Four Months

Our visit to the doctor today was as eventful as could be expected. Our favorite part is, of course, the part when we get to see how much "Gigantor baby" has grown. Drum Roll please...

- Weight: 17 lbs 2.5 ounces
- Length: 26.5 inches

Again, the doctor told us that Beckett is off the growth charts for his age. He is approximately the same size as an average 6 month old.

Dr. Rouse gave us the go ahead to start trying rice cereal. We were initially excited to think about solids, but the more we thought about it the scarier it got - mixing foods, high chairs, bibs, bowls, spoons... We were just getting comfortable with the equipment we have let alone the things we don't. I am sure this is a big mess waiting to happen. (I am also seeing another Babies R Us meltdown in my future.) That will be it's very own blog entry.

Derek and I are also in the midst of a debate on what to do with Beckett's hair. As many of you have commented (Grandma especially), Beckett has plenty of hair. There is still a bit of patchwork in the back, but the top and front could be our very own cover for Worst Hair magazine. I am still of the opinion that it will calm down once it grows a bit more, but Derek really wants to get it cut. Leave a comment below and let us know what you think.


We could also just follow Dad's lead and start the hat look.

No matter what, he sure is cute especially when it is newly washed and combed...

Roly-Poly

Our little cutie is getting to be more and more interactive. He is definitely interested in playing with his toys and making sure he knows all that is going on around him. As you can see, he enjoys playing with multiple things at once. The other accomplishment last week was that he rolled over for the first time...



But, as always, the little guy is in charge and knows better than to do exactly the same thing each time. That is too predictable! Man, is he cute or what?!

As forecasted in my original post, I am sure everyone has realized that the time between posts is getting longer and longer. Believe me, this isn't because I want to keep the cute Mr. Beckett hidden from everyone, but more that our lives are getting more crowded. I started back to work a few weeks ago. Yes, this was more than a little stressful - and if you asked Derek, he would likely tell you that my laid back attitude that I acquired during maternity leave (yes, it is true!) is slowly being replaced with the old "go, go, go" one. It was a challenge to figure out what time to get up in order to feed Beckett, pump, shower, get dressed, fix my breakfast and lunch, wash the bottles, etc and don't forget the 5-10 mins of saying goodbye.... I know thousands of mothers do this every day, but it definitely is a new challenge for me. Now after the first 2 weeks, I think I am getting better, but only if there isn't anything thrown into the mix - god forbid I need to get gas or something like that.

And, of course, as soon as I return to work, they needed me to travel. Fortunately, Derek is not back to school yet. He agreed to come with me to VA so that I wouldn't have to be separated from Beckett for the week. In my opinion, Beckett did very well. But, Derek may have a different story since he was the one with him all day each day. I am sure he didn't really know what to expect, but I don't think he had as good of a time as expected. You will have to ask him.

They did go to Monticello one day:

Maybe too much information for Beckett all at once... but, at least daddy was entertained for a little bit.

Officially 3 Months

18 July marked Beckett's official 3 month birthday. He is doing very well and is a very happy baby. He is always smiling and laughing as we sing the silly baby songs. He is probably just laughing at us and not with us. As you can tell by this picture, his hair is still as unruly as ever. The ends are starting to curl, but he still has the awful cowlick on the top and the hairless patches in the back.
As predicted earlier, he is now almost big enough to reach the ground in his bouncy activity center. He is still figuring what all of the other things do. Beckett is grabbing and holding things now. It all usually heads directly for the mouth unless otherwise occupied with his fingers or pacifier. We have also settled into a bedtime routine. He usually falls asleep in the boppy or his swing around 8:30 no matter how awake he seems the minute before. Then he eats one last time at 9:30 and goes to bed for the night at 10. Not bad.

12 Weeks and counting

Here we are already at 12 weeks. As you can see, Beckett is a very happy little guy. He is smiling and laughing most of the time. He is very aware of others and his surroundings. He is sure to let you know when you aren't paying him enough attention.

Before I went back to work this week, we took Beckett on his first bowling outing. Too bad he wasn't big enough to use him as an excuse to get the gutter bumpers - maybe my score would have been a little higher!
Grandma and Pap Pap came to visit us this weekend. Beckett had a great time with them. Beckett was just a newborn the last time Pap Pap held him. He is almost double that size now.

Two Months

I know it has been 2 weeks since the last update. I have been feeling a bit under the weather, but after a couple discussions with my doctor I am on the mend. Hopefully, you won't have to wait this long again for your fill of Beckett updates.

Beckett visited the doctor yesterday for his 2 month appointment. He started his series of vaccinations, obviously not his favorite part. Here are the official baby stats:

• Weight - 14 lbs 1.5 oz (97th percentile)
• Height - 24 1/2 in (97th percentile)
• Summary: Becket is the size of an average 4 month old.
  

Beckett's newest discovery is his tongue. He is enjoying drooling, blowing bubbles, putting things in his mouth and/or using his tongue to spit things out (e.g. his pacifier).



We have been trying out more of our toys that are targeted at older/bigger babies. The activity seat that sits on the floor is still a little too big. At the rate he is growing, we will try this one again next week...

Birthday Week

Mr. Beckett is 7 weeks now. He is growing like a weed. He can almost hold his head up on his own and much prefers to be sitting up so he can see the world.


What would have been a week long celebration of Bekki in previous years has morphed into a week about little ones instead (yes, I am dealing with this ok).

We had our first play date at Ali's house this week. Shannon, Ali and I socialized while Holden, Sarah and Beckett did what they do best: slept, ate and dirtied the diapers. I am sure they will all be great friends, but let's hope the sizes even out soon - how old are kids when they realize they are twice the size of everyone else?


On Friday, June 6 (my birthday for anyone who forgot) Dana and Mike Cipolla welcomed Paul Nicholas into the world. I am so excited that I will be able to share my birthday with this special little guy. Here is the proud Papa and baby Paul on his birthday:

It's Been A Busy Week

We have certainly had a busy week. Let's see...

Grandma came all the way from TX to spend just the day with us. We had a lot of fun, but Beckett was a little fussy. He promises that the next time he sees his Grandma he will be in better spirits.
Our friends Theo and Lyell let us know that Dr. Karp, the author of Happiest Baby on the Block, was giving a seminar in Durham. We decided to attend to see if there were any additional tricks that we didn't know yet (although, we do think that Beckett is already the happiest baby on our block). The take home message: the 5 "S's" that we have already been following. Beckett's favorite is the swaddle and the sucking of the pacifier. And, to satisfy all requests for pictures of Mommy here you go...


We attended a couple BBQ's this week at our friends Susan and Erin. We all had a great time hanging out with everyone - especially Beckett's friend Ben of Baby Brady Chronicles fame.

Finally, Beckett attended his first baseball game (thanks Chris and Regina for the tickets and great company). He was obviously fond of Wool E. Bull...

We made it -- One Month!!

We had our one month appointment this week. Beckett certainly is a strong, healthy, little guy. Here are the stats:

Weight -- 11 lbs 5 oz
Length -- 23 1/4 in
Head circumference -- 40 cm

Beckett is in the 90th percentile or greater for each of the categories. According to the doctor, Beckett is the size of an average 3 month old. He said that an average baby should be gaining about 1/2 oz -1 oz per day. Considering this rate, Beckett should have gained about 24 ounces since his 1 week appointment. However, he has gained 45 ounces... Almost double the norm!! The kid is definitely not starving.

Now, since he is over 11 lbs we were told he is big enough to sleep through the night. Stay tuned for the update on that.

My Play Mat

Beckett has started using his play mat on a daily basis. Although he can't quite understand all of the functions, he has taken a liking to the mirror. Looks like he really does take after his mom...