I've added these and more to the slideshow . . .

I think this captures Eliana well -- she's always leaning into life.

 

A day in the life

Here are some photos to catch you up. 

One of Zade's favorite poses

Eliana wanted Zade to watch her play, so I brought his bouncer over while I worked in the kitchen.  When I looked back, she had pulled her duck chair over and was reading to him. What a good big sister!

What's a pretty skirt without a construction hat to go with it?

Thanks, Cousin Cass, for the cute costume.  Eliana got to be "Nemo, the fish".

Ready for Purim

Ready for fun

We couldn't be any happier to announce the arrival of Zadok David.  He came on January 27, an impressive 9 lb. 2 oz and his little hand next to his head, ready to greet the world.  If you haven't met him yet, Jessica took some great pictures at the hospital. 

He has filled my heart with joy in so many unexpected ways, just as the L-rd promised that he would.  Zadok means "my righteousness is G-d", and we're looking forward to G-d revealing to him (and to us through him) a deep understanding of what it means to be clothed in the righteousness of our Messiah.

Eric chose David for him after he was born.  It was on our short list, but he looked at little Zade and knew he was a David, "beloved".

One of the most frequent questions I'm asked is how Eliana is responding to him.  She's doing great.  She doesn't like him to cry, urging us to go pick him up.  And she likes to give him "big" hugs.  We're working on baby-sized hugs, for Zade's sake.  Here's a video from the first time she held him.

This is a little late, but in case you haven't seen it.

The Invitation

Visit Rhonda's website to check out The Invitation, her newest book and my most recent editing project.  It won't let me pull the cover image off her site, so just pretend I posted a picture with this entry.

Eliana is a loyal fan of Sean Cochran when it comes to foosball.

In case you wondered what our last month has been like, here is Eliana putting an ice pack on her neck -- just like Grandma.  My mom was using ice packs so constantly that Eliana started asking for one for Grandma and one for "Ana".  She loves wrapping and unwrapping the ice pack, talking about how cold it is, and sitting on her little couch and icing her neck just like Grandma.  Perhaps in this case imitation isn't so much flattery as it is a heartfelt attempt to connect with Grandma in the midst of a situation far more difficult than her almost-2-year-old brain can understand.

Thanks to everyone for your prayers for my mom.  She is slowly doing better, although we'd still love your prayers for her complete healing.