matilda's eleven months

I don't see know how, but here we are....

One month away from our baby girl turning one.

Eleven months of Tily has been so great. She brings us sunshine every day! 

Matilda is:

... starting to walk more and more! Her balance is getting steadier and she's getting braver and taking more steps on her own. She definitely does not perform well, though. She does not like to show off her tricks. Ha ha I try to get it on camera or have her show off to family, and she plops right down and just sits still.

... a kissy face! She loves to give smooches to us and her sisters. And she has a darling little pucker she does to say she'd like to kiss. She is adorable!

... learning more and more words. And her nonsense babbling is my favorite sound. She talks a lot, and likes to join in all of our conversations. She tries to sound out words we say to her and I am pretty sure she's picked up words like "chocolate" "eat" "cheese" "love you" "Jesus" and "Grandma" - you know, the important ones! ;)

... a teaser. Like her sisters, she's figured out pretty early how to be silly and tease us. She likes to hide things from us and crawls away lightning speed with it when we ask where something is. She likes to tickle necks, and she loves to laugh and giggle. She truly couldn't be any more delightful!

... still the most patient, content, and happy girl. Its been a busy month at our house (aside from the usually holiday bustle, I've also done a wedding and Phoebe has had a concussion...) and despite cutting new teeth, this girls is so calm and cool so often that I've taken her for granted. She is the sweetest spirit in our home, she adds so much to our family, and she brings us so much joy!

We love these cute girls!

Flashback:

Afton's Eleven Months

Golden's Eleven Months

Phoebe's Eleven Months

matilda's ten months

 Time keeps on marching - or moving faster, it seems... But Miss Tily is ten months old!

Matilda is:

... standing for a few seconds on her own, but is reluctant to find her balance. But like some of her other milestones, she's doing things backwards! She took her first steps this weekend! Trying to walk before confident in standing still! This silly girl. She's all over the place - climbing into cupboards and up the stairs, and she can move from one room to the next as fast as lightning. She's awesome.

... loves real food. Her little teeth want to chomp on all the things, and she's started to complain when I don't give her the same food as everyone else when we eat together. She's smart, and has curated a refined palate already!

... starting to say more words. She's got "mom" and "dad" down, she's said "grandma" a few times, and has started to say "eat" and "more" pretty frequently. And I swear, she tries to say "I love you!" She's found her little voice, and its fun to see her try to form the same words we're saying.

... going to be a dancer or a musician -- or maybe both! The girl can't help but dance anytime she hears even the softest song or tiniest beat. She moves her little hips and her whole body just wiggles. We love it so much! She loves to sit and listen to me teach piano lessons, she jumps up for every song at church or in a show we're watching, and she loves to play the piano! A girl after my own heart!

... so sweet. She has such a content disposition. She is so patient while I help her sisters, or teach lessons, or make dinner, or plan a wedding... I don't know how we got so lucky to have her right now. Things are constantly crazy and chaotic at our house, it seems, and Tily takes it all in stride and is such a cheerful, kind, tender soul. She is just the best baby in all the land!

We love this crazy houseful of girls!

We're so blessed. 
And so thankful for these beautiful girls God has entrusted us with.

Flashback:

Afton's Ten Months
Golden's Ten Months
Phoebe's Ten Months

matilda's nine months

Its a little hard to believe that Miss Matilda has been out in this world longer than she was growing inside me... but here we are! And with the cutest NINE month old in all the land! 

Matilda is: 

... all over the place! She's up and down the stairs. She's crawling all around the house. She's starting to stand on her own. She's walking around furniture and switching from chairs to tables to couches all on her own. She's walking behind her wagon every which way. She's figured out how to get where she wants to go! Her new favorite thing is to "hide and seek" - while I'm doing the dishes or something, she'll crawl upstairs and make her way into one of the rooms. Then after I say, "Where's Tily?!" a few times, she'll peek her little head out and giggle. Its adorable.

... so silly! She's started fake sneezing to get attention - its the funniest thing. She'll squeeze her eyes closed, then spit and giggle, and then repeat several times. I don't even know how it started, but she does it daily and it makes us laugh every time. She's so fun.

... a tall girl! All of a sudden, she's sprouted and become so long. I feel like overnight she grows several inches. And while I'm excited to watch her grow and learn and develop, I just can't believe she's getting so big so fast. I say it so often, but time is truly a thief, and I'd just really like to press pause for a bit. 

...  clapping and dancing and singing - she has many talents! Anytime there's music on, her little body can't help but move. We love having dance parties, and she is always so pleased with herself and will applaud her own efforts. Its delightful!

... such a light in our home. There's a lot of heavy, dark and hard things in the world right now, but this girl shines brighter than sunshine. She lights up for each of her sisters. She is so pleasant always. She is so tender and cuddly. She soothes better and quicker than any one I've ever known. She is patient. Kind. Cheerful. And truly, one of the brightest stars. We're so blessed she's ours.

Life is crazy in this house full of Little Women.

But we wouldn't trade it.
God is so, so good. And we're so grateful.

Flashback:
Afton's Nine Months
Golden's Nine Months
Phoebe's Nine Months

matilda's eight months

 This girl is truly a delight!

Eight months with her here has flown by - and every single day is better with her in it. 

Matilda is:

... all over the place! She is climbing the stairs, she is pulling up to furniture and walking [WALKING!] around it, and she is trying to climb out of her crib [I've lowered it twice already!] My tiny little baby thinks she is big, and has figured out how to get just about everywhere she wants to go. She is so strong and getting so busy!

... the very best sleeper. Like all of my other girls, her naps are sporadic - I can usually plan on only one decent daytime nap, but the time she falls asleep is pretty unpredictable. But at night, oh the nights! She will quite consistently sleep for 12 hours straight. It has been glorious, and we are feeling pretty spoiled. 

...  a momma's girl through and through. And I won't complain! We're best friends and she loves to just be near me. She is kind and polite with most everyone else, but she's made it pretty clear that I'm her favorite. [I love it!] 

... eating all the food and loving every bite. She's gotten quite proficient with her little fingers and likes to put her own food in her mouth. She's had all manner of fruits and vegetables, she loves rice and pasta and potatoes and any little taste of meat I give her, and she loves yogurt and ice cream. She loves sitting in her high chair at the table with us during meals, feeling like she's just as big as the rest of us. Though she still loves to nurse and snuggle like my tiny baby, so I'm feeling like we're getting the best of both worlds with this little gem. 

... copying sounds we make. She's trying hard to talk to us! In the car the other day, she chattered for 30 minutes straight - she hears her sisters constantly talking, and she wants to be a part of the conversation! [So much so, that the other day, Afton was trying to tell me something, but Tily kept chattering and getting louder and louder, and Afton kind of snapped and said, 'Tily! This is not your conversation!" ha ha]

Flashback:

Afton's Eight Months

Golden's Eight Months

Phoebe's Eight Months

matilda's seven months

 Seven months!

This girl is our pride and joy!

Matilda is:

... officially a member of the tooth club! She has two little tiny front teeth! They are super sharp and she rubs them all day long. She's been teething for a while, but they finally popped through. So now she thinks she can eat all of the foods!

... the fastest little crawler! It's not quite army crawling - it looks more like a breast stroke [she'd be a great swimmer!] and about a third of the time she'll get up on her toes or her knees, and do either a plank, a pushup or an actual crawl on all fours. But regardless of which way she does it, she moves SO fast! She chases her sisters in circles around the house. She thinks she's big like them!

... starting to understand and respond to us more - she's at such a fun age. She loves when we call her name... her little face lights up every time she hears "Matilda" or "Tily" [or "Mine Tily," as Phoebe says], and it's just the sweetest thing. She babbles right back when we chat to her, and her sound repertoire is expanding! Branson is convinced she's said "dada," but I'm not so sure...

... a pretty independent gal. She will crawl around by herself, or sit in her high chair, or sit and play on the ground or in her crib for a quite some time before she needs some attention. She has figured out how to entertain herself, and is constantly so happy and content. She is my best girl!

... so loving! She gives hugs and snuggles and sloppy kisses, and they are my favorite thing! She is so sweet. She does not like conflict in our home, and she consistently smiles and giggles at each member of our family. She enjoys being with her sisters, but still snuggles her mom and dad. She's just the sweetest. 

Flashback:

Afton's Seven Months

Golden's Seven Months

Phoebe's Seven Months