7 months

November was a busy month of visitors and visiting. We were lucky with the weather being so nice that we were able to travel to the Albany area to visit with Tessie’s newest cousin Tristan and her pal (and cousin) Sara Rose. She also got to meet some of the other cousins when they visited to enjoy a Lithuanian meal. She’ll learn how to cook klaitchkes when she gets older…
She is trying new foods. We have been feeding her rice cereal still and gradually starting other new solids. She didn’t enjoy the sweet potatoes at first, but she’s learning about new flavors. We will be trying peas on her next. We’ll see how she does with that. I think we fear her diaper more than her reaction to new foods. She is growing so fast. Almost 16 lbs and 25 ½ inches long.
Now that she knows how to pull herself up to standing, that’s all she wants to do. Stephen says he can tell where Tessie has been from her “snail tracks” (drool that she leaves behind) as she moves along the furniture. Still no teeth yet. I think before the end of the year that she will have one. We have gated the stairs and have other temporary set-ups to keep Tessie safe. Once she sees something she likes (usually something that’s off-limits), she can crawl pretty fast.
Tessie is learning to imitate small things we do, so we really have to watch ourselves now. She makes raspberries and a lip smacking sound. We still don’t know if she is trying to tell us something when she does it. She tries to clap her hands only she hits the back of her hand instead of her palm. She will sometimes hit your palm if you hold it out to her too. She raises her hand to wave but not all the time. She loves it when people wave to her though.
Tessie’s first Thanksgiving was a success, traveling to Grampa’s in Walpole and to Auntie Cathy’s in Wilmington. She had fun seeing everyone and playing with her cousin Molly. We look forward to Tessie’s First Christmas.
We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Safe New Year.

6 months

We are 7 days away from Tessie’s Half Birthday. She is growing so fast and it seems like she learns so much every day. She has been eager to get moving this month. She is already bored of sitting and learning to crawl and has taken to pulling herself to standing by using people and furniture. She is getting a little too daring though, trying to stand without support. This has lead to her nickname of Thumper because she often has tough landings.
In October we have started getting out more locally, despite my broken ankle for three weeks. We visited friends and family and started going to a story-time/sing-along at the Burlington Public Library. She is the loudest baby of the bunch and has a blast when she’s there. Halloween was a big event of course. We have scarred her for life as proven by the attached photos. She still loves us though. She is starting to show us that she actually knows who we are by making sad faces, reaching, or crying when we leave the room. Don’t let that fool you about her ability to socialize. Did I mention that she is a loud chatty baby? Still waiting for her to say “mama” or “dada”…
Enjoy our little chicken!

5 months

Boy, did September fly by or what? School has started and I’m not teaching. It’s a strange feeling, but Tessie makes it so my life is anything but dull. Tessie was baptized on September 10th and we have done some visiting with family from Louisiana. Last week we went to Carlson Orchards in Harvard, MA to pick our own apples with Kristen. Very cute pictures from that too.
She had a doctor’s appointment and got three shots in the legs...She was very brave. She hardly even cried. I was the one who felt worse. Anyway, she is growing. Almost 15 lbs and 25.5” long. Her appetite has grown too, so we started her on cereal. She hasn’t quite figured out that it’s supposed to stay in her mouth, so we have just been putting it in her bottle once a day until she gets used to the taste. For now she has just been sitting in her high chair watching closely at what we eat- probably wishing for some variety in her meals.
She is starting to sit on the floor for longer than a few seconds. For now we mostly just prop our legs or other things around her. She likes it because she can use both hands for grabbing things. She is learning about gravity too as she flings toys around. Tessie is looking forward to being mobile. She has started the crouch to get ready for crawling. For now she just rolls and squirms. She still likes to get everyone’s attention with her voice and has started screeching. Just short happy screeches and I swear sometimes that she says Mama too. That is all for now. I’m writing on borrowed time…

4 months

It’s amazing to really watch a human grow. Tessie is changing so much and learning so much every day. She is still sleeping through the night and stays busy during the day. She is awake more than asleep, which makes it a little harder to email, but much more fun overall. She rolls around a lot- sort of uses it as a mode of transportation. She is trying to creep and crawl, but hasn’t quite figured out how to hold her head up when moving her legs, so mostly she just plows her face along the carpet. Tessie is really watching what everyone is doing and pays close attention when we are eating. I think she may be almost ready to start cereal with her milk.
She is very grabby and mouthy. She grabs for anything that looks remotely interesting and shoves it into her mouth. Tessie’s new favorite toy is her Baby Einstein activity center. You should see the thing- it’s no wonder kids end up with ADHD with all of those attachments. She loves it and it keeps her attention. She is still chatty and seems to have found out her voice can get louder. She loves to hear it and look at herself in the mirror.
Tessie and I traveled to Long Island where my friend Kristen took about 200 pictures... don’t worry I didn’t attach them all. Then we went to New Hampshire with family for a few days too. She has gone swimming in a pool and dipped her toes in the ocean. She loved it. We may have another swimmer in the house! She is growing so fast. We will be getting her Christened on September 10th. No other major plans yet for September. It’s so strange to not be doing back-to-school shopping…

3 months

Tessie is almost 3 months old and she is doing great. She is already beyond many of the milestones expected for her age. (3 months and I'm already turning into "that" kind of mother. What can I say? I'm proud.) So, she is lifting her head up lots when she is on her stomach. She can sit propped up and still tries to stand. Our little genius has mastered rolling over from her back to her stomach- which makes us a little nervous. We have to really watch where we put her. At night I am learning that no matter how many times I flip her on her back, she is going to roll over to her stomach and sleep. She is SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT for most nights from about 10 or 11 until about 5 or 6 am. This makes everyone happy and ready to play when morning comes. She is cooing and gooing and has had a few real belly laughs at Daddy and Grandpa. Nothing compares to that.

We have done a couple of day trips including her first boating trip in New Hampshire (the lifejacket was bigger than her) and one to visit her cousin Sara and family in the Albany area. Her Aunt Terri watched her while Stephen and I went into Boston for a date on our 2nd Anniversary- I took a photo before we left too (of course). We have had some visitors from all over and are looking forward to more family coming the end of the month from Louisiana. Tessie and I are taking a trip away from daddy for a weekend with the college roomates in Long Island. That means even MORE photos.

2 months

I just thought this might be a good way for everyone to watch Tessie grow- if you can't see her every day like I do.
Tessie is starting to smile more...more than just gas...and trying to talk. I don't know whether she gets that from her mother or father. Whatever- it's adorable and we play along. She is sleeping about 4 hours at a time at night. Not yet through the night. I’m looking forward to that. Maybe I should be spending more time resting when she is sleeping instead of using her as a prop and snapping pictures... Hope you have a great Independence Day!