Unpacking memories

The past few days have been an emotional roller coaster as I continue to unpack and Lilly keeps popping up here and there.  I love it, yet it can be hard.  I unpacked the baby play mat for Solomon and when Tabby opened it up, there was one of Lilly's pink flannel blankets in it.  We both smelled it to see if it had any Lilly smell left.  (No, just attic smell.)  I also hung up Lilly's collection of dresses.  I love seeing them hanging on the wall.  But I did find it was very hard to actually touch the dresses.  What a weird journey this is ...

Here is Solomon snoozing in the bouncy seat that was first Hunter's, then Lilly's.  This is a rare photo moment because Solomon still doesn't like to be put down very much and usually doesn't like being left in the bouncy seat more than 10 minutes at a time.  I tried to tell him that Lilly LOVED this bouncy.  But he wasn't impressed.

Maybe some photo evidence would help him?

Solomon rewarded me with his first genuine, responsive smiles this past Monday.  I can't wait to actually get a picture of him smiling.  I think when a baby starts really smiling, it is so very rewarding.  I remember Lilly smiled her first smile a few days before she turned 4 months old.  At first, she liked to save up most of her smiles for her daddy each evening:

Solomon continues to wow us with his being baby Samson.  He continues to hold his neck up well and he just loves to stand up.  He locks his legs and stands strong.  If we stop him before he's ready, he will fuss.  Here is Solomon and Tabby, in their pjs with Solomon showing off.  (He makes me think of a tiny man when he stands up):

Not bad for an almost 6 week old baby!

Hunter likes to have a cd playing quietly in his room as he sleeps at night.  One of his favorites is "Baby Hymns" (a Fisher Price cd I got at Walmart).  One of the songs on it is "Soon and Very Soon" (an African American spiritual).  I think some of the lyrics are really comforting:

Soon and very soon
We are going to see the King
Hallelujah, hallelujah,
We're going to see the king

No more cryin there,
We are going to see the King

No more cryin there,
We are going to see the King

No more cryin there,
We are going to see the King
Hallelujah, hallelujah,
We're going to see the King

I think the end is in sight of all the unpacking.  My last major project is unpacking books.  I do say major!  We have so many books.  We've got 13 bookcases plus 2 walls of Hunter's room have built in bookshelves.  I think that will be enough space.  I hope so anyway!  In our family, we all LOVE books and each have a lot.  Plus as homeschoolers we compulsively collect good books.  As I was surveying our piles of boxes of books the thought crossed my mind "What if all these books were on a reader, like a Nook?"  Then there would be no book unpacking, no book storage, more room in the house, etc. Wow!  But ... I'd hate it.  I like the feel of a book in my hands and think of them like old friends as I see them everywhere. :)  So ... I guess it's back to unpacking books!

But before I do that, I wanted to share a picture Tabby took yesterday of blue birds at the bird bath in our backyard.  There were probably a dozen Eastern blue birds in the yard at that time!  Tabby has aspirations to have a nature photo published in Our State magazine as a "Tar Heel Image":