Beckett's two-month update

 Beckett, you're two months old today!

 You've had another great month. You're growing like a weed! You had your two-month visit at the pediatrician's office yesterday, and he said you looked great. You're up to 13 lb, 1 oz (75th percentile) and 23 inches (50th percentile), and your head is 40.5 cm (about 16 inches, 90th percentile -- that's a big noggin'!).

You're right on track for where you should be growth-wise and developmentally. Unfortunately, you also had to get your first shots, but you were a real trooper and did very well, and you even got Tweety Bird and Scoobie Doo bandaids!

You're getting better and better at lifting your head up, and you're starting to really like tummy time (in small quantities). You've even rolled over a few times!

You're also focusing on things better every day, and you love to make faces at mommy, daddy, and everyone on Skype. You smile all the time, and we even got a laugh out of you at bath time the other day.

After a failed attempt at getting you on a schedule (you're just too young), we've learned you sleep best in your swing during the day. You're almost sleeping through the night on a regular basis, and you sleep great in your crib at night. You also love looking up at your mobile and talking to all of your animal friends.

This month, you had your first Christmas, Hanukkah, and trip to church, plus we've ventured out to stores a few times with mixed success. And today you had your first snow!

You still love your walks (though sometimes it takes some work to get you to fall asleep), either in the stroller or the Moby, and we're going to start using your sport carrier soon.

You had fun hanging out with your Grammie and Grandpa for Hanukkah, and you had a rockin' new year's with Papa and Nana so mommy and daddy could go to dinner with some friends.

Beckett, you amaze us more and more every day, and we're having such fun watching you grow and learn. We love you!

Present from me to me

Look at this pile of loveliness! It's been quite a while since I last bought some fabric, so when Hawthorne Threads recently restocked some Ann Kelle fabrics I've been drooling over for forever, I had to pounce.

I simply adore the owls, birds, and dinosaurs from her Urban Zoologie collections (Owls in Bermuda and Blue, Birds in Bermuda, and Dinosaurs in Navy).

Then, I picked up some dots, stripes, and argyle from her Remix collection to coordinate with them (Line Dots in Bermuda, Stripe in Royal, and Argyle in Lime).

But I couldn't stop there. David Walker's new collection Get Together has some super cute animal prints that I couldn't resist (Flock of Birds in Navy and Squirrels and Trees in Navy).

I also added this fun print (Posh in Bright) from Patricia Bravo's Modernology collection, which I spotlighted for the lining of a bag I'm working on.

Finally, I couldn't resist a few prints from Doohikey Designs' Fox Trails collection (Circles in Blue, Friends in Blue, and Stars in Brown), which were not only on sale but also featured some super cute fox characters, which I plan to applique onto some onesies for Beckett (his middle name is Fox).

Hello, Mr. Fox.

Now, I just have to find some time to start working on projects. First on my list: the appliqued onesies and some quick-change trousers for the little man.

Happy new year!

Happy New Year!

My dad and step-mom came to visit us for new year's, marking the end of the long string of visitors we've had since Beckett's birth.

My step-mom came to help us for a week at the beginning of December, but my dad hadn't seen Beckett in person since his birth, so they were both really excited to come back and spend some time with him (and us, but let's face it, mostly him).

We made sure to have our black-eyed peas on New Year's Day, enjoying some delicious hoppin' john Matt made from a recipe in one of the new cookbooks he got for Christmas.

It was wonderful to spend the time with them, and they served as our babysitters so we could go out with some friends for New Year's Eve. We had a wonderful, fancy dinner at a local place we'd been wanting to try for a long time, and we rang in the new year with a bottle of bubbly.

I hope everyone enjoyed their new year's celebrations and has a wonderful 2012 to look forward to.

Merry Christmas!

This Christmas, we celebrate the greatest gift we could imagine — our family growing from two to three. Beckett, we love you more than we can possibly say.

Because we have a six-week-old to handle, for the first time ever, we're not traveling for the holidays. Matt's parents visited this past week, so we were able to celebrate the start of Hanukkah and an early Christmas with them, and my dad and step-mom will be here for New Year's.

Beckett made it through his first church service yesterday as we braved the crowds at the Christmas Eve service, but today, we're staying home and celebrating with just our little family.

I made fabulous cinnamon rolls for breakfast, and Matt has a pot roast planned for dinner. I can't wait!

Merry Christmas to you all! I hope your Christmas is as wonderful and blessed as ours.

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to be delivered. And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, "Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!"

--Luke 2:4-14

A little holiday baking

With Beckett filling our days, I haven't had much time for sewing or baking lately, but I did manage to sneak in a little of both this week. It is Christmas, right? After finishing Beckett's stocking, I wanted to whip up a batch of cookies. I've bookmarked so many recipes that have appeared on the blogs I follow, but I finally decided on these Candy Cane Kiss Cookies from Bluebonnets and Brownies, partly because we already had the Candy Cane Kisses and partly because they looked fast and easy. :)

And they were. I followed the recipe as written, except I also added an extra half cup of white chocolate chips, as she suggests in the commentary. They're super tasty, with just the right hint of peppermint and plenty of white chocolate and buttery goodness.

I highly recommend adding them to your holiday baking fun.

Some Christmas sewing

It's been far too long. I haven't sewn one stitch since before Beckett was born, which was more than five weeks ago, so it felt really great to get back in front of my machine yesterday. While Matt watched football and took an afternoon nap with Beckett, I managed to finish at least one Christmas sewing project (oh, how many more I had on my wish list!), and Beckett now has his very own stocking.

I used this great tutorial from Fabricworm, and I think it turned out pretty cute. I used felt for the body and lining of the stocking, as well as the "B" applique. The cuff was made from a fat quarter I've had almost since I started sewing, and I don't know what line it's from.

I knew when I started that this was likely going to be a "temporary" stocking, basically something to get us through this year. Matt and I have generic stockings we bought at Target or Hobby Lobby before I started sewing, so my plan for next year is to make us all coordinating stockings, but that just wasn't in the cards for the weeks following Beckett's birth. Besides, I'm pretty sure he won't know the difference. Still, I'm glad to have a little something handmade to celebrate his first Christmas. Merry Christmas, little man!