Sunday, February 12, 2012

Beckett's three-month update

Beckett, you're three months old today!
 
 
We can't believe how much you're growing and changing every day!
You didn't have a pediatrician's appointment this month, but we did our best to measure you, and you're up to about 14.5 lb and 23.5 inches. You're growing like a weed!
We're amazed by how strong you're getting, and people are always commenting on how well you hold up your neck.
You also love to do Superman and plank with daddy. You're so strong!
You're very alert and always want to check out everything going on around you. You've also started conversing with your image in the mirror.
And you still love to Skype with your grandparents and aunt.
You're still a very good (if super slow) eater, and you've developed the cute habit of stopping mid-feed to flirt with momma. While precious, it's not doing much to shorten your feeding times. :) And much to the detriment of our wardrobes, you're still the master of the spit up.
You're a very smiley and happy baby, and it melts out hearts every time you grin up at us.
In addition to improving your neck strength, tummy time has become even more exciting as you now consistently roll over from your tummy to your back.
Your haven't yet rolled in the opposite direction, but you've gotten very close, and it's only a matter of time. We're not rushing it too much though, because once you can do that, we'll have to stop swaddling you, and you really like your swaddle.
Speaking of swaddling, we have started to transition you out of it a bit by freeing up one of your arms. You seem to like this because it gives you access to one of your hands, and you've really started going to town sucking on your hands and fingers, which seems to have a soothing effect.
 And sometimes the swaddle just fails us all together.
Even in your swaddle, you move a lot at night. We always place you in the middle of the crib, but by the morning, you've usually made your way to one of the corners. You inch along when you're on your play mat, too, and I call you my little inchworm. I have a feeling you're going to be an early crawler. Of course, with how well you already stand and support your own weight (we have to hold you steady, of course), you might shoot straight to walking instead.
You love your play gym and all of your animal friends, and you're getting really good at batting them around. You're also starting to grab their rings, which is fun to watch.
You're getting to be a really good sleeper, both day and night, which we really appreciate. Except when we venture out, you're on a regular routine of feeding, wake time, then nap, and you really respond well to it. You know exactly what to expect when we head to your room, and more often than not, you go to sleep without a lot of work.
This month we also discovered the importance of trying different brands. You struggled with bottle feeding for quite some time until we decided to try a different bottle. We'd originally bought bottles that were supposed to mimic breastfeeding as much as possible, but they were just too hard for you to use. Out of desperation, one night, we tried the bottle that came with my pump, and you took to it right away, and we haven't looked back. You're getting better and better with your bottle feedings, which is a relief to everyone and makes it a lot easier to venture out with you.
We also discovered a new pacifier brand that works for you, which has been really helpful at sleep time. You only use it for sleeping, but like swaddling, it really seems to help you calm down and sleep better.
You now laugh and coo a lot, which is too cute, and daddy's discovered a fun trick where he swings a towel or shirt above your face, and the wind makes you catch your breath. We laugh every time.
You've also decided you like bath time now, which makes the whole experience so fun. You like to move your feet through the water (staring intently), and you just started learning to splash, which should make things interesting.
This month, we also got a lot bolder with going out. Mommy's been nervous about taking you to restaurants for fear you'd have a breakdown, but we went out to breakfast and dinner successfully in one day, and I think it's the start of many more outings. We've since taken you to dinner again, and you did great. You also went to your first Super Bowl party, where you wowed everyone with your cuteness, and the night was another big success.
You also had several play dates with new friends: Ava and Ben (our friends Katie and Chris's twins) and Ethan and Natalie (the children of the other couples from our childbirth class, Nicole, Andrew, Terry, and Vanessa). You and Natalie have the same birthday!
It's been really fun hanging out with other parents and talking about all the cool things you do.
You're growing so fast, little Beckett, and we can't wait to see what the next month holds in store!

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Cookbook jackpot

We have a bit of a cookbook obsession in our house. Each birthday and Christmas is marked by requests for several new ones, mine often focusing on baking, and Matt's often highlighting pork or making basics (bread, sausage, cheese, etc.) from scratch. This Christmas, I was excited to receive two cookbooks I'd been eyeing for quite a while: Momofuku Milk Bar and Clinton St. Baking Company Cookbook: Breakfast, Brunch & Beyond from New York’s Favorite Neighborhood Restaurant. We've already tried a few recipes from each, and they've all met with huge success. A few weeks ago, Matt made the pancakes from the Clinton St. book, and they were fantastic. This week, he made their chili, and take it from a Texan, it was amazing.
I'd been waiting for an occasion to try one of the cookie recipes from Momofuku Milk Bar, and our friends' Super Bowl party this weekend proved just right.
I'd long ago decided on the cornflake-chocolate chip-marshmallow cookies, which start with making the cornflake crunch. It's basically a mixture of cornflakes, powdered milk, sugar, butter, and a little salt that's toasted in the oven. It's got a very unique flavor and is totally addicting all on its own.
But when you add it to the cookies ... heaven. These cookies spread out nice and thin and have the most amazing texture — crunchy almost like brittle on the edges and super chewy in the middle. The pockets of gooey melted marshmallows are fabulous.
This turned out to also be a great recipe for a new mom, as each step can be done separately and in a short amount of time — perfect if you don't have much time between feedings. I made the cornflake crunch one day (which has to cool completely before being added to the cookies), then the dough the next day (which has to refrigerate for at least an hour before baking), and then baked the cookies the day of the party. The baking actually took the longest because you can only fit about six cookies per sheet (they spread a lot), but it wasn't bad.

I'm really hoping this streak continues and can't wait to try our next new recipe.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

A few little things

This weekend, I finished off a few more small projects I've had on my list. First up, a soft block for Beckett. (Please forgive the dark photos; it's been cloudy around here the past few days.)
I used this great tutorial, which I pinned on Pinterest some time ago. It's a great project for using up scraps of fabric and ribbons. I used fabric on four sides and leftover batting on the other two for a different texture. I also cut fabric for a second block, but I'm out of polyfill for the stuffing, so it'll have to wait a bit.
I also realized I had an extra hand towel chilling out in my fabric stash, so I whipped up another burp cloth for Beckett because, honestly, you can never have too many burp cloths, especially big, absorbent ones. It's already become our new favorite.
I'm also excited to be starting several new, big projects. First up, I'm taking my first shot at the Go Anywhere Bag pattern I bought from Noodlehead (aka, Anna Graham) last fall. So far, so good.
The fabric's all cut, and I started on the lining, but sadly, I'm having to pause until the hidden snaps I ordered arrive.
I'll tell you about the other big projects in another post. Until then...

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Happy birthday to the love of my life

Today is Matt's birthday, and I couldn't let it pass without a little tribute to the love of my life.
Who knew when we were set up six years ago that things would have turned out as wonderfully as they have?
These have been the best six years of my life, and I'm so thankful that God brought you into my life.
You are an amazingly thoughtful and loving husband, and now I see those same attributes in everything you do as a father to Beckett. He adores you, and so do I.

Thank you for making my laugh, smile, relax, enjoy life, and live it to the fullest. Happy birthday, my love!