Family Photo!
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not planned or they would have been in matching outfits obviously! Lunch break photo while the girls were all at Play :) that's real life at least!
Just Some Photos
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Just a few photos I haven't blogged since Tessa joined the bunch
and a few pictures from Jannie's phone - the first night I was back in the hospital. She had the big girls overnight and they ALL wanted to sleep on our bed. And a photo of me holding my new baby girl for a few nights at Stanford - I would say those were nights I wouldn't have wanted to remember but since I had Tessa and Heff with me we were a-ok, just a few more nights at Camp Packard :) We will remember that time with Tess!
Big hands baby Heff flashing her sign (can't see the pinky) but it's a FOUR :)
sweet baby - with a little janudice skin, looks like a Palm Springs tan Tess
the one and only time we've been in the car with all six of us - strollering/walking to town is so much easier! Although we were laughing at the fact I am such a stroller collector, but somehow got rid of every single stroller we've had - only giant doubles full of goldfish crackers :)
so we get downtown in the Moby wrap
All set up for her first pediatrician visit
Kinda looks like Francie?
Look at all those poor heel pricks from NICU blood draws!
Big yawn in the morning
furrowed brow
close up (looks like Francie again)
and one from her behind the scenes "1 week shoot" :) trying to keep the scale steady - she already looks so much bigger and pretty sure this little blue bubble suit that was mine only fits for the first 7 days!
and on her special blanket from Aunt Marge - all four of them have the same one now!
Tessa's First Bath
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Don't worry I didn't wait two weeks for her first bath - this was last week and I never posted photos :) 4th child it wasn't very ceremonious! Her umbilical cord is STILL on so we just gave her a little sponge bath in the sink in the girls bathroom. Seems like not long ago we were doing the same for Janie! Jannie was here to help and ABA was here to take some photos at least or we would have had no documentation of Tessa's First Bath :)
of course Maisie was most interested and helpful!
mad mad Tessa mad after that experience ;)
Pumpkin Patch
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Friday after preschool we wanted to go to a Pumpkin Patch while my sister was in town but none of the ones around here opened until Saturday. I found one online in San Jose in the Big Lots parking lot that opened Friday morning so we packed up 4 girls in carseats, ABA, Emmy, Jannie and I (TG for suburbans!) and drove down for some pumpkins. It was a super clean pumpkin patch with 10 bouncy house/slides and really good pumpkins that were cheap. We left with happy, sweaty girls and some good pumpkins- worth the trek to San Jose!
bribery to sit for a photo before they bounced
Janie was not happy about sitting on scratchy hay - giving me the evil eye
at least 50% smiling - pretty good these days
My four little pumpkins :)
and we turned them loose - it was 90 degrees out, I'd want to be in a giant plastic thing wouldn't you?
Jannie and her buddy JJ
ABA, Francie and Baby Tess
Hauling their pumpkins
and some awkward posed baby-on-some-pumpkins photos (Ann yelled at me for putting Tess in "Anne Geddes unnatural poses for a newborn" shots) sorry couldn't resist :)
Tess was a little more cooperative than Francie was 5 years ago!!
FRANCIE at Pumpkin Patch 2007:
and Francie the same weekend in the same outfit Tess wore to the pumpkin patch! (I gotta update those Parallel Pics!)
FRANCIE Oct 11, 2007
come on it's cute right? ;)
Ann and Emmy sticking up for Tess
I got them back and made them pose with a giant inflatable scarecrow
Packing in pumpkins
and what happens when you take a tired Maisie's binky out
the usual chaos getting back in the car - and JJ insists on a "helmie"
Tessa Two Weeks!
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a "look back" a whole week ago :)
lots of fun photo-shooting... although not sure Tessa agrees when JJ gets her mitts on her :)
CRAZY JJ!
Mom's Day at Preschool
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Friday morning was a special "Mom's Day" at the girls' preschool - the girls invited ABA and jannie to join too since grandmothers were invited too. They showed us all their favorite things to do in each classroom and where they put their snack bags and the cool outdoor area with chickens and an "under the sea" sandbox and gardens. Then we all sat together inside and they sang songs for us.
Maisie was happy sitting on a chair between two other moms while we were all on the floor - so I had to convince her to come sit with us by telling her she could hold Baby Tessa :) Very proud big sister...
Circle time songs! Afterwards Francie apologized to ABA "Uhhh well I don't think they KNEW there were any aunts coming so the songs were just about grandmas and moms." ABA was ok with it
what a good sport
My 2 and 4! (can you tell I had 3 hours of sleep? ;)
closing song with sign language
Thanks for coming Jannie and ABA!
we got them settled at their snack tables and said goodbye
fun morning at preschool!
ABA Visits! and more Tessa pics :)
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My sister came out to visit for a long weekend to meet Tessa! She hadn't met any of the other girls this young so she planned a trip out. We've been having lots of fun hanging out, shopping (she drags me along until I can't take it anymore) and playing with the girls.
I have more ABA pics on my real camera but here are some catch up Tessa pics from Instagram...
out for a walk downtown
and Poor Tessa's black eye wasn't going away - she had a good pea sized bump under her eye we started to get worried about. I took her to Cisco Thursday morning with ABA and as I'm explaining all the awful things I think it could be he pops it! Blocked tear duct and puss came oozing out - ABA was with me and had to sit down :) SO she is on drops now and it's looking much better! (I think all of my girls have had little blocked tear ducts - just not this bad!)
Sisters snuggling before bedtime
and Tess and I hanging out late night. She likes 2am-4am to be up :)
"No more pictures mom"
Tessa Goes to the Park with her Sisters
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Tuesday night we packed up all four girls, three bikes, some snacks and beers and headed to "Clara's Park" near her house. The girls rode and rode around the paths and then up and down "rollercoaster hill" Well Francie rode up and down a few hundred times and Maisie perched at the top getting the courage up until she finally was brave enough :) JJ ran around chasing dogs and did a little scoot biking. When the sun went down we packed up for Tessa's first dinner out at Mountain Mikes Pizza!
lounging on the hill to watch the action
love this tom-boy look on Maisie
trying to "teach" JJ to ride a bike
ahhh... pretty happy with this spread ;)
Maisie tried and tried once she got the courage to conquer the hill - she got about this far on the steep side everytime and then couldn't pedal her skinny little legs strong enough to make it all the way. But she tried and tried!
some slight bike adjustments needed. It makes me smile everytime I see Heff wearing this shirt - he wears it only to see Maisie's face and hear her say "Yeah! Your Mickey shirt!!!" EVERY time :)
crazy Dad!
Family pizza dinner - Francie and Maisie telling secrets ;)
Little squishy and her first restaurant - I remember taking Baby Ann to her first restaurant when she was a newborn... and it was Sizzler! Mtn Mikes is almost as fancy ;) and poor Tess is a puker like Francie and Maisie were - she barfed all over her outfit when we got here so she's in a clean onesie and JanKnits sweater but I forgot pants so we just wrapped her up - 4th child for sure!
The Baby is... a Big Sister!
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Emmy and I had some fun in the "photo studio" we set up at PLAY yesterday while the big girls were at preschool. JJ was a ham but was more interested in Baby Tessa than looking at the camera - she still seems like my baby but looks like a giant next to Tess!
JJ is still a blue eyed baby
Tessa is wearing a little blue bubble suit that was mine when I was a newborn and Janie is wearing Emmy's little pink sailor dress!
I stayed close to interfere in the "baby! tiny! eye!" pokes :)
That's JJ - always on the move!
Looking like a big girl, and finally getting some hair
Love seeing you step into your role as a big sister JJ! Every morning when we come in your room you are sitting up playing in your crib and you yell "BABY!? TESSA! SEEEE!!" and then you insist on climbing on my lap to hold her or bringing her her "own binky" or the goose (it's a duck) lovie :) We are proud of you Big Sis JJ!
Maisie is a Two-Wheel Girl!
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Check out this big girl on a big girl bike! Heff took her out a couple of times when I was in the hospital as a Dad date and she got the hang of a two-wheeler like a pro - well granted the falls still happen but she cries, gets back up and pedals off through her tears. She is so cute to see zipping around the park on a bike. She's a speed demon and COMPETITIVE with her big sister! "Gagee wait don't pass me I'm LEARNING!" as she takes the lead.
Dad got her a new special purple bike just her size after she mastered the "squeaky bike" (little French vinatge 2-wheeler I got awhile back = totally cute, not super functional :)
and they're off
I stopped to help but she won't have any of it
sooo proud of herself. We are too Maisie Moo
Big Sis - after tormenting her for a few rounds passing her like lightening, she wised up and let Maisie "be in front"
Good sister France
Meanwhile Janie has a monkey-grip on the zip line - she could do this all day
and pushes her Dad on the swing "HOOPER HIGH!"
This was about 30 seconds before Janie got side-swiped by Francie's swing accidentally - she hit the ground HARD poor thing!
Little Miss FIVE ;)
Minor fall - excuse for a water break (they fill their own water bottles ceremoniously for the electrical taped on water bottle holders)
The end of this bike ride - TIRED girls trying to pass each other on a sidewalk = disaster. They both fell, cried and blamed each other. I half tried to intervene with Tessa in a wrap and Brian says "Mare what are you doing? Take a picture!" HAHA sorry girls. Get up and get back on the horse!
Sisterly LOVE
/LOVE this picture :)
Here Kitty Kitty
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Twice now we've retrieved Ziggy from a nice neighbor who thought it was a lost cat! Two rounds of posters for a missing kitty and everything :) and both lived within 5 houses of us. Francie needs to teach her kitty to stay closer to home! Reunited with her cat above (the nice lady had Ziggy while we were in the hospital - we tried to convince her to just open her back door and the cat would find it's way home but she insisted on the reunion - and a photo to document :)
This poster made us all laugh - thanks nice neighbors! and Ziggy keep your collar on!!
Tessa is 1 Week Old!
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Ok maybe 1 week and 2 days old... but you know I am feeling much better when it's baby photoshoot time :) Tessa's "1 week" shot in her photo of the week project we are vowing to keep up with... and a whole lot more cute pics of JJ and Tess today while the big girls were at preschool coming up next!
Francie's Family Bday Dinner
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Tuesday September 18 was Francie's real birthday. Tessa was still in the hospital so Francie wanted to have dinner together at the hospital cafeteria so we could all be "together."
First a visit to see our new little sister
A stop at the Children's Hospital train
as you can see Janie isn't having ANY issues not being the baby anymore ;)
Then we trekked down the hall through the adult hospital to the big cafeteria for dinner
the big sisters take good care of JJ
Janie CAM
Cafeteria pizza and hot dogs!
My birthday girl - and a hot dog in her mouth :)
My mom and I ran over to Kara's Cupcakes (and Walgreens for "N" diapers!) as soon as I got discharged (and nurse called as soon as we got there that Tessa was hungry - of course!) but we got 6 carefully selected cupcakes with lots of pink on top - Maisie insisted on carrying the bag and the cupcakes were a little beat up.
no lighting candles in hospitals but we faked it!
We brought one present to the hospital - it was number one on her list :)
pretty happy girl - not a typical birthday but the girls thought hospital cafeteria dinner was just as good as anywhere!
Back in the Hospital & Big Sisters Visit
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Starting with the happy picture of the "gangs all here" above - before the sad picture when I was first admitted BACK into the hospital!! It's all good though and I am doing much better. I still wasn't feeling 100% after 24 hours of IV antibiotics after Tessa was born - but the doctors thought it was just coming down from a traumatic birth and I would feel better. I felt great when I left and then stayed in the NICU half-of-overnight with Tess since she needed a full 72 hours in there (Jannie picked me up at 11pm and brought me back when the nurses called at 4am - pretty good stretch of sleep in a real bed though!) I was home Thursday feeling great - setting up the nursery and helping make Francie's "at home/family" birthday special. I went to bed at 11pm feeling just ok and then was back to chills/achey/AWFUL all night and all the next morning. I could barely walk across the room.
The pediatrician came to check Tessa out at 2:30pm and said I looked awful and when I let her change and find a fresh diaper for Tessa she said "you don't complain or ask for help - you need to get checked out" I left a msg at my OB clinic but the pediatrician took matters into her own hands and called my OB in a meeting and said she was worried about me. His fellow (who was there for labor this time too) called my cell and sid "Maaaary- do you know why I'm calling? You've been told on." and made me come right down. Heff jumped off a call and took me to clinic w Tess while my mom and Oma watched the girls.
She checked me out in clinic and I had a high heart rate, warm abdomen and overall not doing so hot. She tried to find a protocol for oral antibiotics but consulted the other OB's and they decided I needed IV antibiotics for at least 48 hours. They think I had developed Endometritis - which is failry common after labor but with a rough time recovering my first round of IV hadn't knocked it out.
I was terrified to be admitted thinking I would have to be away from Tessa for 2+ days!! Heff jumped into - we can do this mode. Tessa spent her first 6 hours hours with him and I knew she would be well taken care of by her Dad! But I have never pumped before so was worried about that and MISSING 2 days of her life!!
Thankfull (SO thankfully!) my doctors set us up so we could keep Tessa in the room as long as Brian and my mom or someone was here to help with her since I was "the patient." Then I was just fine :)
So we've been hanging out in the hospital since Thursday afternoon. I am on a triple cocktail of antibiotics and feeling much better! I didn't realize how bad I felt until I started feeling better again. Heff and my parents have been taking great care of me and Christian came and hung out this afternoon so Brian could take the big girls on a bike ride.
Brian went home last night to take the girls to dinner at Bumble with some friends - so my parents stayed and hung out with me and Tess. The girls came to visit after dinner - it was so fun to have them all running crazy around the room! They took turns holding Tessa and were pushing buttons and causing a ruckus :) Jannie took them home for a sleepover (it was kind of nice to see all that chaos walk out the door and be left with my husband and a newborn baby :) thanks Jannie and Grampa! And can't wait to have you back girls...
I should be getting out tonight and will be sooo happy to be home all over again...
Tessa Homecoming - Round 1!
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We got to bring Tessa home Wednesday at lunchtime and were soooo happy to be home. Tessa was doing great and I was feeling good too. The girls came home from pre-school, Jannie and Grampa came over and Oma came in on her way back from her Europe trip to hang out at home all day with us. The girls took turns holding the baby and France got to open some birthday gifts. Ann Skidmore brought a yummy dinner and birthday cake! I got to organize and set up cribs and just hold my baby. It was a great day home with our FOUR girls and family! (and then unfortunately things went downhill overnight and I was feeling awful Friday... ended up back in the hospital Friday night and still here!) more on that later - for now a some happy pics!
First time in her own house :)
The girls made a cute Welcome Home poster for Tessa (or "Tessie" as it says :) at school with their awesome teachers and friends
These are the cute "Big Sister" posters one of my awesome girls at work made for the girls to take to school Monday!
and the Welcome Home poster - thanks Sara!!
The Bassinet all set up for Tessa by Jannie (was borrowed by a cousin in between JJ and Tess - lots of babies used this bassinet!)
Pretty content
We got home a little before noon and the girls came home from school at 12:30 with Emmy (she rocks walking the stroller up the hill for pick up!)
Janie was sooo excited! She kept saying "BABY! Cute!" but didn't want to call her Tessa :)
checking her out
Proud Big Sis
Maisie was taking pictures with her "own camera" She was having a little trouble with Francie getting so much birthday attention and gifts so she snuck off, found a camera
Cute Maisie face - she's the most interested in holding Tess and mothering her :)
She also asked me when I was nursing - "Mom. Is that one regular? and that one chocolate milk?" Wouldn't that be nice Maisie :)
My crazy Maisie
Helping Janie hold Tess
Now JJ taking pics!
Tessa wondering HOW she ended up in this family! Rude awakening from the nice sweet nurses in the NICU
The Big Cheese!
Sweet girl in her going home outfit
Jannie and Grampa with their 4th granddaughter
JJ pulled this doll cradle up from downstairs by herself and said "Put! Baby! IN!"
Family photo outtake
Tess in pink - so glad to be home!
Everyone keeps reminding me - Four girls in five years - they are like Little Women now :) This was a copy of the book my parent's good friend Susan McCance gave me when I was born
JJ wanted Jannie to hold her like a baby :)
Cute cookie bouquet with each of the girls names from Avery!
Ann Skidmore brought a huge spread for dinner - her fruit salad reminds me of being this age :) Thanks Ann!!
Opening a monkey music maker (JJ's FAVORITE thing) for her sister - Cheeeeese
Family birthday dinner
This is how Tess joined us for dinner - pretty cozy
and awesome Susie Cakes for Francie's 5th birthday Ann brought us too!
Grampa brought "It's a Girl!" suckers!
Another classic face Tess :) Francie wanted Happy Birthday sung to her while she held Tessa
We convinced her the counter was better since we had sparkler and trick candles :)
Happy Birthday girl
Our new family!
more funny Maisie Faces holding her new baby sis
Emmy and her crew :) moving too fast for a non-blurry pic!
why so mad France!?
Much happier :)
FOUR GIRLS! It's kinda crazy to look around the house
Proud face
Open eyes
Crazy arms
So Big! this one just makes me laugh - she's long too!
pretty skin color - thanks tiny bit of jaundice
Trying out the other bassinet
and had to get a diaper only shot - now that she has no more IV's or monitors I appreciate it so much more!
and a nightgown for the first time! Heff's favorite baby girl wardrobe choice :)
Welcome Home Tessa!
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Welcome Home Tessa! We are SO glad to have you home (and to be home!) Heff picked up Tessa and I at the hospital at 11:30am this morning and were home by lunch time. The girls came back from preschool to find their mom and baby sister at home and were very excited, even JJ! We had a great day around the house getting used to being a family of SIX. (with Jannie, Grampa, Emmy and Oma to keep us company of course :) FOUR GIRLS under one roof - it's crazy and we love it!
Welcome to your family Tess! ;)
Lots more pics to post tomorrow... now finally off to get some sleep in my own bed!
Leaving NICU
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Wednesday morning we were just waiting for news that Tessa's labs and cultures were clear and crossing our fingers we could take her home. The DR's rounded at 10am and said she looked great and was good to go! SO EXCITING to hear that news!! Heff had taken the girls to school so he hurried back over while I waited for her hearing test and Hep B shot (she took that shot like a champ after all the pokes and IV lines she had endured!)
This was my view sitting in her rocking chair every time I nursed or came to sit with her. We had some good bonding time here and she was well taken care of
Loaded up in her JanKnits going home outfit and her carseat! Looking so big - and still a bit brusied ;/
Proud Dad ready to acrry her safely out of the hospital
Tired parents photo
Daylight!! Had only seen it from the hospital cafeteria courtyard since Friday!
Had a picture of the other girls in this same spot going home - but they changed the LPCH signage to the starry lights! Either way - just happy we get to take this little bundle home.
Load 'er up! She was great on the drive - cried for a minute and then fell fast asleep. It was a pretty, sunny, almost fall day to take our baby girl home to our family :) We are so blessed - and so thankful - for a healthy baby especially after spending time in the NICU. We know our stay was very short and very minor compared to so many sick babies. I have so much respect for families who endure long hospital stays with their babies - we are so lucky our stay was short and Tessa came home healthy.
