1 MONTH

Somebody recently commented that with a new baby the days go by slowly but the months/years go by quickly, and I would have to agree.  At his 2 week appointment Silas weighed 7 lb 5 oz (13th percentile) and was 21 inches long (69th percentile).  He wore newborn diapers and newborn clothes for his entire first month. 

Here are his weekly pictures.

Phin and Millie have been delighted to have Silas home.  When Silas starts to fuss they both start to freak out about and both start yelling "the baby is crying." 

They love to take turns holding the baby.  Phin is the best big brother he sings to Silas and always wants to check to see how Silas is doing.

My best friend Amy met Silas in the first few days that we were home.  She brought us a yummy dinner and we had the best time visiting.

Seth is able to come home for lunch most days which helps to break up the long days. 

Millie is also a great helper.  She gives Silas lots of kisses and loves to help comb his hair.

Grandad and Grandma Jo also came for a visit and brought us a yummy dinner as well.

Silas came with his days and nights mixed up a bit.  At night he sleeps 2-3 hours before waking up to eat.  He sleeps best when he is swaddled tight.

Seth's work sent over a huge basket of gifts for us.  

Silas' first road trip was down to Spanish Fork for his newborn pictures.  We arrived a little early so I fed Silas in the car while Seth played with Phin and Millie at a local playground. I will post more newborn pictures soon.

Uncle Scott met Silas before Priesthood Session of General Conference.

We took Silas for his first walk when he was a week old.

Silas' expressions remind me so much of Phin and Millie.

 

This is one of my favorite pictures...Silas at one week old.

We spent lots of time watching movies/tv the first few weeks after Silas arrived.  It is nearly impossible to get rest when Phin and Millie are together...I feel like whenever I finally fall asleep they have a disagreement and wake me up.  Here is one of their quieter moments. 

Sleepy yawns...

We have been on the receiving end of so much service.  My mom came over frequently in the first few weeks of Silas' life so I could take him to the Pediatrician.  She also filled our fridge with yummy food and made a beautiful blanket for Silas.  Grandma Jo was sweet and took Phin and Millie for a few days the week after Silas was born so that I could get some extra rest.  We had neighbors bring us meals and lots of friends check in on us.  Here is a picture of Seth reading to Phin and Millie when we went to pick them up from Grandma Jo's.

 Sunday afternoon naps are the best.

Bart's family came to meet Silas one Sunday evening.

 Tummy time is well supervised.

Phin and Millie still go to school on the days that I would have worked.  It is honestly my saving grace.  Seth drops them off in the morning and Silas and I walk over to pick them up in the afternoon.  Our double stroller has become a triple.

 Silas' best Zoolander impression.

Sleepy cuddles are the best.

 
Silas had his first bottle just before he hit the one month mark.  He took it like a champ.

Silas seems to sleep the best when he is in his car seat and we are on the go.     

I wanted to remember the book that we received on the day that Silas was born.  Four years before a family had lost their little boy.  Every year they donate books to all of the babies that are born on their little boy's birthday at the hospital. 

Millie update: We started focusing on potty training pretty heavily once the baby was born.  The timing works out pretty well...pretty much every time the baby is hungry it is time to move Millie towards the potty.  This little girl is obsessed with mermaids and could watch the Blue Mermaid on Umizoomi everyday.  She also loves the movie Trolls and was quite delighted to find a Troll wig at a yard sale.  She randomly yells "No Troll left behind."  She will often say "scared" if she doesn't want to do something alone.

 

She found one of her new swimsuits one day and wore it all afternoon.

Naps are pretty rare these days so when they happen it usually looks like this.

Phin update: Phin loves yard sale season...camping season...and hammock season.  He is pretty happy that things are warming up.  He has become quite particular in his requests...square crackers (Wheat Thins) and round pancakes with syrup (as opposed to square oven pancakes) are two of his favorite foods.  He learned the phrase "fair and square" somewhere...I frequently tell him that fair is where you go to see the pigs...hopefully he catches on to that concept quickly.  He keeps asking when he gets to come to school with me and is so ready to start Kindergarten. 

Second Sunday Delivery

In my last post I wrote about going to bed on Saturday, March 24th and praying that our baby boy would join our family soon.  I was in labor with Phin and then with Millie on a Sunday...our kids are Sabbath breakers and I hoped this little guy would also be a Sabbath breaker.  I woke up on Sunday and found that I had passed my mucous plug.  I started having contractions that were about 10 minutes apart but not very strong...it just felt like the baby was kicking.  I ended up getting ready and going to church and contractions continued to come 10 minutes for the whole 3 hour block.

When we got home we had lunch and then I convinced everyone to go on a walk...in hopes that my contractions would speed up.  I was able to sneak a short nap in when we returned home and woke up to contractions that were strong and much closer together.  Around 4 PM we loaded up and drove the kids to Nona and Papa's.  My parents took the kids to family dinner at Bart and Collette's house.  I had planned to stay at my parents' house to labor a little longer...but by the time we got there my contractions were about 3 minutes apart and starting to get painful.

We arrived at the hospital around 5 pm and were shown to a birthing suite.  When the nurse checked me I was dilated to 3 cm.  The hospital has a policy of observing patients for an hour to determine they are in active labor.  By 6 pm I was dilated to 4 cm and the nurse determined I was in active labor and could stay.  At this point I was NPO "Nothing by mouth" so I enjoyed chewing on ice chips while Seth enjoyed a roast beef panini and soup.  I watched as snow started to fall outside my hospital room window and realized this would be our first baby born with snow falling. 

At my 7 pm check I was dilated to 6 cm.  The nurse scrambled to get me an epidural.  The IV fluids they administered didn't make me shake like with my previous pregnancies.  The anesthesiologist was quickly in the room and soon my epidural was in place.  At 7:30 pm my water broke.  The baby's heart rate started to drop so I was put on oxygen.  I was dilated to an 8.5 cm by this time.  The rest of labor and delivery was a blur.  Dr. Laine, my OBGYN, arrived shortly before 8 pm and I started to push.  I pushed longer than I have with my other pregnancies. Our little guy arrived at 8:02 pm.  The umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck twice.  He was quite purple when they placed him on my chest but he quickly turned a beautiful shade of pink.  He had a full head of dark hair like Millie and big eyes like Phin. 
  

I was so grateful that Dr. Laine was willing to come in on a Sunday. 

Our little guy weighed 7 lb 2 oz...which makes him the smallest on my babies.  He was 19 inches long...but he was squirming quite a bit during the measurement so we aren't convinced this was an accurate measurement.

My parents were sweet enough to bring Phin and Millie over so they could meet their baby brother.  I would say it was a very happy meeting.

Papa loved getting some new baby snuggles.

Jeff and Kim called on FaceTime and were able to see the new baby.  Phin and Millie loved seeing their cousin Carver.

The kids loved checking out the baby's tiny toes and fingers.

I was moved to a recovery room shortly after.  Seth went with the baby while he had his footprints taken.

Then we settled into our room. 

Seth went home so he could get sleep and I enjoyed some skin to skin time with my little one.

Seth arrived the next morning in time to for the baby's first bath.

We quickly learned that this little guy likes to be held tight...and doesn't like to be naked.  He cried during his bath and with each diaper change in the hospital.

After his bath his hair was all fluffy and soft.

Seth took the kids to Build-A-Bear so they could get a stuffed animal from their baby brother.  Phin got a Star Wars Bear and Millie got a Princess Poppy Bear.

Tuesday was our last morning in the hospital. My mom wanted me to take a picture of the GPS tracker the hospital put on the umbilical cord clamp.  I also had one on my wrist.

We got dressed and ready to go home.

We were fairly indecisive naming the baby throughout the pregnancy.  As we found names we liked we kept adding them to a list.  Early on in my pregnancy we asked Phin what we should name the baby and he said Jumping Jack.  One day I picked Phin up from school and found that he was having the classroom helpers write Jumping Jax on some of his artwork...it made me laugh.  We ended up calling the baby Jumping Jack for most of the pregnancy.  Later in the pregnancy Phin changed his mind and wanted us to name the baby ShockMa...that one never really stuck.  The day after the baby was born Seth was visiting me in the hospital and we knew we had to get down to business with this whole naming thing.  Seth wrote a list of our top names on a whiteboard in my room and we started looking at name combinations.

We ended up naming our little boy Silas Franklin.  Silas comes from Seth's 4th great grandfather Silas Harris.  When I read Silas' history online I felt an instant connection.  He was born in Indiana in 1824.  When he was 10 years old he became very ill and the family sent for Silas' uncle who was a doctor.  When his uncle arrived he said he would not administer medicine but would call for the Elders of the church he had recently joined.  The Elders came and blessed Silas and he was healed.  When Silas was 14 years old he joined the church.  His family joined the Saints in Council Bluffs/Winter Quarters when he was 22 years old.  He volunteered to join the Mormon Battalion when the call came and left his family in Council Bluffs. When the Battalion was disbanded he returned to Council Bluffs and was reunited with is family after 14 months. He and his family made the Trek to Salt Lake in 1949.  Silas was married along the trail to Salt Lake.  He settled in Bountiful, Utah and then eventually in Leeds outside of St. George, Utah.  His youngest daughter said..."One of the outstanding things I remember about my father is that I never saw him angry. He always said, “Problems must be met and difficulties settled with a clear mind.” He was a man of sound judgment, kind and considerate, quiet and unassuming. I can see him now as he sat in council with his family. He would say, “Know you are right, then go ahead in spite of what people say.” Also,”Drive your work. Never let your work drive you.”" 

The name Silas also means "Of the Forest." We felt like this also acknowledged Seth's Grandpa Forrest.   If our little Silas is anything like his brother he will love to be outside and in the forest.
 
Franklin comes from my 3rd Great Grandfather Frankin Dewey Richards and my Great Grandfather Frank Melvin Judd. Franklin Dewey Richards was born in 1821 in Massachusetts.  His father was Phineas Howe Richards, who our Phin is names after.  Franklin Dewey Richards served 14 missions for the church.  He was called and ordained a member of the Quorum on the Twelve Apostles in 1849.  He was the director of the Perpetual Emigration Fund in Europe.  Franklin Idaho is named after him.

Frank Melvin Judd was born in 1884 in Wanship, Utah.  He was a farmer by trade.  In his wife Sarah Edna Vernon's biography she said he was "not so tall, he had light and curly hair, deep blue eyes, and sandy whiskers.  He was clean and neat in dress...He was of a mild pleasant disposition.  Hard to anger and always willing to forgive, a kind husband and father." 

I want our Silas Franklin to remember the amazing men that he is named after.  I want him to be willingly to answer the calls that are given to him. I want him to be kind, considerate, quiet and unassuming.  I want him to be slow to anger and willing to forgive.  I want him to see the ways that he can serve those around him and have the courage to do so.  I want him to be "of the Forest" and enjoy the outdoors.  I have so many hopes and dreams for our Silas Franklin and am so grateful that he is part of our forever family.