t h e . r i d i c u l o u s . p a n d a

remember when ohkatie was just a bunch of pictures of sam and i? we still take em, but somehow the ones of silas are the ones that always make it to the internet. saturday night we watched the american masters program about annie leibowitz. it made the both of us realize that we have to brush up those portraiture skills with practice, practice & more practice. we have a family to document and every day somebody around here looks different.

sunday morning baby benchpresses.

when sam takes pictures of silas it takes me longer to decide which ones to post than it takes for me to do anything else. all the photos are ridiculous and it is impossible to pick a favorite.

trying to make the weekend last as long as possible.

yesterday was one of those days that will not be marked in the napping hall of fame. i finally gave in around 4pm and let my shrieking baby out of the bedroom and into the exciting world of afternoon naptime activities. silas contentedly watched me fold diapers and straighten up with a big old grin on his face, giggling every time i told him that i was too frustrated to be friends with him right then. eliza and georgia were coming over for dinner and i wanted to silas to be his happy, well-rested self for the evening. no worries there. baby held out until 8:30, knocking heads & grabbing hands with georgia, babbling away in babyland, bouncing with eliza and patiently posing for the ninety million pictures we take when they are together.

moments after this photo silas rolled from his front to back and right onto georgia's butt. i guess he was just waiting for the right opportunity to try that skill out.

georgia pence does dreamy.

eliza and georgia

no longer the smushy little babies of yesterday.

somedays i feel like silas just hangs out with me because i have a car. that makes it easier for him to maintain the social engagements.

cheek to cheek with amy.

tita lynn! silas & lynn bounced so much before, during and after breakfast that baby came home and took a three hour nap.

alicia checks out what life will be like with a five month old.

silas assesses bill's paternal potential.

working on the puzzle with papa. silas would play with this all night if he didn't have a bedtime.

this is silas's morning smile. it's one of my favorite variations.

this is the grandpa terry variation.
easter sunday. yep, i used to sit in this high chair.

which toy to slobber on next? grandpa presents some options.

either silas thinks it's time we look into babyproofing or he's ready to join the family tekken tag tournaments.

today silas and i accepted a gracious lunch invitation. we spent the day with patty, melanie, rita, my mom and sweet sophie. silas was on his best baby behavior & i really hope we get invited back.

within moments of walking in the door, silas lunged out of my arms for patty. so much for giving him time to warm up.

sophie modelling her helicopter beanie.

sophie patiently shared the attentions of her grandma patty with silas.

this baby keeps handing me slobbery toys!

silas is stunned into stillness when he meets another that can bounce.

then we came home and tried out our easter present: a sling meant for the shower, pool and lake. it works! no more worries about losing our baby in the waves of lake michigan! thank you, easter bunnies.

sam and i figured that once we had a baby our weekends would take on a more routine quality. not so much. this weekend was filled with friends, food and a lovely springtime walk to the lake.

silas tries to get todd to take him to band practice.

sam gets all googly with audrey.

silas waits for us to say please before he rolls over.

and a 5, 6 7, 8...baby choreography.

when all is said and done, audrey prefers to play with her feet.

sunday breakfast at icosium kafe. crepes so tasty they make you want to bang your head on the table.

silas laughs in the face of the six month age limit for his umbrella stroller.

when the baby sleeps, we eat chocolate brownies at foster beach.

the mvp awards for this week go to...

silas lee. for ever so gracefully accepting an extra day of papa in his life. sam called in sick on wednesday after he and i were afflicted with an overnight case of food poisoning. it wasn't pretty nor was having a weekday with sam, silas and i nearly as fun as i had imagined. instead of video games, beer and daytime cubs games it was gatorade, pretzels and lots of napping. but silas took it all in stride, giggling like a crazy monkey every time sam walked into the room and happily laying with whichever parent was on the floor next to him holding a toy up over his face.

grandma ruth. for relieving sam on thursday and coming into the city on less than twelve hours notice. she kissed the baby, she sang to the baby, she pushed the baby on the swings - all so i could have another day to recuperate.

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since katie has forbidden me from ever tickling her, and silas isn't really in any position to forbid me from doing anything, he bears the full brunt... but he doesn't seem to mind too much...[sam]
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the boy has got a killer giggle...

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so we snuck our baby into swim class a week early. he is supposed to be six months before they let him in the water but that's not happening for another few days. we signed him up for class, wrote his actual birthdate and crossed our fingers. feh, silas swam circles around those umpteen month olds in his class who could barely stop screaming long enough to sing one verse of "wheels on the bus." sam made friends while in his swim trunks, silas did some laps and i took a whole load of photos.

silas meets the avocado.

first bus ride of his entire life.

silas waits his turn for the climbing wall on the nols bus.

relaxing outside greenfest after a long day at the convention center.

this post is a link to a short film silas and i made at lunchtime today. baby and i listen to a lot of classic rock during the day. apparently watching his mama play air drums is just the funniest thing ever because silas was still laughing about it well after the song had ended.

is excessive giggling a reaction to vaccinations?

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six months. this is surreal. we don't have a newborn anymore. we barely have a baby. with teeth and rolling all destroyed in the fifth, the perfect number six was spent processing. the information spills across your face, with your hands clasping and clenching, you lunge for what you want, you will pick a white speck of paper off our gray couch. you stare at us and think. i can see you thinking.
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that thinking wakes you up at night, but mostly you're hungry. argh, you're hungry. this month we stretched the boundaries of your taste buds with everything from peas to pears to parsnips to squash to sweet potatoes to avocado. you're eating things i won't and without hesitation. you treat food like you treat people - initial concern, then open arms and big smiles, complete happy acceptance. we can't give you enough things to love.
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because that is you silas. happiness. and with each new day and week and month, you're happiness is getting louder and more external. you giggle and squeal. you laugh and smile. you roll and kick. the neighbors below will know your happiness. it overflows and infects everything around you. our home explodes with your happiness.
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you spin 360's in your crib. we put you to bed and you play by yourself for half an hour. you wedge your head, your feet, your arms into every corner and crevice. sometimes you get stuck, but mostly you just flip somersaults and do back bends. it's inspiring.
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one half of a year. you've had visitors, female callers, family and friends. this month, this perfect sixth month, you took swimming lessons, took mama to the shower, took me to a part of chicago i've never seen, took many naps. you took your time.
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but most of all, you were just silas. we are in awe of you. we sit and stare at your face. i see myself in that perplexed looked of squished up concern. i see your mama in that relentless joy. i see you in those ridiculous blue eyes. and i am humbled. what a month.
-with love, papa
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friday silas and i drove up to my parent's house to celebrate grandma's birthday. my sister and her girls were sweet enough to celebrate with us.

priya shares some of her mom's snuggles.

quinn xi listens to one of grandpa's tales.

priya pauses for me to get my shot.

the birthday girl and quinn relaxing by the fire.

aunt kim and silas waiting patiently for marshmallows.

the city cousins at dusk.

then on saturday, silas went to his first church service to witness his cousin olivia's first communion. with all the stained glass and incense, silas seemed to think he was just in another room at grandma's house. but he bounced, he sighed, he napped, and then he partied with his cousins.

swaying to sleep during mass.

waiting for the afterparty to start with papa.

silas and cousin tim have a supervised heart to heart.

silas and my aunt mickey.

i'm never quite positive what it is that sam and silas do when i'm sleeping in on sunday mornings, but i always hear lots of laughing. when i upload the pictures off the camera later, i'm always amazed at the images that sam has captured.

apparently i dozed for quite a while this morning because when i finally stumbled out of the bedroom, our friend petey was getting silas ready to go to the diner.

morning visits are the best!

silas entertains peter before his flight back to his part of the midwest.

guess we're not really needed in this department anymore.

a couple of last photos before papa flies away for a few days.

aw, papa. just go already so i can get on with this whole missing you business.