sleep!

We had two good nights! Last night I put Silas to bed at 8 pm. He woke up at 1 am (that's 5 hours) for a bottle. At 3:30 am he woke up fussing because he realized he lost his pacifier. I was so out of it, I was yelling at Marshall (poor guy) to make a bottle. He told me that he fed Silas at 1:00. I thought we had twins so he must have fed the other baby. Oh my! But regardless of the previous feeding, Silas drank half of a bottle and when I rolled over at 7 am, he was smiling at me. Sorry Marshall...I thought you only fed one of the babies. My bad! We have only ONE baby!

Here is a series of photos...forgive the blurries. They are the result of our little mover and shaker.

And Praise the Lord, a rainy cool front rolled in last night and we are a happy family.

it's hot, yo!

learning to share

When I was 10, my dream came true and I got a kitten. Nevermind that she was out of her mind...my parents meant well and it wasn't their fault that the cat was deranged.

We already had our beloved Maggie, the shih tzu. When the kitten arrived on the scene, Maggie began to display cat like traits...thought she could climb a wall, etc. I think the same is happening with Sophie.

Everyone was in bed last night except for Sophie and me. I looked over and here is what I found:

All Packed Up

EDITED @ BOTTOM OF POST

I'm a little exhausted from the packers being here for two days....not from them being here, but the preparation before they show up. Those are the guys in the picture above. One of them, I won't point out which one, sang and danced with Silas' exercauser music. :) It went well and we're sitting on those folding chairs that you take to soccer games....government furniture comes tomorrow. I'm not complaining though; the cup holders in the arm rests are very convenient.

We had a rough night last night...Silas didn't nap much during the day because of all of the action at the house and we ran lots of errands in the morning. Seemed like every time he fell asleep in the car it was time to get out... So, he was up about every 2 hours last night...aye! The three of us (around 4 am) on an air mattress does not make for good rest. Today we bought him a little co-sleeper that he's sleeping in right now. Anything must be more comfy than that Pack 'n Play....he's used to lots of padding and blankets at the TH and that 1/2 inch of a "mattress" just doesn't cut it. I'll let you know...

I don't have much strength for words (I'm so dramatic) so I'll inundate you with pictures. I need to take Silas by the clinic to have him weighed...his thighs have doubled in size this week...you'll see.... We celebrated our friend Kara's birthday tonight..there is a picture of her below with Silas and then Silas with our friend Frank...he was practicing for his impending fatherhood.

I keep finding more words...Silas has eaten sweet potatoes twice this week and is not really a fan. I'm going to keep it up though...he "eats" them while his face tells me he's really not enjoying them but presses on for Mommy. He is a good sport!

One month ago today, we met Silas for the first time. Finally held him in our arms. Where did the month go?! What was life like without Silas? I almost can't remember.

Here are the pictures I promised a couple of paragraphs ago:

We will leave here on 30 June...headed to North Carolina. Before arriving @ Fort Bragg, we'll head to Texas to spend time with our family that we miss dearly. On the way back across the country, we'll stop in Georgia for a family reunion on Marshall's side. Life at Bragg will begin at the end of July...Casa de Coen open for business as soon as we have one. ;)

Sleep Report: Silas went to sleep at 2100, bottle at 2330 (Mommy went to bed after this one), 0330, 0700 and up for the day at 0815. We'll take it...thank you, Lord for the co-sleeper and the sleep!

happy half birthday!

My boy is growing up! I can tell he's even bigger this week. I wonder if he gained another pound? Today is Silas' 6 month birthday. He is such a happy boy. Here are some facts about Silas:

• He loves Mommy's singing voice (bless him)...the rest of the world does not love Mommy's singing voice. It will be a long cross country trip for Marshall and Sophie.


• He likes to look deep into a person's eyes


• His smile could melt any heart. If you're having a bad day, just let Silas smile at you.


• He loves to "talk". We call his pacifier his "cork" because once it comes out he fills the room with squeals and sounds.


• He likes to ride in the sling and rest his arm on the side like you would in a car...he's cool.


• He is a fan of oatmeal. And the oatmeal mask.


• He likes to help Mommy feed him.


• He's a snacker....likes to eat a little, often instead of a lot, every once in a while.


• He loves to be read to.


• His laid back personality is so fun!


• He could win any drooling contest, any time, anywhere, hands down.

The above picture is about as much interest as Sophie has shown. Same goes for Silas....they are indifferent toward one another. As long as they are respectful, I guess that's good enough for now.

Happy Half, Silas!

silas hearts oatmeal

and pretty much anything that will fit into his mouth. The rice cereal was getting boring and it has been a week, so we decided to jazz up our palate. Before I knew it, his hand grabbed the spoon and it was over after that. I could have cleaned him up and continued feeding, but that's really no fun. We'll just call it his first beauty treatment...an oatmeal mask. He looks younger already!

weigh to go!

We went to the pediatrician this morning. Silas is "thriving" and she expects no problems to come back from his labs. Thank You Lord! Silas is healthy and very happy.

He gained over a pound this last week! Now he's 14.5 lbs. We could tell he had gained and he's eating more and sleeping better.

Last night he went to sleep around 9 pm...I woke him up at 1 am and gave him a bottle. He stirred a little at 3 am, but slept through until 7 this morning. Hallelujah! Now, I haven't been a Mom very long, but I know enough to know that the victorious night we had last night does not guarantee victory tonight. Regardless, that sweet smile is sweet even at 3 am. I think what has helped even more than the rice cereal has been the swaddle....he feels more secure that way.

These pictures were taken yesterday. Silas' buddy Lochlan is 8 weeks old and weighs about 13 pounds. We wanted to see them side by side...Silas lit up when he had a baby laying next to him and grabbed onto Lochlan's overalls. Today is Lochlan's mum's birthday...Happy Birthday, Lisa!

tummy time smiles!

See what a difference just a couple of days make?!

mr. squishy cheeks

Check out my friend Kathleen's blog. Silas is a star!

He loves him some rice cereal too. Last night was better. Hopefully his tummy is more satisfied and he'll sleep longer. I also swaddled him, and I think that makes him feel more secure too. Oh, and since this blog is meant to be a record of our lives, Silas weighs (@ 5 1/2 months) a little over 13 lbs and is 25" long.

Silas had his first social invite today...Patrick's 1st birthday party!! It was fun. We even took a nap this afternoon...all of us...

We went for a visit at our buddy Ian's house and then to dinner....the Greek, of course...

Wonderful Weekend. The End.

rice cereal = sleep???

I think Silas is growing....the sleep situation had digressed. Last night he had his first taste of rice cereal from a bowl. It didn't improve our night, but let's give it some time, people! He drank a regular bottle around 0700 this morning and after a bowl of cereal and part of a bottle at 0900 he was out. He's sleeping now, so we'll see. Here's a look at the first cereal experience. I was impressed with how he did....this morning's feeding was even better. It's fun to get messy! The picture doesn't really do justice to the experience.

I was telling Marshall the other day that Silas is definitely different. He smiles with his eyes now. He's always been a "happy" baby, but now he has joy in his eyes.

Silas went to PWOC yesterday. It was our Installation ceremony where I passed the crown, so to speak, to the new president. He was great in the sling! Love the sling. I think it's played a big part in bonding and comfort for him. It was precious to be able to introduce him to lots of the ladies who have been praying for him to come home. Just precious.

That's all for now...I need to go look through my "how to make baby food" books while the boy is sleeping.

passports

I wrote in an earlier post about the similarities between me and my boy. This is my passport photo from when we lived in Germany (I was about 2 here). The photo of Silas is from his US visa.

Tell me...does this boy look like his momma, or what?!

tummy time

"They" say that tummy time is good for babies. Enjoy the photo progression below and see what Silas thinks about it....

And that's a wrap!