three months

Beckett is officially another month older!  We are still amazed by how much he has changed and continues to change.  The biggest change is that he is officially sleeping his crib!  We consider this a major victory.

Since we didn't have a three month check-up we measured and weighed Beckett ourselves.  He is measuring 25 inches long, right at 12 pounds, and his head is 15 1/2 inches.  He is so long.  I am hoping that we have a tall little boy on our hands.

The big nursery reveal

The nursery is finally done!  And by done I mean I still need a few accessory-type items and to print pictures, but for the most part we are done.  For those that don't remember, here is what the nuresry looked like before.

I put a lot of thought into what I wanted the nursery to look like.  Since working with my friend Jennifer, I have started to really enjoy interior design.  Pinterest definitely helps but there is not a lot out there as far as boy nurseries.

I am not a theme type of gal.  I also knew that I didn't want anything to babyish.  I wanted a room that would grow with Beckett and items that we could reuse when we have another child.  Jennifer called it a sophisticated nursery and I totally agree.

We went back and forth about color scheme a lot.  At first I wanted to incorporate black houndstooth and thought maybe we should do red and black.  Eventually we settled on navy, red, and gray.  Jennifer was able to find a blue houndstooth, so that made me very happy.  I also love all things British so the new color scheme meant that I could incorporate Union Jacks and all things Britannia.

So without further ado, here is the finished product.  It was definitely a labor of love.

We wanted a daybed for when my sister and other family comes to visit.  I also thought it would be nice if we ever had a reason to sleep in the nursery.  Finding a white non-iron daybed is a job in itself but this will be Beckett's bed when he outgrows his crib.  We had euros the made and added embellishment to the brown pillows.  My sister-in-law found the union jack print I knew we had to have it.

The changing table was originally a bookshelf.  We just added new shelves and reinforced them.  We had wanted to do wallpaper on the back wall but were unable to find any we liked so we used the fabric we had leftover from making panels.  The pennant was a decoration from my shower as was the diaper cake.  We decided to use the bottom shelf to store diapers and wipes which has been very handy.  I am still in love with the tiered organizer we keep all of our diaper change necessities in.  It gets a lot of use all day every day.

The "B" and pom poms are also from my shower.  We had the best shower hostesses and are so thankful that they bought decorations that we could use in the nursery.

The crib is the first piece I bought for the nursery.  I knew I wanted white iron.  I have heard lots of stories about babies teething and chewing on wooden cribs and I didn't want to spend a lot of money on something that would be ruined.  I also wanted to buy a crib that could be used in future nurseries.

Jennifer designed the bedding and it is perfect.  I searched just about every website I could find but there was no bedding for a boy that I liked.  It was either too feminine, too childish, or went with a theme.  Her design went with the color scheme and I think it is classic.  

We bought a wingback glider for feedings and book reading.  It is navy but we figure it can be reupholstered if we ever have a girl.  The legs also come off so it turns into a standard wingback chair.  It was important to me that we were able to reuse all of the big ticket items.

Accessorizing the bookshelf has been a difficult task.  There is so much that I want to put on it but we only have a limited amount of space.  I wanted Marley and Jack to be in the room but I didn't want it to be in the form of a picture.  I also need artwork so I had silhouettes made of them.  The double decker is a piggy bank and the airplane is a vintage replica.

And last but not least, Beckett's closet.  The boy has lots of clothes.

That is the nursery.  We love it and it has actually stayed pretty organized.  I hope it was the worth the wait!

January Insta-update

It's time for another Instagram update! This month most of my pictures have been of Beckett. He's just so cute that I can't help myself.

Two dogs and a crate

Snowy days mean I get to bust out my Burberry rain boots.  

Beckett wasn't so sure about his Pop Pop

Beckett's first "Guns Up" during Tech's bowl game

In his finest onesie for New Year's Eve

He has the longest lashes I've ever seen.  They even curl.

Beckett and Jack are going to be best friends

Pretending to be an angel baby

Such a big boy in separates.  His shoes have real laces.

In other news, I think I can finally post pictures of the nursery.  We got the finishing touches done this weekend.  I also pulled something my back which is neither here nor there but I am in an immense amount of pain.

the. favorite Christmas gifts. list

For this week's list, I thought I would spotlight my favorite Christmas gifts that Beckett and I received.  We got lots of great gifts but these three are my current favorites.

1. Beaba Babycook

There are things that I will do for Beckett and there are things that I absolutely won't do.  Cloth-diapering falls into the "no way in hell" category.  One thing I will do is make baby food.  It's cheaper to make it myself and I can make lots ahead of time and freeze it.  Plus, I will know exactly what he is eating and I think it will help him develop a more eclectic palette as he gets older.  This house does not need another picky eater.  The Babycook allows you to steam and blend food.  Then when you are ready to serve it, you can use it to defrost and heat the food.  I feel like we will be best friends.

2. Apple Macbook Air

Daniel gave me an Apple desktop computer two years ago and I have been an Apple convert ever since.  I had mentioned that a laptop would be nice since I very rarely have both hands free these days and sitting at the computer pretty much never happens but I never expected to get one.  I am in love with this computer.  It is light, fast, and allows me to browse and blog while I am holding a baby.  

3. The Jesus Storybook Bible

This was my favorite gift that Beckett received and it is my new go-to gift (sorry to ruin the surprise for any of my friends).  It is the perfect Bible for him.  It features different stories from the Bible and it really turns them into stories and breaks them down so children can understand.  Plus it has lots of bright, fun pictures that Beckett seems to enjoy.  He is getting a real Bible for his baptism but I know that we will get lots of use out of this one as well.    

Beckett's Christmas photoshoot

I have blogged a lot about my DSLR camera that I received last year and the practice I tried to get in before Beckett's arrival.  It has definitely paid off.  I have been trying to take lots of pictures to sharpen my skills.

I decided that we were going to a Christmas-themed photo shoot using the cutest reindeer hat I bought him on Etsy.  I love a themed anything.  Here are a few of my favorites.

I am definitely still an amateur but I am pretty proud of myself.  And just so you don't think the photo shoot was easy.  Here is how the majority of pictures turned out.

Beckett's first Christmas

I am finally blogging about Christmas!  I would say I've been busy but I'm not sure what I've been doing.  Beckett is really good at making the day go by super fast and leaving me wondering what exactly I've accomplished.

We had such a relaxing Christmas.  My family came to town which means that there was no traveling involved.  Beckett and I decided to stay home and let Daniel go to his family's celebrations solo.  Beckett is one of eight grandchildren which means there are lots of germs to be shared.  We still had NICU on the brain and he hadn't had any shots yet so we decided to avoid anywhere that could get us sick.  We are still avoiding children since flu is so bad in our area.

Staying at home meant we spent most of the day in our pajamas, which is pretty much our new normal. One day I will get it together and start dressing like an adult again.

Our celebrations started with a steak and crab legs dinner and midnight mass.  Beckett was a pro.  He fell asleep before mass started and stayed asleep until it was over.

Post-mass

Beckett's super cute outfit (Which was size 6 months.  They boy is long.)

We slept in on Christmas Day thanks to my parents and sister.  It is so nice to know that we will get a few extra hours thanks to my family.  They are often very needed.  My mom made blueberry muffins and I made a breakfast casserole.  Then it was time to open gifts.

All the presents

So big in his Bumba

We all made out pretty well.  Beckett had no idea what was going on but he got lots of fun presents that will hopefully bring him hours of enjoyment preferably not while being held.  We are still having issues with him wanting to be held.  All.  The.  Time.  

Some of Beckett's gifts.  Spoiled.

After lunch my mom started cooking and Daniel went over to his family's house.  This is what it looked like outside.

Miserable.

Beckett's first snow experience

I was definitely happy that we were staying inside.  I am all in for a white Christmas but I could have done without the 30 mph gusts.  However, we did take Beckett into our much less windy backyard for a photo op.

We had a late lunch and got to eat all our favorite things.  This lunch and the leftover that followed were my catalyst for Weight Watchers but it was worth every single calorie.

Then we had a post-dinner photo shoot.  The things you do when you have a baby.

The Browns

He loves a good photoshoot

And his aunt Shannon

I love this picture.  There is a funnier one but I thought I shouldn't post it.

I think Beckett had a pretty good first Christmas.  He may have had no idea what was going on but we have pictures to show him when he gets older.  We are so excited for next year when he can participate a little more.

the. i need to start working out again. list.

One of the blogs I read has started a feature that is simply a list.  This idea really spoke to me.  As you know, I love lists.  I thought I would put my own spin on it.

For my first list, I am listing the items I am currently wanting to get me back on track in the workout department.  I started Weight Watchers and have been doing pretty good.  I have lost three pounds but I know I am going to have to incorporate working out to get the results I want.  I just need to find the time.

Anyway, I know if I had these three items I would be working out all the time.  Maybe not, but I can pretend.

1. Garmin Forerunner 10 GPS Watch

I actually like running.  Let me clarify that, I hate running initially but after a while I really start to like it.  This watch would make me love running even more because it gives you the information you want.  It tells you your time, pace, calories burnt, and distance ran.  And it is super cute.

2. Anything lulelemon

I have a serious case of lust when it comes to lululemon clothing.  I am not the cutest when I work out but I like to pretend and who doesn't love fun workout clothes?  These are the Inspire Crop II and I love them.  I think I would be able to run even faster if I had a new collection of running tights.  Seriously.

3. Asics GEL-Nimbus 14

My running shoes are on their last leg so these are more of a need than a want.  I love Road Runner Sports because they have a questionnaire you can fill out and match you to the right shoes for you.  I have high arches and my ankles tend to roll in, so running in the wrong shoes is very uncomfortable.  These shoes meet my needs plus they are recommended by the editors at Runner's World.

Hopefully I will get back into running and working out without making any huge purchases but Valentine's Day is coming up and I would not mind receiving any of these items as gifts.