The Many Faces of Matilda The Monkey

She's very expressive, for a monkey!

Bye bye!

*Note: all these pictures were taken within about 30 seconds of each other.

Two Months?

My baby is 2 months old!

How did that happen?

While we are somewhat displeased with her willful insistence on growing up, we do enjoy pinching her ever-growing thigh rolls. So rather than spanking her and sending her to bed without her supper, last night, to mark this special occasion, we took her to the park!

We swing...

...we slide...

...we climb...

...we LOVE her!

"Bless Your Beautiful Hide!"

That's what Chace says every time Matilda sneezes.

But last Sunday, as is customary for new babies in our church, we gave her "a name and a blessing." Usually the baby's father performs the blessing, inviting other significant men to join him. We were fortunate to be home for the event and to have many of the important men in our lives present. But Tilly was overdue for her nap and started to fuss, so her papa gave her a talking-to beforehand and told her to be a good girl and not make too much noise! She is so obedient.

Chace gave a beautiful blessing and Tilly was the perfect angel. But she likes her sleep, so when she just couldn't take it any more, she went to bed.

And the rest of us partied! It was especially fun to be with all of my sisters at once. How I adore those girls. (Girls, these are for you. Sorry they didn't turn out crisper!)

Thanks to all who shared this wonderful day with us. Where would we be without our family and friends?

Happiness is...

Saturday Morning

Days when I love Illinois

Dusk from the Deck

Hope you had a

Happy Memorial Day!

Yes, I'm a copycat.

I was going to copy and paste my lovely sister Anna's entire blog post "Our Fundamental Premises" here for your viewing pleasure, but instead I'll just let you click here and read it for yourself! It's a well-loved quote by a well-loved woman in the LDS faith.

And while I'm at it, here are some of my favorites from Blackbird's blog--always a stimulating read: Richard Bushman and more, Wendell Berry and more, Terry Warner ... I could go on, but I'll just leave that to you.

Enjoy!

Until We Meet Again

Guess Who.

What is soft and pink and fuzzy all over and usually smells like spit-up?


What hides lint between its toes and cheese between its chins?


What smiles and squawks and sings when it's awake and smiles and grunts and moans when it's asleep?

And speaking of sleep: what has slept through the night twice?

Yep, it's me, Matilda!

Thank you, Babywise.

"Uh... is that a family name?"

How do you know when someone doesn't like your kid's name? I'll tell you how, now that I'm the expert on the subject. Dislike of a name can be manifest in many ways. Nonverbal disapproval usually comes in the form of a look, a wrinkling of the nose, the raise of an eyebrow, the absence of eye contact, the stutter or stammer followed by a compliment on the child's looks, outfit, blankie, etc. Those who venture to comment on the questionable name in question usually say something like:

~

"Oh! Uh... is that a family name?" (What other excuse could there be?)
"Now... where did you come up with that name?"
"Well that's... (insert favorite euphemism here, eg. unique/unusual/different/interesting, etc.)"
"That sounds like a name westerners would pick." (Whatever that means! I shouldn't jump to conclusions--it could be a compliment!)
"Has he/she got a middle name?" "Yes, it's Beauregard/Maude." "Oh good. Then, when he/she grows up, he/she can just go by that rather than his/her first name."
"I just heard a great name for your baby. Let me think... I've forgotten it, but it's the perfect name for your baby!" (Never mind that said baby was born and named a month ago...)

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Or, if they're really tactless, yet trying to maintain some semblance of propriety, they'll talk to the victim rather than the victim's parents (which is safer since the babe assumedly can't yet understand any dialect other than baby talk, right?):

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"Where did your parents get your name???"
"What were they thinking when they named you _______?"
"Oh well, I love you anyway!"

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You're probably wondering why I am an expert on this subject? Well, because there's been about a 50/50 response to Matilda's name. Which means that the 50% who can't bring themselves to say "Oh, what a darling name!" have to figure out something else to say/do. Some of them carry it off quite gracefully and say something ambiguous like, "How sweet!" leaving it to me to determine whether they're talking about the name or the baby. But others are less subtle. And yes, believe it or not, I (or Tilly) have actually been the recipients of all of the above comments and more.

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So why did we name our firstborn Matilda Jane of all things? First of all, we happen to rather like the name! Secondly, in terms of popularity, it's currently ranked #829 in the U.S.-- right where I like it! You've heard it, so it's not made-up. Yet you probably don't know anybody else who's got it! The nicknames aren't too obnoxious. In fact, we think they're quite cute: Tilda, Tildy, Tilly, Milly (in our case, not Mattie. There are already plenty of those.) I especially like the meaning: "Its source is maht hild, an ancient Germanic name meaning mighty in battle." I'm not a stickler when it comes to names needing to have some profound meaning, but in this case, I think the meaning is pretty profound. And I have a feeling that she will be a mighty little force to be reckoned with in this world--at least, I hope so.

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So, if you don't like my baby's name, that's okay. I don't mind. Chances are I don't like your baby's either. The world is full of different people with different likes and dislikes, and that's what makes life fun! And I try to follow Miss Manners' advice and choose to "believe that everyone means well, and that if anyone seems to be doing something wrong, it is probably not from intent, but from forgetfulness, busyness, absence of mind, or illness." So people may say what they will. But I dare you to hate the name Matilda for long once you meet this little girl.

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Scratch that. I double-dog-dare you!

Missing Mima

I think few can boast of having a mom like mine. She's kind and beautiful and talented and vivacious. She's a champion talker, and it's okay because almost everything she says is either wise or entertaining. She brightens the world wherever she goes. That's why my home has been extra bright for the past ten days. And my flower beds look a lot better too!

She left this afternoon after a wonderful visit, and boy are we missing her. Chace and Tilly even tried the puppy eyes to convince her to stay.

And when that didn't work...

Inconsolable.