we miss you, Hana!!

Auntie Maris and Uncle Han were down for some fun on the coast last week. James had a GREAT time with his cuz Hana! We hung out in Ladner for a night and went to Stanley Park to go to the aquarium. James keeps asking for Hana ("Anna"). It was great to see you guys - thanks again for the great picnic, Maris.

Daddy and James waiting to go inside the aquarium:

An alligator!!! (or crocodile... I don't know)

Eli chilin in the stroller:

Elias Update

Eli hit the five-month mark not too long ago, and things are going great. I can't believe we're already at five months. It seemed to take a lot longer to get to this point with James. He's started sitting up the last couple of days and he's getting stronger every day. He needed a lot of support when this picture was taken, but now he holds his own for a minute or so before tumbling to the side and onto his back.

I've tried giving him rice cereal a couple times but he doesn't love it (eats some - maybe by accident, and kinda spits the rest out). His big brother, on the other hand, loves eating Eli's left overs and 'pretending' to be a baby. We'll keep casually trying (ie - when it is convenient) - but I don't expect much for an other week or two.

Eli has had his two bottom teeth for a couple weeks. He cut his first tooth at about 4.5 months and the one right beside it appeared about 2 or 3 days later. It's not as scary nursing a toothy baby the second time around. Probably because I didn't have any 'accidents' with James. I might not be as comfortable once he gets top teeth.

Our little man is not the greatest sleeper and not the worst sleeper - somewhere in the middle. I'm still feeding him occasionally in the middle of the night (rarely - but it does happen) and really early (around 4am). It's not as easy to put him back down after he's finished eating as when he was 3 months old. But it's not bad...and no trends (positive or negative) seem to stick around for long anyways.

What a fun stage this is! Busy - but fun and exciting. It's incredible how quickly they grow and change....Eli's wearing size 12-18 months. It won't be long till they're sharing/steeling clothes...and everything else...

My Little 'Gardener'

We've been spending a lot of time in the yard this year and James loves it. He follows me around in the garden and does what I do. We pull weeds, dig holes, water stuff, etc. However, when unsupervised, my little green-thumbed child was curious about these geraniums...well...what can I say....I was nursing Eli in the kitchen and I thought it was a little too quiet. I did replant them, but he wanted an other look at the roots (I guess) and it's happened again, so I'm just giving up.

He has a collection of his own shovels and buckets (meant for the beach) and he spends a lot of time in this spot putting dirt and leaves on his shovel and into the bucket. He does know which plants are weeds (at least one weed) but he asks if the flowers are weeds as well - sortof asking for permission to yank them out of the ground. He is getting a bit better at not tearing up my young zucchini leaves and uprooting my little beans. Our plants have taken a lot of abuse, and I fear this is only the beginning....

Brothers

I'm loving watching the boys interact. They're a lot more interested in each other these days and seem to adore eachother in an older-brother/younger-brother sort of way. Eli loves watching James, and James loves making Eli laugh. I consider myself one luckey mama....(at times).
I have this picture on the fridge and love it! I wonder if it represents their personalities....it's a bit early to tell, but you never know.

More Birthday Pics

I was way too exhausted to add any other pictures or comments about James' birthday last time. Kids' parties are draining!! So here are a few more - they'll give a fuller experience for everyone who wasn't there. James (and I) missed Baba, Grandpa, cousins Hana, Jake, Sib, Kian, Isaac, and Zephyr and all his Aunties and Uncles. Nanny and Papa, as well as great-Nanny were able to be there. His best bud Aksel was there too and James keeps asking for him every morning and throughout the day. The 'ladies' were there too: Siena (Aksel's sis), and the three sisters Allysa, Mikaela, and Kiara (cousins of Aksel and Siena). Our friends Denise and Rodney were able to make it out too, which was great. Anyway, here are some more pics. They're self-explanatory.