There's Nothing Like a Baby Smile

Before I had kids, I heard a friend describe how as a new mom she spent hours, days even, trying to get her baby to smile. Like a lot of things, I had no idea what this felt like until I had kids. Tessa was about four weeks old when I saw her smile for the first time. It was probably just gas, but it didn't matter. She smiled. It was such a sweet moment. I have found myself trying to get her to go back to sleep in the middle of the night after a feeding, so tired from sleep deprivation that I cannot wait for her to go back to sleep, but when she starts smiling at me, that's it, I just smile back, not even caring if she gets more stimulated, forgetting everything else but her smile.

Sisters

I secretly hoped that Tessa would be a girl. Having two sisters, I wanted Ava to have a sister. Of course, I would have been thrilled either way. You can't go wrong as long as your baby is healthy, and a little boy would have been really fun. But I pictured two little girls playing with dolls, having tea parties, doing each other's hair -- all the things I remember doing with my sisters. And I think, generally speaking, same-sex siblings are usually closer. Again, that's just a generalization, and I know there are plenty of exceptions to that. I also think that I just understand the world of little girls better and my temperment is more suited to girls. So, there. I said it -- I wanted a girl, both times.

The day we brought Tessa home from the hospital, Ava was thrilled to meet her.

But it took no time before Ava realized that Tessa, the baby we had talked about in the abstract for months, was really here and not going anywhere. Suddenly our attention was divided and her world was a little rocked. For the first couple days she pitched a fit or two over not being able to hold Tessa the minute she wanted to, or the fact that Tessa was using the stroller that Ava had long since stopped using. She was excited about Tessa but not about having to share us or her things.

However, now that Tessa has been with us for a month, Ava is starting to grow into her role as big sister. She can't wait for Tessa to wake up so they can sit next to each other and Ava can "hold" her. It is so sweet to watch them begin to interact.

Tessa Elise Is Here!

Tessa Elise entered the world on Feb 8th at 6:37 pm. She weighed 9 lbs, 7 oz and was 20 inches long, exactly the same as Ava. We are thrilled to have her join our family and can't wait to see what her personality will be like.

I'm Not Tired, I'm So Happy

It is incredible to watch Ava grow and learn new things every day. She's in a very inquisitive stage and talks a lot. She's very interested in her little sister (who is still on the way, more on this later), and she talks about "baby Tessa" all the time. She loves to go through Tessa's baby clothes and try to put them on, and she often talks about all the things in the house that belong to Tessa, such as her crib, changing table, car seat, etc. It's impossible to keep her out of Tessa's stuff, which can be a little frustrating from an organizational standpoint, but at the same time, we're so glad that she's interested in her sister and recognizes her as part of the family (well, as much as she can before they actually meet). I can't wait to see them interact; I think Ava will be a great big sister.

Celebrating Ava's second birthday was a lot of fun. We invited a small group of friends over and fortunately, the weather in early January was warm enough for the kids to play outside a little. When we sang happy birthday to her, she got this huge grin on her face and sort of swayed back and forth. She was thrilled with the attention. We could kick ourselves for not getting it on video.

After several hours of partying, once everyone had left, when it was well past her naptime, we asked Ava if she was tired. She responded, "No, I'm not tired, I'm so happy" with this big grin on her face. It was a sweet moment.

Some pics from the party:

I Love You, I Love You, I Love You...

A short video of Ava and I hanging out with the camera while Emily was out shopping...Ava watches herself on the camera monitor...

Happy 2nd Birthday, Ava!

It is hard to believe that Ava joined us two years ago today. In some ways, those two years have gone by so fast. Yet, at times it is hard to remember what life was like before her.

We had a fun party with a small group of friends last weekend and a little family celebration tonight. Pics to follow when I'm not as exhausted. :)

Happy birthday, Ava!

Ava building upon her incredible dancing skills....

This is video footage of Ava making herself dizzy to the tunes of The Beastie Boys while brushing her teeth!

The girl is multi-talented!!!!!!!