Tess's (?) Magic Dress

Tess isn't a name you hear very often. I loved the name while I was pregnant, but I wondered if it would suit her once we actually met her face to face. Now that I know her a little better, I really love the name for her. It suits her perfectly and I love saying it a million times a day!

I also love seeing her name in print (that's one reason I love the personalized things you make for her, Maur). It's a rare occurrence, but I did see it recently in a Hanna Andersson (children's clothing) catalog.

It included an anecdote about a 5-year old Tess who had worn one of their sundresses every season for like 3 years in a row (3 to 5 times a week--come on, get the girl a new dress!).

I mention this not only because I like the thought of Tess with a magic dress (do you think she'd be able to fly?), but because I have encountered one slight conundrum when it comes to her name:

How to spell the possessive form of her name?
Just how many s's can one little girl bear?

Unfortunately, there is no clear cut answer to this question--it's basically a matter of style.

The Chicago Manual of Style calls for the addition of an apostrophe and an "s." Thus, her name would read: Tess's.

This is the old school, grammatically proper way I learned in grade school--the apostrophe fills in for the missing "e," creating the "ez" sound together with the "s." The possessive form of her name is pronounced "Tessez."

The Chicago manual makes an exception for names that already end with an "ez" sound, the classic example being "Euripedes' plays." But the name "Tess" does not fit this exception.



On the other hand, the Associated Press Stylebook (which is used for less academic writing, such as newspapers) recommends adding only an apostrophe at the end and skipping the third "s." Thus, her name would read: Tess'.

It's shorter and simpler and one "s" less, but I don't know. Old habits die hard.

For what it's worth, here's the Hanna Andersson approach (but then again, they're Swedish).

I've gone back and forth, not entirely comfortable with either approach. Of late, I've simply avoided the issue by using a nickname whenever I have to use the possessive: "Tessie's" (the nickname "Tessikins" is of little help in this situation).

If I get any more desperate I may resort to abandoning the possessive form entirely: "the magic dress of Tess."

So, I've decided to put this pressing issue of weighty grammatical significance to you. Cast your vote in the Possessive Poll--the manner in which Tess will hold all her future possessions rests in your hands!

And for those who tire quickly of grammatical musings, here's a pic from Tessie's walk yesterday (it's been beautiful and warm ever since Mom left--sorry, Mom!).

And finally, this video was taken during Mom's visit. It's Tessie's first complete back-to-tummy roll! She's become much more accomplished at it now. She can turn herself over with little exertion!