Great Eight

Oh Matine. 8 months old! At eight months old you have won our hearts over 8 million different ways. You are the happiest person I know. Being around you absolutely makes your dad and I better people. I could gush about all the emotions that I have because of you, but I will try to just tell you what all you are up to these blissful days (the best of my life).

Busy, busy - you are on the move and ready for more every second. You started crawling - it's an army crawl and I thought you would eventually get on all fours and do the "classic baby crawl" but we aren't so sure anymore. You seem to want to bypass any more "ground time" and get on those 2 feet! I now feel like I am trying to bend solid wood boards to get your legs bent and get you sitting back down. You want to stand up, lean on things and balance yourself. You love for us to walk you around the house or to sit / stand on your new car that Micca gave you for Christmas. This gives you your independence on 2 feet that you really want!


I think your favorite thing is to make people laugh and smile. You will do ANYTHING to get a laugh. People pleaser - yes you are. We might have to deal with this with some therapy some day if it starts to affect your ability to function, but for now, it's adorable. I guess this is how most adult issues start out - Parents encourage a cute behavior all the while the need to please and make people laugh is burned into your psyche - deciding your future personality and setting you up to be "that girl" - the one who appears to have a million friends and always wears a happy face, but goes home at night to her cats and eats 2 pints of Ben and Jerry's.

Maybe I am overthinking this? Or maybe we should just get you into therapy now? I think I need the therapy. Nah... We will just keep laughing at you and letting you entertain us with a variety of silly voices, head bobs, clapping, waves at the trees, dogs, picture frames. Anything for a laugh! Waving --- this is by far your cutest and favorite trick. Your wave doesn't have any motion to it yet - it's simply a hand up (and slightly at an angle). A bit Hitler-esque I must say. But, since we know you are people pleaser and not a infamous dictator - it's cute. You throw up that little hand to anything and everything that moves. You wake up talking in your crib. As soon as you see your dad or I come in you start looking for a dog. As soon as you see one (usually snuggled on MY pillow in bed) you giggle and hold up that hand, "waving" at the dogs. You immediately start looking for the next one. The day really can't start until you have waved at all three dogs, dad and even the ever-blowing spruce trees in the front yard. You have even started waving at the faces in the pictures on our walls. Oh, you are a social, social baby.


We still delight in being able to go anywhere and everywhere with you. You truly seem to enjoy meeting new people, seeing new faces. You "turn on" in a crowd and will start the wave, bobbing your head and making a sneezing sound (this is very funny to you - I thought it was a tick at one point), or just babbling and talking to people. You always have smiles for people -making even the most leary baby person at ease around you.

You ADORE your dad. You two have your own little language and games already. It's pretty cute because you save a few special tricks just for him. You play a tapping the table game when we sit down to eat. Dad taps the table one time. You do it back. He taps twice. you tap twice (and sometimes uncontrollably). It's cute, but it's even cuter that you don't initiate this game with anyone but him. By the way, if you want your own rocket ship, pony, trip to Europe or sports car - just ask now. Your daddy is about as whooped as I have ever seen a man. This is the conversation at night, after only about 30 minutes of putting you to bed: "I miss Matine already. I wish she was still awake. I can't wait to see her smile in the morning."


No lies Matine - your daddy misses your smile when he knows you are sleeping soundly in the next room. We both do. You are by far the coolest, most fun, most beautiful person we know.

The last few months you have met more cousins (all the Lustigs), some new babies have joined your world (Elias Drimal and Lucas Shoutis), you have seen your old friends, but mostly have been hangin' with your padres (that's parents in spanish you know). We have indulged ourselves in getting to have lazy day after lazy day with you. We know the busy summer will be here, you will be running around, interested in other things, and we will be burning calories just trying to keep up with your ever growing insatiable thirst for new things and knowledge.

A day like today, we hear you talking to your hands or pacifier in your crib, we bring you into bed with us, you nurse and as soon as you are full start to roll over, talking to your dad, the dogs, playing games and laughing. We keep you in bed as long as you can hold still. The day then begins - crawling, standing, scooting, paddy cake, books, banging tupperware, looking out windows, breakfast and a nap. Special days involve long walks in the backpack, cross country skiing or visiting friends at restaurants and coffee shops.

You LOVE visits with people - anyone new.

Mattie, you delight your mama and daddy. Everyday you fill our world with awe, wonder and such gratitude. Yet again, your long winded mom finds herself without the right words to describe what it feels like to be your mom.