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.