Merry Christmas!

A belated Merry Christmas to everyone!

It is hard to believe that Christmas has already come and gone. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day go by so quick. I thought a lot about Christmas 2007 while I was pregnant last year- how Smalls would react, what Smalls would enjoy, how spoiled Smalls would get... Christmas was as enjoyable as I had hoped it would be. (Maybe a bit busier than hoped, but when isn't it?) As expected, Silas had some fun with the wrapping paper and bags, but he surprised me by being quite taken with the actual toys and presents he was given. He even seemed to figure out that a wrapped BIG box was something extra special. And he definitely got spoiled by everyone- lots of new books to read and toys with flashing lights and sounds and toys to help him with crawling. Thank you everyone for the many gifts.


We worried that Silas might get overwhelmed with all the parties and excitement and people, but our little guy thrived on it! He seemed to embrace it all.

Silas enjoyed his first taste of presents at Uncle Zach and Auntie Tanisha's Christmas Eve lunch with the rest of Josh's family. He got wired enough at the lunch that he decided to skip his afternoon nap and hung out in the nursery with Dad during the Christmas Eve church service.





After a brief nap back at home, he awoke ready for our traditional Christmas Eve European dinner with my parents and brother. And though he got long overdue for another nap, there was no way he was going to miss an opportunity to sit around the table or dive into some wrapping paper and presents!



Josh and I were excited to open our presents with Silas Christmas morning, but the little guy seemed a bit played out by then. He was not so keen to explore and get into things as the night before. By Christmas dinner time though, he was raring to go again and had a great time watching us all stay up late.


I was relieved to awake Boxing Day to a quiet, relaxed morning and get back into our normal routine. I think Silas enjoyed the slower pace too. Life is getting back to normal, but every so often it does seem like he looks at me wondering when the next party will be or where all the fun people are...

Meat Eater

For months Silas has been chewing on his fingers, everybody else's fingers, toys, paper, cups, phones, spoons... anything and everything. So for months, we have heard his Opa joke "Poor boy, please feed him- he's so hungry he's even eating his own hands! Don't worry grandson, one day they will let you have steak." Well that day has arrived! Silas started eating chicken mixed into his baby cereal last week and has since moved on to roast beef. So far he prefers the red meat. But funnily enough, Opa, his fingers and everybody else's still seem to be his most favourite thing of all to have in his mouth...

Our favourite stage yet...

Dearest Silas, your dad and I think you are in the funnest and most enjoyable phase of your life so far. The first week you were born was full of adrenaline surges and definitely memorable, and we loved your "Winston Churchill" and adorable pouty lip phases too. Now though, there are quick smiles (that involve your WHOLE face) for everyone and we can tickle and tease you to make you laugh. You are so curious about anything and everything, from new toys to new people (and continue to be oblivious to the concept of personal space) to new situations and don't want to miss a second of anything. You love being sung to, especially "Old Macdonald had a Farm," "Twinkle, twinkle Little Star," "The Wheels on the Bus," and "Jingle Bells" (with clapping). Everything from swimming and going underwater (and then spitting the gallon you swallowed out) to riding sitting in a shopping cart like a big boy is a new adventure. Even the way you throw a fit if we take away the remote or cordless phone before you've finished with it is cute. The way you demand an audience watch you sit on the floor to play with your stackable rings or jump in your Jolly Jumper makes us chuckle too. And although it's a habit we're breaking, the way you want us to hold your hands or rub your back until you fall asleep- and then how we'll return to find you up on your hands and knees howling when we leave you to cry it out, but will instantly calm down as we lay you back on your side and replace your soother- we will look back and see as endearing too. All our parent friends say it just gets better from this stage on, wow- how blessed we are!

He did it!

It's taken 6 months (and a bit of "crying it out"), but... Silas fell asleep at 10:00pm last night and did not wake for a feed until 6:30am!! Yipee!


(What woke me at 5:20am? Leaking and hugely engorged breasts. Yep, about as pleasant as it sounds.)

The Best and Worst of Times

Although Silas and I returned from our trip to Dallas over 10 days ago, I just have not felt rested enough to blog until now. (Actually I probably felt able to blog again 4 days ago, but life's getting busy with Christmas stuff now!)

Silas travelled just awesomely. He napped great during our flights and in the airports and played quite contentedly on the plane. His favourite toys during the flights: the orange juice container, ice in a cup, the safety brochure and paper napkins. There were a couple melt downs (only a couple!), so nothing like I feared. As a CBC writer seated behind us reassured me, "He's only acting his age."

Sadly, the week we spent in Dallas did not go as expected. After about 10 hours of travelling, Silas arrived at my cousins' house quite happy to meet his new relatives and play, all smiles and happy cooing.

Upon waking the next morning though, he seemed to say to me, "Uhh Mom, what the heck are we still doing here?!? Where's my crib, where's my living room with my bouncy seat and exersaucer?! I don't like this!!" He proceeded to make strange until the day before we left. If I was away from him for more than 10 minutes, he would have a cry reminiscent of a colic outburst.

He also teethed something fierce during the week- complete with sore gums, runny nose, changes in bowel movements and unstoppable drooling- though he still does not have any teeth to show for it. And Silas also awoke with a major fever his 3rd night and caught a wicked cough and cold that he's just recovered from. Needless to say he, and therefore I, did not sleep well during the week. When it wasn't the waking up every 2-3 hours disturbing my sleep, it was his Darth Vader league snoring and breathing that would make me toss and turn (and eventually need earplugs).

I definitely did not get to leave the little guy with my mom and head out for some marathon Christmas shopping sessions (we went, but thinking clearly and purposefully about what to buy was near impossible with a fussy Silas in a Baby Bjorn, the lack of sleep and my increased stress level) or long walks or bike rides or nights out with my cousins. However, our week in Dallas did reconfirm the importance of praying in ALL times about everything and as a mom to have anticipations versus expectations.

I could not have hoped for better company to spend such a trying and tough week with though! It has probably been 10 years or so since my cousins and I were all together- at that time only Wilfred was married. Now all 3 of us are married, with kids! Alvin and his wife Huey Pin, with their 2 1/2 year old son Ezra, Wilfred and Emma with their little 2 month old Timothy, my mom and Uncle Thiam Hock and Emma's father were all so understanding and supportive of the difficult time Silas and I were having. Thank you for taking Silas to give me little breaks even if it meant he would have a freak out and for the hugs and reassurances when I had my own crying episodes. You are all wonderful, patient, loving, caring people.

There here were happy times and laughs too, like when Silas watched the mahjong games and Ezra play with a train set. But I guess at this age, like his Opa says, sometimes the best/easiest place for a baby to be is at home...