6 months (already!)

Has another month already gone by?  It’s so hard to believe, but Saylor is six months old today! We are growing more in love with her with each passing day, and I am so grateful that she is home for Christmas this year.  I truly can’t think of a better gift! Below, I have listed out changes and progress she has made during the past month.

1. Right after Thanksgiving, she transitioned from the pack-n-play in our room to her crib in her nursery.  She has done amazing with the transition, and I know her crib has to be so much more comfortable than the pack-n-play.  She is also SOOO close to sleeping through the night which is wonderful.  We made a commitment to work hard on sleep training this month since I return to work in January, and she is doing great!(and no we are not letting her cry it out in case you are wondering:)

2. She is growing! She had her 6 month well baby check up today, and she now weighs 16 pounds which puts her in the 55 percentile! She is also 25.5 inches long which puts her at the 34 percentile(up from 8 percentile a little over a month ago).

3. She is now eating solids 2x/day, and she loves everything we give her. So far, she has had avocado, bananas, butternut squash, apples, pears, green beans, and sweet potatoes. She also loves trying to drink water from a cup even though half of it ends up on her clothes.

4. She is sitting independently without support, rolling everywhere, and she is attempting to get her knees beneath her on her belly

5. Her newest skill she learned this week is waving ‘hi’ and ‘bye’ to people.  We all get a kick out of it!

6. This isn’t new, but she uses her very loud screech/scream with increased frequency lately!  Troy and I are trying to determine if this is what other adoptive parents have referred to as the ‘Ethiopian’ scream!

I think that is a pretty good summary for this month.  I will leave you with a few pictures as always. 

It’s hard to see her shirt here, but it says “ Let there be peace on earth and cupcakes!” This picture makes me laugh because the way she is laying makes her look like she has had a few cupcakes herself:)

She is dressed and ready to go watch Silas in his Christmas program.  Also, I have to add that I finally found some shoes to fit her feet.  They are TINY and these are newborn shoes(I know she doesn’t really need shoes at this age, but they do complete the outfit don’t you think?)

I finally remembered to take a 6 month picture as I was putting her to bed tonight. This isn’t the best picture, but at least it’s a memory! Happy 6 months Saylor! We love you more than you will ever know!

“Children are the hands by which we take hold of heaven” Henry Ward Beecher

Catching Up

The month of November has flown by, and I have not done good with keeping up with our blog. It really is amazing how much more work just one more child in your house requires, and  I can’t tell you how much respect I have for mothers of very large families! We have had a busy but fun month here at our home.  The pictures below depict a little bit about what we have been up to.

Saylor met Grandpa and Grandma Lucht for the first time.

Playing some peek-a-boo with Grandma

Silas enjoyed their visit too!  Grandpa spoiled him with lots of cartoons on his computer as well as a visit to Chuck E. Cheese.

Brother and sister love

This is Saylor’s new face that she loves to make.  I have to admit it is really adorable!

Saylor also got to meet Pappaw for the first time

Both kids got lots of loving from Mammaw too!

We couldn’t leave Great Mammaw out!

Silas was excited that Aunt Nicole and cousin Tucker came up from Texas for Thanksgiving.

 

Silas and Saylor also met their new cousin, Cooper(Tucker’s brother).

 

I got this hat out for Silas the other day, and he has a slight new obsession with it.  He has worn it everyday since whether he really needed it or not.  Apparently, sunglasses over the outside of your hat is the new look!

We have made a few trips to the library, and this is one of Silas’ favorite librarians that he insisted on getting a picture with.

Silas is finally grasping the reality that Saylor is here to stay, and he occasionally wants to help care for her.  We, of course, are very eager to let him help whenever he desires to.

I’ll end with the picture of our Christmas tree!  Silas was so excited to pick it out.  He is really getting into all things Christmas this year, and it is really fun to watch.  Our elf, Buddy, has made his appearance and Silas can’t wait to find him each morning.  December should be a fun month!

Alright, this ends the glimpse into our month of November.  Saylor continues to be an easy going baby.  She is attaching/bonding well, and she has cried out for me at times when meeting new people which I was happy about! Troy and I also feel that we are the only ones(AND Silas) that can get her to put on her really big smiles!  The one area we are still working on is sleep, but I am confident she’ll get there.  I really can’t express how surreal it is that she is finally home.  I thank God each day for his faithfulness.  We are blessed, and we look forward to celebrating the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ in a few weeks.  Blessings!

Our Sweet 5 Month Old

It is hard to believe our sweet girl is already 5 months old!  The tables have turned and unlike during our wait for her referral, I am now wishing for time to slow down!  We have thoroughly enjoyed watching her grow and develop during these past 5 weeks home.  I also love to see how her adorable personality is blooming.  Here is a little update on her along with a few pictures of her in all her cuteness:)

- she now weighs close to 15 pounds and is very healthy according to our international pediatrician

-she is generally an easy going baby unless she’s hungry, and then you may need a good set of earplugs

-she is gradually improving with her sleep schedule, but is still waking up twice during the night for feedings

 

-she adores Silas ,and I just love to watch her watch him

-she has both Troy and I wrapped around her finger, and I feel like she is attaching/bonding to us very well

 

-she loves taking baths, and she also loves the outdoors

-we are absolutely, 100%, completely in love with this little miracle from God!

Happy Halloween 2012

Talking

Silas did a great job in getting Saylor to laugh/”talk” this weekend while she was in her swing.  She adores her brother!  Take a look…

9th Anniversary

Tomorrow marks nine years since Troy and I walked down the aisle to commit our lives to each other forever.  We have experienced many highs and lows in these nine short years, but I wouldn’t trade a single second of it.  I love this man, and I love his heart for the Lord.  It has been amazing to witness his spiritual growth from our dating days until now, and I am grateful that he strives to keep Jesus Christ at the center of our home. I have said it a hundred times, but I wouldn’t want to journey through this life with anyone else by my side.  God definitely knew what He was doing when He brought Troy and I together, and I look forward to His plans for our future.  Happy Anniversary Troy! I love you!

“Love knows no limit to its endurance, no end to its trust.  Love still stands when all else has fallen.” 1 Corinthians 13:7-8

He’s Four!

This past Friday, Silas turned four years old.  I simply don’t know where the time has gone.  It seems like just yesterday, we were preparing for and celebrating Silas’ first birthday.  He is growing and changing in so many ways, but I am most excited to witness his growth in the Lord.  He has such a sweet spirit, and I look forward to the way God will use him for His glory. 

 

The past couple of years, we have had a few local friends over to celebrate Silas’ birthday; however, this year we decided to keep it smaller since Saylor is still adjusting to her new environment.  Mammaw and Great Aunt Darlene were able to stop by for lunch the Sunday before his actual birthday for an early celebration,and he was SO excited even though his face doesn’t reflect it in this picture!

One excited little boy that is ready for cake!

We let him pick out his own cake this year.  We knew he would pick chocolate for the flavor, but he was also excited about these rescue vehicles on top of his cake.  I think he liked playing with them just as much as the presents he got!

He loved being sung to, and he was excited to blow out his candles this year!

Troy and I have realized that Silas is never more quiet than when he is eating chocolate cake.  It is truly one of his favorite foods as you can see from the picture!

Here he is opening his first present!

Displaying the Tee Ball set from Mammaw.

 

He had repeatedly been asking Troy and I for a football glove like his cousin Ross has(he stayed with his Ross while we were in Ethiopia), but we figured out he meant a baseball glove!

He has been sleeping on a pillow pet for the past couple of years, but it has lost it’s ‘fluff’.  He has been requesting a new pillow pet, and he was thrilled when he got one!

 

We are always looking for new outdoor toys for Silas because he loves to play outdoors, and we prefer him to have a lot of outdoor time as well.  We were thrilled when a friend said that she had a power tractor that her son no longer plays with.  She gave us the tractor and all we had to buy was a new battery.  It was a win-win because she wanted to get it out of her garage, and we knew Silas would love it! He is getting ready to uncover it in the above picture.

Here he is taking it for a test run.  He has been zooming all around our yard and even to the neighbor’s yard a couple of times since he got it.

On his birthday night, he chose(again) to celebrate at Red Robin restaurant.

Here is a picture of me with my precious four year old boy!

I think this is the main reason he chose Red Robin!  He loves the free sundaes you get on your birthday:)  He didn’t mess around when it came to finishing his!

I’ll finish with this one.  This is a picture today from Silas’ 4 year well check up.  He chose daddy to take him and this is their crazy picture!  Silas is perfectly healthy, and he is now at the 52 percentile for weight and 44 percentile for height! We are so grateful for his good health.

Silas, words cannot express how much daddy and I love you.  Even though you are growing and changing daily, our unconditional love for you will not.  We are so proud of you, and we thank God every day that He gave us the awesome privilege to be your parents! We look forward to making many, many more memories with you.  We love you to the moon and back!

New Normal

Wow! I can’t believe it has already been over a week since we stepped off the plane from Ethiopia.  We are slowly adjusting to our new normal.  It didn’t help that I had a stomach bug and was out of commission from Monday to Wednesday last week; however, at least it occurred while Troy was still home to help out!  We are thrilled to have our sweet girl home, and we are just taking life one day at a time because it is definitely an adjustment for all of us to transition from a family of three to four!  I think the biggest struggle for Troy and I is making sure that we are balancing our time with each of our children as well as keeping time for each other.  Even though it has been a bit chaotic, we have been blessed with the love and support of wonderful friends during this time. We have enjoyed many delicious meals brought to our home, and we have received multiple offers for help with Silas.  I have included a few of my favorite pictures from this past week below.  Have a blessed week!

 

 

“Children are the hands by which take hold of heaven” Henry Ward Beecher