Summertime fun.

Summer is officially in full swing!!

So far it has been spent going on lots of walks, trips to the lake, pool dips in the backyard (yes, we bought a blow up pool!), a visit to the zoo, and lots of family and friend time!

On a walk with Laura and Harper puppy!

Our new pool!  Silas was a little hesitant at first, but now he loves splashing around in there!

Our trip to the zoo!  In the petting farm and riding the funicular!

Fun in South Haven with friends and getting to see baby Lillian.

Hanging out at the homestead :)

10 months!

Silas turned 10 months on June 6th.  I was originally going to tell you all about how we "Ferberized" him and how awesome it had been, but for about a week or so all that went out the window.  

For those of you unfamiliar, the Ferber Method is a way of sleep training your child in which you combine CIO with checking on your baby after certain timed intervals, and by checking, you are not getting your baby up, but just letting them know you are there and it is time for sleep.  We decided to try this after his 9 month appointment (and because Silas was STILL not sleeping through the night). Our pediatrician mentioned that sometimes tough love is required, and reinstated that at this age they do not need nightly feedings/letting them cry is not going to hurt them/ they can cry until they puke and still be okay..... (well, that's not happening).  BUT it only took about three nights of the Ferber method and guess what??!!!!  He was pretty much sleeping through the night!  AHHHHHH. We were no longer getting up with him AT ALL!  Once in awhile we would still hear a whimper or cry and occasionally he would have to be "Ferberized" again but for a few weeks straight it was wonderful!  Then it started happening again.... the nightly crying, and this isn't a little cry, this is a scream cry that sounds like he is being tortured, and one night I actually got up in the middle of the night to feed him again just to calm him down (one of those nights he did throw up before bedtime so I of course go into panic mode because he hit his head earlier that day).  I thought we were right back where we started and I began to get very frustrated because it had been going so well.  LUCKILY, that only lasted a week or so and we decided it was a tooth coming in, or 10 months sleep regression, or something that didn't last too long because he is sleeping well again, THANK GOODNESS!

In other news, he has 6 teeth and another slowly making its appearance.  He is not walking yet, but very close.  He walks around furniture quite well, and very fast!!  It seems he is crawling faster and faster everyday too! He still loves attacking/snuggling the cats, but we have to be careful because one of our cats has bitten him several times!  He also still enjoys climbing the stairs!  We go on walks almost everyday and he checks out all the sights and sounds and breathes in the fresh air! He is trying more and more foods.  He really likes pickles (must get that from me ;), he also loves chicken, cheese (even bleu cheese!), and all sorts of beans!! We have tried peanut butter too - safe so far!  

We got this beautiful quilt from Aunt Joyce!  What a wonderful surprise for his 10 month birthday!

Little Beach Bum!

We had a great holiday weekend.  Sunday was Silas' first beach day ever!  The water was way too cold to go in, but he loved the sand!  All the sun and fresh air tuckered him out so much that he actually fell asleep on me :)

 Bath time in the kitchen sink with Nana!

Monday we took a quick little trip to Rockford.  

We had a lovely walk along the river!

9 Month Update

 We just got back from Silas' 9 month well visit.  He is now 29 inches long, and 20 pounds.  Growing boy!

He FINALLY started crawling on all fours the night he turned 9 months.  We thought he might just go from creeping to walking without the transition, but he discovered his knees and my word is he getting quick!!  He moves quite well walking around furniture also.  This little guy cannot relax... he always has to be on the go.

  And he is STILL not sleeping through the night.  I talked to our pediatrician today and he said you might just have to let him cry it out.... which we have tried, but with some hesitation at times (I can't bear to hear him cry for hours on end, but if he wakes just a few hours after going to bed, we will let him cry, or if he cries after he has been fed and changed, we let him cry).  Majority of the time he wakes up after about 6 hours, I change him and feed him, put him back down and he goes back to sleep for another 6 hours or so.  But I know he doesn't need to be fed, and I suppose he is not necessarily hungry... so I guess we could try it out.

Other than the wailing at night, he is a pretty happy baby.  He now has 4 teeth, and likes a variety of food.  We try to feed him little bits of whatever we are having for our meals, along with his usual stuff.  There hasn't been much that he doesn't like.  He really enjoyed his asparagus he had at dinner the other night :)

First South Haven Trip of the Year

A couple weekends back we went to South Haven with the little guy over night.  The weather was finally warm enough to stroll around town and walk on the beach.  It was his first time putting his toes in the sand.  He wasn't crazy about the experience, but I think he will be a beach bum before we know it :)

bath time, bath time, so much fun, SO FUN

That's what we sing when it's bath night.  

It is funny how everything becomes a song when you have a baby....

8 month Update

Wow, has this kid learned new tricks in the last month.

Silas can now climb up the stairs and pull himself on low-standing furniture.  Unfortunately he has not quite mastered the art of falling gracefully, which has led to a few bumps on the noggin as well as some tears.  He is getting into everything as well.  He loves crawling to the cat food and filling his little paws with it (luckily, he doesn't put it in his mouth YET).  He also enjoys pulling all the records off the shelf, and he just learned to clap so that's pretty fun for him too.  I don't think standing by himself is too far off and then he will be walking shortly after that.  Crazy!

 His two bottom teeth are coming in, but taking forever....  the bottom right has been working its way in for over a month now and only about halfway up, and tooth number two is just cutting through the surface.  They are still not very visible unless he his smiling really huge!

He babbles quite a bit and even sounds like he is saying mama (mom, mum) although I am pretty sure his random noises just sound a lot like it because he also says "bob" a lot. too.. not sure who bob is.

We are slowly working in foods that are a little more solid like a few puffs here and there and little bits of crackers, toast, and even egg.  We are officially putting the high chair up this week (we have just been using an attachable chair) and I would like Silas to start exploring more foods and start getting used to the idea of feeding himself with whole pieces of fruits and veggies.

My little baby is growing up so fast....