Good News and Interviews!

I hate to jinx it, but for the past 4 days, Beckett has slept through the night!  We start getting ready for bed about 8:30 doing the bath thing, which he still loves, by the way.  I feed him and he will hang out with us for a bit and usually fall asleep by 10:00.  He slept until nearly 6:45 today!  It was wonderful!   It will make it a lot easier for me to go back to work with him sleeping through the night.  However, I have to have a job first before I can worry about that.  I did have a screening interview with a county in Maryland yesterday, but I did not get the best vibe from the woman I spoke to.  I am searching the internet everyday and have e-mailed several principals.  I am worried that I will get hired late in the summer, but it will be better than nothing!  Keep your fingers crossed for me!!

Our house is finally starting to look like a house!  I have been cleaning everyday to get it the way I want it.  We finally got all of the boxes out of the living room and now have a little space.  We also were able to get cable in the living room (our landlord did a complete 180, thank goodness!) but our guest bathroom toilet is still leaking.  We are still struggling with the washing machine dripping as well, but I am happy to at least have a clean house!

We signed Beckett up for a daycare in Martinsburg.  It is a lot more than we want to pay, but I figure we are paying for peace of mind also.  I feel very comfortable leaving Beckett at this center.  It was very clean and both times we have visited the kids have all been playing and eating happily.  I have had a lot of anxiety about leaving him in someone else's care, but I really do think this place will be nice.  A friend of mine summed it up best- she said she knew her daughter would be fine, she just didn't know if she would be fine.  Beckett is more and more alert and happy and fun each day- right as I am really enjoying him I feel like I have to give him up.  Luckily we still have a few weeks left to fully enjoy him!

Once the house is completely set up I will take some pictures and post them.  And of course, what you really want, more Beckett pictures, will be up soon as well!

Beckett Finally Gets a Nursery!

Well, it only took us until he was 8 and a half weeks old, but we finally finished Beckett's nursery.  We still want to get a bookshelf that matches the cherry wood of his furniture, and I would like to get the valance that matches his bedding now that I know he has a window as well as the diaper stacker that matches, but other than that, his room is complete.  Oh yeah, we need a toy box too.  Ok, maybe we're not that close to being done with it, but at least he has his beautiful crib and dresser all put together, a place for his books and toys, and a rocking chair for us to help put him to sleep!

Beckett's Favorite Time of Day

Bath time has turned out to be a very enjoyable experience for both Beckett and I.  (When he doesn't pee on me, at least.)  He loves to be in the water and usually will eat and go to bed soon after.  Joe and I have been trying to read to him at night, but I think it is hard for him to focus on the books right now.  We bought him some nursery rhymes, a children's Bible story book, as well as a few others.  I'm going to post a few more recent pictures now as well.

Craziness

Well, it has been awhile since this has been updated, but when I fill you in on what has been going on in our lives you will see why!

When we got back from O'Fallon we basically had 5 days to pack our entire house minus a few boxes my mom packed earlier.  This would normally be no problem, but Beckett is pretty demanding when it comes to attention.  It was stressful, but somehow, we got it done and even had time to visit with Shelli and Cody.  We cleaned our house until it was spotless (this is important for a later story) and got on the road at 5:30 pm.  We arrived in O'Fallon at 6:30 in the morning.  We were pooped!  My grandma stopped by with my Great Aunt Mildred and Uncle Gary and Aunt Judy to see Beckett.  She loves him so much!  She forgets a lot and keeps repeating herself about him being a boxer, but boy she knows when he is in town!  We weren't sure how long we were going to stay in town because we didn't know when the movers would get to our house.  We got to stay much longer than expected and finally took off to West Virginia on Sunday, the 6th.  We promised Beckett it would be his last extended car ride for a very long time.  He was pretty patient, for the most part.

Let's talk about how great our first day in West Virgnia was.  We stayed in a hotel the night before and woke up super early to get drinks for the movers and to meet with a real estate agent, Natalie, to do the final walk through.  She does not own the property.  The woman who owns the property is Carolyn.  Again, important for later in the story.  So anyway, we were just getting ready to leave the hotel and I feel a sharp stabbing pain in my back on the right side.  I mean, it really really hurt.  Needless to say, I had Joe drop me off at the emergency room so that he could go on and meet the movers at our house.  An IV and a cat scan later the doctor told me I had a kidney stone, that it wasn't that big, that it didn't have far to go, and that I pretty much had to suck it up as long as I am nursing Beckett.  Damnit.  (I think I passed it already though.)  So I was back at the new house by 10:00 am.  Poor Joe was stuck trying to direct the movers, hold back the dogs, do the walk through, and take care of screaming Beckett.  Just a little chaotic for him, right?

Problem #1 with our new house:  it was FILTHY.  I'm talking hair in the bathtub, food on the stove, crap in the cabinets, and literally crap in the toilet.  Granted, the place had been vacant for a month, but I don't think showers get that dirty by just sitting there.  Don't worry, Carolyn said the house was "professionally cleaned."  You're kidding me.  Joe and I spent hours cleaning our house in Abilene (which was not dirty to begin with) and now we have to do it all over again.  Problem #2:  The air conditioning didn't work.  We unpacked all day with the temperature rising to up to 82 degrees in the house.  It was miserable.  Beckett was sweaty and we were all grumpy.  Problem #3:  I went to take a cold shower at the end of the day and had no cold water.  Even worse, the shower would not turn off!!  We had to shut the water off downstairs, and even that knob broke off in Joe's hand!  Back to the marvelous Super 8 we went.  Problem #4:  One of the toilet tanks leaks.  I went to give Beckett a bath and stepped in a puddle.  Problem #5:  There is no cable jack on the main floor.  Don't worry that we have our tv set up- it won't be in use.  If you want to come visit us, we will be enjoying the television from our bedroom.  

After calling Carolyn to complain about the problems and hanging up on her because she is a horrible person, I am praying that nothing else goes wrong with this house or we are probably up a creek.

However, on a brighter note, we have gotten a lot of unpacking done and I truly do like the place once everything gets fixed.  We went to visit Shepherdstown today to see Joe's university (Shepherd University) and the campus was beautiful!  It reminded me of a nicer version of Eastern, which we both dearly loved.  The town is darling and has lots of neat little shops and restaurants.  Also, I have a screening interview for a job in Maryland which is about 20 minutes away and will pay much more than a job in West Virginia.  Pray for me!

But, this blog is really supposed to be about Beckett, so I will update you on him, since he is the most important thing in our lives.  How he has changed in just a few short weeks!!  He is really focusing in on things and taking it all in.  He is finally smiling and giggling much more, even though he is still pretty serious.  He still has his bouts of fussiness, but for the most part, he is a content baby.  (Unless he has to poo- boy look out!)  He imitates us when we eat or drink, which, according to baby books, means he is one step closer to eating solid foods like rice cereal.  I don't know how much he weighs right now, but as of our last doctor's appointment at 6 weeks, he weighed 11 lbs, 4 oz and was 23.5 inches long.  His height was in the 75th percentile and the doctor said everything was looking good!  Now he is 8 weeks old, so no telling what he weighs now.  He is eating more and more each day!  He also dropped a feeding at night, so he will go to bed between 10-11 and sleep until 3:00, which has done wonders for my sleeping patterns, although I still feel tired in the morning.  He usually wakes up again between 5-6 and then will sleep just a little longer until I make Joe get up with him so I can sleep in.  Albert is still his protector- he must check out anyone who holds Beckett and if we lay him on his activity mat, Albert will lick him to make sure he's alright.  (He loves this sun that hangs from his mat that plays music- he kicks his legs faster to songs with a faster beat!)  Noodle is getting to be a little more curious- she wants to lick his toes, but she does that to everyone.  The dogs have been more than a little stressed with this move.  Once we get settled and can walk again I'm sure things will be better.

Well, I guess that is all for now.  I keep meaning to upload pictures, but it takes forever.  I promise I will add some new ones soon!  Beckett looks much different now from the pictures I first put on the blog.  It is amazing how quickly he changes!  

Beckett's First Trip Home!

Wow, what a week the Robbins family had!  Last Thursday we made the 13 hour drive back home to O'Fallon with the entire family.  (Dogs and all!)  Beckett did great on the drive and slept nearly the entire way.  He cried for about 5 hours when we finally arrived, but I figured after being in a car seat all day he probably deserved it!  

On Friday we had a rehearsal dinner for Jessica, my roommate from college.  We lived together for three years and I had the honor of being one of her bridesmaids.  It was nice to go out as a couple and it was nice to have my mom there to watch Beckett so I didn't worry.  Saturday was Jessica's wedding.  I had enough fun for everyone.  Let's just say I wasn't the one feeding Beckett that night!

The rest of the trip we spent visiting family and friends.  My friend from high school, Brandon, and his wife, Melissa, brought their litte boy, Ethan into town.  Ethan was born in January.  We also took pictures with my friend Amanda's little girl, Keegan, who was born in February.

Joe and I also visited his dad and some relatives and got to make it to the new Busch Stadium for the first time to catch a Cardinal's game.  We also had "date night" and got to try out the Melting Pot in St. Louis.  We had tons of fun, but we are glad to be back in Abilene to pack up our stuff.  (We only have 5 days!!)  

I have much more information and tons of pictures to post, but my sweet baby is not happy at the moment so I will have to catch up later.  Check back for more pics soon!

Busy Times

The last several days have been busy ones for the Robbins family.  We have been trying to contact different moving companies to get us squared away for West Virginia.  We need to be packing more than we are, but I think it is going to be one of those last minute things that will finally motivate me.  Beckett seems to be eating more and more everyday.  Joe likes to put him on his chest and watch his little head peck around when he is hungry.  He looks like a little hen.  He seems to be so strong for only being three and a half weeks old.  He is still fussy when he is awake, but there are brief moments of calm.  

We are also getting ready to go home to visit in a few days.  I am in a wedding (Jessica, my roommate from college) and was thrilled to find that my bridesmaid's dress actually zipped.  We have the wedding and rehearsals next Friday and Saturday and then have quite a few other plans.  Our friends Brandon and Melissa and their baby Ethan are coming in town from Florida, and, along with my friend Amanda and her baby, Keegan, we are going to take pictures of all of the little ones.  Michele is also going to take some pictures of Beckett, myself, my mom, and my grandma.  We will also visit Joe's dad and Aunt Martha as well as other friends and family.  Everyone is dying to see Beckett!  Joe and I also scored Cardinal's tickets from my friend Jenn, so it looks like we will finally get to see the new Busch Stadium.  About time!  I'm sure I will have tons of pictures when we get back.

Today I have been cleaning for my friend Lindsay.  She and her husband just got finished moving to Midland, TX and she wants to come meet Beckett before we move.  She just recently found out she is expecting and is due in January, so maybe Beckett will be good practice for her!  

Visitors and a New Place!

Over the last several days, Beckett and I have had many visitors while Daddy was away.  Joe spent Sunday through Thursday in West Virginia searching for a new place for us to live.  He found a large townhouse that sounds really great.  It has a finished basement with lots of space for the all of the new things Beckett has acquired in his short little life.  It doesn't have a garage and it only has a small backyard, but those are things we were willing to sacrifice.  It is even bigger than our house now and is also cheaper, so we are thrilled about that.  I am definitely ready for Daddy to get home!

While Joe was gone, Beckett and I had lots of visitors.  I was very worried about being home alone with Beckett.  (New mom nervousness I suppose.)  Joe's sister, Rachel, and her boyfriend, A.J., drove in from Houston on Sunday to stay with us for a few days.  Unfortunately, Joe took our digital camera and Rachel forgot hers, so we don't have any pictures to document the trip yet.  It was great to have them here because I could run errands and get some things done while they watched Beckett.  I was glad Beckett got to meet his Aunt Rachel, even if he may not remember it.  I also had several co-workers stop by to check on me, which I greatly appreciated.

Beckett has been doing much better at night over the last few days.  He will eat around 10-10:30 and then usually sleep for a few hours.  He'll eat two more times in the night and sleep in his crib for about 2 hours at a time.  I am glad he is developing a schedule.  Yesterday afternoon and this morning he was awake for quite some time and was not crying, which was wonderful.  We took some walks with Noodle and Albert and even went and got a smoothie.  He is not terribly happy at the moment, so I guess I better wrap this one up.  Hopefully once Joe gets back this evening I will have some more pictures to post.