9 1/2 months old!

It's hard to believe that in a couple months we will be celebrating Beckett's 1st Birthday! We've celebrated many 1st birthdays with friends. Martin L. turned 1 and Beckett enjoyed his first mini motorcycle ride with uncle Billy. He seemed to really like it, but funny enough, didn't show much emotion at all. He just sat very still and held on for dear life :) Cousin Lucy also had her 1st birthday and while we were there, we learned Aunt Theresa will be having another baby...which makes 3 under the age of 3!

We have a consult for tubes with a doctor here in town for Beckett next week. Because this poor child has had over 4 ear infections since he was born, it has become a must. Beckett has started swimming lessons with friends, Owen and Martin. Jarrod and I are able to get in and play too. So far it's a lot of fun!

Beckett had his 1st Christmas which was a bit different this year. Great-Grandma Larson had open heart surgery just before Christmas and was released out of ICU on Christmas Day, so we spent Christmas in a hospital, but we wouldn't have had it any other way without her. Beckett met his Great-Uncle Bill and Great-Aunt Ann for the first time and he seemed to really make the mood a little lighter while in the hospital that day.

Uncle Mike moved to Tulsa, so we took a little road trip south to visit him. We went with Nana, Papa, and Cousin Jaron to see Walking with Dinosaurs. Beckett of course, slept through the entire show. He went swimming at the hotel with Jaron too. We had a nice weekend.

Beckett is crawling all over the place, getting into everything, and is cutting his first tooth finally! He absolutely has a personality of his own and lets us know when he's not happy about something. He is attached to mommy and loves playing with daddy. He likes to mimic and make people laugh. He waves at himself in pictures and flirts with ladies all of the time. He is cruising around furniture and isn't far from walking. He has begun to stand by himself some, but quickly goes to his knees when he gets unsteady. He loves playing peekaboo and likes to hide and then come crawling out. He rolls balls and chases them, and loves to listen to music. He dances at random music on the tv or while playing on his music table. He's on target with all of his milestones and wants to eat adult food so bad. Too bad he only has 1 tooth and it's not completely through. He is tired of jarred food, so we've been mashing up our own food, which seems to do the trick.

We recently went to a KSU basketball game. Even though it was a late game and close to Beckett's bedtime, he still had a good time. He loves crowds, excitement, noises, etc. He just looks around and gets excited. He's started to clap a little, so it's fun to see him when he gets excited.

I think we are going to have 2 small birthday parties for him. One for friends and the other for family. It would be way too crowded for my liking, and I don't feel like feeding the five thousand all at once. So, I think we'll do two separate weekends for parties. I need to start planning the cake, invite list, food, etc. I can't believe he will be 1! I was looking at picture yesterday of when he was first born. It seems like yesterday in my mind, but looking at the pictures, it seems like so long ago because of how much he's changed in 9 months. I'm going to miss this age...he's so much fun right now. I just hope it stays that way :)

Much love,

Megan, Jarrod, and Beckett

6 months old!

Well, again, another month has passed. Beckett will be 6 months on Tuesday and tomorrow we head to the doctor for his 6 month check up to also include SHOTS...yikes! Beckett is really growing and has quite the personality. Jarrod and I feel so blessed to have such a happy baby. The first 3 months were rough, but these days are so amazing. Beckett wakes up smiling and usually goes to bed smiling. He is loving life.

Beckett is eating solids like a champ. He loves everything and eats 3 meals a day. We are still giving it the old college try with nursing and it still seems to be going well. With nursing though, means getting up at nights still. We recently went through a rough patch of sleep training and thank goodness that is over, but I may have just jinxed myself. I allowed him to sleep with me for 2 nights while Jarrod was out of town, so now we are having to start over again. Poor kid. Bad mommy! I have to admit though, I kind of like having him sleep with me. He's nice and warm and loves to cuddle. How much sweeter can it get!? Yeah, well, the sleep training isn't so sweet, so back to the old grind we go. Boo!

We are trying to stick to a schedule these days. We are up around 8am, eat, play, and then down for a nap about 10am. Beckett is not a long napper at all. Maximum sleep during the day is 45 minutes. If he goes past 45 minutes, it's a miracle. Usually he sleeps 25 minutes. He wakes up fine, and is happy for 3 hour stints, so I can't complain much. At night, he's great. Only waking up once to eat and back to bed he goes. He eats a full meal around 11:30am, plays and back down for another nap around 1:30pm. After he wakes up from this nap, he usually won't nap again until about 4:30pm, and for some reason, this nap is harder for him to get into deep sleep. It seems that if I put him down he wakes right back up. Sometimes we just get in the car and drive. That always does the trick. Mind you, he hated the car in the beginning, but loves it now. After this nap, he eats again and plays with his daddy, whom he loves! When Jarrod gets home, Beckett lights up. It's so adorable. He goes to bed anywhere between 8:30 and 9pm.

This will mark Beckett's first Halloween. He's going to be a monkey. I tried his costume on this evening to see if he had grown into it a bit. His hat is still a little big, but I may put some stuffing in it to make it stand up like it's supposed to. Other than that, it fits like a glove. He doesn't mind it at all either. I've been putting hats on him since he was itty bitty, so he doesn't mind them at all.

He's starting to get up on all 4 and doesn't rock, but just stays like that and then all of a sudden, he belly flops and starts rolling around again. He loves to sit and play with his toys too. He's a good baby and we are so lucky. He's hit all of his milestons on time and is solid as a brick. He weighs a hefty 20 pounds and is well over 26 inches. We are looking into a new car seat since he is painfully close to the weight limit in his current one. Honestly, I can't wait for him to be in his new car seat. It's a pain to lug his carrier all over the place and it's a pain to get him in and out of. I'm hoping the convertible is much easier.

Beckett went with me to 2 weddings this month and was a trooper. The first one was a local wedding, but we were there all day, and he did great. The 2nd was out of town and also the very next day from the 1st wedding. It was also a very long day. Jarrod wasn't able to go to the 2nd wedding, so it was interesting being in the wedding and juggling Beckett at the same time. My folks were there, but my dad was officiating, my mom was singing, and I was matron of honor. Luckily, my brother was there and got to spend some quality time with his nephew which he absolutley loved. It was a fun time. We then headed to Lindsborg for a few days until Jarrod came home and then we went back to Manhattan. It was a long, but quality week for Beckett and me.

We don't have many plans for this fall and winter. We have done so much traveling this summer and early fall, that we are just wanted to be home for a while. Jarrod and I have started going to the Methodist church here in town more and we are really enjoying it. We wanted to have Beckett raised in the church and know that this is an important aspect to our lives. Jarrod and I come from different denominations, so we agreed to step out of our comfort zones and try something new. Jarrod is Catholic and I am Lutheran. Yes, they are pretty much the same, but we decided to try the Methodist church. Jarrod's mom is a member there and so we thought it would be nice to have Beckett's grandma there too.

Well, hope all is well with you and yours! Happy Fall and Happy Halloween!

Love,

Megan, Jarrod, and Beckett

5 months!

It's hard to believe that my little man is 5 months old today! As Jarrod and I have been reflecting on the past 5 months, we both came to the realization that we have really enjoyed Beckett the last 2 months more than we did the first 3. That may sound bad, but when you have a baby who is a little colicky, it's such a nicer life when that baby gets out of that stage. Beckett is a such a happy little guy and is growing so much! He weighs 17 pounds and is over 26 inches long.

Beckett is rolling all over the place. One minute he's on his back, the next he's on his belly. He's realized that life isn't so bad on his belly afterall. He is trying to scoot and puts his knees under him, but he can't quite get his little behind to follow what his brain is saying. He is loving solids. He eats like a champ. After finding out that rice cereal tastes awful, I have been trying everything that I put in my baby's mouth. To my surprise, most aren't too bad except for the Beef and Turkey Broth. Disgusting!! It tastes like what cat food smells like. He does love mixed vegetables, pears, peaches, peas, green beans, mixed berries, sweet potatoes, carrots, and doesn't mind oatmeal. It's much sweeter than rice cereal. He gobbles everything right up, but we do have to be careful about giving him too much "orange" foods. We don't want him turning orange and too much Vit. A isn't good for him.

We did find out Mr. B is allergic to mosquitos just like me and his daddy. Over the weekend he was bit on his arm and it started to blister up. Jarrod and I both do this and it's not surprising Beckett had the same reaction. It didn't seem to bother him much, but it leaves a not so nice scar. Yes, scars are cool, but not these kinds.

Mr. B loves music. We went to church this morning and as soon as the choir began to sing, he started jumping. Mind you, jumping has started in the past few days. We inherited a johnny jumper, so we're eager to try it out to see how he likes it. He loves his exersaucer, so I'm sure the jumper will be a big hit. Beckett is finally responding to his name. He turns when he hears Jarrod and I call it out. He gives us a huge smile when he finds us. So cute! He has become very attached to me. Not only because I am nursing, but I am home all day with him. When Jarrod comes home, Beckett's not quite sure about him at first and will throw a little baby fit, but warms up after an hour or so. I think it kind of hurts dad's feelings, but it's just a phase.

This weekend, Nana and Papa Anderson came to visit. We went to the KSU game and boy was it hot! We stripped Beckett down to his diaper and he was happy as a clam. The boy loves to be naked, so he had no complaints. He even got his picture taken with Willie the Wildcat. We are planning for a wild weekend coming up with weddings and Jarrod leaving and then Beckett and I are heading to Lindsborg for a few days to relax at Nana and Papa's house. I need a little break from reality and Nana and Papa love the company. We'll be there just in time for Jaron's 5th birthday.

Well, that's all the updates for now. Hope everyone is doing well!

Always,

Megan, Jarrod, and Beckett

Baptized!

Beckett had a big day this past Saturday. He shared his baptism with his cousin, Jaron. Both my son and my nephew were baptized and what a special day it was! We decided to have a small, quiet ceremony at my church in Lindsborg; the same church Jarrod and I were married in. My uncle Ralph, who also married us, baptized Beckett and Jaron. It was a great day. I didn't think I would be so emotional, but I cried through the entire thing. To see Beckett's face when my aunt began to play the organ was priceless. I love seeing him experience new things. He's heard me sing and Jarrod sing, but when everyone started to sing Children of the Heavenly Father, he got so excited. I barely got through Jesus Loves Me at all. That night we celebrated our big day with a party at Papa and Nana's house. We had a lot of people over to celebrate with us and mom made a great feast. By the time the night came to an end, we were all exhausted and there was not any food left at all. Beckett slept through the entire night until 6am when he finally woke up to eat. It was great!

This weekend, my folks, my Godparents, and my dear friend, Erin, and her fiance, Joe, are coming to the KSU vs Louisiana/Lafayette game. It should be a really good time. Next weekend marks another busy weekend. Jarrod is flying out Sunday for a week to Tempe, AZ, to a training. But, before he leaves, we have 2 weddings to attend and a family function to take part in. Friday, we are headed out of town to visit relatives from Hesston and to see one coming from Portland, OR. Then we are headed back to Manhattan for a wedding that I am in and then turning around the next day for another wedding that I am in in Lecompton. I am going to try and take off a few days while Jarrod is gone to head to Lindsborg to stay with my folks. October is prooving to be a very busy month.

Jarrod and I will be celebrating our 2 year anniversary on the 21st. This year I actually get to drink some champagne! Yeah me! Jarrod's excited to break out the Dom Perignon. We were supposed to toast it last year, but I was preggers with Mr. B. I think we will get a babysitter that night and then a couple days after that, Jarrod leaves for Atlanta for yet another training. Good thing it's all free for us for him to travel or else we'd be broke!

So, with all of this, Mr. B is growing so much. His personality is great and he's cooing, singing, rolling, and still sleeping in his own bed. I finally offically took the pack n' play out of our room so I would not be tempted to bring him in when he woke up in the middle of the night. Except now, if I do bring him in to our room, I end up nursing him and falling asleep. When I wake up, he's there snuggling in between Jarrod and I. This is a bad habit that we are not going to continue, but every so often, it's nice to snuggle with our boy.

Well, that's all the updates I have so far from our end. Beckett turns 5 months old on the 28th of this month! It's hard to believe. Oh, and he's got a new cousin...Gavin Cole Kekela Larson was born Sept. 8 and weighed a hefty 8 pounds, 15 ounces. Big boy!

Love from Manhattan,

Megan, Jarrod, and Beckett

4 months old!

Beckett turned 4 months old on August 28th. Hard to believe he is that old already! He is reaching many milestones lately. He loves rolling from his front to back and is trying to roll from his back to front, but realizing that he doesn't like his front too much, he tries not to roll over all the way. Smart kid! He loves to stand and hold onto things and will last for about 15 seconds before his legs give out. He does the motions of walking, but doesn't know that he is doing it. He smiles so much and loves to make all sorts of noises now. He's also sitting up by himself, but not for long periods of time. He'll stay sat on his bottom for a little while before he wobbles one way or the other. He's also in his own room and in his own bed! Big boy! I think he actually loves having his own room. He's a light sleeper and with Jarrod and I being near him, he wakes up easily to all sorts of noises...mainly the sound of Jarrod snoring:) He's still getting up 1-2 times a night, but he goes to bed with no problems and going back to sleep has never been a problem for him.

He had his 4 month shots and got a fever for a couple days. He was not feeling too great and latched on to me constantly. He wanted to be cuddled and rocked a lot. He got over his fever and then had to go back to the doctor today to get another shot. Yes, this is the bad part. The clinic ran out of one of the vaccinations so we had to go back a week later to get it. Not a happy camper, but he napped for 2 hours after the ordeal!

Beckett attended his first KSU football game last weekend and he was a real trooper! He was all smiles all day long. He never fussed once. It was a hot day so we stripped him down to his diaper and made sure he was cool. He loves being naked, so it was a good day for him. He flirted with all the girls and by the end of the day, he was a tired pup. We were so impressed with him!

We have decided to get Beckett baptized on September 20th in Lindsborg. We are going to have a night service and my uncle who married Jarrod and me is going to baptize him. My nephew is also going to be baptized at the same time. It's going to be a great family event.

Beckett is really starting to love food. He gobbles up his cereal and has started fruits. He really shouldn't be eating too many solids until he's 5-6 months old, but the doc gave us the go ahead since he's so interested in what we are eating. He only eats fruits mixed in with his cereal and so far, he loves pears and peaches. He likes bananas a little, but always gives the "yuck" face when we feed it to him.

Halloween is coming soon...this year will be a fun holiday for us. We will be trick or treating to our friends and family's homes and businesses. Beckett will be dressed up in a great Monkey costume. We'll see how long the hat part lasts. Can't wait to get pictures! He will be so cute!

We are enjoying every minute with our little man. This is the most exciting and challenging time of our lives. We watch him grow and love to see the world through his eyes. Everything to him is fresh and new.

We are thinking of several people and wish them all the best in the world. Jarrod's brother in law's mother was recently diagnosed with stage 4 liver cancer which has spread throughout her body. They have given her 6 months to live. My uncle was recently diagnosed with kidney cancer. He underwent surgery Tuesday and the prognosis is good. Sounds like he was able to come home today. Jarrod's dad just beat throat cancer and is doing well. We are very grateful for the people in our lives and hope for the best in every situation. Our thoughts and prayers are constant these days. We hope all is well with you and yours.

All our love,

Megan, Jarrod, and Beckett

Cereal time!

Well, it's official...Mr. B likes his cereal mixed with bananas. He eats like a champ and gobbles it all up. He has also made a turn for the better about his car seat. He used to hate his car seat and even the sight of it made him scream. We took out all the infant supporters, so now he has a lot more space to move around. He has begun to roll a lot more. He started to roll a while back and was doing good with it, but then he stopped for some reason and would get really upset if he had to be on his tummy too long. He has now figured out how to go from his tummy to his back in no time at all. We still try to get in a lot of tummy time, but it doesn't last long since he has realized he can roll over without help and without scaring himself. He gets really excited when he rolls...it's a big accomplishment.

We were going to head to Colorado for Labor Day weekend, but we decided we have done enough traveling since Beckett has been born, so we are going to stay home and go to the first home KSU football game. Purple Power Play on Poyntz is coming up...should be a good time.

Beckett has his 4 month pictures coming up soon, so we'll post the website for everyone to take a look when our photographer has them ready to go. They are somewhat expensive, but they do a really great job. We are going to sport our KSU gear for his pictures since it is football season.

Hope everyone is doing well.

Take care and love,

Megan, Jarrod, and Beckett

8-8-08

Never again will this date come around...and it's the start of the 2008 Olympics! This week has been a challenging week in the life of Mr. Beckett. Beckett has decided he's too old for naps and wants to be awake, but not awake and in a good mood...no, awake and in a grouchy mood! Jarrod and I have decided that we should have named him "Oscar", just for this week at least.

This week also has started the first few times Beckett has "slept" in his crib. We started introducing him to his crib when he was a week old by putting him in there while he was awake to look around. I've consistently done this until I felt he was and we were ready to make the transition. Last night we decided tonight would be the first night my big boy slept in his big crib. So far, so good! Still asleep, which doesn't surprise me since he doesn't sleep much during the day. He tires out at 8pm, which is early, but he is a great sleeper and will only get up once or twice a night. Jarrod has made the agreement that he will get up and get Beckett when he cries to be fed and changed...I will do all that and then I will take him back to bed. Since I work from home, I technically can stay in my pjs all day long if I wanted to, but Jarrod has to get up at the crack of dawn to go to work, so I usually don't fuss with him too much at night. I have a feeling he will look like a ping pong ball going down the hallway in the middle of the night. :)

Not too many milestones this week, but Beckett has begun to really love listening to music and dancing. Usually he will lay his head on my shoulder and lick my shirt (he's found his tongue) and then when the music is over, he'll pop up and look at me with this hilarious face of "what happened to the music?" Priceless! He's still not taking a liking to formula, but we are still working on it. Know any tips? I've heard a few and have tried some, but I'm pretty sure it's the taste since he gags every time he tastes it. Love those faces of "ewww!"

We are headed to Lindsborg this weekend for some Nana and Papa time. We are going to adventure to the swimming pool if the weather holds up and then I have 2 baby showers to attend. So many babies being born this year!

Hope all is well with you and yours! Happy 8-8-08!

Megan, Jarrod, and Beckett