Silas - 1 Year!

Goodness, Silas!  I can't wrap my mind around the fact that we've already been blessed with you for a whole year now!  It seems like just yesterday that your daddy was scurrying to give Caleb and Evie a last minute bath before we dropped them off and headed to the hospital.  It was a good thing we left when we did because about 45 minutes after we got back into a hospital room, you were out!  Dr. Simonian (Dr. Cawley's fill-in doctor) 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.  You were born 8 days early (after just 2 pushes) at 3:24 p.m. and were 8lb. 2oz. and 20" of pure blessing!!  It took us about an hour after you were born to settle on the name Silas James, but it suits you perfectly!

This month you've been waving more, standing up more and still only have 2 teeth.  Though you've never had any sweets, you have accidentally had peanut butter (off the floor).

I started weaning you at 11 months 3 weeks, and at 1 year, you're still nursing twice a day.  So far, you seem to like every table food you’ve been given but especially seemed to enjoy this ear of corn.

At this point, you just say, “Muh muh” and “Da da”.  Oh, how I love the inflection in your voice when you say my name!  It's this mixture of joy and almost relief that I'm there with you.

When you're really happy or are just being silly, you’ll lean your head back/look up at the ceiling and scrunch up your nose and squint your eyes.  While doing this, you’ll often put your hands just below your chin.

While nursing you one day, you were falling asleep and were moving your hand around.  You discovered your side, which was exposed because your shirt was raised up a little bit.  Though you kept your eyes closed, you would move your hand along your side, laugh a little bit, do it again, laugh a little more, etc.  You’ve also started tickling yourself while saying, “Tick a tick a tick a tick..."

When you give kisses, you’ll now often say, “mmmm”.  You love to kiss Caleb and Evie and will willingly kiss anyone who is laying on the floor on their back by leaning over their face and planting an open mouth kiss on their forehead/nose/mouth.  Your daddy and I usually have to “steal” kisses other than that, though.

You LOVE music and will dance whenever you hear it.  Speaking of, you got to go to your first house concert this month when one of our favorite bands, The Gray Havens, came to visit.  You loved it!  You will also clap anytime you hear someone else clapping or if someone says, “YEA!”

You really love playing at the park and swinging, in particular.

New this month is the chapstick game.  You’ll put it in your mouth, then lean toward me until I take it out of your mouth with my teeth.  Then you’ll take the chapstick out of my mouth with your hand, put it back in your mouth and we'll repeat the cycle.

You also got to go to your second wedding this month--for Aunt Jenna and Uncle Rob.  (Your first wedding was when you were just 5 weeks old--for Uncle Chris and Aunt Mattie.)  I was the Matron of Honor, which meant Daddy was holding you during the wedding.  When I walked down the aisle, you spotted me and started frantically calling out, "Muh muh!  Muh muh!!", so you and your daddy spent the majority of the ceremony standing in the hall.

At your 12 Month checkup, you weighed 22lb. 1oz. (38.32%), were 29.5” long (40.34%) and had a head circumference of 18” (30.34%). Caleb was 21.04lb. (23%), 30” long, (57%) and had a head circumference of 18.25" (48%), while Evie was 20lb. 13oz. (45.02%), 29.75" long (71.15%) and had a head circumference of 17.5" (30.97%).

Silas, you exude so much joy!  You have a huge grin on your face most of the time and seem to regularly elicit the same response out of everyone you see.  It's hard not to be joyful when you're around! 

There's so much I love about you, little one, but as I've mentioned, some of my favorite things are the sound of you saying "Muh Muh" and "Da Da", how much you love me, how much you love giving kisses--especially to Caleb and Evie, how easygoing you are, how you still remind me of a spider monkey in the way that you cling on to me, how funny you are, your 2 bottom teeth (that's all you have!), how you scrunch your nose, squint your eyes and tilt your head back when you're really happy/being silly, how much you delight in Caleb and Evie, how you start dancing any time you hear music, how you start clapping any time someone says, "YEA!" or when you hear others clapping and how super cuddly you are.  I love you, sweet boy, and am so very blessed to be your mommy!

We love you more than words could ever express, precious Silas, and we pray that one day you will feel the same way about your Creator.  May a life of pursuing and seeking to glorify Jesus Christ be your ultimate goal and desire!  Happy birthday, little Silas! 

(Click here to see more pictures of Silas.)