Emily and Kolby

Beckett at 20 Months

My my my, where to begin?

I guess the biggest change over the past couple months has been with his communication. Scratch that. The biggest POSITIVE change over the past couple months has been with his communication. I’ll cover his newfound love of fits and hitting here in a minute :). It seems like there is nothing we can say to Beckett these days that he does not understand. Even when we talk about brand new things, he follows what we’re saying (and remembers everything!). He also parrots us all the time now. Every word or phrase out of our mouths—he picks it up and repeats. In the moment and then (impressively) he’ll use it later on and even in the right context. So basically he adds to his vocabulary pretty much all day long just listening to us (or anyone) talk to him. I feel like this has been one of many clear transition points from baby to kid. We’ve always talked pretty normally to him (as opposed to simplifying everything since he’s a baby) and now he’s interacting and responding to us like a kid. We have gotten to see more little glimpses into his personality because of this, and it’s really cool.

In addition to him understanding nearly everything we say, we can also understand nearly everything that he says. He is very good at telling us what he wants or what’s on his mind. I’d say we understand 95% of what he says in a given day. Granted, probably only half of it is coherent to anyone else. That’s been a really cool experience for us—being able to understand our son in a way that no one else can. We know all the quirks of his speech. We know when he’s saying “glove” even though it sounds NOTHING like the word glove, and we know that when he says a “t” word that doesn’t make sense, sub in a “k” sound instead and it’ll be easy to figure out (example: tup=cup). And the list goes on and on. But generally his speech is pretty clear and his mispronunciations are way too cute to correct. One name he has wrong these days is that he calls rabbits “cheddar bunnies” because he eats a snack cracker (think Goldfish) that are called Cheddar Bunnies. I’m looking forward to more stuff like that. It’s so funny to see how their minds work.

In the past he’s been pretty good at answering our questions if we give him choices (do you want to do this or that, eat this or that, etc.) but lately he’s started being able to tell us things without those promptings. He can tell us what he wants to do, what he wants to eat, and we can say things like “Beckett, tell Dada what you did today,” and he’ll answer. Although he’s often really inaccurate, ha. He’ll say he saw an elephant or played with his friend William or rode a tractor when he did none of those things. A boy can dream!

I guess him being able to better communicate what he wants or doesn’t want is as good of a segue as any into talking about the fits. Oh the fits. It started with him just collapsing to the ground when he found anything to be objectionable. Like being told it’s time to leave when he’s still having fun, trying to put sunscreen on him, etc. He’d cry/fuss for a few seconds while I just watched him, then after a few seconds he’d come back to reality and we’d move on. He did this maybe once a day for a couple of weeks, and it was usually when he was getting tired or hungry or was just in a cranky mood. Then he moved on for the most part to getting mad and swinging his arms when he was upset, rather than just going limp. This was a bummer of a transition because those swings started as fairly emotionally reactive and out of control but over the past couple of weeks have slowly become more and more like hitting. As most clearly evidenced by the fact that afterward he’ll now say “hit Mama.” Yes, son, you sure did just hit Mama. So we’re working on that. Thankfully these fits (of any form) are fairly few and far between, and we are still blown away by what a happy camper Beckett is 95% of the time. Although I do see glimpses of what we’re in for during the terrible twos. Luckily that’ll come at a time when we’ll be well-rested and will have lots of time and ability to handle things perfectly. Oh wait…

We are definitely getting to see more glimpses of his personality lately. He’s fun, social, fearless, hilarious and smart. He is also sweet to his core. He’ll gladly give hugs and kisses and my favorite development lately is he’ll ask to be held by saying “Mama, hold.” (or Dada). It’s funny because he’ll say this for two reasons. One is if he gets hurt. The other, funny enough, is if he gets in trouble. I’ll try to use a semi-stern voice and say something like, “Beckett, no sir. You cannot play with that anymore because you threw it.” and he’ll immediately chime back, “Mama, hold.” while clasping his hands together at his chest. He has a tender little heart. (And quite a manipulative one too!) When we tell him we love him he'll reply back "love Mama" or "love Dada," and he's also started telling us we're pretty/handsome at random times throughout the day. At bedtime he is absolutely sweeter than sugar. We sit on the couch as a family and read books and tell stories (storytelling is getting tough because he'll say something he wants included in the story about 10 times in the three-minute story, so we tell lots of tales that start out about a monkey and then end up with a giraffe playing baseball while a lizard sits on the tractor with Pops and watches) and when it's time to go to bed he gives the sweetest hugs and kisses and says goodnight about a million times then lays his head on Kolby's shoulder as he walks him to his room. He knows when we're praying over him and will clasp his hands together. Sweet boy.

As sweet as he is, he also can be pretty disobedient. I have to share this story about a habit he has right now so I remember it. I will tell him not to throw something or hit something or drop something and then he’ll defiantly do it and look at me and quietly say, “Boom.” As in, boom, that just happened. Watcha gonna do about it? I have no idea where he picked up that word from, much less how he thought to use in that context. It’s so frustrating when he disobeys so blatantly but it’s really hard to not laugh when he adds the boom afterward.

The only other thing I can think of that’s new over the last couple of months is he will now ask us to sit in a certain spot with him or he’ll take our hand and want to lead us somewhere. I think he’s probably getting close to that childhood stage where everything is better when your parents do it too. I remember being a kid and always asking our parents to jump on the trampoline with us and when they’d say yes it was like “OH MY GOSH, BRAD, MOM IS COMING TO JUMP ON THE TRAMP!” I use that example because a couple weeks ago we were playing at Brad and Remy’s and Remy got on the trampoline and chased Tucker and Beckett and for a week afterward Beckett had the biggest crush on her.

As far as his interests, he's all about tractors and construction equipment but still can't pass up a good bat or baseball game. He's started to enjoy stickers. He also LOVES swimming. He is a hoot in the water. Such a little fish. He refuses to be held in the water so we put floaties on his arms and turn him loose. He's pretty good at getting around in the water and loves the independence. He also loves to jump in off the side and go down slides.

Several pictures from the past couple of months...

A really awesome city pool opened in our neighborhood at the end of last summer and we got memberships this summer and Beckett has had a blast there. There's a shaded kids pool with a rocket slide that he loves. There have been several weeks where we go once or twice a day because he had such a great time there and it was really easy parenting to just sit and watch him play :)

Beckett's first trip to a lake! Sorry for all the sun gear, bud. Pale kid problems.

Being a busy toddler his hard work.

Summer Kolby and Beckett were two peas in a pod. Beckett just couldn't have been happier to have Kolby home all day to play.

Beckett's first time on a boat!

A little montage of his flop-to-the-ground fits.

Kolby had a two-week training in Austin at the end of July and Beckett and I spent the first week in Waco at my parents' house. Lunch at Schmatlz's Sandwich Shoppe was a must.

Riding carnival rides with Grams and bedtime stories with Pops.

Then we spent the second week with Kolby's parents at their place in Wimberley, and Kolby spent both weekends and every night out there with us. Beckett was so happy to be reunited with Dada after a long week apart! (In the picture on the right... Beckett just kept wading into deeper and deeper water with no sign of stopping. He's our little adventurer.)

Relaxing in the river with CeeCee.

Beckett's tractor obsession spilled over to construction equipment when a Bobcat came to do some rock work on Kolby's parents' driveway.

Helping Poppa spread the rocks.

Beckett was too hot and sweaty from running around to smile, but here's one of very few family pictures we're able to get these days!

Playing at a trampoline/bounce house center.

While we were in Wimberley Beckett played with some animals and had them interacting with each other, which I know seems like no big deal but it was the first time he played like a little boy rather than a baby. He also pretended to make soup with some kitchen toys. I think "pretend play" is what they call both of those? Anyway, just want to jot down that milestone (19 months).

Fun in the water.

The second weekend we were in Wimberley, Kason and Sarah and Kyndall joined us and on Saturday we spent the morning at Pedernales State Park.

Our last night in Wimberley we all went to the famous The Salt Lick BBQ for dinner, and the hour wait was made manageable thanks to this old tractor sitting out front.

Kolby was on his own with Beckett three days a week this summer while I worked, and they went on all sorts of adventures. Here's a picture from outside a nature and science museum they went to a couple times.

"Bob, I said I needed that report an hour ago!"

(Beckett and Kolby meeting me for lunch one day that I worked)

Silly kid.

Kolby takes Beckett to a local diner most Saturday mornings (and has for a year or so) and Beckett gets to eat pancakes to his heart's content.

"It's... gonna... be... worth... it..."

Trampoline fun with Tucker and Aunt Remy.

Beckett and his bud and second cousin, Liam (or as Beckett says, "Lima"), who lives down the street. They are the exact same age and are finally getting old enough to really start playing together.

Family Fun Day.

My boys hard at work.

All Things New

In February 2012, after 18 months of trying to start our family, I was told I had at least stage 3 (of 4) endometriosis, a condition that affects women during the reproductive years and often causes infertility. Moderate endometriosis is associated with a 2% or less chance of natural pregnancy each month (compared with 20% in the general population) and up to a 50% chance of miscarriage if pregnancy does occur (compared with 10% in the general population).

The prior summer I had been diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a common hormonal disorder that also often causes infertility. Like endometriosis, it is also associated with a sharply reduced chance of pregnancy and increased chance of miscarriage.

That was the reality of my health, of our hope for a family.

Our prayer turned from praying for a baby to praying for healing. It was the middle of Lent and our church happened to be doing a sermon series on healing, so we asked several friends at church to join us in our prayer too.

On March 30, 2012 we found out we were pregnant with Beckett. I had a perfect pregnancy and gave birth to a stunningly beautiful and very healthy baby boy on December 8, 2012. I joyfully nursed him for 16 months with no problems whatsoever (women with PCOS are at a greater risk for insufficient milk supply, which impedes successful breastfeeding). On March 25, 2014 we found out we were pregnant with baby #2.

That is the reality of God’s power. When He heals, He doesn’t just put a band aid on it. He makes all things new.

I was even still nursing Beckett when we got pregnant with our newest addition. This body, that seemed to be the source of one let down after another, was made new. Carrying Beckett was the greatest privilege of my life. And now to get to do it again? I don’t even have the words. And two babies in two years? My wildest dream—a small house full of babies—has come true. All glory to God.

It's a...

...surprise!

We'll all find out the gender together on birth day!

We had our 20 week sonogram today and baby is perfect and healthy in every way. Measuring a tad big, but that's our style.

A couple other favorite shots from the sonogram...

This is one flexible baby!

(In case you can't make heads or tails of what you're looking at, the baby is in the same position as the pic above but with his/her legs up to where the toes are almost touching his/her head.)

And he/she definitely has Kolby's feet (he has an infamous extra space after his big toe, as seen in the foot pic here).

So very thankful for the great report, and we absolutely can't wait to meet our new family member in November!

Pride

You know what totally caught me by surprise about parenthood? The pride you take in your children. Or I guess more precisely, how early it starts.

Y’all. I am so stinkin’ proud of Beckett. My pride in him comes in moments, often on a daily basis, and my eyes literally well with tears. And I’m not an emotional person.

Right away, I’d look at him, how beautiful he was, the alertness in his eyes, his joyful temperament, and I just couldn’t believe he was ours.

In those first few months, showing him off to our adoring friends and family—I was just so proud to share him.

Then as he got older he’d take a good nap or wake up in the night but settle himself back to sleep on his own and I know this sounds crazy but I’d find myself being so proud of him. One time my brother asked how he was sleeping and my eyes randomly started watering as I told him he’d taken a two hour nap that day. I really wish I could explain how on earth a person gets emotional about something like that. I mean, get a life, right? It was my first real taste of having this all-consuming pride that defies all sensibility.

And now? Gosh everything the kid does causes my heart to just fill with pride. Color for two minutes without attempting to eat the crayons? Proud. Mimic me when I ask him to say “yes please” instead of “ya”? Proud. Navigate a new playground on his own? Proud. Finish his dinner? Proud. Behave well during errands? Proud. Learn something new? Proud. Be brave enough to go down a big slide by himself after he tumbled down it then face-planted in the mulch the time before (mom fail)? Proud. Make new friends with ease? Proud.

And on and on.

Oh, and the best part is that he gets that I’m proud of him. He picks up on it and then gets proud of himself in turn and he has this move that is hard to convey with words but I want to remember it—he swings both his arms back and holds him there or swings them once or twice and gives the most endearing smile.

When we are at a park or a splash pad he loves to play independently so I let him do what he wants and just watch him from the sidelines, but I always wave when he looks at me and give him a thumbs up if he’s doing something good. The other day we were working on him not climbing up the slide (so other kids could come down) and after listening and obeying several times in a row I wanted to tell him that I was proud of him so I called his name and gave him a thumbs up, and he flashed me a double thumbs up back with the biggest grin on his face and then did his I’m-proud-of-myself arm move as he sauntered off. My heart almost exploded.

I hope he always feels how proud I am of him. Meaning, I hope I always remember to tell him and show him.

Beckett at 18 months

Beckett recently turned a year-and-a-half old and I have to say, I’m more excited than ever to write about what he’s up to these days. I’m just so proud of the little boy he is.

He’s running around like crazy these days, and by running I mean walking really fast and excitedly with tiny steps and his mouth open and with his huge belly leading the way. Seriously, his walk is hilarious. I spent an hour the other day just taking video of it because I know he’ll grow out of it soon and we’ll forget how funny it was.

He’s such a good communicator. On the day of his 18-month checkup I made a list of the words he commonly uses and made it to 75 easily and I knew I was forgetting some. He probably adds a new word every day, so I’m sure this was my last count and can assume it’s just going to grow exponentially from here. He’s started stringing a couple of words together at times and it’s so fun to hear him “talk.” Occasionally he’ll jabber what he seems to think is a full sentence but is not coherent at all. My favorite things about his speech right now is how he makes the “s” sound with his tongue and front teeth (precious) and substitutes a “t” for a “k” sound. As in, “tar” for car and “Tuh-ter” for Tucker.

He’s so sweet with other people and it makes me so happy. He loves to wave and say hi and blow kisses and give hugs, and we’ve been teaching him to say please and thank you and to be sure to look at the person’s face when he says it. He finally learned to give real hugs rather than just leaning in and making the other person do the hugging.

A couple months ago I was having to watch him pretty closely when he was playing with his friends because he was not always gentle with them, although some of the roughness stemmed from him being a fairly new walker and he’d lose his balance and grab at them. He is so much better now. He’s very steady on his feet so that has helped a lot, but he’s also learned to be gentler and it’s been a long time since I’ve had to get on to him for being too rough with a friend. Unless he has a bat. All bets are off if he somehow gets a bat in his hands. He doesn’t intentionally hit anyone (usually), but he also doesn’t pay a lick of attention to the consequences of swinging a bat in close quarters.

This past month he’s really taken to hugging his friends, totally unprompted. It’s seriously the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen. The recipient is usually his best friend, William. And I use the term “best friend” for real here—if you ask Beckett who his best friend is he always says William. It’s the little boy (and son of some best friends of ours from church) that our babysitter kept at our house this past school year along with Beckett, two days a week. He also likes to hug his friend (and second cousin) Liam and he LOVES to hug his cousin Tucker.

Speaking of Tucker, Beckett is ENAMORED by Tucker. He seriously thinks he hung the moon. Tucker loves him too. The other day we met Brad & Remy for dinner and when the boys saw each other they ran up and gave a big hug and danced around and had the most excited look on their faces. I’m pretty sure even the strangers at the table next to us teared up. Seeing their relationship is one of the things that makes me most excited about having baby #2 on the way. Beckett is going to absolutely fawn over having a sibling!

OK, so probably the coolest thing about the past couple of months has been the continued emergence of Beckett’s personality and temperament. Specifically, the seemingly boundless zeal he has for life. He meets every new situation—and I mean every.single.one—with so much happiness and enthusiasm. Nothing fazes him. Some examples lately: first trip to the pool, getting dropped off at a different church’s nursery, first trip to a splash park, several new babysitters, first older-kid birthday party, and his first time to go to a gymnastics place. In every circumstance, he’s off having the time of his life the minute we let go of his little hand. No tears, no hesitation, no stranger anxiety, no clinging to mom & dad… he is just go-go-go. I love seeing him have so much fun and try so many new things. He’s just an always-happy-go-with-the-flow kid. I’m so proud of him.

To somewhat keep tabs on how his interests change, here’s a list of his favorites these days.

Foods: banana, sweet potatoes, scrambled eggs, blueberries, strawberries, pancakes, smoothies, avocado, rice, any type of bread

Toys: baseball cards, bat & balls, his Superman book, hats, cars

Activities: riding the tractor with Pops, playing in the driver’s seat of the car, turning his bounce house on and off, watching the Ken Burns baseball documentary on TV, swimming

Also, at his 16 months post I wrote about how his obsession had moved on from hats to baseball. Well, it's moved on again. He is FULL FORCE obsessed with tractors now. It stems from getting to ride a tractor with my dad when we are at my parents' ranch. It seems all we hear these days is "na-na-na (that's his sound for tractor) Pops" or some combination of the tractor sound, sit, up, down, keys, on, please, Pops... telling us all about how he wants to sit on the tractor with Pops and use the key to turn it on and make the bucket go up and down PLEASE. It's really cute and super annoying at the same time, because unlike hats and baseball, we can't satisfy him when he gets fixated on wanting to ride a tractor. Usually we can pacify him by pretending our knee is a tractor and giving him a tractor ride, showing him a YouTube video of farm work, or calling or FaceTiming Pops and having him explain that they can ride the tractor soon.

Two other notable things that happened lately. First, the day Beckett turned 18 months old was the day we left him with my parents for 5 nights while Kolby and I took an anniversary vacation to Florida. It was our longest time away from him. He had such a blast with my parents (and they with him)! And he slept well and napped well and didn’t cry, so he was as easy as a one-year-old can be… but that’s still pretty exhausting. I’m glad they got to spend some time alone together, and that we got to relax knowing he was in good hands! Second, here are three changes that happened at 18 months that to me signify how much he is growing up (insert sound of me wailing):

1) He now calls Kolby “Daddy” rather than “Dada.”

2) He’s tall enough now that I can walk totally upright while holding his hand (this doesn’t sound like a big deal, but it’s really such a strange feeling after stooping over for months!).

3) He now often kisses with his lips closed. It’s funny how his breathy, drooly, open mouth kisses were so gross but now how much I miss them!

Also, his 18-month stats.

Weight: 28 pounds (90^th percentile)

Height: 32 inches (95^th percentile)

He was right at average size at one year, so he's really hit a big growth spurt these past few months. He's got a big ole belly and it's the cutest thing in the world. Also, his fourth bottom tooth finally came through (now he has four on top and four on bottom) and he got his first four molars over the past two months (two on top and two on bottom). His molars coming in made him hard to please at times but overall he's been an pretty easy teether. And for memory's sake: he sleeps from 8pm-7:30am and takes a 2-3 hour nap every day after lunch. His sleep schedule is absolutely amazing these days!

Some pictures lately (in no particular order):

Playing in the car.

Possibly my favorite food of all time is a soft pretzel. My mom and I would get pretzels every time we went to the mall. So I snapped a picture of Beckett eating his first mall pretzel. He loved it, obviously. I got him his own because there's no way I was sharing any of mine.