Silas would like to take a moment to show you two of his favorite activities: sitting and standing. His balance and strength have really improved, though he still needs a helping hand. Silas loves to go from a seated position to standing, and will initiate this by pushing upward on his legs. Mom is happy to help him up a bit and support him while he learns to balance on those wobbly little legs. We suspect he will be sitting up on his own before to much longer.
Silas has decided that he no longer hates being carried around in baby carriers. He tolerates the slings for a limited period of time now. But the clear favorite (at least for this week), is the Baby Bjorn. Mom's been out and about on lengthy walks, carrying Silas in the Bjorn for an hour or more at a time, and he's been quite content, as long as she doesn't stand still for too long. He seems to like being able to dangle his feet, all the while actively looking at the world around him.
Si did not like the Bjorn much when he had to face inward, but now that he has better neck strength, he's able to face outward. Mom uses a bolster behind Si's head, just in case. Instead, when our walk is nearing its end, he leans his head forward a bit and dozes off.
In this image, Silas is demonstrating two new abilities.
You're never too young to enjoy a good book. Mom, Dad, and Silas enjoy storytime every morning (today we read five books!). Silas particularly likes books with high contrast images and rhyming phrases. Current favorites include "I kissed the baby," "Maisy goes to the Library," and Dr. Seuss.
Silas is two months old today. By now, he's developed some very strong opinions on a few things. Here's a running list of some of his likes and dislikes, to date.
Since Si was born, we've tried four different baby carrying "devices." First off, I tried a padded sling, which Silas immediately vetoed. He cried every time I put him in it and I couldn't adjust it properly. I also tried a a Bundle Baby Wrap, which is a long piece of fabric that ties around both mom and baby. This promises to be useful when Silas grows a bit bigger, but proved too awkward for us at the newborn wobbly-neck stage. Louisa loaned us a Maya Wrap (pictured), and this has met with better luck, as has the Baby Bjorn Grandma and Papa Bryant sent. However, Si's tolerance for any of these carriers is limited. Unlike many babies, who get carried in a wrap all the live-long day while their mothers go about their business, Silas just doesn't go in for this. The next picture shows Si in the position he prefers above all others, in what I call the "over-the-shoulder baby-holder" pose, also known as the "my arm is now completely numb" hold. He loves for daddy to hold him in this position and will often drift off to sleep. For the sake of the circulation in our arms, we are hoping Silas continues to adapt to the Maya wrap and Bjorn, especially once his neck strength allows him to begin to face outward (we're almost there!).
Mom's lap is pretty full most evenings, with Silas and Sobin both claiming their space (yes, that's me beneath the cat, baby, blankets and pillow). A lot of people have asked how Sobin has adapted to life with baby. He was, after all, the creature we lavished the most attention on, pre-baby. His first contact with Silas was to take a quick sniff, then turn up his nose and walk away. He wasn't particularly happy, and seemed to intuit that life was going to be different from now on. This is still largely his reaction, though you can see he's now willing to sit in close proximity (as long as he doesn't actually have to touch the baby). The biggest thing is that he shows no aggressive tendencies towards Silas, so perhaps some day, they can be friends. For now, his policy of ignoring Silas works for us.
