Happy 2nd Birthday, Silas!

My sweet boy turned 2 today!! We started off the day with a pancake (or "pee-cay" as Silas says) breakfast!



The day didn't go nearly as planned...we had big plans to go to the zoo with my family but Silas woke up with a fever and his fever quickly rose to 104.7 and we ended up at Urgent Care doing blood work, chest x-ray and strep & influenza swabs. What a rough birthday for my boy! Of course everything came back negative. At least he got to snuggle with Namma!

We got home, he took a nap and seemed better. We finished opening presents and Silas played outside in the backyard with Papa (it was a sunny 77 degrees!) and we ate pizza and had cake. Soon after supper, though his fever was back and he went to bed with a fever well over 103. Ugh. Thankfully he had a couple times in the day when he acted okay (his fever never did break, though with Tylenol/Ibuprofen) so he got some play time in with his new toys.





Silas got a great train table from Papa, Namma, Kiki & Mommy & Daddy!




Mommy got lots of snuggles today which I loved, but I would've done anything for Silas to feel better and not be sick.

My Mom has been getting on me about keeping track of things Silas says so here goes my attempt to remember how he says things. :)

Semi - "nemi"
Miami - "my-ammi"
Where are we? - "Ah-haw-we"
My hold you (what he says when he wants you to hold him) - "My lee-lu"
Blueberries - "boo-boo-bee"
Motorcycle/Popscile - "babble babble"
Fruit snacks - "nee-nak"
Jamis - "Nemis"
Max - "Mah-mah"
Levi (a boy at daycare) - "Dee-bi"
Mittens (my parent's cat) - "Meh-meh"
A boy at daycare named Owen tickles Silas so Silas says, "A Owen...tickle, tickle" as he tickles himself
Ambulance - "ambee"
Soccer - "sak-ahh"


He is literally talking in sentences and can count to 10. We love singing songs together and he does his best to sing along. I'm still amazed at his communication skills - of course I can understand him better than anyone else so we communicate very well. We've had lots of time outs lately and Silas has really started showing his independence and stubbornness. I've started reading James Dobson's A Strong Willed Child which has come in helpful at times. Silas is so, so sweet but I definitely feel the need to curb the attitude before it's an issue. He's responded well to time outs and I know this is age-related but I'm anxious for the phase to be over (yes, I know...it's just started). :)

Silas loved all things boy - soccer, baseball, basketball, football, trucks, trains, airplanes, helicopters, ambulances, tractors and animals, babies, bugs (although he does still say "Ewww!" to spiders).

And now a letter to my boy:


My Dear Silas,

I wish I could tell you just how much I love you or how proud I am of you. You amaze me daily. Every day that I'm not with you, I think about you a bazillion times during the day and can't wait to see you and hug you.

You challenge me. You push me to points of frustration and test my patience often, but in doing so you've strengthened my prayer life. :) I pray for you, for your future wife, for who you will be as a man, and for your faith. I thank God for you every.single.day. I pray for who I am as your Mother and what I teach you by my actions and words.

You have brought more joy, love, and happiness to my life than I could ever even imagine. Your Daddy and I still go to bed every night (not an exaggeration) and tell each other what a sweet boy we have and that we are so proud of you. We often tell each other too, "People think they have the best kid, but we DEFINITELY have the best kid!" We love watching you grow, learn, discover and become the gentle, kind boy that you are.

I love you, my sweet child. I will love you forever and will always be your cheerleader and your supporter.

Love, Mommy


***We did find out a couple days later that Silas had hand, foot, mouth. :-/ Poor babe!

Jamaica, Mon!

Silas and I are back from Jamaica and Jake is back from his fitness conference in LA! Jake's trip out west was a successful trip (it sounds like) as far as getting their business name out there.

Silas and I went to Jamaica with my parents and sister and had a great time. Silas is a FANTASTIC traveler - the only time we really had any issues was standing in the customs line (1-1.5 hours there and back) and both days of travel were extremely long but he did great considering. I'm amazed and how easily he adapts; he can go to bed or take a nap in a new environment (as long as there isn't much stimulation) and is generally a happy guy and likes meeting new people and making new little friends.

He had a blast dancing on the stage at the resort with other little kids and did really well playing in the pool and on the beach. We did go off the resort one day to Ocho Rios (we stayed in Montego Bay) to float down the river and climb Dunn River Falls. Silas was able to float down the river on my lap but he and my Mom hung out on the board walk while Dad, Kellee and I climbed the falls.

Silas' vocabulary continued to develop on our trip. He said so many funny things and had us laughing too many times to count. Each time we'd put our shoes to leave he'd say, "Let's go! Yeeeeaaah" My Mom taught him to say ocean (which sounds like "oh sh**" when he says it), we had a layover in Miami which he called "My-ami" and continues to refer to himself in the third person. He pronounces his name "Lyla" and says things like, "What'd you do, Lyla?" or "Oh no, Lyla!"

We got some great pictures - too many to include on here. I do plan on making a photo book of our trip but thought maybe some of you would like to see pictures from our trip. :)