I have so much to catch up on from the last couple of weeks...I will post pictures soon. But tonight I just wanted to write this to be able to remember the experience...

This week I have really noticed that Tessa is growing up. Her hair is getting thick, she finally got her first tooth on Wednesday, she is becoming more interested in finger foods, she is standing alone for longer periods of time, and she has even taken a few steps on her own.

What happened tonight was really cool, though. Tessa has this leopard blanket thing that she is obsessed with (kind of like Kyri's bear). My mom has been telling me that Tess can say "leopard" for a few weeks now. I kind of laughed it off. Tessa "talks" ALL day long. She never stops, but we don't speak Tessa's language, so we never understand her detailed stories. Sometimes it sounds like she says certain words, so we pretend to translate for her.

Tonight after her last bottle, Tessa got a second wind and was not ready for bed. (This is pretty common for Tessa the Tornado...my new nickname for her) While she was digging in the basket of dog toys for Ozzie, I was trying to distract her, so I yelled out, "Where's leopard?" Tessa stopped, stood up, looked at me and said, "Wipard?" I looked at her in disbelief and said, "Yes, where's leopard?" She started whispering, "wipard, wipard" as she toddled around the couch looking frantically around the room. She finally spotted her leopard and sped over to get him across the room. As soon as she reached him, she turned around and held him up with the biggest grin on her face and said, "WIPARD!!" It was the cutest thing ever and she was so proud of herself. I now believe my mom that Tessa can say leopard (or wipard) and she actually knows what she's talking about. This story may sound silly to some, but to me it was my baby's first word - on purpose! It was a really cool feeling to see that she is comprehending what we're saying now. Tessa is not a baby anymore. In a month and a half she will be a whole year old!! She's a big girl who amazes us everyday!

Speaking of big girls...my first baby is turning 3 tomorrow!! Where has the time gone?? I know people always say that time flies as you get older, and this has definitely been the fastest year of my life! Slow down!!!