That is a direct quote from the doctor this morning when we took Tessa in for her 6 month check-up. She came over to the examining table to give her a look and Tessa rolled right over surprising her. She said, “Wow, so I guess she is rolling over these days.” I started to say, “Oh she is even up on all fours ready to crawl,” when Tessa sprung to up to all fours as living proof. That got another, “Wow!” She continued examining her and she did her pelvic thrusts, gripped her hands and stood very well. She even sat up for a time.

So the doctor made sure she took some time to assure us that we needed to double check all the areas in the house she could get into. She mentioned it was pretty early for her to be that physically adept and the children she sees doing these things at this age are usually the climbers and ones getting into everything. She suggested we get our running shoes on and get ready. Oh BOY! And I thought Isaac was hard to keep up with!

And her size. Wow! That is all I have to say. She measured at 90% for head at 17.25 inches and 90% for weight at 18 lbs 6 ounces. Holy Moly! And her height? She was OFF. THE. CHART. What? For fun I asked what the highest mark was on the chart, it was 27.5 inches which would have been 97%. Tessa is 1 inch above that! 1 INCH! Did I say Holy Moly? Okay, how about Holy COW!

She is moving into her 12 month clothes this week so no surprises there. She is so much fun still. She is still laughing and as joyful as ever. I mentioned to the doctor that she loves to be scared and she was also surprised by that. I suppose most babies don’t like to be scared, not our little girl. I think the doc is right, we will have our hands full!

At any rate. We are loving every minute of our little laughing love. She is truly a joy to us. Here are some more pictures from the last month.

 

I thought I would capture it for you so you could enjoy her special talent as well.

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This video was taken just Friday afternoon. Earlier that morning before Ben left for work I told him I thought she would be crawling by the end of the weekend. Perhaps I should have put a little wager on it. We will see!

A few days ago she started scooting backwards and practicing her skills in the early morning hours when she awakens. It has apparently paid off because her skills have quickly progressed. Here is a little video so you can see. (Sorry she isn’t wearing a shirt, her dress was getting in the way! And for Isaac’s crying in the background. He was a *little* upset at having to come in from outside.)

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Tessa & Jude:

 

Grace, Isaac, Jude & Tessa:

 

But nonetheless we are here, the weather has been beautiful and it is not home. So we are having fun. Here are a few pictures from the first part of the week.

 

Daddy, come on! I'm thirsty!

We got a good laugh over Tessa trying to get a hold of Ben’s beer the first evening. Apparently she was thirsty! Well, or she thought the bottle looked like it belonged to her. (Don’t worry, we didn’t really give her any!)

See, I can do it!

We are vacation in the Outer Banks of North Carolina this week with Ben’s brother Jesse, Naomi, Grace and Jude. It was a bit cloudy and rainy and we were a bit sun spent from the day before so we ventured down to the aquarium for the afternoon. I have been so excited to take Isaac to an aquarium because he just LOVES anything that is in the water – fish, whales, dolphins, etc. It was a smaller aquarium but a perfect size for our little clan on this particular day. (Remember, clicking on the photos will bring up captions.)

 

Physical Appearance

Tessa DEFINITELY looks more like her daddy than Isaac ever did. So many people would tell me how much Isaac looked like Ben. I always thought he looked more like me in my baby pictures but was fine letting everyone believe that he looked like Ben. As he got older he definitely took on more of my physical characteristics. Then came Tessa. I think the arrival of Tessa has sealed everyone’s belief that Isaac looks more like me because that girl looks SO MUCH like her daddy.

Physical Size

I mentioned in Tessa’s 4 month post that she is taller and of equal weight to her brother at the same age. If I had a prediction at this point it is that Tessa will likely be taller than her brother. We will see.

Physical Strength

I know boys are suppose to be quicker to acquire physical skills and slower to acquire language. For the most part this was true of Isaac, however, I *think* that he acquired language at a faster pace (not as fast as girls) than most boys.

It has been funny to watch Tessa though. I am certain that she has more physical strength and ambiguity than Isaac at the same age. She is so good at grabbing certain things and manipulating them. Putting them in her mouth with accuracy. I remember clearly at this stage with Isaac thinking he should be further along in that area. He was more interested in studying the objects than manipulating them.

Tessa also seems to have a tighter, firmer grip than Isaac ever did. Isaac has experienced this first hand himself. He was holding Tessa’s hand the other day when she got a grip of his fingers. I laughed pretty hard when she wouldn’t let go. He wasn’t sure what to do.

If I had a prediction at this point it is that Tessa is going to be more athletic and physical than Isaac. Isaac seems to be more interested in exploring things than wielding his strength. I suppose time will tell.

Personality

My grandmother always comments on how happy Isaac is. How she hasn’t ever seen him grumpy or upset. And for the most part she is right. She, of course, hasn’t seen him when he is whining and cutting teeth but. . . The funny part is that as a baby I never described Isaac as “happy”. He was always so serious and contemplative. We always described him as “determined”. He was content but he wasn’t happy. He is a great kid and is very happy now though, grandma is right.

Now Tessa? Tessa is HAPPY! That girl smiles and smiles and smiles some more. She LOVES being tickled and scared and laughed at and talked to. She is the most smiley baby I have ever run across. I can’t believe how happy she is. Although that is why we named her Tessa JOY. If I had a prediction about her I would say that she is going to be the family jokester. She is just always laughing, having a good time, smiling and loves to be scared to the point of laughter. It is amazing to see.

Okay, that is it for now. I am sure I will think of more as soon as I stop writing this post. . .I’ll just leave you with some comparison photos from the first 4 months of their lives. (Isaac is always on top, Tessa on bottom).

Day 1

1st Month

2nd Month

3rd Month

4th Month

Tessa is 5 months old today and I am just now posting a 4 month update. Oh well. We were shocked at her 4 month appointment that she was 97% for height, 90% for head and 90% for weight. HOLY COW! I expected her to be tall but she was way further along than we anticipated.

My mom mentioned that she thought she was going to be taller than Isaac, so I went back to Isaac’s measurements to compare. Turns out at the same appointment (4 months), Isaac was only .6 ounces more than Tessa. AND Tessa is actually a half inch longer than Isaac was and her head is a quarter of a inch bigger. I had no idea.

I am so sick of rotating clothing sizes that I will be happy when she slows down. She moved into 6-9 month clothes two weeks ago and I remember very clearly that Isaac was only in 6-9 month clothes for a month and a half. My estimates bring us changing clothing sizes again mid-June. Crazy! It is also sad to me because we have inherited some really cute summer clothes in the 6-9 month range. So if you see Tessa in strappy dresses the first of June you will know why – I’m racing to keep up with the cuteness!

And this post wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t write about how absolutely sweet and genuinely happy Tessa is. She smiles ALL. THE. TIME. The only time she is not smiling is when she is ready to eat. She even wakes up with huge smiles and giggles each morning. I seriously am trying to figure out how two high strung individuals end up with such a jovial and excited baby. All I can figure out is prayer. Lots and lots of prayers that she would be a good baby.

 

I love this picture of the two of them together. It is the first one we have. There are more pictures from this photo shoot to come so stay tuned.

Isaac is just starting to take an interest in Tessa. That is, other than swiping her toys. He has been funny. I have been surprised at how possessive he has been of his old toys that Tessa now plays with. Does he really remember? He seems to. He is most possessive of the toys that were his earlier in his life.

We have been teaching him to share but you know how that goes with a toddler. Although, today Ben reported that she was crying (I was sleeping in) and he went over and got some of his favorites of her toys and took them to her. Offering them in exchange for her crying to stop. So cute.

And then they were all sitting on the couch Isaac grabbed her hand to hold. He was a little taken aback when she proceeded to suck his thumb. So funny.

At any rate, I have some more posts lined up for you this week to share their cuteness and growth.

Thanks Isaac and Tessa for making me a mom. You make it seem so easy!