Monday, August 24, 2009

so many things

On life with Baby H (who doesn't actually live at my house, to be clear, but is HERE, in my immediate family, and is shifting the landscape a bit):

- Something about seeing The Baby makes Asher lose. his. mind. He does fine when he's around The Baby, but afterward, he is alternately desperately needy and /or desperately misbehaving, and just generally desperate. Brian and I are guessing that A New Baby in the Family causes some sort of visceral sibling-esque reaction, a remembrance of things past. As a result I am digging up new stores of patience. Insert deep breath here.

- Perception really is everything. The picture below, taken this afternoon, marks the moment when Silas officially became a humongous babyzilla who must surely be capable of frying his own eggs and driving himself to the park. As of this moment, he is no longer The Baby.



Like I said, the landscape shifted. Right in front of the camera.

- Here are a few other pictures of Baby H, as requested by Elizabeth. He is every bit as beautiful as you would expect him to be.



- And my sister is a natural mama. I'm not at all surprised, but something about watching my baby sister morph into a mother is an experience I don't know how to accurately describe. So I'll just say that it is good.

On life with Silas:
- Silas and food. Just putting those two words together makes me want to sigh. He cannot eat any (at all, ever) oats, dairy, sweet potatoes, or cinnamon. (Keep in mind that ruling out dairy typically means ruling out almost any baked good, and no oats means no granola bars or cereals). Red dye causes him to break out (which rules out sausage, hot dogs - not that we eat them anyway, but still - many medications, and most popsicles and sweets), soy upsets his stomach. Clearly Silas's options for meals are limited. And now he has decided that He Has An Opinion about what he eats. The boy will not touch one bean. Not a single one. The other night Brian added a SINGLE black bean to his mound of grilled chicken, just to see if he would notice, and His Majesty located it and spit it directly out of his mouth. He's also tired of sandwich meat, and will only eat peanut butter if it is spread very thin and he's in a good mood. He throws his rice milk, drops avocado over the side of the high chair, lets carrots fall out of his mouth. I'm honestly running out of ideas. I can usually swing dinner and snacks, but breakfast and lunch are hard. How many scrambled eggs or whole wheat bagels can one child eat? And it's only a matter of time before he becomes bored with those as well, and then what will I do? Silas and food, Silas and food ...

- And now I will tell you the very cutest Silas story ever.

Asher had just seen The Baby, and was consequently melting into a puddle on the floor. I was holding him in the recliner, hoping proximity to me might right his world a little. But late afternoon is normally Silas's time to be held, and he came toddling over to me, arms outstretched, hopeful. "No, baby," I said. "Brother needs a little privacy. Go choose a toy." So rather than throwing himself to the floor (which is what would typically happen), he was resourceful. Silas walked into the kitchen where Brian was working, took his finger, and tugged him toward the living room. Brian followed his lead to the living room rug. He sat down, and Silas climbed into his lap, then rested his head against Brian's chest. He was determined to have some time in somebody's lap, and since mine was already claimed, he found another. So cute.

And with that I'm off. Thanks for sticking with me - it looks like I had a lot to tell you guys tonight. Enjoy your evening.

8 comments:

ljkgates said...

Oh I LOVE the Silas story. He is such a sweetie. I can't blame him for not eating beans as he ate SO MANY of them when he was younger.

And I love the pictures of baby H but that first one with his arms crossed is priceless.

Yesterday I watched as you held him and I loved the extra softness it brought to your face. What a wonderful Aunt you are!

steffj89 said...

so sweet

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the pictures. You are right, he is beautiful!!! And Allison looks completely at ease with her son in her lap and her nephews around her. I love it!!

The Silas story is precious!! Sometimes you just need someone to lean up against!

mary said...

Allison looks great and baby H DOES look like cousin Silas.

I'm not sure if he has a name and H stands for it but if this nickname remains, I'll probably always think of Mr. H's internet nickname when I see it... Baby Husband :-)

mary said...

(well, i mean obviously he has a name or will have one but you know what i'm saying)

leslie said...

All the kids are, of course, cutie pies! But man Silas takes the cake IMO!!!!!!!! I asked Jace the other day about her friends, and was a little surprised that the 1st person she said she wanted to see was baby Silas, because HE was HER friend (emphasis placed where she stressed her words :)

Congratulations to your sister! The baby is beautiful!

Stephanie said...

Leslie, Asher asks about Jace all the time too. Part of the "Where am I going this morning?" round of questions often brings up, "I'm going to Jace's house?"

aubrey said...

"The Baby" IS SOOOO BEAUTIFUL and Allison looks great with him! Thanks for the pics and stories! Keep 'em coming!