My growing boy

I just had to post these videos and pics to show how my big my little boy is getting. If any of you are on Facebook, you've seen some of these pics already, but i just had to post them here too. I am just so blessed by this little man every single day, and, if possible, love him more and more each day. He's starting to bat at and really play with his fishie toy he got from nana/pops for Christmas, which he used to just sit under and look at. Also, he is holding things (like "spots" his doggie that he loves to play with as you'll see in the video). Even though i am STRUGGLING through this no sleep period, i will look back one day and really miss him being this age. SO, i'm holding onto it while i can, because it will fly by before i know it!
Enjoy! I sure am!

Look at this precious face! He looks like such a big boy here! Gotta give Kudos to Scott for taking this one!

Here he is in a fabulous hand me down from cousin Parker. How big does he look with this hat on? So cute!

He LOVES his fishie toy. Thank you Nana and Pops!



This is his favorite stuffed toy right now (well, it's the one he plays with most, not sure if he's old enough to show "favorites", but he does just stare at it and plays really well with it!)

Playing catch up!

"official" three month pic....taken on Jan. 8

Happy New Year! I haven't posted in a while so i'll post a quick catch up, though so much has happened. First, Silas is now THREE months old! He's getting so much bigger and smarter and again, if possible....cuter! He's so strong, he officially holds his head up and is rolling from side to side (not all the way over, i know that will come with time, but when he lays on his back, he'll roll over to one side). He talks so much more, and laughs, and smiles all the time. He is a wonderfully happy baby. The only issue we are having right now, though, is SLEEP! He doesn't like to do it. He just lays awake...sometimes all day....and IF he takes naps, they are just 20-30 minute catnaps. It's a bit frustrating, but we are working on it.

We also had a great holiday season. Silas' first Christmas was so fun (more for us than for him, probably, but still fun :)). He took his first road trip! We went to Arkansas for the week. The first part we spent with Aunt Jess/Uncle Tony and cousin Gage, and Nana/Pops too! Then the rest of the week we spent in the Christmas cabin with all of my family (all sisters, husbands and ALL the cousins). Such a sweet time, and i just LOVED every bit of it. Silas did great on the traveling there and back....slept the whole time! He didn't sleep so well while we were not moving in a car.....but again, we are working on it! :)

Silas also had his first bout with sickness. And boy was it a rough bout. But he fought hard and eventually prevailed. He was sick with bronchiolitis for about three weeks. It's similar to RSV, in that he had difficutly breathing, a terrible cough, and really bad congestion (nasal was the worst b/c babies his age don't know how to breath through their mouths, so we had to constantly keep suctioning it out) It was so awful....we even ended up in the children's hospital here for one night. His oxygen had gotten pretty low b/c he couldn't breathe well and the only medicine that was working for him was something that would need to be clinically administered (we couldn't do it at home). SOOOO.....it was a long and tiring battle, but he is all better now, praise the LORD!

now, on to my next bit of news....i am now officially a SAHM (stay at home mom)! I went back to work for one week and couldn't bear it. It was so hard to leave Silas in daycare for the day and be separated from him from 7:30 in the morning until AT LEAST 6:00 at night (and that would be if i got off work ON TIME and didn't hit bad traffic on my commute home). SOOOOO after much thought and serious prayer, we decided it would be best for me to leave my career and pursue full-time mommyhood. What a blessing, since silas ended up VERY sick the week i resigned, and with this sleep issue we're having, i was able to care for him while he was sick and now i can really work with him to "sleep train" along with being with him every day as he grows! WOW.

okay, enough words....here are pics

OKay, okay.....this one was too cute not to add too as the other "official" three month pic

yeah, okay, he's just too cute.....so i had to add this one too. not "ON" his three month bday, but he's still three months :)

here's silas with granddad (the oldest living Dale namesake)

All the Fincher men. Daddy, silas, granddad, Jimmy Dale, Gage, and uncle Tony

The Dales :) Dale Scott, Silas Dale, Dale, and Jimmy Dale Fincher

Nana and Pops and their grandbabies

Off to the Christmas cabin. HEre are Lainey and i with hooter hiders in tow feeding silas and kaiya. Notice the the Kaiya Claw arising from beneath! :)

Dee with three of her grandbabies (the other two are hiding under the hooter hiders)

The girls....with Kaiya and Silas

Here's Parker with Silas. He was so wonderful with the babies. Always wanting to hold them and help out. He is such a good big cousin!

And here are all the cousins together! Will, Silas, Parker, Josie, and Kaiya.

I'm two months old!

Silas turned two months old yesterday. He is getting so big and, if it was even possible, getting so much cuter every day! He's had a lot of "firsts" recently. He's started smiling, cooing, grasping things in his hands, showing interest in new things (like lights....he LOVES the Christmas tree lights) and TV....uh oh! :) He is gaining more head control and we can even sit him on the couch surrounded by pillows and he doesn't slump over! SEE??!?!?!

We are having so much fun with him too! He's a very happy baby, unless he hasn't slept and we are dealing with some sleep issues lately as well. We can get him to sleep fine, but he won't seem to STAY asleep. He sleeps pretty good at night, but unless we are out and about and he falls asleep in the car seat, he really resists sleeping for any amount of time during the day. We hope it's just a phase!

We are getting so excited for Christmas too! In just a couple of weeks we'll get to be with my whole family....all sisters, their husbands and kiddos. We haven't all been together in a couple of years, so I am SOOOOO excited! Silas can't wait to meet the rest of his cousins either!!

If i don't post again beforehand, i hope you all have a very merry and blessed Christmas and a happy New Year!

Gobble Gobble

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Silas enjoyed his first one! His uncle Tony and Aunt Jessica, along with cousin Gage came to visit the first part of the week. It was fun for them to meet Silas...especially for the boys to meet and we had a great visit with them. We went to the aquarium one day and Gage just loved it! Silas just hung out mostly in the stroller and only got out a couple of times (mommy is scared of all of the germs that are there :)).

Then Nana and Pops came to visit on Thanksgiving day and stayed for the weekend. They haven't seen him since he first came home from the hospital so they were shocked at how much he had changed in only a month and a half. It was a great visit, and mommy and daddy got a break b/c nana and pops wanted to hold him the entire time.

Here are a few pics from the week.

Gage immediately took to Silas and was ready to play! Too bad Silas is just a little too young....but in time!

Gage loved the aquarium!

We got in the Christmas spirit early with the boys.....how cute are they in thier matching Santa outfits?

Gage liked taking care of his baby cousin....who was NOT happy at this point in the photo shoot!

Nana & Pops holding Silas..

And yes, again....since it was a Saturday, we had to watch our Razorbacks! This week, though, he can hold pom pons (this will only go on while he's a baby.....soon, he'll be holding a football! :))!

whew! by the time the week was over, he was just plain pooped! Notice the hands in this pic.....do they really start this early?

Now it's really time to get in the Christmas spirit! What a precious face!

One month old!

YEAH! Silas is one month old!!! Saturday was his big one month birthday, so we had our own little celebration. I'm a litle late on the post, but oh well. This month has passed quickly (I won't say flown by, since it's been a little trying, but it definitely did pass quickly). My favorite part(s) of this first month have been learning all the sounds he makes. He grunts SOO much and SOOOO loud. It can get a little frustrating at night when he's totally sleeping, but just grunting so loudly. But, it cracks us up. I'm not fond of the gagging noises he makes, but we've gotten used to them. Oh, and Silas is getting so big! We had his one month appointment yesterday and he is now 9 lbs 8 0z....and ahead of the curve in his length :) We had our first vaccine, too....it was so hard for mommy and daddy to watch, but he was so brave and only cried for a second. Silas did great too :).

The Ped also said she could still hear his murmur so we are going to go ahead with seeing a cardiologist about it. We will go and see him next Tuesday, but we are confident that it's all in the Lord's hands and that everything is fine and Silas is healthy. Here are a few pics to prove it! :)

This is Scott's favorite pic of the "birthday party." I personally like the other one above (except for the red eye), but they are both cute. I think Silas looks a little scared in this one, like thinking....what is going on here?. And, don't worry, the candle looks much closer to his face in the pics than it was in person.

Here's the happy family celebrating our little one month old.

Scott and mini-Scott

And, of course, it wouldn't be a complete Saturday without a Razorback game. Silas just chilled out on his Hog blanket (compliments of Nana & Pops) and literally watched the game on tv :)

Tummy Time

Silas had some tummy time today and is getting so good and lifting up his head. He actually lifted it up and rolled it to the other side! I'm so proud of my strong boy! and yes, that is his loud toot in the background! :)

Silas' first Halloween

Happy Halloween from Silas!

Obviously we didn't try and get out to go trick or treating, but we stayed in and took a few cutie pics. Silas is getting bigger! I had to take him to the doctor earlier this week b/c i thought he had some sort of eye infection, but come to find out, it was just a clogged tear duct (very normal from what the Ped said). whew! Anyway, they weighed him and he is a whopping 8lb. 9 oz....he's gained a whole pound almost since the last doc appt. a week ago. I love it!

Half way into the day, Silas' diaper gave out so we had to change his outfit. Thankfully Aunt Betty sent us this adorable jack-o-lantern onesie that saved the day....THANK YOU AUNT BETTY!

Later that evening the Moncriefs came over to bring us dinner and brought Ada all dressed up in her bumblebee outfit. How precious! We tried to get some pics of the underage trick or treaters, but with Silas out like a light, and Ada wanting to tackle him (in a gentle way of course), it didn't work out too well. :)

One other quick update, Silas is getting stronger and better at holding up his own head! Here are a couple of pics of us showing off his newfound strength!