nine months...

tess is nine months old. she has now been out in the world longer than she was in the womb. that is so bittersweet. i find myself looking enviously at pregnant women on the street. how quickly you forget how hard it was! little tess looks so happy here, but you can probably see her runny nose. she's had a bad cold this week. yet, still she smiles on. that's tess. until you make her mad, and then uh oh she throws a tantrum. sidney on my lap? she is jealous and throws her head back in anger banging it on the floorand needing all my attention. take away something she wants and she throws her head back again or falls forward onto her tummy where she kicks and screams. she loves being naughty! she finds something new and looks to you to see if she is supposed to have it... no? even better!! she is so full of energy and is always on the move. i held her in my lap today like when she was a newborn and asked her to be my little baby again, to just lay there and look around and be content. but no, she wiggles and laughs and squirms away. even singing her favorite songs only gives you a minute. if you sit on the floor though, she is likely to come over and climb all over you like a jungle gym. she will offer you some snack, and then snatch it away again. she will laugh and dance. she sometimes lets go and stands on her own, but only when she doesn't realize. she is not so quick to walk like her brother was and i am grateful. stay my little baby tess. let me cuddle you and kiss your cheeks and belly. let me nurse you sometimes with out squirming around but the way you used to, staring at me only and not the goings on of the world around us. when those moments do come now i must remember to treasure them completely. don't let me miss them before they are gone all together.


sorry for my absence last week. a hot water pipe broke in our upstairs bathroom and made quite a mess. we are left without a shower and have only the old claw foot tub to share. all of the pipes need to be replaced up there. anyone want to be our benefactor to make that happen? no? oh, well. the claw foot tub is kind of romantic. at least i keep telling myself that. if you do happen to work for this old house feel free to contact me!