Tessie 2.5, Caden 3 months

How quickly the time passes.
Caden is 3 months old, so he can already hold a grudge against me for not documenting his life as I have for his sister...Caden is already so different from the last blog entry; in size (already 14 pounds)and personality. He is much more aware of what is going on around him. He smiles, laughs, and jabbers a bit. He turns his head toward things that interest him- mostly his big sister. I swear he loves her more than anyone else. He is aware of his hands and feet. He reaches for toys when he is laying on the playmat and is rolling onto his side. He has transitioned to sleeping in his own crib in the room that he and Tessie share. So far, his record (and mine) for continuous sleep is 5 hours at night, but mostly 3 1/2 - 4 hours.
Tessie doesn't even seem to notice Caden in her room. She has stopped napping so she's pretty wiped out by nightfall. She is a big girl now. She has been doing a great job with potty, wearing big girl underpants at home and keeping a dry diaper most of the time. She is still going to daycare and has been going into the pre-school room with the 3 yr olds from time to time. She will probably be in there full time in the next couple of months. Our daughter is quite patriotic. Part of her bedtime routine requires that I sing the national anthem (it's a long story) and she sleeps with the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the US (another long story).
We have been very busy since the last entry. My college roomates from NY visited Columbus Day Weekend so we took them around New England style by taking them apple/pumpkin picking at a local farm. They had hay rides, food, and entertainment. We were lucky to have had such great weather. Caden was Christened on October 26th- with about 10 other children. He slept through most of the ceremony. Tessie got together with friends for costume parties before Halloween- Tessie was a penguin and Caden was a fish. Since she doesn't really eat candy, we didn't bother with trick-or-treating. We had a couple of campfires in the backyard. Stephen and I were more excited than the kids to roast hotdogs and marshmallows over the flames. We also went to the Albany area to visit family. Tessie had a blast with her cousins and Oma Renate.
These next couple of months are going to be exciting with Tessie. She is at the age where she understands the holidays better although I was able to convince her that Halloween was a holiday to give away candy for now. She has already seen Santa at the mall and looks forward to when he comes to our grey house. She has been a very good girl this year...

18 months

Tessie is 18 months old! I can’t believe that she has been around for a year and a half. She has grown up so much. As we had expected, she is really understanding and using language now. She now has the following in her (speaking) vocabulary: hi, buh-bye, hat, mumma, dudda, apple, more-more, thank-you (duckoo), ball, shoes, socks, juice, upstairs (uppee), dog, sit (ish), train (choo-choo), boat, banana, bubble, kitty, trash (chosh). She has also added more signs: cat, helicopter, boat, cracker, and cookie, which she uses relentlessly until someone (i.e. daddy or grampa) gives in.

She is still running everywhere and climbing very well. She has become more independent in her play. She doesn’t need an adult on the floor with her all the time. She is happy enough to tinker around with her toys on her own and bring a book over to us once in a while. Her favorite book of the moment is “A” You’re Adorable (based on the song). She loves to sing and dance. She would give Jonathan Papelbon (Go Red Sox) a run for his money. You have to see the video. Hopefully I can figure that out for the next update

The biggest thing for me right now is how on-the-ball she is. She understands so much now. She follows directions (when she wants to) and even learned to be shy and/or embarrassed. It’s so cute. Her head drops down and she looks at her hands in her lap. I’m hoping we can bring her back out of her shell by touring her around again to visit lots of people. She wants to do everything on her own. She gets frustrated when I try to help her with things (like eating, wiping her nose and face, washing her hands, going up/down stairs, etc.) because she wants to do it by herself.

Tessie had lots of fun this fall. We picked out our pumpkins at Parlee Farms and had fun feeding goats. We had (toddler) friends over for a mini Halloween Party. My friend Liz took a bunch of fabulous photos of Tessie in her costume. We went to Brooklyn, New York this past weekend. She was a really flexible about adjusting to city life and being strapped down for the 4.5 hour ride each way. We visited with college roomie Karin (and cat Joey, whom was terrorized by Tessie all weekend). Tessie got her first ride on a train to Coney Island on Sunday. Tessie loved the New York Aquarium. She was a little freaked out by the giant walrus, but loved the fish, water fountains, and the general freedom of running around. We topped the day off by walking the boardwalk (seeing the Coney Island Polar Bear Club take a dip in the ocean) and getting none other than a famous Nathan’s Hot Dog. Take a look at the pictures.

I have changed the way you look at photos now. Instead of attaching huge files, I am sending you to Kodak or Snapfish (you choose) so you can see a whole slideshow rather than just a few pictures. It won’t take up space in your email and you can even have the photos printed locally if you want (Nana Sally). Let me know if you have a preference of a site because it’s tough uploading to two different sites. So look for emails immediately following this one from Kodak and Snapfish.

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!