Morgan is 5 months old

My little girl is 5 months old today. Today I read 25 things that change when you have a baby, and thought it would be appropriate to reflect on these things given today's milestone.

Happy 5 month-a-versary Morgan! We love you so much.

1. You finally stop to smell the roses, because your baby is in your arms.
2. Where you once believed you were fearless, you now find yourself afraid.
3. The sacrifices you thought you made to have a child no longer seem like sacrifices.
4. You respect your body ... finally.
5. You respect your parents and love them in a new way.
6. You find that your baby's pain feels much worse than your own.
7. You believe once again in the things you believed in as a child.
8. You lose touch with the people in your life whom you should have banished years ago.
9. Your heart breaks much more easily.
10. You think of someone else 234,836,178,976 times a day.
11. Every day is a surprise.
12. Bodily functions are no longer repulsive. In fact, they please you. (Hooray for poop!)
13. You look at your baby in the mirror instead of yourself.
14. You become a morning person.
15. Your love becomes limitless, a superhuman power.
16. You discover how much there is to say about one tooth.
17. You finally realize that true joy doesn't come from material wealth.
18. You now know where the sun comes from.
19. You'd rather buy a plastic tricycle than those shoes that you've been dying to have.
20. You don't mind going to bed at 9 p.m. on Friday night.
21. You discover an inner strength you never thought you had.
22. You no longer rely on a clock — your baby now sets your schedule.
23. You give parents with a screaming child an 'I-know-the-feeling' look instead of a 'Can't-they-shut-him-up?' one.
24. You take the time for one more hug and kiss even if it means you'll be late.
25. You realize that you can love a complete stranger.

Thanksgiving Memories

Here are a few memories from Morgan's first Thanksgiving. You can view all the pictures from that week on Morgan's website.

It's my very first Thanksgiving!

Can't wait to eat

Oh look! It's a turkey.

Birds of a feather

With Uncle Jeff at the Teagarden Merry Thanksgiving Celebration

The Price of Christmas

Every year PNC figures out just how much it would cost to "purchase" the 12 days of Christmas. I am always amazed at the final tally. This year, your drummers drumming, milking maids, swans, rings, french hens, partridge and pear tree would cost $18,920! That comes out to $1,576.67 a day. Apparently low unemployment and ornamental fruit trees have caused a 3.1% inflation in the price of Christmas.

While the price of Tenney Christmas is certainly smaller than the 12 Days, I always seem to be surprised at how much I spent over the holiday season on January 1st. As all of you know, I like to shop (I can hear my husband groaning in the background). And not for myself....I like to shop for other people. Christmas is my favorite time of year (for far more important reasons than shopping, but that's for another post) as it allows me to give gifts to people I would like to give to all year long but can't. And although most of my Christmas shopping has been done for weeks, this year I find myself in a crazy predicament where I don't have everyone's gift yet. I can blame it on the fact that I was hugely pregnant for over 2 months, then home with a newborn for 2 months, then back to the craziness of work for 3 months...but none of that is really the reason. I have had a hard time shopping this year. My heart is in the giving mood, but I just can't seem to find anything that truly fits what I am looking for. This is a first for me. I am hoping with the festivities and decorations that have sprung up all over Morgantown I might just get into the mood and get out and get the rest of my gifts. I hate waiting until after Thanksgiving, because as much as I love to shop, I LOATHE Christmas crowds (ask me sometime about the reason I don't go shopping on Black Friday). Anyway...here's to happy hunting, Christmas bargains, and a pigeon in a dandilion, which would certainly be cheaper than a partridge in a pear tree!

Can you find the turkey?

Patrick taking the turkey to the peanut oil jacuzzi

How many men does it take to fry a turkey?

It's finally ready!

Giving Thanks Today

As the Tenney family gathered today, I spent a lot of time thinking about how blessed we have been this past year. Patrick and I have so much to be thankful for, especially for our precious daughter. We successfully made it through our first pregnancy with no complications. We have been able to spend time with both sets of our parents and siblings. We welcomed our first niece. We attended weddings of friends and found out that others were expecting. We both continue to be employed. As I look into my daughter's beautiful eyes, I want to tell her how much she has brought to our family. She reminds us every day that life is precious. She is sunshine where there is darkness and brings joy to us with the slightest smile. While at times life has seemed too much to bear, today I want to remember those who have less and need more. My prayers are for them today. We wish you all a wonderful, blessed, and happy Thanksgiving. We hope you have as much to be thankful for as we do.

A (Secret) Family Affair

Family Moment

Cousins

Over the weekend we made a TOP SECRET trip to my in-laws' house for a Thanksgiving spruce up before the big day. Charlie and Janet are flying to Alabama from Idaho today and will be driving home from Alabama tomorrow. With a house full of guests planned for Thursday, Janet has been stressed out about having to prepare for Thanksgiving in one day. We met my sister-in-law and her family as well as Great-Grandma June and Great-Grandpa Ralph at the house to spend some time together and decorate for Thanksgiving. We had an awesome time together. The two Thankgiving Turkeys pictured above had a wonderful time visiting together and got lots of love and attention from their Great-Grandparents. We had a great time trying to get a picture of the girls together. When one would look at the camera, the other would look away. Morgan refused to sit up straight, and Julia kept wanting to fall forward. It was all very comical, and really should we have expected more from an almost 2 and 5 month old? Morgan and I will be traveling back to Exchange on Tuesday evening for the rest of the week and Daddy will join us on Thursday. We hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving and gets lots of good food!

Welcome Home Nannie and Big Pop!

Happy Birthday Mutti!

Happy Birthday To You!
Happy Birthday To YOU!
Happy Birthday, dear Mutti....
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUUUUU!

Ouch!

This week the Tenney girls have both felt the sting and subsequent pain from getting a shot. I went on Tuesday to get my flu shot and yesterday Morgan had to get her 4 month battery of shots. It always amazes me that my arm hurts more the NEXT day....Morgan, however, seems to be a much better sport than Mama and hasn't complained about her legs today at all. They are still a little red and I am sure they are sore, but she's a trooper! We both stayed home yesterday for a snuggle-fest to help our aching limbs.

Udderly Adorable

In My Mind, I'm Going to (North) Carolina

Over the weekend we made a whirlwind trip to Greensboro, NC to attend the wedding of one of my oldest friends, Jennifer Magoon (now Tate). Our drive down on Friday was horrendous...it rained the entire trip and the Virginia State Police closed I-77 but neglected to put up detour signs. God was with us though, and in addition to keeping us safe (we saw multiple accidents) provided us with direction in the form of a 10 year old map that I just happened to have in the car from a trip to NC. The ONE page of the map that was even close to our route did have the place we were and the roads we needed to be on. Morgan was a trooper and was extremely good on the 7.5 hour trip down. We got to see my parents, brother, and sister-in-law this weekend which was wonderful. We also saw many friends from the past. Everyone commented on how beautiful and good Morgan was (of course!). We headed back home on Sunday. We all got sick this weekend (Patrick has a stomach thing, I had a migraine and a stomach thing, and poor Morgan had stomach cramps really bad) and the trip home was less than pleasant. But we made it and are getting back into the swing of things. Patrick and I are both back to work and after spending 2 weeks at home with Aunt Anita, Morgan is back at the sitter's. I certainly hope we all start feeling better soon!

Jeff, Jennifer Tate, Me

Morgan and Grandpa

Morgan and Mutti

Riding in the Car

Pilot Mountain, NC

Snow

Morgan's first snowfall

First Snow of the Season

Snain

Well, it seems that Old Man Winter has decided to take up residence in West Virginia. Today's high is going to be a chilly 43 degrees with a mixture of snow and rain...commonly refered to in our house as "snain". It's snaining right now. It's hard enough to get out of bed on a Monday morning, but with the days getting progressively shorter and the weather getting increasingly colder, it was really hard today. I am sure next Monday will be even worse after we fall back an hour! I spent the weekend packing up the summer clothes and getting Morgan's winter wear washed and ready. It was a sad weekend for this sun lover. The ray of sunshine I found in all of this was that each day it's cold it is one day closer to being warm again. Plus it was fun to look at all the new outfits I get to put on Morgan! How's that for optimism?

The Drive Home

The Monongahela River

I-79 in West Virgnina

I-79 in West Virgnina

Here's what I get to enjoy on my drive home (don't worry...Patrick was driving!)

The Fall Season

As a general rule, I hate fall. Mainly because it means that winter is coming, and that for me is the most dreadful season. However, the past few days I have had the opportunity to really enjoy fall. We took Morgan out the other day after Patrick had blown all the leaves from our yard in a big pile. She got to sit in the leaves and experience the feeling of the leaves in all states on her skin. She seemed to really enjoy herself and tried on more than one occasion to eat the leaves! That totally grossed me out...I kept thinking "What if the dog peed on that leaf?"

Fall Fun

Enjoying the Leaves

I think I see a bug!

Yesterday as I was driving home from a particularly crabby day at work I noticed how beautiful the trees had become. The one thing I love about fall is the tapestry of colors that are blended together in the forests of West Virginia. I think the fall season truly shows how beautiful our state really is. It is also a reminder to me that even in death we can see beauty. Because I work with people with disabilities, I often reflect on how blessed my life is. I think I needed another dose of that yesterday, and during my drive home I was so thankful to have my sight. Even though I would much rather live somewhere where it was summer all year long, I do enjoy seeing all the beautiful colors associated with fall. Maybe just for one moment I forgot that those colors signify that the cold months of winter are just around the corner.

A Day For Play

We took Morgan to the Play Place at the mall for a change of pace and some fun indoors!

Another Mountaineer Football Weekend

All Bundled Up

Little Mountaineer Fan

Look at those cheeks!

Today Morgan attended her 3rd football game of the season. This is probably be her last game since the next home game is the second week of November. We all had a great time and watched a good football game. It was chillier than normal and we all came home with chapped cheeks (you can see Morgan's in the pictures). We had fun tailgating after the game with Uncle Rodney and Aunt Becky. Although I really love football, I am looking forward to watching the rest of the games in my pajamas at home. As with every other outing with a newborn, it takes alot of behind the scenes preparation and a LOT of supplies for us to go and enjoy the game. Plus I feel Morgan will be more comfortable in 2 rather than 5 layers of clothes! Our 'Eers are 6-0 and ranked #5 in the BCS. If we can get past Louisville November 2nd, we have a great shot of going undefeated! Let's GOOOOO Mountaineers!

Welcome Julia!

On September 28, 2006 at 8:45am my sister-in-law and her husband welcomed their first child, Julia Aleese, into the world! We got the chance to go to Charleston to meet Julia and spend the weekend with all of the Tenney family (new mom and dad (Amy and Chris), Nannie and Big Pop, and Great-Grandma June and Great-Grandpa Ralph). We had a great, but crazy weekend. Julia is a beautiful baby. I am so excited that our girls are 3 months apart. I pray that they grow up to be best friends and stay close. Please visit Julia's Website to see more pictures!

Morgan and Julia

Cousins and Grandmas

Best Friends Forever

And I thought we had problems...

For those of you who are near and dear to the Tenney family, you are probably aware of the new financial situation we find ourselves in with my return to work and Morgan's entrance into day care. For those who are not, imagine 25% of your take home salary going straight to the woman who takes care of your only child (although she does have to contend with diaper blow outs and breastmilk spit all day long). Leaving the debate about staying home vs. working for another day, I felt a little better about out situation today when I read about poor Brian Hunter who managed to lose $5 BILLION in one week on Wall Street. Of course we have to remember that a) it wasn't his money and b) he still has his job despite the major OOPS. And what's $5 billion among friends?

Our Sports Fan

At the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball game.

With Daddy at the WVU vs. E. Washington game

With Mama at Morgan's first WVU game

Morgan is becoming quite a sports fan. Since Patrick and I both really enjoy sports, both participating and watching, we have been trying to expose Morgan to all different types of sports. We have had a lot of comments on how young she is, but we feel that it is important to get her involved in family outings from the beginning. Hopefully she'll grow up to love sports just as much as we do, but if not at least we can say she was exposed to them!

Daddy and Daughter

Yesterday Morgan had to get her 2 month shots. As a result, she got to spend the entire day with her Daddy. Patrick dressed her himself and was so proud at the outfit he chose for her, right down to the Daddy's Girl top! Morgan did well at the doctor's office and had a good morning, but had a very rough afternoon with Daddy. Patrick said at around 2:00 she woke up from a short nap SCREAMING. It scared him because he had never heard her do that before. She continued to scream solid for an hour, during which she had a huge diaper blowout all the way up her back and then she threw up all over herself. He ended up giving her a bath which still didn't soothe her. At 3:00 she finally had cried so hard that she fell asleep. I felt so bad for them both. When I got home Patrick looked wore out and stressed and Morgan was fussy. She did sleep well last night and her little legs looked pretty good this morning. I haven't heard from Ellen (our sitter) so I guess Morgan is doing well at day care today.