Goobers

OK -so hopefully this will be the last "potty subject" post for a while, my next post will have Birthday and Easter pictures, I promise.

Tessa is GREAT at always saying 'Excuse Me' after she burps or toots. The problem is that the 'Excuse Me' usually comes AFTER the belly laughs. On Sunday morning before the little party, I was putting together the Easter Baskets, and had Ellis in his High Chair and Tessa was sitting with us trying to confiscate some candy prior to the Easter Egg Hunt. Ellis tooted and Tessa was laughing so hard....she said "Say excue me, Ellis" Of course Ellis was laughing because Tessa was laughing. Then when she finished laughing she asked him to "Do it again!"

I had to explain that he can't toot on command. She's such a goober

One at a time.....

This weekend was filled with tons of good events. I will put into multiple posts.

My dear, sweet, precious Aunt Chris (related to my Dad, so on the crazy side) gave the kids these silly toy Bunnies that POOP out candy. One of them even sings some poopy song (i think they are from the movie 'Hop'). Of course, the kids (aka Mike and Tessa) loved them. At first Tessa didn't realize it was candy and didn't want to eat it thinking it was real poop. Once we explained that it was candy and she ate it then she wouldn't stop. The best line of the entire weekend was the following (by Mike)....."Tessa, slow down! One poop at a time!" HAHAHAHAHAHAHA that will forever be burned in my brain.

T-1

A year ago today, around this time I started having contractions. We called Omi later on that night to come stay with Tessa, since she was asleep already. That morning I had had my regular weekly check-up and was already 3.5cm dilated. We went ahead and scheduled an induction since Mike was working in Mobile and we weren't sure how quickly the baby would come. We scheduled it for the following Tuesday. Things started happening sooner.

It's was such a great memory and I will always cherish those moments. As weird as it sounds, I miss the contractions. I think part of it was knowing what was about to come and what a special experience it was going to be.

Funny Tessa

A few weeks ago on one of the Saturdays when Mike was working, we were in the House playing. Ellis was napping and Tessa was really quiet all of the sudden. I was in the Kitchen and noticed the Hall closet door was slightly cracked. In addition to coats and grocery bags, we keep the dog and cat food in there. Tessa was in the den chewing on something, she has a taste for dog food, so I knew she had gotten into it. So I very sternly told her "Tessa, you do NOT eat dog food, it's yucky!" to which she very angrily replied "It's NOT dog food. It's CAT food!"

I give up.

Bath Time

My two little boogers had SOOO much fun in the bath together. And as if watching them have so much together isn't bonus enough, they also sleep GREAT after a fun bath time like this.

Going to work....

Tessa picked her own outfit. When I asked he where she was going she said "I'm going to work!"

Fun in the pool

These pictures are from the previous weekend when it was SOOO nice and warm we actually busted out the pool.

T-6

So, my little Moose will be one next Sunday! How has it gone by so fast? I know I'm excited to see him grow up and develop his little personality, but I also miss my little baby. I feel like I didn't get enough cuddle, baby time with him. No naps on my chest (although I know we got these - it doesn't feel like enough), no more falling asleep in my arms, etc. But then the kids are so much fun to watch together now. Tessa and Ellis took a bath together last night and it was hysterical. I can't wait to post the pictures, they just had a total blast. Ellis peed in the tub, which Tessa thought was SOOO funny. She kept kissing him and then would break out in this crazy belly laugh, at which Ellis would start laughing.

It's really getting fun now watching them interact. What's NOT fun is that Tessa now always wants Ellis to play with her and doesn't understand why he has to nap when she doesn't. She's even gone in and woken him up (NOT FUN). She'll cry sometime and say "I want my Ellis" (in a whiny, sobbing voice). On the flip side, she is NOT a fan of him drinking out of her cup or trying to take a bite of her Kashi breakfast bar. Don't mess with Tessa's food!

My little Prodigies

Last week was a bit rough in the Hartley household. Tessa was sick at the beginning of the week, and then I was sick for the rest of the week. I literally lost 5 lbs in 1 week (I have to weigh in for WeightWatchers so I know exactly how much I lost). It's really hard to be sick and take care of the kids by myself. I truly do not understand how stay-at-home moms do it. So, that's my excuse for not posting this sooner.

Last week, I noticed that Ellis started signing "More", "Milk", and "All Done". He's never "All Done" and doiesn't really use it at the right time, but he will sign "More" and "Milk" at the right times. I know boys learn slower than girls, but I was getting a little worried he was going to have to rely on his good looks and charm to get through life, but it looks like there may be some hope for him afterall. Of course, as I write this, he is in the down-dog position,sliding his head on the floor. He keeps sliding into stuff, bonking his head, and then getting upset about it. My little Moose, he's still handsome.

Recently, I have also noticed that Tessa will write/draw very purposefully. Instead of the random scribbles, it's as if she's trying to write. This weekend she started drawing T's by herself. In the past she would draw something and then whatever it looked like she would them say "Look Mommy, an M or a 2" But this time she said "I write a T' and actually wrote it about 50 times. She can also draw suns. I saw her "building" rays out of some cookies one day and now she does it on paper. It's really cool to see her learning to draw and write.

Sweet Sounds

My poor booger (Tessa) is sick again. She woke up on Sunday morning throwing up and has been running a high fever since then. Mike stayed home with her today so that I wouldn't have to miss any more work. When I called today to see how they were doing, I heard Tessa talking in the background and she sounded so darned CUTE. I guess I've never really talked to her on the phone (I'm always with her calling someone else) and it was just so precious. AND she even souns like me.

I hope you feel better soon, Boog.