Tessa Mary

I first got acquainted with beautiful Tessa Mary in June of 2004, two months before her anticipated arrival. At that time her family was moving from Slidell, Louisiana near New Orleans to Ft. Leavenworth, KS. It was a move that her Daddy, Major Dan was effecting himself with just a little help from Mr. Right and I. Once their giant U-Haul was packed, our caravan began the 900 mile trek to their new home. My job was to drive Tessa, safely ensconced in her mommy's womb. (Mr. Right's job was to drive the cats - I won that round - lol)

Throughout the drive, no baby's movements were as closely monitored as hers; and, Teresa and I cheered over and over again as her little movements corresponded to the cues of her mother. When taking a break from driving and walking around failed to generate the kicks and movements we were looking for, there was always the carbonated beverage that worked every time. We were so proud of her!

Fast forward two and a half months and Mr. Right and I were back at Ft. Leavenworth for Tessa's much anticipated birth.

Her labor was seamless - at least from my point of view. Teresa's past experiences had epidurals slowing labor significantly so she was absolutely determined not to have one until she was CERTAIN that delivery was close enough not to be slowed by any epidural. She labored beautifully and her focal point? Dan's eyes. She seemed to have to sink deep into them with every contraction and the intensity of her stare corresponded to the strength of the contractions. By the time she had the epidural, it was pretty much over. A few minutes later this beautiful, perfect little creature was in her daddy's and her mommy's arms and the hearts of everybody who knew her forever.

Teresa always looks like a movie star after giving birth and she didn't disappoint this time either.

And Tessa was the baby doll for both her big brothers and her parents. It didn't take her any time at all to have everybody wrapped around her tiny fingers. Everything requiring assistance had a ready and willing assistant nearby.

For climbing stairs, there was Grant:

For playing, Evan:

See? She knows! And she's very pleased with herself.

For swimming, she turned to Daddy:

And once again:

When we came to visit, there was no warm-up required. She was ours from the moment of our arrival. One time we visited and as soon as we got there, she put her little arms up to me and I carried her around as we saw the changes they'd made in their Colorado Springs house. Finally, Teresa said, "oh, you don't have to carry her around". And I remember thinking, "are you kidding. I can't believe she's letting me!" That's the power of this sweet little angel!

Here she happily poses with us on the steps when we ask her:

And she just never seems to get tired of giving us the attention we require!

I've heard stories that when she gets in trouble from her mom, the three men in her life (Dan, Grant & Evan) have to leave the room because they just can't bear it. I think it's true too because who can resist this look?

which only appears when things start to go awry in her little world.

She's sweet:

Loving:

Generous:

Adorable:

And brave! We were there once when she had a terrible cold with a nonstop runny nose. She soldiered through and the only time she gave it any mind was when she'd announce in a sad little voice, "nosey running". And she'd run for a tissue.

Finally, here are a few miscellaneous pictures that I just couldn't put back after I'd imported them!

So happy 4th birthday, to a captivating beautiful little girl. We love you!