Rainbows

One of the things I remember loving about our trips to Maui was the daily occurence of rainbows. It's such a rare occurence to see a rainbow around here. But, we were fortunate that, over the last week or so, we've seen two (well, three, technically). After the first evening storm, Casey decided to look outside for a rainbow and, sure enough, there was a huge one right out front. As we stood on the porch and admired it, we could faintly see the start of a second one following the same path as the first- a double rainbow. The kids were amazed and shot a thousand pictures, although we don't have a good one of the second one forming (and the first one doesn't look as bright and spectacular in this picture as it did that day).

Then, just the other day I was heading out to pick up a pizza after another bit of rain and, wouldn't you know it, another rainbow in almost the same spot! Once again, the kids got their cameras and began shooting away. The girls were amazed that they saw three rainbows in one week. Must be their lucky week, I said...

Lily Anna 7 week update

Little Lily is 7 weeks old today! It's hard to believe! My little girl has had a bit of a rough road. She seems to have some tummy troubles that have necessitated a number of diagnostic tests and a (non-surgical) procedure by a pediatric surgeon. She can cry for hours on end. And, it pains Chris and I because nothing we do seems to console her. So, we just snuggle her, walk her around, and talk to her until the crying/screaming episode subsides.

So, we've seen a lot of this:

But, she's making tiny improvements. She's staying awake more with some periods of quiet alertness (read: no crying!) and starting to smile. Her bouncy little head is turning to look at things that draw her attention. And, let me say, she never misses a meal! Personally, I'd be happy if she drank more at one time and went more than 2-3 hours between feedings (especially at night!). But, soon enough, she'll be drinking from a cup and eating baby food so I can't complain. Today, we caught her in one of her quiet and alert moods:

She sees the pediatrician again next week for (yuck) vaccinations and, later that day, the pediatric surgeon for another very uncomfortable check-up. Hopefully, things will continue to improve and our little princess will begin to feel better and enjoy her precious little life!

Lily Anna

At 2:19 pm on March 1st, we joyfully welcomed Lily Anna into our lives. Weighing 8 lbs and 10 oz, she was the biggest Jillson baby... but still seemed so tiny and precious to us! Of course, she is so perfect that I still can't believe she's ours. And, being a bit of a veteran mom, I know she'll grow so quickly. I find myself just staring at her and trying to drink in and memorize every little detail of how she looks and moves and just is.

Her two big, proud sisters just adore her. You'd never know that Casey was hoping for a baby brother by the way she dotes on her littlest sis. After snuggling and loving on Lily one day, Emma told me, in her sweetest voice, "Mommy, I love her so much. Thank you for having her for us." And, even Jacob, seems to be smitten. He talks to her in his sweetest voice, pets her head, and has offered her some of his prized Toy Story toys to play with.

Chris and I are functioning a bit like zombies with our lack of sleep (Jacob still gets up in the 5:00 hour most days and Lily, well, that goes without saying) but, at least for now, we're not minding...just enjoying the four little blessings that we have around us.

Here are some pictures from the first few days. I promise I'll try to do better to update the blog with pictures (as you can see, I've been very lax, having last posted on Emma's birthday). Hope you'll check in to see if I'm living up to this promise (if not, don't be mad!) and see the many adventures we have in our beautiful lives!

It's been 8 days and I already can't imagine our lives without her!

Such a special moment when she was just born and the placed her on my belly so I could see her!

Proud Daddy! He couldn't have been more happy!




Holding her for the first time...



Adoring big sister held Lily for her first time...

Grammy and Emma...

Papa...
Poppy...

The Jillson girls!

Best friend, Kristen...also a wonderful labor coach- thank you! (I know I wasn't the most cooperative patient once the epidural ceased to work!)






Going home... (sorry, couldn't get this picture to rotate!)



And, while we all enjoyed holding, snuggling, and loving little Lily in those first couple of days, I know that my mom was smiling down on all of us!