look at Kaija. She is VERY against picture taking. Well, just if you specifically ask her to smile for the camera she'll do just the opposite.

dont take my picture !



we have to be careful of those "helping" pushes.
Kaija, Finley and I have been together the last couple of days. Things are going well.... Finley sleeps pretty well at night. She wakes about every three hours (or sometimes my milk "sensors" wake me) and she is just a wonderful little being! I feel surprisingly rested (well, for the most part) and I feel like things are just a little less anxious the second time around! I am really enjoying her baby-ness because I know it is going to go so fast...

I am 3 weeks old today!!!!!

Finley Callista Faye


Finley= "Fair Warrior" (Scottish/Gaelic)

Callista= "Beauty or the most beautiful" (Greek)

Faye= in tribute to Betty Faye Carlson (my grandmother) also means "Fairy" (English)

some serious breastfeeding

Today Finley is 12 days old. I am nearing my actual due date of December 10th and cannot believe she will be two weeks old! I am thanking God everyday for her. She is such a gift and we are so blessed to have her. She is such a peanut but at one week old she made it back to her birth weight, so we know she is gaining. She seems to be mellow and very consolable. Kaija was such a colicky baby that anytime Finley cries panic sets in for both Ben and I . She did have a bout of serious crying the other night and I told Ben, "i cannot do this again" and he was so right when responding with, "she's worth it". Her temperament is more calm and I think she seems like a good baby. So much pressure for a little newborn!

As for Kaija: I think i underestimated how hard this could be for her. She is adjusting but it is just going to take some time. Ben and I are pretty much trying to give her A TON of attention but she is struggling with sharing us and just being 3 years old makes it tough. She calls Finley, "cutie pie" and is very sweet to her but there is a level of resentment she has which im hoping will fade.

Otherwise, we are all doing very well here. We have had a round of dinners the last week from various friends which has meant so much and helped out a ton! Thank you guys! Ben will be done with his finals in 2 days and will be home for about 3 weeks toward the end of December. This will be nice for us as a family to just hang out and get ready for Christmas!


the true face of motherhood

Finley Holland 11/26/08

We would like to introduce our new addition Miss Finley Holland.  The middle name T.B.A. soon.  Born on the 26th of November at 6 lbs 1 ounce.  She is eating like a champ and is very happy and healthy.  Kaija is "adjusting" pretty well.  Kaija just wants to hold and do everything for the baby her way.  She will be a great big sister after the adjustment period. Emily did a great job and is doing wonderful.

i found this picture from the summer. I look a little freaky but I just love kaija in this one. Ben looks pretty cute too:)

What's in Name?

We are still undecided in the choice for our baby's name! I can't believe that she could be here so soon (within the next couple weeks) and we still have no idea what her name will be. Its funny because with Kaija we said it and knew it would be her name. We are waiting for that to happen this time and so far, it just hasn't happened that way. Maybe we should take a different approach. Should we wait till the day she is born and look into her cute wrinkly newborn face? I don't feel like newborns look anything like what they will later so how is this for a good solution. I think we only have 10 days to decide after she is born. What if we cannot decide!!!!??? oh, dear. This is a serious situation and I am determined to have a lovely name and not one that is just "settled" on last minute. Maybe we'll let Kaija choose...

Halloween

notice the padded butt on the unicorn

Kaija went as a unicorn this year. It did have wings though so when asked what she was she responded with, "I am a Pegasus". Lets get the name right people! We went to Mars Hill and they had a bunch of games and prizes with Bouncy houses etc. Kaija liked the candy....
She also went trick or treating down the street the weekend before with my boss's little penguin, Jack. They were so cute.

Pumpkin Patch!!!

This goat made me laugh. He has no idea how silly his teeth look. He was constantly smiling. My new favorite animal.

Kaija and her friend Julia and I decided to hit up a pumpkin patch. It was cloudy and a little cold but we pet the animals, ran through a corn maze what adventurers they were. It was a pretty big maze too. Kaija had her first hot chocolate and thought she was pretty special that it looked like mommies lattes. Oh, how grown up of her.

Princess Party

So Kaija is officially 3 years old. We had pink unicorn pinata, purple balloons and cupcakes, a pin the crown on the princess game, and a treasure hunt with gold chocolate coins. (I don't think the kids even realized there was chocolate in them...) Kaija was very poised and quiet during her party, either very well-behaved or very over-stimulated and lacking a nap. Hmmm... I wonder.. Ben's Aunt Sheila came, along with some old neighbors we hadn't seen for a while and it was great to just stand around and laugh at 3 year olds. I love the social dynamics of this age. At one point, Kaija became a little overprotective of her presents "These are for my Burt-day" which resulted in some kids crying. We had a blast but I think next year we'll keep it small and more low-key. I will try to get some pictures of the pinata which was really funny: more to come on that!

We decided to hike around Snoqualmie Falls. This was Kaija's first real hike (with no stroller or backpack). I brought along my cuban sandwich from "Paseo" the most amazing sandwiches EVER!
After a major temper tantrum at the car, we finally set off. She was excited to see the waterfall and then we hiked down to the bottom. I was laughing at her baggy pants and pigtail braids she was just so cute holding daddy's hand while mommy waddled behind. Things strike me funny these days and i just get the giggles and can't stop. Everytime I giggled, Kaija said, "Shhhhhh, mommy. Be quiet" Anytime i said, "are you having fun?" she put her little finger to her mouth and say, "Shhh, mommy- no talking". I guess I'll just continue waddling and keep my giggles to myself.
The Falls were so pretty and it was such a nice day. I noticed so many babies and kids. It really is a perfect hike for kids. I was worried by the end coming back up the hill, Ben would be carrying me and Kaija.

So, yesterday, weve started watching the Olympics. It is so fun to watch it. I get so excited about it. Especially the gymnastics. Every single different event we have watched Kaija has said, "I'm going to do that when I get older". She also pouted yesterday and said, " i dont want to watch it, I want to DO it!" She has a definite need for physical exertion. She is inspired.... That night in the bathtub, pretended she was in lane 2 (cause she's 2) and that she won the Gold Medal! She also tried to show me how she could get in the bathtub herself a couple days ago and dove. This ended badly but she just came out of it with a bump on the back of her head.

I will try to post some more pictures soon. My camera keeps dying wherever I go and we can seem to get it together!!!

making rock soup with friend Jesse

eating cherries at the farmers market




hey mom!


Loungin' just like mommy does