She's Here!!!

Rebekah Jane

We are thrilled to announce that our little Rebekah Jane arrived at 12:07 p.m. on December 27th! She weighed 8 lbs. 6 oz. and was 19 inches long. She is so perfect and beautiful... we can hardly believe it.

Bekah Jane is named after my sister, Rebekah, and my grandma, Betsy Jane. Since we kept the name a surprise the whole pregnancy, it was so awesome to share it in the delivery room with my family shortly after she was born. My sister made it home from the Dominican Republic in time to see her niece's birth, and what a special moment that was to tell her this little one has her name. I'm pretty sure even the nurse was crying. =) We could not think of a more beautiful name or a more beautiful person to name her after.

Everything about her birthday was an answer to prayer! We prayed that God would make himself known in her delivery, and that was so evident! She arrived safe and healthy after just 2 hours of not-so-bad labor. Who can ask for anything more? It is such a miracle, and we thank God for ALL of his blessings!

Ezekiel seems pretty excited about his new friend, too. Introducing him to his sister in the hospital was just about the cutest thing I've seen. He just kept giggling and pointing at her and tring to touch her with one little finger. And he laughs and says "baby" every time he comes over to her now. So sweet.

Ok, so here's what you've been waiting for... pictures! And MANY more to come!

Kevan was an awesome labor coach... I am so thankful for him!

What an amazing picture - welcome to the world, baby girl

Meeting my daughter

"Aunt Rebekah, meet baby Rebekah"

Ezekiel meets his baby sister

Going home! All pretty in pink =)

Showing Rebekah Jane her special room

Our miracle from God...

Warm and Cozy...

Some of the great decorations at my shower... more pictures to come!

It was a warm and cozy kind of weekend. Just what I was hoping for... sweet family time picking out our tree and going out to breakfast, followed by a midnight session of decorating by me and Kevan after we put Ezekiel to bed. The next day we woke up to rain and our beautiful tree... so we kept it lit all day and enjoyed the snuggly weather. Ezekiel took a marathon nap that day, so I enjoyed a nice long rest too! Then I woke up in time to get ready and head to my baby shower at Heidi's. What a treat that was! Heidi outdid herself with the decorations and great desserts - it was such a perfect evening. Just a small group of girls getting together for coffee and yummy food in great ambiance. And we got the cutest little things for our little girl! I feel so blessed by the good friendships and generous gifts.

Getting ready to go get our tree!

We found the perfect one!

Watching dad very closely as he ties the tree to the car

And ending the day with some fun play time (Ezekiel wants to be outside ALL the time... the rain the next day was hard for him!)

Baby Update

Kevan, Ezekiel, and I spent the morning admiring our newest family member...by ultrasound, at least! The doctor ordered one more scan to measure the baby and get a better idea of my due date. As I suspected, it is looking like this little one is due closer to the end of December (consistent with my first ultrasound), rather than the middle of the month (the due date my doctors have previously stuck to). New due date: December 30th! So... for those of you anxiously holding your breath, it looks like we have a few more weeks yet. It was a really encouraging doctor's appointment - her size is just right and it even appears that her lungs are fully developed. So, whenever our little girl decides to make an appearance, we are ready!

As I was leaving the doctor's office this lady in the waiting room just had to stop me and comment on my belly. Yes, I know, it is hillarious. And it is only going to get hillarious-er. I have tried to see myself through other's eyes and I do realize that I look like a swallowed a larger-than-NBA- regulation basketball. This woman was at least kind about it. She kept going on and on about how "precious" my belly is and how "lucky" I am to carry this way. Then she proceeded to tell me that I must find an artist to paint my belly as a Christmas ornament. Complete with a gold topper made out of a styrofoam cup and a pipe cleaner hook. I mean, she was really serious. After all, she says, "you are having a Christmas baby and you look like just like an ornament!"
So, if you know anyone... =)

This is a fun week. Yesterday I got bags full of girl clothes from my friend Heidi and had so much fun hanging them up. Tomorrow we are going to pick out our Christmas tree and start decorating. And Friday is a cozy little baby shower at Heidi's house. I can't wait!!

Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving was a great day with family and friends. Kevan's mom, Anna, came into town and we all enjoyed spending some quality time with her (especially her spoiled grandson!). Ezekiel even learned to say "Nana" while she was here, which was so darn cute. He kept saying her name over and over. One of Kevan's buddies from work joined us, too. We always love that. Seems like every Thanksgiving we have someone new brave enough to be part of the family for the day - and it always makes the day more special. We continued the Holbrook family tradition and logged what each of us our thankful for in our "Thankfulness journal". Such a neat thing to look back on over the years!

BUT, I have to confess, there was a big hole in my heart on Thanksgiving as we missed Matthew's family, Andrew's family, and Rebekah this year. They were spread all over the globe, and it was hard not to share the day with them. CAN'T WAIT FOR CHRISTMAS all the more... only 22 days until Rebekah comes home!!!

I especially missed Beckah as I attempted to take pictures - she always takes the best family pictures. So, here are a few measily attempts to capture the day! (We took like 87 pics of our little family of 3... and the one above is as good as it gets!) =)




Helping Dad give directions - one more friend coming to play!


Ezekiel at the "kid table"


Lots of story time with Grandma and Papa Mark


Saying a sleepy goodbye to Nana at the end of a fun weekend!

Sheepish

I'm back! I'm back! I am embarrassed by how long it's been since I've posted anything adorable or funny about my son. I guess we have been busy... but a good kind of busy. Lots of new babies coming in our world so we've been celebrating with baby showers for our dear friends. I was also able to go on a women's retreat last weekend with my church, which was wonderful! My friends Jen and Heidi (and their husbands) watched Ezekiel while I was gone since Kevan had to work. I know he had a great time, and it was really good for me to relinquish control for a couple days. I am getting better and better about leaving him (I promise!). But he is just so darn fun to be with!

Ezekiel is also keeping us busy these days. He is into EVERYTHING. As exhausting as it can be to keep up with him sometimes, I LOVE this stage and love watching him discover. He can play with things for endless amounts of time, fascinated by the littlest details. One of his favorite discoveries is the lid on our kitchen trash can. If I'm missing anything, the first place I look is the trash because he'll sneak anything he can in there. Today I found 5 baby blocks and a pair of my shoes!

What's really sweet is when he invites you to play with him. He'll come toddling up to us holding out a book and saying "mama?" or "dada?" How could we not read to him? He also loves his hair brushed so he finds his little comb and brings it to us and stands there with the most peaceful look on his face while we comb his hair.

One thing I am sure of about this season of life: I am not missing anything. I am enjoying and savoring every moment with my little family and with our amazing son. I am soaking it in. Life is about to change in just a few short weeks, but we enjoying the sweetness of this moment.

Some fun pictures to bring you up to date (sorry it's taken so long to get you pics of Ezekiel's cute little costume!):

Our little lion learned to roar just in time for Halloween!

"Mom, I am too hot in my costume!!"

He loves to hang out with his dad!

Boo is Back!

Boo Fest was a success! What a great time we had... especially watching all the kids enjoy themselves! We watched Charlie Brown's Pumpkin movie, ate yummy chili, and carved pumpkins. This is always such a great time... we already can't wait for next year!

My creative husband's handiwork:

Our first guest!


Pumpkin carving fun!

Just 3 of the many pregnant guests!

So cute... enjoying the Charlie Brown movie