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Sunday, September 29, 2013

Silas' Birthday Extravaganza!

I cannot believe I am the parent of a 1 year old. I mean, seriously, how in the world did that year go by so fast?!?! That old saying is so true: The nights are long, but the days are short. I've been super sentimental about it lately, but when the day finally came, it was all about celebration!

One week before Silas' birthday, we celebrated with the Elmore side and watched a little Alabama football too :).

 Sweet snuggles!

Hanging with Aunt Embree :)

Silas received his first gift, a RadioFlyer tricycle!! He was a little more interested in the paper at first though....typical baby.




We decided to give Silas a small taste of cupcake just so he'd remember how delicious it was when the giant smash cake came out at his party. Of course, just like his parents, he LOVED it!

 Singing to Gavin (August birthday) and Silas.

 What's this?

Full fist of cupcake.

We had his party on September 7, one day before his actual birthday at our friend, Curt's, beautiful house. I had been looking at different ideas on Pinterest for months, trying to make sure I had enough time to implement and finish all the cute ideas I had. In the end, I went for simple, because with Silas walking, there's little time to finish anything!

 Silas' stats greeted everyone at the front door.

 Cupcakes with buttercream frosting and homemade toppers. Recipe found here.

 Ombre cake with marshmallow buttercream frosting.

All of Silas' monthly pictures, plus other cute ones in the shape of a "1".

Originally, I was just going to give Silas a small cupcake to eat, but Adam wanted something BIG and he wanted him to be able to crawl or walk in it if Silas so desired. It made for great pictures and videos, but....Never. Again! Poor little man had the worst sugar hangover! He literally ate just green beans for dinner that night. Our own "Very Hungry Caterpillar" :).

 Still working on Silas raising his little finger to tell his age.

 Stripped down and ready.



 He tried to go head first, but stopped when everyone laughed.


 Mmmm!


The beginning of his sugar coma....

For his actual birthday, we went to church, opened the rest of his presents, and decided to recreate some of his first pictures at Big Spring Park. This is us last year...


Sweet, tiny, guy!

And this is us one year later....



And just so you know the reality of what most of our pictures look like....

Pulling Mommy's hair...

And adamantly refusing to look at the camera. Oh well....

We still got some really cute, funny pictures and I really need to learn how to use photoshop to edit pictures like this..

 Flying Silas!

Giant baby wreaks havoc on Downtown Huntsville!

 Sweet smile for Daddy...

 Boredom with Mommy...

Here's a closer look at Silas' chalkboard sign. I don't know what we will do for monthly pictures now, I think he's past the diaper and basket stage, but it may involve stats on the board, we shall see.




Little, Man, Silas,

Our lives would be so vastly different if you weren't in them! The Lord is teaching us so much about His love, goodness, grace, and mercy through you! This past year has been one of the most tiring, exciting, fun-filled years of our lives. You make everything funny....facial expressions, sounds, kisses; you have helped us rediscover the beauty of simplicity. We pray that you continue to grow strong and healthy and become a little, boy after God's own heart. He has great things planned for you...we just know it!

We love you like crazy!!!!

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Favorite Moments of Silas' First Year: Feeding

Adam and I were discussing Silas' 1st birthday the other day and I asked him how he felt about little man growing up. The only thing Adam could think to say was, "I'm excited." I, on the other hand, have a flurry of emotions including excitement, but also sadness and a little anxiety. Through talking it out, Adam was able to pinpoint why I feel that sadness: because things are about to change for me.

For the past year, I have been Silas' nourishment. I have gritted my teeth through latch-on pain, cried at the tiredness of being his food source, marveled at how he was growing through only drinking milk (for the first 6 months anyway), and stared, played, laughed while Silas has breastfed. It was one of the first things he did when he was born..


We haven't done it perfectly, and there have been many times I've wondered if he was even benefitting (see my worries about that here) and I considered quitting, especially when he thought it was fun to bite, but those thoughts only lasted for a second and then I would think of how badly I'd miss these sweet moments..

Our special "tent".

Third breakfast..


I'm hoping to continue on for a little while longer. I always said my goal was to breastfeed for one year and then I was done, but I don't feel quite ready to give it up just yet. I'm definitely over the pumping part and I will probably stop that while I'm at work and just gradually decrease our feedings to 2-3 times a day when I'm working and keep the same old schedule when I'm not....Lord willing.

Adam has always been really helpful and understanding through the whole breastfeeding process. I know he really enjoyed the first few times he was able to actually feed Silas...


I love that man.

Silas really loves to eat! He has always done it with a lot of enthusiasm and gusto and solids have been no different. We have used a great cookbook I'd recommend to anyone, Sage Spoonfuls, and it really helped us to know what to feed him when, different textures, yummy food combinations, etc.

First taste of "table" food...avocado!

First time in a restaurant high chair.

He never wears a bib anymore :(

Yummy spoon.

Stealing Mommy's snack.

Just chillin' in my high chair.

Drumming with utensils.

Blueberries and sweet potatoes...some of his favorites :)


He doesn't mind eating on the go.

We're working on how to properly use a spoon...

Loving that little bit of slobber coming from his mouth..

We've transitioned to him pretty much eating whatever Adam and I are having for dinner, spices, sauces and all. He doesn't seem to mind all of the exciting new flavors, but he is pretty insistent on feeding himself, even if it's a spaghetti dish....



That sleeper is permanently stained...haha! I learned the hard way. Check out those Michael Strahan teeth! We love that sweet, little gap and hope it stays until he needs those braces during his teenage years.

Have you ever watched how a child eats? It's amazing to watch their facial reactions, the sounds of satisfaction, their fine motor skills develop as they learn to eat with their hands...it's kind of miraculous. It's a miracle how we grow from being nourished through an umbilical cord to a mother's arms to learning to feed ourselves all in one year...isn't our Creator amazing?!
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