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. 

So Much Laundry!

How can such a small little creature create so much laundry?  How can diapers that already seem tight still manage to leak on Joe every time he holds Beckett?  Am I eating something that makes this child gassy?  These are just a sampling of the questions that have been running through my head over the last few days!  Our little sweetie is sleeping right now, but hopefully he will still sleep several hours at a time at night like he has done the last few nights.  He had a fussy spell in the late afternoon, so I am hoping we got that over with for the day.  Anyway, not much else to update here; I really just wanted to post some new pictures that I thought were sweet.

Our First Family Blog

I know, I know, just what I needed.  Something else besides myspace and facebook to distract me from packing our house.  However, Joe suggested I set up this blog so that our parents and others without social networking sights can view pictures and know what is going on in our lives, especially now with our newest addition, sweet baby Beckett Alexander Robbins.  (Hence the blogsot: BAR.) (No, we did not do that on purpose.  Yes, we do think it is funny and fitting.)  Beckett came into this world on May 13th, 2009 at 12:04 p.m.  He was 8 pounds, 8 ounces, and 20 inches long.  At our first doctor's appointment one week later, he was 8 pounds, 12 and a half ounces, and 21 inches long.  He is growing already!  

Life with Beckett for the first 11 days has been wonderful, fun, stressful, and scary, among many other emotions.  He is absolutely precious although we don't think he looks like either one of us.  His little face is so expressive already.  He definitely has Joe's grumpy morning face.  He definitely eats like both of us.   Unfortunately, Beckett seems to have three modes:  sleeping, eating, or screaming his head off.  His cranky time seems to begin about 10:00 at night and continues until around 1:00 and has only been fixed by Mylacon or a really good poop.  He is doing better about sleeping at night.  At first, he has his days and nights mixed up, but since my parents have been here, he has been sleeping a little better at night and will sleep in his crib for several hours at a time without being held.  (The first 2 nights at home I slept on the couch with him on my chest, praying that I would not roll and squish him or push him off of the couch.)  There were several nights where I nearly cried as much as he did when he was inconsolable.  Joe wasn't sure who he needed to help!  But, since my parents have been here, we have both had more sleep and things seem to be going much more smoothly.  This is good because Joe is leaving the evening of the 31st to go to West Virginia to find us a house.  My parents are going to meet him there and my mom is representing my best interests when it comes to selecting a suitable living space for us for the next year.  I know they will find a nice place for us, but it is stressful trying to find a place that meets our needs when we are 22 hours away!  I know it will all work out though.  Meanwhile, I am praying that people come to visit me the week that Joe is away.  Beckett and I may be taking many walks so that I can get out of the house and not go crazy!

Our first babies, Noodle and Albert, are adjusting to Beckett fairly well.  Of course, they are a little jealous, but Joe has been good about making sure they still get their daily walks.  They have been getting many more treats (especially when my parents spoil them) and Albert has been enjoying the fruit trays my dad bought us for breakfast.  (Have you ever seen a dog drool over grapes??)  They are very curious about Beckett and sometimes worry when he cries, but they are getting used to the new noises.

I'm going to try to update this blog every few weeks or so.  I can hopefully add some of the good pictures we have taken of our little man.  Joe and I are thrilled to have him and are learning to adjust to our new lives as mommy and daddy.