A toddler and a tube of lipstick

For the record - you would be amazed at how hard it is to get red lipstick off.

Not to be outdone in passport picture cuteness

Yes, she is a girl

I'm not sure why people default to a baby boy if they are uncertain of the gender of a baby. Lillian got two sets of clips as gifts this weekend. No mistaking her now.

Here she is

And some other pictures for your viewing pleasure

Toe Jam

Elijah recently discovered Toe Jam. He is obsessed about looking for it. He doesn't really like to wear socks but if you tell him he'll get Toe Jam out of it he is more than willing to put them on.

We bought a house!

With the addition of Lillian, this little house was just getting too small. So we thought we'd look a bit. We didn't expect to find something that we liked as quickly. We made an offer last night and before we went to bed we were new home owners.

It's a 1495 square foot bungalow three blocks from our current home. It has five bedrooms and a two car garage. The yard is really quite big for being in the middle of the city and it is fully landscaped. Some of the inside stuff is a little bit dated but we were kind of looking for that so that we could make it our own.

Possession date is February 1st. Now we just need to figure out when we'll move and when we'll sell this house. Fun times.

A passport and a dream

Yesterday Lillian got her picture taken for her very first passport. We're planning a trip somewhere south of Canada in February so we needed to start the process of getting her some proper flying ID.

It's made me think of all the the passports I dream that she will need down the road. Passports to go on adventures around the world and experience the things that make your world richer and your level of compassion just a little bit higher.

I dream of emails from London saying that she thinks that perhaps she may just have caught a glimpse of King William.

I dream of a phone call from Peru in the orphanage that she's spending her summer volunteering at.

I dream of quick trips to Fargo with her friends for a weekend of shopping and girl time.

And sometimes, when the mother in me doesn't get too scared, I dream that she will go to places like Africa and fall in love with the people like her mom did. I dream that she will have a heart of love for those who have not had all the advantages that she will grow up with.

But mostly, I dream that she will be happy and live the life that God created her for.

Hey

Conversation while Elijah was "helping" wash the dishes and I "took" his water.

Elijah: Hey.

Mom: Hey what?

Elijah: Hay for horses.

Pictures for a Monday morning

Sibling love

Elijah has been surprisingly full of love for "The Baby" (as he refers to her). While he may not be the most gentle when he hugs and kisses her, the intent is there.

My new sling

This week was about finding the perfect sling to carry Lillian around in. It's much to hard to try to carry a baby and play with a toddler.

I tried a few but I finally settled on one that is a long piece of material that can be used to carry the baby several different ways. I got it yesterday and have been loving it today. Lillian is quite happy to be tucked up right next to me. Ironically enough, Elijah was at daycare today so I didn't even need it for that purpose.

The things that thrill me these days...

And there went a month...

A month ago I went to bed pleased that my house was clean. Ready for a few days of relaxation before my due date. By lunch the next day Lillian was here.

It is amazing to me how quickly I have forgotten nine months of yuckiness. I have forgotten the sickness, the heartburn, the general achiness, the poor eyesight. I have even forgotten the pain of labour.

I truly feel blessed.

Lillian is a healthy baby whose biggest issue is a stuffy nose that she'd had half her life. She has a good set of lungs that she uses day or night. She feeds well and does a great job of filling her Pampers. She is a steady source of amusement. (Like when she takes a chunk of her hair and just starts yanking. And then she screams bloody murder because it hurts.)

Elijah has been a great older brother. When she is in her swing and she starts to cry he heads on over and makes sure that she has music to calm her down. It often does. He tries to share his toys with her. Yesterday he loaded up her lap with Mr. Potato Head pieces. Some days he sits beside me on the couch while I'm holding her and just puts his hand on hers while he watches TV.

I am enjoying this time around more because I have the perspective of experience. I know that the sleepless nights will pass. I know that she won't die from crying. I know that being a martyr doesn't make me a better mother. I know that while the mall is close, I probably don't need to take advantage of ALL the sales I see.

So there you have it. A good month. (Spoken with the perspective of an individual who got a morning nap this morning because her two year old, who has decided that he no longer needs a nap, was at daycare. Nothing like rest to make everything a little bit better.)

Loving her

The kids

Big brother is watching



He wasn't too thrilled about getting dressed up and going trick or treating. These are the happiest pictures I got. He was a cute little monkey though.

Pictures from this past week

Lillian Ruth Banman Holland

She made her big arrival this week!

Brief delivery details: I woke up at 2:30 on Wednesday feeling a bit off and wondered if I was in labour. Within an hour I was having contractions so after a quick call to Trevor's mom to come look after Elijah, we were off to the hospital. There was a lot of pain and then some drugs and then the doctor broke my water and then there was the arrival. I pushed for three hours with Elijah and was incredibly thankful that this time it was only 10 minutes. (Ironically enough my doctor was there to delivery at the exact time that I was supposed to be having a prenatal check up with her.)

It was nice to have a few days in the hospital getting to know Lillian a bit while Elijah was at my parents. We are still amazed at not only the quantity of her hair but the color. It seriously looks like she's gotten highlights already. I think we may have a diva on our hands.

We are doing well and while Elijah hasn't taken ownership of Lillian, he certainly has as much affection for her that a two year old can muster. There have been gentle touches and a kiss now and then. Wow does he seem big now.

Overall, we are doing well and look forward to everyone getting to meet her.

Time out

Perhaps our son soaks up more than we actually thought...

I walked into the living room today and he had placed his pig on the time out chair. He told me that the pig was getting a time out. I asked him why. He said that it was because the pig had hit the Baa Baa. I suggested he say sorry. He did and then proceeded to have them hug and kiss.

Of course a short time later the pig got another time out because he had bit the cow. Someone using real life examples?

Last week of work

Next Sunday I won't be thinking about work the next day (and it won't be because it's Thanksgiving either.)

Somehow I feel better prepared this time around for the shock of not being at work, with adults every day. I love my job and I love the people that I get to interact with every day. That's a hard thing to not have.

I think having Elijah around makes me look forward to this one more because I know how much fun it is to see a child grow. There is nothing that melts my heart more than seeing him play with his trains, look over, see me, and have him run over to me just to give me a hug and a kiss. He is like a sponge and it continually amazes me that I get to be a part of helping him grow up.

(On a side note: Did I mention he's successfully been in his twin size bed for a week now? He has done AMAZING! We have a railing on the one side but he quite willingly goes to sleep in it.)

Oh, and for your viewing pleasure, me, 37 weeks pregnant.

Other Elijah news

Elijah moved to a bed this week and I am happy to report that he has done it quite successfully. (Daddy will likely tell you that Mommy had a harder time than Elijah did.)
Spending the last of the nice Saturday afternoons drawing with chalk on the sidewalk.

Taking a stroll in Daddy's flip flops.

Happy birthday to Elijah

"Elijah, how old are you?"

He keeps responding by saying "six". (I'm still dealing with him being two so six is jumping the gun just a bit...)

Elijah's latest obsession is Thomas the Train. His birthday was on Tuesday and we gave him a track that kept him entertained for hours. Last night our we had a family birthday party. He was a little overwhelmed by all the people and but he certainly enjoyed all the trains that he got. He also had a good time playing with his cousin.





Blowing out the candles on his Dairy Queen icecream cake.

Elijah and William were very interested in the digger on the cake.

Rug burn

Elijah started Sunday School on Sunday. He's turning two next week so he moved up into the 2/3 class. He got to color a picture and he even made a crown that he got to wear. He was quite proud of it.

Unfortunately, as we were leaving church, the little guy took a stumble and got some serious rug burn on his face. It doesn't seem to bother him at all. Every time I look at it I have to laugh because he really did land right on his face. Poor guy.


He is still enjoying one of his favorite pastimes. Spending time cuddled up with a blanket on the couch. Who knew that a flannel blanket could bring a kid that much joy?

In the home stretch?

35 weeks...

Motivation for getting through continues to come from the end result. Elijah is so much fun right now. Of course, he is also full of energy which does lead to some exhaustion. Thank you Jesus for grandparents.


Feeding the geese at the duck pond. They will come and eat right out of his hand.

33 weeks and counting

Nothing new to report. I'm tired of being sick and tired but I've been that for a few months now.

Elijah is good. His latest is saying "I like that". (Although sometimes I think he gets that mixed up with "I lick that" as he tends to lick things after he's said it.)

Work continues to be wonderfully supportive in my pregnancy limitations. Hip hip hooray for SCU!

And my wonderful husband is continuing to work on our bathroom. We've got the paint so we may even have it painted by the end of the week.

Me and the kids

OK - so you can't really see one of them. But believe me, I can definately feel that he/she is there.

Elijah, where's the baby?

Ask Elijah where the baby is and he heads to my belly to lift up my shirt and show everyone where the baby is. Today he started kissing my belly. It's quite cute except for the fact that I'm always a little bit nervous that while he's kissing me, he'll also bite me. Takes away the cuteness just a bit.

He is part Mennonite

Loving the watermelon and Roll Kuchen.

My two favorite guys

I'm guessing that this won't be the last time these two guys are found with fishing rods.

Renovation report: I am glad to let you know that not only do we have a functioning toilet, but we also have a functioning shower. We won't discuss the layer of dust that is consistent throughout our house...

Vacation count down

Vacation is about to start. Two weeks away from work. It will be a nice break. We're off to the lake next week. It will be fun to see Elijah being able to do more than he could last summer. Hopefully there won't be too many bug bites.

I am also looking forward to being able to spend two solid weeks with Elijah. Look at that kid in the picture. How could you not want to get down on the floor and color with him?

Why

Why do I go through months of nausea? Months of heartburn? Colds where I can't take any meds? Eyesight that requires me to wear my glasses when I'd really like to be wearing sunglasses? Frequent trips to the bathroom? All sorts of body adjustments I won't get into?

This, my friends, is why.


Regardless of how much those things suck right now, I know that there is a child waiting to discover something at the end of the tunnel.

Who knew that the discovery of how a squirt bottle works could bring as much joy to Elijah as it did. He was amazed. Everytime he pressed the button, water came out. You spend time with a kid discovering something new like that and tell me that life doesn't look a little bit better.

So yes, I've still got a summer cold, but somehow, after a night of giggles, it doesn't seem quite so bad.

p.s. Check out his sandle tan. Try to beat that.

At the lake

Waiting for the bus

Elijah could look out our living room window for unusually long periods of time watching the vehicles go by. He's particularly thrilled when a bus goes by. Good thing we live on a bus route.

Helping daddy tune up his bike

23 weeks