Marco Island, Florida

We just got home today from our big trip down to Marco Island, Florida. We left last Saturday from Chicago Midway airport and flew in yesterday, spending the night in Iowa City at my parent's house and coming back home to Des Moines today. What a FUN week we had!!

Silas had his first airplane ride (and first long car ride to Chicago too) on the way there. He was a wonderful traveler there and back - I honestly can't even believe how good he was. Jake and I were so nervous...you always hear horror stories about screaming babies, babies getting sick, etc. so we were pleasantly surprised. I had kind of anticipated him doing well, though because planes are full of people....and Silas loves people. Sure enough, he was entertained plenty by all of the people around us. He flirted with the flight attendants, played peek-a-boo with the people behind us, napped in my lap, played with toys. He was awesome!



Silas was so overjoyed when we finally got to Florida...look how thrilled he was! He couldn't contain himself! :)


We spent a few days at the beach - one day in particular we spent quite a few hours at the beach while Jake went golfing. Silas wasn't too thrilled with the feeling of sand (see the pictures below) so he spent a lot of time under the umbrella playing on the towels in the shade and also walked up and down the beach a few times too. The ocean waves were kind of loud coming in and the water was a bit chilly so he wasn't a big fan of sticking his feet in at the water edge. We did get lots of cute pictures, though!

"Ewww!! It's getting in my toes!"


"What is this stuff??"


"Okay, I will only use ONE finger to touch this stuff..."


"Ma! Help!!"


"I guess this isn't so bad!" :)


Beach Baby


Silas loves his Papa!





These kept him entertained for a couple hours!


Silly boy




Mom and I got up at 6:30am one morning to go sea shelling. We got to the ocean just before sunrise without a bit of makeup and didn't even do our hair - hey, we're on vacation...who is gonna know us?? We got a lot of really neat shells, saw some neat fish, saw quite a few star fish, and had a great time bonding (and freezing) in the water.



The weather was PERFECT - 80 degrees every day with sunny skies. I got up a few mornings to run, Mom and Dad walked a few mornings, and every day we managed to spend some time soaking up the sun. Silas napped late morning for about an hour-two hours so I willingly stayed behind to lay by the pool while the others went to the farmer's market or out to breakfast. We found a favorite little breakfast place called Breakfast Plus and ate there almost every morning. They had the most delicious crepes and I indulged in the strawberry crepe often. :) They were so good!!

We drove down the Everglades one day for an airboat tour through the Everglades and went through the animal park to see alligators, tigers, panthers, turtles, deer, snakes, etc. We even stopped to hold a baby alligator. Check out the pictures below...even little Silas touched an alligator!!!

Here is Mom and Kell on the airboat tour.


I love this picture of Kellee and me! I think the joy we were experiencing is written all over our faces! We were so happy to be reunited for a whole week!!



Silas loved looking at the turtles!


He was a little unsure of the alligator at first....


He slowly became a little more curious....


And then he reached out and touched it!!


We all took turns holding the baby alligator


Jake even kissed an alligator...and this one didn't even have a band around it's mouth!


We drove up to Ft. Myers a day early (on St. Patrick's Day - notice everyone in their green!) since our flight left very early yesterday morning. We spent time shopping at a big outlet mall and hung out by the pool for a little while too. Silas finally got to swim in the water for a bit. He wasn't too sure at fist, but ended up really enjoying the pool.
St. Pat's Girls!


Everyone in green! Silas' shirt says, "Mom's Lucky Charm" :)


Daddy and Silas enjoying the pool (and some little girl who loved playing with them)


There was a great little eating area down by the bay where all the expensive yachts are. It was so beautiful down there and we spent a couple different evenings down there watching the sunset. Jake and I even got a date night on the island and spent part of the evening down by the bay.






Date night!





It was a really fun trip - we all came back with some color (everyone except Silas). Let me tell ya, spending a week in 80 degree weather sure makes 50 degrees feel chilly!! Silas is going to miss his Papa, Gramma and Auntie!! He and his Papa are best buddies and Silas really, REALLY loves his Papa!

Here are a few more of my favorite pictures from the trip:
Kellee and I enjoying the sunshine


This picture cracks me up. Kellee was desperate to get some sun because she was so pale so here she is, sitting out in a parking lot trying to get tan. :)


My cute parents!


My sweet family :)


I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this one!


A beautiful Marco sunset

Let the countdown begin!

7 days 'til we leave for Marco Island!!! Whoo-hoo!!! I'm so excited to get away with my favorite people! I'm also really excited to spend a whole week with my sister! I feel like I have been MIA from her life lately and I can't wait to spend some quality time with her! And have I mentioned that I can't wait for a night out with my hubby?? I'm excited to get Silas in shorts and sandals again and for him to get to swim and experience the pool all over again. So many things I'm looking forward to!

Speaking of Silas - HE IS SO SWEET!! I am absolutely relishing my Saturday off with him today. He seems extra sweet and extra fun today - or maybe I'm just taking the time to notice it since we aren't running here and there today. I love letting him crawl around in just a diaper just about as much as he loves being in just a diaper. What is it with boys that they love being naked? We call it "nakey-time" and do a little "nakey-dance" when he gets naked or down to his diaper and he just squeals with delight. Last night Jake was tickling Silas' bare belly with his beard and Silas would squint his eyes shut and just squeal and giggle. It was SOOOO cute! He also loves when one of us holds him and then together we chase the other person throughout the house. He gets to laughing so hard which makes us laugh too. Silas does pretty well playing by himself most of the time, but I really think one of his favorite things is playing with us...especially when we hold him and devote all of our attention to making him laugh. I supposed that's probably a typical baby.

Next time I update the blog with probably be after our vacation so look for some pictures!! I do intend to take a lot! :)

Baby Silas gets tubes

Today was the day! Silas got tubes placed in his ears today (hallelujah!). You might think I'm crazy for being so excited, but I felt so helpless seeing Silas tug at his ears and fuss. As most of you know, Silas is an extremely happy baby so to have him fuss and cry was really tough, especially knowing all I could do was give him Tylenol. From the time we handed him off to when they called us back to see him was all of 8 minutes. Babies wake up from anesthesia crying so we got lots of snuggles right away and by the time we made it home, he was good as new. :)

On another note, today my Grandpa Darner is 92!! Even though he doesn't have computer access, I'd still like to give a shout out to him - Happy birthday, Gramps! I feel so, so, SO blessed to still have him in my life and I am so thankful for his good health. He has a great sense of humor and even though I don't get to see him often, I do enjoy the time I do get with him.

You wanna hear something crazy? I can't believe I'm going to admit this, but I am....because I feel so happy and so good about it. I couldn't get to the gym today since Silas got his tubes in so while he napped, I did P90X.....and then jumped rope and had a dance party. In the garage. In my underwear. There....I said it. In my underwear. It was freezing, but I really didn't want to get too sweaty so there I was, T-shirt and underwear dancing like a wild woman in the cold garage. The only downside was that once when I was jumping rope, it got caught on my foot and slapped me on the bare butt cheek. I have a nice red line down my butt cheek now. :) Have you ever danced in your underwear in the garage? Oh my goodness - DO IT!! Get your fav music together and do it! It is so liberating. Hmmmm...maybe I need to get out more.

Silas is 11 months old now! Isn't that crazy? I am feeling the pressure of the first birthday party and feeling like there is no time to plan it. I think our house is too small for it - we have something like 35 people to invite. Where would they all sit at our house? I thought about doing an "open house" for a couple hours, but I'm guessing most people will stay around and chat which still leaves me with the problem of where to seat everyone. We leave on vacation in 10 days so I really need to figure it out, order invites, and get those mailed otherwise there won't be time by the time we get back. It's also tough trying to figure out who to invite. Family is kind of a given, but where do you draw the line with friends? Most people really don't care about those birthdays if they don't have children of their own but I don't want to leave anyone out, but also don't want anyone to feel obligated to come. Geez, this is tough!! I need help! :)

Guess that's all for now! Hope everyone is enjoying March so far - just the thought of warmer weather ahead makes me happy!!

The best smell in the world...

Babies are one of the best smells in the world, but do you know what is slightly better than just plain baby? The smell of the great outdoors on your baby. I.LOVE.IT!!! Today was 68 degrees here in Des Moines (IN FEBRUARY!!!) and Silas and I took full advantage of it! We went to the gym this morning and after Silas' morning nap, we went for a walk and then to Dewey Park to swing and play. The smell of the outdoors on Silas is so amazing and I can't stop kissing him and inhaling his scent. I wish I could bottle it up and take it with me wherever I go so I could smell him when I'm away from him. {Please note, I feel the same way about Jake - something about Jake's "scent" just smells like home to me. :)}

It was so nice today that we even opened up the windows to get in some fresh air which the cats enjoyed - Jamis got outside too. :) Check out these cute pictures!

"Hey Jamis! Whatcha doin' out there??"


"Are you still out there, Jamis?"





Some of you requested pictures of Silas eating spaghetti last time he had it. I made it again this week, making "real" spaghetti sauce (as opposed to the jar kind). He seemed to like it just as well, but this time it seemed to make a little more of a mess on his face. :) I had to laugh any time he had a noodle sticking out of his mouth - he'd use the back of his hand to push it back in his mouth. It was really so cute. :)



So Silas is officially 10.5 months now. I'm told he is a delight to everyone at daycare because any time someone leaves he waves and says "baa" or "baa baa" which I personally think is ADORABLE. :) I went in to the Aspen daycare to get him this morning and before we even got to the door, he turned around to the girls in the daycare, waved, and said "baa!" "baa!" He walks like a pro with his alphabet train or around the furniture. His giggles are sweet enough to melt any heart and Jake and I love playing with him at night and getting him to giggle. He is still such a happy baby and we feel continuously blessed that we were lucky enough to have Silas! I think Jake is right - we hit perfection!!

I have started the countdown for our vacation to Marco Island!! We leave in just less than 4 weeks and this warm Iowa weather has given me a serious case of spring fever!! Marco Island is supposed to be in the 70's-80's and I cannot wait! I had to go out a buy Silas some spring/summer clothes last week - we got him some great little onsies, shorts, T-shirts, and even some swim trunks!


Have you heard the Brad Paisley song, "Anything Like Me"?? I heard it on a friend's blog (it's the first song playing on my blog right now too) and got tears in my eyes listening to the lyrics. The words keep coming back to me over and over when Silas does something and I think "oh boy, he's going to be strong-willed just like me" or "he's going to be ornery just like Jake was..." Anyway, listen to the song if you have a chance. It's such a sweet song.


I remember saying I don't care either way
Just as long as he or she is healthy I'm ok
Then the doctor pointed to the corner of the screen
And said "You see that thing right there well you know what that means"

And I started wondering who he was going to be
And I thought heaven help us if he's anything like me
He'll probably climb a tree too tall and ride hes bike to fast
End up every summer wearing something in a cast
He's gonna throw a ball and break some glass in a window down the street
He's gonna get in trouble oh he's gonna get in fights
I'm gonna lose my temper and some sleep
It's safe to say that I'm gonna get my payback if he's anything like me

I can see him right now knees all skinned up
With a magnifying glass trying to melt a Tonka truck
Won't he be a sight with his football helmet on
That'll be his first love til his first love comes along
He'll get his heart broke by the time he's in his teens
And heaven help him if he's anything like me

He'll probably stay out too late and drive his car too fast
Get a speeding ticket he'll pay for mowing grass
He's gonna get caught skipping class and be grounded for a week
He's gonna get in trouble we're gonna get in fights
I'm gonna lose my temper and some sleep
It's safe to say that I'm gonna get my payback if he's anything like me

He's gonna love me and hate me along the way
Years are gonna fly by I already dread the day
He's gonna hug his momma, he's gonna shake my hand
He's gonna act like he cant wait to leave
But as he drives out he'll cry his eyes out
If he's anything like me there's worse folks to be like
Aw he'll be alright if he's anything like me

Routine

So Silas and I have a great routine going on my days off - we get up, head to the gym for a couple hours, come home and let Silas nap for a couple hours (in this picture, Silas had fallen asleep on the way home from the gym) and then have the afternoons to do whatever we please. He loves getting out of the house and going to Daddy's work to flirt and play. He is such a social butterfly and really enjoys standing at the front desk at Aspen to greet everyone that comes in and wave goodbye to people leaving. Our little routine makes me wish I could be a stay-at-home Mommy, but I know deep down that I don't have the patience or creativity to stay home every day all day. So for now, I'm just savoring my days off with my sweet boy!

Silas tried spaghetti for the first time this week and LOVED it! We kept it pretty clean and he made some funny faces with the flash, but I did manage to get a couple decent pictures of his spaghetti face.


He also tried pancakes for the fist time this week and loved those too! It's so fun to be able to give him "real" food now and watch him try different tastes and textures. Here he is after his breakfast one Saturday morning - kicked back and relaxed watching the Doodle Bops while I did the dishes. :) I love this picture...and he loves those soft pillows! *Please note, Silas watches MAYBE one 30 minute show per week...we do not make this a habit. :)


So here are some funny pictures of Silas getting ready for his bath. Jake and I cannot look at these pictures without laughing. He has dimples on his little butt and the back of his thighs and such a big belly!! This is the only time in life when cellulite and a gigantic belly are cute....and boy, are they CUTE!! :) He was having a blast watching the water fill up in the tub and started hollering and screaming with excitement! We also gave him some wild hair during his bath (those blue things in his ears are earplugs)!




I took Silas to an ENT on Monday to discuss tubes. He does in fact need tubes, which will be places March 2nd. His has mild-moderate hearing loss due to all the fluid in his ears which will be resolved when he gets tubes - Jake thinks that's why he yells so loud sometimes. :) I think it's just because he's all boy! Anyway, he has a "raging" ear infection to his left ear right now so he's back on antibiotics to take it down a notch because his ear drum was close to popping. I'm actually excited for him to get them done so he can hear better, feel better and hopefully be pain free. So he'll be sporting those blue earplugs while the tubes are in place, which he doesn't seem to mind too much.