Trick or Treat!

Lilly

I'm not sure what all the fuss was about this evening. I slept through most of the activity. Mommy and Daddy put me back in this banana outfit and we went for a stroll. We hung outside until it started to rain.

I'm still sleeping through most of the day and keeping Mommy up at night. I don't think she cares for this scenario, but there isn't much I can do when my stomach is upset all night. Mommy said we'll go back to Dr. Rubin on Monday to see what else he recommends to help me out.

Belle

Wow. I really enjoyed my first night of trick or treating. We visited a few neighbors on our street and then visited neighbors on our usual walk route. Some of the houses we visited were spooky or had scary music playing so I was a little nervous to approach the house. But Mommy or Daddy held my hand and I went up to accept my candy. I carried my pumpking to collect my candle the whole time. I got a lot of candy and a small baby doll. Mommy and Daddy even let me taste some of the softer candy. After our short walk, we returned to our house to hand out candy. I helped put the candy in other kids' bags, including our neighbor Kaitlyn's bag. Our friends Jordan, Jaiden, Jennifer and Jeremy from church visited too. They trick or treat in our neighborhood every year. It was a fun time for sure!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

Foreshadowing?

Aunt Sara looks like a natural doesn't she? Could this be a foreshadow of her taking care of her own children in a few years? We had a great visit with Aunt Sara this weekend. I (Belle) sure do love playing with her. Although, she was a little more uptight this time. She didn't want to let me play with the cans in the cabinet! We hope we see Aunt Sara a lot as we grow up. She lives up to her name of fun Aunt Sara!

First Bath

Lilly

Wow. What an experience. As if my life isn't rough enough right now with colic, gas and upset stomach at all hours of the day and night... Mommy and Daddy tortured me with something called a bath! Course, I guess I needed a good cleaning since my cord finally came off and I had quite a messy BM on the way home from Morgantown today. Mommy had to throw out my outfit because it was covered with poo! After the initial shock of the cold air and the wetness on my bum, I actually enjoyed the bath. It felt good to be clean. See how wonderful my hair looks after my bath? The folks discovered I have natural curl!

Belle

This kid sister of mine is starting to grow on me. Tonight, I wanted to help her out. She seemed quite upset about having a bath. I'm not sure why because I just love bath time. I wanted to get in the tub with her and show her how much fun it could be, but the folks wouldn't let me. I like to play with my toy Nemo and other animal friends, read a good book and try to take a swim when I take a bath. Tonight, the residual bubbles stayed on my face after my swim. Mommy and Daddy said eventually Lilly and I can take a bath together and play in the tub. I can't wait for that!

The Great Pumpkin (Monkey)

Everyone sure likes monkeys this time of the year. I mean pumpkins! I sometimes confuse the two words. We visited Grandma and Grandpa again this week. Lilly and I went with them to help pick out pumpkins. I sure like picking them out, but I don't care that much about gutting them. Grandpa let me touch the insides. Yuck! They're gooey.

Mommy, Daddy, Lilly and I picked out our pumpkins last week, but we carved them tonight. Daddy sorted out the seeds and cooked them. I just helped Mommy sort and stack cans while they worked on the pumpkin. Occasionally, I would give them a peek to see what they were up to. Lilly did what Lilly always does -- sleep, of course. She isn't sleeping much at night. Occasionally, she'll cry and wake me up. I then have to make sure Mommy gives me some attention too.

It sure was a fun week at Grandma and Grandpa's. They let me run the house. I played with the cans in their cabinets and chased Penelope around the house. They also let me get dirty when I eat!

Colic & Fries

Lilly

Well, I'm nearly 3 weeks old and life around this house sure has been interesting. Each day, my sister Belle keeps my parents running after her. It's tough to get attention around here. So I like to have "me" time with Mommy at night. I don't think she appreciates being woken up all night long, though.

I haven't been feeling the greatest either. My stomach is constantly in pain and therefore I scream and give the pain right back to Mommy and Daddy! Dr. Rubin (who I had to visit on Friday) says I have colic. He told Mommy not to worry that he can see the "forest" while she's only seeing the trees. He said we'd be out of the forest before we know it. He is impressed with my weight now -- 9 pounds, 4 ounces. I also grew 3/8 of an inch so now I'm 21 and 3/8 inches long. Apparently I broke my collarbone during birth, but the doctor didn't know it. My bone didn't break all the way so it didn't move when they pushed on it. But when the bone heals, it produces more than it needs so now there is a small ridge on my collarbone. Dr. Rubin said it's healed and the bump will eventually go away. Dr. Rubin recommended I take Mylicon before each feeding to reduce the gas and discomfort I have. That appears to be helping because I'm able to sleep more.

Belle

I guess this baby isn't going anywhere anytime soon so I'm going to have to accept her. She's okay, I guess. Sometimes she cries a lot. At first it used to upset me, now I just laugh at her! I try to share my toys and crackers with her, but Mommy says she's too little to have crackers yet. In turn, I also want to share her new toys and her pacifiers.

Tonight, Mommy took me out on a date. We visited the WV Book Festival for a short time. I got a balloon, watched some kids put on a puppet show and ran around the Word Play area. We visited the book sale too late. It was time for the $2 a bag sale and there weren't any good children's books left so we didn't get anything. Then Mommy took me to dinner at Bob Evans. I was so hungry that I got upset that the table next to us had food and we didn't. Mommy let me sit on her lap while we ate. I noticed she was eating these long things that she dipped in this red sauce so I tried it for myself. I found out that I like French Fries. They're especially good for dipping that stuff called ketchup into your mouth!

GG Bunny turns 80!

Lilly

Whew! What a busy weekend we've had. I am just worn out. We visited with lots of relatives this weekend. My great grandmother turned 80 on Saturday and we surprised her with a party. As you can see, I was quite the party animal. My big sister, Belle, entertained the crowd and loved playing trucks with her cousin Jaymeson (who was in visiting as well.)

Today we visited more with Uncle Richard, Aunt Jennifer and cousin Jaymeson. It was a treat to meet them for the first time.

My stomach is still adjusting to food on the outside. I had gas Saturday night and kept Mommy up pretty late. Course, I make up for lost sleep during the day! Mommy keeps trying to wake me and I keep getting aggravated. Tomorrow, we leave for Morgantown to visit more relatives.

Belle

Boy, I'm not sure what all the fuss is around here. People keep coming to visit and making a big deal over this "baby" we have in the house. All I know is that she occasionally cries and she takes up too much of my Mommy's time. She gets so much attention that I sometimes have to take drastic measures to refocus everyone to me -- like throwing my food on the floor or screaming real loud. The only good thing about this "kid sister" is that I keep receiving gifts. I think they're trying to bribe me to be good. Why this weekend alone I received a Care Bear toy cell phone, a Cabbage Patch Kid puppy and a stuffed Dr. Seuss animal.

Daddy keeps talking to me about the "potty." He sure is determined to get me to sit on that thing. He sees me squatting and asks if I have to go potty. Tonight after my bath, I did have to go. So I squatted in the place where he did have my potty and peed. Apparently, I didn't do it right because Daddy got upset that I peed on the rug.

I'm excited to visit Morgantown tomorrow because I'll get to see Penelope (Grandma and Grandpa's cat). The car ride sure isn't fun though!

Sibling rivalry?

Lilly sleeps a lot. And everyone wants to hold her. I just want everyone to pay attention to me so sometimes I'll scream or throw a fit to make sure everyone pays attention to me. I'm having trouble sleeping lately. Mommy and Daddy seem a bit frustrated with me because I don't want to sleep.

I really don't pay much attention to Lilly. Occasionally, when she cries, I'll try to help out by sharing a toy with her. Today I tickled her feet to try to make her happy.

We had to visit Dr. Rubin on Friday so he could check out Lilly. He said she was healthy, just a bit jaundiced, but it should go away soon.

Today I actually had time with Mommy and Daddy all to myself. Granny watched Lilly so I could go to lunch with Daddy and Mommy. I sure enjoyed that. Then Mommy rocked me to sleep for my afternoon nap. I like having her to myself now!

Introducing....

the newest member of the Beckner family -- Lilly Ann June Beckner. My baby sister was finally born on Monday, Oct. 2 at 4:50 p.m. She weighed 9 pounds on the dot and measured 21 inches tall. Grandpa Bott says she already has one up on me because she was born bigger, longer and has one more name than me!

I was fascinated with the "baby" in the beginning, but quickly lost interest when I noticed that the grandparents were too concerned with Lilly and not enough with me. Grandpa and Grandma Bott took care of me for the week while Daddy and Mommy were in the hospital. Mommy came home Wednesday night, but we can't get Lilly until Thursday morning. She has to stay overnight so she can have some more medicine in the morning. Her white blood cell count was high when she was born (like me) so she had to have antibotics. She's doing well though and will be home with us tomorrow. Mommy says it's going to be busy and different at our house. We'll try to keep everyone updated on Lilly's developments as much as we can as we welcome the newest member to our family.

Preparing for Halloween

Mommy's co-worker gave her these wax lips as a gift for me. I tried them on for size. How do you like them? Very Hollywood, aren't they? Eventually I was more interested in chewing them. They were cherry flavor! After the flavor was all sucked out, I just spit the wax out.

Daddy said he'll take me trick-or-treating this year. Mommy bought me a costume so I can dress up as a monkey! She said I'm a little monkey anyway -- with how I climb on everything!

Terrible Twos?

It's been awhile since I've written. Something was wrong with the website. Saturday, Daddy and Mommy took me to Red House Hill in Putnam County to the Sunday School picnic. I had fun playing on the playground with other children from Sunday School. Mommy didn't have such a great time since her back was hurting. Everyone keeps asking when my little sister will arrive. Mommy says she hopes soon!

I overheard Daddy say I was going through the Terrible Twos already. Not sure what that means. I just know I'm not happy when I don't get my way.

The three of us took a walk around the neighborhood on Tuesday. I loved to stop and look for the doggy I heard barking or watch a plane fly overhead.

I'm learning new words every day. I repeat just about anything I hear. Some new words in my vocabulary are "bug," "rabby (rabbit)," and bird. I also say "going," "c'mon" and "one." Mommy is trying to teach me how to count and to learn how old I am. Sometimes, I get it. Sometimes I don't.

I'll try to write more and keep everyone posted when my little sister gets here. Mommy said she is going to the doctor tomorrow to have a picture taken of her and see how big she is.

Dr. Rubin

I saw a new pediatrician today, Dr. Art Rubin. I like the waiting room there better. It has a nice big slide in it. I climbed up on it and rode down the slide a few times while we waited to see the doctor. I weighed in at 24 lbs. 10 oz. and I only grew 1/4 of an inch. I'm 33 1/4 inches tall now. According to a survey that Mommy had to fill out, developmentally I'm more than 20 months old. She answered a list of questions of all the skills I can perform and it the survey said I was performing tasks that a 20-month-old can perform.

Dr. Rubin recommended I work on learning all the body parts, like elbows, knees, shoulders, etc. So Mommy is going to teach me "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes." He also told Mommy I can have eggs and peanut butter -- especially for the protein. Dr. Rubin also told Mommy I need to be feeding myself all the time now so I learn how to use all my utensils.

The only bad news was I had to have three shots in the leg, which I didn't care for. But thankfully I haven't had any reaction to them today. I've been playing in the nursery a lot. I like the open space. Mommy and Daddy keep trying to explain to me that I'll have a sister soon. I also like to playl with Pooh and turtle. This, especially, drives Mommy and Daddy crazy because the song starts to annoy them! I like to carry the toy around, rather than let him go on his own.

Mommy said we'll work more on the WVU chant tomorrow since the Mountaineers play again. Go Eers!

Kindermusik

I attended my first Kindermusik class today. I was the oldest in the class. The closest child to my age was Zachariah. He was 14 months old, but only crawls. So I towered over the other students. There was a 6-month-old girl named Isabella and an 8-week-old boy named Ryan. Mommy was concerned that I wouldn't go for "organized activity" and boy was she right. I was more interested in the larger than life teddy bear and running around the room. The teacher, Joann, told Mommy not to worry, though, that after a couple more classes I would get used to the routine and be more interested in the music and the songs. Granny took me to class so Mommy could go back to work. It's also easier for Granny to move around with me. Next week, we'll have homework.

Tommorrow Granny is going to take me to the public library for story time. Mommy is trying to find age-appropriate activities for me to get me out of the house so I burn off some energy.

Holiday weekend

I've had a busy holiday weekend. Yesterday, I attended my friend Jaiden's birthday party. I had fun playing with the big kids. I didn't care much for cake and ice cream though. Aunt KaKa entertained me a bit at the party. She always makes me laugh.

Afterward, we visited with Pawpaw a bit and started watching the Coal Bowl. Then Mommy and I drove home to join Daddy and finish watching the Mountaineers whoop up on The Herd. Course, any intelligent person knew The Herd didn't stand a chance. I snuggled with Daddy a bit while we watched the game.

Tuesday, I join a Kindermusik class so I can make some friends my own age and Mommy's hoping -- burn off some energy. I think I'm tiring her out. We only have about a month before my little sister gets here. Mommy says I have no idea how much my world is going to change.

Strumming along....

Daddy is learning how to play the guitar. I'm helping him pick along the notes to "Old McDonald."

We had a nice visit with Grandma & Grandpa this weekend. They came down to help get my little sister's room ready. It's painted now. I love the bright yellow and am fascinated with the open space. Course, now it means all the good stuff for me to get into is down in the living room. Daddy moved his "West Virginia" room into the living room.

Now we're just waiting for my sister to get here. We weren't able to attend my cousin Jaymeson's birthday party last weekend because Mommy can't travel. Granny and Pawpaw went to the party and I hear Jaymeson had a great birthday.

Hanging out with Mommy

I sure have enjoyed hanging out with Mommy the past couple of weeks. It was tough today when she started a new job. We both were upset to not be hanging out together.

Mommy hasn't been feeling too well because my little sister is causing problems already! The doctor told her to stay close to home and is going to closely monitor her in the next few weeks. I could have a sister before we konw it! (And no, I don't know the name!)

I'm doing pretty well. I'm giving everyone a hard time because I won't drink my milk and I, somehow, have come down with a yeast infection. It probably started off as a diaper rash, but now it's worse. So we're treating that. Meantime, I'm just enjoying the new design in our living room and watching Mommy and Daddy get the house ready for my little sister.

My vocabulary expands daily. I can say, "turtle," "amem," "pretty," "balloon," "ball" and more. I can also answer questions like "What does the kitty say?" or "What does the cow say?"

Daredevil

Granny keeps getting me cool stuff for my room, like this rocking chair. I didn't care for it much at first, but then I realized I can drive Mommy mad by standing on it (rather than sitting) and rocking back and forth. I had a good time Saturday with this. Mommy and Granny picked out some more decorative pieces for my room this week. One of them is the dragonfly pictured above. I also have some butterflies hanging from my ceiling. Daddy said I have the coolest room on the block and definitely have enough now. It's time to start thinking about my little sister, he said. We're going to share the "play area" in my room, though.

Mini-vacation to Snowshoe

Mommy has some time off from work, so we went with Granny to visit PawPaw at Snowshoe Mountain (where he was staying for a work conference). Even though it was a short trip, we had a great time. There was a cool pool for little kids like me. Pawpaw took me down the big water slide several times. I put my face under water a couple of times and we played in the waterfalls and fountains. Pawpaw tried to keep close tabs on me, but I kept shoving his hands away.

Granny bought me some cute shirts, including the one I'm sporting in the photo with Granny and Pawpaw. We had s'mores (well I had it with no chocolate) at the Foxfire restaurant and I ate some more lemons.

I'm learning new words every day like "pretty," "turtle" and now I'm saying "amem (amen)." Granny and Pawpaw took me to church last week because Mommy and Daddy were sick. But they're both better now.

We're all just trying to enjoy this time together and getting ready for the arrival of my new sister. Nope, I don't even know her name yet!

Nice surprise

As a follow up to today's post about our sad news... We had a wonderful surprise waiting for us when we returned Sunday night. Great Uncle Richie painted my room while we were away. He's not finished, but it's wonderful. See the tree growing over the closet. You can't even tell that Daddy put a hole in the wall, can you? He's going to come in and paint flowers and a picket fence so it looks like an English garden. Wonderful, huh? It's a very cool room and I was excited to see it when we got home late Sunday night. Thank you Uncle Richie. Thank you, Granny too, for looking after the house and buying us groceries so I could have milk in the morning. We appreciate all the love, support and prayers in this busy and sad time.

Saying Goodbye

We cut our vacation to Nags Head, N.C., short because Pap wasn't feeling well. So we returned to Morgantown so Grandma & Grandpa, Mommy & Daddy and Aunt Sara could say goodbye to Pap. I really wasn't aware of what happened, but I know there were a lot of sad people. I did my best to entertain them in the waiting room with games of Peek-a-Boo and asking for "bapple" (apple). Pap went home to be with Jesus Sunday morning. Sunday afternoon, I visited with relatives and met some new friends (a puppy named Jersey). That's me with Jersey, my second cousin Hannah and cousin-in-law Jamie. The other photo is from my birthday when Pap and Mamaw came to visit. We return to Morgantown on Wednesday so Mommy can go to his funeral. I'll be visiting with The Bott family then. We don't see much of Great Grandpa Bott so this will be a treat.

More adventures

Yesterday, we visited the North Carolina Aquariums on Roanoke Island. It was a lot of fun. I met a lot of new friends, including sharks, turtles, sea fish and all kinds of tropical fish. I also made a friend named, Elijah. He's 2. He actually talked to me in the aquarium and we kept running into each other at the exhibits.

Later we went to eat at Tortugas Lie and I ate a lot of new veggies, including zucchini. I also ate corn on the cob -- right off the cob! I just picked it up off the plate and started eating it. We decided to wait to visit the beach until after dinner because it was so hot yesterday. Someone carved out a large hole on the beach and I played in it for awhile and then ran into the ocean. I have discovered the ocean is salty so I like to suck on my fingers after I've played in the water. Course, I also thought the sand tasted salty and kept picking it up to put in my mouth, but Aunt Sara and Grandma wouldn't let me eat it.

Making friends

There are a lot of people at the beach to make friends with. So far, I've met a couple of little people around my age. The girl, Marley, is just three months older than me. She doesn't talk much. I don't really care what age young people are. I just want to hang out with them. I know no strangers and will approach anyone who I see around us. Grandma & Grandpa have a hard time keeping up with me as I run down the beach to see a new friend. Today, it's supposed to be 98 degrees so we're going to the place where there are a lot of fish on Roanoke Island. Mommy said it would be too hot for her and me at the beach during the day. So we're going to play in the sand in the evening after dinner tonight. I think we're going out to eat tonight, but Dr. Skaff said I'm not allowed to have seafood.

Fearless of the ocean!

We're staying at Kill Devil Hills, NC., for the week. I am enthralled with the ocean. I love it. No fears here. In fact, the family has to keep a close eye on me so I don't go running in on my own. I like walking along the beach on my own. You know me, Miss Independent. More updates later.

Streaker

I'm starting to take after my great Aunt Jane. I prefer to be "au naturel." Any time Mommy dresses me in an outfit that has straps of any kind, I figure out a way to get it off (as you can see in the photograph). I hear that Grandpa Bott could track his little sister, great Aunt Jane, when they were outside playing because there would be a trail of clothes.

She tried on my new bathing suit, which features fun fish on it, to make sure it fits before we head to the beach. Before she realized it, I had both of my arms out of the straps and the bathing suit was hanging around my waist.

I'm not sure what this place called the "beach" is, but Mommy & Daddy sure are looking forward to going there. Daddy said he can't wait to take me into the water. Great Aunt Barb gave me a life jacket to wear. And I they keep talking about something called sand. I'm sure wherever it is, it will be a lot of fun. Unfortunately, I hear we have a long trip in the car to get there. I can only sit in that car seat for a couple of hours before I start getting ansy. I overheard Daddy saying something to Mommy about giving me Benedryll before we go. They said I need to sleep because I've been keeping them up too much lately. I woke at 3 a.m. today and kept Mommy up until 5 a.m.

I believe we'll have access to a computer at the beach so we'll try to keep you posted on our daily adventures. If not, we'll have lots to share when we return.

Holiday weekend

What fun we've had over the holiday. Since it was a national holiday, I got to hang out with Mommy during the middle of the week. That was a special treat.

On Monday, we visited with Uncle Richie, Aunt Grace and Johan and Ethan. We celebrated Jonah's birthday and hung out with family (Aunt KaKa entertained me quite a bit.) We waited until real late to see something called fireworks, but the whole lights we saw were from the storm that poured down on us as we traveled home.

Tuesday after Daddy got home from work we drove to Ripley to the Arts & Crafts fair. Daddy and I fed some geese. It rained again for a bit so we had to hang out in a tent.

I even helped Mommy with some cleaning around the house. That Swiffer is like pushing my lawn mower!