In the last two months, Mataya Hope has transformed from baby into tiny toddler. BOO and YAY all in one!
Brenna posted this shot, and I snagged it. I LOVE her huge navy blue eyes looking up at her sister. Mataya has become Brenna's girl. She cries for "Nenna" when she wants to play with Riley or go outside. Brenna has become her favorite babysitter, and her go-to when Momma says no or wait. Brenna is loving this role, especially when it involves snuggles.
This picture sums it up. She adores Riley. and he tolerates her very well. He has a "not the baby again" look on his graying face, but he is always patient and gentle.
Mataya, or TayTay, as she calls herself, has fallen in love with stuffed animals. Her favorite are "pup-pups" of course.
I have been so thankful for her snuggles. I was afraid that when the bottles were gone, the snuggles would be too. On the contrary, she is more snuggly at bedtime than ever before. She cuddles in tightly any time her blankey is slung over my shoulder. It is so precious!
As is her new habit of SLEEPING ALL NIGHT, EVERY NIGHT!
I have been trying to exercise more consistently now that the weather is nice. I bought a sweet baby jogger, and I expected Mataya to love it. I was wrong. She pretty much hates it after 10 minutes. Sitting is not her favorite. So, the neighbors can hear us coming when we are out for a jog! I try to entertain her by pointing to the birdies, packing snacks, and bringing Riley along - but about half way through our run she is usually yelling "None" (her version of all done).
Maybe in time she will learn to enjoy it?!?
She has more hair every day, and she HATES clips or ponytails - which means that more often than not she is sporting crazy hair. She DOES adore her blankeys. Many times she is dragging one along with her as she plays, especially if she is sleepy.
Mataya Hope-y Girl loves to brush her teeth more than any other activity. Seriously. One day we walked into the toothbrush aisle at Walmart and she squealed with absolute glee. She was thrilled at all the choices of toothbrushes. Toys get a much more reserved show of affection.
Mataya speaks quite well. BUT, if she does not know a word for something, she invents a gesture. Toothbrush has a gesture. She gets big happy eyes, and then she opens her mouth wide, points inside, and grunts. This is followed by pees, pees (please, please) until a toothbrush is found.
She has also made up signs/gestures for drink (she sticks her finger in her mouth and sucks on it loudly as if it were a straw) and chapstick (she smacks her lips loudly two times while pointing toward her lips.) The extra funny thing about her signs is that once she has invented one and taught it to us, she has no interest in learning the word. Communicating her need is the total priority.
I love her little baby bootie and her arms-in-the-air walking stance.
Mataya learned to walk just like she has done everything else, at her own pace! All of our older kids learned to walk in a similar manner. Though it happened at different ages, with the older kids, once they could take 4 or 5 steps they chose walking as their preferred method of transportation. NOT Mataya. She was capable of many steps, heck we saw her walk all the way across the Family Room several times, but she chose to crawl. For 6 weeks, though she was capable of walking she preferred crawling. And then, all of the sudden on Mother's Day weekend, I was standing in the kitchen washing dishes when she came toddling around the corner. I was shocked. It is a picture that I hope to hold in my heart forever, tiny one with her arms up and out to help herself balance, walking into the kitchen with a HUGE gin. She was just SO cute.
Her learning to walk was another example of God's grace extended toward me with this baby girl. I am so very thankful that she has been such a chill baby. I am so thankful she did not walk at 9 months. I have so enjoyed her baby days, the fact that she did not rush them was such a blessing to me. (I am also thankful that she is not so slow with milestones that I need to worry!) When Mataya started taking steps, I was excited. I was also sad. BUT in the 6 weeks it took her to become a walker, I became ready for this next stage. God is so good to me.
Spring = track season.
Bleachers were a challenge, but thankfully the track we spent most of out time at is surrounded by a grassy hill. We would position ourselves on the hill and let Mataya explore while we watched the races. When it was Jamison or Brenna's turn to race, we would move to the stands to cheer - and then return to the hill until their next event. I may not have chatted much with other parents, but I was at most of the meets!
Yep. . . it is official. We have a tiny-toddler.
Mataya wants to eat and drink anything and everything she sees anyone else eat or drink. She thinks she is the queen of the castle when Jamison shares his water bottle with her.
While Mataya depends on mommma, she delights in her daddy. She calls him, Daddn, which is exactly what Krissy called her Dad when she was Mataya's age! When Daddy is home, Mataya follows him like a shadow.
Outdoor play made shoes a must. Mataya HATED shoes at first. She cried every time we put them on. She has finally been convinced shoes are OK now that she is walking all over the place. Gravel and bare feet convinced her that shoes are not so bad!
Mataya is playful and silly and fun.
And she loves, loves, loves her paci. It is typically off limits except for nap time, the car, and church - and we have vowed to toss them once her eye teeth pop through. . . maybe?!?
No more baby gates, this little lady is a stair master!
She is joyful and fun. She is funny. She is smart. She knows how to get what she wants... and/or throw a fit when refused. She is snuggly. She is busy. She is noisy. She is absolutely, positively, completely adored. Momma can NOT spoil this one, her siblings do that for me! She is a complete blessing, even on the weeks when I joke that I have sideways scoliosis of the spine from holding her constantly while she moans "momma, momma, momma" because her teeth hurt.
You are loved, baby girl. So very loved.
