Silas’s name has a special meaning: He is named after the biblical Silas from the book of Acts. Although Silas doesn’t have a major role, he is a man with characteristics we hope our son will have -- he was a leader among his peers, a faithful friend and encourager, an ambassador to outsiders, and courageous in the face of injustice. When he was wrongly imprisoned and his legs were in chains, he sang.
“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose.” (Acts 16:25-26)
Silas’s middle name, Deleo (pronounced De-LAY-oh), comes from a man with characteristics we hope Silas will strive for in his life: integrity, courage, compassion, and grace. Deleo Moses Ocen lives in northern Uganda and works tirelessly to demonstrate unconditional love to the people around him. His friendship has blessed us and his incredible life story (and all the stories in between) inspire us in our commitment to helping the people in need in Africa. We are hopeful that Silas’s continued good health will allow our family to travel to Uganda to meet his namesake.
Also, it turns out that Deleo in Uganda and Silas’s neurosurgeon here in Boston have good friends in common. Silas's neurosurgeon, Dr. Warf, left everything behind in the US and moved to Uganda for six years to help treat East African children with spina bifida and hydrocephalus. The procedure he developed to help children there is now helping Silas and other children here in the US. We are so grateful that Silas was sent here to Boston and that all of these paths have led to where we are today.
Silas continues to do well. The pressure in his head seems to be holding steady and the long incision on his little back is almost completely healed. (His aunt bought him a onesie that says “chicks dig scars.”) He gets stronger every day. We will go back in to see his doctors at CHB on Wednesday and hopefully hear that he can travel back to New Haven for Thanksgiving. We have so much to be thankful for this year.
Things to Know About Silas:
We hope that very soon Silas’s spina bifida will not be the most interesting thing about him. In fact, now that we’re out of the hospital, he seems a lot like a typical infant – only better, of course. So many people who have been supporting him will not have the chance to meet him for a few weeks or months, so we’ll list a few things that might help you imagine why we’re so in love with this little guy.
He doesn’t cry. When he’s upset, which is almost never, he yells for about five seconds and stops. He doesn’t mind getting dressed or being bathed or having his diaper changed or the other special things we need to do to keep him healthy.
He loves his cherry-flavored antibiotics. He sucks it down and grabs at the syringe when it’s gone.
He doesn’t like being cold. It is good that he lives in California and not Boston. We will have to buy him a thick wetsuit when it’s time.
He is peaceful. He loves being awake and stretching and talking and exercising. He talks a lot.
He makes eye contact really well. He especially likes looking at his Cookie Monster doll when he’s having his side-laying time.
He is a “leisurely” eater. Mama spends a lot of time feeding him! He also never spits up and can burp like a champ. When he is eating he likes to hold on the wedding rings Mama wears around her neck.
We don’t know the color of his eyes yet. They seem to change.
His legs and arms are strong! We are working to improve the muscles in his calves, ankles, feet, and toes so that someday he can walk with minimal aid.
Much of his body is still covered in precious soft fur, and he’s lost his umbilical cord.
His due date is in two days.
