Hi my dear Lydia Rose..........it's your daddy (aka jagee)!

This blog is more of a sad blog for you and for us. Since we wrote last, your Grandpa Beck has passed away. He died on 11/22/10. He had been sick for awhile, but it still was a surprise for all of your family. Someday we will be able to tell you about what happened and how wonderful a man he was. He would have been the best Grandpa in the world to you. We know he is in a better place and that we will see him again someday.

On the bright side, you (baby Lydia) have been our bright spot in this very difficult time. You bring a smile to everyone's face, especially your Mimi. She loves you so much. We have been having dinner every night with your Mimi and all of your aunts and uncles on the Beck side. This has and will be a difficult holiday season, but we will all get through it together because there is so much love and we all have so much to live for. You are a big reason that we can heal from this my sweet baby girl.

To update you on things, right now you are doing a ton of jumping in your jumper. You are talking/yelling/making baby noises that are getting louder and clearer each day. We are slowly moving you away from the breast milk and towards food. You have started eating Gerber peas, green beans, and other veggies. You make funny faces when you don't like it. It's hilarious! You really haven't quite learned how to swallow the spoon fulls yet, but that will come. I think you will be crawling real soon.

Christmas is less than a week away. Even though this year will be especially difficult because of Grandpa, we are excited to see you through your first Christmas holiday. We are keeping the usual traditions that we know you will grow to love (cutting down the Christmas tree, taking pictures with Santa, etc.). Daddy's favorite is when you have to get all bundled up in your little baby snowsuit so that you can brave the cold. You are absolutely the cutest little thing I have ever seen and I'm so blessed that you are mine.

Till next time.........I love you so much,
Your jagee!

It is Thanksgiving week and we are most grateful for the beautiful baby in our lives. You are just a delight to have in our lives. We can't imagine what our lives were like before you came into them. You are so cute now rolling everywhere! You love to play on the ground still and when I leave you in the middle of the floor you can roll to both corners of the room. You are so strong and determined. You are still a very very happy baby, always cooing and talking and smiling.

You usually wake up about 7 each morning and take a nap about 9 and about 1. Then you go to sleep for the night about 6:30. You still wake up sometimes at night, but I don't mind because I miss you and want to hold, kiss, and feed you.

We go out to alot of places together. You love outside and when we walk. You think the trees are so pretty. We go to lunch with Mimi Beck all the time and you are just the best baby. You are reacing for everything now including your favorite anything in a glass or glass bottle. We took you to Fitz's Restraunt the other day and you tasted a little icecream. You didn't know what to do with it. But, I'm sure you will figure it out soon enough.

Mommy is working on your needlepoint stocking for Christmas. It is very cute and I think you will love it. Daddy is done studying and is very excited about his new job. One of the main reasons he is taking this new job is so that he can be his own boss and be able to be at all of your special events when you get older. He is such a wonderful Daddy.

You also LOVE your bouncy seat that we put up over the doorway. You can jump so well and it makes you so happy. You laugh the whole time. Your little laugh is so adorable. Daddy makes you laugh with his Peek-A-Boos. We just look at eachother and can't stop smiling because your giggles are the cutest things ever.

Well I better jump in the shower. YOu are taking a nap and this is the only time I can shower. Love you my everything!

Almost 6 months old!!!

Hi my little baby beeboo! You are closing in on 6 months soon and my has it gone by really fast. You are doing more and more each day, as always. I'm thinking that with nothing hold your little tush back you will likely be crawling in no time.

What's really cool about your age is that you are going to have so many friends come school time. A lot of your mommy and daddy's friends in the parish are having babies that are really close in age to you. We always wonder which ones will end up being your good friends.

One of your favorite new things is your bouncy chair. It hangs from the doorframe and you just sit your little tooshy in there and bounce like crazy. You absolutely love it. You get really excited twisting, turning, bouncing, and making so many loud sounds with your mouth. Daddy loves to say, "Beeboo go...........go...........go............go. You love it and we have a great time watching you.

In new news, your Aunt Cristy and Uncle Colan got engaged last night in New York City (that's where they live). We are really happy and excited for them. The plan looks to be a wedding around September 2011. We're hoping that you can be walking by then and be their flower girl (you'll be 15 months old then). That would be adorable and Daddy can already see you doing your little stumble walk down the aisle. We're also hoping that by then Mommy will be pregnant with your first brother or sister.

This week is Thanksgiving (your first major holiday really......other than the 4th of July). Everyone is excited to see you.

Daddy plans to give his notice to Moneta Group as he is leaving for a different opportunity. Daddy will now be starting his own practice as Fidelis FP. Speaking of Daddy's work, he is finally done with his major CFP test. It was this weekend for 10 hours. It took up a ton of study time over the past couple of months. Daddy thinks and hopes that he passed. Now, he can spend that time with you and Mommy.

That's all for now. Daddy is loving you more and more each day. He can't wait until you can say the word, "Dah-dah".

I love you,
Your lucky daddy

Missing my beeboo!

Hi sweetheart,

I wanted to tell you how much Daddy loves you and how terrible it is to be out-of-town and away from you. Today is Saturday (right now you are sound asleep so adorable in your crib) and I returned from a work trip in Michigan very late last night. You and Mommy picked me up from the airport. I left for the trip on Wednesday night, so I was without you for two full days. I missed you so bad. Mommy had to keep sending me picture texts to my cell phone so I could see you all the time. The plane ride back to St. Louis seemed like an eternity as all I could think of was getting to you and Mommy and giving you a huge hug and kiss. When I finally got to you, you were sound asleep in the car. Moral to the story: I hate being away from you and can't live without you in my life. I love you so much!

We went to the pumpkin patch last weekend. It was your first trip there, obviously! You were so sleepy so all we basically did was take some pictures of you in your pumpkin outfit and sitting all around the pumpkins. Then, we left. Mommy and I talked about how much you will love the pumpkin patch in the upcoming years.

This weekend Aunt Cris and Uncle Colan surpised us and made the trip in from New York. So, last night we went straigth to Great Aunt Candy's house from the airport for a family gathering. Everyone there was crazy obsessed with you. They thought you were completely adorable. You were so remarkeably well behaved, even though Mommy and I could tell that you were dead tired. It was a long night. Today, we are heading out to Alan and Denise's house in DeSoto for a little party with that side of the family. Unfortunately, Mommy has to work out at the hospital today. So, today is a beeboo and jaggee day!!!

You are the most perfect little baby in the world. Daddy loves his baby girl so much!

Until next time,
Your loving Daddy

My little Love! Wow! You are 4 months old now. You are growing up so fast before our eyes. We are so proud of all of your little accomplishments and milestones. On September 30th you rolled over for the first time!!! Mommy got to see you and I cheered so loud. I immediately called Daddy and texted your Aunts and Grandmas! After that first roll you became an expert. You even have been rolling over onto your stomach and side to sleep. It scared us at first that you were sleeping on your stomach, but the Doctor said you would be safe because you are now strong enough to move your head and neck.

It is October now and you have lots of Halloween outfits with pumpkins on them. Mommy's favorite outfit is one that says, "Cutest little pumpkin in the pumpkin patch." We are going to take you to the pumpkin patch in Chesterfield this Sunday! You love being outside, so I am sure you will like the patch. Right now Mommy and Daddy are deciding if you should be a cow or a ladybug for Halloween. You look incredibly adorable in both of them.

You are playing so much with your toys now. Your favorite toys are the crunchy soft book and the crunchy butterfly. You also love your ribbon tab blankie and ball. The book is your favorite though and you cry if it is out of your reach and as soon as we give it back to you you are instantly happy and smiley!

I still love starring at you as you talk to me with all of your cute baby sounds. Every night Mommy and Daddy walk into your room and stare at how cute you look sleeping. You are the most beautiful baby we have ever seen.

Love you always and forever!
Mommy

Daddy's 32nd B-Day!

Hey my little Beeboo, today is Jajjee's (that's my nickname for Daddy) 32nd b-day! Without a doubt, you are all the present that I need. I woke up this morning and went right into your room. You were wide awake, peaceful, and in your little swaddle. All you did was look up at me and give me a huge smile. It made my morning. One of my favorite things is in the morning when I undo the velcro on your swaddle. You do this huge stretch, raising both arms overhead, and make the cutest little Beeboo stretchie face (that's what I call it).

So what's new with you:

- You are almost to the point where you can rollover by yourself. It's sooooo cute. You are 90% there and trying so hard to finish it off.

- We took you on your first "flying" vacation. We went to Destin the first full week of September. You ultimately did 4 flights. We had layovers in Atlanta both ways, so each trip was 2 flights. You were great on the plane, slept most of the time. Everyone sitting around us kept saying how beautiful you were and how happy you were. We had a great time on the trip. You were dipped in the ocean quite a few times and we're crazy curious as to what was going on. You never ever cried or pouted in the ocean. We bought a canopy so that you could nap on a blanket or in your chair under the canopy in the shade. The weather was great, mostly sunny, and highs in the mid to upper 80's most of the week. There was a lot of family on the trip: The three of us, grandpa laughlin, grandma tootsie, uncle cheech, aunt amanda and uncle robb, aunt jessica and uncle tim (aunt cris and uncle colan couldn't make it down from New York). In the other house were Alan/Denise, Melissa (who is obsessed with you), and a handful of their friends. All the dogs were there too: boomer, baxter, molly, and stella.

- You are just now starting to have rice added to your milk. You are becoming a big girl now!

- A few of your future friends that have been born lately or will be born soon:
Layla Cobb - Born February 2010
Alexis Shinn - Born March 2010
Kellen Harris - Born September 2010
Robert and Peter Scudieri - Born September 2010
Amelia LeMasters - Shares your birthday
Nora Reilly - due November 2010

- Right now Mommy works part time at the hospital as a Labor and Delivery Nurse (she works 2 days a week). Mimmi watches you at least one of those days, sometimes two. She does an amazing job and loves showing you off to all her friends and neighbors. The other days its either Grammy T, Jajjee (if it's on the weekends), Grandma Tootsie, or somone else we could find for the day (like Mrs. Tooley).

- You love music. I put fun music on Youtube for you and dance for you. You love Michael Jackson and Justin Bieber songs.

You are the perfect daughter. You are more than I could have ever asked for in a baby girl. I can't wait to teach you, raise you, love you, and watch you grow into an amazing person.

I love you,
Your Daddy (jajjee)

Beeboo!

Hello to you my little beautiful baby Beeboo! Hopefully, this is the first of many posts. Your mommy and I are planning to keep this blog updated so you can enjoy reading it when you are much older (but, we don't want you to ever grow up!). We love you so much as our little baby girl!

First of all, you are the most gorgeous baby ever. I know I am biased on that one, but you really are like a baby model. Your cheeks are so soft and kissable. You have these big bright blue eyes that mommy says you got from me. I think right now that you do look a lot like me, but that over time you will start to resemble your mommy in a big way.

You are really the first born of the new generation. You will be the "old" cousin. Since right now you are the only little baby, you are the hit of the show everywhere we take you. There are countless examples of this. A couple nights ago we were at Grandpa Laughlin and Tootsie's house. Tootsie was throwing a jewelry party for all her girlfriends. Every single person there was either obsessed with staring at you or had to hold you. You were the star, beeboo!

A few of my other general observations about you and your daddy (me):

- You are incredibly well behaved. You don't cry that much and when you do, it's usually for some specific need (hungry, tired, etc.). As soon as we fill that need, you are so happy.

- Daddy loves to put you in the baby bjorn and take you for walks or have you on his chest at the grocery store. You have never cried in the baby bjorn, we think you absolutely love it.

- Daddy gets crazy excited to come home from work and see you. When I'm driving home it feels like I haven't seen you in forever. You're usually fast asleep in the morning when I give you a soft kiss goodbye. Daddy cannot go to work without kissing mommy and Beeboo each morning!

- Your new thing when being held is that you have to face out. In the beginning, I would hold you facing me and you were fine with that. Now, you have to have your view of the world. It's funny because if you're facing someone's body you'll cry until they turn you out. You love laying on the couch, sitting on Daddy's lap, facing out, and watching TV together.

- We really think that you love the water and seems you will be a natural in it. We have dipped you in pools a few times now. You have a curious look on your face when you're in the pool as if you are trying to figure out what's going on. But, you never cry in the pool. We can't wait to dip you in the ocean in a few weeks when we take you on vacation to Destin!

Till next time.......

I love you,
Your Daddy

Wow! How amazing it has been loving you the past two months. Everyone is in love with you and says, "She is such a gorgeous baby." We know this, but still can't get over it. Your Daddy said just last night, " She gets prettier and prettier every day." I agree fully. Now you are starting the make noises and smile at us so much! It is so wonderful. We sing to you and you try to sing back. It is the cutest thing in the world. You love your crib toys now on your bed and stare and smile at them. You really love fans and lights, you are fascinated by them. You also love to blow little bubbles in your mouth and drool a little on us. When you wake up in the morning your little cheeks are cold from your drool. Hehe. You smell like a baby and we love that too. Your Daddy wants to make you a baby model!

We drove to Colorado, your first vacation, with Mimi and Grandpa Beck, Aunt Lainey, Aunt Colly, and Uncle Paul. You did well in the car but we decided to fly from now on for long trips like that. You hiked the mountain, went to a dude ranch, swam in the pool , and loved every minute of it. You really love the water and the lake at the farm too! You love being outside and the sounds calm and sooth you.

We are trying to give you tummy time to strengthen your neck and shoulders, but you hate it. You cry and we can't stand to keep you there longer than a minute. We love you so much there are not words to describe it. Like I said earlier though, your smiles and coos and SOOO adorable. We could sit all day with you and watch you smile, laugh, and talk to us.

Lydia Rose Laughlin. We are so in love with you my sweetheart. Your Daddy and I could not wait for you to come into our lives. I, being a labor and delivery nurse, was worried about you my whole pregnancy, but your Dad assured me all would be fine. I thought you were going to come early. May 20th, was my guess because that was the day that your Dad and I met. Your due date was May 28th. We went into the hospital on June 1, 2010 at 5am. I labored for 27 hours and pushed for 2.5 hours. You were looking the wrong way. You were OP as we nursing call it, occipital posterior. You were facing up instead of down. So, we proceeded to a C/S. You were born at 7:33 am on June 2nd, 2010. Your Aunt Elaine was very excited to share your birthday with her.

We brought you home to 7266 Westmoreland Drive on June 6th, 2010. Your Dad is so in love. He says he is "smitten" and "On cloud nine." He calls you BeeBoo. I call you my Little One. I don't want you to grow big. Daddy kisses your cheeks everyday and never leaves for work without kissing you goodbye. His favorite thing to do with you is to lay on the couch and have you lay on his chest and have you fall asleep. My favorite thing to do with you is to sing and rock you to sleep. Your eyes are so beautiful! Your eye lashes so very very long and your eyes bluer than any other baby I have seen. When you look up at me while I am rocking, you make me cry from happiness. You are our dream come true. We love you more than we every knew possible. We also love to take you on walks in Daddy's front pack.

Some funny things, you peed and pooped on your Daddy during newborn pictures and you are know moving yourself down in your bassinet so that your feet hang out over the edge.

You sleep in a bundle me and love to be swaddled in it. I love to put you in bows and can't wait to put you in a swim suit soon. All of your extended family wants to see you all the time. Grammy Beck has been with us everyday during the week that we have been home. She is the most helpful grandma ever. She loves on you and kisses you, rocks you, dances and sings you to sleep, and helps me give you baths. She has taught me many things about taking care of you and breast feeding. We love her so much and thank her everyday for all of her help.

Your Great Grandmother passed away this week. Her middle name was Rose also. She was 90 years old. She lived a long happy life and is now in heaven looking over you. We think she will help you keep your blue eyes and change your hair to blond!

You are sleeping so soundly now. I don't ever want to have you grow up. I love you Lydi!