Week 16: 7 Days of Beckett

Day 106 (5/25); Baby Becks at the lake - first time in a swimsuit, on a dock, and "standing"

Day 107 (5/26); Happy Beckett during her first awake time at the lake

Day 108 (5/27); A visit to the dock before it was time to leave - Happy Memorial Day, Beckett!

Day 109 (5/28); Becks in her swing and sleep sack with paci just before bath!

Day 110 (5/29); Becks in her bumbo practicing sitting up with dad (thanks, Dane, for letting me borrow your chair!)

Day 111 (5/30); Sticking her tongue out for dad after bath!

Day 112 (5/31); playing with her new sophie.... someone is starting to teeth!

Likes:

• Sucking on her hands, fingers, fist, second knuckle... girlfriend is teething
• Her giraffe
• Her bumbo chair
• Her pacifier
• Her big butterfly toy (loved the crinkle sound)
• Her sleep sack (doesn't seem to miss the swaddle anymore!)
• Sleeping with her arms up by her face

Dislikes:

• Her late afternoon naps

This was a big week for Beckett! Between her trip to the lake, her first Memorial Day, dropping the swaddle, the beginning of teething and lots of time with her bumbo her and Austin had a wonderful week together! We're excited about tomorrow - her first time in a pool!!

Beckett Laughs

SUCH a fun milestone. Beckett gave us her first big laughs this past Saturday at the lake. Austin was messing with her and making little sounds and she would laugh back so hard - awesome. I have probably watched this video 8 times already - it just makes me so happy to see AND hear our little girl so happy - too. much. fun.!

Week 15: 7 Days of Beckett

Day 99 (5/18): Happy Saturday! Beckett was super smiley this weekend

Day 100 (5/19): Beckett in her happy place

Day 101 (5/20); Beckett cuddling with Dad after Dad-Daughter day and her first photo shoot!

Day 102 (5/21); Beckett being a sweet, happy girl before bedtime

Day 103 (5/22); Beckett jamming in her activity chair

Day 104 (5/23); Beckett propped up on her own on the couch! (after her second photo shoot which required white onesies!)

Day 105 (5/24); Little Becks still in bib post early-morning feed

Likes:

• Her activity chair! She found the spinning ball towards the end of the week - good times
• Having her picture taken! Becks & Austin ended up going on 3 photo shoots for Taggies and Baby Einstein baby products. 
• Sucking her thumb. Becks puts her whole fist in her mouth - definitely starting to teeth!
• Sitting up - she is getting a much stronger neck and seems to like pulling herself up and being more upright.
• Funny sounds - Austin makes funny sounds at her and she laughs and laughs - it's kind of awesome. I need to post a video we got of her at the lake laughing!

Dislikes:

• None this week! She's still a little squirmy/uncomfortable in her car seat and she hasn't been liking her swaddle lately (time to move on from the swaddle... can't stop the car seat though!).

No More Swaddle

Since Day 1 Becks has been swaddled up during sleep, with her little arms tucked under her bum. Sounds painful and uncomfortable, but they (pediatricians, nurses, etc.) say it helps the little babies sleep because otherwise their arms jerking wakes them up. She has loved it and always been a good sleeper, so we've always swaddled her for each nap and definitely for overnight. However, at 14 weeks per Moms on Call we  were to drop the swaddle. We were told that it would be hard, she would cry off and on all night for 3 nights and then it would be all good. Well, tonight is night 1. So far, so good!

Here is the last picture of little 15-week-old Beckett in her swaddle with her puppers. Below is the first picture of her sleeping in her sleep sack sans swaddle!

Happy girl with sleepy puppers

our little girl reached another milestone - no more swaddle! (5/27/13)

Heading Back Home

Little bug has slept the whole way so far! She even took her pacifier out and just held onto it with both hands - so cute! :) More lake pics coming soon!!

Becks & Her First Swimmie

Loving "standing up" in her little swimmie and hat! First time on a floating dock by the water  (5/25/13)

Becks & Her Dad Relaxing at the Lake

They had a busy, busy week! Got these sweet shots this morning of my favorite humans. :)

hehe Just up from a long overnight sleep; left eye is still a little swollen shut!

Love her little smile here

Baby Becks is Shooting Again!

Well, I guess Monday went really well as they called again on Wednesday for her availability Thursday! This time she did a Baby Einstein bouncer. One of these guys:

Pretend that baby is Beckett and that's pretty much how it went down! Austin said she did GREAT and gave big smiles and really seemed to enjoy herself! Then last night they called again for her availability today!!! Crazy! Austin took her there this morning - this makes 3 days this week - insane. She is enjoying it though and it takes maximum 3 hours so we're just adding to her college fund! Today they're shooting another activity mat. I hope she has fun as I want to take her to a shoot one of these days!!

Happy Friday! We're off to the lake this weekend - Becks' first lake trip, first time in her little swimsuit - CAN'T WAIT!

Week 14: 7 Days of Beckett

Day 92 (5/11):  Smiley, happy baby girl!

Day 93 (5/12): Mother's Day - my two favorite people in the world!

Day 94 (5/13); During bath happiness - sorry for so many bath pictures but she is so dang happy during this time it's hard not to post!

Day 95 (5/14): Happy post-bath baby - love those bright eyes

Day 96 (5/15): Happy cutie on her change table 

Day 97 (5/16): Sleepy baby before bedtime

Day 98 (5/17): Becks jamming out on her activity mat during tummy time 

This was such a wonderful week with little Becks. I loved having even more to celebrate on Mother's Day with my sweet little bug. She has been super smiley and happy, doing a lot more tummy time, holding her head up/showing more neck control, and definitely waving those arms around! Bath time seems to be her favorite, but she also loves playtime and can't get enough 'Wheels on the Bus.' I am missing her so much back at work, but she is having a wonderful time with her dad!

Beckett's Photo Shoot

Well unfortunately they wouldn't really let Austin take any photos since the product Beckett was being shot with hasn't come out, but here's the story sans pictures!

• Austin said they got there around 9 a.m., so early, and then the photographers were late with set up and other babies got in traffic so needless to stay they got a late start (but still ended on time!).
• He said there were 3 other babies, 2 that were there with their moms and one that was there with her dad! (so Austin wasn't the only 'stage dad')
• Austin said two of the other babies were 'first-timers' like Beckett, but one mom's baby does it often, and said that the products won't come out for another 6 - 8 months (her baby was older and she said she is just now seeing her baby at 3 months old on product boxes!)
• Beckett was the youngest baby there - the rest were 6 months - 12 months and were booked as baby on tummy, baby sitting up, etc.
• Beckett was booked as 'baby on back' - so they didn't expect her to be able to do tummy time, sit up etc.
• Austin said Beckett did really good - she didn't fuss or cry and seemed happy (then again, what's there to be sad about when you're being asked to play on a fun toy?!). He said it was hard to get her "big smiles" because you had to be about 8 feet back from her to avoid being in the shot, but she smiled nonetheless and the people there (e.g., baby handler, photographer, art director, etc.) said she did well and they got what they needed
• For the most part, they hung out in the baby green room with two big couches and lots of toys, bouncers, etc. for the babies. Austin  kept her on her schedule and fed her in there and everything. He said they would pop in and see which babies were awake/not eating and that baby would go in - the crew was super flexible and seemed used to working around babies and their varying schedules
• All in all, Austin said he would do it again, that it was fun/relaxing/not stressful and that Beckett enjoyed it. 
• She was paid $180, and we had to take a picture of the voucher to send to the Agent Lady Ann who set us up with the job.
• I sent the picture of the voucher to Ann and she responded late last night and said: "I got a very good report on her today.....let's keep our fingers crossed for more work. I feel sure she will be working again."

So that's that! Beckett's big debut is complete. I love that she had such a fun little adventure with her Dad - it's just hilarious, really. I do have an iPhone shot from after the photo shoot (Austin came by to  meet me and Monica for lunch!).

Beckett at Cafe Intermezzo

Beckett "Books A Print Job"

So last Wednesday one of my students from when I taught Public Speaking at Auburn sent me a link to a casting agency who was looking for babies 3 - 9 months old here in Atlanta. He had seen her pictures on Facebook and said she was adorable. :) I asked Austin about it and he was like, what's the harm? Send in her picture. So I did.

I sent in this smiling shot of our happy girl!

Then on Saturday, the agency reached out for more pictures. So I sent four.

Then Sunday the agency reached out to see if Beckett was available on Monday for her "first print job." Basically Beckett would be modeling for Kids II, specifically their Taggies brand, for a Taggies playmat.

One of these guys - but a new one/new product!

They gave us all the details, who would be shooting it (The Titan Agency), the location, etc., and it would basically be $180 for a maximum of 3 hours (she said it could take as little as 30 minutes - just have to get that smile shot of Beckett enjoying the product). I talked to Austin because I'm working and he's available (new job starts soon!) and he said he was in - Beckett's Stage Dad!

Once we agreed the casting agency updated their Facebook page with the news - so cute!

That's how we got the lingo - "booking a print job." LOL It's just so fun! So now i'm at work and SO JEALOUS as I want to be there with the family!! I hope Beckett has so much fun and I know Austin is just like wow, I'm such a 'girl dad.' hehe I'm just giddy for her! Ann, our contact at the agency, emailed last night and said good luck and that she hope Beckett enjoys it and that it's the start of a long relationship! 

In exactly 30 minutes Austin will be with Beckett on her shoot - eeee! Expect an update tomorrow - SO FUN!

Happy Friday!!

No more pictures, Mommy!!

Becks Goes to Publix

Austin and Beckett went on an adventure yesterday - they hit up the grocery store! Austin used the Bjorn baby carrier (thanks, Porters!) and he said Beckett did great, and that she was awake most of the time but fell asleep towards the end of the visit. He snapped this self portrait of him and Becks before leaving the store! I am so glad he documented Becks' first trip, and of course that she did so well!

Week 13: 7 Days of Beckett

Day 85 (5/4); A surprise visit from Poppa Paul and Mimi Michelle - of course wine was involved hence the background :)

Day 86 (5/5); Cinco De Mayo, Made in Mexico shirt from one of my awesome co-workers whose baby boy was born just 5 days after Beckett

Day 87 (5/6); My first day back to work was miserable, but it was great to come home to this little bug who was happy as a clam after a day with her Mimi

Day 88 (5/7); Cutie girl - the face I got to see after I raced home from my second day back at AutoTrader - breaks my heart to not be with her all day, but, yet again, she was super happy after a day with her Mimi!

Day 89 (5/8); sweet girl at dinner time ready for her bottle

Day 90 (5/9); cutie girl in her PJs

Day 91 (5/10); making silly faces with dad

This was my first week back to work and it just about broke my heart! I missed her so much during the days at work, despite being insanely busy in back-to-back meetings. Thankfully I did get to see her each night (around 5:30!), and on Thursday I worked from home and we even went to our first playdate here in the neighborhood! So not all bad. And she is smiling SO much now - it's awesome. She's also holding her neck up a lot and looking around - you can just tell she's taking it all in.

Likes

• iPad 'stars' game (posted a video of her playing it earlier!)
• her piano activity mat (loves it!)
• her green swaddle blanket
• baths (she squeals and laughs - it's adorable!)
• songs - she smiles and coos when you sing to her - good times

Dislikes

• being put in the carseat (fine once she's in it, but doesn't like being put in it or taken out)
• being put in her crib (lately she cries for a couple minutes) - she seems to dislike being alone

Becks Loves the iPad

She's gotten great at tapping on it to multiply the stars!

Week 12: 7 Days of Beckett

Day 78 (4/27); testing out a new dress from her Aunt Sharon and a new hat from her Mimi before heading to Michael Velotas's first birthday party

Day 79 (4/28): in PJs after a long, rainy drive back from Alabama

Day 80 (4/29): enjoying a calm bath on an otherwise dull Monday

Day 81 (4/30); piano time in her tutu - girlfriend is QUITE the little kicker

Day 82 (5/1); tender time with Dad (love the little fingers on his face)

Day 83 (5/2); relaxing (as always) during bath time, her favorite time of the day

Day 84 (5/3); looking cute, and somewhat serious, on her activity mat

Beckett is getting more and more alert, responsive and just overall joyful each day and week! She is really just a sweet little girl. She is loving her baths, activity mat and is still sleeping well through the night (8:30 p.m. to 7 a.m.). Her naps can be a struggle, as can her bottles lately (she likes to push them out of her mouth - ugh!), but we're getting there day by day and trying to be patient with her! All in all, this was a great week for Beckett, and for me as it was my last week of maternity leave before I was to report back in on May 6!