Beckett is 9 Months

I have said it every month since Beckett was born...time is flying! The clock seems to tick a whole lot faster now that I have a child. Being able to witness his growth has been amazing! I can't believe how much he's changed, especially over the past couple months. He had his 9 month check up today and he weighs 17.4 pounds (5th percentile) and measures 27.5 inches (25th percentile).

Beckett has become quite the mover. He loves standing up and crawling, which leads me to his new favorite pastime: crawling after our obese and grouchy cat, Jack. He seems to tolerate Beckett's crawling. Once Beckett works so hard to get right next to Jack, to finally grab a hold of his prized possession, Jack takes off, and leaves a broken-hearted Beckett behind. We haven't broken the news yet to Jack that this strategy will only work for so long...

Beckett has also become quite the social butterfly, taking after Garrett. He laughs, smiles, and "talks" to any child he sees. He still gives us that great belly laugh...Garrett and I just can't get enough of it!

And taking after mommy (I should be so proud) is his love of food. He has always been such a good eater. He loves almost anything we feed him. His favorites these days are sweet potatoes, bananas, and banana puffs. This boy loves him some puffs!

Here's a slideshow of our 9 month old...

a blessed summer

As the end of the summer nears, I am so thankful for all that we've been able to experience this past season. I have been a terrible blogger on updating. But I thought I would start with a backwards recap. Starting with this past Labor Day weekend...

Garrett and I were back and forth on leaving for the weekend or just hanging out at home. We decided last minute to book a house on the Strand (a walk/bike path right next to the beach) in Hermosa Beach with some of our friends. This ended up being the best decision we could have made. Ocean view condo beats our desert home any day in my book. Beckett loved standing next to the waves, feeling the icy cold Pacific on his feet, and swinging on the beach. Mom and Dad loved playing beach volleyball and going out for a dinner date two nights in a row! Thanks to our friends, Jeremey and Tammy, for watching B! It was just what we needed before heading back to the desert and Garrett getting back into the thick of things with Test Pilot School. Just a few more months left til he graduates. I can't believe it...time has flown!

update

We've had such a great summer so far! I am behind on our vacation update. I've had so many photos to upload and sift through...788 to be exact! While I'm working on that, I thought I would put up a few new photos of our growing boy.

Who knew velcro could be so funny?

Wide-Eyed Wonderment

Yesterday evening, storm clouds rolled in and saturated the sky. Then, that great deep thunder resonated throughout the backyard. We headed inside and watched as rain poured in. Oh, how I love me a good rainstorm! It makes me feel like a kid again. Beckett has seen a rainstorm before, but this time he was so fascinated. We stared out the back door for awhile and took it all in.

Pea & Carrots

We have been enjoying this new phase of Beckett eating solids. It's so fun to watch his expressions when he gets his first bite of a new food. Overall, he has liked almost everything we've given him, even though the photos below aren't too convincing. Which one do you think he liked more?

Peas



or carrots?

Fun times at Granny and Grandy's

Beckett has discovered that he doesn't really need toys at Granny and Grandy's when he has:

a new perspective on the world (he's sitting up now)...
bright green grass to discover for the FIRST time...

a newspaper to read...

leaves to touch...

and his favorite so far, a musician (who just happens to be his grandpa) to listen to...

we made it....pheeewww!

Yesterday, Beckett and I set off for a second trip to Ohio. As excited as I was to get back, weeks before the flight I also started to get nervous. Then as days approached, I started to get real nervous. And as we walked into the airport, baby in arms, saying prayer after prayer, I experienced pure terror. Beckett was a perfect angel last time we flew to Ohio but times were a-changing. He has what we call "almost 6 months active boy syndrome" and I feared the following:

1) that the close quarters of an airplane seat might not be adequate for 4 hours
2) that I might run out of breast milk (and he doesn't take a bottle or even a pacifier)
3) that he would get a dirty diaper and I would have to attempt changing it in the germ-laden miniature bathroom
4) that he might cry, drawing negative attention in my direction. Let's face it, bringing a baby on an airplane already casts negative attention in your direction. Everywhere Beckett and I go people stop me to coo and make all over Beckett. "How old is he?" "What's his name?" "Oh, his smile is SO cute!" Then, as you approach your gate, you see the pure distaste for my sweet baby. You know they are questioning, "Is this baby on OUR plane?" and thinking, "I hope he's not seated next to ME!" I see it written all over their faces. And no one gives him an ounce of attention. Even the airplane stewardess gave me "the look"

All of these fears came true...

And on top of #3, he wet through his clothes forcing me to change his clothes in that bathroom, which is like wrestling an alligator in a closet. When #4 occurred, I pulled out toy, after toy, after every stinking toy I had crammed in my diaper bag. When that didn't work, I resorted to pulling out the baby food. And all I have to say about that is: don't attempt baby food on an airplane! NOT a good idea.

We survived and I thanked the dear Lord when we landed, breathing in a sigh of a relief. I'm happy to be here in Ohio and look forward to catching up with family and friends. And getting a little break, thanks to my parents. I scheduled a massage for tomorrow morning, which I think is much needed after yesterday's events. :)