One month old!

Lily-Anna is one month old today.  She is lovely.  The boys are very gentle with her and love to give her kisses and hugs.  She had a tongue-tie fixed and re-did a hearing test which she passed.  She also had thrush and therefore a very purple face for seven days.  She's not always the happiest when nursing but she is gaining weight well and the night feedings are usually good except for the fact that I fall asleep after two seconds and wake up a long time later.  Thankfully our nursing chair is comfortable.

I've never been a fan of the colour pink ... until now.  I now love pink and I'm happy to dress Lily-Anna in pink and have pink throughout her room.  I mentioned this at church on Sunday and another mom said the same thing happened to her when she had a daughter.  I was not expecting this.  I even care that her room looks sort of 'girly'. 

Graham explained in his birth announcement where Lily-Anna's name came from.  Her first name doesn't come from anyone in particular but the first Lily I met around age 13 was a nurse in the rheumatology department at Sick Kids Hospital.  It was my first visit at the clinic so I was no doubt nervous and Lily was incredibly lovely.  Lily is for beauty and Anna is for grace.  May our Lily-Anna use both of those for the glory of God.  By God's grace we have Lily-Anna.  We had a very early miscarriage a few months prior to finding out that Lily-Anna was on the way.  Thus, we weren't sure if we would be able to have another baby.  I only mention this here as a way to honour that baby whom we will meet one day.

Lily-Anna's birth went well.  It was our second easiest birth, after Josiah.  But, one never knows what birth will be like until after the fact.  I was thinking about the curses in Genesis and how even God's punishment is meant to turn us toward God for His help and to encourage us to trust in Him ... as it is all out of our control.  That lack of control is always so evident with a new baby ... though it seems easier to deal with this time as I realize that the different phases will pass.  I was able to use the first-week crazy hormones to cry about Josiah once.  It's interesting how I can have a beautiful new baby in my arms and love her dearly while longing for the baby who will never be in my arms again. 

Isaac had his last day of kindergarten yesterday.  In September he will head to a new school for grade one where he will also start French immersion.  I will miss his small school.  He is growing up so fast.  He loves knock-knock jokes and he has begun asking new questions about how big God is compared to the universe.

Kohen saw a cut on my finger and asked me what it was.  He then said, "Our Father, touch finger.  All better.  Amen."  The boys both like to sing the Lord's prayer (loudly) before some meals.  Kohen started to open our iPad cover.  I told him that we didn't need to use it then.  He responded, "Just checking the time."  He likes to say random numbers and tell me the time and he likes to open books and say things, pretending to read.   Actually, Kohen has been bringing up Josiah.  He was in the van and he asked me, "When go to Siah's house?"  I first thought he must have meant someone else but he said no and repeated his question.  I asked if he meant the grave and he said, "Yes."  Often when he mentions all the members of our family, he will include "Siah."

I came across a blog written by a mother of a daughter with a neuromuscular disorder.  Unfortunately I found it on the day her daughter passed away at the age of five.  The girl's name was Julianna and she was an amazing girl.  I really appreciated what her dad wrote about palliative care in this November 6 post (if you care to read it, you'll have to scroll down to the correct date and then read his comments closer to the middle and end of that post).  We weren't in the same place in many ways but I do wish we had tried to make more beautiful moments with Josiah. I would have put the boys in the bathtub together and had them be together more, I would have tried to find something delicious for Josiah, and of course I would have had more family photos.

Happy Birthday to my oldest nephew and to my cousin whom I think is celebrating in Iceland ... and Happy Canada Day (tomorrow)!  I'll post and then try to find some photos to add.

Thanks for any prayers!

Blessings,
Elizabeth

Luke 12:27
Consider the lilies, how they grow: they toil not, neither do they spin; yet I say unto you, Even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.