First Snow

Last Friday was not only the first day of winter but also Silas's first time out in the snow.  Of course, we only had him outside for about 2.5 minutes, just long enough to catch a couple snapshots (and as you can tell, he wasn't a fan of the cold)!  Lily stayed outside with Justin though, as this was the first time she had ever gone outside to play in the snow.  She had fun making snow angels and was not ready to come back inside!

Order & Routine

Lily definitely has some first-born traits, including being particular about order & routine.  Everything has to be "just so", according to her standards.  These two pictures were taken on different days.  They show her personality a little bit.

 Each stuffed animal has its own step on the stairs

A book under each animal and a blanket or pillow for each one that was lucky enough to snatch one up before they were all accounted for. :)

Lily's fake laugh

I have no idea where this came from but it is hilarious.  This is pretty much how she has been laughing at most things lately.  And no need to turn up the volume on your speakers because she laughs silently. :)

Mr. 3 Week Old

Silas was supposed to have his 2 week check-up last Thursday when the Blizzard of 2012 hit.  We ventured out into the snow, only to find out that they were closed when we got there.  A phone call would have been nice!  So, they rescheduled us for yesterday.  At 3 weeks, Silas is weighing in at 9lb. 9oz.  He's been eating like a champ so I wasn't all that surprised that he's doing great with weight gain.  We have one healthy boy!  Now if only he could sleep longer stretches at night....I'm just trying to remember that the first couple of months are supposed to be exhausting and that's NORMAL! :)  In the big picture, it doesn't last long so for now I'll delight in those extra opportunities to hold my sweet baby.  That's a better way to look at it, right?! :)

The Perfect Christmas Gift

First Chiropractic Visit

Silas had his first adjustment at the chiropractor when he turned 1 week old.  He did great - no fussing at all! Which is a stark contrast to Lily's reaction at her first appointment. :)  We are big advocates for chiropractic care for kiddos.  Lily's health record is proof enough for us that it does wonders.  She went a whole year with only one sickness and has managed to only have 1 ear infection.  We're thankful for Dr. Tammy and how great she is with the little ones (and big ones too!).  I became a huge fan of hers during my pregnancy when she managed to keep me feeling comfortable with plenty of adjustments!

First Bath

Last night we gave Silas his first bath at home.  Much like Lily, he was just about as thrilled with it as he was in the hospital.  Which equals not thrilled at all.  So we made it short and sweet.  But even when he's mad, doesn't he still look pretty darn cute? :)

Mommy in Training

Lily is definitely enjoying every opportunity we give her to help out with Silas.  So yesterday she was so excited when we asked her if she'd like to feed him.  "Yeah, let's do it!!", she said.  Then later in the day she said "I can feed him from my tummy like you do, mommy."  I think she's a little confused about how the process works!  But fascinated all the same.  In the hospital when I was nursing Silas, she asked, "What are you doing?"  I told her that I was feeding the baby to which she responded, "Oh, can I watch?"  Bless her little heart. :)  Here are a couple photos of her big moment, giving Silas a bottle for the first time.

Ruff & Tough

Nurtured by Big Sister

This is Lily's way of taking care of Baby Brother.  

One Week Old!

Baby J is A.....

BOY!!!  Our little man, Silas Victor, was born last Thursday, December 6th at 2:33 pm.  He weighed 8lb. 12 oz. and was 21 in. long.  I have yet to write up his birth story but once I do, I'll post the details.  It's uncanny how similar his birth was to Lily's.  He certainly was cozy in the womb and decided to stay put until 8 days after the due date.  What good are due dates anyway?!  It became a whole other ballgame at that point and I was so ready to just meet our new little person!  Here are some picture highlights of Silas's birth and his first couple days of life in the hospital.

 Daddy cutting the cord!

 My first look at our second-born's face.  Happy tears!

 Our doula, Ami, meeting Silas

 Proud papa

 Family of four!

 This seriously melts my heart. 

 Loves to be swaddled

 Doing footprints for the baby book

Headed home!

Thanksgiving

This year we decided to stay home for Thanksgiving since it fell so close to my due date.  It was low-key with just the 3 of us but wonderful indeed!  Lily had fun helping me make the pie.  She loves to be a helper in the kitchen!  After dinner, we enjoyed a game of Crazy Eights.

 How does she keep winning?!

Lily Goes to the Dentist

I've been trying to get some big things out of the way before Baby J is here and one of them happened to be, taking Lily to her first visit to the dentist.  Justin was able to be there for her appointment with us and I think having both of us present gave her that extra boost of confidence she needed.  She did a great job!  She started off wanting to sit in Justin's lap but soon wanted to try out the "big girl chair".  The dentist said her teeth look excellent, woohoo!  We were surprised to find out that she has all 20 teeth because the 2 year molars must have popped through at some point without us knowing.  She's never really had a tough time with teething so I guess they didn't bother her either.  Yay for a great first visit!

Bedtime Reading

Daddy the Hairstylist

I got home the other night from water aerobics to find Lily looking as cute as can be with pigtail braids.  Justin had decided to give it a whirl after her bath.  Excellent for his first try if you ask me!

Nice Day for a Photoshoot

A couple of weeks ago, it was super nice outside so on our way home from bible study, Lily asked if we could have lunch outside.  While we were at it, we had fun taking some pictures of each other.

She did a pretty good job as photographer, dontchya think?

And she even got an up-close shot of my growing belly!