Holden Beckett: 14 Months Old

Here we are - halfway to the 15-month mark and I'm finally getting around to journaling about your life at 14 months!  But props to me, I did actually take this photo on the 18th of June, so I should get some credit for that! 

Goodness gracious, you are so stinkin' cute at 14 months old.  Those squinty eyes, those chubby cheeks, and those adorable teeth!  I could seriously stare at you all day long and never get tired of your cuteness!  At 14 months old, you resemble a toddler so much more than a baby and your personality is one to match.

At 14 months old:

• You are walking everywhere.  You took your first steps around 13 months and then started walking more than crawling right at 13.5 months.  Now at 14.5 months, you walk everywhere and you even get up from a sitting position (without holding onto anything) and taking off!
• You are becoming more ornery by the day.  You love to play in Kinnick's water bowl, you learned how to flush the toilet, and you love to throw things so they hit the hardwood floor.
• Though ornery, you are much more chill than Brantley ever was.  Unlike Brantley at this age, you will sit in one place and play with the same toy for some time.
• You are a major Mama's Boy...again.  You went through a Daddy's Boy stage for about a month and then two weeks into my summer break, you wanted nothing but your mama!  It's both great and annoying at the same time!
• You are awesome at signing "more".  And you are so proud of yourself for doing it!
• You have the cutest little wave.
• You have the thickest hair!  You've already had more haircuts than I can remember and it's so, so thick!
• You sweat like no other! 
• You love to cover your eyes and play peek-a-boo...except that you don't actually cover your eyes completely.  It's the cutest!
• You love to hand us things and be thanked.  The remote.  Our phones.  A toy.  Whatever.  It makes me feel proud.
• You can say the words "Thank you".  Not even kidding.  You repeated it after I thanked you last week and I thought I was just hearing things.  Later that night, your did the same thing to Daddy.
• You also say "that" all the time.  You point to things and say "that, that".
• You are riding in a forward-facing car seat.  I know, I know - it's not the recommendation, but you do meet the requirements and it's so much easier.  You also also so much happier!
• You love doing all the big boy things that your brother does: reading books at bedtime and having your teeth brushed, for instance.
• Despite him pestering you, you love your big brother.  You are almost always either laughing at him or crying because of him.

• Your favorite books are Giggle and Dear Zoo.
• You imitate much of what Brantley does and it's adorable.
• You mimic me anytime I sing to you and always "sing" back.
• You are a very quick learner.  It took us forever to wean Brantley from bottles.  We decided to give you milk in a sippy the day after you turned one and never looked back!  You also learned to drink from a straw about a month ago...something that took Brantley forever to do!
• You love climbing the stairs...and you've discovered how to go down them on your own, as well!  You even "race" up the stairs when I say ready, set, go!
  

14-Month Update:

Size | No idea.

Words | Daddy, Doggy, Mama, that, thank you, and a whole lot more baby babble.

Activity | Walking, playing independently, laughing at your brother.

Food | Breakfast, lunch, and dinner just like the rest of us!  We give you a sippy cup of milk at each meal and before each nap/bedtime, but we're not measuring or calculating how much.  My best guess would be 16-20 ounces per day.

Sleep | About 11 to 12 hours each night.  If we are home, you'll take a morning nap (around 9/10), but if we're out and about, you'll either take a catnap in the car or skip your morning nap altogether.  Naps are getting longer, too.  On average, your morning nap ranges from 45 minutes to 2 hours and your afternoon nap is anywhere from 1 to 2 hours.

Bedtime/Waketime | Bedtime around 7:30/8pm and wake time around 7/8am.  No more waking up at 5am for a bottle like you used to do!

Hair | Light brown and thick, thick, thick!

Eyes | Bright blue

Teeth | Six full teeth (2 on bottom, 4 on top) and two more coming in.  It's bizarre though.  The two teeth coming in are the first molars on each side on top. 

Wardrobe | Pretty true to size.  Mostly 12-18 months. 

Diapers | Size 3

Likes | Mama, Brantley, Kinnick, walking, giving things to people, showers, the zero-entry part of the pool, books, brushing teeth,

Dislikes | When Brantley steals your toys, having your diaper changed,

Mommy's Fave | Well besides spending all day every day with you this summer.......I love it when you get a book, walk over to me sitting on the floor, turn around, and plop down in my lap.  Cutest. thing. ever.

And a few more recent photos from my good camera!

Holden, it's been such a wonderful 14 months!  You bring so much joy to our lives everyday and I can't wait to see what the next 14 have in store!

Xoxo,
Mama

Holden's First Year in Photos

As much as I say I'll never do this again {with a third child}, I know deep in my heart that that's just not the case.  The monthly photos are pretty simple until around 8 months.  The last few months are always a bit rough, but seeing all 12 photos come together in the end makes it worth all the blood, sweat, and tears.  Okay, so there's no blood, but I can guarantee a little sweat and tears were shed in this process.  With Brantley, I was determined to take each monthly photo on the 6th (his actual birthday) of each month.  With Holden, some were taken on the 16th, some on the 20th, but all were taken within just a couple of days of his monthly birthday (the 18th). 

 

For all of Holden's monthly updates, follow these links!

1 Month | May 18, 2014

2 Months | June 18, 2014

3 Months | July 18, 2014

4 Months | August 18, 2014

5 Months | September 18, 2014

6 Months | October 18, 2014

7 Months | November 18, 2014

8 Months | December 18, 2014

9 Months | January 18, 2015

10 Months | February 18, 2015

11 Months | March 18, 2015

12 Months | April 18, 2015

Holden Beckett: 1 Year Old!

Dear Holden,

We are already one whole week into your second year of life.  A week ago today was the one-year anniversary of your birth.  It doesn't even seem possible that it's been a whole year since that day when I went into labor at school.  A year of holidays.  A year of experiences.  A year of cuteness.  And a year of changes.  A year that I can't imagine experiencing without you.  Nor do I want to.  You have added such joy to what we already thought was the perfect family.  Yet, somehow it's even more perfect here with you. 

You are the happiest little guy.  And by little, I do mean little!  You weighed in at 19.8 pounds, which puts you in the 9th percentile for weight.  Yet, as your doctor mentioned, you definitely have some chunk on your thighs!  And you enjoy eating--almost everything we've ever given you--so we were quite surprised to learn you are so small!  Nonetheless, you've grown from a wee 7.5-pound newborn and *almost* tripled your birth weight.  You are such a smiley little boy.  We do as little as look at you and a big smile usually forms across your face.  A smile that includes two little buck teeth with a huge gap...yet it couldn't be more adorable.  Your bright blue eyes still light up a room, and those lashes!!  People still comment on those beauties all.the.time.  I think you're just the cutest 1-year old I know and those words spill out of my mouth so frequently that your daddy had to remind me to tell Brantley he's cute too! :)

As much as you once were my mini-me, it's not the case anymore!  I think you're a good mix of Daddy and me, and with each passing day, you look more like your brother.  Sometimes I look at you briefly and I think I'm looking at Brantley.  You share so many of the same facial expressions and you each have that big round head.  Speaking of, you adore your brother now more than you ever have (and you've always adored him)!  He loves to be your comedian and you are constantly feeding to his antics and laughing at him.  It's adorable, really.  It's fun watching the two of you play together since you are finally to that age when you can play.  You have your spats every now and again, but for the most part, he adores you as much as you adore him.  You have something very special in a brother who is only 21 months older than you and I look forward to watching your special relationship grow.  I can only hope and pray that your bond grows as the two of you do, too!  

You are a sweet boy, Holden, but you can also be very ornery.  More than anything, you love climbing the stairs.  You will climb two or three and then watch and wait for us to come get you.  Then you dart up the rest with a smile on your face the whole way.  You love pushing around cars (or anything with wheels), rolling/throwing balls back and forth, and playing peek-a-boo with one of us on each side of the ottoman.  You are, and have always been, a Mama's Boy which, of course, I have always loved.  But it seems you are becoming more of a Daddy's Boy by the minute.  It makes me a little sad, but I also know how fantastic of a daddy you have and quite honestly, he probably is the more fun of your two parents. :)  Seeing you interact with Daddy is almost as great as having my own Mommy's Boy. 

Holden, you are just the sweetest, cutest, happiest 1-year old.  You are so perfect in my eyes and I will cherish the past year for forever and ever.  You are growing into a handsome and independent toddler, and despite loving the past year, I look forward to the next phase even more than the last.  Your mommy and daddy are madly in love with you, Holden Beckett, and we couldn't be more proud!  Happy birthday, Little Stinks!

Xoxo,
Mama

12-Month Update:

Size |
Height 28.0 inches (5th percentile--down from 32nd percentile at 9 months)
Weight 19 pounds 12 ounces (9th percentile--down from 16th percentile at 9 months)
Head 46.5 centimeters (53rd percentile--down from 81st percentile at 9 months)

Words | Lots of Da-das and Ga-gas.  The occasional Ma-ma.  Pa-pa last weekend and I'm pretty sure you said Dog-gy a couple of weeks ago. 

Activity | Crawling, climbing stairs, cruising around furniture, standing on own (prompted) for a few brief seconds, climbing on everything, pushing cars and making a "Brrrmmmmm" sound, throwing/rolling balls, clapping, waving, playing independently and with Brantley.

Food | Whatever we are eating is what we give you.  You eat almost anything, but you're not the biggest fan of veggies.  Like your brother, you love fruit!  We switched you to a mix of whole milk and formula about a week before your first birthday.  We're still trying to finish the last container of formula, then it's all whole milk from there!  The biggest surprise (and greatest part about having a 1-year old), no more bottles!  Even though it took us forever to wean Brantley from the bottle (he would drink water, but not milk in a sippy), we decided to try milk in a sippy a day after your first birthday.  To our surprise, you took it without throwing the tiniest of fit.  We packed away our bottles a couple of days later!

Sleep | About 10 hours each night.  Two naps per day.  The morning is usually shorter and afternoon is a longer 2-ish hour nap.

Bedtime/Waketime | Bedtime around 7:30pm.  You typically awake around 5am, but you will drink a bottle and fall back to sleep until around 6:30am.

Hair | Light brown.

Eyes | Bright blue

Teeth | Six teeth.  (2 on bottom and 4 on top).

Wardrobe | Pretty true to size, but still some 6-12 month things. 

Diapers | Size 3

Likes | Brantley, eating, cars, balls, baths (yep, back to liking!), showers (yep, this too!), the stairs, Miss Stephanie and her husband Rollie and son Dalton, your new Pottery Barn chair, Kinnick, Mommy, Daddy.

Dislikes | There isn't much you strongly dislike.  You still hate having your face touched (nose wiped, etc.)

Mommy's Fave | You are acting like such a big boy these days.  It's apparent you are no longer a baby, and I love, love, love this stage of life! 

Holden Beckett: 11 Months Old!

I know I say this every month, but I can barely fathom that my second child is 11 months old already!!  I'm not sure where the last five months have gone, but I feel like you should only be about six months old at this point!  However, you hit the 11-month mark a few days ago and now you're only four short weeks from your big first birthday! 

As each day passes, you are acting more like a toddler and less like the baby that I think you are.  You are very observant and understand more of what we say than we give you credit for.  You absolutely adore your brother and it's not uncommon to hear little giggles coming from your mouth over something Brantley does.  Likewise, Brantley loves you and he loves to entertain you just as much!  You are finally to an age where the two of you can play together and it's just the sweetest thing ever.  You are also great at entertaining yourself.  One of your current favorite things to do is throw something down {on our hardwood floors} to hear the noise it makes.  You repeat this over and over again!  You also love playing "catch" - you will throw the ball to Mommy and I roll it back to you.  This can go on for some time!  

This past month was a pretty significant one!  We moved out of your first home and into a new one.  I'm not sure you were even phased by the whole thing, but you seem to be loving the extra space to crawl and play.  I look forward to making all kinds of special memories in this new house, including your first birthday party!  Speaking of, I finally sat down and made some decisions about your party.  There will be no theme and we are keeping it very simple this time.  Part of it may be the second-child thing, but I also don't know that I have the energy to plan a full-out, themed party in the midst of an already-exhausting school year.  But I promise to still make your birthday special.  After all, you only turn one once and despite having been through this already, it's still a pretty big deal to me!

11-Month Update:

Size | No idea.

Words | Lots of Da-das and Ga-gas.  Despite saying Mama in the past, you refuse to say it these days {seemingly on purpose, even!}.

Activity | Speed crawling on your knees, standing with support, climbing on everything, throwing things.

Food | 4 bottles per day - 7 ounces each time.  You are also over the idea of baby food and want/love real people food!  Therefore, you eat three meals per day with the rest of us.  There isn't much you don't like - you've eaten everything from hamburgers to Mexican food.  You are a much better (less picky) eater than Brantley ever was!!

Sleep | About 10 to 12 hours each night and two, more consistent naps each day.

Bedtime/Waketime | Bedtime around 7pm.  You typically awake around 5am, but you will drink a bottle and fall back to sleep until around 7am.

Hair | Light brown.

Eyes | Bright blue

Teeth | Five teeth so far (2 on bottom, 3 on top), but you can see lots more through your gums.

Wardrobe | 6-12 months

Diapers | Size 3

Likes | Still a major Mama's boy!  However, I think you like Ms. Stephanie even more!  You also love eating, balls, throwing things, Kinnick, and Brantley.

Dislikes | Being tired, being hungry, having your face touched, having your hair washed, showers with Daddy.

Mommy's Fave | Two this month.  1) Just seeing your face light up when you see me.  And 2) Giggles towards your brother.

Holden Beckett: 10 Months Old!

A few days late this month but with all that we have going on here, I think I get a free pass this month! :)  Since your last monthly update, Mr. Holden, we have listed our house, sold our house, packed {some of} our house, and we are prepping to move in just one short week!  Never did I think we'd be celebrating your first birthday in a new place...a brand new place, at that...but it's official, which means this was your tenth--and final--monthly photo shoot in this house where we brought you home.  You will never remember this place, but I can tell you it's where you learned to roll over and smile and crawl and eat solids and stand and walk around things and laugh at your brother.  It's where you climbed stairs for the first time, and also fell down them, and spent lots of time in your doorway jumper.  It's where you've morphed from a newborn to an infant to an *almost* one-year old!  I'm pretty sure you've enjoyed your first ten months here; yet, I'm sure you will enjoy our new place even more!!  So here's to all the future memories we will create in the months and years to come!

10-Month Update:

Size | No idea.

Words | Mama, Dada (still not in reference to anyone), and lots of other babbles

Activity | Speed crawling on your knees, standing with support, and climbing on everything

Food | 4 bottles per day - 6 to 7 ounces each time.  Solids three times per day - a good mix of rice, oatmeal, fruits, veggies, and meats.  Pureed meat (gag!) is still a fave.

Sleep | Nights are no different.  You are still a fabulous nighttime sleeper, about 10 solid hours + another hour or two after an early-morning bottle.  Naps may be improving ever-so-slightly!  They are getting more consistent (twice-per-day) and they are getting longer!  However, 30-minute naps are still very normal around here.

Bedtime/Waketime | Bedtime around 7pm.  Wake time is as early as 5am, but we give you a bottle and you usually fall back asleep until 6 or 6:30.

Hair | Light brown.

Eyes | Bright blue

Teeth | I noticed your fourth (top left) coming through just today!  Your bottom two front teeth and other top front tooth have been through for awhile now.

Wardrobe | 6-12 months

Diapers | Finally made the full switch to 3s, thank goodness!  You were blowing out of the 2s too often than we liked!

Likes | You are such a Mama's boy and I love it!!  You also love your brother Brantley, Miss Stephanie, splashing at bathtime, Kinnick, snacks, your doorway bouncer, toys (mainly whatever Brantley is playing with), playing peek-a-boo (you will pull a blanket over your face and play on your own these days), climbing on anything and everything, blowing bubbles and spitting, especially while eating, which tends to make a major mess.  And then Brantley laughs at you and you feed on the attention and it's a never-ending circle.

Dislikes | Being tired, being hungry, having your face touched, having your hair washed, showers with Daddy.

Mommy's Fave | I know I mentioned this above, but I love having a Mama's Boy!  I definitely did not have that in Brantley and though I know he loves me, it's fun being someone's favorite. :)

Holden Beckett: 9 Months Old!

It's been 9 months in and 9 months out as of yesterday, Mr. Holden Beckett!  Three-fourths of a year has gone by so very quickly and life continues to speed on by at the blink of an eye.  You have matured so much over these past few weeks.  It's like I can see your little brain working and picking up on something new everyday in our day-to-day lives.  Just watching you interact with the world, I feel like you understand things so much more than you did one short month ago.  You are intrigued by quite a lot these days, the biggest being your big brother.  You watch him intently and study him, follow him, and copy him.  And more often than not, you want whatever toy he has.  Which he does not love, but such is life when you're a brother!

At just nine months old, you definitely have your own opinions.  You are a feisty little guy and when you don't want/like something, you're sure to let us know!  You hate having your face/nose wiped and you even hate staying still long enough to have your diaper changed!  You did not like anything about your well-baby check this morning - the finger prick, the doctor checking your ears, nothing.  However, unlike your brother at this age, you will sit in one place and play with the same toy for some time.  You're not quite as active as he was, but your dad and I agree that it's only a matter of time before you can beat him up! :)

Recent happenings in your nine-month life include you standing with support (on New Year's Eve), walking around things like the couch, your first run with Daddy, and a few days ago, climbing the stairs!  No joke!  I took Brantley upstairs to quickly do something, not thinking twice about leaving the baby gate open, and I was headed back down when you were three stairs up!  Holy cow, I was not prepared for that!  You climb on everything these days so I should have known!  You also started saying "Mama" about a week ago which is almost the exact age Brantley was when he did the same.  To be fair, you're not saying Mama in reference to me, but it's still Mama nonetheless in my eyes!

Another month down, another month more fun!  Until next time, Baby Holden!

Love you, Little Stinker!

9-Month Update:

Size | Skinny with a big head!
Height 27.8 inches (32th percentile--up from 24th percentile at 6 months)
Weight 18 pounds 5 ounces (16th percentile--down from 32nd percentile at 6 months)
Head 46.5 centimeters (81st percentile--up from 28th percentile at 6 months)

Words | Mama!

Activity | Crawling (mostly army, some on your knees), standing with support, climbing on everything

Food | 4 bottles per day - 6 to 7 ounces each time.  Solids three times per day - a good mix of rice, oatmeal, fruits, veggies, and meats.  You are enjoying food so much more than you were two months ago and the only thing you absolutely dislike (so far) is broccoli.  Still loving baby snacks - Mum Mums, Puffs, yogurt bites, and cheerios.

Sleep | About 10 hours each night and about two naps per day.  A good nap is an hour or longer, they're usually between 30 and 45 minutes, though you seem to be napping longer than you ever have in recent days.

Bedtime/Waketime | Bedtime around 7 or 7:30pm.  Wake time is as early as 5am (more common) or as late as 6:30am (less common). 

Hair | Light brown.

Eyes | Bright blue

Teeth | Your second is popping up as I type!

Wardrobe | 6 to 9 months in tops/onesies and finally also in pants!

Diapers | Still trying to use up the abundance in size 2s I bought, but we use size 3s overnight.

Likes | The list is the same as a month ago - Brantley, Kinnick, snacks, your doorway bouncer, toys, baths (until it's time for washing your hair), the dog bowl, playing peek-a-boo.  Also, climbing, standing, Mommy & Daddy.

Dislikes | Being tired, being hungry, having your face touched, having your hair washed, showers with Daddy.

Mommy's Fave | This is really surface level, but I love that you are more independent now.  We can just give you your bottle and you feed yourself, we can put you down and you play, etc.  It sure makes life easier at times!


And someone please remind me of the struggle I went through to get these sub-par pictures before having my next child.  These monthly photos are stressful...no, beyond stressful...at this age. Here is a more accurate portrayal for our photo session today.