Nine Months of Tessa Shalom

Despite holding a stretch of sickness and misery for our poor baby, this was a good month. Tessa's first tooth finally (just barely) poked through a few days ago. She has delighted herself with her newfound clapping ability. She gets in and out of a sitting position with ease now; we often find her sitting in her crib with her stuffed animals all shuffled around, having played with them thoroughly before deciding to complain loudly to be retrieved. 

This spring we added an upper garden (because clearly we must grow enough fresh produce to feed 12 adult men through the winter); having both an upper and lower garden has meant lots of working and LOTS of time outside for Tessa. Very little makes her as happy as being outside, which is saying something since she's generally so happy anyway. The kids and I were eating a picnic lunch out under the apple trees the other day. After they finished the boys cavorted like little goats, showing off their sprinting and leaping, while Marnie gleefully rolled down the hill. Tessa stared so hungrily at their displays of Impressive Athleticism, punctuating her intense gaze with little grins whenever they did anything especially remarkable. She's already the leanest baby we've ever had, and her skinny little self will only get skinnier when she's capable of all the acrobatics she's so desperate for. She's hyper and friendly and active and loves a good joke; she loves getting her siblings, and she loves being gotten just as much. She's a highly gratifying little girl for Rundy, who gets as much of a delighted response as he could wish for from his crazy antics. 

The kids all love her dearly, and it's so much fun to watch how each relationship with her looks a little different. Marnie's newest habit with Tessa is to sit near her and rub her back, murmuring, "P'ecious baby. So p'ecious." 

What a gift you are, Tessa Lou.

The photoshoot ended with Tessa gleefully trying to dive off the bed headfirst. It's always gleeful, that dive attempt...

And a bonus sober picture (because they're rare).

Eight Months of Tessa Shalom

I asked Rundy just now what he thinks I should write for Tessa this month.  

"She wishes she could run. But since she can't, in lieu of that she crawls like a maniac."

All true.

The poor child has been teething hard and still has nothing to show for it (but there are bumps at least now!). She grins all the time. She LOVES her siblings. Tadhg has a his own special place in her life as the one who gets her laughing like no other. When she wakes up in the morning she has a powerful magnetism; Tadhg and Pip and Marnie are irresistibly drawn to her to give her morning hugs and kisses and have grin/snuggle fests before I even finish (or start) nursing her. When I take her out in public places she smiles at the whole world; it's all so exciting and thrilling, see. It's strange having a baby who's such an extrovert and wins strangers over in two seconds by smiling at them for no reason at all; not our norm in these introverted parts. And she's a true extrovert, too; on a couple of occasions we've come back from parties with a big crowd well past bedtime, and she's so keyed up from all the jollity she fairly dances in my lap for half an hour in the dark instead of falling asleep. She has a delightful sense of humor and loves games and jokes and physicality. She's hyper and curious and has a nose for trouble. Strew a room with toys and what does she go after? Cat water. Cords. Outlets. Anything that looks like it might be remotely chokeable. She multiple times would've dived off our bed headfirst if we'd let her, blissfully ignorant of gravity.

Oh, she is a delight. 

Tessa is going to be a really fun toddler. 

But we don't want to rush it--time is already winged, and flying faster by the day.

To quote Tadhgie-boy when he raced over to give Tessa a bear hug as the kids played outside, "I'm so glad you're here!!!"

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This blurry GIF is the most accurate representation of trying to get pictures of Tessa these days. Grinning, flailing, wiggling like the dickens.

Freeze-Frame: Metaphysical Theology with Tadhg Amos

(One part of a haphazardly recurring series, largely airing during spontaneous breakfast conversations with Mama).

Seven Months of Tessa Shalom

Rundy said a couple of weeks ago that maybe we should've named her Tessa Joy. She's brimful of it. But I suppose shalom doesn't always have to be quiet and mild-mannered, does it? If you have shalom, I expect that joy's always somewhere nearby.

Tessa has been a little sparkler this month, constantly smiling and giggling and babbling and happy-kicking and wiggling like the dickens. She just recently figured out how to scoot forward using the mighty power of one big toe, and there's been no stopping her from the minute she wakes up. When she's not grinning, she's staring attentively, wide-eyed. Still teething, but with nothing to show for it yet. Liking food, but mostly what she can nab from our plates rather than the pureed stuff. She loves it when Daddy throws her up in the air and is generally crazy playing with her. One of her favorite occupations is grabbing the hair of whoever is closest to her; she has yet to pull it into her mouth to examine it more thoroughly, but it isn't for lack of trying. Another favorite of this month is swinging doors of all shapes and sizes. She sleeps well; she grows well; she is loved well.

Tessa continues to delight us all with her sunny presence. 

What a gift.

She's definitely at the rolling-out-of-the-frame, eating-the-monthiversary-tag stage.

Her brothers found her impossible to resist until the end of the photoshoot.

There are no pictures of me with the kids unless I take selfies, which I very rarely do. But I thought to take one today! And then I hired Pippin to take the one below it.

Tessa is happy as a clam on the floor. She rolls, she pivots, she explores, and when she needs a rest she just puts her head down for a bit.

And to cap it all off, blurry photo evidence of how much Tessa enjoys her Daddy's crazy antics.