Wrinkles only go where the smiles have been...

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Friday, July 23, 2010

Our little 3-month old

Silas is actually closer to 4-months-old, but since I haven't updated about him in awhile, I thought I would go ahead and do that now!

It is amazing to see how much Silas has changed in just 3 months. He is holding his head up completely (although he was doing that fairly well at birth). He is almost sitting up--but not quite. He gets really frustrated because he can't sit up yet, but we know he is so close! He loves to quietly observe his surroundings, especially if there are lots of colors. Lights, ceiling fans, and mobiles catch his attention constantly. He can grasp at objects and hold them for a few minutes, but isn't quite sure what to do with them after that. He loves to pull his pacifier out of his mouth, but then wants it back in!

He also wants to hold his bottle. He's learned that he can prop the bottle with his hands, but is still learning to unravel his hand to hold it.


We've started feeding him (somewhat) solid food, too! At each meal, we try to give him a little of something solid before we give him the bottle. Doing this has helped his reflux, drastically. There is such a noticeable difference and it gives us hope that the more solids he eats, the better it will be overall!

We took him to see a pediatric gastroenterologist while we were in Alabama and were basically told that he just has severe reflux. An ultrasound revealed that, thankfully, he has no pyloric stenosis. While this is a wonderful thing, we were still a little discouraged to have to just "wait this out" as we were told. However, with the solid food going so well, we are very encouraged!

He's a hearty eater, just like his mom and dad! He hasn't really disliked anything we've given him, yet. So far, carrots, butternut squash, sweet peas, green beans, pears, peaches, bananas, and even a teeny drop of syrup someone gave him have all been received well. He wasn't crazy about plain rice cereal, but we think once we mix it with something sweet, he'll love it.

Silas is such a happy, playful baby. He is especially active when he first wakes up in the morning, and during the evening hours, right before he goes to bed (7-9pm). He laughs, coos, shrieks, and plays. Sometimes, we will wake up in the morning to find him in the crib just cooing and laughing away! Uncle Cliff discovered that Silas is a fan of the nursery rhyme "Patty-cake" so we sing that to him. Afternoons can make him a little fussy, but he has started enjoying playing in his Jumpy. He can't jump in it yet, but is entertained by the lights and sounds.

Finally, he is still sleeping like a rock (which he definitely gets from his mom). When we put him down at night, he will sleep a solid 8-9 hours. We have found that he usually wakes up around 7am. He's our little alarm clock. Even if he gets to bed later, he still wakes up around 7am, and just takes an earlier morning nap.

He now takes two or three good naps a day. He always has a morning nap, an afternoon nap and then a late afternoon nap. The times aren't always consistent, but we'll take what we can get. Oh, and he is still making those adorable little puppy noises when he sleeps! We don't know why he does it, but we love it!

Overall, life with Silas is fabulous. I will update with his 4-month appointment information in a couple of weeks!

Trip to the OBX

More traveling for the Reynolds family! We've just recently returned from a family trip to the Outer Banks of NC, also known as the OBX. We had a wonderful time!

We stayed in Corolla, a town that is actually located on the 4x4 beaches. In order to get to your location, you must have a vehicle with 4WD because the highway turns into the beach! No joke, you must drive in the sand, along the Atlantic Ocean to get to where you are staying. Also, wild horses roam freely in this area, so you've got to be on the look out for those, too!

Again, blogging about the entire trip would take too long, but here are some pictures from it.






Sunday, July 4, 2010

Alabama

The last few weeks have been such a whirlwind! A couple of times a year, we are fortunate enough to visit our family down in south Alabama. I finished working on June 15 and then on Father's Day (June 20), we headed down after church. We were planning on getting in late Sunday night/early Monday morning, staying the week, then leaving on Saturday. What ended up happening was much different!

The original 5 days we were supposed to be there were packed-to-the-brim. Every single breakfast, lunch, and dinner were planned. Since we don't go home often, we are usually pretty busy when we do go, but adding a child to the mix has introduced a completely new level of chaos! Those 5 days flew by as we spent time with wonderful friends and precious family. We wanted to stay longer, and some preferable circumstances gave us an excuse to extend the trip. I was able to stay for another full week and Alan flew to Raleigh and back (for work) and was able to drive back with us, enabling him to have a couple extra days, as well.

Blogging about the trip and the time with family would take more time than I could imagine. We had such an amazing time and God has truly blessed us beyond belief! I could spend hours upon hours blogging about everything--but I won't. Instead, I will post a few pictures highlighting the trip...

Cousins meeting for the first time! Dylan immediately went for Silas' wrist rattle.


Four Generation photo: Cliff and I with our babies, and my mother and her mother.


Alan's family. There are no words to describe how special this picture is.


At The Tin Top Restaurant in Bon Secour, AL.


At least someone got some sleep.