Langner Family Ramblings

Ready for the Snow

2008-11-06T12:35:00.000-08:00

Environment Canada says Vernon might receive our first snowfall of the winter today...

Good thing we are ready for it when it comes!

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-01T05:52:00.000-07:00

For Halloween this year, I wanted to dress Silas up as a character he liked. He has quite a fascination with Elmo and Barney at the moment, but Josh adamantly refused to dress him in either of those costumes. So we decided to dress him up as a carpenter. He absolutely adored wearing overalls like Josh and having a toolbelt like Josh and sporting a bit of beard stubble like Josh- as soon as he put his overalls on, he ran to the mirror pointing to himself and shouting "Daddy!" He initially turned around in circles (like a dog chasing his tail) trying to put his hammer in its holder, but had it all figured out by the end of the night. There is a good chance you will continue to see pictures of Silas in this costume- it was the first thing he asked for when he woke up Saturday morning and he was content to wear it all day and night again.

Halloween has reminded us just how fast kids grow up. It is incredible to think how much Silas has changed since last Halloween when he was our cute little Yoda who couldn't even sit up. Now he is our rambunctious little carpenter toddler who loves to run around carrying his hammer, and can actually say the word "hammer" (he practically says a new word every day now),and adored wearing the toolbelt and overalls because he actually knows that those are what his dad wears to work.

Sigh, what will he be capable of next Halloween?! At least he still makes a pretty cute Yoda!

Botched Job

2008-10-28T22:56:00.000-07:00

We have yet to figure out who Silas gets his fine, thin hair from. As much as I did not want to trim any of Silas' hair (it had pretty much taken him 17 of his 17 months of life to grow it as long as it was!), it was undeniable our child was getting a bad mullet coupled with some bad combovers.

And so we pulled out Josh's hair clippers. And Silas cried the whole way through his haircut. And we're still crying about the terrible cowlicks and uneven patches and scraggly long strands we seem to have cut into it. I am pretty sure next time we will pay the $10 for a professional haircut- at the rate Silas grows hair though, he might not need another cut for another 17 months!

Davison's Orchard

2008-10-19T13:48:00.001-07:00

Davison's Orchard is a family owned orchard and farm in Vernon. Over the years they have added a little produce market, gift shop, bakery, restaurant, playground and petting zoo to their property. They grow the biggest variety of apples I know of (ever tried a "Honey Crisp" or "Mutsu"?) and make the most delicious fruit pies I have ever eaten (yum, yum for "Apple Crate Berry" ones). They have pick-your-own vegetable patches and in September you can go on apple picking rides, while in October you can ride out to the Pumpkin Patch. Though Davison's is a quaint little place, before having kids, I hardly went there as it is also quite a major tourist trap as well! Weekends are packed up there and the apples, fruit pies, vegetables and pumpkins are undeniably pricey.

However, over the past few months Davison's has become one of mine and Silas' favourite places to visit! We love meeting up there for playdates. The kids adore the playground with the half buried tractors and us moms enjoy great Chai teas or lattes. Silas is not at all shy around the animals and loves feeding the goats and donkeys and sheep. A sheep nibbled his fingers by accident once, but he promptly hit its nose in protest! He had a great time apple picking with Lauren and grabbed apples both off the trees and off the ground, tasting them all. He got quite perplexed when we came upon rows of trees that had already been emptied though!

Davison's closes for the season at the end of the month. We will surely miss it over the winter and look forward to its spring reopening.

We love the Sexton's

2008-10-07T20:23:00.001-07:00

Josh, Silas and I just returned from visiting the Sexton's in Saskatoon. Josh and Riley met at Canadian Bible College in Regina. As a young punk first attending CBC, Josh never figured he would ever live in Saskatchewan or want to visit it after graduation. But we are so blessed by Riley and Candra's friendship and so privileged to be Gabriella's godparents (their eldest daughter), that as long as they are in Saskatchewan, we will be making appearances there too!

Silas had a fantastic weekend. Going up and down the staircase may have been his highlight, but he also could not get enough of Ella and Malachi (Eve at six months old was not quite old enough to be interesting to him, I guess). He loved following the kids around and they were wonderful about not getting frustrated as he destroyed every train track Malachi made and every tea party Ella hosted.

Riley and Candra, you are an awesome couple and an awesome couple of parents. You truly love us well. Thank you.

God reminded us this weekend that He has introduced us to some pretty cool people in our lives (among them, the Sexton's and Lauren, Seth, Andrea and Zoey who visited us at the Calgary airport during our stopover from Saskatoon to Kelowna, all our Alberta Pioneer buds and the community of supportive pals and family that has developed for us here in Vernon)- people who really know us, care for us and support us. Thank you all for a soul rejuvenating weekend.

Twins?

2008-09-25T20:22:00.000-07:00

At the end of August, we bid a sad farewell to our dear friends Steve, Anetha and Evan Kashuba as they moved up to Prince George. We shed many tears and have missed them terribly since. Thankfully, Steve's family lives in Vernon so we know they won't be able to stay away too long.

Last weekend, Silas and I travelled up there to spend four days with them. It was awesome to reconnect with them and see them in their new surroundings. We are quite sure Silas and Evan remembered each other and each seemed to adore being around another toddler 24/7. Evan graciously shared his toys and taught Silas to pet instead of cower from Anetha's parents' cat. It warmed our hearts to tote the two of them around together again. They are so darn cute together, many people even asked us if they were twins.

Thank you Kashuba's and Monkman's for hosting us and can't wait to see you again soon!

Only a matter of time...

2008-08-21T11:59:00.000-07:00

Karen the Klutz has struck again. We headed out early this morning on the boat with a couple friends. I was third in to the water, the light morning drizzle had subsided, the sun was peeking out, the water calm- no better time for me to improve at wakeskating. I completed a 180, went in and out of the wake a few times, but as I tried to link up two 180's, I fell. I actually thought "Oh, oh, I've never fallen off the front of the board before... hope it doesn't hit me when I surface..." But unfortunately, here I am, three stitches above my right eyebrow later:

Days with Dad

2008-08-17T20:49:00.001-07:00

My current work schedule has me working every other weekend, which means every other Saturday and Sunday Silas hangs one-on-one with Josh. They relax from the normal routine and sleep in (which more consists of Josh trying to get a bit more sleep by having Silas run around our bedroom fetching his hats or socks or playing with the phone), visit friends (Josh says it's a great technique to avoid having to entertain Silas himself) and get dirty playing in the garage or inside Josh's truck. They have a great time bonding together.

Josh is the first to admit the weekends can sometimes get chaotic. When I called home Saturday he answered, "Uhh, how do you do this?! Breakfast is all over the floor, there's clothes and toys everywhere, neither of us are fully dressed, it's pretty much time for lunch and I am quite sure Silas has a poopy diaper."

The day ended perfectly too: I arrived home from work to find Josh exhausted on the couch (clothes and toys everywhere) and to hear Silas fussing in his room though he should have been napping. I peeked in on Silas and found him standing up naked in his crib with the diaper he had pulled off laying in the middle of the room. Just as Josh arrived to survey this newest chaos, Silas promptly peed all over his mattress. Nothing to do but laugh!

What else has Silas been up to?

2008-08-15T00:38:00.003-07:00

With going back to work and the busyness of summer trips to the beach, visits to the park and attending weddings, I have just not been able to keep up with blogging. But I have really missed commenting on our family's quirks and changes as Silas grows.

I think Josh and I are almost ready to leave "baby" behind and move on to calling Silas a "toddler." A hard transition though! It is, however, undeniable that he toddles everywhere, loves to climb, likes to babble and is starting to demand instead of request- with subsequent mini head-thrown-back, foot-stomping, back-arched tantrums if those demands are denied. Silas can also point to his nose, toes, tummy, hands and feet. We are working on eyes and ears, but he most definitely knows where his "weiner" is too. He has discovered animal noises as well and can "moo," "bah", "sniff" (coupled with nose scrunching to represent a mouse ) and "neigh" (although it admittedly sounds more like a Morgan Hawkes cackle). Silas continues to be a tough kid who barely fusses if he slips off dad's skateboard or trips onto the ground or slips facefirst into the lake or his baby pool . He obviously can't get enough of the water hose either!

A Summer of Weddings and Boating

2008-08-11T00:38:00.000-07:00

Belated congrats to Michael and Crystal who married at the end of July and, more timely, congrats to Simone and Johnny who had a Canadian wedding ceremony and reception last weekend (they got married in Austria last March)! And that brings us to the end of the six weddings we attended this summer. While we doubt Silas will miss getting dressed up and shushed quiet for the weddings, it was a pleasure to be at each one. We delight in the commitments our friends have vowed to.

We have also had a blast boating this summer. We bought a Malibu 180, a "family run around" boat back in July and have relished the fun of living on the lake with a boat. It is awesome inviting friends over before work or on the weekend for a morning ski (or wakeboard or wakeskate) and hitting up water calmer than glass. Or going out for a quick rip after dinner. Or tossing my brother or Austrian niece around on the tube like rag dolls. And who could ever forget Seth Stimpson being dragged as a human "torpedo"? I've learned to 180 on the wakeskateboard, but Josh with his ollies and frontside/backside 180s and 360s in and over the wake is the one to be admired.

As for Silas, he's a pretty big fan of the boat too. He gets pumped up when we reach for his lifejacket. He jumps wild with excitement on the driver's seat as we get going and he "helps" Dad steer. Every so often the boat's vibrations will lull him to sleep and he will pass out for a nap, but he is usually happiest when yelling at us for having our hands on his steering wheel and when attempting to access that elusive throttle.

No Longer in his 20's

2008-07-05T23:54:00.001-07:00

Well, Josh turned 30 yesterday! Going to bed the night before his birthday, he moaned "This is the last night of my twenties, wouldn't it be really old of me if I didn't stay up all night or something?" Josh, if you are even half as fun, charming, energetic, adventurous and loving in your thirties as you've been in your twenties, you will never be in danger of being called "old." You are mine and Silas' most favourite person in the world. We love you and are so blessed by you. Happy Birthday!

PS- Enjoy your new boat!!

13 Months Old Already?!?

2008-06-29T20:02:00.001-07:00

Unbelievable... but a whole month has passed since Silas' first birthday. We had a ton of friends and family join us to celebrate the day. Thank you! Auntie Lauren even came up from Calgary and kept me sane as we prepared chicken wings and salads and veggies and fruit and cupcakes for the party. Not so easy as we were also managing a Silas who literally decided to ditch crawling in favour of walking full-time the morning of his party, but who also somehow grew just tall enough overnight to no longer be able to pass under the kitchen island where we working without clipping hishead. While we offered Silas a special cupcake at the party, this birthday boy was definitely more content to munch on a chicken wing or a corn on the cob.

The next weekend the Stimpson's dropped in for a visit on their way to Victoria and, on June 7, helped Josh and I celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary. We hired Grandad Brian (Josh's dad) to "babysit" Silas and Zoey (we had him arrive after the kids were asleep) and hit up the town. A big thanks to Grandad as I was thrilled for a date sans kids.

The following weekend we met up with the Stimpson's again, on the ferry, to travel over to Vancouver Island to attend James and Karen's beautiful wedding. We were so happy to go out to celebrate their marriage. Silas travelled just wonderfully. (A far easier trip than last summer when we brought 3 month old Silas to Josh's Aunt Dusty's 40th birthday in Duncan. We spent much of that weekend in the car listening to baby lullaby CD's over and over trying to keep his crying at bay.) This trip we stayed with Dean and Karen, Josh's aunt and uncle, played with Jonah, their 4 month old son, and cruised around the island hanging with our awesome Alberta crowd of friends and enjoying all the wedding festivities. Silas tolerated it all well, was completely mesmerized by a clarinet player at the wedding reception and delighted in tasting the salty ocean rocks at the beach. When we did arrive back in Vernon, he was however elated to be home and bounded from room to room all smiles as if to say "Oh, I recognize this couch and this bed and this kitchen and... look, it's my truck and my crib too!"

We've spent the last two weekends at weddings as well and extend our congratulations to Katy and Toby and Jeff and Cheryl. May your lives and marriages be blessed with joy. Enjoy this summer as newlyweds. Like us, I'm sure you're looking forward to relaxing at the beach and in the lake soon- but hmmm, maybe the beach with a 13 month old toddler who loves to eat sand and has no fear of deep water won't be as chill as I think... Happy Summer's to everyone anyway!

Happy 1st Birthday Silas Trystan Nikolaus Langner!

2008-05-28T07:21:00.001-07:00

Return to Cougar Canyon

2008-05-27T22:20:00.000-07:00

On this night last year, Josh, Lauren and I hiked into Cougar Canyon. As they finished their last rock climb, I started the trek back up to the car. I stopped to pee and suddenly had to exclaim "I'm not even kidding guys, but my water just broke!!"

With that, Josh zoomed down the rock face and we "dashed" to the car (as much as you can dash when you're 39 weeks pregnant, going into labour and having to stop about every 20 feet to let more water break).

Josh, Silas and I hiked back out to Cougar Canyon last night to reminisce. Smalls has developed from a little fetus kicking around my womb to an almost one year old Silas who can just about kick a ball walking around. That is truly one of God's miracles. Josh and I had no idea how completely helpless and dependent a newborn really is when born- they cannot roll, they can barely turn their head to the side, they are stuck in whatever position you place them in. (And to think Jesus became that for us...)

What a year and what a ride it has been... thank you, God.

Watermelon Junkie

2008-05-26T06:42:00.001-07:00

So, Silas is a big fan of watermelon too...

Corn Addict

2008-05-25T16:45:00.001-07:00

A couple weeks ago we had steak, corn and potatoes for dinner. Silas went MAD over the corn. Tantrums if we tried to take a cob away.

I wasn't sure if Silas would remember, so I tried to keep him from seeing the corn we were having tonight until after his rice and broccoli and potatoes. He was quite antsy with during dinner though, I swear he must have spied the corn in the veggie steamer!

He once again went to town when we handed one cob and then another over. What a two-fister!

Almost a Walker

2008-05-23T22:37:00.001-07:00

At eleven months old Silas started taking steps. He would suddenly be standing without holding on (stunning both us and himself). And then he started attempting the couch to coffee table hands free. From those first couple of independent steps he can now walk about 15 feet, but is not a "walker" yet. Crawling's still faster for Silas and wins out if time is of the essence- like dashing for the opened fridge or garbage can under the sink.

One year later...

2008-05-22T21:07:00.000-07:00

One year ago tonight, I was very excited. It was the night before my last shift at work, before the start of my maternity leave.

Tonight, however, is the last night of my mat leave. Impossible to believe a whole year has passed! Grandma Doris and Opa have graciously agreed to watch Silas during the week for us. Knowing how well he did with them while we were in Hawaii really puts my mind at ease, but I still feel bad having another secret bulldozer we are going to hit him with tomorrow.

Just after Silas was born, I almost craved work because life with a newborn was definitely harder than any physio work I had ever done. Thank God it is no longer so. I do not exactly want to return to work, but can accept it. Silas has a comfortable day and night routine, he eats well, has spent days away from us and sleeps through the night. It is also nice to feel okay about knowing life could be a bit rocky as we all get used to me working. Thank God for this peace (or perhaps obliviousness?) we have. We pray Silas will continue to thrive, we are thankful for the many who have gone before us and we pray I will be an asset at work and home.

Reunited!

2008-05-07T22:26:00.001-07:00

We returned to Vernon yesterday after an awesome time in Hawaii. We had so much fun surfing and snorkeling and surfing and not worrying about baby naps, snacks or bedtimes and surfing and hiking and surfing and touring and surfing and watching a sunrise from a dormant volcano and surfing.

But we were only able to enjoy ourselves so much because Silas was also having a great time with Grandma Doris! Our little guy did not freak out when he woke up and we were gone. In fact, Grandma says he only seemed to miss us a couple times during the week. Otherwise, Silas got spoiled just as any grandson should- staying up late, sleeping in late, falling asleep beside Grandma on the couch, playing with paper towel rolls (because as Opa says "It's a cheap way to buy a couple minutes of peace!"), learning adorable new gestures and words and being played with all day! What a blessing that everything went so well!

Silas was nervous when he met us at the airport. We had prepared ourselves for this and so didn't completely fall apart as he clung to Grandma Doris. He did quickly warm back up to us, although did lodge the occasional protests like "Uh, I should be eating dinner at Grandma and Opa's right now!" or "Oh no, I don't fall asleep on my own any more..." We are pretty much back into our routine though and once again having a ton of fun with our little man.

Goodbye Silas...

2008-04-30T03:43:00.000-07:00

Back at the beginning of March, our good friends Steve and Anetha Kashuba (Evan's parents) invited us to join them on a Hawaii vacation in early May. A vacation of with just the 4 of us- no babies! Steve's aunt had given them a Time Share to use to cover accomodations and by flying down on Aeromiles, Josh and I knew we would likely never have another chance to travel to Hawaii so cheaply. Also having just survived readjusting Silas to life in Canada, we were feeling quite ready for a break (and yes, feeling like we even might have deserved one!) With Grandma Doris generously agreeing to babysit Silas while we were away, we excitedly planned our 6 day getaway.

But sigh, the day has arrived for us to leave our little boy! Silas has gotten to be so much fun in the past month and with cries that are much easier to understand and now that he totally sleeps through the night and naps well, he's a real joy to be around! Could you leave a kid who gets such a kick out of hanging in his dad's truck?

It is very hard to leave him this morning. For the past week, everytime he smiles or giggles with us, I feel a pang of guilt. We knew we were about to hit him with a huge bulldozer of a change to life as he knows it, but he has been completely oblivious. We had to sneak out early this morning before he awoke to catch our plane and my heart aches to think how he will cry when neither Josh nor I are there to greet him at 6:30am. Let's hope his excitement at getting to see Grandma Doris so early in the day, wins out. I hate to think of him searching the rooms in our house for us. (Grandma Doris, you are taking on so much for us- thank you, thank you again.)

Little Silas, we love you endlessly and will miss you constantly. But you have already grown up so fast and we are pretty sure that you are ready for this step on the journey toward independence (sob, sob). You love your Opa and Grandma Doris and all the visitors who come our way, we know they will all take such loving care of you. We pray that, as people say, this time apart will be harder on us than you and that it will help us to be better, more rested and rejuvenated parents. We will feel lost without you (can we really go into a room without babyproofing it?) but we promise we'll be hugging and kissing and tickling you again soon. Bye, bye little one.

PS- Please do not take your first steps while we are away!

At the Playground

2008-04-29T22:43:00.000-07:00

Now that spring-like weather is back again, let me tell you about a day Silas and I enjoyed two weeks ago (and one we're looking forward to doing again soon).
After our Mother Goose singing program, we headed off to the park with Lexa, Evan and their moms.

It didn't take Silas long to get down and dirty in the sand.

He also enjoyed zooming down the tunnel away from Mom. Evan and Lexa were not big fans, but who can blame them when crazy Silas goes clambering all up and over them?

As always, Silas enjoyed the swings (but let me apologize again to Lexa for scaring her with a swing ride at Silas speed!) and trying to figure out how to go UP the slide too.

Just when he thought he couldn't possibly have more fun, Silas met the ducks of Polson Park. As expected, I spent most of the time keeping Silas out of the water.

Calgary is too cold!

2008-04-27T22:36:00.000-07:00

We spent last weekend in Calgary celebrating the marriage of Russ and Karen Watts. I laughed, thinking "Good 'ol Calgary," when we heard it would unfortunately be snowing the whole weekend- but the -21 degree windchills and constantly blowing snow and dead of winter road and driving conditions were horrible! Sure, it was chillier than normal when we landed back in Kelowna, but the hills were green, the sun shining and there wasn't any snow on the ground. Seriously, what's keeping you all out there, move here!

(Thank you Grandma Doris for once again sparing Silas a long card ride and treating all of us with flights to Calgary.)

Thank you to the Stimpson's for hosting us during our weekend. Thanks for the fun swim and not bedgrudging the trail of toys, clothes, remotes, phones, opened cupboards and food scraps that Silas seems to forever leave in his wake. Or the forgotten purses and carseats too! (And kudos to Mokiee for not getting frustrated with a baby who would swipe and want to play, but cry as soon as she moved toward him.) It was wonderful to catch up with you and all the rest of our former Calgary crew. We definitely miss being around you all.

Last weekend in Calgary reminded me we've come a long way with our formerly colicky little boy. We first travelled to Calgary with Silas when he was 6 weeks old. We were terrified of EVERTYHING then- travelling to and from airports with him, being "trapped" on a plane for a WHOLE hour with him, being without a bouncing exercise ball. It was so nice to feel calm before and during this last trip. Thank you God that parenting really does get easier!

Silas and Grizzlor

2008-04-14T11:15:00.001-07:00

Up until a few weeks ago, Silas was only interested in soft, chewy plastic toys. No interest at all in plush toys or stuffed animals. Around the time we started letting him cry himself to sleep, it became obvious he wanted some sort of toy to cuddle. Initially he only liked to hold a Robeez shoe, but then he became quite fond of a teddy bear. Or as Josh says, "The bear's name is Grizzlor- it's not a teddy bear, it's a grizzly bear he has to tame!" Nowadays wherever Silas the Mighty is, Grizzlor is likely close by. A bit of an homage to Calvin and Hobbes we guess.

You know you're a parent when...

2008-04-13T22:36:00.001-07:00

When we were about 10 months pregnant, Josh and I were given this "Pop'n Sing Apple" toy for Smalls. After testing it out and hearing the jarring melodies, we were pretty sure we'd need to save the toy for trips to Grandma's house. But as diaper changes have become quite the wrestling match, I'm always trying to distract Silas with toys. I reluctantly reached for the dreaded apple the other day, bracing myself for the ear splitting music I remembered. You know how I know we're parents- we didn't even flinch when "Pop Goes the Weasel" played. This toy seemed no different from the others Silas has been playing with. I guess we no longer have those pre-baby "virgin" ears.

Is this Normal?

2008-04-10T10:38:00.000-07:00

Back at the beginning of March, Silas went through a major 5 day teething bout. The works: snotty nose, drooling lips, bright red cheeks, a mouth and entire head that felt as hot as fire and wanting only to be held and cuddled (which is highly unusual for our active little guy).

Of course we did not see a glimpse of his new left upper tooth until about 2-3 weeks later. (We agree with the experts who say the most painful part of teething seems to be new teeth moving through the gums rather than breaking out of them.) The teething bout was so intense, we hoped Silas would cut more than just the one and assumed he would cut his top front teeth (his central incisors)at the same time like he did with the bottom two.

Silas' top front left tooth is now almost visible whenever he smiles and he has cut two more teeth... his top left eye tooth (upper lateral incisor) and his bottom left lateral incisor tooth! We're quite sure it's nothing to worry about yet, but do wonder what he's got against growing teeth on the right side of his mouth!

Where's Silas?

2008-04-02T11:46:00.000-07:00

Hmmm, if we're wondering where Silas may have disappeared to, there's a good chance we'll find him here...

Swinging Away

2008-03-31T10:51:00.001-07:00

We took Silas to the park for his first swing ride yesterday.

He's been a pretty fearless boy- loves being carried upside down and getting thrown up high and being "zoomed" around like an airplane then crash landing onto the bed or couch. He definitely loved the thrill of a swing too, underducks and all.

He likes posing

2008-03-30T15:22:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, Josh had Silas for the evening. To distract him long enough to finish doing dishes, Josh opened up the fridge for Silas to go at it. At first Silas seemed stunned, not quite believing this usually off limit area was his to explore.

(He had triumphed over Josh in the diaper change department too, hence the no pants and undone onesie.)

As Silas reached into the refrigerator, he was miffed to hear Josh behind him. That is until he heard the click of the camera... and turned around all smiles to strike a few poses.

Christ Has Risen!

2008-03-25T10:48:00.001-07:00

Happy Easter everyone! We hope you had a nice weekend celebrating the death and resurrection of our Saviour.

Last Easter James, Karen and Morgan visited us. We had some relaxing dinners and lazy mornings and anticipated Smalls' upcoming debut... Quite different from the 6:30am starts to the day and busy mornings filled with diaper changes (usually 2), pancake making while carrying a refusing-to-be-put-down 10 month old in one arm, baths to make up for the missed ones from the night before, packing enough food and toys and clothes for a morning and afternoon out, dashing off to church, spending half the service in the nursery admist the organized chaos of 15 other playing toddlers and teaching Silas the difference between touching versus eating sand at a picnic lunch that now make up life with Silas.

But as we reflect back on how different the Easter's were, we are reminded about how much more we have learned about God's love over the past 10 months.

Silas has confirmed how intricately and lovingly God created us. I marvel at what Silas can now do and what more he will be able to do (soon we'll see him walk, run, jump and by the time he's 3 or 4 he'll be able to tell us zebras live in Africa!) And God has worked out these achievements in such perfect timing... so both the baby and parents could be ready for it! And it seems so smiles, coos, hugs, kisses and saying "Dad" come at just the times when parents might need the encouragement.

We thank you God for the grace and patience that you, our perfect Father, have with us as parents. We pray that one day Silas and the other young ones in our life, Ella, Malachi, Evan, Lexa, Zoey, Jasper, Naomi and Tessa, will rejoice in the gift of your Son too.

The day Josh has been Waiting for

2008-03-01T07:14:00.000-08:00

Our friend Becky spoiled Silas with 2 pairs of Baby Vans shoes- definitely some of Josh's ultimate favourite baby gifts.

Silas can fit into the first pair now!

Thanks again, Becky!

9 months old

2008-02-28T21:36:00.000-08:00

Silas is 9 months old today. Like other things mom have said (that are mostly always true), the past nine months have just flown by!! With pregnancy usually considered 9 months long, it's like Silas has now lived outside the womb for as long as he was inside it. (And it's also kinda neat that Silas is also 39 weeks and 3 days old today and he was 39 weeks and 3 days "old" when he was born.)

Wow, we spent our first night together nine months ago... so much has changed since then! Thankfully, I'm not as scared or apprehensive as then and we definitely understand each other a lot better now, but you're still as special as you were May 28, 2007.

We love you everyday, Silas.

Breaking Bad Habits

2008-02-24T22:17:00.000-08:00

We have been back home in Vernon for two weeks now. Once again Silas travelled extremely well on the long flights home. Unfortunately, the transition back to life here has not been as smooth as adjusting to life in Singapore was. It took about a week for Silas to recover from his jet lag. Now we are finding the bigger issue is teaching our little guy to sleep by himself. The three of us shared a room in Singapore and Silas got very used to us being there every time he stirred or fussed during the night. He sometimes wakes up every hour now looking for us, wanting his soother, needing to be patted back to sleep. Although we understand why it's happening, it's taking its toll. We spent about a month in Singapore, so maybe it will take a month to break the habit?! We welcome any suggestions you may have...

Happy (Belated) Valentine's Day!

2008-02-16T16:34:00.001-08:00

(Yes we arrived back to Canada four days ago, but we'll update on that later.)

Thank you to Grandma Meow Meow for being Silas' Valentine's date and watching him while we went out for dinner! Especially since the end of the evening got a bit exhausting for both of you.

PS- It's blurry in the picture, but Silas somehow got a heart-shaped scratch on his forehead today.

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

2008-02-07T00:08:00.000-08:00

Happy (Chinese) New Year everyone!

Today is the first day of this year's Chinese lunar calendar. All the festivities surrounding this time of year are quite like the Christmas time celebrations back home.

Twenty four of our family members gathered for a traditional New Year's Eve "Reunion Dinner" at Uncle Francis' house last night. We feasted on a steamboat dinner, with claypot "New Year" fish and noodle dishes to savour as well, that took Auntie Julie and her team of helpers (including Grandma Doris and our very own Joshuah Langner) about 10 hours to prepare. Auntie Julie also treated us to homemade almond and pineapple cookies and some layered cakes that took 6 hours to bake. And just like at Christmas for us, snacks also litter the coffee tables here- dried fruit, barbecued pork, dried cuttlefish, chocolates, candies and nuts are all available to ensure we gain the traditional 5kg of holiday weight.

After dinner, we watched the Singapore Chinatown countdown to midnight and fireworks display on TV and left Uncle Francis' shortly after, leaving him and a few other uncles to play and gamble at mahjong and cards until 3:00am.

This morning we awoke, dressed Silas in his New Year duds and began our visiting. (Everyone gets the first two days of Chinese New Year off work.) We stopped in at Eric's parents' flat (Uncle Stephen and Auntie Annie) where my mom is staying while in Singapore. As we will do throughout the new year season, we exchanged 2 oranges (for prosperity), with best wishes and blessings for the new year, with each elder present. And as we are married, Josh and I gave "Ang Bao" (red envelopes with money inside) to Eric's younger brothers. It was a chance for Silas to receive his first Chinese New Year ang bao's too.

Because my grandparents are no longer living, we then travelled to Uncle Thiam Hock's flat (he is my eldest uncle). We met up with my Uncle Francis and his family there. After exchanging oranges, giving (to our younger relatives) and receiving (Silas is starting to become quite interested in the red packets) ang pow's and indulging in more goodies, Josh, Silas and I headed back home for a nap and quiet time.

Tonight, my Auntie Siew Geok will welcome about 50(!) of us relatives to her house for dinner and, of course, more mahjong and cards.

Chinese New Year celebrations will continue for the next two weeks, so for Josh, Silas and I our final days in Singapore will end as they began- with lots more fun visiting and eating!

PS- Thank you to Eric and Priscilla for teaching us about the new year customs. And thank you to everyone else for being patient with us as we blundered our way through them!

A Shameless Flirt

2008-02-05T15:57:00.001-08:00

Our little guy is still not a fan of carseats or car trips. He also tires of the MRT after about 15 minutes, but a definite plus about riding the subway is all the strangers Silas gets to interacts with. He continues to love to look at and play with other kids and babies, and now young, pretty, Asian girls too. He will shamelessly lock his eyes on a girl, let a smile creep across his face and coo as if to say "Hee-lll-ooo. I'm Silas. What do you say we ditch these two companions of mine and go somewhere together?" If takes a bit to get a girl's attention, Silas doesn't mind, he'll just start yelling at her or reach for her hand or pull at her skirt.

When we're out walking and Silas tires of his stroller, Josh will hoist him up onto his shoulders. Silas, of course, loves the attention and giggles this pose draws. He will flash smiles and even do a sort of leg pumping/jumping dance on his perch up there for any and all who glance his way.

He enjoys playing with all his relatives too, but definitely the aunties and girl cousins most it seems. Especially my cousin Eric's wife Priscilla (the couple we're staying with). One day at the table, Silas was babbling away at and playing with Priscilla. When Eric put his arm around her, Silas actually yelled at him as if to say "Hey man, back off, she's mine!"

He loves women so much already, it's just going to get worse isn't it?

A family Surf Trip

2008-02-05T15:54:00.000-08:00

Besides his first trip to Asia and all the other "firsts" that that encompasses, this trip to Singapore has also brought about Silas' first trip on a bus, first ride on a subway, first spin on a bicycle... and now his first dip in the ocean and first ride on a surfboard!

We just returned from a 5 day mini-break to Desaru, Malaysia. As it is currently monsoon season, the ocean was too rough to really swim in, but just fun enough to catch some (small for Josh, but just perfect for Karen sized) waves to surf. Being monsoon season, the resort we stayed at was also deserted during the week, which was nice as there was nobody to mind the mess or noise Silas made in the dining room!

Thank you to Uncle Francis and Auntie Julie for treating us to the stay at the resort! And to Grandma Doris, Auntie Sock Hong, cousins Wilfred, Emma, Matthew, Patria and little Timothy for joining us on the weekend. Thank you for baby sitting Silas while Josh and I snuck away for some surf sessions together- Silas didn't mind hanging with Josh or I on the shore while the other surfed, he smiled seeing us "stand" on the water and liked having water splash against his legs and loved crawling around on the beach, but trying to keep sand out of his mouth was always a losing battle. We just feel bad we had monsoon rains while you were there and not the sunny skies like our first 3 days in Desaru.

A Day in the Life of the Langner's in Singapore...

2008-02-05T07:37:00.000-08:00

Silas' bedtime is a bit later here and so he usually wakes up around 9:00am. He nurses, and then is ecstatic to be out of his "cage" to attack the bedroom- climbing over the mattresses, digging through the suitcases, attempting to scale the bed and, of course, mouthing anything he comes across. He's recently started throwing tantrums if we disagree with and remove something that crosses his lips! He is able to crawl from the bedroom to the kitchen where we prepare his (solid) food breakfast, as he plays with a basket of plastic clothes pins. When he's had enough of the basket, he typically attempts to access the kitchen drawers or the adjacent bathroom.

To work off breakfast, Silas cruises around the living room couches and coffee table, half-heartedly playing with toys while trying to pounce on the real objects of his affection: the wastepaper basket and the DVD player shelf. As Josh watches Silas (becoming ever more familiar with the phrase "No Silas, you can't touch that...") and gets him dressed, I pack up our day's supplies of snacks, meals, water, toys, clothes, diapers, wipes. If we're lucky, we get out the door before Silas needs his morning nap.

And where do we go? Often either to meet up with a relative for lunch or to the local pool for some laps and splashes. Unlike most Singaporeans, we try to walk as much as we can. The heat and humidity and high heeled shoes all the women wear are definitely good excuses not to walk, but we did laugh when we asked for directions to the pool and MRT (subway) station and were told the 10 minute walks were "much too far" and taking a bus was necessary.

Some afternoon stops have included a trip to the skateboard park. Silas LOVES his dad's board and enjoys going for spins on it too.

In the evenings, we usually meet up with family to eat and visit.

So while there definitely hasn't been as many sightseeing stops or little backpacking excursions this trip to Singapore (will we ever remember a baby changes everything?!), we treasure getting to spend everyday hanging out the 3 of us as a family.

"Food of the Gods"

2008-01-22T16:51:00.000-08:00

When asked what we do in Singapore, our first response is usually "Eat, eat, eat!!" Singaporean food includes a mix of Chinese, Malay, Indian, Thai, Vietnamese and Indonesian dishes that are about a million times more delicious than anything we have in Canada. We have indulged in many old favourites already including: Roti Prata, Murtabak, Hokien Mee, Pompiah, Curry, Chicken Rice, Nasi Lemak, Milo, Kaya, Ice Kachang, duck and other noodle dishes. While I beg off the really unusual dishes, my family definitely enjoys Josh's willing spirit to also try foods like Fish Maw (fish stomach), crab eggs (they all exclaim the inside of the crab is the BEST part!!) and of course... Durian fruit.

Now for those of you who have had the good fortune to yet encounter a durian, it is the most noxious smelling fruit you can imagine. Even those who love it must plug their noses when consuming. The fruit is made up of creamy, milky white, mango-textured pods (about 12+ per fruit) enclosed in a spiky, hard, beige shell you cleaver open. People who love it, LOVE it. Josh and I do not fall into this category and may therefore not be welcomed in heaven as my family insists, "This is the food of the Gods, it is the only food eaten in heaven!"

Silas, on the other hand, will be welcomed with open arms! He sucked on a pod without flinching... maybe it's soothing to his bottom 2 teeth that are coming through?

Congratulations Kelvin and Yvonne!

2008-01-19T16:23:00.000-08:00

We celebrated the marriage of my cousin Kelvin and his sweetheart of eight years, Yvonne, yesterday. The celebration provided the biggest family gathering of our trip so far.

Early Saturday morning, Kelvin with his brothers (groosman) went to fetchYvonne from her parents' home. Upon arrival, Yvonne's sisters (bridesmaids) demanded Kelvin complete certain, slightly embarrasing, tasks (like eating foods he doesn't like, singing silly serenades, paying ransoms, reciting poetry) before being permitted to see his bride. (After the wedding day, traditionally, the wife may no longer tease her husband.) Having completed the required tasks, Kelvin and Yvonne paid a visit to their new flat, where they turned on their bedside lamps and ate some "prosperous" food dishes. We had Silas, Ezra and Timothy ready to play on their bed (to hopefully bless them with children, especially sons, in their marriage) but their services were not requested!

After visiting their new home, Kelvin and Yvonne came to his mother's house, my Auntie Siew Geok, for a traditional Chinese Tea Ceremony. They paid respects to their dead ancestors, ate some more prosperous food, then proceeded to serve each of the elder relatives present their cups of tea. As my Uncle Francis jokes, "it is expensive tea," because after being served, the relative will offer a blessing and place an Ang Pow (red packet) containing money or jewelery on the tea tray. Having served so much tea and thus being "thirsty" themselves, Kelvin and Yvonne sat down to be served cups of tea by their younger, single, relatives, gifting each of them with an Ang Pow too.

Once the tea ceremony was completed, we ate a buffet lunch while Yvonne changed out of her white wedding dress into a Chongsam (traditional Chinese dress) to return to her parents' home for a tea ceremony with her relatives.

At 7:00pm, (after a much anticipated Starbucks pit stop for Josh) we gathered at a downtown hotel for the fanciest wedding dinner we have ever attended. Kelvin and Yvonne chose a beautiful ballroom and showcased the coolest wedding photos and video around. The dinner included the servers and head chef parading out the food, a grand entrance by the wedding couple admist special lighting and dry ice and a rousing Yam Seng chorus (toast) to Kelvin and Yvonne. Just like at Christmas Silas, drank in all the festivities... but was too played out at the end to do little more than smile during our closing family photo.

In Singapore

2008-01-17T18:44:00.000-08:00

After spending a relaxing weekend with the Stimpson's in Calgary, we embarked on a 26 day trip to Singapore. Having had Grandma and Opa Linemayr book us Business Class Singaporean Airline tickets through Aeroplan, Josh and I would normally have been quite excited about the flight over. For you see, the last time we flew to Singapore, we hung out in ariport lounges, Josh drank around12 cappucino's on the plane and we watched about 4 movies during the trip (when we weren't sleeping in 90% reclinable seats). This time though, with a 7 1/2 month old baby, we DREADED the 22 hour long flight. (And nearly regretted booking the trip before Silas was born, before we understood how a baby changes EVERYTHING.)

But as prayer has a wonderful way of doing, our little boy did AMAZING on the flight! Praise God! And thank you to everyone who remembered us in prayer on our journey. Silas napped and slept well in the airports and on the plane, enjoyed the little play area we made for him at our feet on the plane, loved all the new strangers he was seeing (loving how they were all quick to play peekaboo with him) during the travel and soaked up having 2 parents available to entertain him at all times. He tasted kiwi and mango and croissant for the first time and loved them all. He even vegged out to Ratatouille for 10 minutes a few times. We brought a bag full of toys for Silas, but as irony would have it, his favourite toys during the flight were a Singapore Airlines toothbrush and toothbrush holder. And like any man, Silas' favourite thing to look at were the beautiful Singapore Airline stewardesses. Not kidding at all. Silas stopped anything and everything when one walked by, smiled and cooed as soon when one came over and crawled after them, fast, when they walked away. He's already a ladies' man!

Another really fun memory came during our refuelling stop in Hong Kong. We exited the plane with Silas riding high on Josh's shoulders to the delight of the lined up (predominantly femlae) ground crew, who giggled and ooh-ed and ahh-ed as we walked past. Silas, of course, soaked all that up and smiled and and cooed and bounced around even more. He received the same reception through security and in the Hong Kong airport stores.

Arriving in Singapore, Silas still had lots of energy to be carried by and play with his Grand Uncle Stephen and Grand Uncle Francis and my cousin Eric who met us here. We are so thankful he never had a "What the heck am I still doing on this freakin' airplane?!?!?" freakout. We've been here a few days now, it's hot and humid, but our little guy continues to adjust well to the new place and the time change and the crowds. We admit that we've got a pretty happy baby (especially since he flew the whole way while cutting his (first) two bottom teeth!)

He's mobile!

2008-01-07T07:32:00.000-08:00

Silas got up onto his feet with his palms on the ground Christmas Eve and looked ready to attack crawling. He didn't quite get the hang of it and had to settle for creeping commando style along the ground (but at least was now going forward instead of pushing backward like before). Since Christmas, he has continued to take stumbling crawls forward- not quite strong enough to support his weight or able to figure out the pattern of alternating hands and feet. But to his credit, he never got frustrated.

Yesterday morning though, Silas started crawling with a purpose! He zeroed in on my peanut butter toast and zoomed right across his playmat to my plate. I beamed and swelled with pride. Josh was so sad he missed it while at work, but thankfully Silas performed for his dad in the evening too. Silas now loves crawling up to the shelves in his room and emptying the toy baskets, as well as crawling into the kitchen after Grandma and Opa and crawling up to the laundry basket to pull up to standing. I am definitely thankful Silas didn't start crawling over Christmas- I know he would have enjoyed pulling at all the ornaments like he loved pulling the DVDs off the shelf today. Josh and I were hoping Silas wouldn't get the hang of crawling until after our long plane ride to Singapore next week, but we're both all smiles watching our little son motor around. It was pretty cute when instead of simply sitting in the living room bored and wanting to go to bed, he crawled around the couch (whining with every step) to tell me in person.

PS- I guess "Christmastime" was the closest right answer on the crawling survey. Maybe the next survey question should be "What's the first non-baby proof thing Silas will get into?"

Happy New Year!

2008-01-02T22:19:00.000-08:00

We pray the year is starting off well for you all! Josh and I became parents in 2oo7 and I look forward to settling in to the role in 2008.

We rang in 2008 by first attending an "All Pink New Year's" party (hence Silas' outfit)and bonfire, then made our way to a second party with a fondue and rousing Cranium game.

Silas passed out before we got to the second party and spent the night in his clothes. Sigh, it's probably how he'll celebrate some of his future New Year's too...

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-28T11:21:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-17T15:02:00.000-08:00

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...

2007-12-14T06:55:00.000-08:00

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!

2007-12-06T08:00:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-06T05:47:00.000-08:00

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...

A Glimpse into the Future?

2007-11-17T06:08:00.001-08:00

Before becoming a mom, I never knew that babies were truly born with their own personalities. Silas has a friend Lexa who is 2 months older and a friend Evan who is 2 weeks older than him. We all go to the same church and so spend time hanging out and joking about how this threesome will grow up together. Lexa is a little tank and just tough! At only 8 months old, she crawls (and has been doing that for 2 months already) and pulls herself up to standing (her mom learned that about a month ago when Lexa climbed out of her crib) and she is saying words ("Hi Dad," "Bye bye," and "Boo"). She will definitely be the dominant one out of our 3 kids and will decide what game and when the 3 of them will be playing. Evan is a mellow kid. Whenever they are riding in the backseat and Silas is having another car tantrum freakout, Evan will look at him as if to say "C'mon, seriously, haven't you figured it out by now? We're in the car, we're going for a ride. They always stop eventually and let us out. Haven't you learned that it's way more pleasant if you just sit and chill?!?" When you lay Silas and Evan down on the floor together, Silas will twist his body about, crane his neck in every direction and kick his legs like crazy. Evan will just... lie there. Evan will be the easy going one out of the 3 kids, he'll probably never want to play with Lexa or Silas unless they're reading a book or doing a puzzle. We figure Silas will be the intense, up one minute and down the next, spazzy kind of kid. He will probably be high energy, with an attention span on the shorter side of things like his Dad wanting to play hide and seek and Star Wars and Transformers and do it at the waterpark and at the playground with Lego.

Last night, Lexa and her parents came over for dinner. She crawled over to Silas in his exersaucer, hauled herself up and snatched the soother right out of his mouth (you can see it in her hand). To his credit, Silas didn't spaz out though- instead he wondered how his friend had a soother that looked so similar to the one he usually sucked on. We were able to slip him another one...unfortunately Lexa eventually got a hold of that one too!

"This Too Shall Pass"

2007-11-16T08:14:00.001-08:00

When my friend Katy spent the year after high school in Brazil, she would often repeat the quote "This too shall pass" as she dealt with homesickness and all the other challenges and adjustments that come with living away from home.

It's something I've also repeated a lot to myself since becoming a mom. Reassuring myself that yes, colic does end and no, Silas will not always have to be rocked to sleep and yes, phases of multiple night wakenings do improve.

And yes thankfully, it did not take Silas another 4 1/2 months to get back onto our preferred sleeping schedule! It seems he has adjusted to eating rice cereal (although Josh and I are not comfortable with not-just-pure-breast-milk bowel movements yet). Thank God that Silas is again sleeping around 10:00pm, with a feed between 4:00 and 5:00am and a wake up between 8:00 and 9:ooam. There's often 1 or 2 soother replacements during the night and sometimes he joins me in bed around 7:00am so I can secure another hour or so of sleep, but our little guy is definitely sleeping in longer stretches and more able to soothe himself when he stirs.

I think Silas is ready for a second helping of rice cereal during the day, but we will probably wait until December to add that in. He and I leave Sunday for Dallas, Texas to visit my cousins there for a week. We'll be sharing a room with Grandma Doris and I don't think she'd appreciate a return of multiple night wakenings. We'll try to keep things as normal as possible for little Silas.

And speaking of travelling, I would totally appreciate prayers for patience (for both me and Silas) as we spend Sunday on planes and in airports, for quiet places to calm down in (Silas doesn't do too well with crowds for too long), as easy a transition as possible into staying at a new house for a week and then readjusting to life back at home, and for Josh, me and Silas as we have not been apart so long yet. Thank you!

PS- Yes, Silas is sleeping on his side. When he was 3 weeks old, I let him sleep on his tummy. I think it helped his colic and it was the only way to get more than a 2hour stretch of sleep out of him. When he was about 3 months, he suddenly objected to that position and his since preferred side sleeping.

An End in Sight?

2007-11-13T19:49:00.000-08:00

From right about when the books said it could start, at about 6 weeks old, Silas has been King of Spitting Up. He has left his DNA on almost every piece of furniture, article of clothing and inch of carpet in our house. We are pretty sure our house has an "Eau de Dairy" fragrance about it. But just as the books said, as Silas approaches 6 months old, the spit ups are lessening!

Since Sunday, our little boy has been regurgitating only 1-2 times after feedings- a huge improvement on the normal 6-7 lake-sized puddles he usually produces! Yesterday, he only needed 2 bibs to get through the day and over the past 3 days, he and I have only worn 1 outfit per day. I am surprised by how joyful I am at the thought that Silas' spitting up may be nearing its end, but I really am quite excited. I am also relieved we do not have to buy stocks in a bib company and that we can finally hire some carpet cleaners.

Half an hour after his morning feed and still no spit up!

With only Bib#2 at 7:30pm!

Welcome to Life Outside the Womb, Zoey!

2007-11-09T10:56:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Seth and Andrea on the birth of little Baby Stimpson! Welcome to parenthood, we are soo excited for and have so much faith in you. Josh and I have been checking for e-mail or facebook or blog updates almost hourly waiting for the first glimpse of their beautiful baby girl and now can't stop checking her out :) I introduced Silas to Zoey this morning... not too unexpectedly, I don't think he realized the significance of the picture I was showing him. Hmm, I'm sure when he meets her he'll be all about touching and exploring her face though. And maybe in 15 years or so he'll be even more interested in his Godparents' pretty little daughter???

Daylight Savings TIme

2007-11-08T22:33:00.000-08:00

Usually the day I look forward to the most during the fall, I dreaded turning the clocks back 1 hour this year. It took us 4 1/2 months to achieve Silas' sleep routine of 10:00pm bedtime, 4:00am feeding and 8:30am wake up, a routine that Josh and I were pretty OK with. I figured Silas would be oblivious of daylight savings time and would start waking up around 7:00am and I would not get to enjoy sleeping in that little bit. Thankfully after only one night of sleeping at 9:00pm and waking at 7:00am, Silas was back on track.

Now if only he'll get used to eating solids and stop waking up at 1:00am, 3:30am and 6:30am... Lord, please let it not take another 4 1/2 months!

Not just Mommy's Milk anymore...

2007-11-02T17:12:00.000-07:00

As alluded to, to keep Silas entertained while we sat around visiting with friends during our weekend in Calgary, we let him suck on different foods. By the end of the weekend, he was pretty proficient at gumming crackers, bread and grapes. I even spotted a grape peel in his poopie diaper. Needless to say, he's developed quite a taste for solid food- he now smiles big and gets excited whenever we open the fridge.

Yesterday I sat him down for a bowl of pablum. He instantly directed the spoon to his mouth and wasn't shy about eating out of the bowl or off his bib either. He even asked for seconds. I guess he's growing up and the weaning process has begun... sigh, it does make me a bit sad.

And yes, that is Silas sitting in a Bumbo on a raised surface. And yes, I did turn my back for a second in which he wriggled out and landed face first on the counter. And yes, I've learned my lesson and the Bumbo now stays on the floor and I thank God he wasn't seriously hurt. But no, I don't think the chairs need to be recalled- it was my negligent parenting!

Happy Hallowe'en!

2007-11-01T21:36:00.000-07:00

When Silas was born, some of the first things commented were:
1) Wow, he's a boy!
2) Wow, he's got none of Karen's dark features.
3) Wow, he looks exactly like Josh!
4) Wow, he's, uhh, inherited Josh's big ears. Wow, they're, uhh, Yoda-league size.

Thus, the inspiration for our little man's first Hallowe'en costume (and ours as well since we are continually reminded our world revolves around him). But we're sure the master Jedi would agree "Cute Silas is, yes." Since we did end up having to order the costume in from the US, Silas has gotten quite used to donning the little ensemble. He basically lived in it yesterday- it's awesome how oblivious he is of his flopping green headress. We're proud to say Silas won best costume at our youth group party yesterday; yeah, we'll wait until he can at least walk before we take him house to house trick or treating gathering candy for us.

A huge thank you to the Stimpson's for hosting us last weekend in Calgary and to Baby Stimpson for letting Silas crash in her room! It really helped him stay on schedule . Congrats to Mokiee and Roxy for good behaviour around a baby, little Baby Stimpson will enjoy them immensely. Thank you also to all you friends who came by to hang out and visit- and for entertaining and holding our son, even if it meant your fingers might get dirty while pacifying him with a piece of bread or a grape or a carrot. We loved reconnecting again; thank you for continuing to include us in your community, we treasure the bond and closeness we share in Christ.

PS- Josh is dressed up as George Lucas.

5 months ago today...

2007-10-28T06:40:00.000-07:00

At this time exactly five months ago, Josh and I were in the delievery room. I was writhing with the pains of back labour, Josh was discussing Dicaprio's accent in "Blood Diamonds" with the on-call (South African) obstetrician and we were both thinking any future children we might have would most definitely need to come by way of adoption because we sure could not going to go through this again!

But a spinal anesthetic and a pair of forceps and just 5 short, though long, hours later we welcomed Silas Trystan Nikolaus Langner (formerly known simply as "Smalls") into life outside the womb.

We have never worked harder than in the past 5 months, especially not on so little sleep! Thank you so much to family (especially Grandma Doris) and friends who helped and prayed us through Silas' colic and for your continued love, faith, encouragement, support, prayers and babysitting.

Our lives are very different now than 5 months ago, but little Silas, we would never trade for them back. I deeply understand what my friends words, "A baby is the best thing to happen to 2 people" and "Your heart now lives outside your body." It may be crazy hormones still, but as I write that I am close to bawling.

Now your colic was something else, and you're still an intense, high strung little boy, but your smiles and chatter and laughs are some of God's most beautiful creations. You have changed so much, so quickly (although 11+ weeks of colic does not necessarily fly by) and while we do not want to forget a single milestone or quirk or adventure, your dad and I just are not journallers or scrapbookers.

So, we offer this blog to you. Thank you to your godmothers for the encouragement. Besides, now we get to share you with more people too, because as your dad says "Who couldn't think that Silas is the cutest baby in the world?" Plus, it will also be a way to track the "running tab" you have with us; you currently owe me an extra 5-6 hours of sleep per night x 153 nights- as you get older, I'll accept repayment in the form of massages or chores done while I sit on the couch or we'll call it even if you just continue to wake up no more than once a night! You'll have to negotiate repayment for missed climbing, biking, camping and fishing trips with your father though.

Silas, before you, your dad was my favourite. Now you are too. We love you and we thank God for you daily.