Pictures of Tessa

It's been almost three weeks since we had our Tessa and it has been an amazing three weeks. She is beautiful and oh-so-sweet, Dublin just loves his little sister and she already makes our family feel more complete. We're excited to get to know her more and more...to see her personality develop and learn all the the little quirks that maker her unique. Here are some pictures for our family and friends that don't get to see her grow everyday. Enjoy!

Sorry Shanade...

So I used to make fun of Shanade for the bows (a.k.a satellite dishes) that she would put on Ella's head, and then I had Tessa and I now understand that there is no bow big enough for her head! I also used to make fun of the fact that she would only dress Ella in pink clothes and now that I've had a daughter I feel like all her clothing and belongings should be pink! Seriously what's wrong with me?!?! Does having a daughter do this to everyone???

Napping buddies...

This Friday Caitlin stayed the night and she spent almost the entire time holding Tessa! Even when she was sleeping she had Tessa, it was so sweet I just had to take a picture.

A day late..

(ps I need some new pictures of you)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Caitlin!! Sorry this is a day late but I'm a busy mom and my computer had a meltdown yesterday so I'm posting a birthday shout out today.

Hope you had an awesome day and enjoyed it to the fullest!

Picture time...

Today Tessa had her first picture appointment at Jcpenney and it didn't go so well. First the lady taking the pictures was very inexperienced and it possibly could have been her first day, yes she was that bad! And then my children were horrible!! I was so embarrassed! Even Tessa who never cries was ballin her eyes out. Luckily I had Caitlin with me to help with the munchkins and keep me somewhat sane (shout out to Caitlin!).

Fortunately I was there to put together some cute pictures and I can't wait to get them back, I'm just a little disappointed that I didn't get everything I wanted. I hate to say it but I'm defiantly going to Wal-Mart to get their pictures done from now on. I know it sounds so trashy but they do such a good job and they have always given me great pictures so I'll take them over JCP any day!

Once I get the pictures back I'll upload them :)

12 days old...

Dublin and Tessa.
Her first bath.

Sleeping.

Dublin feeding her, she hated the formula!

Helping with his little sister.

So sweet.

Well Tessa is officially 12 days old, where does the time go?!?!? It feels like just yesterday we found out we were pregnant and now we have her here with us, and even though I love having her here I actually kinda miss her being in my belly. I miss being able to keep her all to myself, 3 weeks ago I could not imagine myself saying this!

Anyways Tessa is amazing and growing so fast! She eats and sleeps like a champ! The only problem is she sleeps during the day and parties all night...ugh. Definitely trying to break her of that before Steve goes back to work and I turn into a zombie from being awake all day with Dublin and all night with Tessa. Wish me luck and enjoy the pictures of the cutie!

Tessa's birth story...

getting ready to leave for the hospital.
waiting for the nurse to come get us.

waiting for the surgery to start.

Tessa's first picture.

sucking out extra fluid.

weighing Tessa 8lbs 6oz

her first kiss from mommy.

my point of view in the recovery room.

me freezing in the recovery room.

Tessa's first bath.

waiting to see the Dr.

doesn't she look HUGE?!

finally getting to hold my baby after 6 long hours!

isn't she beautiful??

family picture (I wish Dublin was able to be there).

Daddy and daughter.

Tessa getting her footprints taken

(she is just way too cute!!)

daddy holding her feet.

Beautiful!!

Adorable!!

Grandma Challman and Tessa.

Finally going home!!!

Okay so I know it's been over a week and I'm just now getting around to blogging about Tessa but I'm a new mommy and I haven't had very much time to just sit around and blog.

On Monday January 11, 2010 we were scheduled to have our c-section at 7:30 am but we had to be there to check in at 5:30 am. Which meant that I had to wake up at 4:00 am to shower and get ready for the big day, Steve woke up 10 mins before we left. (It must be so hard to be a boy and be able to get ready in nanoseconds.) After getting to the hospital and checking in the waiting began, we sat and waited for what seemed like forever! Every time I saw someone come in I got so nervous that they were gonna take my spot in the O.R. and I was gonna have to sit and wait even longer, luckily that didn't happen. Gretchen, my nurse, came and got me around 6:30 and sent Steve to go get some breakfast (which I didn't want to hear since I couldn't eat or drink) and she got started on prepping me for surgery. I got into my sexy hospital gown and hooked up to all sorts of monitors and IV's while the anesthesiologist came to talk to me and have me sign my life away :)

After that the nurses wheeled me into the O.R. where I met all the Doctors and nurses and got my spinal and then I felt nothing, except my upper body was freezing so they gave me heated blankets so I'd stop shaking. After a few mins Steve came into the O.R. dressed in his scrubs and mask and we spent a few moments finalizing our guesses about how big see would be. Steve and I both guessed 8lbs 6oz but then he changed it because he didn't want the same guess as me, so I ended up being the only one who guessed it right! They started the c-section at 8:01 am and after a few mins of tugging and a little pressure I heard them announce she was here. It took her a few seconds to cry and when she finally did it was this little tiny whimper, she is definitely not a crier.

When they took her to the warming station all I could see was the back of her head and I was shocked that she had dark hair! After the nurses did a quick clean up they brought her to me so I could see her and give her a kiss, then Steve and her went into the recovery room to wait for me while the Dr. finished everything up. It wasn't very long before I was able to go to recovery and see my baby again, but when I got there she had nurses surrounding her and checking on her breathing, the nurse said she wasn't doing as well as she should be doing and they needed to check her out. I wasn't really worried about it until the NICU nurse came into talk to us and they put her in that little plastic box that you can only reach your arms into to touch them. It was really sad to see her in there so I sent Steve with her to make sure she was okay.

While they were in the nursery I got checked into my room and waited for my still unnamed baby girl to come see me. By this time my parents showed up and were waiting with me, it didn't take long before Steve came back and told us that they thought everything was fine, she was just having a hard time getting all the fluid out of her lungs and just had to wait on the pediatrician to release her from the nursery. Six hours after she was born she finally got to come in the room with us and by this time I knew that her name was going to be Tessa Emercyn Lea McClure.

After that everything was nice and easy, Tessa was a champ at learning to breastfeed and after two and a half days we were able to go home. Now we're busy trying to get our house back on schedule and I'm dreading next Monday when Steve goes back to work but for now we're just happy to have our whole family here and healthy.

unwanted advice...

I know that I haven't even blogged about Tessa yet but I quickly need to blog about this, I HATE when people give be baby/parenting advice. First of all I didn't even ask for it and second I see how their kids turned out and I will never follow their advice.

I think one of my favorite things that people always tell me is how my cats have some sort of personal vendetta against my children and are looking for any excuse to smother them in their sleep. I realize it could happen but really?!?! I'm pretty sure my cats have better things to do with their time than plot how to get rid of my kids.

I also love when people are appalled by that fact that I do what the pediatrician tells me to do and it differs from what they did 20 years ago. I can't tell you how many times I've heard "well I did it this way and my kids turned out just fine." Really?! Obviously there is a reason they do it different these days.

Oh well enough of my rant, I promise next time I blog it will be about Tessa with lots of pictures!

quick review...

Having a newborn at home doesn't really leave me a lot of time to blog right now so I'm gonna do a quick review of our week and I promise to blog more about Tessa later.

SUNDAY:
went to church
spent the rest of the day getting ready for the hospital
my parents & sisters came over for a visit
Caitlin stayed the night
went to bed around 1am & set my alarm for 4am

MONDAY:
got to the hospital @ 5:20am and checked in
dressed in a sexy hospital gown and prepped for surgery
surgery started at 8:01am
Tessa Emercyn Lea McClure was born at 8:09am
she was 8lbs 6oz 21 in. long
had to wait 6 hours to hold her :(
enjoyed the morphine while I had it
spent the rest of the day with Steven, Tessa, my mommy and daddy

TUESDAY:
was finally able to get up and walk around
enjoyed the day with my mommy there
the dr told me to eat real food not that stuff from the hospital haha
Tessa had her first photo shoot
was going insane stuck in the hospital

WEDNESDAY:
enjoyed a del taco breakfast at 4am haha
dr cleared Tessa to go home
lounged around with my mommy and Steven all morning
my dr finally showed up and cleared me to go home!!
came home and saw DUBLIN!!! i missed him soooo much!!!!
and Caitlin, Aubrey and Mommy
enjoyed being home in my own environment :)
Janet came to see Tessa
Tessa leaves weighing 7lbs 11oz

THURSDAY:
lazy day
nurse came to check on us, we're both still healthy
thinking to myself "why the HELL am i breastfeeding?!?!?!"
hurting.pain.crying.long hot showers.lots of vicodine

FRIDAY:
got to sleep in thanks to my hubby
Tessa's first dr appt.
she is now 7lbs 7oz
19 1/2 inches long
visit great grandma and grandpa McClure
Nilsson family brought us dinner yummy!
watch cloudy with a chance of meatballs, hilarious!!

Welcome Home Tessa!!!

Our sweet baby girl has finally arrived!!

Tessa Emercyn Lea McClure

8lbs 6oz 21 in long

Jan 11, 2010

8:09 am

So many to pick from!!

So this whole pregnancy I really haven't given any thought to what we were going to name our little girl, we've just been calling her baby, but she can't just be called baby forever! And now that we're down to the final hours before she gets here I'm scrambling around trying to find what I think is the perfect name for her.

Of course I wanna see her face and make sure the name matches her and her personality, but I'm feeling nervous like I should know her name by now...oh well I guess we'll see in a few hours :)

The 2010 Handbook

I found this over at themcmommychronicles.blogspot.com and that it was too awesome not to share...enjoy!!

Health:
1. drink plenty of water
2. eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar
3. eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that's manufactured in plants
4. live with the 3 E's -- energy, enthusiasum and empathy
5. make time to pray
6. play more games
7. read more books than you did in 2009
8. sit in silence for atleast 10 mins each day
9. sleep for 7 hours
10. take a 10-30 min walk daily. and walk while you smile

Personality:
11. don't compare your life to others. you have no idea what their journey is all about
12. don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. instead invest your energy in the positive present moment
13. don't over do. keep your limits
14. don't take yourself so seriously. no one else does
15. don't waste your precious energy on gossip
16. dream more while you're awake
17. envy is a waste of time. you already have all you need
18. forget issues of the past. don't remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. that will ruin your present happiness
19. life is too short to waste time hating anyone...don't hate others
20. make peace with your past so it won't spoil your present
21. no one is in charge of your happiness except you
22. realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. problems are simply part of the cirriculum that appear and fade away like algerbra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime
23. smile and laugh more
24. you don't have to win every argument. agree to disagree

Society:
25. call your family often
26. each day give something good to others
27. forgive everyone for everything
28. spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6
29. try to make atleast 3 people smile each day
30. what other people think of you is none of your business
31. your job won't take care of you when you're sick. your friends will. stay in touch

Life:
32. do the right thing!
33. get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful
34. GOD heals everything
35. however good or bad the situation is, it will change
36. no matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up
37. the best is yet to come
38. when you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it
39. your inner most is always happy. so, be happy

Baby Shower...

Some of our gifts.

So yesterday after Steven got off of work his co-workers thru us a baby shower! How sweet was that?? We got to sit around and visit with everyone for awhile which was really nice. Then we got down to business and I started chowing down on the food, it was catered by Chili's, and it was all delicious!! And of course a yummy sugary big fat piece of cake (I think that one piece will be sticking to me for awhile lol).

We also got to play some really cute baby shower game, we played like the price is right type game were we guessed how much a bunch of different baby items cost. After baby bingo we started opening our gifts...that was the best part! We got a really cool diaper cake!! I've always wanted one and now I have one :) Unfortunately with all the good came some bad...some UGLY outfits lol. I'm definitely grateful for the shower and the gifts but whoa! Oh well that good and the bad, right??

Hello 2010!!!

Prepping for pictures.
Haha silly/forced smiles

Ella was the only one ready for the picture.

They all look so adorable!!!

Well the Christmas decorations are finally all down and out away, the house is semi-clean and the laundry pile is looking less like a mountain and more like a regular pile of clothes. I have to say as much as I LOVE all the holidays I'm really happy they're over with. I felt like this last month was non-stop, we were always on the go or always doing something...now I wanna relax and enjoy these last few days of Mommy and Dublin time.

It is just so hard to get myself and Dublin back into our routine after the holidays, not to mention that in a mere 5 days we will be adding another munchkin to the mix! What a busy year so far...and we're only 5 days into it!! Well here is a modified list of my goals/resolutions for 2010.

My goals for 2010:

1. Lose the baby weight: once again I gained more
weight than I had wanted to with this baby, but if I

had my way I would have only put on 5 pounds :)

2. Work towards a better marriage: we're working on

going to the Temple as a family and being sealed for

time and all eternity :)

3. Stop cracking my neck: I really don't want arthritis

in my neck, and since I was able to stop cracking my

fingers last year I'm hoping it will be easy for me (I hope).