The state of our union

Hello long lost friends. Are any of you still around? I hope so!

I have really missed this outlet, and blogs in general. I am hopeful that I will find a little space/time to  start writing here again, but everything I do these days needs to fit into the nooks & crannies of my day-to-day momhood, which, as we all know, is tricky.

Is it really almost November?? I mean, I don't think the weather has really gotten the memo, as my children are still running around in shorts and most of the leaves we see are still green. I hope this doesn't mean we miss out on fall altogether! It's my fave. 

Life is currently very full. In the small children, daily demands sort of way. Evie started kindergarten (full day!) this year and we are finally into a good groove. Elementary school is no joke. And that car line will make you find Jesus, just in case you hadn't already. The boys & I are home during the day, and trying to find a good balance of morning activities (read: grocery shopping) and playing at home. Our afternoons are still reserved for napping and are my one solid hour or two per day to work or create or rest. 

On a personal note, I have taken a little break from Lilac Row and the events we typically do over the past year. I miss it. But I'm trying to be realistic with this season I am in with my children and what exactly I can and can't accomplish. Honestly, it kind of threw me for a loop this summer. But I have found little ways to still create along the way and even started another business that I am pretty excited about. Totally different but just as fun and much more conducive to this time of life. Have you heard of Beautycounter? I'll share more soon!

So here's to hoping this isn't a one-off blog post... that I can give this little space some love and attention and reconnect with you all. Anyone else still keeping up with their blog? Let me know so I can stop by and catch up!

xo

Stellan (7 months)

Is this the cutest baby you've seen all day, or what!?

My sweet little guy is seven months... and per usual, we are both trucking right along at a typical 3rd child rate. It's just perfect.

We have only slightly begun solids... as in, it's the last thing on mommy's list and we really need to get to it! Your few tries of baby oatmeal, banana, sweet potato and oranges have gone over so-so. You are initially really excited to see something coming toward your mouth, but then you're just not sure about the taste. I am still wanting to do more of a baby-led weaning approach, but that also requires me to be really intentional about what I am preparing. SO. It will likely be a mix of foods you can hold and some purees. Also! You have yet to sprout any teeth, so I am enjoying the gummy little grins as long as I can.

You are still just the happiest baby on the block! So content and smiley, for the most part. However, when you start to get tired or have a poopy diaper or are just over it, your screech of displeasure can be heard throughout the neighborhood. You are by far our screechiest baby. Shrill, even. Thankfully you are super cute, so that makes up for it. ;)

Aaaaand, after 7 months of sleeping in our room, we have decided to make the big move upstairs to the nursery! Cue the applause for mom and dad being able to lay in bed and watch tv again, and all the feels for my last little baby being so far away. :( But it's time. We need to start doing some sleep training and I think it will be best up in your own room. We moved Beckett into Evie's room a few weeks ago (which is crazy and fun for them), so the nursery is just waiting for our little guy. Let's all pray I'm not making 63 trips up those stairs every night to reinsert the paci.

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Updates & Randoms

Hi there! I haven't totally forgotten about my little piece of the blog world! Taking time to sit down at the computer is not high on my priority list right now, but there are times I really do miss blogging. Does anyone else still read blogs?? I still check in with my favorites but have definitely whittled down that list… 

Anyway, life has been both very full and very slow this summer. In case you didn't know, we are expecting our 3rd little nugget this winter!! Insert all the shocked and surprised emojiis in the book. I didn't quite make it to TLC I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant status, but you could have knocked both hubby and I down with a feather for quite a while after discovering this little babe. 

And as crazy as it seems, the first trimester horrors are over and I am 18 weeks along. Eeeek! I haven't been as diligent about taking the weekly belly pics, but we do have some that I'll share in a post soon. And we already know the sex! More details to come. :)

In other news, this summer is quickly drifting by. We didn't plan too much this year, other than swim lessons and visits from the grandparents. There have been days when I wished I had signed Evie up for a camp or two, especially when it's too hot to even consider going outside. Yuck. And I'm definitely not brave enough to take both kiddos to the pool by myself. Beckett is SO busy and would rather wander all over the place, eating snacks, than sit calmly in a baby float in the water. I can't even imagine what next year will be like with three! 

Did you catch the premier of the new Jim Gaffigan show on TV Land? We have always loved his stand-up and the pilot was really, really good. He and his wife have 5 kids and live in a 2 bedroom apartment in NYC, so all the parenting humor is hilarious and really hits home. I highly recommend. 

I recently came across this blog series about Motherhood Around the World on Cup of Jo and read all of them in one sitting. It's fascinating! They interviewed American mothers living in other countries, so you can really see some of the differences in motherhood/parenting in other cultures. 

While I was on her site, I also came across this gem of a video. So funny.

Happy Summer!

Beckett :: Ten Months

Look at this big guy!! My baby is starting to look so big... I think it's all that hair. :)

This past month has been a big one. But numero uno on mama's list is the NAPS! Beckett has finally started taking long naps every day. All the praise hands! My catnapper is now giving us 2 solid naps per day. They aren't the same each day, but they are rarely only 30 minutes anymore! Woo hoo! It is unbelievable how freeing that is. 30 minutes is just not enough time to get anything done! So glad for this change.

I decided to start teaching him all the party tricks, and got things started with a little high five action. It's pretty cute. Then, my stepmom (Grandma) came for a visit in the beginning of March and Beckett started to wave while she was here! It was so cute and fun to realize that he was actually waving and not just flailing his arms around. :)

We're also working on 'more' and 'all done' in sign language. Specifically while eating. This guy is a screecher, so anything we can do to keep dinnertime at a reasonable decibel is appreciated!

This boy is into EVERYTHING. It is such a change from Evie and is keeping me on my toes every day. Evie gets pretty worked up by it, too, which is slightly hilarious to me. I don't know how many times a day she yells "Ohhhhhh Brudder!! No sir! Beckett Howerton, noo sir!" I imagine things will only escalate in this department as he gets more and more into her stuff. But that's what little brothers are for, right??

Beckett had two more teeth come in on top, for a total of 4 on top and 2 on bottom. His toothy little grin is so adorable. Unless, of course, he's using his chompers to, ahem, chomp on me. :/

We love you, Beckett Boy! You are such a light in our every day and a joy to everyone you meet.

Beckett :: 8 & 9 Months

Once again, giving this kid a combo update. :) And I'm still late! Sorry, Beck. #secondchildprobs

8 months

Well, our little fella is finally on the move! The crawling commenced this month and my days of being able to sit him down and walk away for a hot second are officially over. But I love seeing his little chubby self crawl around. And he's been so proud of himself and happy to be able to follow after his big sister.

Beckett is all boy. It's funny to me how different he is from Evie, even just physically. He's aggressive! He likes to pound and slap his hand down on the table or our chests or face, if we're especially lucky. :) He's always grabbing for our noses and mouths and daddy's ears. And yelling or grunting at the same time. It cracks me up. And changing a diaper or clothes is never an easy feat. Evie was so content to just lay there and talk to us, but this guy rolls like it's his job! He rolls and stretches and screeches and generally acts like we are performing some sort of torture on him. Fun times!

He is still loving his food. Any and all food and right this minute with my dinner, thank you very much! When he sees me getting his bowl out, he cranes his neck to peer around the fridge and see what I'm doing, then he starts to howl until I actually shovel something into his mouth. It's pretty funny. And slightly maddening. Dinnertime is the worst, for whatever reason. It's basically a screamfest between bites, because we're just not fast enough. See what I mean? ALL BOY.

Oh! And we finally got some teeth in this month! Two on the bottom, which popped through about 10 days apart. They're so cute, but I'll miss that gummy little grin.

shenanigans

Evie loves being a big sister and Beckett sure does love her back. Their sweet little relationship is just about the best thing ever. She is very protective over him and is SO helpful to me, especially now that he's mobile. She will stay in a room with him and watch over him when I ask her to (you know- so I can use the restroom or some such, in peace). And they have really started to play together more in the playroom. Which is nice, because our playroom has a door. :) Love these love bugs.

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9 months

Well, the mobility has continued this past month! Beckett Boy has taken his crawling to the next level, pulling up on any and everything. And if that wasn't enough, he is now cruising around furniture, too! I can hardly believe we're to this stage already!

It's pretty cute to see his determined little face, though. He'll spot something he wants on the coffee table and go after it with some steely determination. His favorite is definitely the tv remote. And if we don't remember to close all the doors in the hall/entry, he heads straight for the bathroom or the mudroom to find the dog's food. Gross! I don't think he's ever actually made it there to get his grubs on the dog food, but there's no doubt that's where he's going!

Beckett got his top two teeth in this month and I feel like a few more might be working as well. He now has all 4 center teeth and it's been a little reprieve from the drooling and fussy teething, which is nice.

What wasn't fun, was his very first ear infection. Evie got her first ear infection mid-February, and hers was pretty bad. Our pediatrician happened to check Beck's ears while we were getting Evie checked, and he did have a slight infection. Thankfully it never got bad enough to warrant antibiotics. We probably never would have known had the doctor not checked! We are all extremely ready for this winter and all it's sickness to be over. Bring on spring!

I just love this sweet little guy so much. It's up for debate on who his favorite person is these days. He's a mama's boy for sure, but boy does he get excited every day when daddy gets home! He screeches and makes a beeline for him and basically wants daddy to hold him for the rest of the evening. It's pretty sweet. Beckett isn't really saying any words yet, but boy does he "talk"! We thought he would be our quiet one. :) He's always making noises and doing his heavy breathing. It's hilarious. He will say "dadadadaaaa" but not necessarily at/to daddy. BUT! He did FINALLY start to say a version of "mama"- usually when he's upset or wants me to pick him up. Yay!

We love you to the moon and back, Beckett Cullen! You are our dreams and prayers come true and we are SO thankful you are a part of our family.