Most nights when I come up to bed, I know I’ll find her there, nestled under the covers of my bed, fast asleep. Sometimes her Barbies are scattered on either side of her, and other days it is Lauren who has found her way to Tessa’s side. We go through the same routine each time. I chuckle and sigh, often snap a picture, and go collect John so that he can move her back to her bed. She is now too heavy for me to carry from room to room.
Some nights I go up early to study, just after they have been put to bed. While I work, I hear them giggle in their room down the hall. Usually at least once or twice, they run into my room, see me sitting there, say something like, “oopsies” (or maybe other times “God bless it” or the family favorite, “oh shit” 😬), and run away laughing. When Lauren’s chatter dies down, Tessa quietly makes her way back to my room and snuggles up next to me. I let her stay. It’s nice to have the company. And since she’s soon to be seven, I know the days of this are numbered.
Seven, yes, she’s turning seven. Or has turned, depending on when I actually hit publish on this. This child:
is now this child:
and it is 10,000% as unbelievable to me as it seems to you.
I got a little carried away with the birthday hoopla this year, which of course is something for which John teases me to no end. He asks, “feeling guilty about the day she was born again?” I marvel then at how far we have come since our little unicorn baby came into our family.
She is seven.
She is hysterical. She is shy and sweet and also very blunt. If she doesn’t like something, she tells you. She will not have her shows interrupted by anything or anyone. When dinner is served at the table (a rare occurrence these days), she pulls a blanket out of the basket in the living room and makes herself a spot to eat in front of the television. She finds great joy in hitting “leave meeting” on the Zoom calls with her teachers.
(As a side note, it is equal parts amazing and horrifying how well she has learned to navigate virtual learning platforms.)
Dogs are not her favorite, but she loves Uncle Matt’s pet lizard Chomp.
She adores her sisters and her cousins, especially Baby Luke. She’s not a fan of large groups, but will talk your ear off one-to-one. Her raggedy dolls from the Target dollar spot and naked Barbies are her favorite. Each one has a name and a personality, and for hours and hours a day, they keep her brain going. She doesn’t mind when Ellie asks her to play the male lead character from any movie while they play, but given the chance to be Elsa, or Anastasia, or Cinderella, she runs with it. She loves to dance and sing. She absolutely requires that I give John a hug and kiss “on da wips” before I leave for work in the morning.
I do believe that I am her favorite. I think there are more than a few people who could say that though… because when you have her attention, that’s really how Tessa makes you feel – like there is no one else that she loves more than you (again, as long as you aren’t interrupting the tv show).
I would choose this life with her a hundred million times over. Happy birthday, Tessa Lynn. We love you!
Yo soy La Lay 