Holy Cow!

Derrek Lee had better get off the DL soon, because this kid is breathing down his neck. My cousin Mark sent Silas his first Cubs outfit; Mark also gave me my first Cubs hat 26 years ago when we moved away from Chicago. Silas may play a stint with the Asheville Tourists before hitting the big time, though.

Learning to look

Newborns seem to spend half of their waking life doing nothing, then all of a sudden they do something amazing.













Silas is starting to observe the world and to react to what he observes.













He can fix his eyes on an object, or a face, or a pet, and he occasionally lets us know that he likes what he sees.













If you ask his parents, they'd say he's amazing.

Kevin and Christine

Morning Daddy Time

Yesterday morning, while Silas and I were walking Joey, we met a woman who stopped to admire my two charges. As she went on her way, she said "Morning daddy time. You should really remember this."

Morning daddy time is actually my favorite part of the day. It's an effort to give Christine 2 hours of uninterrupted sleep after my run and before she starts her day. I usually carry Silas in the sling and walk around the house or the neighborhood. We eat breakfast, do laundry, pay bills, eat more breakfast, and listen to NPR. If the weather is nice, we go to the park, walk the dog, or head to the Green Line for coffee and bagels. Silas spends most of this time asleep, but occasionally wakes up to look at me and his surroundings. If he starts to fuss, I can usually walk up and down the stairs a few times to put him to sleep. I talk to Silas and tell him about today, and the time before he was born, and a little about the future. Finally, when he decides it's time for his second breakfast, we bring him back to the bed for some morning mommy time.

Our favorite cherry tree

You may have noticed that a certain gorgeous weeping cherry tree keeps appearing in our photos... this is the tree that I was walking under May 22nd 2005 when I realized that I was ready to grow our family to include someone new. I looked around at the trees and lovely little West Philadelphia gardens as they transitioned from spring to summer and tried out the thought "Next spring, when this tree is in bloom again, I could be holding my baby".

It's been an amazing year.
~Christine

He weighed HOW MUCH?

Me double checking his weight on the homebirth scale (it's a fish scale)




I'm sure most of you were almost as surprised as I was about the size of this boy (some of you apparently weren't surprised at all but were experienced enough with the delicate balance of a full term pregnant woman not to say much that might have tipped me into worry). So the questions I ask myself and hear from others are:
1) how did I so grossly underestimate his size in utero? (last estimate was 7 1/2 pounds)
2) how did I manage to grow such a rotund fetus? (actual birth weight was just over 9 1/2 pounds)

Here's how I answer these questions for myself:
1) In the last month he was in a position with his back to my back so whenever we (the midwives who loved to palpate the belly) tried to guess his weight we couldn't actually feel the big chunky parts. I knew this was a possibility and the research says that the average underestimate in this position is 1 1/2 pounds. So in my head I would start to add the extra pound and a half and somehow my brain would never finish the thought (self protective I guess) and so I'd get distracted and go have another bowl of Weetabix instead of worrying about it.
2) see Weetabix comment above.
Well, maybe that isn't all of it. I ate well, gained an average amount of weight, walked at least 2 miles almost every day of my last 2 months of pregnancy, ... all the stuff I recommend to my midwifery clients, and I always say to them "If you are healthy and take care of yourself you'll grow the right size baby for you". So apparently I didn't really believe it for my own pregnancy (as evidenced by my fixation on underestimating his size) but now I fully embrace my own advice. What a way to learn more about being a midwife.
~Christine

First bath, first word

Silas has had sponge baths, but last night he got his first bath in the tub. He quite enjoyed the warm water and kept the soap out of his eyes, so we'll be looking forward to more bathing in the future.

He has also been repeating his first word: "Ghee". We're not sure what he means, but it's probably something like "I'm so full of milk that I don't know what to do with myself, yet I am still vaguely unsatisfied. Maybe some clarified butter would help." We're looking forward to more chatter from this little boy, who is obviously very advanced for his age.

Also, here are some toes.

Easter Bunny

We took Silas out for another walk on a beautiful spring day today. He went to his second party, a brunch at our friend Margit's house, and we dressed him in bunny ears to match the bunnies on his feet. We managed to squeeze him into another of his newborn sized outfits while we still can.

We weighed Silas earlier this week and he came in at nearly 10.5 pounds! Must be all of the chocolate croissants from the Restaurant School that Christine has been eating.

we've been very busy lately...

Kevin has been working half days, running (38 miles last week) and changing every single diaper (except the 3 that I've changed) so of course he has to rest a lot too.

Christine has been getting out everyday for a walk to smell the flowers (and to get some pastries from the shop, it takes a lot of calories to feed a growing boy)

And Silas has been airing out his butt, getting sponge baths, eating lots and lots and providing hours of entertainment for everyone else with all his great faces and cute noises.

~Christine

My New Fighting Technique is Unstoppable

Never wake a sleeping ninja.

Sweet pea

We took Silas for another outing yesterday, this time to CVS and then to Sam's place for coffee and cupcakes. Christine took the opportunity to sit out on the deck at Sam's to get some late afternoon rays.

We weighed and measured this pea again, and he is 9 lbs 13 oz, and 21" long. He's been sleeping very peacefully at night, but also asks Christine (politely) to nurse about every hour until a little after midnight. As a result, we're going to try to go to bed a little earlier to make up for lost sleep. While Christine naps during the day, I rock Silas or wear him in the sling while I work on my dissertation.

In the Navy

Silas's umbilical cord fell off Thursday night - turns out there was a naval hiding under there.

Friday afternoon was sunny and warm, so we went for a stroll and then Christine and I had date night - takeout Thai and Forrest Gump - on the approximate anniversary of our first date in 1995.

Perambulation

Today we went on our first family walk in the neighborhood, enjoying the spring blossoms. Well, some of us slept the whole time. We're looking forward to many great days enjoying West Philly in the spring. See you at the coffee shop!

Christine

Gratuitous baby photos

The Farmer Goes to Town

When Silas was born, as soon as Christine and Jessi saw him, they both decided that he looked like a farmer. The point was driven home yesterday when we fastened him into his "cowmooflage" car seat to drive to his first pediatrician's visit. This was also Christine's first trip outside of the apartment. The doctor visit went well, and Silas is back up to his birth weight (9 lbs, 10 oz). We stopped on the way home to pick up 4 dozen pierogies for Christine's dinner.

The evils of drink

This stuff will knock you out!

We all had a great sleep last night, due largely to Ian's flourless chocolate cake and Christine's copious milk. We had lots of visitors over the weekend, but we tried to make sure that Christine had plenty of time to nap between visits. This resulted in help around the house, two kinds of soup and homemade bread, and some great desserts.

I spent the morning with Silas napping on my chest while we listened to the Magnetic Fields and I tried to hit the low notes. He may need to talk to his analyst someday about that, but fortunately the album ends on a high note (It's Only Time). Love doesn't always end badly.

Christine's mom arrived today for a few day's stay. This will mean some relief for me and will be great fun for Christine. I'll spend a little time at work starting this week, too.

By the way, did I mention that my baby is a fat little elf?

Footsie

We finally made footprints last night. We'll scan these eventually when we get our hands on a
scanner. For the record, that paw is 3 3/8 inches long.

Fully dressed

Our baby actually does wear clothes sometimes. This stunning ensemble includes a kimono from Grandma, a wool soaker from Tammy, and booties knit by Jessi. (oh, and crossed eyes are funny looking but normal in a person who just spent 9 months in a dark pool)

Happy Due Date

Christine's milk came in last night which meant lots of nursing for the little guy, but he seemed strangely unsatisfied this morning. I got up early to walk him on this beautiful spring morning down to Clark Park and back. On a hunch, to calm him, I let him have a drop of espresso off of my fingertip. He's my boy, all right, because he settled right down for an hour's walk in his sling.

Today will be a big day because Christine and I will be filling out the birth certificate. After a few days of calling him Silas, though, we realize that we've really become attached to his in utero name of Cletus, so we will be going back to Cletus Arthur Jude. We're very sorry about our indeciciveness!

Since this is the day that we were expecting Cletus to enter the world, and it's such a beautiful spring day, we are going to celebrate future birthdays on his due date, April 1st (April Fools Day). Everyone appreciates a few good jokes, I think.

Kevin