Silas - 7 Months!

Little Silas!  I can't believe how quickly the months are flying by!  With each passing month, we fall more and more in love with you and your joyful, laid-back spirit!

One of my favorite things you did this past month was you started growling like Evie did when she was a baby.  You don't do it much, but I sure love it when you do.  I also LOVE our routine when I lay you down to sleep.  When I lay you down to go to sleep now, you'll raise your head up for me to kiss it, then you'll lay it back down.  When I then kiss your temple, you'll get a big sleepy grin on your face as you lay there.  As I walk out of the room, you always raise your head up and smile as you watch until you can no longer see me and then you'll quietly lay back down and go to sleep.

Bath time has gotten a bit messier this past month as you have now learned how to splash much of the water out of your little bath tub.
   
We're a little behind with you--maybe due to the busyness of life or maybe just a third child thing, but we finally started you on baby food this month.  Though the only thing we've introduced you to thus far (and it was at the end of this month) is sweet potatoes, you don't seem to be a fan yet.  In fact, you have only eaten the equivalent of 1 small container of it since we started a week ago.

 You still don't have any teeth, and your tongue is often sticking out--whether it's sticking straight out the center of your mouth, with the tip of it pointed up or barely sticking out the side of your mouth. 
 
The sounds you have been making this past month are "Deh deh deh" and "Ruh ruh ruh".
 
Though you're not crawling yet, you have learned how to scoot backward. 
  
One thing you do that makes me laugh is when you want something (even if it's just wanting me to pick you up), you hold your arms out in front of you and rotate your wrists around, so that your hands are going in circles.  Caleb did this exact thing at this age.  When you're actually upset about something, instead of crying, you'll often move your hands like that and do essentially the same thing with your feet by rubbing them against each other while wiggling your toes and rotating your ankles.
 
You seem to like to cover your face with a diaper cloth, though it kind of stresses you out while it's covered.  (You'll breath in and out of your nose quickly and kick your legs a bunch.)  But then you'll pull it off your face and start laughing.

Your favorite toys right now are your blue octopus, stuffed giraffe rattle, rattle ball, butterfly teether, teething ring with balls all around it and your bird that hangs from your car seat. Everything goes in your mouth these days.  More than any of your toys, though, you love to play with Caleb and Evie. It's so sweet how much you love them!  It's pretty cute when you fuss because if Evie is around, she'll say, "It's ok, Si.  I'm right here."

Your days consist of 4 feedings and 3 naps.  Your first 2 naps are typically 2 hours long, and your third nap is pretty much however long I'll let you sleep.  (If we're at Bible study, it's usually an hour or less as you sleep on me, and if we're at home, it can be up to 2 hours or more.)  I sometimes wonder if you would just skip that last feeding and sleep through the night if I'd let you.  Anytime we're not at home, you'll nap on me in your Baby Bjorn.  Your naps are usually around 10 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.   You wear 6 Month clothes and Size 3 diapers. 

Silas, we adore you and are so incredibly humbled that God would choose us as your parents!  We love you!!

(Click here to see more pictures of Silas.)

Silas - 6 Months!

Sweet Silas!  You are an absolute joy!  Words can't adequately explain how much your daddy, brother, sister and I delight in you.

For a couple weeks this month, if you weren't sleepy right when I laid you down for your naps, you would immediately flip over onto your back so you could play.  Because at this point you won't sleep when laying on your back, I was constantly going in to roll you back onto your tummy.  During those couple of weeks, sometimes I would just stand at the end of the crib by your feet--where you couldn't see me--and hold my hand over your bottom so that when you pushed it up into the air and it started to fall to one side, I could keep you from flipping over.  You also flip over when you wake up in the morning and will often lay in there and play for quite awhile before you ever start to get upset. 

You went on your first big vacation this month, which was your first time out of the state.  We were so thankful that you did so great with all the driving! During our time in Colorado, you got to meet lots of your family, go on some hikes and go swimming.  We had lots of fun!  You loved splashing in the pool, though you looked shocked each time the water splashed up into your face.

You still enjoy your bouncer and especially love your jumperoo, though at this point you aren't really jumping in it yet.  Your favorite toys are the big cloth yellow star that has different textures and noises, the blue octopus and your frog teething ring with the different colored beads all around it.  Your sitting has gotten so much better this month, and rarely now will you fall over.  You also still love to dance while we sing to you.


A few things you have continued to do this month are blowing raspberries, grabbing your feet and sucking on your toes and flapping your arms up and down when you're happy or excited.  You went through a brief phase of fake coughing, which you seemed to think was pretty funny.  It seems like just yesterday that Caleb was doing that too, and it's fun to wonder what kind of similarities there might be in your personalities one day.

You rolled from your back to your tummy twice on 9/4 but haven't done it since.
 

I tell you what, sweet Silas, it doesn't take much to make you smile.  All we have to do is look at you or say, "Hi!" and your face just lights up with this huge smile.  I love how you smile as much with your eyes as your mouth and how your smile brings so much joy to others.  You also play with your tongue constantly--usually either sticking it out or twisting it in your mouth.  It's sooo cute!!

I absolutely LOVE your kisses, and I'm so thankful that you give those big open mouth kisses out so freely!  You'll pull my face toward yours so tightly by grabbing my hair or ears that sometimes it can be tough to break free.

At the end of this month, you wear mostly 3-6Month clothes, with some 6Month and are finishing up the rest of your Size 2 diapers.  You still eat around 8 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 4:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.  I'm so thankful you're flexible because any one of those feedings could vary by an hour depending on what we have going on that day.  The same is true with your naps, though typically you'll nap for 2 hours in the morning and afternoon and then around an hour at night.  If we're at home, I typically have to wake you up for your last feeding.

Unlike Caleb and Evie at this age, we still haven't exposed you to any solid foods, but it's just because life has been so hectic.  We're excited, though, to learn which foods are your favorite.  I'm praying that you're as willing to eat most anything as your brother and sister are!
 
Up to this point, you've been napping in your sling at church on Sundays.  However, I think we'll have to either switch you to your Baby Bjorn carrier or let you start sleeping in Daddy's office soon because you barely fit in the sling anymore.

At your 6 Month checkup, you weighed 18lb 4.2oz (60.16%), were 26.5" long (47.78%) and had a head circumference of 17cm (29.73%).

Precious Silas, we praise God for the wonderful gift that you are!  We pray that just as your love and presence have filled our hearts with joy, that God's love and presence will soon do the same in your little heart!  We love you!!
 
(Click here to see more pictures of Silas.)

Silas - 5 Months!

Oh, little Silas!  We love you so much!  There aren't words to express how much joy you bring to our family.  So often, Caleb will randomly say, "I love Silas!" or Evie will squeal your name in delight as she dotes on you! 

This was another month of lots of firsts.  You found your feet on July 20 and really enjoy playing with them.  July 27 was a big day of firsts as well--you got to try your Jumperoo and sat up for the first time.  You were tired the first time we tried your Jumperoo so weren't too excited about it but seem to enjoy it now, though you haven't learned how to actually jump in it yet.  You only sat on your own for a few seconds, and it was tripod style (you were also propping yourself up with your hands), but you've continued to get better and better at it. 

When laying on your tummy, you now almost always push yourself up onto either your elbows or hands with your arms straightened.  When you're not very tired, you'll sometimes do this before your nap so you can get a better look around your room.

While you were fussing on July 30, you started saying, "Muh muh".  You've done this just a couple times, which I love hearing the sound of.  It will be so much fun to hear you talking one day!

Man, oh man, do you love it when I make you dance as we sing to you!  You are fairly ticklish (your neck, tummy, thighs), but you've still yet to give me a big belly laugh.  You've only let out short giggles or cough laughs or even this slightly higher pitched sound that I can't really describe.

So definitely my least favorite thing you learned to do this month is pinching as you cling onto things (often my neck).  You're certainly not meaning this to be ugly, but when you do it, I'm constantly reminded how strong you are!  It's amazing how much pain those tiny little fingers can inflict at times!  You certainly continue to be my little Spider Monkey!

You learned to blow bubbles this month and are perfectly content laying on our bed blowing bubbles for fairly long periods of time.  Have I mentioned how grateful I am for your laid back nature?  Sometimes you'll suck on either your bottom lip or your tongue--it's so cute!  I also still love how much you stick out your tongue. 

You started sleeping unswaddled at night this month.  You sleep on your tummy, which is what you have been used to doing during your naps.  Your eating and sleeping schedule is still the same (eating 4 times a day with a nap in between each feeding), but you've had a tendency to wake at 7 in the mornings lately, instead of closer to 8.  I'll feed you and you'll typically fall back to sleep as you eat.  You've also started hanging your hand in my mouth when you eat, just like your brother and sister used to do.

During church on Sundays, I wear you in your sling, and though it's a pretty snug fit, you seem to like it and will sleep in it during much of the service.  Often when you get tired, you babble before you finally lose all energy and fall asleep.

You're still wearing Size 2 diapers and either 3 Month or 3-6 Month clothes.

Silas, we love you like crazy and are so thankful for your joyfulness!  What a gift it is to see the excitement that you sometimes can hardly contain and must therefore resort to flapping your arms and kicking your legs a bunch.  We adore you, little one, and are looking forward to what next month holds!

(Click here to see more pictures of Silas.)

Silas - 4 Months!

Precious Silas, we love you so much!  This month you seemed to grow up a lot and was filled with lots of firsts!

You rolled from your tummy to your back twice on 7/8 and went swimming for the first time, which you were fairly indifferent toward.

We also went to San Antonio for a couple of days, which was your first real trip.  You loved riding in the Baby Bjorn for the first time as we walked around but continued to show your Spider Monkey skills as you clung on to me.  The first night we were there, I made you a pallet to sleep on on the floor, but when we woke up the next morning, we found that despite being swaddled, you had scooted off it, rotated more than 90 degrees and moved several feet until you were laying partially under the floor length curtain.  The next night, we requested a pack 'n play to keep you better contained.

We celebrated a lot this past month--Mommy's birthday, Evie's birthday and birthday party (at which you sported your first hat) and the Fourth of July.  Another fun thing we did was go to your first drive-in movie, which you, of course, slept through most of.

You went down to just 4 feedings at the end of this month, which means you eat around 8 a.m., noon, 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., though those times definitely vary depending on what we have going on that day.  You also take a 1.5-2 hour nap between each feeding.  Though you're a great little eater, we haven't tried giving you a bottle since you were 1.5 months old.

When you're really excited about getting kisses, you'll smile and simultaneously open your mouth wide and then shake your head back and forth, often breathing in and out of your nose quickly.  I love it, and I love how much you love giving kisses.  If my face gets close to yours, you'll get a huge smile and then open your mouth to wait for kisses.  Sometimes your grip on my hair or ears while you're kissing me can be so tight that it's difficult to pull you way.  Your kisses are definitely slobbery, but I can never get enough of them.

You play with your hands a lot and as of this month, you stick your hands in your mouth all the time!  This typically equates to lots of drool, which Evie doesn't quite understand and will usually say, "Uh oh, Mommy!  Spit!  Silas spit!"  You also still stick your tongue out constantly, especially when smiling.  You love to dance!  In fact, you can be fussing, and if I start singing and having you dance to it, you'll instantly stop fussing and start smiling, regardless of how upset you were.  You have still only let out short giggles, and I can't wait to hear you in your first laughing fit!

You do just fine in your Bumbo seat, though we haven't used it nearly as much with you as we did with Caleb and Evie.  We used to put Evie in it up on the island with Caleb while we cooked (supervised of course), but I don't quite trust putting you up there in it with both of them given the amount of space.  You do spend more time in your bouncer, though, and love to play with the toys on it.

The longest part of your hair on top of your head right now is about 2.5" long, but the sides are considerably shorter.  Your hair is still very blonde and is getting thicker, especially on top, and your eyes are still blue.

You currently wear 3 Month and 3-6 Month clothes and are finishing up the last of your Size 1 diapers.

At your 4 Month checkup, you weighed 16lb 4.2oz (76.47%) and were 26" long (84.93%).  Though you started out the smallest, you are now both bigger and longer than your brother and sister were at this age.  Your umbilical hernia is definitely getting smaller and will hopefully resolve on its own in the next few months.

We all adore you, sweet Silas and rejoice that for whatever reason, God saw fit to bless us with you!

(Click here to see more pictures of Silas.)

Silas - 3 Months!

It doesn't seem possible that it's already been 3 months!  I wish there was some way to slow down time because I really want to savor every moment with you, little one!

When we moved you out of your bassinet in my closet and into your room (Evie's old room) on 5/18, you went 9 hours between feedings at night.  We then dropped your sixth feeding on 5/21, and you went 10 hours between feedings that night!  This means you now eat around 8 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 3 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., with a 1.5 hour nap in between each feeding.  You nap on your tummy during the day and then sleep swaddled on your back at night.

Silas, you're such a laid back baby!  I guess some of that comes with being the third child.  People often ask if you ever cry because not too many people have heard you do it.  You fuss some when you wake up from your naps and if you have a painful burp, but that's about it.  Honestly, the more I think about it, I wonder if it's even once a week that you get really upset. 

Sweet Silas, you are sooooo smiley!  Any time I make eye contact with you, you smile instantly, even when you're extremely tired.  That precious tongue of yours is out most of the time when you're smiling or talking.  Sometimes you'll also turn your tongue sideways in your mouth when smiling.  You add so much joy to our family, and I pray that you will one day soon rejoice in the Lord!!

You LOVE watching and smiling at your brother and sister.  Evie's a little loud and not quite as good about being gentle, so you study her a little more cautiously.  Caleb and Evie love you so much!  They both always want to see you, give you kisses and help burp you.  Evie often gets concerned when she doesn't know where you are (like when I lay you down for a nap) and asks, "Silas...go?"

You also LOVE to give kisses and will smile and open your mouth wide when you think you're about to get one.  I get so many kisses from you each day, and yet it's never enough!

You're so sweet because when you wake up in the morning, you just lay there quietly and look around, often for like 30 minutes before you start talking.

You are cooing a ton and often make kind of gurgling noises with your spit as you do it.  They're such joyful sounds!  You've let out short giggles, but I'm still waiting to hear a long laugh.

 








We stopped using your baby swing this month.  The batteries ran out, and I just never replaced them.  You do lay in your bouncer still and have started touching the toys that hang down some.  You also tried your Bumbo seat for the first time.  You don't mind it for the first several minutes, but you seem to get tired and are ready to get out of it.

You're currently wearing Size 1 diapers and either Size 0-3Mth or 3Mth clothes.

Silas, I can't tell you how much I love you...we all do!  It's so much fun to watch everyone delight in you--that smile of yours always results in a smile from whomever you're looking at.  We adore you, little Silas!

(Click here to see more pictures of Silas.)

Silas - 2 Months!

Precious Silas!  It doesn't seem possible that you are already 2 months old!  This month with you was so much fun, especially because you learned how to smile.

You smiled for the first time during a members' meeting at our church on April 28, however you began smiling much more readily a week and a half later.  Oh, how I love your big smiles, Silas, and I love how you usually stick your tongue out a little bit when you do it!  I'll often be doing something else while you're laying in my lap and will happen to look down and see you smiling up at me.  I can't help but just stop what I'm doing and smile back at you.  My favorite is when you get really excited and start kicking your legs, flapping your arms, grinning really big and making cute noises...it's like you can't hardly contain yourself!

You started making fun noises this month, and it will be neat to one day know what's going on in your head as you go throughout the day.

I also really, really love your kisses!!  You now will open your mouth really wide when I start kissing you.  Sadly, I can't remember if you started doing that this month or last, but I love it!

I still call you my "Spider Monkey" because you still cling to me whenever you can.  I remember picking you up one day and as I was holding you upright, facing toward me, you kept reaching your arms around my neck.  Each arm kept grabbing on and then moving further behind my neck and grabbing on again.  It was one of the best "hugs" I've ever gotten!!  I stood there soaking up those moments of your little bitty body and those tiny arms wrapped around my neck so tightly.

You have also been sleeping longer and longer.  You started going 6 hours between feedings at night at 5.5 weeks, which is technically referred to as sleeping through the night.  At 6 weeks old, you started going 7 hours between feedings, and at 7 weeks old, you started going 8 hours.  How thankful and blessed I am that you have proven to be a good sleeper like your brother and sister were!

Speaking of, your brother and sister are still so crazy about you!  Caleb is constantly talking about how cute you are and how much he loves you, and Evie is always saying, "Baby!  Baby!" or "Baby see!" (because she wants to see you).

You now usually eat at 8, 11, 2, 5, 8 and 11 again, with a 1-1.5 hour nap in between each feeding.

We tried giving you a bottle for the first time this month, which you hated and would act like you were gagging.  Thankfully, you eventually got the hang of it, though, and have successfully now had 2 bottles.

While feeding you on April 22, I noticed your left eyelid going up and down while feeding you, and I realized that you have a minor case of Marcus Gunn Jaw Wink Syndrome.  I guess I hadn't noticed it before because you usually ate with your eyes closed prior to that.  You can barely see your eyelid movement when you're looking straight ahead and sucking, but it is definitely more noticeable when you look down.  Though I wasn't noticing any of the other symptoms that can be associated with MGJWS, we scheduled you an appointment to see a pediatric ophthalmologist on May 10.  Dr. Packwood confirmed that everything else looks fine, so we'll go for another visit in 6 months.  Though this is something that you'll have for the rest of your life, I'm grateful that it's nothing that will require surgery or anything like that. 

You also experienced your first Graham carnival this month (and even rode the train and elephants), though I think you slept through all of it. 

Your hair has been falling out a bit, I guess, because it seems more patchy now than when you were born, and you really enjoy sucking on your hands when you can find them.

We moved you up to Size 1 diapers this month, and you are still wearing Newborn and 0-3 Month clothes, though I'm about to pack up your Newborn clothes, which makes me kind of sad.  You're growing too fast!  In fact, at your 2 Month checkup (which was about a week late), you weighed 13lb. 8.4 oz (83.3%) and were 23.25" long (55.39%).  It blows my mind that you have grown so much in just 2 months!  At your checkup, you were diagnosed with a small umbilical hernia, which we'll just keep watch on because it should resolve on its own over the next few months.

Silas, you are such a joyful, laid back baby, which has been such a blessing as I learn to care for you, Caleb and Evie.  Thank you for your love and your smiles, sweet Silas--they brighten each one of my days!

(Click here to see more pictures of Silas.)

Silas - 1 Month!

 

Sweet Silas!  I can't believe it's already been a month since we first laid eyes on you!  What a precious blessing and perfect addition to our family you are!!

Everything looked great at my 38 Week checkup on Wednesday, March 13, though I hadn't made any progress toward labor.  On Thursday, I was getting really worn out and becoming convinced that you were not going to stay put until Sunday, which was my goal because Dr. Cawley was out of town for a few days and wouldn't be back until Sunday afternoon.  I started having contractions sometime after 5 a.m. on Saturday.  Some of them took my breath away a little bit, but I was sleeping and wasn't fully aware of what was going on.  When I woke up, I was still out of it and wasn't positive whether the contractions had been real or just a dream.  Your daddy encouraged me to call the hospital (around 7:40 a.m.) to find out if the on-call doctor was already in town or would have to drive in, just in case.

My contractions continued throughout the morning and early afternoon.  Your daddy left around 11:30 a.m. to go to a meeting, and I was under strict orders to let him know if my contractions got to 5 minutes apart.  When he got home, we ate lunch, and around the time we finished, my contractions were about 4 minutes apart.  Your daddy was so sweet and gave Caleb and Evie a very quick bath (per my request), and by 2 p.m., he was getting them dressed.  We dropped Caleb and Evie off at the Antles' house and headed up to Dr. Cawley's office, where we met Kim (our NP-C).  When she checked me, I was 80% effaced, bag bulging, and dilated to a 3 or a 4.  We left the office around 2:25 p.m. and headed over to the hospital.  I don't know that the nurses really thought I was in labor when I arrived, but in less than an hour after leaving Dr. Cawley's office, you were out!  Dr. Simonian had considered leaving the hospital to run back to her hotel and change into her scrubs, but thankfully she didn't because she wouldn't have made it back in time.  After just 2 pushes, you were born at 3:24 p.m., (8 days early) weighing 8lb. 2oz. and were 20" long.  Though Dr. Simonian was concerned about meconium, you did great!  How precious you were!!  After 2 nights in the hospital to monitor you for any effects of Beta Strep, we got to go home.  Right before we left the hospital, you were diagnosed with jaundice but were able to be monitored through daily blood tests.  Thankfully, your levels went back to normal after a few days without any phototherapy.

You're so strong!  When you were just 25 hours old, you held your head up on your own for quite awhile, causing our nurse to comment that you seemed more like 25 days old.

For the first week or so, you really weren't excited about sleeping at night unless it was cuddled up with me.  I LOVED sleeping with you in my arms--whether on the couch or in our bed, but I was also glad when you got into a routine.  Starting at 5 days old, you began getting up just one time in the middle of the night to eat (around 11p.m., 4a.m., and 8a.m.), and that continues to be your pattern.  You're a pretty laid back baby and have been a great eater and sleeper, praise the Lord! 

We usually have you sleep on your tummy (propped up on a small tummy time pillow) during the day and then swaddle you on your back at night. We were able to use receiving blankets to swaddle you for the first week, but after that, you got too strong and we switched you over to your SwaddleMe blanket (a velcro swaddle blanket). 

You're a content little guy and usually only fuss when you're hungry or if you need to burp. I will say that you seem to have a fairly strong gag reflex, which makes it important to burp you well or get you upright if you appear to be gagging.

I have affectionately started calling you my "Spider Monkey" because you cling to me, my shirt, my hair, etc. just like a baby Spider Monkey clings to his mommy.  I love it!

At this point, it seems like you might have curly hair when you get older because it gets wavy when wet, which is more than Caleb's hair used to do, but we'll see.  Speaking of, when you were born Caleb was so excited that you have blonde hair because now he's not the only one!  :)  You do seem to have longer hair than your brother and sister did--the hair on the top of your head is already about 1.5" long!

Silas, you're just like Caleb and Evie in so many ways--looks, eating, sleeping, your apathy toward a pacifier...however, you, unlike your brother at your age, seem to really enjoy your baths. Evie even cried during her first bath at home, but you have never cried during bath time.  You even have a stork bite right below your hairline, like Caleb used to.
 
Caleb and Evie both love you so much!  Caleb is often commenting on how cute and sweet you are.  Whenever they wake up, they always want to know where you are.  Evie will run out of her room, looking around, saying, "Baby?  Baby?"  They both love to hold you, and I've had to keep a really close watch on you--Caleb has tried to pick you up some, and Evie (in her love for identifying body parts) will try and poke her finger in your eye and say, "Eye!  Baby's eye!"  No doubt that you will be a tough little guy with these two around!

We love you so much, little Silas, and praise God for your sweet life!

(Click here to see more pictures of Silas.)