Beckett's 4 Month Photos

Here are some highlights from Beckett's 4 month photo session. We love how they turned out! The photos captured his new skill of blowing raspberries and pushing up.

You're Doing Okay Mom

Warning: You may need tissues. I did. Each time I've watched this video so far.

Scott showed me this video the other day and it cannot sum up the last two and a half months more perfectly. Motherhood has been a roller coaster of emotions in the best way possible and I'm so grateful to share my first Mother's Day with Beckett and Scott.

It's a video that Johnson & Johnson made (looks like it's actually from 2012) but considering Mother's Day is Sunday, it's perfect timing to watch now.

I think moms of all ages can appreciate this but it especially struck a cord with me as a new mommy. Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!

Beckett's Second Month

I'm a little delayed in posting 2 month pics but I constantly have my hands full with the little guy. He's actually 2 and half months old now so these pics are from the last 6-8 weeks. He's currently napping in his swing so I thought I'd share some quick pics. It's a race against the clock!

Beckett has really developed a personality in the last couple weeks and it's been amazing. He's smiling, cooing and making all kinds of fun faces at us. He's keeping up with his growth still way above average for his age. He's so strong and can hold his head up and sit with support. He still adores his activity mat, looking in the mirror and walking around the house with us. And bath time is still his favorite thing ever! We look forward to it each day. 

Thinking "photos again?!"

Love those thighs!

My cutie!

Yeah two months!

Chilling in his PJs.

Catching some air in tummy time.

Tummy time with Rocco.

Making cute noises!

Thinking about smiling here.

First trendy brunch at Summer House Santa Monica with Nick and Lizzy.

Hanging with the ladies at Half Acre.

Half Acre with Daddy.

He loves looking at Daddy and smiles when he sees him!

That face!

Hanging with Daddy

Chilling at home

His shirt says "Seriously Handsome" :-)

Zombie Dust keg tapping

SMILES!!

Easter Sunday.

Bath time!!

Visiting work with Mommy! He slept through the entire visit.

His face is this one...I die!

The Power of Paint: Kitchen Before & Afters

Making the kitchen feel like us had been our largest project to date. We were lucky because it wasn't in bad shape when we closed on the house - everything worked - but it just wasn't our style. Here's the before:

So much oak.

The only item that needed to be done was to refinish the hardwood floors in here. I don't think they'd been refinished in the entire lifespan of the house. You can't really tell from the pics above but there were spots so worn down that the finish was gone. We ended up replacing them because they were engineered hardwood (and not refinish-able...learned a good lesson there) and love the look of them now. We painted the cabinets and replaced the hardware as well. It's so light and bright in the kitchen! We did this project ourselves and it was a labor of love. It took about two weeks including paint curing time. The majority of the work was done in 2-3 hours bursts on the weekends and after work. Our diligence totally paid off though and the finish is durable and, dare I say, semi-professional! We also put in a stainless steel sink and new faucet.

When we had our first floor repainted, the kitchen got a new color too. The blue is so fresh and I think the cabinets really pop now. The old chandelier hit Craigslist and we added a new fixture that is not only brighter, but lower profile. It works a lot better in the space and it's now centered above the kitchen table.

We have plans to update all the appliances to stainless steel this summer. We've only replaced the dishwasher so far and already the stainless on that side of the kitchen blends SO much better with the cabinets, hardware and overall feel. Down the line, I'd love to try my hand at a DIY backsplash and maybe under cabinet task lighting. All in due time. :-)

Big "Brother" Rocco

When people ask us about Beckett, we often also get the question "And how is Rocco doing with him?" We are obviously obsessed with our first baby, the best and sweetest dog ever. We were actually a little worried about being able to give him enough attention when we had the baby. But he is doing GREAT!

He LOVES Beckett. He can't get enough of him. He is always trying to get a lick and sniff of the baby. Wherever Beckett is, Rocco is very close by, especially when we are playing on the floor. He is a little too excited sometimes (doesn't realize he is a 75 pound dog) so we have to reign him in. But I am so happy that his sweetness carries over to the baby and I can't wait for Beckett to get a little bigger and give him some love.

Here are some pics of the "brothers" from their 8 weeks together. 

We followed a few tips when we introduced Rocco and Beckett:

-Scott brought home the hat that Beckett wore right after he was born and let Rocco sniff it. 

-When we came home the next day, I went in first and greeted Rocco, let him smell me and gave him love. He sniffed me more than ever before and he was so excited so he must have not only missed me but smelled the baby all over me.

-Once I greeted him, Scott came inside with the baby carrier and we let Rocco sniff him.

I took a video of their first meeting. Enjoy!

 

Morning Play Time

Beckett absolutely loves his activity mat. (Thanks Aunt Steph!) He especially loves the black and white zebra that hangs down. He is fascinated by it. Here's a video I grabbed of him batting the animals and looking around.

I made the video using YouTube Capture which is an app for iPhone. I love my full size camera but my phone is always handy for cute pic and video moments. It's a pretty cool but now I know to turn my phone when I'm capturing footage! Sorry for the narrow angle. 

Beckett's First Month

We happily welcomed Beckett on February 21, two weeks early, into our lives and hearts. I wanted to share some pictures from his first month with us including the hospital and lots of loving visitors!

Beckett is doing great! He is a hearty eater and pretty good sleeper. He's getting so much more alert each day and we hope that we start to see some real smiles in the next couple weeks. He is very strong...he can lift his head all around and keep it upright when he's on your shoulder. He loves sleeping on your chest and bath time. He's not a fan of diaper changes and getting dressed though. He's a sweet little guy and we're just so smitten.