6 Month Tessa

Tess hit her 6-month mark a few days ago, so I wanted to document what her most noticeable traits are so far. She loves eating, gulping, swallowing without chewing, staring at any food nearby, grabbing for mama and dada's plates, and just generally putting anything in her mouth. And eating it. The theme of our daughter? Serious gastronomy.

The other thing that she does REALLY well is smile profusely whenever Ted or I come into view, even if we just left the room for 30 seconds and came back in. Of course, if we come back in with food, the smile is accompanied by hyperventilation and flailing limbs.

So here is photographic evidence of all things boca.

Take THAT, American flag. Happy independence to you, too!

The other person she just beams for nonstop is Ted's sister. She's only been with Tess a few times since she was born, but Tessa gets irrepressibly giggly. We can't figure it out, because neither of us like her very much, but there you have it. Kidding, Anneli. KIDDING!

The day she turned 6 months, she bit me and opened up the wound she'd given me the day before from her razor-sharp chompers. My fingers don't get anywhere near that mouth anymore.

Notice the empty bowl AND banana peel. That was her lunch, and she's still leaning over and looking for more. And the fold that's forming on her wrist? Nothin' but love.

This picture was specifically for showing off her FULL double-chin. All the way up to her cheeks, baby. We have to put baby powder under her third one because it never touches air.

A common look:

The spoon is only halfway to her mouth, and she lunges for it. This is no shrinking violet, folks.

One of my favorite moments. I thought I'd see if she could wrap her chubby fingers around a blueberry and put it in her mouth like she can with her toys. So I placed a few in front of her. Total faceplant. Isn't this the same pose for all food-eating contests?

We only did this for show. She doesn't eat whole bananas. Oh wait. Yes she does. And she doesn't chew. And if we're one second late with the next little piece, boy, do we hear about it.

I wish I had audio for this one. The bottle was drained in about 3 minutes flat.

During the cross-country move, we were forced to pull off in random places and bust out the grub.

During a recent aquarium trip (thank you, Anneli - we LOVED the day), Tessa got a taste of her own medicine. She is very scrumptious and edible.

Especially for sharks.

Her poor toys.

So, Chubbsy is now pushing 20 pounds. Gone are the days of bathing her in the bathroom sink, though I tried.

Her first experience with prunes. She loved them, but I couldn't handle the diapers afterward, so it was her last experience until she can wipe herself.

And many thanks to Niki, who claims she "helped" me make this onesie for her, but who really did it for me. An homage to bacon. I haven't given her any yet, but one day, I ate a piece (or four) and then gave her a kiss on the mouth. She started sucking on my lips better than Ted does. That's my girl! Happy 6 months, my epicurean masterpiece!