Maymont Park...

To help quell the spells of yelling (ah rhyming), we decided to take Tessa on an outdoor adventure at Maymont Park in Richmond. That's right. We drove 4 hours so Tess could experience a park in Richmond. Actually we've been in Richmond for a week with Jaime's family. It's a pretty strange park, mainly because there are animal habitats all around. It's a little like a mini-zoo.

We started at the Childrens farm. Since our baby is broken (her setting is stuck on 'scream'), we went to check out some of the fresh new crop to perhaps make a trade. Here I am presenting Tessa to potential barterers. No one made any bids.


Well, it turns out childrens farm is not at all what it sounds like. There was no farming of childrens at all. In fact, all they had were animals: goats, sheep and birds. Jaime squealed and squealed when she saw the baby goats frolicking. I hate the word frolic for not having a K on the end. Goats make surprisingly cute babies.


We fed some big goats...not cute at all.


We saw bears...and Tessa used a statue to show them what she would do to them. Head stomped! I thought the nicest part of the park was the Japanese garden. It was really peaceful until a pack of wild teenage girls showed up screeching and barking about the giant goldfish in the pond.


After the teenagers showed up, all the animals fled to this rock in the middle of the pond. I envied them.


And finally some pictures of Tess with her best girlfriend. Tess really loves exploring new places and she was pretty content the whole time we were out and about.

Thumbsucking...

Her thumbs are already in trouble.

Thank you Grandma and Grandpa Funk...

Tess is an awful baby. I've said it before, and I'll continue to say it. She's as cute as can be...but just aaaaawful. She hates sitting. She hates laying down. She hates being cuddled, but always has to have someone holding her. She's a screaming ball of contradictions. We about lost our minds until Miriam reminded us we have an exersaucer that the Funks gave us.


Tessa loved it...for 7 minutes and 37 seconds. But that is 3 times longer than she has liked any other toy we've tried to entertain her with! So, we have high hopes for this thing. It should be exactly what she wants since she doesn't have to sit or lay down. It makes her think she's standing up and has lots of things to grab her attention.


At first she had a little trouble with the Sesame Street characters staring at her. She must have thought they were eyeing a potential cuddle buddy. After realizing that strangling them wouldn't actually accomplish anything, she decided to just be friends. Sorry, you can't really see her face in the video.


She's gotten really handsy lately too. A couple of days ago she got very upset with me while I was holding her because I wouldn't let her stick her hands in my mint chocolate chip ice cream.

My baby's smarter than your baby...

I don't mean to brag or anything, but Tess has already taught herself to read. She can't speak (unless you count barking, but she doesn't even do that on command), and can't sit up on her own. But she can read...any language...and alphabet/writing system.

Here she is reading one of Shakespeare's greatest works, All About Me, in which he incites many intense intellectual exchanges with lines such as: "I have chubby legs...and chubby feet too!" However, Tess usually fails to see the philosophical implications in quotes like that, takes it the wrong way, and glares at the page as if to say, "Oh. So now you're callin me fat, huh?"

Babies. So sensitive about their weight.





Shakespeare is lies.

Quite possibly the cutest video you'll ever see...ever

Tess is like any other baby and gets cranky when she's sleepy. However, after she has gotten all of her fuss out and right before she falls asleep, she gets really happy. If you want to see her smile or laugh, then this is the best time. I made this video of her a few days ago during one of these happy spells. It didn't last long though, and about halfway through the video she realizes I'm not laughing with her, but at her.



What a giggle bot.

School marmin' it...

The other day, I asked Tess what she wants to be when she grows up, and she squealed, "A school marm!!!"

Sittin up soooooo big...

The girl really likes to sit up, mainly so she can see the TV. It's hard to watch TV with her because she mainly only watches CNN. We'd like her to watch more entertaining television, but you try telling a 3-month old that Anderson Cooper isn't dreamy. Blah blah blah and cute pictures.







Yeah, she's a little high strung. She makes this face a lot.