She tells him "It's OK, baby" when he cries or will give him a pacifier. We have to watch it sometimes, though, because she does NOT understand the concept of 'gentle' just yet.

Last night Ellis was laying on the floor on his stomach and was watching Tessa running around our bedroom (naked) after her bath. I went into Tessa's room to get her pull-up and jammies. Next thing I know, I hear Ellis squealing and laughing. Tessa was on her tummy in front of him and making her baby noises trying to entice some giggles out of him. He thought this was hilarious. He loves to watch her. She also had these big styrofoam blocks (from my new computer packaging) and for some reason he thought it was really funny when she placed them in front of him. It was just so much fun to watch the two of them interact like that. I am looking forward to what the future has in store for these two.

Milestones

We gave Ellis his first taste of cereal this weekend and he did great. He likes sticking his hands in his mouth so of course we had cereal everywhere, but just sucked it right down. I haven't really given him any since then. I still nurse him at night and in the mornings and he gets all Breastmilk during the day that I pump at work. It's just too much work right now, so he'll have to stick to cereal on the weekends. In a couple of weeks I'll probably try some veggies and then fruit after that. I can't beleive I'm going to back to making baby food again. I loved making it for Tessa, though. I thought it was very therapeutic and I felt like I was doing something good for my baby.

The other "milestone" is that Ellis has started blowing bubbles and sticking his tongue out. He didn't do it all weekend and then yesterday when I picked him up from school, he was doing it. It's like he learned it at school and LOVES to do it. That's all he was doing last night and in the car this morning. I'll try to get a video of it, since it is so cute.

Handsome

Took this picture after an afternoon at the pool. He loves the water and watching all of the older kids play and splash around. Ellis especially loves watching his big sister jump in. She has truly turned into a water bug and I am sad that this weekend is the last weekend the pool will be open.

Pun Intended

Conversation between Mike and I....

Mike - "So, you're getting a new computer, a new iPod, and new car. Next thing I know you're going to want a new man"

Me - " No thank you, I like my old man"

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Omi Liselotte

My great-grandmother, Omi Liselotte, passed away yesterday. She was in great health for most of her life, always touting the healing powers of Cider Vinegar (which she took every day). She was 91 when she passed and to imagine everything that she has lived through and experienced is phenomenal. She survived World War II in Germany after being uprooted from her home several times. She had to walk across northern Germany with her 6 month old daughter in her arms. Just imagine all of the changes she has witnessed her country and the World go through in her lifetime.

She was a GREAT Omi who always had kisses and treats for us grandkids. She was an amazing seamstress, making lots of clothing for us, like our Christening gowns, Holy Communion gowns, etc. She also LOVED to bake. Anytime we would visit, she always had three or four different cakes and never missed Kaffee Klatch. She had this wonderful squeaky voice and was not afraid to put us in our place. Kirsten and I would spend our vacations with her and our cousin, Henning. We would ride the train from Stuttgart to Bielefeld by ourselves (5 hours) and then would stay with Omi for a week.

She was so happy that she got to meet Mike at the wedding and thankful that she could be part of it. Although she never got to meet Tessa or Ellis, she loved getting pictures of them and enjoyed hearing all the updates about them. She was so good about getting them birthday cards and Christmas presents. She would have LOVED to meet them and watch them run all over the place.

Ich werde dich sehr vermissen und ich liebe dich, Omi.
I'm going to miss you and I love you, Omi.

Nilpferd

Nilpferd (pronounced kneel-phaird) is German for Hippo. My dad has started calling Ellis Nilpferd and even got him a Hippo Steiff stuffed animal in Germany. True to his nickname, he is still in the 75% for height and weight. He had his 4mo check-up this morning and was 16lbs 1oz, and 25.5" long. He was very brave when getting his shots, he barely whimpered after the 1st one, but definitely screamed out after the 2nd one. But he calmed down as soon as I picked him back up again. By the time we got to school he was in a great mood, smiling and cooing and hamming it up for every one. I love him so much.

Four Months

I can't beleive that my little hippo is 4 months old. We have his appointment tomorrow so I'm really curious to see how big he has gotten. He is such a great baby, I am so lucky to have been blessed with an easy-goping, low-key dude. It truly feels like it was just last week that I was having contractions and ready to bring him into this world and now he's been here for FOUR months. Time really does fly.

Southern Belle

Tessa somehwere has picked up the word "Momma". Instead of calling me mommy, she now says "Momma" in a very southern sounding twang. I'm not sure who says it like that or where she picked it up from, but it's pretty cute.

Work

I have been back at work now for three weeks and it has been interesting. I am very tired. It takes forever to get myself and two kids and all of my stuff and thier stuff into the car in the mornings. I usually get up at 5:30am and can't seem to make it out the door before 7:30am. By the time I get to work it's usually 8:30am already and I am exhausted.

I pump twice while I'm at work, which is not fun. Currently, I have to pump in the women's bathroom. There's a chair in the HC stall and my pump has a battery pack. Over the next two weeks we are moving offices and the rumor is is that there is a "mother's room" specifically designed for nursing moms. I hope it's true and I hope they consulted some nursing moms to make sure there are outlets in there and maybe even a mini-fridge. Currently, I keep my milk in a lunch cooler in the main fridge, hoping no one gets hungry enough to start scrounging through other people's stuff. I'm not pumping enough to keep up with Ellis, so I pump at night once more before I go to bed. I'm still coming up a little short some days,but I have a little stored in the freezer and I also pump at night on the weekends to get some extra. The night time pumping is what's draining right now. I can't go to bed until 11:30pm most nights, so I am juggling between rest for mommy or breastmilk for baby. So far breastmilk has won. I may go to one bottle of formula a day to help out. I have Ellis' 4mo check-up next Friday and want to talk to his doctor about this.

I nursed Tessa for 5 months, but for some reason I just quit cold-turkey. As soon as I wasn't able to pump enough for her I went to formula and now I'm wondering why I didn't just supplement her with formual occasionally? I could have continued to pump for a while. Oh well, I think she turned out all right.

Sleepy Head

In the mornings I have to wake Tessa up (most of the times). She is usually pretty tired and I carry her to the bathroom to go potty. This morning in her half-sleep stupor as she was sitting on the potty she asked "Where's Daddy?" I said "Daddy's at work" so then she said "Well, let's go see him! Come on, let's go. Let's go, Mommy." Like it was no big deal to drive to Mobile to go see Daddy.

Roly Poly and Water Bug

Ellis is rolling his little butt all over the place. Several mornings I have gone into his room and he is asleep on his tummy (SCARY). Whenever I put him on the floor, he just starts rolling. He also talks/coos so much now also. He was talking up a storm at the pool and just had a blast. It was so cute.

Tessa, meanwhile, has developed a total obsession with swimming. She loves going to the pool and swimming or "Playing in the water" as she calls it. I'll try to get some video next time. I got her this swimmie device called a Puddle Jumper and it has done wonders. She just floats around and swims and kicks and wants to explore the entire pool. It's great because swimming really wears her out. I think next weekend we may attempt jumping off the diving board. She just stares at the big kids when they jump off. I think she is going to be one of those water bugs.................just never wants to leave the water.

Wow

OK, I knew going back to work would be hard, but I am fried! Two kids+full-time job+no husband during the week+still nursing/pumping= ONE WORE OUT MOMMA! I know it's only my first week and hopefully it will get better as I get into a routine, but I'm exhausted. I feel like if I blink longer than 2 seconds I may fall asleep.

I warned my female coworkers if they go to the bathroom and hear me pumping to check and make sure I'm still awake. I could totally see myself falling asleep and pumping for hours. Luckily Katie is preggers and has to pee all the time, so she can check on me frequently.

Bed Time

Tessa, as most kids, will use several different delay tacticts at bed time. One of her favorites right now is "Mommy, I go peepee". This is particularly effective as we are in the throws of potty training and it is unwise to ignore ANY reference to potty. So I usually scoop her up, plop her on the potty, 50% of the time she actually pees, and then immediately put her back in bed. I do have a gate at her door that she can climb, but one day she tried to climb it and got her little toe stuck or something (it was during Mike's watch so I did not witness the incident). But since then, she has not tried to climb the gate. She will open the door and dangle or throw stuff over the gate. When she decides to use the peepee tactic, she will also remove her diaper herself. It's good that she can do that, it's bad because.....she can do that. I have to be extra diligent on getting there quickly and going potty.

The other night as I was walking down the hall she was saying "Mommy? Mommy! Mommy I go peepee". What was hilarious, is that she had taken her diaper off and all I could see coming down the hall was her little arm sticking over the gate waving her diaper, as if signaling her distress. I couldn't help but laugh. One night when I went to check on her she was in her bed fast asleep, with her diaper and pants down around her knees and her little naked booty sticking out. Not so sure about this lastest obsession with disrobing.

Milestones

Today is my first day back at work. I was a little late this morning, but overall it went fairly smooth. It's a little wierd getting back into the work routine and pumping at work SUCKS (but the liquid gold is worth it). Ellis is doing great at day-care and drinking from a bottle three times a day. One of his big milestones is that he has started rolling over. He did it for the first time up in the mountains, but seems to be getting better at it now. He still gets his little arm pinned under him sometimes and although I think he physically can, he hasn't rolled back onto his back yet. Finally, Tessa went to school in big girl underwear today (with Minnie Mouse on them). She has been doing great peeing on the potty, but we'll see how it goes. She seems to pee very frequently, so I'm a little nervous that maybe her bladder isn't quite developed yet, but her teacher felt she was ready and I'm all for it. I would be less nervous if I could get her to poop on the potty, but that is something she seems VERY determined not to do just yet. Wish us luck.

Bear Feet

As mentioned in my previous post, Tessa is obsessed with her new bear feet slippers. She wanted to wear them to school this morning. They are her new favorite accessory.

Mountains with Kirsten & Jenny

We had a GREAT time up in the mountains. On the way up, we stopped at Goat's on the Roof. It's this silly place right before Clayton where there are goats living on the roof, and they have these walkways between the buildings that the goats walk on. They also have several silly ways to feed to the goats (zip-line; pedal a bike to move feeder to roof, etc.) Tessa liked petting the baby goats. She also LOVED the bear feet slippers we bought her there. We have several funny pictures and videos of Tessa in her slippers. She wore them all the time and even slept in them.

We went to Mud Dabbers again and of course went to Heinzelmannchen to get some more beer. Tessa had her first taste of home brewed root beer. I don't like root beer, but Tessa loved it. Kirsten and Jenny took Tessa into Highlands one afternoon and she got her very own milkshake from Kilwin's.

By far, my favorite part of the week was picking wild, fresh, blackberries. There were a ton along the road up to the cabin and we hit the MOTHER-LOAD at the Kirk's property where most of the blackberry pictures were taken. See attached link for some more great pictures.

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