9 months!

It's hard to believe Matilda is 9 months old.  To celebrate, here are a bunch of random pictures of Tilly being Tilly.  Click "Read more" below.

Baby in a Christmas Box

We don't put baby in a corner, but we do put her in pumpkins and boxes.  Why?  Because for some reason it's really cute when babies sit in things.  "Read more" to see what we mean.  You're welcome.

First Christmas

Matilda got to enjoy multiple Christmases this year, and got way too many presents as a result.  Of course she was good at playing with paper and boxes, but she was actually pretty good at pulling things out of her stocking as well.  "Read more" for random pictures of Tilly celebrating Christmas.

Happy Tilly in the Mirror

Matilda has a twin that lives in the mirror.  The best part is that she is always happy.  Everybody loves happy Tilly in the mirror!

Peek-a-boo

Matilda loves peek-a-boo! She started playing by herself with some newspaper, and we didn't realize what she was doing. Once we realized and started playing along, she wouldn't stop. Check out some videos of peek-a-boo below!

Dancing

Matilda can now officially "shake it."  It started with a sway back and forth, but Tilly soon began bouncing and rocking to the beat.  She doesn't like to follow the internet trends, but we tried Beyonce's "single ladies" anyway.  She responded with some awesome moves.  Check out the progression of her skills in the videos below.

Popcorn and a Movie

 

Matilda usually doesn't pay much attention to the TV unless her favorite show is on.  When the Backyardigans start singing, she can't look away.  And if you try to block her view, she'll move to try and see around.  Just more proof that TV melts your brain.  Needless to say, she doesn't get to watch very often.

In this video, you can see her enjoying her snacks and then freeze when the show starts.

Santa... I know him!

Today Matilda got all dressed up to meet Santa.  She had no issues with the mysterious man in red.  She even smiled a little, although it was after they took the pictures.

Eskimo Kisses

Matilda has learned how to give nose kisses.  If you ask for it, she'll lean in and touch noses.  Sometimes, she'll even lean in when you aren't expecting it.  She even gives "noses" to herself in the mirror.  So cute!

Piano Lessons

It's never too early to get your kids playing musical instruments, so we decided it was time for Tilly to get started.  So we set her up with a self-taught piano course.  Throughout November, Tilly has been practicing really hard.  She loves her piano lessons so much she started her own self-taught singing lessons.

Stand Up and Cruise!

The morning after Thanksgiving, Tilly greeted us by standing up in her crib.  I think all the time in her johnny jumpup got her ready to go.  It didn't take her very much longer to start cruising (walking) along whatever she could pull herself up on.  "Read more" for some pictures.

Thanksgiving

Today we noticed Matilda sitting up in her play yard.  She's been able to sit on her own for awhile, but today she pushed up to sitting all by herself!  This came in handy as we were busy getting dinner ready.

Matilda then slept through her first thanksgiving meal, which gave us plenty of time to relax and enjoy it.  When she woke, she got to eat carrots, sweet potatoes, and of course turkey.  "Read more" below for more pictures of Tilly and her drumstick.

Clap Clap Clap

Matilda is learning tons of new things. Today, she started clapping! What's next, standing up?

MaMa vs DaDa

We were told most babies say "Dada" first, because it's easier to say. Well Matilda had no trouble with the "Mama," but soon refused to acknowledge anyone except for Dada. Well except for that Baba person. Who is that?

Mama

Dada

Look Who's Crawling 2

So it didn't take long for Matilda to figure out the crawling thing.  She's still not the best crawler, but she's moving much faster after just a few days practice and is even starting to get her belly off the floor.  Click the picture or link below to check out the 4 short videos showing the progression of her crawling skills.

Halloween!

We were really excited for Halloween this year, because we found an awesome costume on sale.  Matilda went as the Very Hungry Caterpillar.  We were excited, because that was the theme of her baby shower (the caterpillar was made out of cupcakes and cookies!) and she loves her caterpillar toy.  Plus it was super cute.  She actually got to use her costume multiple times, going to various events.  For Halloween we just went trick-or-treating to the few neighbors we know (not for candy, just pictures).  Can't wait for next year!  Check out a few more pictures on the post page.

First Tooth!

Matilda was unusually cranky for a few days and actually had trouble getting to sleep for the first time.  Since we had remembered to feed her, we figured that it must have been teething pains. Chewing on things sometimes made it worse, but sucking on ice cubes seemed to help.  It didn't last long though, as her first tooth broke through by the next morning.  Now she's back to being her normal happy self, at least until the next one starts up.  Yay teefies!

Baby's First Pumpkin

When we were previously at the pumpkin patch, we had decided to get a really big pumpkin.  Why?  We thought it would be fun to put Matilda in a pumpkin.  Why?  Because it's the cutest thing ever.  Matilda is a good sport and had no problems hanging out in a pumpkin while we shot some photos.  Click the link to check out all the photos. Spoiler alert: it's just a bunch of pictures of a baby in a pumpkin.  A little repetitive, but seriously, how many poses can you really do in a pumpkin?  Feel free to comment.  Which one's your favorite?

Look Who's Crawling?!

Up until today, Matilda moved around by rolling over and over.  As far as crawling goes, she's only been good at pushing herself backwards.  But last night she scootched forward across the bed a little bit.  Today, she really started moving.  She doesn't quite get her tummy off the ground yet and she's slow, but she's definitely on the move!

Pumpkin Patch

The weekend before Halloween, Matilda went to her first pumpkin patch with her best friend Vivienne.  Not only did we get some good pumpkins, we got some good pictures as well.  They had a petting zoo, but we decided it cost too much and the girls had to just look at the animals from outside.  Such horrible parents.  We figured it would be boring anyway after having pet a giraffe in San Diego.  Click the link to see all the pictures of our little pumpkins in the patch.

San Diego Zoo

While in San Diego, we took Matilda to the amazing San Diego Zoo.  This zoo was so cool we decided it needed a separate posting on the blog.  Matilda had as much fun as a 6 month old can have at a zoo.  She enjoyed staring at all the animals (including the meerkat sitting on his butt, the cougar with a box of rats stuck on his head, and the flamingos).  She even got to pet the giraffes.  Yep, you read that right.  The San Diego Zoo totally rocks.  "Read more" to see the pictures.

Tilly Goes to San Diego

Matilda got to ride in an airplane again, and she had an awesome time. We sat right in front of another baby about her age, and they had a fun time staring at each other. In San Diego, Tilly got to meet extended family, go on her first aircraft carrier, and went for her first real swim in a pool.  It was a great trip.  Check out the rest of the photos!

Official 6 Month Photos

Mandy and Lindsay came back for Matilda's 6 month photo shoot.  Despite several different outfits and an appearance by Harold, it was tough to get Tilly smiling.  Next time, we won't schedule photos too close to nap time!  Despite her being more laid back than normal, we were able to get her super excited when we let her go after the dog.  Click "Read more" to check out the photos.

6 Month Photos

Matilda was being really cute one evening, so I decided to take some photos to commemorate her turning 6 months.  Our photographer friends Mandy and Lindsay were going to be back soon for Matilda's official 6 month photo shoot, but you can never have too many pictures right?  "Read more" to see these 6 month photos and check out the next post for her official professional 6 month photos!

6 months and sitting...

Matilda is now really good at sitting on her own.  She still gets excited and nose dives occasionally, but she's getting better all the time!  Click "Read more" for a couple more pictures on the post page.

Just like daddy...

So everyone's been saying Matilda looks just like Leia.  I decided to show everyone just how much she looks like me by dressing her up in one of my old outfits.  She may not look like me now (probably a good thing), but she certainly looks pretty similar to how I used to look.  Click "Read more" to enjoy the photos!

Random Cuteness

Here's a quick post of some random Tilly pictures.  Enjoy the rest of the photos by clicking on Read more below.

Big Girl Bath Time

Matilda finally reached the limits of her Puj tub, so she graduated to big girl baths.  She is getting really good at sitting up on her own, but we like to join her since she still flops over occasionally.  She loves bath time, her bath toys, and splashing.  She even loves back floats.  Crazy little water baby!  Click on "Read more" to check out the video and a bunch more pictures of her first time in the big girl tub.

Lake Berryessa Hike

Matilda went on her first hike at Lake Berryessa with her best friend Vivienne.  Because the location of the trail wasn't clearly marked, we decided to go with what we thought was the Smittle Creek Trail.  After following the lake shoreline for awhile, we realized we had come right back to where we started.  Eventually we found the real trail and continued our hike.  Tilly got to try out her awesome sunglasses and even rode backpack style in her carrier for the first time.  We stopped for lunch, and the girls got to enjoy their first taste of watermelon.  Tilly just licked at it, but Vivienne chowed down.  It was a hot day and the water levels were low, but it was a really fun little hike.  "Read more" for all the pictures of Tilly enjoying her first hike!

Gma-Gpa Matern come to town.

Grandma and Grandpa Matern came back down to see how much Matilda has grown.  Since they haven't been down in awhile and she's starting to have some stranger anxiety, we were worried she wouldn't like being held by them.  However, after sitting on mama's lap for awhile checking them out, she decided they were cool.

5 Months!

We can't believe Matilda is already 5 months old!  She has done alot in these past months, like smiling, giggling, and rolling over.  But, the coolest (and potentially most annoying) thing she's learned to do is squealing (screaming) in delight.  She has started to test the limits of her vocal range, to the point that when she gets so high pitched her voice disappears.  She finds this entertaining and does it all the time.  Check out the video of Tilly on her 5 month birthday smiling, giggling, and most importantly... squealing :)

Who needs giggles when you can laugh?

Matilda's been giggling for awhile now and it is super cute.  Then she started laughing and it's hilarious (at least we think so).  She first surprised me at our neighbors house when she heard the dog barking up stairs and began laughing so hard she sounded like she was crying.  Since then she's been very easily entertained.  She apparently thinks jumping is really funny.  She also started laughing at the dog, which we totally encouraged to the point she squealed repeatedly.  Check out the videos!  They're a bit long (1-2 min), but I had no idea where to shorten them.  Enjoy!

Toys!

Matilda doesn't have a ton of toys, but has a wide variety that keep her busy.  Don't worry, she still loves Harold the most!  "Read more" to check out a few of her favorites!

Matilda Rolling

Since we last posted about rolling, Matilda has rolled back to tummy many more times.  She's become pretty good at it, but we just didn't ever have a camera ready.  She also found it fun to wait for us to leave the room, so when we came back she could be on her tummy smiling.  We finally pretended not to be watching, and got the video.  After that, she didn't mind rolling for the camera at all.  Check out the videos below to see her rolling skills!

Rolling Rolling Rolling

At exactly 5 weeks old, Tilly smiled real smiles.  At exactly 14 weeks old, Tilly rolled over from tummy to back.  Today, one day shy of 4 months, Tilly rolled from back to tummy!  She had been trying very hard for several days, and she was super close except for those arms getting in the way.  Unfortunately nobody witnessed the event, so we'll be on the look out from now on!  Until we capture the event, here's some tummy time photos to keep you happy.

Tilly Goes to the Fair

Matilda wasn't too sure about corndogs.

Matilda went to her first fair, and it was a big one!  There isn't much to do at the California state fair except for look at things and eat fair food.  Matilda is a pro at looking at things, so we did all the eating.  She got to see all sorts of animals and really stared at the cows and baby piglets.  She didn't really notice the wallabies, kangaroo, or osterich, but she was totally checking out the parrots.  We had a great time with Auntie Monica as well as Mark, Alicia, and Vivienne.  They were even nice enough to watch Tilly so we could ride the Zipper!  The CA state fair is huge and a lot of fun.  Hopefully Tilly will still like our little Yolo county fair next month!  Check out more pictures on the post page.

Giggles

I don't think there's anything cuter than a baby giggling.  I dare you to watch these videos and disagree (example1 and example2).  How can anyone watch those without smiling?  Matilda has become quite the little talker and loves to giggle.  Her giggles aren't quite as extreme as those little guys tearing paper, but hey, Tilly's not even 4 months old yet.  And, if she's having this much fun now with ugly dolls, I can't wait to see what happens in 6 months with paper!  Here's a video of her giggling so much she gets the hiccups.  Enjoy!

3 Month Photos

Tilly was pretty unaware of the world the last time she posed for the professional camera, seeing how she was barely a week old.  Now she's very familiar with what a camera is (we take alot of pictures).  So, she was totally ready for Mandy and Lindsay to return for her 3 month photo shoot (technically 3 and 1/2).

Tilly had no problems posing for the camera and seemed to enjoy her many wardrobe changes.

You can check out their Lumi Photography blog here.  We're not sure when they'll be able to update their blog with Tilly's photos, so here's a few of them and a couple behind the scenes photos (taken by me).  Click here for the full post, or you can always click the "Read more" link below for more photos.

Another Wedding

Tilly loves Moxy the ugly doll!

Adam trying to eat Tilly.  Apparently the mexican food buffet wasn't enough?

Not even 4 months old and Matilda already attended another wedding.  This time she wasn't in the wedding, so she was able to relax and mingle with her fans.  Our friends Adam and Jessica got married in Carmel Valley, CA.  Since I didn't go to Adam's mustachelor party in Vegas (where apparently hardly anyone actually sported mustaches... lame), I thought I would display my support at the wedding.  Tilly had a good time with our friends, and we learned that Tilly isn't afraid of the cookie duster.  "Read more" below for more pictures!

Stuffed Friends: Harold Edition

Tilly now has several different stuffed friends, including 4 ugly dolls.  But, Harold was her first stuffed friend and still her all-time favorite.  "Read more" below to see more pictures showing just how much she loves Harold.

Happy Baby Pose

On July 1st, Matilda found her feet.  Ever since then, she has been grabbing them as often as she can.  She especially loves the new game of trying to rip her socks off, and she's getting very good at it.  Click "Read more" below for a few more photos of Tilly demonstrating her amazing yoga skills.

When I say roll, you say...

So this morning we got an email update that little Teddy Danger had rolled over yesterday.  We were about to rub this in Tilly's face and begin her training regimen to catch up on her rolling skills, but she must have overheard us talking about it.  Today, at exactly 14 weeks old, Matilda rolled over!  I put her down for some tummy time, and she promptly rolled over like a pro.  Caught by surprise, I grabbed the camera and was ready if it happened again.  As soon as she was on her tummy again, she smoothly flipped back over.  She rolled 3 times, and was nice enough to save the last for when mommy got home.  Check out Tilly's roll below!

Happy 4th of July!

Matilda celebrated American independence the way we all should, by putting on her stars and stripes socks and playing with fire.  Vivienne wanted to join the festivities and brought mom and dad (Mark and Alicia) with her so we could toss some cornbags.  And, what do you do with babies while everybody's outside playing cornhole?  Strap them to your chest and let them play too, of course.  The babies slept through the entire game, but woke up just in time for some fireworks.  "Read more" below for the rest of the pictures.

Aunt Stephanie Comes to Town

Aunt Steph was able to make the long trek down to Cali to visit Matilda.  She and Grandma Matern got to spend some good quality time with Tilly on the way to and from Yosemite.  It was great timing, because Tilly isn't a blob any more.  She's totally aware of new faces and she smiles and giggles all the time!  "Read more" below to see more pictures.

Tilly Loves Lovebirds

Tilly got to play on her first activity mat at Vivienne's house and she totally loved it.  We're such bad parents for not getting her one sooner!  She also got to hang out with Vivienne's birds, Rambo and ChubChub.  Mark and Alicia made a great dinner and the girls had as much fun as babies can have.

Old Friends, New Friends

Tilly demonstrating her 80th percentile height.

The drive home from Santa Barbara was a pretty long drive, so we decided to take a break in the middle.  Luckily, one of our old friends just happened to live almost exactly half way home in Lemoore, CA.  I went to school with Greg Boggs in Washington (he's the reason Leia and I are together... so technically the reason Tilly exists!) and since we haven't seen him for several years, we wanted to stop in and see Greg and his wife Allison.  Actually, a bonus reason to stop was so we could meet little Edward Boggs, who was born less than a week after Matilda.  We didn't even know they were expecting an addition to their family until after he was born, and we were super excited that Tilly would have a new friend so close in age.  We had a short visit, but it was fun and was a perfect way to break up the drive (even though little Eddie slept the whole time!).  Check out all the pictures of the two new friends from old friends on the post page.

Tilly Goes to the Beach

While in Santa Barbara, Tilly got to go to her first beach. The pictures were so cute I decided they needed their own post on the blog. We can't wait until she can walk on beaches all by herself. Okay, we can wait... she's growing up way too fast!  "Read more" below or click here to check out more pictures.

 

Tilly Goes to Santa Barbara

After the wedding, Marmy was nice enough to invite Matilda on her honeymoon.  Of course she needed adult supervision, so we tagged along on her first road trip.  The drive to Santa Barbara was long and we ended up stopping halfway.  Tilly's first overnight stay in a hotel was at a western themed Day's Inn with crappy air conditioning and 11 flies.  The next day we stopped in Pismo Beach and then continued on to S.B.  Once there, Tilly enjoyed her first hot tub (not actually hot), her first baby sitter (Marmy), her first pier (with seals!), and her first beach!  Check out all the pictures of Tilly enjoying her trip to Santa Barbara.

Loving her first road trip!

Pismo Beach on the way to Santa Barbara.