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.

___________________________________________________________

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.

Beckett :: Seven Months

This month has been a big one for Beckett Boy! First Christmas, sleeping through the night, travel, food and more!

We started trying some table food, to mixed reviews from B. :) Some of his little faces were just hilarious. I really wanted to do more of a Baby Led Weaning approach with solids for Beckett, but after a few weeks of mainly messes and not much food ingested, I resorted to picking up our favorite Happy Bellies oatmeal and doing purees. Womp womp. But I am still trying to offer him some foods he can hold and explore, and not all baby food. We'll see. Just trying to do what works for him. And me, frankly. :)

On Christmas Eve, I let him gnaw on a piece of ham and the boy LOVED it! He kept reaching for it and wanting more. It was pretty funny.

Still no teeth, but lots of teething and drooling going on. Any day now, I'm just sure of it.

Beckett isn't crawling yet, but has really got the whole rocking on all fours thing down. There have been a few times when I thought it was going to happen, but then I come to my senses and push him down… Kidding!!! But seriously, I don't want him to crawl. Or be mobile in any way, more specifically. #secondchildprobs

We are still working on sleep, but made some really good strides this month. My kiddos just like the catnap as babies. 30 minutes on the dot. I have come to accept this, mostly, but it still drives me bonkers some days. Especially when he is on his 4th catnap of the day, and clearly fussy and tired because he hasn't gotten enough sleep. And forget trying to schedule anything around naps or get anything substantial accomplished while he sleeps. But in last few weeks, he has started to give me a longer nap (1 - 1.5 hours) every once in a while. So I know he can do it! And he puts himself to sleep just fine, so I am extremely thankful for that. Baby steps! Oh! And as soon as we got back from traveling after Christmas, he started to consistently sleep all night! He will still wake and need to be soothed back down here and there, but no nursing and in bed from about 6:45pm to around 7am! Glory.

I just love this boy so much. He is just the sweetest baby and has such a good temperament. I love the way he watches his sister and how she makes him laugh. Their little bond makes my heart so full and thankful. I can't wait to see what kind of boy and man he becomes, but there is no rush!!

I love you to the moon and back, Beckett Boy!