HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY, TESSA!

Today is Tessa's First Birthday, and she has come a very, very long way in only one year. It's pretty amazing to think of the progress that she's made from her first day to the end of her first year! Thank you all for your support and love on this journey. It has meant so much to Tessa and to us.

Because Tessa's birthday is on a Monday this year, and Sunday was Easter, we had a little party for her on Saturday. Here she is getting ready for her party:

Tessa's family and friends took a little "Tessa quiz" to find out who knew the most about Tessa's first year. (More on the winner later...)

Of course, Tessa had a birthday cake for celebrating, and her daddy helped her blow out the candles. But she also had a cupcake just for her, and that was delicious!!

Tessa also started crawling -- real, hands-and-knees crawling -- just in time for her birthday. And this morning, only a couple days after she started crawling, she began pulling up on all of the furniture and creeping along in a standing/walking position. Happy Birthday, Tessa! You are amazing. We love you.

Play Date

Yesterday, Tessa had a fun playdate with some of her mom's colleagues' babies and grandbabies. It turns out that one jumper can entertain three babies at the same time.

New Do

After her bath last night, Tessa tried experimenting with some new hairdos. This one was a family favorite:

Tessa is recovering from a couple ear infections and we've made a few trips to the doctor's office recently. Her ears are on the mend though, and the doctor commented yesterday that Tessa has "a very nice disposition." I said that I had to give her dad credit. The doctor replied, "Your husband does seem very laid back. That's a good trait in a husband. And a baby." I couldn't agree more.

Exploring the Park

We took Tessa to the park last weekend, so that she could experience the swings and the slide (with Daddy's help). At first she was a little skeptical, but she had a blast! Tessa also started "army crawling," on Saturday, and she's now all over the apartment. She's very detail-oriented, so she likes to fully explore each area before moving on. For example, it's not enough to look underneath one part of the edge of the rug because, unless you look, you'll never know whether there's something different underneath the rug six inches farther down. We've been rapidly babyproofing, with help from Tessa. "Look mom and dad, I found another computer cord!" is our best guide for figuring out what needs to be put away.

Look at me standing!

The mainstream crawling ship may have sailed without Tessa on board (although she does have her own version of scooting around that's pretty effective). But, not to be deterred, Tessa is moving right on to pulling herself up and standing, which provides no end of excitement and entertainment. As Tessa demonstrates below, one can pull up on a parent:

Or, just as easily, a piece of furniture: