beckett & chloe {2 1/2 & 1 month}

ok, so i know i’m way late to the party on this one (since chloe turned two months on monday) – i’m way late to the party on just about everything these days.  if i could just figure out how to get 26 hours in each day, i think i’d be swimming instead of feeling like i’m just treading water.  we are figuring out life with two littles, and while some days feel like we’re cruising, others feel like we have a lot left to figure out.  here’s what’s happening with our short people…

beckett, you are a wild man at home.  you love to ‘go fast’ {sprinting up and down the hall} and use your ‘outside voice’ far more than we’d like {we’re working on that one}.  it has been a looooong winter trying to burn all that energy at home.  it’s funny though, once you’re in a place with a lot of other people, you do a 180 – you turn quiet and observant.  we’ve been going to story time at our library for over a year now, and while you’re excited to go, once we get there, you pretty much park it on my lap.  it’s so interesting to see a completely different side of you, and i wonder what is going on in that little head of yours.

you are now potty trained!  it was not awesome, but it’s done.  we’ll leave it at that.

you still love trains, and we have succumbed to letting you watch train videos most mornings just so we can lay in bed a little longer.  i hope to can this once we are getting some more sleep around here.  paw-paw and mema took you to parkville to see the trains while we were in the hospital having chloe.  since then, we’ve gone a handful of times, though you’d like to do it every day.  your favorite part is to watch the ‘ding-dings’ go down to block traffic.  you beam when you see the train, and immediately ask to see another one.

you are really starting to have great sentence structure now, so you sound like such a little man.  it has been amazing to see your language develop.  you are now counting from 1 – 10 in spanish, which you learned from a song i sing from sesame street when i was a kid.  the term ‘kids are sponges’ has never resonated more.

you are starting to make-believe a little, acting out something that you saw on tv or in a book.  you still love music, and have a new love for making and playing in forts.

you got your hair cut after these pictures because the back was just plain unruly all the time.  it has made you look so grown up.  between your new do and your big boy undies, i can hardly bear it.

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chloe, you put even beckett’s surfer baby demeanor to shame.  you are so peaceful, and pretty much only cry if you’re hungry or cold, and rarely very hard.  you are a happy little camper and smiled for the first time on your one month birthday.  you kind of forget that a little person is inside until this happens.

you’re starting to hold up your little head and hold someone’s gaze, studying whatever it is you see.

as far as looks go, if i’m being honest my dear, one month was a bit of an awkward spot.  you are bald on top {we call this the dr. phil look} and have baby acne {why do these poor babies have to get this??}.  you are also getting some pretty incredible little cheeks, which i think are divine.  we’re not sure yet what color your eyes will be.  they seem to be getting lighter.

we are calling you chloe, of course, but your nicknames include clostine {middle name is christine}, clover, clobell, and clobule {the name of my dad’s grandfather – yes, that’s real}.

you’re sleeping pretty well considering you’re a newborn.  i’m usually up twice a night, but sometimes just once, and you’ve gone stretches of up to 4 or 5 hours, which is a win in my book. during the day, you’re up about an hour at a time.

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when these pictures were taken, beckett was still just loving chloe.  at two months, though, i think the honeymoon is over and he is testing the limits quite frequently around here.  while there is a lot of sweet, there is a little more spice than usual.  more on that in the next update, which i hope to put up before c is 3 months old.

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{yes, chloe, you’re stuck with us…and mama needs a pedicure}IMG_2694

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introducing {chloe christine}

i am way behind here…well, on a lot of things.  but better late than never…

we welcomed chloe christine into our family on friday, february 1st.  we ended up having to evict her since she didn’t seem to want to come on her own – i was induced at about 8.00 am, and by 11.44, we had chloe.  words cannot express how much i love this girl.  she is peaceful, social and sweet and changing every day.  i cannot wait to see what her little voice sounds like, what color her eyes end up being, what her personality is like, and eventually, the woman she will become.  we have been overwhelmed with love and support from our friends and family, and for that we are truly grateful.

{morning of febuary 1st.  let’s have a baby!}IMG_1960

{seeing our daughter for the first time.  so happy jared caught this moment.}IMG_1965

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{meeting memaw and paw paw}IMG_1995

{meeting mimi}IMG_2001

{meeting aunt heather}IMG_2004

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{four generations}IMG_2031

{beckett and chloe meet}IMG_2067

{meeting b-pa}IMG_2089

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{hear no evil.  wish i could guard her from ever having to.}IMG_2116

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{first night together at home}IMG_2140

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beckett {one month shy of 2 1/2}

it was downright spring-like here today, so the short guy and i spent a lot of time outside.  we went on a walk in the hopes it would send me straight into labor, and when that didn’t happen, i decided b-man was due for some new pics so i broke out the camera.  he hammed it up for me, so prepare to be photo-assaulted.

we’ve been working on manners lately because, i don’t know about you, but we thought “stop talking” wasn’t the best way to speak to your elders.  we told him that he should instead say ‘excuse me’, and thankfully, he caught onto that pretty quickly.  it’s pretty cute too.  it is my motherly mission to raise kids with manners.  is he too young to start opening doors?  beckett is keeping us on our toes, but we have had such a great time with him lately.  it’s hard to believe we are just days away from adding another little human to our home, and b’s days as an only child are over.  we have been trying to soak up the minutes with him, and really give him a lot of attention since i know it’s about to get crazy up in here.  i would be lying if i told you i wasn’t nervous.  i am.  but i also know a lot of people who have done this, and they lived through it.  i’m hopeful we can too.

hope to be popping in with some good news in the (very) near future, but right now, i feel like this kid is never going to come out.  tomorrow is my official due date, and i didn’t really think i’d make it this far.  i definitely didn’t think she would come late.  it’s been hard not to let thoughts of her arrival consume me, but i’m trying really hard to enjoy the calm before the storm and stay distracted.  this little guy has helped…

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dropping in {with a little holiday cheer}

if you haven’t seen this jimmy fallon/roots/mariah carey/kids collaboration, you need to take three and a half minutes and do it.  it’s pure awesome, and if those kids don’t make you smile, i don’t know what will.  hope you’re enjoying the holiday season.  i can’t believe that christmas eve is just two weeks away!  i’ve got work to do, but i hope to be popping in more often.  things are starting to settle down after a few hectic weeks – can i just tell you that a 2-year-old with a case of the terrible two’s and a dog fresh out of surgery to repair his torn ACL has me a little distracted?  thankfully, beckett’s ‘beast mode’ seems to be taking a break, miller is recovering nicely, and we are starting to make some headway on this house of ours.  new light fixtures are headed our way – hooray!  we cannot get rid of what we have fast enough.  in the meantime, here’s my update….

christmas is happening!  like his mother, beckett is beside himself with the joy that christmas lights bring.  he looks for ‘christmas wights’ and ‘cowors’ (colors) when we drive through our neighborhood at night.  he is not disappointed.

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we finally decided it was time to bid farewell to beckett’s rat’s nest and got him a proper haircut.  he now sports a smaller rat’s nest and looks a little like kate from ‘jon and kate plus 8’ when he’s fresh up from a nap.  he’s cuter though.

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‘rosebud’ is a-growin’, and a-kickin’ (like, a lot).  we are mere weeks from her arrival, which has us both elated and a little terrified all at once.  i think we’ve landed on a name, but we’re not tellin’.

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lions and tigers and bears {oh my gosh, these are cute}

i’d run across these photographs before, but since we’re in the middle of doing two kids rooms at moment, these really caught my attention this time.  they’re done by sharon montrose, and i think they are pretty spectacular.  just the right amount of cute, and pretty affordable too.  the animals have many ‘poses’, but something about the ‘headshot’ really gets me.  head here for more information about the project.

i’m thinking of one of these for beckett

 

and one of these for baby girl

 

or how cute would a whole row be??

 

a happy halloween {for a little lumberjack}

well, the short guy got all suited up as a lumberjack on halloween.  he wasted no time in figuring out that the (cardboard) ax was a tool and began chopping things.  he was a little confused about going up to strange houses, but when he figured out he got to ‘ding the bells’ and get free candy, he was all in.  by no surprise, he was asking to do it again yesterday.

{he had us laughing so hard ‘chopping’ this log}

oh baby {it’s a …}

last week we had an ultrasound of this little booger.  most importantly, baby appears to be healthy.  all the important parts are there and working, and we are so happy and relieved about that news.  when i was pregnant with beckett, we decided we wanted to keep the sex a surprise.  it was a great decision, and an incredible moment when he made his debut.  jared had been sure he was a girl all along, but my money had been on a boy.  i remember saying ‘hi beckett’ as soon as they handed him to me.  it was a sweet moment.

this time, we decided to try something new and find out who this little person is…

turns out, it’s a girl!  we are thrilled to be adding a little girl to our family, and i’m so happy we found out.  this time around, i feel much more distracted, and it’s definitely helping me to connect a little more.  also helping is that she is starting to kick around quite a bit, and jared felt his first few jabs this week.  it’s crazy to be able to talk about her using identifying pronouns and think only about girl names – it’s just totally different from the last time around.  and you know i’ve already been shopping for this girl!  i’m really trying to restrain myself, but i am having a hard time passing up leggings.  who knew that would be my weakness??

we are already daydreaming, just like we did with beckett, about what she will look like, sound like, and what kind of personality she’ll have.  we just can’t wait to meet this little nugget.  with everything that happens at the end of the year (plus a little something else we have going on…more on that later), i’m sure january will be here before we know it.  until then, i’ll be happily baking this baby girl.

an early start {and nursery daydreaming}

the sun isn’t up, and yet, i’ve been awake for an hour and a half.  this is not normal.  i am a bit fearful that this baby is going to be a party animal once he/she gets here since i’m already getting no sleep, but i suppose i’ll be fully prepared by the end of january if this charade keeps up.  all this non-sleeping has me day-dreaming about a nursery for little one, who i might add, is really starting to move (more fuel to the fire for the party-animal theory).  i’ve consulted pinterest and every decor magazine i can get my hands on for an idea to spark my imagination of where to go this time, but i’ve not yet been inspired.  i have a few ideas swimming around, but i’m going to keep looking for that inspiration piece to set me down my path.  in the meantime, i’ve been drooling over these darling rooms.

{all from my pinterest board}

and how amazing are these whimsical and sophisticated design boards?  i’d like to move into any one of them, thankyouverymuch.

checking in {and catching up}

man, a lot has happened since i last checked in.  first, little beckett isn’t so little anymore – he turned TWO!  we had a little family birthday party to celebrate, and i managed to take about 5 pictures…of inanimate objects.  let’s hope my family members can fill in the gaps for me.  it’s pitiful that i have no pictures of my son at his own birthday party.  it was kind of a cars and trucks theme, so i wanted to document the cute food labels and cake (that my dear sweet mother made!).  trouble is i didn’t document the kid.  dang.

i did, however document him another day last week.  he was having so much fun on the slides at the park, and i had my big boy camera with us, so i was able to freeze time…just for a few minutes.  smiles are a rarity these days since, lately, when i bust out the camera, he gives a dead pan stare or just  looks the other way.  consider these a small win for mama!

happy birthday {to beckett}

i can hardly believe that it has already been a year since i wrote this post and two since our little man entered the world.  time is flying, and i’d like it to slow down right. about. now.

beckett, your speech is really taking off and you are one chatty kathy!  you are stringing more and more words together and making a lot of sense when you speak.  you do still speak in what your mimi calls beckenese, which unfortunately, only you understand.  i know one day we’re going to have an ‘aha moment’ and finally understand what you’ve been saying.  you are a charmer, still saying (or yelling) ‘hi’ to pretty much anyone you see and asking to ‘cheers’ at the dinner table.  you are so active, and really, when i say active – that’s an understatement.  you have two speeds – running or asleep – and there’s not much in between.  right now, i can’t say that listening is your strongest attribute, but we’re working on it.  and you’ve taken up whining as a new hobby, of which we’re not huge fans, but i’m sure this will come and go.  other hobbies include baseball, cars, coloring, and music.  in fact, you’ll pipe up from the back seat of the car and tell us if songs on the radio are acceptable to you or if we need to change the station.  you’re kind of bossy.  :)  you are also inquisitive!  a new favorite phrase is ‘was dat?’  you are asking it all the time about new things you see and hear.  you know pretty much all of your letters, numbers (1 – 12), shapes, and colors.  we are constantly amazed by all you absorb and remember.

you are one special kid, and while it’s bittersweet, we love seeing you change, grow, and learn every day.

happy happy birthday beckett!!!