Flashbacks

Oh...how time flies. Sometimes we wish it to, and in most cases, it is only in hindsight that we realize our wish was granted. Beck has now reached the ripe old age of 16 months, and it is amazing looking at these early photos of his first few days on earth. We marvel at how much children change in such short periods of time, and it is hard not to help but wonder, constantly, if we are doing the right things as parents. He is such an easy child, in comparison to the horror stories we've been privy to. Thankfully, his first words have been as harmless as "Truck" (which sounds more like "guck") and "ball" (more like "bawww"), and not the words that are slip out of his parents lips more often then we like to admit. Beck has also recently shown a natural tendency towards mountain climbing, which we are sure will eventually lead to more adventurous routes than conquering the bookshelf in the living room, which, for now, sufices to give us heart palpitations on a daily basis.

Wolf's Neck Farm

With Mosquitos as company, we ventured to the Ocean last week. Wolf's Neck State Park is a fabulous little area with approximately 3 or 4 miles of trails and light hiking, with easy access down the water. They allow dogs too, which is sometimes hard to find nowadays...We had a great time, and Beck managed the entire walk down and back by himself...occasionally venturing off the trail after a stick or interesting weed. His bottom was throughly wet after discovering how much fun puddles can be!

Mrs. Potatohead

No, Beck is not crying because we put Mrs. Potatohead earrings on him. He is crying because we have now had four houses fall through. Let's just say we're all a little frustrated. Okay, actually, he started crying because my mom wanted to take the ears OFF of him. Seriously. We may have a little cross-dresser here.

Big Bathtub

Beck looooves the bathtub, so he adores being at the lake...one giant tub for him to play in!

Mom's Day

We all had a lovely Mother's Day this past Sunday! Grandma Judy and I ran the Seadog's Mother's Day 5k in Portland, then had pedicures, thanks to a wonderful son/husband!! Judy was visiting for a few days and lent a much needed hand around the house while I got some work done. Beck, of course, was thrilled to have someone to play with him all day long! We are officially under contract with a house now, which is a huge relief. Not the place we had our hearts set on, but it's very sweet and cozy nonetheless. We are now going through the inspection process, which will hopefully run smoothly! We'll keep you updated!

Visit to Grandma Judy's-Part 2

Beck got a second Easter Egg hunt last Sunday and yet another ride on the Donkey. This time, he wasn't waiting for anyone to help him...

Visit to Grandma Judy's-Part 1

Last weekend we all made the trek out to visit Grandma Judy, and for Doug to race in the Tour of the Battenkill. We had SUCH a lovely time...the weather was beautiful, and Beck got to ride the Donkey multiple times, which I am quite positive he's had experience with in a past life. Now, when he's sitting on the floor we can ask him if he wants to ride the donkey, and he'll move his body as if on Leo's back. He obviously knows what he's doing.

The Easter Bunny visits!

Beck's first Easter egg hunt was a complete success. He understood the concept right away, and was off and running, literally, after showing him only once what he was supposed to do! We did discover, however, that the real Easter Bunny (aka "Kona") had made off with at least two eggs in his mouth and had them buried before we could stop him. We managed to track down one egg, buried four inches underground, but the other is still missing...

Springtime

About half way through kneading dough for bread, I glanced over at the carrots I had laid out to cook for Beck's lunch, and it struck me as such a bright and happy scene, with the yellow cloth underneath, that I decided I had to share it with the others of you who are so ready for these small glimpses of spring being offered on a daily basis. I don't think I would have appreciated it half as much at, say, Christmas time. Any dash of color these days is welcome! As for Beck, he is sprinting across the house these days, and with his enthusiasm for movement, comes a constant dull greenish bruise in the middle of his forehead. He has lost all inhibition when it comes to walking and running, and when he falls, it is almost always forward...landing consistently on his face. A small price to pay, I suppose, for his new-found sense of freedom. Also, after many months of thinking he just wasn't going to "get it" with the sign language thing, he has finally begun communicating several words or phrases, such as "All Done", Banana, Book, and a few others. However, he recognizes many many of our words and phrases. When we ask if he wants to take a bath, he goes running towards the bathroom. If I ask if he needs his diaper changed, he goes and grabs the changing pad and lies down on the floor. Most of the time, I don't even have to ask that one...he'll just go get a diaper and bring it to me when he needs a new one. He loves to imitate us and the animals, especially sounds. If I ask if he wants to "Go for a ride", he say " Go isdurnfirtygiuriyugjprth"...the last part being in some incoherent foreign baby-babble that only he understands. But, he'll go pick up his jacket and head for the door. As for all of us, we are trying to buy a house, though the process is slow and painful. We have found one we like, and are hoping for the financial stuff to come through. We have quite obviously outgrown our tiny house in the woods, and although we love the privacy and quiet, we can no longer fit all three of us into our one teensy bedroom. We'll keep you all updated!

Weekend Away...

Beck spent two nights away with grampy and Lulu so that Doug and I could escape for a much needed weekend alone....of course it was much harder on me than on him. While we enjoyed a day of hiking and 50 degree temps, Beck kept the grandparents busy, now that he is basically running around the house.

Insert your own image here:

This post does not need a photograph. Or, rather, I chose to not subject you to a photograph. And yet, I feel this is an important entry. Beck was sick for the first time in his young life. Well, he's had one or two bouts of the sniffles over the course of this brutally cold winter, but all-in-all, he's stayed remarkably healthy. I like to chalk it up to the fact that I am still breastfeeding, and though my plans to wean him when he turned one were with good intentions, the past few days have made me reconsider holding off until stomach-bug season has passed. I will not enter into great detail, but the bug began with me, thank goodness...otherwise, I don't believe I could have held down anything while caring for him. I am not normally the "squeamish" type, with the exception of two things: Spiders and Throw-Up. I have spent my entire life hiding from the two. Before the delivery of Beck, I was proud of the fact that I had not...you know...since third grade. Most people say they would rather just get it over with and feel better. Not me. I'll wait days for it to move through me and exit another way. I could not even do the respectful good-friend duty of holding back a roommate's hair in college when she was sick. I think it all started with witnessing an event in first or second grade involving strawberries and my mom. Anyhow...I suppose when you have a child, your love for them overcomes fear and/or nausea, whichever the case may be. It seems I passed on my bug to our little bug, the poor guy. His first taste of feeling downright &#@%$!. Luckily for him, I was able to step into the Mommy role and still keep my lunch. I'm not making excuses here, but I had to let you all know why there has been a noticeable lack of entries as of late. We sincerely hope you all escaped bugs, of any form, this winter. Good luck...because I unfortunately will not be there to hold your hair back ;-)

One Year.

Time flies when you're having fun...or maybe when you're sleep deprived. Either way, it's not hard to imagine where we were at this time last year, but hard to believe that we are talking about this time last year. A year brings many changes, but none more life-altering than that of the addition of a child into a family. Both Doug and I now can no longer imagine our lives without this amazing little boy, and the amazing lessons he has taught us thus far. As Beck licked the Cake frosting off my finger at his First Birthday party, Doug and I gave thanks once again for the biggest gift we have ever received. 

It's good to be bad.

Survival of the Fittest.

It's a rare occasion to catch this skilled hunter at his feeding grounds...normally, he waits for his prey to be hand-fed to him by his devoted servants (read:parents), but in this case, his voracious appetite gets the best of him as he attempts to shovel food into his own mouth. Count yourself lucky folks...you may never get to see a mess like this again.

Updates!

 

Our sincerest apologies to those of you who have become religious about reading our blog...life has thrown us some interesting curve-balls lately, and I have fallen behind on my photo taking! But, nonetheless, we are back on track and busy as ever...here are a few to hold you all over until I can get back to the more "artistic" side of the Beck photography. Beck LOVES to go sledding, and so that is a daily event right now. He is also perhaps only days away from taking his first steps without the aid of a helping hand...he is quite able to get himself anywhere he wants to go by toddling from object to furniture to object, using whatever he can, alive or not, to aid him in his quests. His sixth tooth is breaking through, and not without some discomfort, though we would never even have known with his other teeth. 

 

Getting ready for the sled!!

Happy happy day.

Taken weeks ago at the start of his explorations around the house...discovering the bookshelf allows him to travel great lengths across the room.