Weekend with Jenn and Scott

     Last weekend, we were blessed to have Alan's sister, Jennifer, and her husband, Scott, come visit us! 

     Scott works in construction and has a special talent for carpentry. When he heard that Alan was having some difficulty completing the upstairs addition to our house, Scott graciously offered to come up and help. We were absolutely floored (no pun intended) and so grateful for his offer. Jennifer had already planned on coming up at some point, because she wanted to see Silas again, so this past weekend seemed to work out well for all of us.

     Jenn and Scott arrived Thursday afternoon and stayed through Sunday morning. The weekend was jammed packed--the boys spent Friday working upstairs ALL DAY, while Jennifer got to spend the entire day with Silas while I was at work. It was homecoming week for the high school I work at, so I really couldn't take any time off. Jennifer had a blast with Silas, though! That evening, Jennifer, Silas, and I all went to the Bunn High School homecoming parade while the boys finished up some evening work. 

     Saturday, Alan and Scott still had some work to do upstairs, so they spent the morning doing that. After lunch, we all headed into Wake Forest and spent a little time perusing the shops downtown. After that, we went driving around Raleigh and made our way into downtown Raleigh--and discovered a neat little section that Alan and I had not really frequented before. It was great!

     Finally, we headed back to Wake Forest and sat down for dinner at the Carolina Ale House--just in time for the Tennessee vs. Alabama football game. We had a blast! What could be better than watching the first half of the football game on a big screen, eating wings? At half time, we paid the bill and hurried home to see the rest of the game. 

     Overall, the weekend was truly wonderful. It was so special to spend time with family and to have a little bit of help with the work on the house. There's still a little bit to be done upstairs, but nothing extreme. We are almost done! At any rate, we had a fantastic weekend, and again, are just so grateful for Jennifer and Scott!

Fall in the NC mountains

Since we've moved to North Carolina, we have taken at least one trip to the mountains each fall. The colors are absolutely beautiful in the Blue Ridge Mountains this time of year, especially in Blowing Rock and Boone, so this is where we always venture.

The first year we went, it was just me and Alan. The next year we went alone, but left with two adorable 6-week old kittens--Rocky and Boone. Two years ago, we went twice in the fall--and added two puppies to the trip (and Cliff and Samantha to one). Last year, went made it an overnight trip with the pups. Last weekend, we left the pups at home, but got to take Silas!

We had an absolute blast...the weather was perfect and the colors were beautiful. The weather was almost too perfect--the sun was so bright it cast a slight haze on some of my pictures. 

We took Silas to the top of Grandfather Mountain, but unfortunately, he didn't enjoy it as much as we did. Between the pressure on his ears and the high winds, he wasn't a fan. But, he was SUCH a trooper! He only fussed a little, and wasn't a true fussiness--it was more like a confusion with all that was going on. He did look adorable bundled up in his little outfit, though. Nonetheless, I stayed inside with him for a little while while Alan ventured onto the mountain.

We have so many beautiful pictures from the trip. Below are just a few of the many pictures. If you'd like to see them all, click here: Our picture site

Potential Christmas Present?

While we were out running errands on Saturday, we spotted this rocking horse. We thought it would be cute to see what Silas looked like on it: 

He fits so well! If only he could hold himself up...

We aren't really into the idea of a ton of gifts at Christmas--it takes away from the true meaning. Plus, he won't even be 9-months-old; he won't remember a thing! But, we wouldn't mind getting him one or two things. 

What do you think? Should we get it for him for Christmas?

New Stroller

This past Saturday, Kaitlin of 2point5d.com took Silas' 6-month pictures. We started early (well, early for him) at 8:30am. The day before, Silas refused to take a nap at all. I mean, not a wink of sleep. We went to eat Friday night and figured he would sleep in the car and/or while we ate. Nope. So, on top of an early start Saturday morning, he didn't go to bed until 11pm the night before. WOW. 

Surprisingly, though, Silas did really well Saturday morning. We had hoped he would bring his bubbling personality out, but he has some stranger anxiety (sorry, Kaitlin!) and is intrigued by cameras so he was in his "quiet observer" mode, as we like to call it. But, he was a trooper and endured about an hour of pictures, including an outfit change. Then, he put up with a couple of hours of running errands with us!

While we were out running errands, though, Little Bit started getting heavier and heavier to carry around. He's almost too big for his infant carrier (and that just adds even more unnecessary weight to lug around). We didn't have the Ergo with us and also didn't have our travel system stroller. We were shopping at BJs, and as we were going down the baby aisle we spotted this stroller. It was on sale, had a higher weight capacity, and was a lightweight stroller. Sold! 

This stroller is amazing. I have been searching for lightweight strollers online and had the hardest time finding one, but this one is perfect! Alan put it together at our next stop that day. Silas LOVED it! He loved being able to see everything and kick his feet while we pushed him around. It made the afternoon so much better and more relaxed. 

Here is a picture of him while we were in downtown Wake Forest: 

He's so cute!

As soon as we get his 6-month photos, we will be sure to post these for everyone!

6-months old

Silas turned 6-months-old this past Saturday! What an wonderful blur these last 6 months have been!

He had his 6-month check-up yesterday morning. He did have some vaccinations, but Alan said Silas was a trooper and cried for only a few minutes when the shots were first administered. And, he came away with a couple of cute Band-Aids.

Silas is 27.75 inches long and weighs 18lbs 3oz. This puts him in the 90th percentile for height and the 65th for weight. He has a head circumference of 44.5 cm, which puts him in the 70th percentile. We were incredibly shocked over his weight. We truly thought he weighed much more than that. In fact, his weight gain has dropped quite a bit. The doctor isn't worried about this, though. She said that right now, he's fine, but if he continues to drop in percentage with weight gain, then we'll look at what to do next. He is longer, though, so he could just be having a height growth spurt. We aren't sure where he is getting his height from, though!

Before the appointment, Silas' reflux had been so much better. We were feeding him a large amount of oatmeal for breakfast, baby food at lunch, a little baby food for dinner, and about 2 bottles throughout the day. Because he wasn't getting as much formula, but more solid food, this helped his reflux. However, the doctor wants us to give him more formula--at least 16-24 ounces a day. This means, we need to fit in at least one more bottle, if not more.

Well, we started with this right after his appointment, yesterday. Already, his reflux has increased and he is in more pain. The doctor didn't want to increase his Prilosec (he is still on 15 mg in the morning) if he didn't need it. But, we are currently awaiting a call back from the nurse to see if we can increase it now that he is getting more formula. We will be so happy when he grows out of this completely!

Silas is right on track with his motor skills. He LOVES to play with us--he laughs, giggles, grabs, pokes--whatever he can to get and keep our attention. The silliest things make him laugh, too. Funny faces, sounds, singing, peek-a-boo, tickling, smiling--it all gets a reaction out of him. He grabs at things, can pick up things (cell phones, remotes, food, etc.), and loves to throw them, only to pitch a fit when we don't pick them up. Also, he is pretty much sitting up. He needs one of us (or something) for balance, and doesn't stay up long, but he's there.

He is still a quiet observer. He loves to be held and just look around a room and examine what is going on. He has also started grunting all the time. We thought this was a weird quirk, but apparently, it is common for babies. His napping schedule is still minimal--we usually have to force a nap on him. But, he still sleeps through the night like a champ. We aren't complaining.

We are having his 6-month photos taken this Saturday...we can't wait to post those for you! For now, here are some recent pictures of Silas.

Milestones!

Silas has hit a few milestones...

He is rolling around, and 'round, and 'round...which has led him to discover he now prefers sleeping on his side--with his face buried in the sheet or mattress. So, we periodically have to check on him during naps and during the night to roll him back over. 

He has discovered his feet! He discovered his feet last week and now wants to play with them all the time. He especially loves it when he is in a sleeper, and he is able to grab the footie area and just hang on and roll around (see photo on the left below). It really is adorable. He looks so proud of himself when he does it, too!

Look at his adorable birthmark in the picture on the right...I just love it!

Perhaps our favorite milestone (so far) is the fact that he is sitting up! He doesn't do it for long periods, and usually needs something stimulating to keep his attention to do it, but he can do it. Today, Alan was able to capture the picture below:

Notice him sitting up AND grabbing his foot. 

How precious! It is amazing how just 10-20 seconds of something so simple makes us so proud! 

Silas has his 6-month check-up next week. We can't wait to see how much he has grown since his 4-month appointment. He is already almost as big as Alan was when he was about 8-months old!

Finally, we have taken some video of him in the last couple of weeks. The first is a video of us tickling him mercilessly and him giggling like crazy. The second video is a weird cry he has started lately...trying to get our attention, maybe? What a pitiful face in the second video! The second one is also a little blurry because Silas was moving so much. Enjoy!

First video: daddy tickling Silo

Second video: weird cry

Bama Game

Things have been a little stressful around our house lately, as we've been adjusting to me going back to work and summer coming to an end, which has brought on many little church activities. But this weekend, we were so fortunate to have family come visit and provide some much needed fun and relaxation!

Alan's mother and step-father and my father all come up to visit this weekend and go to the Alabama vs. Duke football game. We had such a fun time with everyone! Of course, the game was simply an excuse to make it up here, because Silas was definitely the main event! He was spoiled rotten with an immeasurable amount of holding, hugs, kisses, and playtime. 

Everyone arrived at some point on Thursday. We spent the evening talking, catching up, and eating a fabulous dinner of Greek chicken and Feta veggie pasta.

Friday, we introduced everyone to North Carolina barbecue and had lunch at Holden's BBQ in Youngsville. It is a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant with the best NC BBQ we've ever had. Don't worry, we still prefer REAL southern BBQ (Memphis style), but this is still delicious! After that, we went walking/shopping in downtown Wake Forest. Friday night, we grilled burgers and watched one of our favorite movies, Drop Dead Gorgeous. 

Saturday was the Alabama vs. Duke football game. What a day! The game was at 3:30 and by the time we got there and began walking towards the stadium, it was H.O.T. outside. Duke's campus is absolutely beautiful, so we walked around took in the scenery on our way to the stadium. 

Once we got in the stadium, we were able to find some seats (it was General Admission). Unfortunately, almost the entire stadium was in the direct sunlight. As I mentioned before, it was HOT. The perfect fall weather we had last week was nowhere to be found as NC was having a major heat wave. We were pretty worried about Silas getting uncomfortable, and sure enough, about a half hour into the game, he was hungry, hot, and dirty (as in his diaper). This did not produce a happy baby. Plus, he was so hot that he refused to eat. 

My father and I decided to take Silas out of the stands and find some shade for him until the sun set a little further. We found a Medic tent and they let us slip in so that Silas could cool off a bit. There was a misting fan, ice cold water and chairs--so we sat and relaxed for a bit. I was able to change his diaper in the tent, which helped him feel a bit better. It was still pretty hot, though, so the medics invited us into the air conditioned medical building. Yes, please!

Once we got inside, we were treated so well. Silas was never truly overheated--just hot. But, the medics were wonderful and brought a bit of Gatorade for him, took his temperature, and gave us a cot for him to lie on. What a happy baby we had after only a few minutes! He cooled off, devoured his bottle, and put on a giggle show for those inside. 

Once the sun set behind the trees, we went back outside to the game and watched Alabama beat Duke 62-13. Silas slept through most of it :) Don't worry, Tennessee friends, I'm still a devoted UT fan. But, we did have a great time, and I cheered on Alabama!

After the game, we went to Woody's Market and had drinks and wings. Woody's is one of our favorite places and it is a neat bar/eatery in downtown Raleigh. They had the Auburn/Clemson game on so we got comfortable and watched the game. We had a blast! We kept poor Silas out pretty late. He tried to stay up with us, but just couldn't make it. 

Everyone left this morning. We had such a blast this weekend, and it was just heartbreaking to say goodbye. I think Silas is recovering from the busy weekend because he has slept quite a bit today. He's pooped!

Pop-Pop, Mia, and Papa Doc--We had such a wonderful time this weekend and are blessed to have such amazing family members. We love you!

My first football game

Since I (Courtney) work at a high school in the area, we decided to go see the Bunn High School football team play on Friday night. I am teaching sophomores and seniors this year, so many of my students are involved in football-related activities.

Though it is still pretty warm outside, even at night, we wanted to go and take Silas. My students are always asking about him and wanting to see him, so this was the perfect chance. On top of that, the next home game for Bunn isn't until October 15 (wow!).

The turnout for the game was awesome--albeit, nothing like Daphne High School football games, but still great. The team, however, couldn't hold its own against Southern Nash High School. Bunn was beat 44-15. We ended up leaving at halftime because not only was it pretty hot, but it was past Silas' bedtime and he got a little cranky. 

We did get a picture of him at his first football game, though! We have some friends from back home who have a business, called Lily Lane Kids, and they make children's clothes and accessories. They've done other outfits for Silas, but this is one of my all-time favorites. Since Bunn's mascot is the Wildcat and the school colors are green and yellow, I thought it was only fitting that Silas have his own "wild kitten" t-shirt. Isn't he (and it) adorable?

Holding the bottle

Silas has achieved a new milestone--he can hold his own bottle!

He has figured out how to hold the bottle when we feed him, BUT, he won't do it much. I suppose I can understand: why bother, if we will do it for him? :) Nonetheless, we are still excited about this, and hope that he will begin doing this more and more as the weeks progress.

We've captured a few of these moments on camera for you to see!

Silas' 3-month photos

The pictures are in! They turned out really well and they look great. There aren't quite as many of just Silas, because we wanted a few family photos. You can view all of them on our picture website at alanandcourtney.shutterfly.com . But I've posted a few below to give you a preview!