Meet the Family

About five hours after she was born (when Adah was finished with school and piano lessons), Holly got to meet her sisters, brother, and grandparents.

Adah was delighted to hold her newest little sister. She has been excited by and interested in nearly every aspect of Holly's arrival, asking lots of questions while I was pregnant. Now that we're home, Adah is very attentive and wants to hold Holly whenever she can. Damon and I are both surprised at how well she holds her, and I'm grateful that I can rely on Adah for help when I need it.

Maggie is also thrilled to be a new big sister. She is most delighted that she now has a little brother and a little sister, just like Adah did. Maggie doesn't remember when Gunnar was born, so it has been fun to help her build memories of a newborn baby. At 5 she should be able to always remember welcoming Holly into our family. Like Adah, Maggie wants to hold Holly whenever she can. I have been very impressed by Maggie's composure when she's got a screaming baby on her lap and a mother who's trying to just get one more thing done before she comes to rescue her.

Gunnar has, gratefully, remained largely indifferent to Holly's presence in our home. He came into the hospital room saying, "Baby sister. Oh, cute," and took his turn holding her (for about 5 seconds). When we brought her home from the hospital the next day, Damon walked in the house and said, "Gunnar, do you want to come see Holly?" "No, I watching Bob the Builder." It's probably all for the best that our rough-and-tumble little boy doesn't have much interest in his baby sister. We actually expected a lot of jealousy, but he doesn't seem to mind her one bit.

Nana and Gumpin (my mom and dad) came to help with the children while Damon and I were at the hospital and once we were all home. This is the first time that my parents were able to come visit me in the hospital when I had a new baby. With the other children--save Maggie, who never went to the hospital--my mom came to help after I was home.

It was so nice to have my parents here. I knew my other children were in good hands while we were away...and they did all the cooking and dishes and laundry and mopping while they were here. Thanks, Mom & Dad!!

Baby Before, During, and After

Ultrasound of Baby McMillan #4 at 26 weeks:

Photo of Jillaire on May 14, nearly 39 weeks pregnant (full term is 40 weeks, for you pregnancy neophytes):

In the hospital on the due date, May 24:

Holly McMillan on her birthday, May 25

8 lbs. 2 1/2 oz.

22 inches

Cute Holly at 4 days old:

More details (and photos) of Holly's entrance into the world and our family to follow.

Columbia River Dance Spring Recital

Maggie and Adah have spent the year in after-school creative dance and gymnastics classes, respectively. I was a bit anxious about making it to their May 22 Cats recital, since it was just 2 days before my due date, but we all made it, including my parents who had already driven up from Salt Lake City to help out with the kiddos and new baby.

Maggie's creative dance class performed to the song "Llama." (Is that part of Cats? I have no idea.) They were adorable little ballerina "mice." Unfortunately the lighting was not ideal for photography during the performance, but we did our best.

Adah's gymnastics class performed to "Skimbleshanks," going back and forth on the mat displaying the various skills they had learned. Adah was the only one in the class who got into her headstand unassisted and held it with excellent balance. Way to go, Adah! (Backstage--and audience--confusion caused Adah to remove her costume a little prematurely, so we didn't get a good close-up of her.)

Our "Superior" Pianist

On Saturday Adah participated in a Festival of the National Federation of Music Clubs. Each year her piano teacher prepares students to play 2 pieces in front of a judge. This was Adah's first year playing in the Festival.

She earned a SUPERIOR RATING (which is the highest level), signifying "complete, outstanding performance, attention to all details, rapid recovery from minor slips (do not detract from interpretation)." The judge said she had great dynamics, called her "charming," and said she had "graceful preserve." Damon and I were just happy she didn't "choke" (as Damon put it) and burst into tears. Really, I was so proud watching her at the piano playing the pieces she'd been working on for months.

Photographs were not allowed at the Festival, but here is one of Adah at the keys with her dad, playing the (in)famous duet "Heart and Soul."

We're so proud of our pianist! Next up: the recital.

Gunnar at Two-and-a-Half

Here is our darling little man who loves to growl like a monster, play in the sand, throw balls, read books, eat "Honey Bunches of Goats," and give great hugs and kisses.

Gunnar has no fear of heights. When he knows what he wants, he will happily scale cabinets, pantry shelves, bunkbeds, or any other obstacle to get to it. I came down the hallway into the kitchen one day to find him atop the counter eating a banana (a very ripe one I was saving for some baking, darn it!).

A few nights ago we found Gunnar fast asleep with two of his great loves: a ball and a book all about airplanes. The next night he took a plastic shovel and a small baseball to bed with him. He also usually has his airplane-and-helicopter-covered "bean-bean" (blanket).

In preparation for the new baby's arrival, the crib has been set up in Gunnar's room for about two weeks. While he's learned to not get in the crib during the day, behind closed doors at bedtime it's another story. The crib has become a new climbing apparatus that allows Gunnar to open his window blinds. So, we'll go in after he's been put in bed to find his light on, the blinds open, and previously-cleaned-up toys scattered across the room. Once I went in when he was making a big fuss and he confessed: "I made diss mess." The next night: "I keened up deh cars all by myseff." (That was after pulling all the cars out in the first place!) I'm just a little bit anxious about the baby sharing a room with Gunnar, what with all of his clandestine nocturnal activities. I'm hoping that an actual living thing in the crib will help Gunnar realize that he can't be climbing in there and turning on the lights. We'll see....

The crib also spawned another fun pastime with all the kids. It's the zoo. Here's Gunnar, the giraffe, in his cage. The zookeepers (Adah or Maggie) will block him in and then bring him food.

Gunnar loves tools, being outside, and helping his dad. Damon has been working on a new front porch, which involved excavating for concrete piers. After seeing his dad work with a post-hole digger, Gunnar tried his hand with a similar tool: lopping shears. Of course he couldn't really pull up any dirt with it, but the scissor action was the same for Gunnar, and that was all that mattered. (Gunnar also spent some time filling up the holes that had already been dug! sigh.)

Gunnar can make some big messes and cause some worry when he temporarily disappears out the backdoor, but we're so glad to have his happy smile and funny personality in our family.