My First Mother's Day

I didn't get any pictures of me with Tessa in Ventura! So, these are of us after a long day and a three hour drive. Not the best, but I HAD to have a picture of us on our first Mother's Day!

What a wonderful day! Ryan and I drove up to Ventura as a last minute thing on Saturday evening. Tessa is such a good traveler, which is a good thing, since Mommy loves to travel!!
Mother's Day morning, Naunie (Laura) and I took Tessa for a walk to Starbucks. When we got back, Ryan took over while I was able to shower and actually do my hair and make up! We headed over to Papa's for Mother's Day brunch, prepared by Aunt Molli and Papa Greg. Delish!
Tessa got to meet LOTS of people that day: Great Uncle Tootie, Great Aunt Susan, Great Uncle Beeze, Tyhler, Kari, Lisa, Ronnie, Mia, and her new cousin Adriana!
Get ready for picture overload!!

Tessa with Daddy and Papa (Ryan's grandfather)

Tessa with the Lopez Family ~ Ronnie, Mia, and their daughter Adriana

Tessa and Ronnie

Tessa and Mia

I love this picture of Ryan, Ronnie, and their daughters. I can just imagine the conversations Tessa and Adriana are going to have in 20 or 30 years about this picture!

Tessa and Tyhler (Ryan's cousin)

Tessa and Aunt Susan

Tessa and Uncle Toot ~ Tessa had to show Uncle Toot that she's giving him a run for his money by tooting for him!

It was a busy day for our little one, but spending time with family was a great way to celebrate my first Mother's Day!

Future Pad Squad-er!

(Pronounced "Pod" Squad)


When I found out in October that I was having a girl, I immediately went home and looked up tutus on etsy. They looked fairly simple to make, so I looked up how to make my own! I figured once Tessa was walking, I'd start making her tutus. Then, yesterday, Baby Makin(g) Machine had a tutorial and showed off the multitude of tutus that she's already made. Her daughter isn't even here yet! That inspired me to head to JoAnn's today to try my hand at tutu making.


I decided that since it's still early baseball season, I'd look for Padres' colors - navy blue and sand. Who would have thought they'd have sand-colored tulle! I'm bad with estimating measurement, and the guy at the cut table way underestimated, so I have to go back for more tulle to finish the tutu, but so far, I'm pretty impressed with my crafting skills!
Pardon the sleeping model, but you NEVER wake a sleeping baby, even if it IS to model an adorable outfit! (plus her Padres shirts probably won't fit her for a few more months!)

Tessa's Birth Story

This week, Ryan and I were the guests on PregTASTIC! Listen here to hear all about Tessa's birth!

One Month Birthday!

Happy One Month Birthday sweet little Tessa Bear!

At one month:
• You want to be held all day long! You sleep so peacefully in my arms, but the second you are in your bassinet or lounger, you wake up immediately! You don’t like for Mommy to have her attention taken away from you!


• You fight off sleep during the day and re-open your eyes as you start to drift off as if you’re checking to make sure I’m still holding you and you aren’t missing out on anything interesting!
• You are a great sleeper at night, and have been since day one. Even though you want to be held all day, you go right down at night. You wake up about twice each night to eat, and then go right back to bed.
• You have become a good eater. This was our greatest challenge this month, but now we are starting to get into a rhythm. We both had a lot to learn this month!
• You smile and laugh in your sleep and while nursing! The awake smiles are coming more and more often, but as soon as I get the camera, you furl your brow at me!
• You make little squeaking sounds and Daddy says you’re his little seahorse!
• You love to be outdoors. We take a lot of walks, and even went down to the bay this week! When you get fussy during the day, I can take you out on the patio where the fresh air calms you down and you rest so peacefully.

• Daddy cheers every time you have a poopy diaper, which is very regularly!

• You love to suck and enjoy your Soothie pacifiers.

• You have met so many friends already! Your new baby friends include Abby, Aiden, David, Juliette, and Serenity.

• You had your starring moment on PregTASTIC episode 172 when Mommy and Daddy got to brag all about you!

• Your mommy and daddy love you more than we ever could have imagined!

Photo Shoot

I mentioned in my last post that my friend Ashley from my maternity group did a mini photo shoot session for a few of the new babies from our group. Yesterday, we met up again for tea (or wine and beer) and Ashley brought the photos with her. They are FABULOUS!! Here is a small sampling:





Aren't these great! If you are looking for a family photographer in the San Diego area, check out Ventana Kids!

Tessa's New Friends

Now that Tessa is two weeks old, it's time for her to make some friends! On her 2 week birthday, my oldest friend, Jaime, came to visit with her daughter, Abigail. Jaime and I have been friends for over 25 years! I hope when Abby and Tessa are in their 30s, they can say they've been friends for over 30 years! Abby is now 4 months old, but is still a petite girl! She isn't all that much bigger than Tessa!


Then, on Tuesday, a friend from my maternity group, (who is also a photographer) Ashley, held a mini photo shoot for the March babies from our group! There were four of us new mommies there with three girls and one boy, lucky fellow!

Can you tell which one is mine?


So now Tessa has four new friends! It's so great to have friends with children the same age as my Tessa.

She's here and she's PERFECT!!

Tessa has finally arrived! I can't believe how perfect and beautiful she is! She is a great sleeper and I'm only having to get up two times a night to feed her. In fact, I have to set my alarm for every three hours to wake her up and feed her, otherwise, I think she'd sleep straight through the night!


Ryan has had the last few weeks off, which has been a complete blessing. He is working his way toward Father of the Year! He is the master swaddler and he gets up early to take Tessa for a walk or play with her so I can sleep in.

I hope to keep our blog updated, but it is so hard to find time to get on the computer! I just can't peel my eyes away from Tessa long enough to focus on anything else! I know things will get better as I get used to being a mom, so stay tuned for updates!