7 months and growing!

Ila, you are now 7 months old, Yipee! You are 26.5 inches long, and weigh something like 18 pounds. You are one sturdy girl.

Lately you've been rolling. You just really started rolling from your back to your front this last week. You like being on your back still but you enjoy rolling all the way across the floor to get the toys you so love. A few days ago you even got up on your knees and acted like you were going to crawl, but didn't. You are starting to scoot though as you slowly figure out how to move your arms and legs in sync to move around.
Speaking of toys, you really like toys, but books are your favorite. Grown up books, or baby books. Cloth pages or paper, you like em' all. You REALLY enjoy going ot the library with your mommy and daddy. We take you in the baby carrier and you face out and R-E-A-C-H for all the books we are looking at. You want to take the pages and crinkle them up and put them in your mouth.
You have excellent control of your hands now and you are one little pincher. This is not your mommy's favorite thing, but she knows that you don't mean to pinch her!
You are still eating just 2 meals of "solid" food a day. Yesterday, on your real 7 month birthday, you had sweet potatos for the first time, and what a treat that was! It's your favorite food so far, by the way you ate it up!
So there you have it little Ila. You are a growing, sitting, rolling, eating, happy little girl. You bring your parents a whole lot of joy and we sure love you!

Here's to eating healthy and serving others!

I like to cook and I like to eat. Since I like to eat, I should be making healthy things, so I can be fit and healthy! I find joy in making things with my hands, and watching others enjoying my hard work! I was starting to get into the groove of Trent and I's decided diet before we left Baton Rouge. Not a diet in the idea that we are "going on a diet to lose weight, blah, blah, blah" but a diet in the "this is how we are going to eat from now on" sort of way. We were eager to find our desired diet before Ila started eating with us, because we want to raise children with healthy eating habits!

Our way of eating is all about more produce and less processed foods. We shop the outside aisle at the grocery market. That's where you find all the yummy produce, meat & fish, dairy and breads. We venture into the inside aisle for things like rice, canned veggies (for when those fresh once are gone, or if you're in a pinch for time) and whole wheat pastas. Have I mentioned yet how great it is to be back in the vicinity of Wincos? It's great. They have granola, quinoa, oats, flours, sugars and everything else we buy frequently in the bulk section. It's awesome.

Now, back to my groove. I was really starting to get our new way of eating down when we moved. We were really enjoying the yummy things I was making too! Now that we are back and staying with Trent's parents for the time being, I'm making things things for their diet. I'd say the main difference between our diet and theirs is the meat. They don't really eat meat anymore, or fat. We were starting to eat a significantly less meat in our diets, which I think prepared me to eat very little while here. At first, I internally rebelled this idea of cooking with no meat, but I really wanted to serve my in-laws. So the rebellion was shot down, but it took me making one heck of a good meal without meat to kill my rebellious spirit.

The meal was spinach and rice enchiladas, that I made completely from scratch, minus the corn tortillas. I made the stuffing & the sauce and it was delicious. The meal was meat free, and fat free (that's right people, FAT FREE!) until we sprinkled some cheese and some sour cream on it (and it was fat free sour cream, and we only used a little cheese!) Anyway, since then, I've really felt joyful making these meat/fat free meals for my in-laws. I like seeing how happy they are to come home from work to a meal that they feel good about eating.

Trent and I usually have some meat with our lunch, and I find that is a great balance. I've had a great time looking for vegetarian recipes that I can alter to be fat free as well. We have checked out about 12 recipe books from the library in the last 3 weeks!

All this to say, it's nice being molded by the Lord. Sometimes I feel really set in my ways, and it's nice to not be stubborn here and there! I really enjoy serving others, so this had been a rewarding time for all of us, I think. Soon, Trent's youngest sister and her husband will be here and they eat the same way that my parent in-laws do, so I will be serving even more people by cooking this way!

It has been a nice time of growth for me, as I was struggling most with the amount of meat to incorporate in Trent and my meals back in Baton Rouge! It's hard to switch your brain from planning a meal around meat, to planning a meal around veggies, and having meat as a side dish, or occasionally no meat at all! I'm glad that I have finally found the balance Trent and I were looking for, and glad I can make yummy veggie based dishes for all to enjoy.

Yesterday's yummy and non-fat treat:

Soft pretzels, plain and Parmesan (not non-fat, but still not terrible for you!).

Tonights dinner:

homemade Naan (Indian flat bread of deliciousness), stuffed with spicy potato mix (potatoes, onion, bell pepper, celery, carrots, spinach, garlic, cumin and tomatoes). If that doesn't make your mouth water and your tummy cry out "feed me THAT!" then seek immediate help!!! ;)

Naan

I've also got to give a shout out to Quinoa (pronounces qeen wah). It's practically a perfect food.

Anything rice can do, quinoa can do better (well...i mean...practically) ;) Check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinoa to learn more and http://allrecipes.com/ to find some tasty recipes.

If you are interested in learning more about our diet, check out the "Eat Clean Diet" by Tosca Reno. Here's to happy and healthy eating for all and serving others! :)

The Biz

Things are really starting to fall together for us, and it's exciting. It's been a long drawn out process of figuring out the next step in our lives, but we are finally arriving!

What is that next step? Well, after prayerful consideration, and some long talks and planning, Trent and his father are starting business together! Actually, they are starting one business together, but it is publicly knows as two businesses. We've got Magic Valley Arbor Barbers and Daniels Quality Home Repair. I think both names tell you what the business is, but I'll sum up for you as well. The MVAB's are a tree service, and landscape service. They do all sorts of tree & shrub trimming, pruning, & removals, and can landscape your yard for you as well. They'll fix your sprinkler system, and fix the fence that the tree ruined! DQHR, is just that. Quality home repair, remodels, renovations and general fix-it stuff. You can even special order handmade wood crafts, stools, beds, candle holders etc., for a small price.

We are pretty excited about the business and are happy that jobs are coming in! We could use prayers, happy thoughts, and help spreading the word about our business (if you live in the Magic Valley area) if you want to lend a hand!

Our housing is still up in the air, which at times is a little frustrating. We are ready to get settled, as it's been quite awhile since Trent and I had a home where we really felt we could settle into. In fact, we have not lived in once place for more then a year, and the longest we lived in one place was Korea, which didn't quite feel like a place to get really settled into for me! We are looking to buy a place but that could be a bit further out in our future.

As for Ila & myself we stay pretty busy playing, cooking and doing laundry. I bet you can guess which of those Ila participates in! I just started a spinning class as well, which was actually kinda fun, other then the aftermath the bicycle seat had on my bum (I guess most people wear padded shorts in spinning class, and I can see why!).

Ila has has a big week. She now sleeps 8 hours through the night, eats oatmeal in the morning and rice and veggies in the evening along with nursing every 4 hours. Also this week, she is learning how to sleep un-swaddled, which we never realized would actually be hard to train her to do! She loved being swaddleed, so we always swaddled her to go to sleep, but now that she is bigger, and summer in here, she is WAY to hot at night to be swaddled! And of course, it's got to stop sometime!

We are enjoying the warmer weather and looking forward to all the fun things summer brings!

PHR & Swimming

Yesterday Ila helped her Marma (Trent's mom) make Parker House Rolls (PKR). She really likes helping her out, as you can see in the pictures!

Today we went to Banburys, where we Beckers like to do our swimming! Ila went swimming for the first time ever and had a blast! She didn't fuss one little bit or act scared in any way. That was a relief! I think we took her at the perfect age to start swimming, if you don't want to go through pool fear! Hopefully she'll just keep on loving swimming as much as her parents do!

Ila is 6 months old!

I've been inspired by one of my friends, and bloggers to write this blog for Ila! Thanks Bobbinoggin :)

Ila, You are 6 months old now! Congratulations! You love playing in your Bounce Bounce baby and think it's pretty cool when you touch a button and music plays.

You love chewing on things and will put anything and everything in your mouth!

People say that you are a very vocal baby, and your daddy and I love that about you. You mostly make "hooo" sounds, like an owl, when you are playing by yourself.

You sing along with music and even dance! It's really precious.

You eat every 4 hours during the day and sometimes go 6-7 hours at night. When you wake up in the morning, it's not to eat, but to play! After about an hour of playing you are ready for breakfast and then it's back to bed for another 2 hours or so. You wake up talking and happy! You eat rice cereal in the evening time and a little bit of Squash. You like the cereal more, but nursing is the greatest thing ever to you.

You can sit up all by yourself now. You can even suck on your toes and then sit back up, instead of falling on your face! You fall over after about 10 minutes of sitting, but I think you do it on purpose.

When you are on your belly you can turn in circles.

You love love looking in the mirror and think that the little baby you see in there is pretty funny.

You fill every day with Joy fr your parents, and anyone else who is around! You don't mind strangers on bit, and will let anyone hold you (as long as mommy says so!). You are happy, and friendly and we love you!

Happy 6 months (yesterday!).

Since I last blogged, we have moved back to Idaho! We planned on being in Louisiana for 6 months, so when our time there was done, we packed up our van (that we got, after selling our car) and hit the road!

Our trek across the country went really well and Ila got to meet lots of family on the way. First we stopped in Kansas City, Missouri and stayed with the Kelly's (our pastor from college and his wife, my best friend). Then it was onto Fort Morgan, Colorado where we stayed with my mother's parents and Ila had a great time meeting her great grandparents! We also got to see Trent's cousin Tyler while we were there. Then we headed up Casper mountain to visit Trent's cousin and her 7 kids! Trent's parents were also there, enjoying winter activities like snowmobiling and dog sledding, and working on house stuff for their spring breaks!

We just missed a large snow storm as we headed into Idaho, driving through the Teton Mountains, which were BEAUTIFUL! We were pleased to make Idaho Ila's 7 state she has ever been in.

Since we've been back in Idaho, we have enjoyed seeing family and introducing Ila to all sorts of people. She really seems to be a social baby, and doesn't mind being passed around, and having everyone make crazy faces and sounds at her. It's really nice to have such a sweet baby! Her best friend is Haro, her cousin that is 2 days younger then her. They like to sit on the ground, facing each other and babble back and forth. The other day Haro was fussy, and every time he let out a whine, Ila started talking to him. It was so cute. Tawna, (Haro's mom and Trent's sister) and I just knew that Ila was telling Haro that everything was alright, and that there was no need to fuss!

So Ila and I stay busy meeting up with friends and family, while Trent continues the job search of a lifetime. He has also stayed very busy painting my parents kitchen, and ripping the floors out. He will stay busy this week by tiling the floors in there. He also organized my dad's tool bench. He loves to work, and is anxious to get a job!

Developmentally, Ila is doing just great! She can sit up (with supervision) and grab things and put them in her mouth. She loves to laugh and smile, and play peek-a-boo. She eats rice cereal once a day, and may start eating oatmeal once a day here pretty soon. She loves to sneeze, which is really cute! Her new favorite thing is a baby bouncer, with toys all around it. She loves to stand in it and try to eat everything attached to it. She is 5 months old, weighs 17-18 pounds has moved into size 6-9 months.

So that's the latest from these Idaho Beckers! Hope you all are well :)

Holidays, Visitors and an update of Ila Vieu, by Nicole

December was an eventful month, with lots of visitors, but before visitors Ila started smiling in response to us, instead of just smiling here and there. She has a big goofy smile that is just like Trent's "goon face" he used to make as a baby. She also has a side smirk that is as cute as all get out, and a regular smile that can only make viewers smile back. It brought us so much joy when she started smiling, and the joy has not worn off in the least bit. I can't help but smile or laugh when I get a grin from Ila, and when we smile at her, she just smiles even bigger. So we have an on going cycle of smiling at our house, and that's fine and dandy with me!

My parents and brother came to meet Ila in mid-december and we had a great time seeing them all. They loved Ila (how could't you though?!) and Ila loved them too. Uncle Chris got Ila "Sunny Sunshine" which is a friendly looking sunshine face with colorful rays that light up in sync with a few classical tunes. Ila lights up every time Sunny Sunshine comes out to play. She kicks her legs and smiles at him, and waves her arms wildly about. We have a lot of fun with that.

At Christmas time, Trent's parents came to visit and meet Ila and we had a great time with them too! Telcia and Jonathan, Trent's youngest sister and her husband joined us for Christmas as well. We all had fun spending time together, eating good food and playing games. We were sad to see them go.

Right before Trent's parents came, Ila laughed for the first time, and hasn't stopped since! She has the funniest little laugh, quick inhales with a little sound. It's hard to explain really, so just know that her laugh is adorable! She has been laughing more and more lately and laughing harder too. I didn't think anything could bring me more joy then her smiles, but I was wrong. Her laugh does!

In January, Ila got another cousin, when Bonnie (Trent's brothers wife) gave birth to Anza Elizabeth. It was sure strange to see a newborn and Ila at the same time. I guess Ila really has grown a lot since she was born. It's hard to believe that she was even smaller then little Anza, but the scales don't lie (or do they?...)!

Now, about Ila. Ila is a very strong girl. At her 2 month appointment she weighed 13 pounds and we estimate that she weighs 15 or so now. She'll be 16 weeks old this Thursday. She loves to play, and her favorite things to do are to dance with her Daddy, and fly on her mommy's legs. Trent likes to to the chicken dance with her, and she thinks it's pretty great! She loves to stand (with help of course) and has strong legs. Ila eats about every 4 hours, and skips a feeding during the night, which is certainly appreciated by me! When she goes through growth spurts, she eats every 3 hours, and may or may not skip her night time feeding. It seems like her big growth spurts occur about every 4 weeks, and last for 3-4 days. She is sleeping less as she grows up, so we have more time to play, but she still sleeps a significant amount of the day.

These days Ila is discovering her hands. Often times she catches a glimpse of them while her arms are flailing about and then she looks for them. Once she finds them she just stares intently at her fingers, moving them a little here and there. Sometimes she can grab an object in front of her, but has not quite mastered that skill. She is also getting more and more vocal. In the beginning of January she started "talking" to us. It is awesome. At first she was only doing it when prompted by our "ooo's" and "aaahhhhs" but now she just lays around and talks. Often when she wakes in the morning, or wakes from her naps, she just lays in her bed quietly, looking around. Pretty soon, she starts talking, and when I look into her crib she smiles and kicks her legs and "ooo's" at me. I prefer this over crying when she wakes up, which she also does, when she wakes up and is hungry!

Trent and I are loving parenthood more and more everyday, and feel so blessed with what God has given us. We are learning so much about each other, about Ila, and about God's love. At times it can seems crazy that so much has changed in our lives in such a short time, but never has it felt strange that we are now parents. The moment Ila was born, we became parents, and it just seemed right and natural, as if it was just meant to be. Every time I say "Ila Vieu" I'm reminded of God's love and reminded that there is no limit to the love I can have for others. Being a mom, has shown me this too, but that is for another blog, at another time! Stay tuned for more, I'm going to blog more often! :)