3 Years Old

It's true, my toddler is really more of a preschooler than a toddler!

You hear things thrown around like "the terrible twos" and "threenager."  I feel like the two's were not too hard to navigate, but this "approaching three" thing has thrown me for a bit of a loop (adding a new baby into the mix probably hasn't helped).  Ephraim is smart and curious.  He also has a mischievous streak.  He keeps me on my toes.

Ephraim loves cars, planes and trains.  He also loves to learn all about the names of different animals.  Really he just loves life and learning new words!

He is really good at speaking, and speaks in full sentences.  He is starting to ask a lot more questions and has started using pronouns.  He refers to everyone as "he" and "that guy," but he knows that mommy is a girl, so he is beginning to figure out genders.

Ephraim's favorite TV show is probably "Octonauts," a cute show about animals that go underwater to learn about and help sea creatures. He likes to say "Aye Aye Captain" when I ask him to do things and says "water" with an English accent because of that show.

He loves to sing little songs when he is playing.  "Hooked on a feeling" by Blue Swede is a current favorite.  However, if he does not like a song he will announce that "this is a grown-up song," and tell me, "I not like this one."

Ephraim is a sweet big brother.  He loves to tell Asher that "He is so cute," and talk to him in a high pitch voice.  He also gives him lots of hugs and kisses.  He does not, however, like sharing his bath with Asher, because Asher loves to kick and splash in the bath and generally encroach on Ephraim's space.

You can tell he listens to mommy and daddy more closely now, because now if he doesn't want to do something he will tell me that it is "too dangerous," "too far away," "costs too much money," or that "I can't because I'm angry."  He also loves to exclaim, "Oh crap!" when things don't go his way.

Ephraim also looooves to "be silly."  "That's so silly," is probably one of his favorite phrases.

Ephraim's memory is improving.  He tells me about all the things he did "last night" (anything that happened in the past is last night).  The other day he told me all about the things he did last halloween.  He reminds me as we pass restaurants and things that they are places we have gone with "the uncles" etc.

Ephraim is afraid of monsters in movies, and can be shy with new people and big groups.  He will tell me if he is feeling shy or afraid though, and can usually work through those feelings and be "so brave."

We just finished moving into our first home, and the first day we were here he told me that he didn't like our new house because none of our stuff was in it.  He has been getting used to the idea of living in a new place and gets more excited the more we unpack.

Ephraim planned his own birthday.  He told me that he wanted a birthday cake with candles, ice cream, party hats, and balloons.  He also wanted to eat at CiCi's and see a movie with "Grandma, Grandpa, Uncles and Nathan".  We went to see Inside Out, and had a great time.

Ephraim likes to tell me all about how big and tall he is, but he still isn't too big for cuddles and binkies, so that is good.  He is 39.5 inches tall.  Although sometimes I am not as patient as I should be with his antics I feel so blessed to be his mama.  He is a such a happy boy who is excited about life, and I am excited to see what the next year will bring.

More Pictures of Ephraim

Three Months Old

I don't know how we got so blessed with these boys.

Asher continues to be an absolute joy. He is quick to smile and loves to be held and walked around.  He loooves his daddy and gives him the biggest smiles, but is social and will smile at anyone who takes the time to talk to him.

He is so close to laughing and makes the cutest happy cooing sounds, but hasn't yet let out those baby giggles.

He is getting better at moving his hands and loves to grab things, especially during tummy time and will gnaw on his hands with all his might if he can get them pinned down.  

He holds his hands together and stares at them in the car, and I've caught him eyeing his feet a couple of times, so he is becoming more aware.

Asher is a good sleeper.  He takes lots of little naps during the day and sleeps all night very regularly now.

He is still a big boy and by our best estimate weighs 18.5 pounds.  Also, most of his 3-6 month clothes are too small now.

His head control is really good now during tummy time, but he is still a wobbly wiggly baby when you stand him up. He rolls over from front to back like a pro, but hasnt rolled from back to front yet.  He can scoot himself all over his little tummy time mat though.

Asher went swimming for the first time the other day and seemed to enjoy being in the water while being held by mommy.  He still enjoys his bathtime and kicks with all his might the whole time. 

Asher likes being naked and smiles a lot during diaper changes and protests when it comes time to put the clean diaper back on.

Asher has had a bit of a tongue tie since birth, but somehow he tore his frenulum a couple weeks ago.  It didn't seem to bother him and he is no longer tongue-tied.

We are in Florida right now and went to Illinois a few weeks ago.  Both times were very long car rides, but they went without any trouble.  Asher is a well-traveled little munchkin.

We are so grateful Asher is our sweet chunky little boy.

More Pictures Here

Two Months Old

Oh, Asher!  I am so in love!  I've decided that two months old is just the greatest! It's like a light bulb has switched on and he is so much more aware of the world around him.

Asher is becoming so much more social.  He smiles every day now, especially when I talk to him.  Just the other day he was crying and then stopped and smiled just because I came over and he saw me.  Also, he smiled and gave a little chuckle to Ephraim the other day, and Ephraim was absolutely smitten.

He's settling into a nice routine.  Bedtime right after Ephraim's (Around 9) and then sleeping until 7-ish.  I also can usually get him to take a 2-3 hour nap right at the same time as Ephraim's nap, and that is great! He has slept for longer stretches here and there, but mostly is still waking up to eat every 2-3 hours.  

He is a big big boy.  We will find out on Tuesday just how big.  I recently caved and pulled out his 3-6 month clothes, but most of those are tight as well!

Asher likes to stand up and be held up.  He doesn't like it if you hold him laying down in the crook of your arm.  He wants to see everything.  He is also very strong.  He is still able to roll over from back to belly (since birth pretty much :-P) and holding up his head really well.

He likes tummy time on his mat (in short spurts), and has recently discovered chewing on his hands.  Asher still loves bath time.  He doesn't like his carseat (unless he is sleeping, which he does a lot in the car).  We recently did our first road trip to San Antonio.  He slept 5 hours of the 6 hour drive and we were able to keep him happy the rest of the time with his binky (or binker as we like to call it).  He tries to resist the binky, but it will usually calm him down unless he is hungry.

We just love what a happy little man Asher is.  Ephraim is especially in love with his baby brother.  He had to show his baby brother to the librarian the other day, and likes to tell me that Asher is cute.  If Asher is crying he tells him to "settle down" and holds his hand in the car.  I'm so excited for them to be little buddies growing up.

We love you Asher!

More Asher Picture Here

One Month Old

My little Asher man is already a month old! It's so weird how it seems like he just came and has always been a part of our family at the same time.

Asher is such a sweet, cuddly, mellow baby.  He rarely cries, and when he does he is easy to comfort (especially with his binky).  He loves to lay on his tummy and fall asleep that way.  He sleeps swaddled in his bassinet at night.

He knows his schedule and wakes up every 2-2.5 hours to eat.  Sometimes at night he is starting to give me 3 hour stretches (and they are wonderful.)

He is working hard on growing.  He weighs around 13.75 pounds already! He is a big, strong boy!

Asher is easy to travel with and will almost always fall asleep in his car seat or the Moby wrap. Asher likes to look out of windows and loves to sit in the bath. Asher does not like getting out of the bath, or being left alone (when he's not sleeping).

Most recently Asher is more alert and looks around.  He coos a little, and is very strong.  I've caught what looks like the beginnings of a smile when he is awake, but I am waiting for a baby grin when he is awake. 

Yesterday Asher was laying on the floor getting a little fussy, and Ephraim came over to lay by him and Asher just looked at him and cooed some happy sounds.  It made Ephraim so happy.  I think Asher is going to love his fun brother.

Basically, Asher is settling into our little family and we are so in love!

Asher's Blessing Day

Asher's blessing day was a beautiful day!  We had so much family present and took some cute pictures before church.

Stephen, his dad, my dad, Matt, Zak, CJ, Ben, and Mark Cook were in the circle. 

In his blessing he was given his name: Asher Don Steven Beckman. He was counseled to seek companionship with his older brother and future siblings and family. He was blessed to be near to the spirit and to seek understanding from Heavenly Father.  He was blessed with balance of worthy things in life and to seek for help from others.  He was told what a blessing he was to his family, and that he was an answer to prayers. He was counseled to live up to his name as a righteous son in the house of Israel.  He was also counseled to serve a mission and to be a good example to those he teaches.

Here is the story of how we finally settled on his name:

From the time I found out I was pregnant we decided not to select a name until we met the baby.  We made a list that included names like Asher, Elijah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, , and Davis.  The list grew and changed throughout pregnancy, with Asher and Davis being my favorites.  Stephen also suggested Lincoln towards the end of pregnancy.  

Once the baby was born, Lincoln became an immediate front-runner.  I looked at him for a long time and just couldnt see him as a "Zeke" (Ezekiel).  Asher, Jeremiah, and Josiah stayed on my list.  

After much discussion we settled on Asher instead of Lincoln because of its meaning. Asher means fortunate, blessed, happy one. I felt like I was the most blessed and fortunate one, because I this child had answered so many prayers. I had wanted a little sibling for Ephraim from the time he was 9 months old.  It took us over a year to get pregnant and that ended in a miscarriage.  It was very discouraging.  I knew God had a plan, but sometimes it's hard to accept it when it isn't your plan too.  Finding out I was pregnant again so soon after my miscarriage was scary but exciting.  Everything about this pregnancy went so smoothly. I found a doctor's office that was supportive of my vbac and that I really liked. The delivery and recovery were also an answer to many prayers.  After the traumatic delivery with Ephraim, an uncomplicated VBAC and quick recovery were amazing!  So after considering our many blessings Asher was the clear choice.

Deciding the middle name went a little quicker.  We had thought of Donald for the middle name throughout the pregnancy, but after meeting little Asher and deciding on his first name I suggested Stephen as a middle name.  Stephen suggested having two middle names or hyphenating the names.  I wasn't sold on the idea, until one of the nurses asked what we were thinking and said, "well a big boy needs a big name." So we sat in the NICU with little Asher and wrote out all the names we were considering on post it notes.  

We finally settled on Asher Don Steven Beckman.  He is named after both his Grandfathers who are great examples of faith, hard-work and love.