Two things I never want Tessa to say In Real Life

Some things are appropriate for a three year old to say "for 'tends" - but if I am really hoping not to hear either of these phrases used later on in her life.

1 - I called Tessa to the lunch table multiple times, finally she dashes to the kitchen breathlessly "Sorry teacher, I was late because my baby was sick."*

2 -  "I had a friend in college named Uma Zuma"  (No kid of mine will be spending her time with someone who has a name like that when she should be studying!)

*Only acceptable if she uses this when pursuing an advanced degree at any respected institute of higher learning, in which case it would be "Sorry professor...". 

Photo Catch-up - February

Still no eloquence...bring on the photos...

Making due when it is too cold to do sidewalk chalk outdoors.

Meg's Baby

If you are wondering if age one is too young for a baby to appreciate getting a baby doll this video will erase all doubt.

Banana Phone

We have 2 old cell phones, 3 play phones, and approximately 213 other items that will do in a pinch.

Meg's Tricks

(Plus you get to hear me sing!)



I have no idea where she learned how to roll her hands but man, it is CUTE!

Magic

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile.

We've been busy around here.

Mainly we've been spending our time turning each other into bacon.



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For those who may not catch the reference see below at 0:03:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nT9P8MMpsE

Brewster Beach

Day two of our annual Cape trip (2008, 2007)we decided to check out the beach on the inside of the Cape. We've always gone to the National Seashore which has great waves that crash into the beach. Its fun, but not exactly kid-friendly.


Truth be told, Tessa doesn't like the beach. It might be the waves, Daddy swimming in the waves, the hard-to-walk-on sand, or the bright sun. I say that because this none of those things were at this beach and she had a blast. At low tide the wet, firm sand stretched out as far as the eye could see, which wasn't far with the cloud cover.

Second truth be told, people as white as we are shouldn't be seen in full sunlight. Go ahead and agree, we aren't offended. (Unless the fear of seeing one of us in a bikini is the real reason our friends all decided not to join us on our camping weekend...hum?)

(Its a good thing I have Aaron around to do the really tough things, like ask the locals tending their oyster beds to take our picture - locals love that)

The video below makes me laugh so much. But you really may have needed to be there. Daddy and Momma had great plans for the architectural wonder they were going to construct. Tessa had a great time smashing any attempt (just like a little planning and zoning board). Aaron challenged me to stack the small bucket on top of the large bucket. At 0:10 seconds notice my attempt to distract Godzilla/Tessa.

Just for you Mom

They always hope you end up with a kid just like you but, I never thought that sounded so bad. I'm an alright person and as a kid, well, no real rebellion, running around, or general naughtiness from me. Good student, adorable.

Bring it on, I thought. Bring it on.

Then this week Tessa became the me that my mom was looking forward to seeing.
So, if you are my mom, or any of my (younger) siblings AND you can handle the sideways image (I'm still figuring out the new phone) I think you'll get a real kick of this.

Behold - the oldest child.

And lest you think Meg has nothing cute to say

(This talking is also how Meg wakes me up when she is hungry at around 5-ish in the morning. Daddy thinks it is adorable, as he pulls the blankets tighter around his sleeping body. (Okay, I do to...but it is 5 AM))

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Auntie Laura posted some cutie pie pictures of the girls and their cousins so check them out.

Worth Waiting For

I know its been a while since I posted - BUT - I think this video clip will make up for it!




It is almost heartbreaking how sweetly she looks at the camera with no idea about how funny this is.

Meeting Meg

We have been telling Tessa for about a month that a baby was going to come live with us. She saw a lot of babies in the mean time and she was always disappointed when none of them came to live with us!!

Finally the day came when she got to meet our baby. After meeting Meg, each time she came to visit us in the hospital I would hear her coming down the hall calling out "Hey Baby."

She still thinks Meg is great and greets each morning with a "Hey Baby", but still it is hard to share your Momma.

A little more Tessa cuteness

In this video you'll see how I've pretty much failed as a mother...listen for the "um"... I have no idea where that word came from!

Cinderella

Well Alicia left, so we had to go to the next best option.


She's young, but seems to have a lot of work in her...

Words

Right around Tessa's birthday we listed all the words Tessa knows. The total at that time was about 60. Which is right on track according to the internet.

Right on her birthday she learned PURPLE and it is definitely her favorite word and color.



She also showed off one of her animal sounds...

Grandpa's Trains

While we were visiting Idaho Falls, Grandpa's trains were a big hit. Believe it or not, I think he got bored with running them before Tessa got bored with watching them. I think a lot of fascination had to do with the train car that dumped M&Ms, but there was a lot of things she thought were magical.

A Press Release

From: Aaron Udy
Sent: Thursday, July 17, 2008 8:56 AM
To: The Press
Subject: My 17 month old can read!

Good morning!

I just had to show off these short video clips of Tessa reading books, they're so amazing. We're thinking about having her tested, we have a regular Doogie Howser on our hands....

However, in retrospect, we wish we would have spoken more than just gibberish around the house. What she's saying makes perfect sense in the language we made up, but most people can't decipher it.

Aaron U**

Tessa Sings

This video shows Tessa singing along with the ABCs and then singing and doing the actions to Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star (any hand movement during Twinkle Twinkle is her doing the actions, whether or not it is recognizable, she does the same things everytime).

Get the Jordan barbie doll out of storage!

New Kids at Rockefeller Plaza

Click it - you know you want to!

Happy Birthday to Grandpa C

I find myself getting caught up in the numbers of things. I always thought it was neat that my sister's birthday was exactly one week before my dad's. Now with Tessa there are three weeks of birthdays (13th, 20th, 27th) in a row. Then with my birthday exactly one month before Tessa's you can imagine my excitement. Oh, and I can't forget to mention my mom, who, though she doesn't fit into the 7 day category does have the distinction of having her birthday on George Washington's. So, at the end of this birthday jubilee Tessa has some words to say...



*if you are interested in a then and now comparison, the last time Tessa sent out birthday greetings was for her Grandpa U, in September.

Home Movie Time

I haven't posted pictures lately and I have a sad excuse. I dropped my camera a few weeks ago and therefore haven't taken any pictures. Luckily, we recovered our hard drive that crashed in September and so I've had a chance to go through Tessa's baby pictures, which of course are darling, and found a video I'm going to share.

When I watched this (long video) I understood what my dad meant when he said he was "scared to hold Tessa" in July when they came to visit. At the time, I thought she was so big and so tough, but watching this, well, I can't remember her being so tiny and helpless. In fact, to be honest, if someone dropped the tiny baby in this video in my arms, I'd be afraid also.


(Don't you just want to say "Be careful with that baby!")

P.S. If I mention that Tessa is nearly one, does it explain the nearly constant trip down memory lane that is, of late, my life?