There is coming a day...

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea." Revelation 21:1

My parents flew back to Singapore on Sunday. They had been here for 4 weeks, having arrived just a few days before Silas was born. They were such a gift in the days that followed...cooking and cleaning, offering baby guidance, and loving on our precious son as much as possible. Saying goodbye on Sunday was difficult for all of us.

I've never regretted my parent's decision to follow the Lord's calling on their lives to work in full-time missions. I loved growing up overseas. But we will all openly admit that the journey has not come without it's share of sacrifices. We all miss the companionship of being together. And when we say goodbye I always feel a sort of emptiness that lingers for a while. The house was much quieter yesterday and today. Shane and I are back to cooking for ourselves. And Silas has been a bit fussy, which is not his norm, so I am blaming it on less attention and fewer arms to snuggle in.

The past two days I've been reminded that there is coming a day when there will be no more goodbyes. Amazingly, the scripture specifically states that the sea that separates us will be gone. Oh, how I long for that day...when not only will we be together with each other and our Lord Jesus, but "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." 21:4 What a promise for those who are in Christ Jesus.

In the meantime, we have a treasury of memories from the first weeks of Silas' life. What a joy that we got to share them together. This is my mom and I, and Shane and my dad on the night before they left. We were out to eat and had Silas with us, but little sleepyhead didn't wake up to be in any pictures.


Here is Nana having Sunday School with Silas in his room. So sweet.
And Papa reading the story of Paul and Silas to our Silas out of the children's Bible they got for him.

Aunt Tara and Uncle Jay

Silas loved time with Aunt Tara and Uncle Jay this weekend. He especially loved all the extra snuggles and lovies. We can't wait to see you again soon...

Papa's 60th Birthday

While Tara and Jay were here we celebrated my dad's 60th birthday - a milestone. For a family who often misses all being together for such special occasions, it was wonderful for all 7 of us to get to share a meal and a cherry pie (my dad's favorite).

We sent my dad, Shane, and Jay to a Cincinnati Reds game to celebrate. My dad loves baseball. But while all the festivities were fun, my dad said that Silas was still the best birthday present he received...

Every Little Bit

Silas is 10 days old now. He has not only made a grand entrance into our home, but he's taken up quite a residence in our hearts as well. One of the books I bought for our baby a while back is called "I Love You, Every Little Bit." Many times each day since I first held him, I've thought how much I absolutely love our son. I know he is not perfect, but thankfully, love has never been based on perfection. So here's our Silas, every little bit...





And Silas, as a token to another of our favorite books, we are daily grateful that "God Gave Us You."

Moments after Silas was Born

Our baby, Silas Cole, was born on Wednesday, July 2nd at 5:10 pm. He weighed 8 pounds, 11 ounces and was 19 3/4 inches long. We never expected such a big boy, but are grateful that he is healthy, strong, and created to be uniquely himself. We think that he is precious and perfectly cute. This is me holding him after he had been cleaned up a little. I had held him immediately after he was born, and hated giving him up for the very few short moments it took his nurse to clean him off and weigh him.

Shane getting to hold him for the first time...father and son...I love it.
I kept thinking how long we waited for this day to arrive and finally, it was here. Nothing can compare with the exhilaration we felt in those moments or compete with the amount of love and joy that filled that room. Here we are, a little family.

Oh, I could snuggle him for days on end...

Silas meets his Grandparents

We were so blessed to have my parents and Shane's mom and Lee get to be with us for Silas' birth-day. They waited for his arrival just as expectantly as we did. It was so fun to see them hold him for the first time. Here is Grandma (Shane's mom, Judy) getting her first look at her first grandchild...
Grandpa Lee never turned down a chance to hold Silas while they were here. He even helped with diaper and clothes changes...
Nana (my mom, Suzanne) and her grandson. My parents are staying with us for 3 more weeks. They have already been such a help getting us transitioned into life at home...
Papa (my dad, Keith) taking his turn cuddling Silas. This was a day of firsts for us, being our first child and all our parent's first grandchild. This child is certainly welcomed and loved...

Silas' Many Faces

Fuzzy head after getting his first bath in the nursery...
So sleepy after all the excitement of his first day...
Very curious to see Daddy behind that camera...
Still sleepy on day 2...
He found his thumb just one time. So cute to see him acting like such a big boy...

More Family

Shane's brother and sister-in-law came to see us Friday. We loved having more family come meet our baby. Here is proud Uncle Wes with Silas...

And Brooke with him, too...
On Friday night we all had dinner at our house after leaving the hospital. It was a rainy 4th of July in Louisville so we don't think we missed much of a fireworks show. And who wants to go out anyway when you have the cutest baby in the world to snuggle?

Heading Home

Silas looking safe and snug in his carseat. And pretty adorable in one of his own outfits for the first time...
Saying goodbye to our daytime nurse. We had the best care while we were in the hospital. I could not have asked for a better experience...
Getting Silas into the car...
And preparing to drive home with Mommy and Daddy...
On Saturday, after a great first night at home. We all felt a little more rested and relaxed being at home. You can't see so well in this picture, but both Silas and Daddy wore Illinois outfits for the first day home...