Mary and Silas in the USA

Silas and I had an absolutely amazing trip to MN! The fact that I traveled alone with a 8 month old, for only 1 week, across the ocean was quite spontaneous and I was a bit nervous, but it all went so well!

On the way over Silas was a star in the plane. There were other babies on the plane who got the special seats, so I was crammed in by the window with Silas and a full diaper bag.  Luckily the woman next to us was very sweet and didn’t mind Silas chatting like crazy and sometimes grabbing her arm.  He got smiles from many people on their way to the bathroom.

Finally we arrived in MN where my Mom was there to pick us up.  Silas fell asleep in the car on the way to her house but when we got there he got the rest of his dinner and went to bed.  I stayed up watching the Grammys until 10pm and was exhausted.  Silas woke up only once at 4 o’clock where he got a small snack and went back to sleep until 7:30! In the morning we called Søren to tell him we made it safely and it was amazing to see how obvious it was the Silas recognized Søren on Skype.  He kept trying to kiss the screen and was talking like crazy! So cute.

Sitting forward facing cause Grandpa brought the wrong car seat! :-)

The next few days we spent with my Mom and brother Johnny.  Just hanging out and doing a little bit of shopping.  Silas was quite crabby the first day and only wanted to sit with his Mommy, but that got better quite fast.  My friend Julie and her son Alexander stopped by one day to say hi and it was nice to see her too. We also went to visit my Grandma one day where my Aunt Eileen and Uncle Mike were there too. Fun to see family and show off Silas to more people!

with Julie and Alexander

Playing my little piano with Uncle Johnny

Playing Mommy's Grand Piano

Bath at Grandmas!

Eating off my own plate

On Wednesday evening we went to my Dad and Liz’s for dinner and to stay for a few days.  It was a delicious meal and was all stuff he could eat, so he ate the same thing as us. Over the next few days we just stayed at home relaxing, watching movies, being outside and a quick trip to Target.  My Aunt Anne stopped my Saturday for brunch and we relaxed the rest of the day before settling down to watch The Bodygaurd at night.

Hanging out while Grandpa works

Morning snack

With Auntie Anne

Sunday morning we headed back to my Mom’s and while Silas was napping I headed to the mall to return a few things, and so that my Mom and Johnny could be with Silas without him wanting to sit with me. Monday came too fast and it was time for us to go home.  We had an evening flight so we had the whole day to hang out and pack. The flight home was not very full at all, so Silas and I had 3 seats to ourselves! It was great because then Silas could just lay on the two seats and sleep.  He slept for 6½ hours straight on the way home, where about 3½ of those hours he slept on my stomach while I also stretched out and slept.  It was the fastest flight I have ever experienced and he was such a star.  Amazing!

Walking to Grandma's park

Sound asleep on the plane

Waiting for the last flight

Finally after a very fast layover in Amsterdam we made it back to Denmark where Søren picked us up.  Silas’ face lit up when he saw Søren and we were all so happy to be together again. 
In addition, Silas seemed to master a lot of new skills in the short time we were away and it was fun to show Søren how much Silas talks now, talking almost constantly, and how he can get up on his knees and scoot backwards and never really being able to be still. Weird how much can happen in just a week!

I am so happy that I took the chance to take such a long trip alone with Silas. I could definitely feel that God was with me the whole time, encouraging me and keeping us safe! I loved watching my family fall more and more in love with Silas as they got to know him and spend time with him.  Silas is such a happy baby and brings smiles to everyone’s faces with his little grin and joyous attitude!

Silas 8 months

Silas continues to be very active this month.  Although he is not crawling yet, he can turn around on his stomach and is can back up a few inches at a time.  He has also really come a long way to becoming an independent eater.  He loves to get his hands dirty and grab after his food, no matter what it is! He started out grabbing a piece of food with his entire hand and then had hard time figuring out where is food was, as it was completely hidden in his fist. But very quickly he figured out how to open his entire hand and shove the food in.  Most recently he has begun to use the pincher method, using his forefinger and thumb to grab the desired food.  Mealtimes have become a lot messier, but a lot more fun for Silas! He also really enjoys trying to hold the spoon himself.

Silas is still a very happy and smiles a huge open mouth smile as often as he can, but he is also beginning to understand that it is not fun to not get what you want, when you want it.  He protests and whines if you take away a toy he is still interested in, or if we leave the room at a time when he doesn’t want us to. He has an “opinion” and wants to be heard, also when he is super happy about something.

As for Silas’ daily rhythm, it is a bit different now that he is in daycare. It is weird not knowing what he does every minute of the day.  But it is still going very well and he seems to really enjoy being at Margit’s house!

A outline of his day:

Wakes up around 6:30 or 7 and nurses around 7 or 7:30. Around 8:30 he is ready for a “real” breakfast and eats a bowl of oatmeal with banana.  By 9am he is bundled up and ready to go to day care.  We take the 5 minute walk to Margit’s house and I drop him off after all the kids greet him. While at Margit’s he takes a half and hour morning nap around 9:30 after a small snack with the other kids.  Then they often go outside or for a walk before lunch at 11:30.  Silas naps from 12:00-2:00 and I pick him up as soon as I get a text message saying he is awake.  At home we play a lot on the floor, he eats another snack and before we know it Søren is home.  Dinner is at 6pm sharp consisting of mashed potatoes, vegetables and meat. We hang out at the dinner table for awhile before playing a bit more and getting ready for bed.  He nurses around 7:15 and is in bed by 7:30. It is very rare that we have to go into Silas after we say goodnight. He usually falls asleep very fast or talks a bit with himself before sleeping.

Notable traits at 8 months:
1) Can now say LA LA and MA MA sounds.

2) Can kneel up on all fours. From here he can reach out after things and scoot backwards a little bit at a time.

3) Wave bye bye. Okay he has only done it twice, but our daycare provider saw it and meant that it was intentional, so I’m just going to agree with her!

4) Loves to play peek-a-boo. If we hide behind something and jump out, or just behind our hands, he squeals with delight. He also likes to hind under cloth over his head and then pull it away. He giggles the entire time.

5) Laughs when we laugh or make funny faces.

6) Is very stable when sitting.  No more tipping over in any direction. He can also now sit in his high chair without support pillows.

7) Can put food into his own mouth and is good at it.  Uses the pincher method.

8) Can stand and walk forwards while holding our hands.

9) Has played in the snow for the first time. The cold didn’t seem to bother him, except the time he tipped over and fell face first into the snow…

10) Has had his first eye infection. He did not like getting the drops in his eyes but after 5 days it was all cleared up. 

11) Weighs 20.7 lbs (9.5kg) and is 29 inches tall.(74cm)