Fun with Family

A few more photos from our trip to Colorado.

Tessa Goes Hiking

Robbie requested (and received) a baby back-pack for Christmas. The back-pack was advertised as a sure way to put any baby to sleep. Tessa gave it a try in the city and said that it worked according to the specifications (as pictured below).

Since the back-pack was such a hit, we took Tessa hiking in the mountains. She slept for most of the hike but peeked her eyes open for this photo op (and to get a look at the view).

Merry Christmas!

We just returned from Tessa's first Christmas in Colorado. Tessa did great on the flights. She was jet lagged for almost the whole trip, so we had some very early mornings, but it was well worth it. We also surprised her uncle Cris, who didn't know that Tessa was coming out to belatedly celebrate his 30th birthday!

Not all of these presents were for Tessa, but she didn't do too badly, either...

Tessa joined us for Christmas dinner. In fact, she was the main entertainment for the evening. She even had a few tiny pieces of turkey...

We hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!

Christmas Preview

Tessa helped us open a few presents today from the Becks. She enjoyed the process but found that the wrapping paper wasn't quite as tasty as one might hope. She did have fun trying on Robbie's new hat...

Tessa and Aly

Tessa and Aly are becoming good friends now that they each have something of interest to the other. Aly likes to sniff Tessa's face for baby food and Tessa just likes to grab Aly's nose whenever it gets within reach.

Tessa and Mum Mary's Bear

Photo Shoot Prep

Tessa had a little photo shoot this morning to capture some Christmas pictures. Here are a couple pictures Robbie snapped while Tessa was getting ready.

Mirror, mirror

As Robbie frequently reminds me, he was the photo editor of the GJHS newspaper. ;)

Baby's first Carhartt's

Tessa chilling with her dad

Tessa and I were hanging out on the couch this weekend and I took the opportunity to grab a video of her. I hope you all enjoy it.

It's been a long week...

This morning before daycare, Tessa tried to convince us that it was already Saturday.

First driving lesson

(With the car turned off, of course!)

Bath Time

Now that Tessa has started day care and is eating solid foods, she is getting a bath every night. Since her keeping clean skills are not at ninja level, she needs to bathe often. We snapped a couple of photos after the bath tonight because her being cute skills are way beyond ninja level.

Listen...

Tessa giving her Aunt Sarah a few instructions and explaining the way things are.

Update

Tessa has been very busy in the last couple of weeks. After we got back from California, Tessa told us she was ready to start solids. And she loves her rice cereal! As soon as she sees the spoon coming, she opens her mouth up really wide. She'll be ready to move on to more foods soon.

Tessa also had a very busy weekend. She was a spectator at the Manchester, NH marathon, where she cheered for her mommy all along the course. Then, Tessa visited with her grandparents and her aunt and uncle for two days. She had lots of fun!

Finally, Tessa started the transition to day care. She was supposed to have three transition days before mommy starts work on Monday, but the day care manager forgot that they were closed today. Tessa said that's okay -- she's happy to spend one more day at home!

Smiles

Tessa makes weight

Tessa had her six-month check up today. Tessa's pediatrician said that we don't need to use her adjusted age anymore, since she is the size of a six-month old baby and "doing everything a six-month old should be doing." Tessa now weighs 15 and 1/2 lbs (35% for six-month olds), she is 25.5 inches long (40%), and her head circumference is 43.3 cm (74%)!

We also wanted to share another picture from California. Here's Tessa enjoying a bagel shop, after asking her daddy why we moved to Massachusetts...

* Photo credit: B. Davis Noll

Where's the cake?

Tessa managed to sneak her way into the end of Sarah's wedding reception. She was hoping to score some dessert while the bride was looking the other way, but all of the cake had already been eaten.

*Photo credit: B. Han

Tessa's First Flight

Tessa took her first trip on an airplane when we flew out to San Francisco this weekend for Megan's law school reunion and a friend's wedding. Since it was her inaugural flight, Tessa insisted on traveling in style. She booked us two first class seats (thank you, United Miles). It was a good thing we were in first class, since the plane was not equipped with any changing tables, but the seats were just the right size for changing diapers (watch out for seat 4A, if you happen to be traveling from Boston to San Francisco this week). In all seriousness, the flight went well and the flight attendants were lovely. They made Tessa a "first flight" certificate and insisted that we snap a few pictures with the captain after we landed. Tessa only cried for a couple minutes on the way out. She was a little fussier on the way home, but mostly around her bedtime. Once she fell asleep, she was completely out through deplaning, baggage claim, and the car ride home.

Tessa's too cute!

I feel like an extra in an Anne Geddes photo...

Sitting Up Skills

We thought this was a cute picture of Tessa working on her sitting up skills ("You know, like nunchuku skills, bow hunting skills, computer hacking skills..."). She still needs support from us to keep from tipping all the way forward, but she is getting stronger and can "sit" for longer every day.

Oyster Festival

We went to Cape Cod last weekend for the Wellfleet Oyster Festival. http://www.wellfleetoysterfest.org/ (In my limited experience, I've noticed that people from Colorado like nothing better than to eat lobsters, oysters, and other fresh seafood for every meal when visiting the East Coast.) When we arrived on Friday, we were at the tail end of a Nor'Easter. Despite the 27 mph headwind, Tessa was determined to get out on the beach for a walk:

By Sunday, the weather was sunny and beautiful. The waters and wind were calm and it was much better for walking.

Generally, we keep Tessa's face out of the sun, but we made an exception to capture this family photo. (We also tried to keep her from eating too many oysters, as we've heard that live animals are not an ideal first food for babies. But who can resist a freshly harvested, freshly shucked bivavle mollusk?)