6 Months, 1/2 a year, What!?!

Wow, it is time to do some SERIOUS catch on the blog.  My baby is 6 months old. How did that happen!?!  It has been hard to start this blog post, because it is hard to imagine that he has been with us for half a year!  I find myself just staring at him lately.  Whether I sneak in his room while he is sleeping, or just watch him try so desperately to roll over, or even just stare at him while he stares at his brother.  I just can't seem to stop looking at him.  The newborn look is completely gone and he is starting to show glimpses of little boy in his features.  Oh, how I wish I could pause time just for a little bit.  These boys have a way of making me so nostalgic.  I should dedicate a whole post to my thoughts on how quickly these boys are growing and changing!  Until then, here are my little man's latest recordable moments.

• Our boy is big!  At his six month appointment he was 21 lbs 9 oz and ? long.  He is only 8 lbs less that Owen right now!  The Dr. told us we have a linebacker on our hands.
• Of course since he is so big, he is now wearing 12 month clothes and occasionally 18 month clothes.  I told Luke the other day, when Owen wore these clothes, he was walking!  Our little Beckett hasn't even rolled both directions yet!  That's okay though, because his pudgy rolls are pretty much the cutest.
• Just two weeks before Beckett turned 6 months we introduced him to solids.  It came to no surprise that he loved eating.  He had been intently watching us while we ate for a week or so and we finally decided that it was time to give him something other than breast milk.  Now he gets excited every time we put him in the high chair and he easily recognizes his bowl and spoon.  So far his favorites include rice cereal, avocado, and sweet potatoes.  He hasn't really enjoyed peas, green beans, or squash. 
• Beckett loves to sit now.  He can now easily sit for long periods of time as he plays with his toys.  I think he enjoys sitting because he can see everything going on around him easier.  It also helps him watch his big brother as he literally runs circles around him.  I still like to be there in case he takes a tumble, but he is even starting to do a good job of falling gracefully so that the landing isn't so hard.
• Beckett's hand coordination has really improved.  He can easily grab onto toys, switch them between hands, and of course put anything he wants into his mouth!  He is also quick to grab onto your hair, face, shirt, jewelry. . . Needless to say, if you are holding him, watch out!
• I am kind of surprised to report that Beckett STILL hasn't rolled the other direction!  He is soooo close.  I would say he is about 75% over, but his chubby little belly and arm just keep him from getting all the way there!  I am sure it will be any day.
• Even though he can't roll, the boy can really scoot/slither.  I am always surprised how much he moves himself around, mostly in circles, but occasionally off his blanket or mat, and into Owen territory.  He also loves to roam around his crib.  He never stays in the spot I put him in and I am always surprised at how quickly he moves around after I lay him down.
• Beckett is still our smiley happy boy most of the time.  Poor guy, has battled a little more illness, and also seems to be SLOWLY teething (no new teeth yet), but usually he is pretty content.  His biggest concern is that he NEVER be alone.  If people walk away and he is in the room he immediately lets you know that you left him behind.  It makes it difficult when both boys want me to carry them down the stairs at the same time.  Of course they think it is most fun to lunge at each other and try to give each other kissess or in Beckett's case slobber all over Owen.
• Beckett has become so much more curious about his surroundings.  He watches us and Owen pretty closely and he likes to be right in on the action.  He hasn't really started mimicking a ton yet, but he seems pretty close.  
• Beckett hasn't really started to make any hard syllable sounds yet, but he is mimicking Owen's car sound.  It is like a low hummmm.  He does have a variety of screeches that seem to indicate he has found his voice :)  Oh, the sweet sounds of babies.  

5 Months

Beckett is making it fully evident that he is growing up!  Between his crazy weight gain and his new skills he has really lost that new baby feel.  I had forgotten how much I love this stage.  Beckett is becoming more interactive with each day and on most days he showers us with smiles and giggles.  Here are his latest accomplishments.

• Our sweet Beckett weighed in at 20 lbs even just a few days after turning five months old!  I can't believe how big he is.  At this point, he is gaining about a half a pound a week.  As a result he is starting to move into 12 month clothes! 
• Beckett is becoming really interested in what happens around him.  He especially likes to watch Owen run around and play.  He still loves his cuddles, but he also loves to sit up and see what everyone is up to.  He also seems to want to be in the midst of the action, just like his brother.  If we put him down and walk to the other room, he quickly lets us know that he does not want to be alone even if it is just for a few moments. 
• Beckett can sit for a little bit on his own now.  He loves to sit and play with his, however he still needs us close by to help him stabilize.  A few times he has been able to catch himself and sit back up.  I imagine it will only be a few more weeks before he is sitting entirely on his own and playing away with the toys around him.
• He is so close to rolling the other direction.  When he is on his back, he often rolls to his side to play with his toys.  A couple times he has almost rolled over onto his tummy, but he has always stopped himself just before he takes the final plunge.  I keep thinking he could roll any day, but then again who knows.
• He LOVES to play with his feet.  Whenever he gets his diaper changed, the first thing he does is kick those pudgy feet up into the air and grab at them.  He seems to prefer playing with his feet when he has no socks or pj's on, but we often find him tugging at them whenever he is on his back. 
• He is finally starting to warm up to tummy time.  I think he now realizes that he is able to keep toys in his mouth easier if he is on his tummy.  As long has he has a toy that he is really interested in, he will play for a quite awhile before he rolls over or starts crying out of frustration.
• He seems to be getting increasingly frustrated by his lack of mobility.  He can scoot himself in circles just a little bit, but he seems to want to move further and from side to side.  I think once he realizes that rolling will offer him a form of mobility the days of an immobile child will be over for us.
• Beckett cut his first bottom tooth at 4 months and 3 weeks.  We knew it was coming in, because he was increasingly fussy and his bottom gum was swollen for several days.  His second tooth came through just a day after he turned five months old.  Needless to say, the sleeping saga has continued with this little guy.  Between teething and getting sick, he is often up a couple times a night and he has not been napping well either.  Oh, I can't wait for the nights when he decides to start sleeping for 10 hours again.    

Owen: 2 and 1/2

It is pretty obvious when you come over to our house that we have an energetic, fun loving, entertaining toddler running through the place.  It is incredible to think about how much Owen has grown and learned in the past 6 months.  Here are some of the things he is doing and enjoys since my last dedicated Owen post.

• He is one lean kiddo.  Last time we weighed him he was just 29 lbs and that was with his shoes on.  I attribute his low weight to the fact that he is ALWAYS on the go.  This kid can run circles around us, and he usually does.  Due to the fact that our little man is so skinny, he is still mostly in his 2T clothes.  He could use the lenght of some 3T but we have had zero luck finding 3T pants with a small enough waistband.  Even the ones that are adjustable are still falling off my lean little dude.
• Owen loves to talk!  He is capable of full conversation now and is easily talking in more complex sentences.  We have certainly entered into the time frame where we need to be careful about what he hears.  He can and does repeat anything which has created some pretty comical moments.  I need to start writing down his funny sayings now that he is speaking his mind so freely.  Everyday he seems to be coming up with new and interesting thoughts on the world around him.
• His imagination has exploded.  He is often making up new stories and talking about his adventures.  For a few weeks, he was certain a dragon was living behind his curtains.  I think it was more of a ploy to skip nap time.  But we had many dicussions about the dragon being friendly, and how Owen was very brave to share his room with this imaginary creature.  Every once and while the dragon still pops up around the house.  It has become a fun form of make-believe.  In addition to hunting for his make-believe dragon, one of Owen's favorite games right now is "shadows".   We turn out the lights, grab a flashlight, and make shapes on the wall. My friend Brittany even made him shadow puppets for Christmas so now we can really go crazy with the make-believe.
• Owen also loves playing with cars, trucks, and trains.  Several times we have found him lining all his cars up along the living room windowsill.  He still likes to sleep with at least two to three hotwheels at night.
• Owen was semi potty trained just before Thanksgiving.  He really trained himself.  Since we had just had Beckett a couple months prior, I wasn't really ready to start the training process.  However, he started taking off his own diaper and using his little toilet in the bathroom.  Needless to say, we figured it was time to start the training process.  He trained rather quickly with hotwheels as an incentive.  However, he got sick over Thanksgiving and in the midst of his illness he lost all interest in pottry training.  Unfortunately, he is still asking for diapers over underwear, and we are simply waiting until he seems a little more ready once again to tackle the potty.
• Owen has always enjoyed watching his "shows."  We really try to limit how much we let him watch, but it is fun when he gets excited about a certain show.  Some of his favorites include Calliou, Dora the Explorer, and Diego.  He is pretty quick to pick things up and has a decent memory when it comes to music and he can sing along with the lyrics and many of the songs on the show.  It is pretty cute to here him sing and get excited over certain episodes.
• Owen sings songs almost as much as he talks.  He has always enjoyed music and now regularly puts on shows for us in front of the fireplace.  I am always surprised at which songs he has picked up and how quickly he learns them.  He learned Jingle Bells from watching an episode of Caillou.  It is fun to watch him perform and try out funny changes to the song.

18 Months

I am a little late in getting this written, but I still wanted to get my thoughts down on our precious toddler before it escaped my memory.  Wow, how Beckett has changed these past few months.  We have fallen in love with his personality, his cuddles and loves, and his determination and strong will.  I forgot how much I love this stage, when they are learning new things daily, pushing their boundaries, and trying out all kinds of crazy stunts.  Here are some of the things that have our Beckett boy has been up too.

• Size. . . 
• He has all his teeth but the last four molars.  It has been nice that they came in when he is so young because we have gone a good long stretch without teething pain.  He still seems to love to put things in his mouth though!  We have been working pretty diligently to teach him that toys and other objects don't go in his mouth.  In the past month, I have finally started to see some improvement.
• Beckett is soooo active.  His favorite activity of all time is climbing.  He can climb to the top of our counter height table, onto every piece of furniture we own, and even onto uneven and unsteady objects like his kitchen set and tool bench.  Yes, we have found him standing on them more than once.  Yikes!!!  
• In addition to being an over-zealous climber, this boy is fearless!!!!  Not only do we find him on heights that make me nervous, he will walk right up to the edge, then without even blinking, he will jump or free fall off and hope we catch him.  Oh that child!  He has even jumped a few times when I wasn't expecting him.  As a result, I am nursing a sore shoulder.
• He also thinks he can do anything his brother can do.  Such as running down the small slide in the basement, riding Owen's Strider bike, and drinking out of a big boy cup.  The list could go on and on. I it is hard to communicate with him that he just isn't quite big enough yet.  Instead, we have tried to find ways to help him accomplish his goals.  
• He is talking!!!! When Beckett turned a year, his slower speech development was on our radar.  He had a few words, but not really many.  As a result, we were entertaining the idea of speech therapy.  However, just around 14 - 15 months, Beckett's speech started to take off.  He quickly went from a short list of four words to 40.  He all of a sudden started mimicking and trying out new words almost daily.  He even has a few two-word phrases now, "luv you", "go downstairs", "that's mine".  It makes me smile hearing him talk, and I just love the way he says many of his words.  
• Beckett loves his cousin Addie May.  Oh my goodness, it is adorable.  He is constantly saying her name, and whenever she comes to visit, he goes absolutely crazy from the minute he sees her car.  He screeches so loudly that it makes her cry every single time!  Then he showers her with kisses and hugs and follows the person around that is holding her until he has had a turn.  He will stay playing with her as long as she allows, and fortunately she is pretty tolerant of him.  Oh how I hope these two stay the best of friends.
• When Beckett desires to give you hugs and kisses, it is the most precious wonderful thing ever.  He is not nearly as cuddly as Owen was, but when he wants to snuggle, oh my gosh, melt my heart.  He will just grab hold and give you the biggest bear hug and then pat your back.  So Cute!  He also gives the sweetest kisses.  He puckers up real big and makes an hmm sound.  
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4 Months

Like always, I can't believe how quickly time goes by with a little one.  This month has been inundated with illness and as a result it is hard to remember where the days went.  Although our sweet Beckett was sick for the first and second time this past month, he is still growing and changing.  Here are his latest stats.

• Beckett is growing so quickly!  He now weighs 18 lbs 2 oz (92%) and is 26 1/4 inches (85%). 
• Our sweet Beckett got his first cold right after he turned three months old.  He ran a slight fever, which resulted in us taking him into the Dr.  It turned out to be a virus, and it took a few days for our little guy to recover.  The month then continued with a couple more colds.  Poor little guy just couldn't seem to catch a break.  As a result his great sleeping flew out the window, and we have since been getting up with him a few times a night again.  Hopefully, he and I will start getting the sleep we desperately need again soon.
• Beckett got to go trick-or-treating with his big brother, Owen, for the first time.  He was dressed as a little pumpkin.  He sure was a cutie and many of the neighbors loved seeing him all dressed up.  He was even given a few pieces of candy, which mommy daddy consumed on his behalf.
• Beckett can sit for just a couple seconds on his own now.  I think his chubbiness helps to prop him up.  He loves to be able to see his toys and us so easily.  I know it will only be a matter of time before he is sitting on his own.  Oh how they grow so quickly!
• Beckett has rolled over for the first time!  Just like his brother he rolled from tummy to back first.  Our boys really don't like their tummy time!  Luke got to see it for the first time, and I missed it because I turned my back to head into the kitchen.  I had just told Luke that I thought he was close to rolling and we should get the camera.  Luke thought it would take a little more time, and then all of a sudden I hear Luke yelling from the playroom, "he just rolled over!"  I was bummed for myself, but also glad that Luke got to experience a "first" with our little guy.  Since I am the one home with them, it is usually me calling him with the news while he is at work.
• Beckett is really starting to babble.  He loves it when we "talk" with him and mimic his sounds.  It is almost like he is trying to have a conversation with us!  He also makes sounds when he is frustrated that sound like he is protesting his situation.  Even though he is usually mad when he makes them, it is still so cute.  It is hard not to laugh or smile when he starts his squawking and yelling his protests!
• Beckett loves to stand! He likes to stand on our laps and often showers us with smiles.  My mom said that I used to love standing as well at that age.  Maybe our little guy gets that from his momma.
• Beckett is a quite the mamma's boy right now.  It could be that he has been sick so much this past month, but he often wants me especially when he is tired or uncomfortable.  In some ways it is so nice to have your little one want you the most.  I will have to take advantage of this time now, since he will quickly want daddy more once he realizes how much rough and tumble fun he gets to have with big brother and daddy!
• Beckett has really started to grab at toys and pull them towards him.  As a result everything now goes straight into the mouth.  It is so fun to see how he is starting to take small steps towards independence, but at the same time, I am in no rush for him to grow up very quickly!

 

3 Months

Oh Beckett, how is it that you are already 3 months old!!!  For some reason, Beckett turning three months really caught me by surprise.  In my mind he stopped getting older at two months, and I just relished the fact that I still had this little newborn to hold and cuddle.  Plus, since Beckett is a bit of a momma's boy, I do tend to get some of the best snuggles out of everyone!  All the evidence though has pointed to the fact that Beckett is in fact getting older and of course bigger.  Oh, how I wish I could freeze these moments when he just wants to snuggle in my arms all day.  I guess writing about them and taking pictures of this cute guy is like a snapshot in time to help me remember.  So for now, here are the latest details about our little/big dude.

• Beckett is growing at lightening speed.  He now weighs 16 lbs 5 oz.  He is solidly in six month clothes as a result, and it seems that he will be moving into the next size soon.  It is pretty fun having such a rolly-poly little man, but there are time I wish I could keep him small a little longer. 
• Beckett is a pretty social little guy.  He does not like to be alone, and would much rather have someone doting on him with attention at all times.  It is pretty worth it since the person who is playing with him often gets loads of smiles and giggles now.  He loves it when someone gets right next to him and makes funny faces and sounds. 
• Beckett is starting to babble and loves to try out new sounds when you talk to him.  It feels like he is actually trying to express his opinion and have a conversation with you.  The little coos of a baby are pretty cute!
• Becket has finally found his fingers!  The little guy has been working to get his hand in his mouth all month.  We thought he was after his thumb, but it turns out he wanted his pointer and middle finger.  He likes to stick them in his mouth and suck or chew on them.  He is still willing to take his binkie when he is tired, but when he is awake that hand is typically in the mouth.
• Sleeping issues have been interesting this past month.  I am pleased to report that Beckett is usually a champ at night.  He consistently sleeps 8 hours and for the past two nights he has decided to stretch it out to 10 hours!!!  However, it has been tough at nap time.  His schedule has been a little inconsistent, and there are times when he only wants to sleep for 30-45 minutes at a time.  He would prefer to be held through every nap, but unfortunately I just can't swing that all the time.  Oh well, I am sure we will figure it out, and I wouldn't trade the long stretches at night for longer naps during the day! 
• He has discovered that he can grab onto things and play with toys now.  It is fun to watch him try to grab the toys around him.  They often end up in his mouth, but he also like to crinkle them if they make sounds.  Owen is starting to "share" toys with Beckett now, although his choices in toys are sometimes questionable.
• Beckett does not like his car seat at all!  When Owen was a baby, he would pass out asleep every time we put him in the car.  Not so with our little Beckett.  If he is awake, he is usually crying and if it is near nap time he lets us know pretty quickly that his preference is not to fall asleep in the car.  Luke actually mentioned the other day after a 20 minute stretch of screaming in the car that maybe we should just stay home from now on.  Oh, if only that were a real option!

Prepare for some picture craziness, because he is just too cute!

 

Pumpkin Patch Fun

This year we made our way to Trinity Tree Farm and Pumpkin Patch. Owen had been talking about going for weeks, and I was excited to see his reaction when we finally arrived. Unfortunately, he fell asleep in the car on the way there. We decided to go ahead and let both boys sleep for awhile in their car seats since Owen had been getting over a cold. Luke and his dad stayed in the car while Brittney, Bev and I took a walk around the tree farm portion. As a result I missed Owen's excitement when he woke up. Oh well, it was still a fun day watching him traipse around in his rain boots and exclaim that all the pumpkins were dirty. It took awhile for us to find pumpkins that were clean enough to pass his inspection. He can be such a silly boy. Anyway, here are the pictures from our outing.

Where are the pumpkins!?!

There they are

 

 

 

Found one

Too bad it is dirty

 

 

 

This one will work

Mommy, that one is dirty!

I guess this one will do

 

Beckett hanging out in the pumpkin patch

 

 

 Not quite sure what the fuss is all about

Good day for rain boots!

 

Playing with his best friend, Avery

 

Playing in an old school fire truck

 

Going on a train ride 

 

Mini pumpkins!

 Checking out Christmas trees

 A few more family pics