Halloween 2009

Ouch! She Bit Me!

27 weeks in and a tooth has finally sprouted! I was feeding Matti some bread when I felt a little prick on my thumb. Her gums have been hard for weeks, and she has been chewing everything she puts into her mouth. We've been waiting anxiously for her little teeth to come through. And now that they're poking through, it's a little sad. It's the realization that our little monster is growing older.

In addition to her tooth, Matti's hair is growing in and we're not sure what's going on with it. She looks like a baby with a toupee...or she kind of looks like a Berenstain Bear. You make the call.

New Kicks

We hit another milestone...The Tinger is finally able to grab her toes! For months, she has been eyeing her little piggies, trying to figure out how to get a hold of them. She did it! And sometimes you have to pry her fingers off because those toes are like vice grips. To celebrate her accomplishment, we got Matti her first pair of shoes. Pumas of course! To match her daddy's.

The Tinger is really beginning to develop personalities similar to J.'s and mine. One morning, I noticed her staring at me with a familiar look. It was the look of "Whatever" and "You're an idiot". I quickly realized it's a look I often give - not good. Thankfully, she has J.'s laid back personality. She's pretty easy going for a baby.

(there's that look)

Rice Cereal....Mmmm?

Matti had her 4-month visit to the doctor's. We're proud to announce she is in the 95th percentile of everything! Our Tinger is growing by the day. As of yesterday, she weighed in at 17 lbs. 12 oz., she grew to 26 inches and she has a big head. Even the doctor didn't believe she was 4 months old. She literally checked her charts twice to make sure. After getting 2 shots in each thigh, she had her first fever. Poor thing wasn't feeling good and woke up crying and radiating heat at 4 in the morning.

The doctor also said it was okay to start her on mush foods. I tested rice cereal on her and her reaction was less than desirable. You'd think she'd take to it since I already mix it into her formula. But these pictures beg to differ...

Matti's First Visit to Vermont

Matti with her Jidu and Grammy T.

We reached another milestone...Matti found her thumb in VT!

Matti with her Pepere and Gram

Matti with her Great Pepere and Great Memere

Matti with her Aunt Brianna and Cousin Eliza Rose (they share the same middle name)

Visiting Pepere at the fire station.

Fire Chief Matti

Daddy's Little Girl

If you think she looks like her mom, take a look at these pictures with her dad.

4 Months and Counting

Our Baby Tinger is 4 months old and looks like an 8 month old. She's making more noises; moving her lips, trying to form sounds. When you speak to her, she watches your mouth and tries to mimic you. And her new thing is making raspberries. Her physical strength is becoming more of an ox. She loves to stand and we often have to bend her knees just to get her to sit. With her neck getting stronger, we have been able to sit her in the Bumbo for brief moments at a time. When J. watches her in the morning, he often puts her in the Bumbo and sits her on his desk while he's working. She's quite intrigued by anything J. puts on the monitor (Band of Brothers, Intervention, The Daily Show). For some reason, she's just not into kiddie shows.

1 Year Later...

J. and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary. So much has happened in this past year with the biggest thing being Matti. Looking back, our wedding was one of the funnest parties. I thought saying our vows was one of the happiest moments for us. Turns out Matti outdid us. We celebrated our anniversary with the Tinger. Her gift to us was a HUGE, messy diaper that she gave us during dinner. Thanks, Matti!

Tour de Tinger

To get into the spirit of the Tour de France, we thought it was appropriate to put Matti in her biking gear. Thanks to her Pepere and Gram, she's sporting an authentic climber's hat from the Tour and a yellow jersey. Viva la France!

Fun Moments with the Tinger

100 Days

She did it! Our little Tinger made it to 100 days. I guess we're pretty cool parents so she decided to stick around a little longer. And we decided to keep her around. Like every morning, she woke up today all smiles! At 3 months, she's smiling all the time and it's not because of gas. It's because she's aware of everything and thinks everything is funny. She also started chuckling which we get a total kick out of. She laughs especially hard when you make fart sounds with your tongue. What can I say? She's her daddy's little girl.

Matti Meets Great-Gram Armstrong

Matti met her Great-Gram Armstrong for the first time. Cousins Kori and Becky were also in town.

Wee! Fun with Cousin Kori!

Handling Matti, came completely natural for mom-to-be, Becky!

Buenvenidos A Miami

Quite the jet-setter at 6 weeks, Matti went to Miami with us. I was a bit nervous because she didn't have any shots yet, and Swine Flu was on a rampage. Our doctor gave us the green light so in typical Handy fashion, we rolled the dice. The flight down was picture perfect. Matti didn't fuss at all. In fact, she slept the entire time. J.'s parents also made the trip. While Marc helped J. at the convention center, Diane helped me out with Matti.

The Tinger on her throne.

How many 6 week old babies get this view?

At the closing of "the show", we took a family photo.

Aunts Brittany, Krysten and Kayla came to visit too!

Matti vs. The Bath

This isn't so bad. A little water, some bubbles.

Oh, the humanity!!! The bath won...this time.