Matilda's First Camping Trip

On Memorial Day we went on a short trip to Auburn to camp with my friend Hannah after her rafting trip. I wasn't sure if Matilda would be too into camping, but she loved it! Daddy was a little less enthused about the amount of dirt M. wanted to spread all over herself.

"This is MY log! Get your own!"

Relaxing with Auntie Hannah

Enjoying the view...of dirt.

I Scream, You Scream...

Today M. had her first ice cream cone.

What you don't see here is how M. used her napkin to very carefully wipe up all her ice cream dribbles and clean her mouth between each and every bite.

That's my kid!

...in which Tracy Becomes Certain that Dorkiness is Genetic...

"Oh boy, it's game night! Daddy, do I need a d10 or a d20 to make this check?"


"You need to shake a die a LOT if you want a good roll!"



"Oh my God! A natural 20!"


"I just can't believe how good I am at D&D!"

Joie de Vivre

...in which Tracy Begins Wondering if OCD is Genetic...

A Numbers Game

M. may not love English words, but she loves counting. Thus it was that when Grandpa Gary visited us this week, he got to read 8 Little Monkeys 18 times. Because those dumb-ass monkeys never learn to stop bouncing on the freakin' bed!

Matilda, Version 1.5

Today M. turned one and a half. I'm not one of those parents who throws a party or gives presents for my child's half-birthday--I hope a friend would beat me senseless if I was--but in many ways this day seemed like more of a milestone than her one-year birthday. She is more a toddler now than a baby, more of a little person than a little beastie I have to care for. We celebrated by throwing away all of her pacifiers and getting shots at the doctor--woo-hoo! She has not yet decided to speak English, although she is very fluent and expressive in Matilda-ese. She read aloud to the pediatrician from Dr. Seuss while he examined her. I couldn't resist the great light in the doctor's office, so I took the opportunity to shoot some half-birthday portraits.

Happy half-birthday, Matilda!

A Very Belated Birth Story

Here is a prize for all of you loyal readers. I have, only 18 months late, completed Matilda's birth story. You can read it here. I started the post on her first birthday and only completed it today. So, if you are so inclined, you can read it. I know a lot of you have heard this story before, but it's a good one and worth reading. I will warn you, though, that it is very, very long and not for the queasy.

The Long, Dark Winter of My Blog is Over

So here's the thing. I HATE this time of year. From New Year's Day to Easter just, well, sucks. The weather is horrible. TV is horrible. No decent movies are playing. Valentine's Day happens. There is NOTHING to do but sit in the house and pray for Spring. During these horrible few months, my creativity is sapped. I don't want to scrapbook, I don't want to write, and I certainly don't want to blog. But my fans, all seven of you, demand that I come back to the keyboard. OK fine. After Daylight Savings Time, my spirits are a lifting a bit, and I feel my need to create slowly coming back. Plus, we've had a long spurt of Global-Warming-Is-Really-Happening weather. So I'm gonna get warmed up by posting some pictures of the world's cutest baby, and then I'll go think about what I'm going to post tomorrow.

I LOVE the swings! Love 'em, love 'em, LOVE 'EM!

I LOVE my brother! Love 'im, love 'im, love 'im!

I LOVE my sunglasses! Love 'em, love 'em, love 'em!

This post is dedicated to those people who ride my ass about not updating my blog: Lorna, Mom, Micaela, Doug, Meredith, Kat, and Tammy.

Our Tiny Little Foodie

When in a Vietnamese restaurant, do as the Vietnamese...

What are these sticks doing in my mouth?

Okay, Daddy, I got this!

Note: The goldfish are just an appetizer...she proceeded to chow down on some potstickers.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Playgroup Grinch

Last week Matilda and I joined Crystal and Luci at their playgroup's holiday party. It was at some bounce-house-super-extravaganza place in town where kids are free to give in to their inner-beasties and run around slamming into each other and the walls without causing too much damage. This was especially interesting for Matilda, who, having just learned to walk, was a bit confused by this new challenge to her mobility. Thus, she reverted to crawling or simply sitting and trying to ward off the other children with her evil glare.

Why is this girl invading my personal space?

The world has become so squishy!

By far her favorite part of the party was the dress-up room, where kids are able to don costumes, get on a stage, and sing karaoke. Matilda stood up there modeling her outfit, perfectly content just to be in the spotlight. I have no idea where she gets that from!

The lovely cowgirl fairy.

I feel really bad when I take M. to things like this because it becomes clear to me that she does not play well with others. It's not that she's anti-social; she just doesn't know how to play and is overwhelmed by other kids. Apart from Luci, all of her playmates are adults and dogs. The obvious answer would be for me to join a playgroup myself, except for one small glitch--I LOATHE playgroups.

I don't want to sound like a snob here--I'm not saying I'm too cool for playgroup or anything--I'm just a woman who had a kid despite the fact that I hate being around kids. Young kids, that is--the five-and-under kind who have no ability to reason or empathize and are just like a bunch of evil little monkeys. Screaming evil little monkeys. I can tolerate my own kid, kids related to me by blood, and the kids of my good friends, but throw me into a room with twenty or so strangers' kids and well, that's just one of the rings in my own personal hell.

You see, playgroup is chaotic, and me no likey the chaos. I like structure and organization and careful planning. There are plenty of people out there who can just tune out the maelstrom, who can, for example, sit around breastfeeding and putting together snacks while conversing non-stop about pregnancy while a dozen toddlers chase each other screaming. I cannot. I want to find a kidney table and sit the kids around it for craft time or story time or any kind of time that involves them focused on some activity rather than testing my nerves.

If I were a better mother, I'd make the sacrifice and take M. to playgroup despite the threat to my own sanity...but I'm selfish and am not willing to endanger my mental well-being for M. to be well-socialized. She'll just have to be a little hermit baby until she starts pre-school.

Aaahh...preschool.

Matilda's New Word

"Mine."
This is my toy.

"MINE!"
That is my toy do not touch it!

"Mine?"
I know that this is not mine, but I'm hoping you'll let me have it anyways?

"Mine." (with hugs)
I love you.

"Mine, mine, mine..."
I want it ALL!

"...MIIIIIIIINE!"
...and I want it NOW!

A Visit to St. Nick

I have my chocolate milk and am prepared to meet Santa.

Here I come, Santa!

Santa, where are you?

Dammit, Luci, I want to go first!

WOAH! What the hell is this?! I have CHANGED MY MIND!

No means NO, Mama!

Why do they torture me like this?

Fine. Just take the F--ing picture already.

A Visual Representation of M.'s New Attitude on Life

DO MY BIDDING!

The Futility of Trying to Photograph 2 Babies and 2 Toddlers

A PHOTO ESSAY

Good, but maybe we can do better...

Faces front please, children!

The handlers intercede.

Wait a sec, they've got to get back into character...

...yes, there's the character!

This is exhausting!

We who lack mobility salute you!

Nablopomo: Day Eleven

Teeth! Finally!

Matilda is what they (and by "they" I mean whoever it is that sets these standards) call a "late teether." This is one possible explanation for her being such an exceptionally well-behaved baby. As of her first birthday she had only one little bottom tooth poking out. As of today she has five--both bottom center, both top center, and one top side, with a little bubble already forming for the other top side. Just as I'd feared--because she waited so long, they are all coming in at one time. It doesn't seem to bother her much, though. In fact, she is having lots of fun with her new chompers. She likes biting things--crackers, books, Mama--and she especially likes making the world's most horrible noise by grinding her teeth together. I'm not sure if she's suffering from severe baby stress or what, but it is a horrible habit, and I'm not really sure what, if anything, to do about it.

Has anyone else out there in the blogosphere had this problem? Is my baby going to grind her new teeth down into little nubs?

We've also started a dental health regimen--that is, we're teaching M. to brush her teeth.

Agh! GRANDMA TONNA! What are you doing!

Oh, okay GRANDMA TONNA, I think I got this now.

Tooth brushing pro!

This post dedicated to GRANDMA TONNA. If you do not understand why GRANDMA TONNA is in all caps, then you are not GRANDMA TONNA.

Nablopomo: Day Nine

Another rewind...

Last month we made our annual trip to Apple Hill near Placerville. Last year Matilda was just a teeny little thing, but this year she was big enough to have some real fun! We started out at High Hill Ranch to get some apple cider milkshakes. M. shared our milkshakes with us (if grunting in a way that says "Hand over the milkshakes and nobody gets hurt" constitutes sharing).

After sucking down everone's milkshake, she was full of enough strength and energy to wrangle a bear.

(Ignore the red-headed woman behind the bear.)

Then she took a pony ride...


"Faster, pony! Faster!"


But most of all, she developed a deep and abiding love for pumpkins...

Big pumpkins...
Little pumpkins...Fake pumpkins...And medium pumpkins.
"Pumpkin! Get in my belly!"

My daughter, the gourdophile.