Beckett was so excited about Mother's Day that he woke up at 1:15 this morning to celebrate. Actually, it was just gas, but it did require my assistance and comforting. He has been sleeping so well at night with no disturbances, but he coincidentally broke his streak on Mother's Day morning.
As I sat rocking him in the glider during the wee hours of the morning, I really began thinking about Mother's Day. I began thinking about how blessed I am to be a mother, even if it does mean waking up in the middle of the night. I've only ever purchased two things off of Craigslist, one of which was the glider (rocking chair) for Beckett's nursery. Blake and I went to pick up the glider from this mansion on Sullivan's Island. When I asked the mother if it was comfortable, she said, "I don't know. My nanny is the only person who has ever sat in it, but she says it's comfortable." After I got over the jealousy of not having a nanny during the midnight hours, I realized how sad that was. The mother had never rocked her baby to sleep. I'm not judging her because I know that the mother did what she felt was best for her and her child, but I would hate to miss out on the hours of bonding and quality time that I have spent with Beckett in that rocker. So, everytime I have to wake up in the middle of the night to rock Beckett, I try to remind myself that rocking my baby is a privilege that many mothers do not get to experience. Does it always make me less grumpy to be awake at 1:00 am? No, but it often helps change my perspective.
As I sat pondering the meaning of Mother's Day early this morning, a part of me ached for our good friends who have been trying to have a baby, friends who have lost babies and friends who have lost mothers. Another part of me was ecstatic for some good friends who are adopting and bringing their baby home from Korea soon and for other friends who are expecting. Wow, what a day full of emotions. Some sad, some happy, some dreaded, and some excited.
I will never know or understand why some of us were able to have children and others were not. What I do know is that I was blessed with one of the best mothers and mother-in-laws on the planet. I also know that they learned from two of the best mothers, who are now both in heaven, but left their legacy on their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Thank you, Mom, and Mrs. Bonnie, for setting an excellent example for me to follow.
So, I did a lot more thinking/functioning than I usually do at 1:00 am. Do I still think that Beckett waking up at 1:00 was a coincidence on Mother's Day? Yes. But I do think that God was able to use it to remind me what an honor and privilege it is to be a mother. Happy Mother's Day to all past, present, and future mommies!
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Reading Books
Beckett got a Touch and Feel Farm book from the Boone family for his birthday that he absolutely loves. He likes to pet the animals and rub the soft ones against his cheeks. The animal fur is often soaked because he also likes to lick them! Phillip, Seth and Elizabeth wanted to take turns reading it to him. How sweet are these pictures? :)
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Church at the Park
The week before Easter, our church had a cookout and celebration at the park. We enjoyed the food, the company, and the Easter egg hunt for the kids.
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| Playing with sticks and dirt |
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| Getting ready for the Easter egg hunt |
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| He stayed in the same area the entire time |
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| So proud of his egg |
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| He loved the Easter bunny and just wanted to be near him the whole time |
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| Taking a quick break for Cheetos |
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Not Top 10
A few days ago, I posted a Top 10 post showing the top 10 photos from Beckett's first year. This post lists the Not Top 10 photos of Beckett's first year.
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| Man card...fail |
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| Hidden camera...fail |
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| Bonding with the dog...fail |
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| Squash...fail |
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| Taking away his ice cream...fail |
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| Mittens on a thumb sucker...fail |
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| Teething with dignity...fail |
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| Patience...fail |
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| Nothing to say about this one... |
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| Perfect beach pictures...fail |
Best of the Worst or Worst of the Best?
Not sure what to call these, but they deserve a category of their own. Here are my three favorite pictures of the year!
Monday, April 30, 2012
Top 10 List
I've tried to narrow my thousands of pictures from Beckett's first year down to my top 10 favorites. This is the best that I could do.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Reminiscing, Part II
I had been working on a few posts for Beckett's birthday week but left my computer at home while I was in SC, so none of them got posted. So, now I'm playing catch-up.
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| Blake and Beckett laying in the hospital bed. |
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| Headed home |
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| Wearing the bili-blanket for his jaundice. We called him our little "glow worm." |
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| The paci looks huge. |
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Happy 12 Months!
Happy 12 Months One Year! Ah, where did the time go?
Well, you are a talkin', walkin', and dancin' machine! You are constantly on the move. If you are awake, you are moving. Now, you've started running everywhere instead of just walking. You've become pretty good at walking with very few falls, but you don't quite have to balance to sprint everywhere like you want to. You normally run a few steps, faceplant, get back up, run a few more steps, faceplant again...you get the idea. I love to watch your white boy dance moves, which you definitely get from your father. You do a lot of talking, but we can't really make out too many words. You know exactly what you are saying and can tell a good story. Your vocabulary consists of "momma", "dadda", "quack quack" and what sounds like "baboon" but we're hoping that it's not.
You clap at everything you do and the words "good job" and "yay" really trigger your clapping hands. You think that you deserve a clap for everything and constantly look up to make sure that Mommy and Daddy saw you.
You love anything with noise. You try to make sure that there is some kind of noise in our house at all times. If you aren't banging on something, then you make sure that one of your musical toys is on at all times.
Daddy just lowered your crib down to its last notch so that you can no longer hang over the side. You will soon be getting a new carseat, after months of us putting it off. You needed a new carseat about 3 months ago but I knew that we would be travelling a few times and I like that your carseat attaches to the stroller, so I kept you in it for convenience. However, while I was riding beside you on the plane and in the back seat with you in SC, I realized that you had been riding with your knees up to your chest and that your head is higher than the top of the carseat. Whoops, not my best parenting moment. Needless to say, you'll probably be getting a big boy carseat this week so that those long legs can stretch out.
You are such a big eater. You are a funny eater, though. Some days you like certain foods, some days you don't. Your grandmothers always ask, "Does he like macaroni?" and I'll say "No, we've tried a million times." Then, you sit there and eat an entire plate full of macaroni. Or I'll say, "He loves sweet potatoes" and then you gag when you taste them. So, I've learned to say, "I don't know. Try it and see if he likes it." You are funny about trying new foods, but for some reason aren't afraid to try dirt, styrofoam, cardboard, and paper.
You love to share your food with the dog, but not your favorite foods. You'll share cheerios and puffs, but you get very angry if she tries to take your bread and waffles. I feel like you eat all day long. Sometimes when you get full, you either try to sneak food to Karsten or you fake eating your food. You open your mouth like you are going to eat it, but instead of putting it in your mouth, you sneak it down your shirt. Then, when you are done eating, we find an entire meal hiding in your shirt. Smarty britches.
You flew for the third time this month (you're now totalling 10 actual flights, which is a lot for a little boy) and a lot of stress for a fly-alone mother...aahhh! Despite all of my anxiety and worry, you are a wonderful little traveler.
Your favorite toys right now are your Mozart music cube from Aunt Dar and Uncle Phil, your keys from Aunt Sarah, a noisy ball from Ashley, and books. Of course, you still love to play with our cell phones, remotes, and the dog's water bowl.
One of your favorite things to do is to help me transfer the laundry from the washer to the dryer, and then out of the dryer. Really, you just love to scatter clothes all over the house. You also like to help Daddy walk the dog in the morning and get really offended if he doesn't let you go out with him. The cutest chore that you do is putting Karsten in her cage before we leave the house. You go over to the pantry door with us to get her treat, then carry the treat all the way over to her crate, give her the treat, and then close the door. It's our favorite thing to watch you do.
You have learned the word "no" and you DO NOT like it. Most of the time when you touch something you aren't supposed to, we say "no" and you listen and walk away. This is great! However...you turn around, poke out your bottom lip and begin wailing almost everytime we say tell you no. We're working on that.
You are still such an entertainer. You think that the more people there are in a room, the better. When we go out to eat, you scan the room looking for anyone who is paying attention to you. Once your eyes lock with their's, you know you've got them. You continue to flirt with them until they are done eating. If they get up to leave, you always manage to find someone else to flirt with. You are such a happy little boy. The only time that you really whine is when you're hungry or tired. You play hard, but you sleep hard, too, and for that we are thankful.
You still have 6 teeth (4 on the bottom and 2 on the top). I just noticed that you are working on two more top teeth.
Hair...well, not much to say about this one. You've got blonde hair that is growing like a weed in the back, but the top is still struggling a bit. You have hair, but the pictures make you look so bald. When we visited our friends in Charleston the first thing that most of them said was "wow, I'm shocked to see that you have hair." Everyone thought you were bald from the pictures, but in person, you can see that you really do have a lot of blonde hair.
You're pretty good about playing by yourself now. However, if things get quiet, I know that I better find you fast. You love to get into everything and it is amazing how quiet you can play if you know that you're aren't supposed to be playing with something.
What have you been up to?
Well, you are a talkin', walkin', and dancin' machine! You are constantly on the move. If you are awake, you are moving. Now, you've started running everywhere instead of just walking. You've become pretty good at walking with very few falls, but you don't quite have to balance to sprint everywhere like you want to. You normally run a few steps, faceplant, get back up, run a few more steps, faceplant again...you get the idea. I love to watch your white boy dance moves, which you definitely get from your father. You do a lot of talking, but we can't really make out too many words. You know exactly what you are saying and can tell a good story. Your vocabulary consists of "momma", "dadda", "quack quack" and what sounds like "baboon" but we're hoping that it's not.
You clap at everything you do and the words "good job" and "yay" really trigger your clapping hands. You think that you deserve a clap for everything and constantly look up to make sure that Mommy and Daddy saw you.
You love anything with noise. You try to make sure that there is some kind of noise in our house at all times. If you aren't banging on something, then you make sure that one of your musical toys is on at all times.
Daddy just lowered your crib down to its last notch so that you can no longer hang over the side. You will soon be getting a new carseat, after months of us putting it off. You needed a new carseat about 3 months ago but I knew that we would be travelling a few times and I like that your carseat attaches to the stroller, so I kept you in it for convenience. However, while I was riding beside you on the plane and in the back seat with you in SC, I realized that you had been riding with your knees up to your chest and that your head is higher than the top of the carseat. Whoops, not my best parenting moment. Needless to say, you'll probably be getting a big boy carseat this week so that those long legs can stretch out.
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| Thankfully, our back seats recline so you don't have to ride with your knees quite as high up. But, your feet and head are both inches over the top and bottom of the car seat :( |
You are such a big eater. You are a funny eater, though. Some days you like certain foods, some days you don't. Your grandmothers always ask, "Does he like macaroni?" and I'll say "No, we've tried a million times." Then, you sit there and eat an entire plate full of macaroni. Or I'll say, "He loves sweet potatoes" and then you gag when you taste them. So, I've learned to say, "I don't know. Try it and see if he likes it." You are funny about trying new foods, but for some reason aren't afraid to try dirt, styrofoam, cardboard, and paper.
 |
| Stealing Daddy's food after you finished your own |
You love to share your food with the dog, but not your favorite foods. You'll share cheerios and puffs, but you get very angry if she tries to take your bread and waffles. I feel like you eat all day long. Sometimes when you get full, you either try to sneak food to Karsten or you fake eating your food. You open your mouth like you are going to eat it, but instead of putting it in your mouth, you sneak it down your shirt. Then, when you are done eating, we find an entire meal hiding in your shirt. Smarty britches.
You flew for the third time this month (you're now totalling 10 actual flights, which is a lot for a little boy) and a lot of stress for a fly-alone mother...aahhh! Despite all of my anxiety and worry, you are a wonderful little traveler.
Your favorite toys right now are your Mozart music cube from Aunt Dar and Uncle Phil, your keys from Aunt Sarah, a noisy ball from Ashley, and books. Of course, you still love to play with our cell phones, remotes, and the dog's water bowl.
One of your favorite things to do is to help me transfer the laundry from the washer to the dryer, and then out of the dryer. Really, you just love to scatter clothes all over the house. You also like to help Daddy walk the dog in the morning and get really offended if he doesn't let you go out with him. The cutest chore that you do is putting Karsten in her cage before we leave the house. You go over to the pantry door with us to get her treat, then carry the treat all the way over to her crate, give her the treat, and then close the door. It's our favorite thing to watch you do.
You have learned the word "no" and you DO NOT like it. Most of the time when you touch something you aren't supposed to, we say "no" and you listen and walk away. This is great! However...you turn around, poke out your bottom lip and begin wailing almost everytime we say tell you no. We're working on that.
You are still such an entertainer. You think that the more people there are in a room, the better. When we go out to eat, you scan the room looking for anyone who is paying attention to you. Once your eyes lock with their's, you know you've got them. You continue to flirt with them until they are done eating. If they get up to leave, you always manage to find someone else to flirt with. You are such a happy little boy. The only time that you really whine is when you're hungry or tired. You play hard, but you sleep hard, too, and for that we are thankful.
You still have 6 teeth (4 on the bottom and 2 on the top). I just noticed that you are working on two more top teeth.
Hair...well, not much to say about this one. You've got blonde hair that is growing like a weed in the back, but the top is still struggling a bit. You have hair, but the pictures make you look so bald. When we visited our friends in Charleston the first thing that most of them said was "wow, I'm shocked to see that you have hair." Everyone thought you were bald from the pictures, but in person, you can see that you really do have a lot of blonde hair.
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| Thank you, static electricity |
You're pretty good about playing by yourself now. However, if things get quiet, I know that I better find you fast. You love to get into everything and it is amazing how quiet you can play if you know that you're aren't supposed to be playing with something.
Happy birthday, sweet boy!
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