July 2010 Tidbits

This morning Tess woke up yelling something indecipherable again and again. When I went into her room, I asked her several times to repeat what she said. She was yelling what sounded like "I want to go on the Metro." When I asked her, "You want to go on the Metro?" she looked up at me with squinted eyes and loudly exclaimed, "PLEEEEEEAASSSSE!!!!"

Today for her dance performance, Tess told all of her stuffed animal friends to have a seat and she gave them each a "ticket." I'm waiting for her to start charging admission.

In the car today: "Huh. Baby Brother, Mommy, Daddy, Tess, Nana, Papa. That's a lotta family."

Tess has become quite the creative dancer. She likes to point to the area around her and say "That's my stage."

Another new phrase that makes Tess sound more like she's 16 than 2 1/2: "Huh. That's weird!"

For those concerned that Tess is not receiving proper princess indoctrination, today she found a high heel in my closet and said it was her "glass slipper."

2 new favorite Tess phrases, often said at random and inconsequential times:

"I love to you."

"I happy."

Tess had a meltdown today when I couldn't carry her to the car because I had a lot of other things to carry. Later when we went to the grocery store, Tess insisted on bringing along two small toys--one for each hand. As we were walking in the store she said, "Mom, I no carry you. I have lots of STUFF!"

Tess has a new phrase she employs whenever she gets the slightest injury: "O-w-w-w-w-w! That hurts my pro-o-o-blems!" This exclamation gives the impression that her injuries are more serious, and of a suggestively more embarrassing nature, than they really are.

At the pool, Tess loves seeing the wet "pawprints" that follow her on the pavement.

Given that she scares easily, we decided against taking Tess to see fireworks this year. So, we put Tess to bed and settled in to watch the D.C. fireworks on TV. A few minutes into the show, Ry was concerned that Tess was missing out (Elmo & Big Bird were hosting the show, after all). "Should I get her up?" he asked. "It's up to you, Ry." Ry ran upstairs to get Tess up, I popped popcorn and we turned out all the lights. He was right--she loved it!

We were playing "soccer ball" at the Spray Park today, and Tess kept making some weird gesture where she'd hold all her fingers up to her mouth and puff her cheeks out. When I asked her what she was doing she said, "I have a whistle."

The Name Game

So we've been talking baby names.

I discovered that Ryan's been testing them out on Tess' drawing pad.

I hope this boy is as cute as my Ry.

Sure love him.

You Are My Sunshine

This is one of the happiest faces we've seen from Tess the past several days.

We had a pretty rough weekend. She got sick in her bed Friday night. She wasn't crying--Ryan just heard her asking for a "wipe." She had a fever and vomited all Saturday morning. Her fever dissipated by Sunday morning, but her consumptive ORNERINESS has continued.

I'm talking about tantrums, the likes of which we've never seen before. Screaming & crying spells that go on for 30 minutes for no discernible reason. Crying simply for the sake of crying. Nothing will appease her. Everything you do (or don't do) just makes her more upset. "WAAAAAA! I sad." "WAAAAAA! I cry." "No, no, no, no, no!"

If I tell her to stop crying or try to wipe her tears she protests: "No! I need my tears! I need my tears! I NEED them!" Eventually, she'll forget why she's crying and stop, only to suddenly realize that she's not crying anymore. "MY TEARS! WHERE MY TEARS GO? Oh no! I can't find MY TEARS!" Then she starts up again.

I'm not sure whether to attribute this to her recent illness, the fact that she was cooped up inside all weekend long, or the news about baby brother. She really isn't sick anymore, so I suspect the last factor is playing some role.

I brought out this little baby outfit that Dipsy bought last time she visited (we picked out a pink and a blue outfit). Tess likes to periodically pick it up, show me the "so cute" little feet and carry it around.

That's one F-A-K-E smile!

But today when we were lying on my bed, Tess started pushing my belly and saying, "Go away, tummy!" When I asked why she was pushing my stomach she said, "It's fun!"

Mixed emotions.

Boy Oh Boy!

So we got news today that's going to change everything:

It's a boy!

He's going to hate me for this, isn't he?

I always rationally knew this was a possibility--there are only 2 options, after all. Ry & I both had a feeling this was a boy. But I was certain Tess was going to be a boy and I was dead wrong, so I thought I might be wrong about this one too.

Ry came with me to the ultrasound. The baby was much easier to see on ultrasound than Tess was. Ry said his first thought when the images popped up on the screen was, "That is a baby boy." Not because of obvious genitalia, just because he looked like a boy. Funny, because I had the very same thought (slash sinking feeling).

OK, so I'm admittedly a little nervous about having a boy. In my mind, another girl would be much easier. I just don't know what to expect with a little boy. I was telling Ryan that last night and he said I was making him nervous.

So, we're all feeling a little ambivalent here. When we told Tess she was having a brother, she was quiet for a long time. She heard me tell someone on the phone she was having a brother, and I heard her say, "Sister."

But then I had her list some of the things her baby brother would like. She came up with: "Soccer, coloring, sunglasses, bubbles, Curious George, choo choo trains, blocks, splashing, and tickles on Mom & Dad's bed."

That doesn't sound so different.

We're warming up to the idea. (Did I forget to mention he's perfectly healthy and really cute?)

But what am I going to do with all these pink clothes?

A-Beach Vacation 2010: Final Hurrah!

"Let's go back a-beach, Mom!"

This time we headed to Lewes Beach, about 10 miles away, where Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean meet. It's a great little beach for kids. It has tiny waves and it doesn't get deeper than 4 feet for quite a ways out. Tess had a blast puttering around in her little "boat."

Another day at the beach, another sandcastle! This time, a fitting abode for Mermaid and Seahorse.

Later, we headed back to the beach for one last walk on the sand. We watched the kite-fliers and took some family pics.

When do we get to go back?

A-Beach Vacation 2010: Land-Ho

Lest you think we spent all of our vacation water-logged, here are a few pics with our feet firmly planted on ground.

Ry & Tess let me sleep in a couple mornings and ventured off to the playground down the street.

Of course, what does Tess choose to play with? SAND!

And our other favorite land-based past-time? EATING! The other reason we love the Delaware coast is because there are so many amazing restaurants packed in those small beach towns! It really is a great place for food lovers (aka US!).

This time we visited Mr. P's (our favorite wood-fired pizza dive/bit of celestial kingdom here on earth.); Big Fish Grill (Voted Best of Delaware's Best Seafood at the Beach, Best Crab Cakes & Best Dessert), and new hotspot Agave (Think Mexican food, then take it up a notch--we're talking guacamole with blue cheese & pine nuts.). Ahhh--the memories.

Tess' recommendation: King's homemade ice cream with M&M's on top!

A-Beach Vacation: Surfside

Next stop was the beach! The weather cleared up and it was beautiful, sunny day at the beach.

The Higginbotham Beach Cabana, which served us well on this pleasant, calm day.

Sadly, it didn't fare so well the next day when the wind picked up.

First order of business: SANDCASTLES! Tess has been talking about building sandcastles at the beach for months now. She lost no time getting to work. Ry & I took turns helping with construction, and she loved trolling the beach in search of "treasures" to decorate her castles.

As for the ocean, Tess wanted nothing to do with the waves. Finally when we were about ready to leave, she decided to get her toes wet. So of course we had to stay another couple hours playing in the water.

Her favorite wave game was for Ryan & I to swing her in the air and land her in the water when waves came in. She also liked digging her feet in the sand to get them "dirty" and then "giving them a bath" in the water.

Ryan's crab claw threatens Tessie's kingdom.

Ry & I also took turns out in the waves, which were surprisingly big and strong. Both of us wiped out at least once before we decided that swinging Tess on the shore was a safer alternative.

It was a day to remember!

A-Beach Vacation 2010: Bayside

Early-riser Tess and I spent the next morning before breakfast exploring the bay behind our condo. It had a small beach and Tess was enthralled with finding "treasures" on the shore and throwing them back in the water.

Tess was also ready to get wet. Patience, Tess!

A-Beach Vacation 2010: Our Arrival

Our first family beach vacation was a blast! I was a little worried how it would all go over, but we really had a fun time. I came back with so many pictures, I'm going to break them up in installments.

After a long and VERY rainy trip, we finally arrived in Dewey Beach, Delaware. We like the Delaware beaches because they are close to both the crashing ocean and calmer bays. Last time we visited I was pregnant with Tess and I thought it would be such a fun place to bring little kids. We rented a 2-bedroom condo, conveniently located with the beach across the street from the ocean and Rehoboth Bay right behind us. Here are some pics from our window. (The day we arrived was so dark and stormy!)

This way to the beach!

This way to the bay!

The first place I tried to rent fell through, so this was one of the few left. There were no pics available for this condo, so I took a leap of faith in picking it, but it was gorgeous! We totally lucked out! (I'm sure if they posted pics it would have already been rented out.)

Tess fell in love with her "beach house." (With the exception of the "scary plant" in our room, which I had to hide in the closet.) She loved her little room and settled in quickly there. That was big relief because we were worried if she'd sleep on this trip. We brought her fan, blankies and "Jesus songs" to simulate her sleeping environment. We also said a prayer with her each night that she wouldn't be scared and would sleep well.

One night I asked Tess if she wanted a prayer so she wouldn't be scared and she said yes. I said a prayer asking that she would fall asleep easily. After the prayer Tess said, "But Momma, I a-SCARED!" and she pretended to shake. So I said prayer #2, this time asking that Tess wouldn't be scared. Pleased with this offering, she curled up in her pillow and fell asleep. Whew!

Let the vacation begin!

Smack-Dab

20 weeks today! Half-way to Baby Higginbotham!

Hot Dogs

We've been sweltering under a major heat wave the past week! We've had back-to-back days of 100+ degree weather--and that's without factoring in the heat index. It's been a bit cooler today--only 92 degrees. 97 with the heat index. Brutal!

So we've been sitting tight, trying to stay cool until we head to the beach this weekend. The forecast says we may get rain during our trip, but honestly, rain is a welcome thought at this point. If it stays this hot, we may not get to spend much time in the sun.

Monday we decided to forgo our annual 4th of July picnic and celebrate inside at the air-conditioned movies. We met Nana & Papa for Toy Story 3, Tess' first movie theater experience. We stocked her up with popcorn, and she did pretty well, considering the movie was little long (And too loud! Why do movies have to be so loud?). After the movie we headed back to share birthday cake with the Higginbothams (my 3rd birthday cake of the year!) and Nana even bought party hats. Now I can say I truly got everything I wanted for my birthday this year!

Tess has been attending a little summer school put on by my friends' daughter, Leah. She is 11 years old and wants to be a teacher, so she's been hosting a [FREE!] 2-hour summer class once a week for kids in the ward. Tess gets so excited to put on her backpack (full of diapers and wipes) and see her friends at her "class." Leah set up their basement as a schoolroom, complete with "desks," crayons and pencils for each of the kids and decorations on the walls. They do crafts, practice coloring and writing and read books. She's the littlest student, and all the older girls fawn all over.

I was unsure how Tess would do the first time I dropped her off, so I hung around a while to make sure she was OK. She finally came over to me and said, "Mom, go to the doctor!" I took that as a subtle hint that she wanted me to leave, since the only time I ever leave her with someone is when I have a doctor's appointment.

Tess also had another friend over this week--Baby Grace. We call her "Baby Grace" because we've known her since she was a baby, but she's not really a baby anymore. They played toys together, read books and watched Pingu on my bed. It's interesting to watch Tess interact with younger children. She does a pretty good job sharing, but it's good practice for her.

Hmmm...what else? We went to the pool yesterday to try and cool off, but after about 10 mins. it felt more like bath water than a pool. HOT! Tess likes the water and will gingerly jump off the side of the pool into my arms. She also likes making friends at the pool and sharing their pool toys.

And I had to retrieve Tess from the maze-like playground at Chick-fil-a today. She's usually too terrified to even attempt the hamster-like maze of fun, but she was brave enough to make it half-way up the vertical tube today. Then she froze and had a total meltdown, requiring me to maneuver my too-huge self into the too-small tube to rescue her. Good times.

That's it for now. We'll check in when we get back from the beach!