Headphones

Matilda tried out headphones for the first time today.  At first she seemed  a bit confused at how she was hearing Gabba music, but she figure it out pretty quick.

Pumpkin Patch with Marmy

Marmy came to visit and Matilda got to take her to the pumpkin patch.  This year was a ton of fun because she was big enough to pick out her own pumpkins!  Check out all the pictures.

High Fives and Fist Bumps

Ever since Matilda began to high five, we tried to take it to the next level.  Now she can finally give some dap with a fist bump.  Of course, "blowing it up" always comes with a "Boom!"  And just like high fives, if she gives one, she has to give one to everybody.  Check out the video of Tilly high-fiving and fist bumping!

First Beach in Monterey

Technically it's not her first beach, but it's the first one she's actually been able to play on and interact with.  Back when she was 3 months old, she sat with us on a beach in Santa Barbara.  This time, she got to walk in the sand and waves.  Check out the photos of our fun time at the beaches of Monterey!

Monterey, CA

This past weekend, Matilda enjoyed the famous Monterey Aquarium and dinner with Andy, Ashleigh, and Olivia.  At the aquarium, Matilda got to see lots of fish and play with all the exhibits.  Unfortunately, we didn't get to see any of the sea otters at the aquarium, but we did see some wild otters in the bay when we ate at Bubba Gump's.  It was a quick trip, but we were happy we made it down to hang out with our friends one more time before they went back across the pond.  We will really miss them and hope we get to see them again soon.  Check out all the pictures of our time in Monterey on the post page.

Random Fun

Here's a collection of some random and fun photos from August.  Enjoy!

Sidewalk Chalk

Matilda has really been enjoying her coloring time with mama.  Because her drawing skills are limited, she will ask for all the Gabba characters and of course Elmo.  Leia is really good at drawing them all now, and Tilly loves to help finish them.  Check out some photos from chalk time!

Sacramento Zoo

Today Tilly went to the zoo with her buddy Olivia (and mommy Ashleigh).  We had a lot of fun even though the girls didn't get a chance to feed the giraffes.  They did spend alot of time with the monkey's and chimpanzees.  Then we somehow escaped the gift shop without buying any new animals.  After the zoo, we went to Cafeteria 15L for a really yummy lunch.  Check out all the photos on the post page.

Yolo County Fair

A couple weeks ago we went to the big CA state fair.  Today we went to our little Yolo county fair.  We went with one of Tilly's best buddies, Olivia, and her parents.  We got there too early, so we went for a walk through Burlington Coat Factory, where Tilly found a singing Elmo!  Once the fair opened up, we went through the exhibits and got pupusa's.  Then we found a kid area were the girls made bracelets and rattle shakers.  Check out all of the photos of Tilly at the fair.

Pigtails!

After Matilda's hair fell out by 5 months, we didn't know when it would ever be long enough for pigtails.  Well at 17 months it is finally long enough!  They aren't the longest pigtails, but they'll do okay for now.  Check out a few more photos of Tilly's first pigtails.

Climbing Ladder

Like every other baby her age, Matilda has started climbing everything.  Here's a couple videos of her climbing the ladder and step-stool.  Go Tilly Go!

Puzzle Pro

Matilda is starting to get pretty good at her puzzles.  Here are some pictures and a video of puzzle time.  The video is a couple minutes long and not super exciting, but you can see the wheels in her head turning as she figures out where they go.  At 16 months, she's really figuring out her colors and shapes.  She even throws in a high five at the end!

Random Cuteness

Here's a few random pictures of Tilly.  Check the post page for more photos.

California State Fair

This was Matilda's second time at the California state fair.  She started out by helping mommy at the Bohart entomology exhibit.  Then we walked through all the exhibits and spent alot of time looking at animals.  Matilda also spent a really long time at the petting zoo with the goats and pigs!  See the full post for more pictures.

Movie in the Park

We live really close to a big park in our neighborhood, and they are doing "movies in the park" during the summer.  We decided it would be fun to head out and watch a movie with Tilly.  We loaded up the wagon with blankets and pillows and even brought some popcorn.  They even had a Jamba Juice stand!  The only problem was that they advertised it starting at 7:30, but it didn't get dark enough to see the movie until after 9pm.  We stayed for the first little bit of Cars and then went home for bed time.  Check out more photos of the movie in the park!

Sickies

Today Matilda had her first real sick bug.  She's had some runny noses and normal little colds, but this was a steady high fever with vomiting of anything she tried to eat or drink.  As such she didn't get to eat or drink much all day.  Once she started keeping the water down she moved on to crackers.   Despite being miserable, she did enjoy watching a Yo Gabba marathon.  It took a few days for her to get back to her normal self.  "Read on" for more photos of Tilly during her first real sick day.

Rocking Dog

Awhile back, our awesome neighbors (Chris and Sarah) gave Matilda a rocking dog to use.  It's basically a rocking horse, but in the form of a fluffy dog.   As soon as she could climb up she started riding and yelling "puppy dog, puppy dog!"  Now that she's more coordinated, she's started standing on his back.  Check out this recent video of daredevil Tilly enjoying the rocking dog!

Fourth of July!

This year we entered the Davis Fourth of July Bike Parade.  Matilda helped set up her patriotic wagon and waved flags to everyone watching.  It's a really short parade, lasting 3 blocks and ending up at the downtown city park.  We got there too late to enter the best decorations contest, but Tilly had a great time.  Afterward, we met up with Vivienne and Olivia and Tilly shared her wagon.  It was a very happy independence day!  "Read more" for the rest of the photos.

Bathtime

Matilda loves to take baths and showers.  And of course, she usually doesn't want to get out.  One thing that helps is her hooded Sharky and Kitty towels.  I think she looks forward to wrapping up and running around the house wearing only the hoods.  "Read more" for a video and some photos of bath time.

Tickle Tickle

Matilda is a big tickler.  It might be because we tickle her all the time, but now she loves to tickle back.  She  will tickle all her stuffed friends and will grab you and say "tickle tickle tickle!"  Check out the quick video of her tickling everybody.

Climber

Matilda has been climbing onto the couch for awhile now, but now that she mastered getting up and down on the couch, she want's to climb everything.  She's now started climbing on the step-stool.  The first time she made it up and down with no problems.  Only later did she sometimes get a little scared and ask for "help" coming down.  But now she's definitely got the climbing thing figured out.

Rare Stinky Flower

Today Matilda got to see an extremely rare event.  We went to the UC Davis Botanical Conservatory to see a rare flower (titan arum - aka corpse flower) bloom for it's first time after over a decade of growing.  These flowers have only been observed blooming in captivity about 100 times in history, and the bloom only lasts about 36 hours.  So we were excited to get to see (and smell) the giant flower bloom.

And wouldn't you know it, Matilda made it into the newspaper again. Well sort of. I kinda got in the way and stole her thunder. It's a bummer too, because this photo was one of the top news photos around the world for June 18th!  There we were smelling a stinky flower in the news photo slide shows with president Obama, floods in Asia, and riots in South America. We heard that it was run in newspapers all across the country! And, I stole Tilly's chance at world wide fame.  I blame the photographer for not using one of the other photos. Well, you can at least "Read more" for some of our own pictures of Tilly at the the flowering event.

Pool Time

Matilda got her very own little kiddy pool.  It took her a little bit to warm up to it, and now her favorite thing to do is climb in and out constantly.  She also enjoys playing with her whistling dolphins and tries to get them to whistle by blowing through them. She loves her pool time and even shared with Olivia, but Tilly may have regretted it as she spent the whole time trying to avoid being splashed by Olivia.  Read on for more pictures of pool time!

Sorting Coins

We thought it was funny that at a recent doctor visit, they told us to be sure not to leave small things like coins lying around because babies will eat them.  This was funny, because Matilda's loves to sort coins into her little banks.  We just leave her with a pile of coins and she keeps herself entertained.  She'll even pop open the bank and dump them out so she can start over.  We lucked out, because she hardly ever puts anything in her mouth that isn't meant to be eaten.  Good job baby.

Tilly Picks Fruit

During a visit from Grandma, Matilda got to go pick fresh fruit at the local you-pick farm.  She had a great time eating all the fruit faster than we could pick it.  She ate a ton of cherries and pretty much all the raspberries we could pick.  Read on for a video and pictures of Tilly picking fruit!

Museum Newsletter

Matilda made her second appearance in the Bohart Museum's monthly newsletters today. This time she was advertising the new "Know your sticks" shirt (she's also on the Museum's online shop). She loves real sticks, so this worked out perfectly. She picks up sticks almost everywhere we go.  You may remember seeing her carrying them around on our Mother's day hike.  What's really exciting is that this picture also wound up in the local newspaper. This is Tilly's second time making the paper.  Read on for some more of the photos of Tilly loving sticks.

Couch Dismount

One of the first things we tried to teach Matilda, was how to turnaround and slide off the couch and beds. She picked it up quickly, and it's been really nice not having to worry too much about her as she begins to climb up onto things. We finally got a video of her demonstrating a smooth dismount from the couch. Enjoy!

Wagon!

Today Matilda got to test out her brand new wagon.  We've been wanting to get one for awhile, and this was just too good of a deal to pass up.  It's a pretty sweet ride with six cupholders, large trunk space, and two bucket seats.  Tilly had no problems climbing in and out, and although she didn't need it, she initially wanted help climbing out.  On walks now, she loves to sit down in the middle where it's deep.  Read more for a video and pictures of her checking out her wagon for the first time.

Yo Gabba Gabba! Dance

Matilda loves Yo Gabba Gabba.  She's not a big fan of tv in general, but YGG is her favorite show.  She will easily sit through multiple episodes if we would let her.  She loves the nonstop singing and dancing, and we actually enjoy it too (compared to some other awful kid shows out there).  Here's a few videos showing her excitement and dancing skills!

 

Kids Museum

Today we went to check out the Sacramento Children's Museum.  Matilda met up with Vivienne and had a great time playing with all the different activities.  She loved watching the golf balls roll, ping pong balls float, and tissues fly through tubes.  Tilly then showed us how to splash it up in the water area and got soaked despite wearing her splash jacket.  Read on for some videos and pictures of our fun day at the museum!

Annular Eclipse of 2012

Today was a special day because of the solar eclipse.  Unlike the total solar eclipse, this was an annular eclipse, meaning the moon was far enough from earth that it doesn't totally block the light of the sun.  This creates a ring of fire around the shadow of the moon.  Way cool.  The problem is, the moon has to be in just the right spot to be in line with you and the sun in order to see the ring.  You can imagine this window is actually pretty small (about 100 miles wide).  Total and annular eclipses are fairly rare, because of how often everything lines up right and that they pass over such a small portion of the earth.  Obviously, the closer to the midline of the umbral path or path of totality (moons inner shadow), the longer the eclipse lasts.  If you aren't within that path, well you're stuck with the common partial eclipse.  Today was special day because we happened to be just 30 mins from the edge of totality.  So luckily, we got to see this:

I'm really glad we got to go see the eclipse this year, because we may not ever see one like it again.  If my calculations are correct, the next path of totality for an annular eclipse to go over Sacramento won't happen again until Feb. 18, 2110 and the next total eclipse won't happen here until Dec. 31, 2252 (okay, so those are NASA's calculations).  Don't worry, if your calendar doesn't extend out that far, you can always settle for the partial eclipse on Oct. 23, 2014.  Redding, CA will actually have a total eclipse in 2045 with an annular eclipse in 2046.  Who knew Redding was the place to see total eclipses!  For everyone in Portland, OR, get ready for your total eclipse on August 21, 2017! (Tilly will be 6 years old then!)

Since these events are fairly rare, we decided it would be fun to have a picnic and watch it with our special glases.  And, in order to extend the time of the eclipse to 3 min, we drove about an hour and a half to Oroville, CA.  Tilly had her friend Olivia to play with as we convinced our friends Andy and Ashleigh to come along.  And if the picnic and eclipse weren't enough of a treat, we also got to see the oldest orange tree in California and drive across the tallest dam in the U.S.  All in all it was a pretty good day.  Read on to see some pictures of our awesome day in Oroville, CA.  Hi, I'm in Oroville.

Flash Cards

Matilda loves her flash cards.  She knows a bunch of them by name and will find them in the pile if you ask for them.  If you line them up, she will pick out any of the ones you ask for.  Her favorites so far are of course the kitty cards (lion, tiger, and house cats) as well as the penguins, panda, and butterfly.  Read on for more pictures and a video!

Mother's Day Hike

For mother's day, Matilda and I took Leia on a day hike to an old limestone quarry up in Auburn, CA.  It was a really nice day and a fun little Hike.  We packed in a little picnic lunch, found a locked up cave, and hiked around the old quarry.  Plus, Tilly got to try out her awesome backpack.  She seemed to love it and even fell asleep on the hike back out.  "Read more" for a ton of pictures from our awesome mother's day.

Couch Fort

Tilly started playing a game where she wanted to hide under a blanket with me.  She was having a ton of fun going in and out of our mini tent, so I decided she needed to have her first fort.  We started moving cushions and set up our own little castle on the couch.  She absolutely loved it and we played in it all day until mom got home from work.  Click the post title or link below to see all the photos of our adventure!

12 Month Photos

This was by far our favorite photo shoot with Mandy and Lindsay, because Tilly was running around enjoying everything.  We got a ton of great photos.  Click "Read more" to see a sampling of the official 12 month photos.

Bucket Head

Apparently normal walking has become much too easy for little Matilda. She decided to take up extreme walking which requires not seeing where you're going and wearing a makeshift helmet for potential crashes. If you've got a bucket, then you've got both requirements covered. Here's a video of Tilly being really funny.

Cornhole Pro

Today Matilda played her first game of cornhole.  She didn't play for very long, because she mastered it so quickly.  She saw me throwing the corn bags at the boards and walked across the park to show me how it's done.  Luckily I saw her coming and got her first cornhole attempts on video.  Watch this 12 month old pro show you how to play the game.

Vivienne's Birthday!

After picnic day, we went over to celebrate Vivienne's first birthday.  Of course Tilly loves stuffed animals and tried to steal some of Vivienne's birthday presents!  We had fun hanging with the babies, and after watching Vivienne destroy her cake, the girls went for a swim.  It was a really fun and busy day!  Read more for all the pictures.

Picnic Day

This was Matilda's second time attending Picnic Day, but she was so little last time she pretty much slept through the whole thing.  This time she had lots of fun.  She started off helping Mama at the bug museum.  Then she watched some of the parade and enjoyed the 5 DeLoreans.  She then got to check out the Biotech exhibits.  All of this before heading off to celebrate her best buddy Vivienne's birthday.  "Read more" for the picnic day photos.

Random Tilly

Here's a post with some random photos of Matilda doing random things.

Weather Dance Show

Yesterday Matilda went to watch a dance show and enjoyed watching our friend Kristi perform dances about the weather.  She even got to participate with all the other kids at the end.  Even though she was the smallest one up there and had no idea how to be a 'flower,' she seemed to have a good time.  "Read more" for some pictures of Tilly up on stage.

Big Sis Tilly

Today Matilda found out she's going to be a big sister.  She took the news well, but we'll have to see how she handles it when she's no longer the center of attention.  Yay babies!

Update: April Fool's!

Birthday Party

Today we had a party for Matilda with lots of friends and great food.  Unfortunately, a couple of Matilda's baby buddies couldn't make it, but she and Vivienne still had a wonderful time entertaining all the grown-ups.  And, what would a first birthday party be without a big cake mess?  Matilda had a fun time but was super tired by the end.  "Read more" to see some photos of the party.

First Birthday!

Today Matilda turned one year old.  To celebrate her birthday we went to the zoo.  She got to see lots of animals and had a great time with Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunt Stephy.  After the zoo, we went to dinner where Tilly got a free sundae and happy birthday song!  We can't believe she's already one year old.  She's learned so much this past year, and we can't wait to see what she does next year.  "Read more" to see a ton of pictures from Tilly's first birthday!

Bookworm

Matilda loves books and her new walking skills make getting them easier than ever.  When she wants to read, she will bring you a book and sit in your lap.  And if you ask her to bring you a specific book by name, she totally knows which one to bring you.  She really loves her 'Gruffalo' book that her best friend Vivienne brought back from Ireland.  Check out the videos of Tilly getting books to read!

Fork this, not that...

Earlier this month Matilda began using a spork as long as we would stab the food for her.  Well today she decided she wanted to have a fork at dinner, and rather than bang and wave it around, she proceeded to eat with it.  She ate for quite awhile with surprising skill.  Here's a short video of her doing big girl stuff!

St. Patrick's Day Lucky Run

Matilda got up early to go watch mama run the Lucky 7 mile run.  It was cold, but she seemed to have a good time.  We even saw a 2 and 4 year-old running the 7K with their daddy, so Matilda has some new goals to achieve by next year.  "Read more" for some pictures.

Walking

Matilda has been walking quite a bit since she took her first steps back in January.  For awhile she wanted help and would just stand in place until you gave her your hand.  Now she is all over the place and all by herself.  The only thing she hasn't quite mastered is standing up consistently without an object to help.  No worries, she just crawls to the nearest wall and away she goes!  Check out her walking skills!

Pig Day

Matilda has been enjoying her weekly trips to the farmer's market, but this week it was extra special.  It was pig day and we celebrated all things pig!  Plus the weather was great and we got to see all of Tilly's friends.  "Read more" for more pictures.

Hugs and Kisses

Matilda has been giving kisses, and has now also figured out what hugs are.  If you ask for a hug, she will lean over and lay her head and arms down on you.  Check out the new videos of her giving hugs and kisses below!

Spork

Matilda has preferred to feed herself for awhile now. Today she put food into her mouth with a fork and was very excited about it. She hasn't quite mastered getting stuff onto the fork although she's really trying. If we help her stab it, she'll gladly eat it. She has also scooped up grapes onto a spoon. Go Tilly Go!

Kisses

Tilly has been doing "nose kisses" for awhile but has just now figured out what real kisses are.  It's super cute to see her trying to lay one on you.  They started out kinda sloppy, but she's now very good at giving kisses.  Check out the video!

Parks and Recreation

Matilda has been enjoying her playtime in the park.  Our park doesn't have swings, so she goes straight for the slides (the biggest one of course!).  Sometimes we even get to go use swings with Vivienne in her park.  Check out some more pictures and videos on the post page.

Playtime

Matilda loves playtime.  She chases the kitty, reads her books, and dumps her toy basket on a daily basis.  Matilda loves her toys so much she climbs into her toy box to play with them.  Here's some random pictures of her playing with stuff!

Look Who's Walking!?

Matilda has been cruising around holding furniture for awhile now, and yesterday she started walking all around the house while holding on to our fingers.  Today she was testing her ability to stand and balance without support, when she decided to start walking on her own.  We were wondering what would define her first steps, but we're pretty sure this is it.  So much for stumbling out of the gates.

Stand Alone

Today Matilda stood alone and balanced unsupported for 12 seconds before slowly squating to the ground.  She's been cruising along furniture for a while now, but with her new balancing skills, she has also began walking everywhere with support.  As long as she can hold on to your fingers, she will take you where she wants to go.  Here's a little video of her getting some practice.

Official 9 1/2 month photos

Today Matilda had her 9 month photos taken.  Due to an unfortunate incident that shall not be named, we had to postpone a bit.  Tilly had a great time playing with her favorite photographers Mandy and Lindsay, their three cats, and Great Dane Stella.  "Read more" for the rest of the photos.

Growing

Matilda is growing like crazy.  It's so hard to even remember how small she used to be, but going back through pictures can be an eye-opening reminder.  Here's a comparison from less than a month to just over nine months.  Go Tilly go!

The Incident

Ice pack: $1.99.  Trip to the emergency room: $50.  Learning what "hot" means: Painful/Priceless.

Today we realized Matilda can get across rooms faster than we thought.  At least faster than the time it takes to pull dinner out of the oven.  She saw a new "ledge" and crawled across the room and was ready to pull herself up, but the oven door decided it didn't want to play that game.  Fortunately, she only got the top layers of skin, and despite some really ugly blisters, it should heal up nicely with no scarring.  "Read more" for more pics of her "paw" (and an update!).