Baby's First Photo Shoot

Last week, our dear friend Jon Gibson kindly came over to take pictures of the kids.  Jon is an art professor at Xavier University, and a very accomplished artist in many mediums.  That much will be quite obvious to you when you see the results of the photo shoot!

Click HERE to see the slideshow set to music and HERE to see the photos all on the same page.  For a few more cute pictures of Matt and Ellie, check out Jon's post with a slideshow of a trip to the zoo we made last week with Gibsons and some visiting friends.

For more on Jon's work, explore his photography website and his portfolio website

More Tessa Pictures

Here are some cute ones from the last few days.  We can't get enough snuggling from this girl.  Right now, she's fast asleep in Rob's arms.  I think he's been holding her for almost two hours.  So far, she's a dream baby.  Of course, we haven't hit that 2 week mark when things really get fussy!  For now, we'll just continue soaking up her sweetness.

And Baby Makes Five

She is here at last!  On Tuesday, July 27th at 1:48 p.m. our Tessa Charlotte was born.  She weighed in at 7 pounds 8 ounces and 20 3/4 inches long.  Everything went wonderfully, and we're all doing well.  I took advantage of the full 48 hours insurance allows you to be in the hospital, and just enjoyed the quiet time holding Tess.  With Ellie and Matt in the house, there won't be enough of those quiet hours to just hold a newborn.  I loved it.

Here are some pictures taken a few hours after she was born:

We're completely in love with this girl.  Ellie and Matt beg to hold her and can't get enough of their Baby Tess.  Ellie looked up at me with a smile yesterday and said, "Now we have two chicas in our family!"  Today while looking at Tess sleeping she said, "She's OUR baby and we get to keep her in our family forever!"  Smile.

Wanna Go Nana's!

A few days ago, Matt came to me holding a swim diaper and said, "Wanna go Nana's!"  Smart kid.  I immediately called Nana and arranged a pool day.  The kids have recently taken to jumping into the pool from the top of the hot tub, and for some reason yesterday I asked if they were brave enough to try the diving board.  They were, and we spent an hour there before I was too exhausted (er, pregnant) to chase them around the deep end of the pool.  They were exhausted enough for good naps, and I got to spend some much needed time alone poolside.  Whew.  Thanks for taking such good care of us Nan!  We love you - not just your pool!

Believe the Hype, Part II

Today we went to the park

Then we ate popsicles

They were messy!

Oh my!

Something Unavoidable Came Up: Summer

Today I was scheduled to see my OB at 2:15 p.m.  But also today, it was 85 degrees and sunny.  Today Dani Jensen and Camie Christensen are in town with their kids.  The next two days are supposed to be cloudy and rainy.  Today was the perfect pool day.

So I called my OB this morning, put on my best kind apologetic voice, and explained, "I'm just so sorry to have to cancel, but something, um, unavoidable has come up and I can't make my appointment this afternoon."  Then as soon as preschool was over we changed into swimsuits and headed to Nana's for the afternoon.  On the way, Ellie declared, "Mom, I made it to summer!"  My thoughts exactly.

We swam and talked and ate and then swam and talked and ate some more.  All seven kids had a blast splashing and squirting water guns and giggling.  I loved catching up with Dani and Camie, both of whom live way too far away from me for my liking.  I'm sure Nana agrees.

My OB is going out of town and can't get me in for an appointment until June 7th.  Totally worth it.  I now have a bad sunburn on my back, and it hurts to carry my purse on my shoulders.  Also totally worth it.

In other news, today was Ellie's last day of preschool for the year.  They took a class picture, handed out awards, and then played and ate snacks.  The moms proudly took pictures.  We adore her teacher, and are so grateful for all she's done this year.  And I'm proud of Ellie for being a big preschool girl!  She's a champ!  Here's a picture of her big smile during today's final playtime.

Confession:  today was not actually our first day at Nana's pool.  Yesterday was sunny and warm, too, and we swam all afternoon with Nana, Camie, my friend/her sister-in-law Liz, and all our kids.  Dani was on a plane headed to Cinci.  Rob is out of town, so I was in no rush to get home and cook dinner.  But then Nan started prepping dinner and must have noticed me salivating as she sliced the fresh fruit and salted the gorgeous fresh tomatoes.  She knew I had chicken nuggets waiting for our dinner at home, and took pity on us.  Thanks, Nan, for letting us stay through scrumptious dinner and all the way to bedtime!

Second confession:  Now that summer has officially arrived, there's little chance of me posting blogs.  Maybe I'll post something when our baby girl is born in July.  Then again, maybe I'll just take her straight from the hospital to the pool.  I made it to summer!

"Mom, what's your name today?"

Here's our Eleanor Elizabeth, almost four years old.  I love this picture because it captures all of her energy and personality.  She's quite a chica these days!

I love the way she takes care of Matt.  When this tired Momma is fighting the battle of the bedsheets in the early morning, I can sometimes hear Miss Ellie over the monitor in Matt's room, reading him stories and talking to him until I get there to bring the kiddos down for breakfast.  Sometimes she even helps herself to the Cheerios in the pantry and carries them up the stairs for a pre-breakfast snack.

Lately, she's big on pseudonyms.  She generally chooses Meredith or Akrisa (?) or, simply Big Sister.  Then I have to choose Holly or Kathleen or Ellie.  Sometimes she uses my pseudonym, sometimes she just calls me "my dear" or "sweetheart."  Then she pretends that we are taking naps, going to the parade, visiting relatives, or making food.  Sometimes her imaginary friends and sisters come along:  Daney,  Riley, Laney, and a few others I can't figure out how to pronounce or spell.

Here are some other things she likes:

Working on her computer alongside Rob

Being Doctor Princess Ellie.  I am a very good patient.

Wearing her heart-shaped pink sunglasses. She earned all the money for them by potty-training.  The Family Home Evening where we counted her pennies and quarters and turned over the sunglasses was, in her words, "The Best!"  By the way, Rob subsequently took the bag of change to work for his afternoon soda fund, and thought that was The Best.

Riding her bike.  She's learning to pedal and is quite proud of herself when she can do two pedals in a row.  She informed me yesterday that she needed a helmet to be safe.  Hard to argue with that one, so off we went to Wal-Mart to find one.  Amazingly, they had one with all her favorite princesses on it!  Whew.

A few other things:

• She will only wear twirly dresses to church
• She has all kinds of t-shirts with flowers, turtles, and other cutenesses (including my personal favorite - a white t-shirt with a map of the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens on it).  But everyday she wants to wear a plain brown short-sleeved t-shirt that I bought at a consignment store for $3.
• As soon as she walks in the door from anywhere, she immediately takes off her shoes and puts on a pair of purple and gold dress-up slippers.
• She told me recently that her three favorite songs are "You Make Me Feel So Young," by Frank Sinatra, "Human," by The Killers ("Except I don't like their scary name"), and "You're Not From Texas," by Lyle Lovett.  I'd say that's a pretty good cross-section.
• She loves the feel of the wind in her hair when we drive in the Jeep with the sunroof and windows open.  My thoughts exactly, babe.

Here she is overlooking the Ohio River and feeling the wind in her hair.  We love this chica!