Beckham's New Trick

He learned to sit up this week. What a big boy! He is growing like a weed this month.

First Christmas

We are in Utah at Brendon's parents house this holiday. We are having a wonderful time relaxing, and Beckham loves all the attention from Grandma, Grandpa, and all of his aunts and uncles.

He loves bathtime in Grandma's big jacuzzi tub. We all gather around to watch and he loves having an audience.
Beckham got all decked out for Christmas Eve movie. Beck and I had to leave ten minutes into the movie because he wouldn't quit talking. Little turkey!
Modeling his Christmas Eve pj's.
Opening his Christmas Eve pj's with Aunt Rissa's help.
As we expected Beckham loved the wrapping paper more than the gifts. Good thing we spent less than $10 on his toys!

Five Months

Beckham is so much fun to have around. He keeps putting on the pounds, and now my arms (and Brendon's as well) ache to carry him very long.

This month he learned how to put his soother in his mouth by himself, and he is now getting quite good at it.

He loves toys and can grasp onto them very tightly now. Speaking of his grasp...heaven help you should he get ahold of your hair or ear or nose - he has a very tight grip.

He doesn't spend much time on his back, because as soon as he is placed on his back he quickly rolls to his front. He has seemingly forgotten how to roll from his front to his back though (isn't that supposed to be the easy one?) so after a while of being on his tummy he kind of whines that he is sick of it.

When he does stay on his back for more than a few minutes he will no doubt be doing "crunches". He lifts up his legs and head and holds it for long periods of time.

When he is on his tummy he recently started pulling his knees up under him and really gets them working. Practice for learning to crawl??

Whenever anyone is around him they comment "He must be cutting a tooth!" He puts everything in his mouth and bites HARD! His poor little fingers are starting to get callouses from his chewing.

Silent Night

My good friend Emily, party host extraordinaire, puts on a Nativity pageant every year with the LDS Stanford Business students. Beckham was cast as a sheep this year. I cut up some white hand towels and made him a cheap sheep (say that 5 times fast) costume.

The great thing about an outfit made of towels is you can drool all you want!

Bed Time

Beckham sleeps in his carseat. Overnight. Everytime I try to put him to bed in his crib he wakes up all night long. He sleeps like an angel if I put him in his carseat. What's a mom to do?

The other night we came in and he had his hands up like this. So funny. I guess his ears were cold.

He Knows What He Likes

Lunch

Wednesday a few of us went out for my friend Brooke's birthday. We all have babies that are relatively about the same age. We were a sight to behold.

Melanie is my sewing bff. We both decided we wanted to love sewing right after we got married (we both got married about a month apart) three years ago. So we bought patterns and machines and taught ourselves how. We had both had a little experience (Mel had more than I) but we still had lots of trial and error. I would say now we are pretty decent. Maybe we can even call ourselves seamstresses. Anyhow...she just made this cute shirt. Love it. She shows you how to do it on her blog.

...and she started this fun sewing blog. I can't wait to sew some of those fun things when I have a little girly girl some day.

Thanksgiving

We spent Thanksgiving at my aunt and uncle's house in gorgeous Sunvalley, Idaho. It's a family tradition. Our group is getting quite large these days.

Brendon had fun on the motorcycles. (That's the newlyweds Cody and Kate on the four wheeler).
Beckham's Thanksgiving bib from Grandma Merkley. Try to figure out what it says - ha ha.


Four generations.
Uncle Matt and Brendon riding off into the sunset. Literally.
This was Brendon's first time on a horse. He loved it.

We had a wonderful time - it was well worth the long drive. We are thankful for a son that travels well...among [many] other things we are also grateful for!

More Magazines

I LOVE magazines. It's so fun to get something in the mail other than bills. I am extremely saddened that my BURDA subscription ran out...but to cheer me up more $5 magazines!

Four Months

Our Beckster man continues to grow at a rapid pace.

Newest Stats:

26 3/4 inches (97th percentile!)

15 pounds 13 ounces (75th percentile)

Some new things about Little Man:

*chews on EVERYTHING! I thought this phase started later

*such a happy baby (I can't say this enough I guess) - he is smiling all the time

*new sounds every week - grunting, growling, and spitting

*drools more than ever - we need more bibs

*loves taking baths alone in the big bath tub

*does "crunches" with his hands behind his head

*tries to fit his entire fist in his mouth

*won't ever take his hands out of his mouth

*sleeping very good now (wakes up once a night to eat) because he sleeps in his carseat overnight

*interacting more - laughing and giggling and playing - we love it!

Thanksgiving And Stuff...

I just made this pie from Pioneer Woman for a birthday party this week. So easy (I only attempt easy recipes!) and it got quite a few rave reviews. I will say that I had major anxiety that someone was going to tell me they got food poisoning from it and threw up all night (it has raw eggs in it)...but other than that I recommend it.

We leave tomorrow for Sunvalley, Idaho and I just checked the weather forecast. 30's and 40's...brrr! Goodbye mild Bay Area weather. I had to unpack the winter coats and boots. I hate packing!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

My Morning Person

Just a short video of our goofy baby. It makes me smile. Especially the last 10 seconds.

A Steal of a Deal

Cooking Light is only $5 for a year subscription on Amazon.com until Saturday at midnight. Maybe this will give me the motivation to finally lose those last 8 pounds of baby weight!

My New {girly and crafty} Blog

I started another blog...nothing fancy...just a place to store tutorials I want to try. And hopefully I'll get around to writing a few tutorials of my own someday. Anyway...if you'd like to see what inspires me...

http://howtomakelovelythings.blogspot.com/

Be sure to check out the very first post...the advent calendar. I love it! I need to get started ASAP so I can get done in time for Christmas.

Beck And Fritz

Brooke came to visit Friday and brought sweet little Fritz. Fritz is exactly two months younger than Beckham, but much smaller (he was born 5 weeks premature). Beckham looked enormous next to teeny little Fritz, so we let Beckham hold his buddy Fritz.

I love the second picture...they both look miserable.

John Deere Playmat

Melanie gave us a playmat, and ever since Beckham learned to grab things (and hold on!) this month he loves to play with it. He will pull the whole thing over on himself. Often if you pick him up from the mat he brings it with him.

"I'm not letting go of this thing!!"

My First Halloween

Halloween was so fun. Beckham was a good sport in his ridiculously hot itchy costume...he never cried. Love that easy going kid!
At the ward party we were all a family of skunks. I could have made us ears or something a little more fancy...but after making Beck's costume I was sick of sewing with fur! And definitely sick of vacuuming up fur.
Beck loves loves to stand. He has loved it since he was a month old. If he's cranky and every basic need has been met...you can just assume he wants to stand and it cheers him right up.


I think he looks hilarious in the stroller with his huge tail behind him taking up all the room.
He got all wore out! What a trooper.

Trick Or Treat

Beckster is a skunk for Halloween this year. I made his costume from a Tom Arma pattern. It wasn't as challenging as I thought it would be to work with fake fur...but I will say that our house was totally covered with fur balls all week.

Three Months

I know I can't say every month "I can't believe he's ___ [age] already!" because that cliche will get annoying fast...so I will just say that I was at the hospital where he was born yesterday getting my flu shots and I was very touched emotionally remembering all the wonderful (and terrible) things about the day he was born. So many fun and wonderful things have happened since.

Some new things about Little Man:
*learned to roll over - both from the front to the back and the back to the front (he's so advanced - ha ha)
*outgrowing 3/6 month clothes
*enjoys watching tv with Dad
"dinner conversation" - talks while nursing
*trying to learn to sleep via Babywise - but it's tough on Mom to not run to him when he cries at night
*takes baths with daddy - kicks his legs in the tub
*shy around lots of people - doesn't do much but sit there
*loves getting naked and having diaper changed - but gets scared when the shirts are pulled over his head
*developed an interest in toys (rattle and playmat)
*he sticks his tongue out the side of his mouth when doing things
*when he stands up he raises his shoulders and stands on his tip toes like he's trying to be taller
*drools (yuck)
*learned to grab and hold on tight (Mom will now be wearing ponytails lots more often!)
*discovered his feet and loves to reach for them

He's still a very happy baby, and "talks" and babbles all the time now. It is so amusing to me to have these conversations with him. I absolutely love spending my days with him.

(this is a day late...but I've been having problems with blogger)

Say Cheese

Beckham and I had a photoshoot this morning while we were lounging in bed.

Fun With T-shirts

On Friday I was inspired by some recent J.Crew and Anthropologie tshirts that are way out of my budget. So I bought two $6.99 clearance tshirts from Gap and made these:

It was so fun. I love knit...you don't have hem anything!