Three Keithleys

This is a picture from Father's Day, around the corner from our new apartment. It's been said, by a lot of people independently, that Silas J. looks more like Perry G. than Todd S. Here's the comparison shot. Thoughts?

Silas seems to have settled in to the new place. He doesn't mind that we still live among boxes -- with Meredith starting her ICU rotation, and my judge visiting on the court of appeals last week, we haven't had much time to unpack (or to blog).

You may remember that on Silas's six-month birthday, his two bottom teeth came in. Today, on his eight-month birthday, his left front tooth poked through. (No photo this time -- it's too hard!)

Silas has little interest in crawling these days. All he wants is to stand. He'll grab whatever part of you he can -- leg, knee, arm, clothing -- and use it to hoist himself up. As soon as he's struggled into a standing position, he figures the hard part is over, so he lets go and takes a look around. Usually we get a hand on his back to support him before he topples over, but every now and then he comes crashing down on his bum. He'll look a bit pained, but rarely cries. He just pulls himself back up and does it again.

Although he plays with his toys every now and then, he is much more interested in whatever we're holding: coffee mug, plate, apple, newspaper. And he's become an expert communicator. He'll reach toward the thing in our hands and begin to yowl, and he won't stop until we give him the goods.

Silas has also become a connoisseur of anything floppy. The only use he has for a stuffed animal is to finger the "Made in China" label. He can play with a label for twenty minutes without a break, threading it between his fingers or tickling it so that it flips up, down, and up again. He loves the straps and buckles of his high chair and his changing pad. If Meredith is wearing a sweatshirt, he will not rest until he's holding the strings of her hood. And every morning when I'm about to leave, we go through this routine: Charlene holds him up to say goodbye; he leans out of her arms and reaches for me, as if to give me a big hug; I take him into my arms; and he goes straight for the tie. As it turns out, he is not particularly interested in hugging, but he is very interested in ties.

Two final pictures from the move: babysitting Silas as Meredith and I unpacked, the Grandparents Keithley spent a lot of time on the floor last week.