Trip with Dad

Last Saturday/Sunday Brian took JJ and Tessa up to the ranch for a quick trip to check on things. We got our new pivot going and the hay barns almost built. And I got some real gems texted to me in photos ;)

Is that a chetto mustache JJ or are you smelling them before consuming?

Checking on the pivot. And look how that hay grass is growing!!

They stopped at the tractor store  of course - and didn't really ever get out of the clothes they left in. 

Tiny says "COWS!!!" She's obsessed. 

Oh JJ ;) Heff said the carted around that bag all weekend. Never been happier. Or more orange. 

Easter on The Ranch

We spent Easter Sunday on the ranch together with just our little family - a rare event coming from big families on both sides! We had intended to go to Easter mass in Fort Jones - even stopped by Saturday to check the time at the adorable little church in town! - but after a late night at the neighbors the girls were all sound asleep at 9am and seemed ambitious to get up, fed, dressed and have pleasant church goers ;)

but the Easter bunny still found us!

and then we had an egg hunt up behind the house

my Ukrainian egg attempts. Not winning any awards here ;)

the girls found them and hid them all again 

JJ in her finest Easter ranch wardrobe

her curls are the best after she actually has a shampoo ;)

and this kid made fast friends with a pet Lizard - carrying it around everywhere and insisted on bringing it home in a Tupperware habitat with straws for air holes. #sorrylizard

and there were many lizard shows. JJ was Francie's loyal assistant (just don't ask her to hold the lizard)

I love my view from the cozy couch in this little cabin :) happy Easter!

and another reason to celebrate - the end of Lent means Heff and I can drink our road trip Diet Cokes again, woohoo! ;)

Tiny Turned 1

Just two quick iPhone pics of Tiny Turns 1 :) The picture below was my failed attempt at getting a phot the only night we had a 5, 4, 2 and 1 year old. Meltdowns during and after baths. That's real life for you! Happy 1st birthday to the baby in the house - we love you Tiny Tess!

Look Who's Walking!

This TINY!

sweet little Tess (who thinks she is ready for school) started walking this month! She took a few steps at the beginning of the month and really started walking in earnest last week. She's so proud of herself

Tiny Eats

We started Tess on baby food this month! I waited til 6 months with Francie and Maisie but JJ was ready at 5 months (and helped her sleep better!) so we tried Tess too. She was smacking her lips looking at food and seemed hungry for something more. I tried a bottle last month too, and a few times since but she refuses - but now that she takes food she can stay with Emmy in the mornings while I go to work which is great for both of us! :) She loves apples, pears and bananas. Not a fan of rice cereal or squash yet. We tried a yummy one at Bumble last night

ah the messy baby feeding stage - fun to start... then you have to do this THREE times a day? ;)

bananas - she likes it I swear.

and she LOVES the new Big Dipper Baby Food we are carrying at Bumble now!! can't get enough :) (post on home page)

10 Week Tess and Eye Surgery

Tiny Tess is ten weeks old! We are gearing up for surgery for poor little baby girl on Wednesday - her tear duct is blocked (the part that drains the tears into the nose) so she has to have it opened up surgically. It's fairly common but still no fun to have your baby go under anesthesia! Sometimes they wait until 9 months old but Tessa's is pretty bad and uncomfortable for her and risk of infection is high so we agree with the doctors it just needs to get fixed asap.

checking in to LPCH for her surgical pre-op appointment Thursday

waiting for Dr Alcorn! (we LOVE her sweet doctor - Jannie came with me to one of the appointments to talk shop since Jannie has tear duct issues and actually had to have almost the same surgery on Monday! Jannie was just doing her grandma duties and testing out how bad this surgery was before Tess has to have it)

big sis taking care of Tiny Tess

happy Tess! Smiling during an in-truck diaper change on the way to red bluff. Love those smiles Tessa!

Tessa 9 weeks!

Getting big! Tessa is doing great. She is a little Momma's girl but calms right down lying on my chest. She is doing better at night and only has her witching hour crying fits a few times a week. She hates the crib (HATES IT!) but loves the changing table - no clue what the difference is :) and she sleeps curled up right next to me. She sleeps all night maybe waking up to feed once or twice but goes right back to bed and then sleeps until 9/10am after I get up which is a nice little "get stuff done with two hands" time. She still likes the Moby but is getting a little big for the curled up chest position so we use the Ergo sometimes now too. When she is tired she is super cranky until she falls asleep but a swaddle and the binky helps put her right down! The girls love to "make her feel better" when she cries and they do a pretty good job with it :)

Tessa 4 & 5 weeks

Tessa is doing great! She is 5 weeks old now and fits right in to the family. She does like to scream for a good hour or two, sometimes three every night between 9pm-1am but then sleeps pretty well during the night and naps all morning. She still has goopy eyes from her blocked tear duct but hopefully it will clear up soon. She loves the moby wrap or Ergo and doesn't mind the car either. Not sure what she weighs, we have her 6 week check up next week but we just switched to size 1 diapers and she's getting a little chunk!

and last week since it was "moving week" we tried Tessa on a moving box...

and of course JJ wanted in on the action!

the progression of Tessa - week by week. It's fun to see she already looks bigger! Now let's just see if I can keep this up all year ;)

Look Who's ONE MONTH Old Today!

Tessa ~ 10-16-12

Back in the Hospital & Big Sisters Visit

Starting with the happy picture of the "gangs all here" above - before the sad picture when I was first admitted BACK into the hospital!! It's all good though and I am doing much better. I still wasn't feeling 100% after 24 hours of IV antibiotics after Tessa was born - but the doctors thought it was just coming down from a traumatic birth and I would feel better. I felt great when I left and then stayed in the NICU half-of-overnight with Tess since she needed a full 72 hours in there (Jannie picked me up at 11pm and brought me back when the nurses called at 4am - pretty good stretch of sleep in a real bed though!) I was home Thursday feeling great - setting up the nursery and helping make Francie's "at home/family" birthday special. I went to bed at 11pm feeling just ok and then was back to chills/achey/AWFUL all night and all the next morning. I could barely walk across the room.

The pediatrician came to check Tessa out at 2:30pm and said I looked awful and when I let her change and find a fresh diaper for Tessa she said "you don't complain or ask for help - you need to get checked out"  I left a msg at my OB clinic but the pediatrician took matters into her own hands and called my OB in a meeting and said she was worried about me. His fellow (who was there for labor this time too) called my cell and sid "Maaaary- do you know why I'm calling? You've been told on." and made me come right down. Heff jumped off a call and took me to clinic w Tess while my mom and Oma watched the girls.

She checked me out in clinic and I had a high heart rate, warm abdomen and overall not doing so hot. She tried to find a protocol for oral antibiotics but consulted the other OB's and they decided I needed IV antibiotics for at least 48 hours. They think I had developed Endometritis - which is failry common after labor but with a rough time recovering my first round of IV hadn't knocked it out. 

I was terrified to be admitted thinking I would have to be away from Tessa for 2+ days!! Heff jumped into - we can do this mode.  Tessa spent her first 6 hours hours with him and I knew she would be well taken care of by her Dad! But I have never pumped before so was worried about that and MISSING 2 days of her life!!

Thankfull (SO thankfully!) my doctors set us up so we could keep Tessa in the room as long as Brian and my mom or someone was here to help with her since I was "the patient." Then I was just fine :)

So we've been hanging out in the hospital since Thursday afternoon. I am on a triple cocktail of antibiotics and feeling much better! I didn't realize how bad I felt until I started feeling better again. Heff and my parents have been taking great care of me and Christian came and hung out this afternoon so Brian could take the big girls on a bike ride. 

Brian went home last night to take the girls to dinner at Bumble with some friends - so my parents stayed and hung out with me and Tess. The girls came to visit after dinner - it was so fun to have them all running crazy around the room! They took turns holding Tessa and were pushing buttons and causing a ruckus :) Jannie took them home for a sleepover (it was kind of nice to see all that chaos walk out the door and be left with my husband and a newborn baby :) thanks Jannie and Grampa! And can't wait to have you back girls...

I should be getting out tonight and will be sooo happy to be home all over again...

Welcome Home Tessa!

Welcome Home Tessa! We are SO glad to have you home (and to be home!) Heff picked up Tessa and I at the hospital at 11:30am this morning and were home by lunch time. The girls came back from preschool to find their mom and baby sister at home and were very excited, even JJ! We had a great day around the house getting used to being a family of SIX. (with Jannie, Grampa, Emmy and Oma to keep us company of course :) FOUR GIRLS under one roof - it's crazy and we love it!

Welcome to your family Tess! ;)

Lots more pics to post tomorrow... now finally off to get some sleep in my own bed!