Sunday Mornings

Sunday mornings in our house are quite different from most other mornings. Because the church is half an hour away, we don't drive separately. So when Alan has to leave for Sunday School, we all have to go with him. This also means that Silas has to start his day a little earlier and differently from other days. 

First of all, we have to wake him up on Sundays. This does not produce a happy baby. Silas may not nap much, but when he sleeps at night, he sleeps solidly until he is good and ready to wake-up. When he wakes up on his own in the mornings, he is happy. When we wake him up, not so much. 

Then, we have to feed him immediately. Silas has suddenly decided that he is tired of his banana oatmeal in the morning and takes forever to eat his food. Seriously. This morning, he even discovered how to use his tongue to block the spoon from going in his mouth all the way. Stinker. 

After that and his bottle, we usually have to put him into his church clothes and get going. Most mornings, Alan and I have a pretty good system with getting him and ourselves ready, so we are normally out the door on time, or just a few minutes later. 

Once we get to the church, though, it never fails. Silas poops. Always. When we pull into the parking lot, turn off the engine, that's when he does it (we know by the hilarious sounds he makes as he completes to task). Then, we have to go through the fun task of changing him (parents know that this is a MUCH harder task to do in public). 

Finally, Silas and I settle into the balcony area of the sanctuary while Alan teaches Sunday School. There isn't really a class for me to go to, and we aren't comfortable leaving him in the nursery alone (long story there), so I'm OK with it. We set up the media for the service and then play together. 

I love Sunday mornings with him. It is our special time. What I really love is that his morning nap is usually at 11:00 AM. Guess when our morning service starts? Yep, 11. So, during the service he usually ends up sleeping in one of our arms...and it is priceless.  

click on any of the pictures below to make them bigger

Thanksgiving

I'm so amazed how time is flying by! Thanksgiving has come and gone, but we had a wonderful time as my mother was able to come up and spend a couple of days with us.

She arrived on Wednesday morning and the we all went to pick her up from the airport. On our way back home, we stopped at Trader Joe's to pick up a few things, then ate lunch at the Village Deli in Wake Forest. Finally, we headed home and spent the evening there. Alan wasn't feeling too well, so he was able to take a nap and get some much needed rest. 

Thursday morning, we all slept in, then lounged around the house. I (Courtney) took a nap around lunchtime and awoke to some yummy spinach/cheese/bacon dip and chips...and lots of football! Early afternoon, Alan and I began cooking our Thanksgiving meal--green bean casserole, scalloped potatoes, deviled eggs, crescent rolls, black-eyed peas, and our delicious bourbon-glazed ham. Nothing special, but oh, so delicious! We topped it off with pecan pie and vanilla ice cream. We were beyond stuffed!

Friday, we decided to brave the crowds and do a bit of shopping. None of us really wanted to do official Black Friday shopping, but there were a couple of things my mother wanted to look for and see, so we decided to drive into Wake Forest. Amazingly enough, the traffic wasn't bad and the crowds were sparse. Apparently, everyone else was in Raleigh!

After shopping, we came home and settled in for some Iron Bowl action. What a close game! Afterwards, my mother wanted me and Alan to go out and have a date night since we rarely get that opportunity. We had a gift certificate to the Gatehouse Tavern in Wake Forest, so we went there and had a good time. For dessert, we went to A la Mode in downtown Wake Forest to savor some gelato. We didn't stay out very long, but it was so nice to have a couple of hours to ourselves.

Silas officially LOVES his Gigi (my mother). When she first arrived, he was a little grumpy because his schedule was off so he didn't open up to her very much. By the end of her visit, though, he was relishing every bit of playtime, soaking up her attention, and indulging in lots of cuddle time. In fact, he was so excited that he quit napping while she was here! We think he already misses her...whenever we walk by the guest room with him in our arms, he peers into the room--as if he is looking for her. 

We are incredibly grateful for a family that loves us so much. Gigi, we had a wonderful time, and can't wait to see you again at Christmas! Thank you for everything--we love you!

Click on any of the pictures below to see a bigger version. 

  

 

  

 

Notice his "guard" dogs 

Silas at Seven Months

Silas is such a ham these days! And, he is changing and developing more and more.

On Wednesday, October 13, I noticed that he was getting tooth. He had been a little cranky lately, and had trouble staying asleep (he would go to sleep fine, but wake up a couple times in the night). That night of the 13th, he was a little fussier than usual and after examining his mouth, I found a tiny tooth!

Then, a few days later, another one started coming in! As of now, his bottom incisors are the ones in. It also feels like one of his top teeth is trying to break through, now! Because of these teeth, though, he is chewing on EVERYTHING he can get his hands on. Even the remote!

Silas still doesn't nap very well...if at all. He sleeps about 11 hours at night, but absolutely refuses to nap during the day. He will fight every bit of fatigue. Nowadays, he will take a short nap in the mornings--anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, and then another one later in the afternoon--usually a little longer, about 1-1.5 hours. When he is tired, he is so fussy and it is really the only time he cries.

Early in the morning he will sometimes wake up a couple of times, fuss a minute or two, and then go back to sleep. We know when he is good and ready to get up because he will wake up happy, cooing, and playful. Naps are a different story, though. He usually wakes up fussy from naps. After a few minutes, though, he's OK. Oh, and he still makes the puppy noises when he sleeps. And when he sleeps, he sleeps on his stomach, with his butt in the air. Too cute!!

His eating habits aren't very different. He has a bottle at every meal, along with some type of food. Usually, he has banana oatmeal in the morning (with his reflux medicine), a vegetable at lunch, and a fruit at dinner. Then, he has just a bottle sometime in the evening.

We are using sign language with him on a few things like milk, food, change, mom, dad, and puppy. We have both noticed that he is attempting to mimic the signs for milk and food--he knows what is important! He also gets excited when you use the signs with him. 

He is holding the bottle himself, as long as he is lying down or back. He is sitting up all the time, and for extended periods. He is still such a quiet observer--he is constantly examining things. When he is in his stroller or car seat, he loves to play with the straps, as well as study them. For awhile now, he's been able to pull his pacifier clip off whatever we clip it to--he prefers to chew on the hard end.

Back to the studying--he loves to play with his V-Tech ball (it lights up and makes noise) and tries to "get" the images off the ball. It is almost as if you can see him thinking, "How do I get the bug off the ball?" or, "How does this thing work?"

He LOVES to giggle. We've figured out his tickle spots and will tickle him mercilessly. He is just too cute when he laughs! His giggles are turning into bigger laughs and we love it. He loves being thrown into the air, or bounced around. He also loves when I sing to him--especially in goofy voices.

Perhaps the biggest milestone is that he is crawling! It's more of a scooting, or caterpillar crawl--his butt sticks up on the air and he scoots himself forward on his forearms. Nonetheless, he is getting around a little bit. It's not much, and he still gets frustrated, but we can see this progressing into something more, very quickly!

Here are some pictures of him from the last month or two...click on any of them to make the picture bigger. 

My new trick! I flip over when I'm being changed. 

Downtown Wake Forest       Sitting on my own!

 Hamming it up...               First trip in my new car seat

Playing with my V-Tech ball          'nuff said.

                   Passed out.              Hanging with Mommy in Subway. 

I jumped myself to sleep...