Week 25: Silvan's first Solstice, Hannukah, and Christmas

This week, Silvan got to celebrate three different winter rituals. We're not sure he made much distinction between them: all three involved shiny wrapping paper, which he loves. We started the week with our observation of the Solstice. Silvan has been enjoying our live Solstice tree all month, and on this day we opened all our presents together as a new little family.

We also lit our first candle for Hannukah on the Solstice. We're celebrating Hannukah with Yifot this year. She taught us how to make latkes, and we ate them until we got sick. Yif has this awesome militant menorah from her folks in Israel:

When our celebrations were winding down later in the week, Bruce's parents came out from Dodge City, along with two chihuahuas and their puppies, to celebrate Christmas with us. This was their first time meeting Silvan. He was very taken with his Grandpa Zink's beard, and with his Grandma's hair and glasses.

We all spent a lot of time talking, and Bruce cooked clam chowder and roasted a duck.

Bruce's father taught us to make candles out of tangerines, and his mother taught Yif some knitting tricks.

Silvan was pleased with his toys, the lights and candles, and the attention. We are all about tired out.

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Weeks 23 and 24: Big city

Look what Silvan can do with a potato these days:

Silvan is definitely not a newborn anymore. We decided it was time to take him to the city for the first time. Bruce, Yifot, and I are all fugitive Cincinnati folks, so we loaded up and headed there for the weekend. Silvan got to experience his first hotel room, his first time waiting to cross at a light, and his first breakfast at the Proud Rooster (vicariously):

Silvan got to take a close look at a gazillion plants at the Krohn Conservatory. He also had the honor of being carried around and made much of by the storied proprietor of Sitwells Coffeehouse, our friend Lisa.
This visit also marked Silvan's first attendance at a punk basement show. Several punks commented on his hairstyle.
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Silvan at 22 Weeks

Silvan is looking like a little boy to me lately. His chin is emerging from his neck fat, giving him a pointy, pretty fox face. He has begun holding a toy in each hand, and can fish his pacifier from a pile of blocks with something like grace.
This week, we got a long-tie carrier to lug Silvan around in. We're having a lot of fun experimenting with different ways of wearing Silvan in it. He loves spending the day riding around on my stomach, watching all the totally boring things I do.
Also this week, Silvan ate his first mango. He was extremely pleased by it.
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21 Weeks: Baby's First Thanksgiving

This week, we loaded up the jeep with Silvan, Yifot, Daisy dog, and all our myriad stuff, and headed off to Missouri to have Thanksgiving with my folks. Silvan did great on his longest journey yet, provided we stopped at diners and antique shops periodically.

My folks, as usual, grabbed Silvan up and I didn't see much of him for a few days. Silvan has decided that his Grandpa is really funny (possibly, funny looking). There was a lot of hysterical laughter from Silvan, and a nice walk on the rock beach by their little house deep in the woods.
Silvan got to meet his great-grandparents, Jim and Gretchen, for the first time. He was very interested in his great-grandma, and held his great-grandpa's finger in his little hand.

I was more grateful for the things in my life this year than I can remember ever being.
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5 Months: Fashion Shoot

The weather has taken a turn for the crisp and invigorating here lately, and as a result Silvan has been wearing more and more clothes. It started with socks, but soon he was wearing pants and little hoodies and cute little footie-pajamas. Jd and I are, naturally, thrilled.

Babies apparently enjoy a significantly expanded fashion universe and are allowed - even encouraged - to really push the envelope. Here Silvan is sporting a plush pink one-piece body suit. What adult could pull that off?

Normally, I get to pick out Silvan's outfit for the day. I get up early and make sure the front room is nice and warm. Then I put together everything I'll need to get Silvan ready for the day: a new diaper and diaper cover, baby wipes, his baby lotions, a blanket for him to lay on, and a new outfit. Finally, I lift him out of bed (unless he's nursing) and carry him out to the front room. I change his diaper, put on his little outfit, and sit with him by the fire for a few minutes.

This morning ritual of ours is very peaceful and meditative, and none of us make a big fuss about it. Sometimes, though, we change his clothes in the evenings just for kicks. These are much more festive events - we go through all his clothes and pick out a cute new outfit. We have a couch in the front room with a white blanket on it that makes a wonderful backdrop for our little fashion shoots. Jd and I will both get our cameras out and snap away for minutes at a time. Silvan seems to appreciate the attention.

In addition to new clothes, Silvan has been getting more and more involved with toys. For Silvan, toys are primarily for chewing on. He has a significant collection of stuffed bears, caterpillars, goblins, and a single stuffed robot.



Of course, it isn't all photo ops and stuffed toys for Silvan. He has a quiet, sensitive side that you can most often glimpse at about 8:00 in the morning. At this time of day - after his breakfast, a fresh diaper and a new outfit - he likes to sit quietly and stare into space.
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19 Weeks: Eating!

This was a really exciting week because Silvan started eating solid foods for the first time. I had been noticing him watching very closely while we eat, and he had been nursing constantly the past couple weeks-- even during the night, which has not been his habit. My folks, along with a couple mama buddies of mine, convinced us that the time is right to try solid foods for Silvan.

We started out with some teething biscuits (the hippie organic kind, of course). I offered one to Silvan and he immediately grabbed it and put it in his mouth, as if he had been waiting for me to offer him a biscuit for weeks! When he found that he could eat it, he began kicking his arms and legs and squealing with delight.
We sat him in his high chair and gave him rice cereal a few days later. Another easy success! Silvan had no trouble eating from a spoon, and soon insisted on holding the spoon himself (he's not great at aiming for his mouth, however). He can eat a serving of rice cereal in no time flat.

The goat shed is now finished. It will be a nice warm winter home for goats, chickens, sheep dogs, and cats. It smells pleasantly of cedar and hay inside, and we are very happy with it. Now comes the difficult work of herding the chickens into it. Silvan and I work on herding chickens each afternoon; he rides in the backpack. We like to hang out together this way.
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Silvan at 18 weeks

This week, my folks visited again to spend some more time with Silvan. We dressed Silvan up as a little pumpkin for his first Halloween, and took him to his music class with my mother. He had a great time, as he always does, and looked fabulous.

Silvan learned to hold and play with his rattle this week. He looks somewhat foreboding with it. We are still vacillating on whether to give him the pop rocks his Grandma Zink sent him.
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17 Weeks: Greencastle visit

This week, Silvan and I made a trip out to the cabin and farm I've been slowly building in Greencastle. My buddy Susan met us out there, and we sat in the clover and drank a beer while Silvan slept in his sling. Silvan really likes the cabin and the woods. We intend to move to the cabin permanently in a couple years. It is a beautiful place, the same now as it was when my Great-great-great-great Grandparents lived on this land.

This week we finished framing and roofing the goat shed. It is coming along, and we are looking into our goats for the Spring! Silvan has been so patient through our building, playing quietly in his Old Macdonald chair and chewing on his green bean toy. He is such a pleasure to have around.

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16 Weeks: Silvan's Wiccanning

The weekend after Silvan's 16 week birthday, we met up with some family and friends at Lothlorien Nature Sanctuary to hold a Wiccanning Ceremony for Silvan. This was an opportunity for us to formally introduce Silvan to our spiritual community. He looked beautiful in the Zink family Christening gown.

Our friends made a circle around the maypole in the lightning shrine, and lit candles to symbolize their commitment to supporting Silvan's spiritual growth, wherever it may take him. Lots of heartfelt wishes were extended, and bright ribbons were wrapped around the maypole while Silvan and I sat at its base, accompanied by drum and didgeridoo. We broke out the homebrew mead and talked late into the hazy afternoon while leaves swirled down from the woods.
Bruce's sister Faith came down from Cincinnati in time to partake of a big communal meal in the Long Hall. She and Silvan had some good laughs together.

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Week 15: Goat Shed!

This week we donned our tool belts and started building a movable goat shed/ chickenhouse in the front yard. The chickens have been roosting in a particular tree since they were chicks, and a cold rain last week convinced us that they can no longer go without shelter. Silvan hung out in his baby papasan chair while we worked, and needed only occasional cuddling and comforting. He is a very patient guy. During this time he learned how to yank the dangling toy from his chair, the better to stuff it into his mouth.
Silvan's emerging bottom teeth are hurting him lately. But he spends most of his days in high spirits, looking around at the fire and the cats and gurgling to himself delightedly.

This week our little white hen, puff, started laying eggs-- the first we've had from our chickens. They are tiny, blue-green, and lovely, as you can see.

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Silvan at fourteen weeks

Silvan made even more progress towards becoming an independent person this week. He has become interested in his "baby gym", which has served as an elaborate cat toy up until now. Grabbing things and putting them in his mouth occupies most of his waking hours. He desires to sit up and engage with the world as much as he can, and complains when the view is not to his liking. He has noticed that there are an awful lot of chickens, cats, and dogs running around this place, and would like to put them into his mouth, too. We started our first fire of the year in the woodstove this week, and all sat together looking at the flames.




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Week 13!

Shrewd observers will note that we're falling behind - Silvan turned 15 weeks old this past Friday. We have a sizable backlog of photos and anecdotes that we're just dying to share with you all.

At any rate, Silvan is proving to be extremely pleasant company. I don't get to see him as much as jd does - in the mornings I change his diaper before I go to work and in the afternoons I take Silvan and sit with him for as long as he'll abide it.

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He is proving to be a real handful - jd surly knows this better than I since she's home with him by herself most often. On the other hand, it sure seems like she can always calm him down with out much trouble. Her ability to nurse him gives her an unfair advantage, if you ask me. I have to pick him up and walk with him sometimes to keep him happy.

Silvan is growing by leaps and bounds. He'll support himself on his legs if you hold him steady, and just last week he started successfully grabbing things in his hands and putting them in his mouth. He petted a cat. His babbling has moved from 'aaaaa' to 'laaa' to 'mmmmmm-ba' all in the last week or so.

His awareness of mirrors has been a fascinating development. Initially, he only seemed interested in mirrors in the same way he was interested in light and movement. Later, he would make eye contact with himself in the mirror. Then he started trying to touch the mirror, and now he'll make eye contact with jd and me through the mirror.

That about exhausts what I have to say right now - Silvan is lovely and sweet. I'm extremely fond of him . Here are a couple more pictures showing how pretty he is.




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Banging things!

Silvan has become a master at banging together the crystal heart and old spoon that hang above his changing table. He can also get his entire fist into his mouth!
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Silvan at three months

Silvan was three months old this week! This week, he was able to hold on to his first toy, boon companion green bean, and chew on it. His first tooth is starting to come out on his lower gum. He spends so much of the day singing delightedly that I call him my meadowlark.
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Wild Magick 2008

This weekend we loaded Silvan, all our magic stuff, costumes, and a million diapers, and went on our first camping trip; to Wild Magick, a celebration of the equinox at lothlorien nature sanctuary. I had just bought a vehicle, a baby-friendly jeep much different from my usual beat-up pickups, and we drove it around for the first time. We were all recovering from the flu, and Silvan began teething while we were camping. Hippie mamas gave us chilled carrots for him to gnaw.
Silvan crowed with delight to see the sun coming through the tent in the mornings. He is a natural camper. I danced barefoot around the fire in the dome with Silvan for the first time; he was rocked to sleep. We found ourselves being crotchety to the folks camped around us, who came with a keg and strobe light; it was my first time asking partiers to keep it down. We had a good time, wore ourselves out, and were happy to come back to our quiet farmhouse.
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Silvan at 11 weeks

We all packed up and headed out to the Baum family farmhouse in rural Illinois for the weekend of Silvan's 11th week. It was storming horribly, and part of a tree fell on the house, but we got to do all the things we like to do there; we had a cheeseburger at Britey's diner, and saw a movie at the theater where my grandpa was the projectionist back in the day. We found some good antiques in a new little shop. Silvan was interested in the farmhouse, and looked long and hard at the trees and horizon. He cried a lot in his carseat-- on the way home, we stopped at a grotto to the virgin and I fed him, sitting in a cave made of geodes, while Bruce stood watching over us.
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Silvan at nine weeks

Silvan seems more like a little boy, less like a baby, to me this week. We've been spending a lot of time at the local ymca; I've been trying to get myself back in shape and get some of the exercise that my work usually provides, and Silvan is getting used to the concept of water. Bruce walks around with him in the pool, showing him the patterns of light on water and introducing him to all the folks who are always asking to see him. Silvan clearly recognized himself in the ymca changing room mirror this week, and was mighty suspicious of what he saw.
Silvan and I attended a sample 'music together' class this week, and I decided it's just the thing for a musical little guy like him. Just a group of mamas singing together to their babies, with a lot of dancing and bouncing of babies. At one point we put all the babies in a circle on the floor, lying on yoga mats, and circled around them, singing, with colored flags. Silvan liked that a lot. We'll be taking these music classes until mid-Winter.
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Silvan at eight weeks

Silvan has been working on his hand-eye coordination this week, and can grab the fairy that hangs over his changing table. He has started learning to drink from a bottle, and seems to be a natural at it. At first, Bruce seemed to be the person Silvan looked to for learning about things and looking around, while I was Silvan's source of cuddling, comfort, and food. This polarization of roles seems to be evening out some; Silvan will sometimes sleep in Bruce's sling, as here, and spends a lot of time talking and looking at things with me. I've begun reading him books, and he shows some interest in the pictures.
Silvan had his two month checkup this week, and now weighs 13.5 pounds! All his eating is paying off, and he is becoming a fat, healthy baby.
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Silvan at seven weeks

Silvan turned a corner this week. He has a whole vocabulary of gurgles and pterodactyl screeches, and chats with me in the mornings over coffee. He is more often awake, alert, talking and watching than he has been. His company is delightful.
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Silvan at six weeks

My folks came back to visit again this week, and Silvan seemed to recognize them. We spent some time wandering around Nashville and visited the farm.
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