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!).

San Francisco

Matilda visited the City by the Bay for the first time.  It was a quick trip but she had a great time!  "Read more" for the rest of the photos.

Say Kitty!

Matilda has been learning so many new things, but today she said what we consider her first word.  Other than mama and dada, she's just been babbling, but today she said "kitty" while trying to get closer to the cat.  We were lucky to catch her saying it a couple times on video.  She's known what "kitty" means, and now she can finally say it while chasing the cat around the house.  What a way to start off the new year!

New Year

She didn't quite make it to midnight on her first New Year's, but we lit sparklers for her anyway.  Here's to a new year and learning new things.