This is the baby's room!

Okay, so there is this reflex that most newborns have that's call the Startle Reflex, as you can imagine from the name, it's when the baby startles when they hear a loud noise or are touched unexpectedly. Our baby.... just so happens to be really good at this reflex. He is constantly doing this (see pictures above) with his arms. It looks like he is conducting an orchestra.

This pictures illustrates just how amazing the human body is. This picture was taken just a few days after Silas was born. Seeing this, you may ask yourself, "How on earth does a 9lb. 4oz. baby fit in there (my belly)?" I'm not sure, but somehow, he fit in my belly... along with all my other guts.

Silas likes to sleep on your chest like a little tree frog. I'm pretty sure this is how he slept while in my womb.

Baby Silas sleeps in all sorts of strange and seemingly uncomfortable positions. He doesn't seem to mind though....

Choosing a Baby Name:
My experience has been that the ideal situation for choosing a baby name is this. When people ask, “so have you picked out any names yet?” Either respond with, “no.” or “yes, and the name is going to be (list off a name that’s not too out of the ordinary like John, Matthew, or Nickolas”) This may not be the real name you have chosen, but it will likely ensure no negative comments. What possible bad things could come from a distinguished name like John, right? Keep the real name a secret! When it is good and legal, like permanently on the birth certificate, then you can tell people. Because at that point, hopefully they will realize their opinion doesn’t matter and they will feel no obligation to make known their like or dislike of the name, thus leaving you and your chosen baby name alone.

This has been my experience.
Person A: “So have you picked out a baby name?”
Stephanie: “Well, kinda”
Person A: “So what did you have in mind?”
Stephanie: “Well, Devin really likes the name Silas, so I think we might go with that.”
Person A: “Silas, really? (face usually crumples in disgust) Isn’t that like the bad guy’s name on Heroes?
Stephanie: “Actually his name is Siler, and yes, really.”
Person A: “Isn’t there a crazy delusional character in the Da Vinci Code with that name?
Stephanie: “Yes, the albino Monk is named Silas.”
Person A: (After feelings of disgust and dislike are made known, then comes the inevitable list of other more suitable suggestions)“How about something like Miles, or Tyler? Oh I know! Why don’t you name him Maddox, or Hercules?” (In other words, anything other than Silas would be good…)
Stephanie: “I’ll think about it, thanks.”
You’d think after some of the reactions I’ve gotten that I’ve decided to name the child Adolf or Hannibal.
In my mind I’m thinking, “Yes, Silas is the name of the delusional albino Monk in a fictional story line, but it also happens to be the name of one of Paul’s (as in the great apostle from the BIBLE, a pretty popular story if you can remember) proseliting side kick in the book of Thessalonians!”

Other instances where I have chosen to reveal baby’s name resulted in chuckles or accusations of “giving one a hard time.” As if revealing the name Silas was a cruel practical joke to be played on someone. That was probably the most disheartening outcome of revealing our baby’s chosen name to an individual. After my mom (yes, she is regrettably the culprit) finally realized that we were indeed serious and not trying to “pull anyone’s leg” she quickly repented and accepted the fate of having one grandson named Silas Austin. I think she has since recovered.

Next time, (and I suggest this plan of action for anyone not planning on naming their child something mundane and common), I plan on telling everyone that the baby’s name is Charles or Daniel, or at least until he comes and his name is put on the official birth certificate. What could be said then?

On Circumcision:
To snip or not to snip. Some controversy has arisen as to whether or not a parent should circumcise their child. It use to be that all parents circumcised their child because it was believed that it was a medical need. Now, however, research has shown that there is in fact no medical need to circumcise your child and less and less parents are opting to do it. It use to be that 90% or more of all baby’s were circumcised in the US, now, numbers have dropped to around 50%.
What is this nonsense about there being no medical need for circumcision? In fact, insurance companies (including Medicaid) no longer cover the procedure because it has been labeled as no longer medically necessary. Alone, saving your child from a lifetime of humiliation is mental medical need enough in my opinion, not to mention that circumcision has been proven to be more cleanly and to reduce the contraction of sexually transmitted diseases included HIV and AIDS. Where do they get off saying there is no medical need? Some have argued, how could you inflict so much pain and discomfort on your tiny infant for something unnecessary? I say, it’s better to do it now when the infant is able to quickly forget the pain, than to have the procedure done when the child is 15 and has to remember the pain of not only the procedure itself, but the emotional pain sustained by boyhood foreskin.
When Devin and I discussed whether or not to circumcise our child, the answer was obvious. Why would you want to expose your child to the inevitable names that come from fellow peers in the locker room, or cause your child that uncomfortable silence when his spouse for the first time realizes things just don’t look quite right. Worse yet, I dread trying to explain to my small son why his doesn’t look quite like dad’s. “Sorry son. It just wasn’t in the budget when you were born.”
This clearly is an opinion, and I don’t want to offend anyone. Some have likened circumcision to choosing to pierce your baby girl’s ears. It’s simply a cultural decision, and what you decide doesn’t matter either way.