Tessa

I was going to do a big update post.  I even started it two weeks ago.  I just never felt like I had enough time to put it all together so I'm scrapping it.  I've decided to do a bunch of little posts instead.  It will help me feel like I'm accomplishing more.  I figure I should start with Tessa because she's changed the most.  Ready?  Here we go....

This is the most current picture I can find on our computer.  It's from early December and her hair's a mess.

She is all girl.  Anything can become a bracelet or a ring.  She loves stuffed animals and soft fuzzy blankets.  She got a tea set for Christmas and is always ready to have a tea party.  When I'm eating breakfast and can't come to the other room for a tea party she brings me all the cups and saucers demanding we have a tea party.

She started walking around eleven months and talking around one year old.  She will now mimic anything we say whether it's in Russian or English and says a lot of words on her own.  Some of my favorite words she says are applesauce, sweet potatoes, and avocado.  She uses "bla-bla" to make the ending sounds and it's adorable.  She has also recently started saying yes instead of yeah.  It comes out "yesh" with an emphasis on the "sh".  She is saying or understanding something new every day.  It's always amazing how quickly these little ones pick up on everything.

Tessa loves to eat.  Whatever anyone else is eating she wants some.  If she sees someone eating something she starts saying, "bite, bite, bite" until she gets a bite.  She sounds like the seagulls on Finding Nemo.  On Friday night we were out running errands and stopped somewhere for dinner.  As we walked past the restaurants windows heading toward the front entrance she started saying "bite!" and pointing to everyone's plates.

She's also a great big tease.  Her brothers will be folding their clothes and she'll walk over and squat down by the folded clothes to look them in the eye.  Then she grabs the folded clothes and runs or shakes them and throws them back on the floor.  Lately she'll look at us, lean forward at the waist, and then start slowly stomping toward us, like we do when we're going to chase her.  When we act scared she giggles like she's the funniest girl around.  Then she waits for us to do it to her so she can run away.  She has been such an fun addition to our family.  She makes me laugh every day.

Here are a few more pictures of Tessa growing up.

1st air and water show