Lately...

A lot has happened in the last 6 months so be prepared for a long post. I was recently diagnosed as an epileptic and spent some time in the hospital and at home. I should have probably used that time to update the blog but I forgot and used the time to rest and be lazy.

Tess has grown so much in the past months that it is crazy. She loves to “read” her books. I put read in quotes because her version of reading is either flipping through the book at a very fast pace herself or getting you to turn the pages for her. Her pace is so fast that you can barely even see what the words are on the page. But at least she likes books; she loves to point at pictures and shout out her version of what animal or object they are. She is getting a lot better and is learning more words each day.

My dad taught Tess how to get down from the couch and she pretty much has perfected it and doesn’t need anyone’s help when she wants down. This scares me a little because she will sometimes try and use this technique while trying to climb down from our bed which is a lot taller than the couch and she doesn’t realize that she has more of a drop.

 

For the longest time Tess would only say Daddy, even if we asked her to say other words. She now has a pretty good vocabulary for her age but there are still times that she only says daddy, especially if he is at work.

 

During my time off we were able to go to a couple Astros games and even went to the Texas State Fair. My parents share season tickets to the Astros and Tess enjoys watching the other team score and even sometimes being able to sit in her own chair. It was pretty hot when we went to the State Fair so we thought if we stepped inside and watched the dog show it would be better, we were wrong it was hotter inside but she was a trooper and was content once the dogs came out and did tricks. Eventually we will have to teach her not all dogs are nice.

Also while I was in and out of Hospitals this year Tess had opportunities to stay with the grandparents more. My parents have stairs in their house and she loves going up and down the stairs. She thinks they are her personal playground. I am just glad we don’t have stairs because I would be constantly going up and down them.

Around Halloween we went with some friends to ZooBoo at the Houston Zoo. This was Tess’s first time at the Zoo and it started out a little cold but it ended up being a really nice day. Tess enjoyed the time she was able to walk around on her own; there were a lot of people so she was in the stroller most of the time. We took a picture on a bench and there was this cute little girl that was not ready to move on from taking pictures so she decided to stick around and take one with Olivia, the girls and I until she realized we were not her family and then she bolted. The girls were looking at her leave when we got a picture of just the 4 of us. Overall it was a good day and something we will probably do again in the future once she gets older.

 

We have a routine where she always carries her daycare bag that holds her cups every morning. She will walk out the door in the morning and then wait for someone to help her get down the big step and then she will walk to the car. it throws her off if she doesn's do her routine in the morning. One night after daycare we went and ate at Rudy’s and usually she wants to be with Mommy but this time she wanted to walk out with Daddy so I had to take a picture of Daddy and her walking out since it doesn’t happen very often.

 

We have a dog door and one of the times I was in the hospital we had a new animal join the family. When Clayton came home one day to check on the dogs we had 3 instead of  2. We had a dog I guess somehow get in the backyard and wonder into the dog door. She currently resides at our neighbor’s house and seems to like the new digs. It was funny because our neighbor Danny had been looking for a dog and this one just popped up, guess it was meant to be.

As Tess gets older she shows more and more of her personality, and we are starting to realize how much trouble we are in for. Most of the time she will do something and we will laugh at her and she will continue to do it. We have had to catch ourselves a couple of times because some of the behavior we don’t want to be repeated so we try real hard not to laugh and ignore her so she just drops it and it resolves itself. That doesn’t always work out how we want it to.

 

We have had a lot of time to hang out around the house. The weather has not always been the best on the weekends. We still try to venture out to get Tess out but it doesn’t always work out that well. She always seems to find something to get into around the house or someone to climb on. She has tuned into TV quite a bit, as much as I hate it she loves Sponge Bob Square Pants. You should see her face when it comes on. She knows the song and dances to it, until I try to get it on video and then she stops and stands completely still.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My parents are in the middle of buying a new house and at one of the model homes there were little kid homes in the back and it took Tess a little bit to warm up to them but after she did we couldn’t get her to come back inside. She loved looking out the windows and waving at the people that were coming outside. She really wasn’t too keen on sharing her house but I think that will come with time.

I will leave you with a picture Tess took of herself.

 

Someone is a year old...

Tess had her birthday party the weekend before she actually turned 1. We did a Ladybug theme and my mom helped me make her cute little shirt.








A lot of family was able to come, we didnt get a picture of everyone but here are a couple of family members.




Tess was a little apprehensive at first and then she started seeing some familar faces and loosened up. She walked on her own the day before her party so it was cool that everyone got to see her walk.

She had a lot of presents to open but since she gets caught up in the paper and boxes we thought it was better to open them and then show her was she got. We have yet to open and play with all the toys, thats how many we had.

At the time of her party Tess was not so sure about sweeties. I had to get her jump started and feed her some cake. She kind of fiddled with the cake but really just picked at it and then was done. She will eventually learn how good cake is.

                   

12 Months 

On Tess's actual birthday we took her to Chili's for dinner and dessert. She does like ice cream, which made her daddy very happy.

 

 

Warren, Tess's boyfriend at daycare stopped coming because his dad was transferred out of country and his mom was going to stay home with him. This is the last photo of the two of them. She did pretty good, it was like he was never around.
 

While Tess was at my parents one weekend she tried to escape from her makeshift inclosure. This seemed like the best option.










Tess loves the iPad, the only problem is that she hits buttons that she shouldn't hit and then gets mad. But other than that she loves playing and watching and sometimes just holding it.

We were at Rudy's one night and she started playing peekaboo... and I had to get it on video.

 

Here is little helping Lexi out...



 

11 Months

Well i guess i should update the blog since my baby is already 15 months. The month of May was a pretty busy month for all of us.

I had my first mothers day, and Clayton had to work. I already knew what my present was so it wasn't a big deal. Tess and I stopped by the station after church and hanging out with my parents for a little while. She decided to dump all the cheerios out of her snack cup as I am trying to get us both ready for church. When we got home she was in a playful mood. Overall a pretty good first mother's day.

Also on Mother's day Tess started to walk on her own as long as there wasn't a big difference between two objects or two people

 

About once a month my mom will take Tess for the night and let Clayton and I have a free night to do anything we want. She had just started walking but she still needed something to hold so under the table was the best place. We picked her up at a baseball game, my parents split season tickets with three other families.

 

Clayton and I redid our Master bathroom this year and his dad came down to help with the sinks. The NRA conference happened to be in town so we got up Saturday morning and head into town. There was this vendor that thought she was cute so he gave her a water gun, she carried that thing around and would not let anyone take it. As you can see, the convention wore her out and she passed out in the car.

 

Lexi has loved Tess from day one, I look back at pictures and Lexi seems to be in every picture. Well Tess has realized that she can play with Lexi and it has been entertaining ever since.

 

She has also learned how to tease them also.

 

Guns vs Hoses

The HFD and HPD soccer teams had the chance to play each other after a Dynamo game back in April. Clayton was really excited because they were actually going to be playing on the field of the BBVA stadium. Clayton and I hadn't been to the new stadium so we were pretty excited to watch the Dynamo. The seats we were in first were hot so we moved over to a shady area and it was a lot better. My family also came out to the game and stayed to watch Clayton play after the game. The Dynamo tied but HFD pulled out a win.


The guys all got together before the game and took a team picture. Both sides played well but in the end there could only by one winner. HFD put it all out on the field and you could tell they all really wanted to win the game.




Clayton played the first 20 minutes of the game and then ran the sidelines for the remainder of the game.  Here is the only action shot of Clayton, he didnt really touch the ball that much. For most of the game HFD was playing offense.
 

It was not surprise when in the end the Fire Department won the game.

 

1st Haircut

Well my mom and Clayton convinced me that it was time that little miss got her haircut. I was not ready for this but I have to admit my child has a lot of hair. She was born with a full head of hair and NEVER lost any. If you look at this picture which was taken a couple days before the cut you can see her hair is a little out of control. I gave in and let the hair stylist that cut my hair give Tess her first haircut.

We had to be worked into the schedule so while we were waiting Tess decided to dance a little. This was the beginning of her dancing career, but the only time she allowed us to get it on video. Sometimes when she doesn't think we are paying attention you can see her moving to the music but the minute she thinks you are watching or you want to try to get it on video she will immediately stop.

 

 She did really well, she sat on my mom's lap the whole time and just looked around at all the people that had gathered to watch.

 

 

 

 

 I really didn't know how she was going to react since we usually only mess with hair at bath time. That is the easiest place to get a comb through her curls.  

 

 

 

This child cracks me up; I love how everyday her personality shines more and more. She is looking straight at the camera and giving the cutest look possible. These kinds of looks make me realize I am in for trouble when she grows up.

 

 

All Done! She looks good and it actually gave shape to her hair and reduced the frizzies which is going to help come summer. I still can't believe my child needed a hair ut at 10 months.

 

10 Months

I can't believe that Tess is almost a year old. This time we go a little smarter with our pictures and taped the paper to the wall. She was still able to pull it down but we got in some cute pictures. I think she looks so big in these pictures. I think she got taller overnight and we have officially grown out of 6 month pants, they have become capris. She is mostly wearing 9 month clothes. She maybe small but she is pretty consistently moving along her 25th percentile curve.

We have mainly stayed around the house this month. We have visited Daddy at the station. One of the guys that Clayton works with was growing out his hair and since Tess has some pretty ridiculous hair some days they needed to take a picture together. They both have since gotten a haircut. We bought Tess an actual high chair since she is getting more and more into eating more than baby food. She usually is pretty pumped when we put her in it because she knows snacks are on their way. One of my friends from work has two little boys; one is around 3 months younger then Tess but is already wearing 12 month clothes so she gave us this really cute frog sleeper. Tess was modeling it before bed one night.

 We try to get out and watch Clayton play soccer on Sundays. This was one of the last games and a cold front had come in the night before. So we bundled Tess up and headed out to the field. Mona and Kevin bought her this cute go pod and she loves being able to stand up and look all around her. As you can see she went from seriously watching the game to playing in a matter of shots. I love this girls personality.

 

Speaking of personality I love playing with this girl in the mornings. She is usually in such a good mood.

In the mornings now she gets to eat her Cheerios. She gets so excited and when you finally give her some she usually grabs a couple and throws her hands up in the air to celebrate. Here she is at daycare one morning pretty pumped to be having some cheerios

We tried to go to the zoo one Saturday but it didn't work out and we ran errands instead. On our way we stopped and ate at Zaxbys a new chicken place by our house and Tess was in a playful mood. She kept sticking her foot out, she would put it on the table till I moved the high chair and she couldn't reach it anymore. At least she has already learned to point her toes. She ate some chicken and had a lot of fun at lunch.

For Christmas Mona and Kevin gave Tess this walker thing and we put it together one weekend and she took off. She had gotten pretty good at walking around with it. Once she actually gets the courage up to try walking without holding on to something she is going to take off.

One morning while I was getting ready for work Tess was lying in bed drinking her bottle. She started holding the bottle with one hand. This was the first time I had seen her do it and since then she usually tries to hold the bottle with one hand unless she is really hungry. Well before I know it she is going to be 1. I cant believe how time is passing by so quickly.

The Grand Canyon

The Braun Family went on a family trip to the Grand Canyon over Easter weekend. This was our first big trip with Tess, and she did really well. We woke up early on Friday and hit the airport to start our day of traveling. Tess was pretty excited to get on her first airplane. She looks so big standing at the window by herself. We had two flights and she did well on both of them, only got fussy when she was hungry. We watched Kung Fu Panda on the way there until she fell asleep. She took a pretty good nap and when she woke up it was time to land.

We had a good layover in Phoenix and we found this cool kid place and let her crawl around and get some energy out. When we got on the second flight it was time for her next bottle and her afternoon nap. She slept the entire flight which was only about an hour but it was nice. When we landed we rented a car, had a quick Target pit stop and then headed to the giant hole in the ground.


Once we got there we checked in to the hotel and ventured over to look at the canyon. My mom is afraid of heights so while the rest of us took a little stroll down the canyon she kept Tess and walked her around. There was a 2 hour difference and we were trying to keep her awake till 6 Grand Canyon time which is 8 Houston time. She did good and didn't even try to wake up a 4 the next morning.

Day 2
On our first full day we took the car and drove down Desert View drive and made a couple stops along the way. We took a lot of pictures of the Canyon and even managed some family pictures.














We actually got a couple of good shots of our little family of 3. One of my favorite shots is one where the three of us are looking out into the Canyon.




My mom actually took the picture and did pretty well with us sitting on the edge. Tess wanted to sit on the edge by herself and was pretty happy to be out in the beautiful weather.






At one of the stops my brother and Clayton climbed down a little bit and my brother found a ledge and was able to climb down and act like he had fallen and was struggling to get back up.


My mom was not happy after this picture was taken.








We stopped at the Tusayan Ruins and museums and spent some time walking around looking at the fallen buildings such as storage rooms, living areas, and a kiva. It was a small stop but nice for my mom to be out of the car and not next to a cliff.

My dad held Tess most of the time. They play a little game; try to keep the pen away from Tess. If you know my dad you know that he always has a pen in his front pocket. Well Tess also knows this and every time he holds her she instantly tries to find the pen.

At the end of the day we all went out to a nice dinner and got a quick family picture without any sun glasses.





Day 3

On our last full day we took a couple of tours. While waiting for one of our tours Tess was playing with her Uncle. She has this fascination with glasses and Matt had an extra pair.  She played with them the whole time we were waiting for the bus.


Our tours took us around the other side of the canyon. This road is closed to people during their peak times and therefore if you want to see some of these points you have to get on a tour. We stopped at Hopi point and got out and took some pictures. Our tour guide was very hard to understand so there are probably a lot of interesting things we could have learned about Hopi point but no one could interpret for us.

One of the other places we stopped was hermits rest, a structure that was built in 1914. This building was originally built as a rest area for tourists on coaches that were on their way to Hermit's camp. Hermit's camp is no longer there but the building is still a big stop on the canyon. There is still a hiking trail that goes down to the Colorado River that starts just past hermits rest.


Tess was pretty excited about the bus rides, she didn't have to be in a car seat so she was cool with where ever we went. She was switching seats pretty often and had fun sitting in everyone's lap.





She really wanted to get down and crawl around in the dirt so we tried to at least let her sit whenever we had the opportunity. So here is another picture of little sitting on the canyon edge. The more pictures we took the better she will remember right?



Daddy also had some fun entertaining her at one of the stops. This picture pretty much sums up their relationship. They both have a lot of fun with each other and Clayton likes the fact that she is way more responsive then she was as a little baby.

The Braun sisters had to get a picture where we are actually taller than Matt. There may have been a ledge that we were standing on but the point is that we were taller. There is usually one of these pictures a trip since he was like 10.


After the first tour we went back to the hotel and had quiet time before we went on the sunset tour. Right before we headed out to get on the bus Tess and I took a picture. Good thing I have the pictures to prove I gave birth to her or people would think I am holding someone elses baby.


The sunset tour was nice, the only thing was the sun set a lot later than we thought it was going to. So Mom stayed in the bus with Tess who had fallen asleep. I think they both were a little Grand Canyoned out. It was actually really cold and windy, we tried to get a break from the win but there was no hiding from it. The sunset was awesome, especially seeing all the rocks turn different colors while the sun was setting.

We had a lot of fun and I would call Tess's first trip outside of Texas a great success.