Mom, Can I have a Peanut Butter sandwich yet?

We had a great week celebrating the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The title of this blog was the question of the week. It was great though to remind the kids why we celebrate the feasts and how getting rid of the leaven (sin) in your life is freeing and not burdensome. We broke the "no leaven" week at Shabbat meal with challah bread. It tasted especially good this week compared to others.

First Bottle

As usual I got sidetracked at Target and took a little too long and my husband desperately trying to quiet a screaming baby gave her the first bottle. Thankfully I had just pumped that morning so there was a fresh bag in the fridge. Now I do want to put a side note in that she wasn't due to eat and I was watching the clock even in my Target shopping bliss.

4 weeks and special PJ's

I can't believe that Hannah Ilana is 4 weeks old already. She is already looking so much bigger to me and is definitely more alert. She is still a pretty content baby. She is also quite the cuddler. It is so weird that I was taking 4 week old pictures on her due date. As I look back I am so grateful she came early for about a million reasons. Things worked out so perfect.

The pajamas she is wearing is one of Josh's favorites for a very special reason. When Blake was born Josh's Grandma Elliott gave us a pack of pajamas that had many different colors...including pink. So the pink pairs were packed away in case we ever had a girl. When Liah was born I tried to put her in them but from the start she was too big. Her legs were too long. When I was getting clothes organized a couple of months ago I almost didn't even put these pajamas in the drawer since they are so small and meant for a baby with very short legs. Since Hannah was a month early and such a little peanut (with short, little legs) they fit her perfectly and the first time she wore them I thought of Grandma Elliott immediately. In May will be the one year anniversary of her going home to be with the Lord so it's nice that Hannah has a special present from Grandma Elliott that had never been worn by the other kids.

Liah's New Favorite Activity and Her Curly Hair

. Liah is on this huge puzzle kick. This has been the perfect activity for her with the new baby. I love her "I'm going to do this myself." attitude. Liah is our strong willed child which when she was little was very frustrating and tiring but as she gets older has turned into such a blessing. She loves doing "school" and never gives up on anything. The puzzle above has 70 pieces and she did it all by herself. She loved the fact that the box said 5 and up and she's only 3.

And now about Liah's hair.......I really don't know what to do with it. In this pic. it's pretty tame but in high humidity it can get these tight "Shirley Temple" curls or somewhere in between. I'm also growing her bangs out and they are at that difficult stage. I can't wait to see her hair long with her curls which I do love by the way. It's just that I already spend so much time on her hair in the morning and if Hannah has the same curls I don't see how I'll ever get out of the house before noon again. If anyone who has curly hair has any suggestions please let me know?

Use Your Senses

We have been studying the 5 senses in science and had a fun family game night to finish the unit up. The kids were blindfolded and had to guess noises, smells, and tastes. At first Blake was a little reluctant to let me put different foods in his mouth without seeing them first but after telling him to trust me and that I wouldn't make him taste things I knew he didn't like he relaxed and had a great time. This picture of the two of them cracks me up.

Passover

"The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt." Exodus 12:13

"When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table, and he said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God." Luke 22:14-16

Our Passover Seder was a great time of reflection and fellowship. Josh's parents came over to celebrate with us which the kids were excited about. At the end of the meal the kids went out to find the Afikoman and this year Liah found it. She was very proud that she found it before her older brother. And now the start of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

First Bath

Hannah had her first bath last Saturday night. We were expecting lots of screaming like with the other kids first baths but she didn't make a peep and actually appeared to enjoy it. She cried a little when we took her out because she was cold and that was it.
" I feel soooo relaxed. Can I have a bath everyday?"

Daddy's Last Day Home

It was so nice last Friday and it was Josh's last day off of work so we decided to take the kids to the zoo in the afternoon.


The kids favorite thing to look at is always the tigers. We came at nap time as you can see.
I forgot to get a picture of Liah's outfit. You can kind of see it here. She put together the cutest outfit with a dress that was a little too short with jeans underneath and completed the ensemble with her jean jacket and flip flops. She is quite the fashion diva. Next time I'll make sure to get a close up of it on her.
Hannah was not at all impressed by Potawatami zoo and chose to sleep the whole time in the Bjorn carrier. It was kind of windy and she didn't like when I uncovered her face to get this pic. as you can tell by her gasping for air close-up.

2 week

Hannah had her 2 week appt. and here are the new measurements.
Height: 20 in.
Weight: 7lbs 2oz
I forgot to ask about the percent but the Dr. did make the comment that she stayed on the chart.
She also finally lost her umbilical cord last Sunday.(4/6)

First Tooth Lost

Blake lost his first tooth tonight at Shabbat meal. We didn't realize it though until he was getting ready for bed. Yes, he swallowed it. We do know exactly when it happened and it was my fault that he swallowed it. Blake is our texture kid when it comes to food just like I am. He is known to make statements how something feels funny when he's eating. Well at dinner he complained that his chicken was hard. Well I knew it was boneless so I figured he just had a tougher piece so what do I tell him, "Blake it's fine. Just eat." So he ate his tooth. Not the best parenting moment.

A very special Shabbat meal

The kids had been so excited for the first Shabbat meal after the baby came. Well the night had finally come. I actually found a dress small enough for Hannah so she could be all dressed up for the occasion.

One Week

Hannah is one week today. She had her first Dr.s appt. this afternoon and these are her one week stats. Weight:6 lbs. 8 oz.
Height: 20 in.
Percentile Overall: 10%

I really don't realize how little she is until I try to put 0-3 month clothing on her. For prayer night I was going to have her wear the outfit that my friend Danielle had bought for her so she could see it on her. Well as you can see she hasn't quite grown into the 0-3 month size as far as pants go.

A Year Ago.....

As I'm sitting here holding Hannah as she sleeps I think of what I was doing a year ago this time. A year ago today we found out we had lost a baby to miscarriage and I was preparing to have a D&C the following day. Oh what the Lord can do in a year.

Don't you wish you had this job.

It's a Baby Boom

So this was the week of babies. A friend of mine had a baby boy on the same day that I had Hannah. Anderson Windsor(Sp?) is adorable and yes marriage has already been discussed. This is Adam and Carrie's fourth child. This is so crazy to me. A year ago they adopted three children from Africa and I don't think ever thought they would be having a baby just a year later. The Lord works in mysterious ways. Adam and Carrie amaze me at how they have transitioned from being just the two of them to now a family of six. I hope Carrie doesn't get upset that I posted this pic. Considering she had a c-section just two days prior I think she looks amazing.
Two days after we were discharged from the hospital we were headed back. Another set of friends had a baby boy,Joshua Michael. Josh of course approved of the name. This is Tanya and Jeff's first. Joshua is also very adorable.