Blocking Blake

Blake might be an explorer when he grows up. He loves exploring EVERYTHING. Especially everything in the house. And especially everything he's not supposed to touch. We baby-proofed the plugs months ago, but that doesn't stop him from testing us.



Who me?

He also recently discovered how to open drawers. Once he learned, there was no going back. He has the most fun in the Tupperware drawer, so we let him have that one. It's amazing how much I can get done in the kitchen while Blake is playing in the Tupperware drawer.


As for the other drawers -- you know, the ones with knives and breakables -- well, Ryan got out his drill and put in those annoying baby-proofing cabinet thingies.

Blake tried to put a stop to it, but there's no stopping Ryan and his drill.

We even had to baby-proof the wine rack. Blake was always going after the reds on the bottom. The kid knows where we keep the good stuff, what can I say?


Oh well. It's not like Ryan and I get to consume as much wine as we used to anyway. But I'd take Blake over a bottle of wine any day. Well, almost any day.

I See London...

Time for some bragging rights: Our son is now officially a world traveler. He's even got a couple passport stamps to prove it. As with most of my blogs, this one will be best told with pictures.

Before the trip, we set up Blake's portable crib (known in the UK as a "cot") so he could get used to it. Thanks to our friend Deirdre for loaning us this one, which packs up small enough to fit in a suitcase!


Onto our journey! Here's Ryan and Blake on the shuttle bus to SFO. It was a little chilly so Blake put his hands in his pockets. Cutie.


At the airport, here's a picture of them waiting to board (bored?). Blake didn't really seem to notice the giant aircraft which would ultimately take us on a 10-hour ride over the Atlantic. But once on the plane, Blake did great! He slept most of the way. The people sitting around us appreciated that.


Fast-forward about 12 hours. Here's Blake and his Dad in front of the taxi line at Heathrow.


Turns out, we wouldn't need a taxi. Ryan mastered his skills driving on the left side of the road. In the dark. And with a baby. And a stick shift. Plus it was raining. Good job, babe. Blake didn't seem to notice any differences. He still faced backwards, even in a different country.


Finally, we arrive at our destination in the English countryside: Nellie's Barn. With our friends Steve and Dana, and their year-and-a-half-year-old daughter, we stayed on a farm in a region known as the Cotswolds. (Yes, the barn is remodeled on the inside.)


There wasn't much to do in the Cotswolds, except wander around small, disgustingly picturesque villages. Just the way we wanted it.


And go to the pubs. Also perfect.


I told you -- disgustingly picturesque.


Here we are in Stratford-upon-Avon, home of Shakespeare. A little chilly, but we had the proper clothes to bundle up both mom and baby.


After five nights and six days, it was time to get back on the plane and head home. Since Blake did so well on the trip east, we were nervous about the trip west. But Blake did great! He made so many new friends on the plane. Apparently, you don't have to speak English to get along with an infant.


Now.. onto the next one. Where should we take him this time?

A Perfect Ten

Blake turned 10 (months) on the 10th. What a fun age. Blake now cruises around the furniture at a pace Ryan and I have a hard time keeping up with. Walking is, no doubt, right around the corner.

He also eats pretty much anything and everything. And he's become quite the chatterbox. His "words" include dada, mama, and something that resembles dog. He even said whoa once, although it's all very arbitrary. Perhaps his cutest form of communication lately is how he shakes his head to suggest "no." He clearly picked this up from us, when we try to tell him something is not OK. But he doesn't really understand the concept of no. Convenient, eh? He simply likes to randomly shake his head in a no-no fashion from time to time. Like I said, a fun age.

When it comes to scoring babies, of course we give Blake a perfect 10.

Ten Months


Nine Months



Eight Months


Seven Months


Six Months


Five Months

















Four Months


Three Months


Two Months


One Month


One Day

The "Because He's So Cute" Blog

Thanks to Aunt Katy for this awesome T-shirt. This is Blake's "sporty" look.



I don't know what to call this look... except CUTE! Do you think he looks nervous about diving? Naaaah, he's a Becker -- as I'm always quick to point out.

Blake's New Year's Resolutions

Blake rang in 2011 asleep. But not after going to a New Year's Eve party with his grandparents. Check him out in his little tux.



As for New Year's resolutions, Blake has 3. The first is to try new foods. He started this today by trying a pickle. Much to his mother's disappointment, he loved it. (BLECH!)



Blake's second resolution is to travel more often. He is a Becker, after all. He'll get that started in a few days, when our little family takes a big trip to London.



And finally, Ryan and I predict Blake's final goal will happen for sure. 2011 is the year our son will learn to walk. He's already rolling on that resolution.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!