As much as I would love the simpler life of the Amish (ok, I would love some small tastes of particular parts of their life...they can keep most of it for themselves), I have missed the internet on my computer. It's back after a long hiatus. I don't know why it stopped working or what brought it back. I am, quite simply, not an IRT lady. But the IRT lady was, and I have much to thank her for...and Mark, who resucitated it once again this morning.
First of all, for all of you who want to see Iain pictures, I have a winkflash account and I have, thus far, consistently posted pictures there at monthly intervals (his 8 month pics are now up). If you'd like access to that account, let me know and I'll add you there as a friend. That being said, I don't know how much I'll keep posting them here, it just takes too much of my time. Maybe...we'll see if I cave. I do think [my] blog without pictures is just boring. Your welcome. :)
So, what have we been up to since my internet stopped working? Not much, so I'll just ramble on about my baby: Iain's two bottom front teeth have appeared. His vocabularly has increased to include "ma-ma" and he seems to have some concept of that being me - that became apparent last night at 3 am when he included it in his wailing during which there was a notable absence of "bah-bah", the consonant sound in which he is most fluent. Along the same lines, he's become incredibly clingy and is inconsolable in arms other than mine, or other places for that matter. At this rate, he may never learn to crawl; though for those minutes and minutes that he's content on the floor, he has increased his arm strength and is quite the push-upper these days.
A friend called yesterday, just to ask how my weekend was. I couldn't remember. I just sat there trying to recall anything. She even gave me some prompts (ie, did you do anything for Lord's Day?); it was like grasping at fog...no, grasping at thin air. Nothing came to mind. Fortunately, Mark was there, so I asked him, so I could tell my friend. While I was slightly amused by my completely empty short-term memory bank, I was also equally appalled. Life really should be more memorable, right? I think so. I now see why I don't remember Iain's early months. Nadda. I remember how I felt, but I don't remember Iain. Good thing I have pictures. Hopefully I'll be more aware for my subsequent children...when I'm even more sleep-deprived. hmmm... Here's to hoping that tonight Iain sleeps better, longer and without fussing!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Worth the Hype
With varying degrees of vigilance and success, I have been pretending to keep house for nearly three years. I have also spent these 3 years ignorant of perhaps the greatest invention of mankind. Had I been aware of the freedom granted by this simple gadget, my husband may have spent 3 years in the home of the wife of Prov 31 instead of... Ok, let's be honest, I doubt my works will be praising me at the city gates anytime soon, but I do have to give praise where it is due. Let's have a big shout out for....
The duster!!! (electrostatic, feather...take your pick)
I have long loathed dusting. In terms of the rewards of housekeeping, there is not much that falls lower than pulling out the dust cloth and spray and wiping down a piano, computer, TV, etc. only to have it nearly instantly dusty again, leaving behind the lingering smell of dusting spray. yuck. And what about those little trinkets that are everywhere...the thought of tediously going over every one of those beloved knick-knacks just makes my eyeballs shudder (I'm not sure what I mean by that, but I think it conveys the idea).
I'm sure many of you are asking yourself what planet this poor sap grew up on, as most 27 year olds have probably been aware of the usefullness of this little gadget since they were old enough to swat their siblings with it, much to the horror of their Prov. 31 mothers. Well, first let me say, it was no fault of my mother's, as we did have a feather duster in our home. I actually even used it a time or two. However, at some tender age I heard some little tidbit about dusters that lodged in my head like the gospel truth. That being that dusters merely move the dust around, only to have it settle again, thereby not really accomplishing much.
While I realize there may be some truth there, it dawned on me, as I gazed around my dust-covered home, that using a duster that takes 1/52 of my time (or less) and leaves no awful smell in it's wake and solves the how-to-dust-the-Pieta problem would at least get the job done, (and leave me more willing to accomplish it with increased frequency!) which is more than can be said for the old cloth-and-spray method that was happening at the same frequency as the seasonal changes.
I write this in a dusted living room. Yes, there may be a bit more dust floating in the air tonight, and my home may not have that 3 minute post-spray gleam, but at least it doesn't smell of canned lemon, I'm not covered in a layer of sticky grime and there is no extra laundry to do. And when that dust settles, well, it has me and my duster to reckon with.
Take that, dust bunnies!
The duster!!! (electrostatic, feather...take your pick)
I have long loathed dusting. In terms of the rewards of housekeeping, there is not much that falls lower than pulling out the dust cloth and spray and wiping down a piano, computer, TV, etc. only to have it nearly instantly dusty again, leaving behind the lingering smell of dusting spray. yuck. And what about those little trinkets that are everywhere...the thought of tediously going over every one of those beloved knick-knacks just makes my eyeballs shudder (I'm not sure what I mean by that, but I think it conveys the idea).
I'm sure many of you are asking yourself what planet this poor sap grew up on, as most 27 year olds have probably been aware of the usefullness of this little gadget since they were old enough to swat their siblings with it, much to the horror of their Prov. 31 mothers. Well, first let me say, it was no fault of my mother's, as we did have a feather duster in our home. I actually even used it a time or two. However, at some tender age I heard some little tidbit about dusters that lodged in my head like the gospel truth. That being that dusters merely move the dust around, only to have it settle again, thereby not really accomplishing much.
While I realize there may be some truth there, it dawned on me, as I gazed around my dust-covered home, that using a duster that takes 1/52 of my time (or less) and leaves no awful smell in it's wake and solves the how-to-dust-the-Pieta problem would at least get the job done, (and leave me more willing to accomplish it with increased frequency!) which is more than can be said for the old cloth-and-spray method that was happening at the same frequency as the seasonal changes.
I write this in a dusted living room. Yes, there may be a bit more dust floating in the air tonight, and my home may not have that 3 minute post-spray gleam, but at least it doesn't smell of canned lemon, I'm not covered in a layer of sticky grime and there is no extra laundry to do. And when that dust settles, well, it has me and my duster to reckon with.
Take that, dust bunnies!
Friday, September 19, 2008
The Crucible
The last 48 hours have reminded me of a crazy idea that I had a few months back. More to come about these last 2 days, but first, my idea which I'm afraid would probably leave the world underpopulated if it ever caught on...
The Mommy Crucible:
In Catholic circles, as men and women approach their indepedence (and beyond), they are encouraged to seriously discern their vocation: Marriage, Religious Life, Consecrated Single life.... Now, focusing on women for the moment, it is not unheard of for ladies to go on vocation retreats with different Religious orders, to become more familar with their particular way of life.
Unfortunately, beside the school of their own family and perhaps exstensive childcare, there is no way, with which I am familar, to help women experience the particular challenges of motherhood. I am convinced that this is some sneaky plan that may be cousins with the old "bait and switch," without which the human population might quickly die out. Well, perhaps not, as mother nature has given us the gifts of selective memory and a biological clock that keep the species going. Or perhaps that was God, in His infinite wisdom. I suppose that's the more likely answer. :)
Anyway...
This idea is quite skeletal at the moment, but it would be a series of exercises done to simulate some of the "joys" of motherhood. (Feel free to add your own ideas in the comments section) One example:
- To simulate night feedings of newborns:
Woman sets her alarm for every 2 hours throughout the night. At each alarm, she gets up and sits in a dark and quiet room with a full-to-the-brim glass of water in hand. She must sit there for 30 minutes without spilling a drop.... Teaches: ability to stay awake and aware even in the most fatigued state, in a sleep-inducing enviroment.
more to come, I'm sure...
In my current state, that's the only one of my brilliant exercises that I can recall. Now, why do I find myself in this state?
Perhaps it's because I was up most of the night, 2 nights ago, doing 7 loads of laundry, in hopes that I could rid our home of germs, after I sent my husband off the ER, (incidentally, driven by his boss's son who happens to live across the hall!) because Mark had a case of dehydrating food poisoning and, after catching all 200+ lbs of him as he passed out in the bathroom at 2 am, I realized it had officially gotten beyond me. Note: a few liters of IV fluid, some Zofran and a handful of hours later, he was home again and on the upswing. He's not fully recovered, but at least he's no longer the human Niagra Falls!
Maybe it's the stress of constant disinfection in hopes that my 7 month old and I don't catch whatever it is that Mark had. (So far, so good...please do pray!)
Last and very least, it might be that I was anticipating that I could get some sleep last night, only to discover that my 7 month old, who had spent the entire day nursing every 2 hours (leaving me hopeful that perhaps that meant he would sleep through the night for the first time in 4 months, having tanked up all day) continued his 2 hour trend alllll through the night...and day, today. Did I mention he also woke up with quite the runny nose. Hey, I'll take a runny nose over other runny alternatives, any day!!!
I don't know how working mothers do it! On that note, my new favorite motto is: What doesn't kill you... takes a few years off your life. ;)
Actually, all in all, aside from the passing out incident, which was scary for me, this whole experience has been so much more bearable than I would've imagined. Thank you Lord for giving us grace as we need it, and for not letting us see what's coming before we have the grace to handle it!
The Mommy Crucible:
In Catholic circles, as men and women approach their indepedence (and beyond), they are encouraged to seriously discern their vocation: Marriage, Religious Life, Consecrated Single life.... Now, focusing on women for the moment, it is not unheard of for ladies to go on vocation retreats with different Religious orders, to become more familar with their particular way of life.
Unfortunately, beside the school of their own family and perhaps exstensive childcare, there is no way, with which I am familar, to help women experience the particular challenges of motherhood. I am convinced that this is some sneaky plan that may be cousins with the old "bait and switch," without which the human population might quickly die out. Well, perhaps not, as mother nature has given us the gifts of selective memory and a biological clock that keep the species going. Or perhaps that was God, in His infinite wisdom. I suppose that's the more likely answer. :)
Anyway...
This idea is quite skeletal at the moment, but it would be a series of exercises done to simulate some of the "joys" of motherhood. (Feel free to add your own ideas in the comments section) One example:
- To simulate night feedings of newborns:
Woman sets her alarm for every 2 hours throughout the night. At each alarm, she gets up and sits in a dark and quiet room with a full-to-the-brim glass of water in hand. She must sit there for 30 minutes without spilling a drop.... Teaches: ability to stay awake and aware even in the most fatigued state, in a sleep-inducing enviroment.
more to come, I'm sure...
In my current state, that's the only one of my brilliant exercises that I can recall. Now, why do I find myself in this state?
Perhaps it's because I was up most of the night, 2 nights ago, doing 7 loads of laundry, in hopes that I could rid our home of germs, after I sent my husband off the ER, (incidentally, driven by his boss's son who happens to live across the hall!) because Mark had a case of dehydrating food poisoning and, after catching all 200+ lbs of him as he passed out in the bathroom at 2 am, I realized it had officially gotten beyond me. Note: a few liters of IV fluid, some Zofran and a handful of hours later, he was home again and on the upswing. He's not fully recovered, but at least he's no longer the human Niagra Falls!
Maybe it's the stress of constant disinfection in hopes that my 7 month old and I don't catch whatever it is that Mark had. (So far, so good...please do pray!)
Last and very least, it might be that I was anticipating that I could get some sleep last night, only to discover that my 7 month old, who had spent the entire day nursing every 2 hours (leaving me hopeful that perhaps that meant he would sleep through the night for the first time in 4 months, having tanked up all day) continued his 2 hour trend alllll through the night...and day, today. Did I mention he also woke up with quite the runny nose. Hey, I'll take a runny nose over other runny alternatives, any day!!!
I don't know how working mothers do it! On that note, my new favorite motto is: What doesn't kill you... takes a few years off your life. ;)
Actually, all in all, aside from the passing out incident, which was scary for me, this whole experience has been so much more bearable than I would've imagined. Thank you Lord for giving us grace as we need it, and for not letting us see what's coming before we have the grace to handle it!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
It's not Fall yet...because I say so
We were cheated out of May and spring this year. It went from winter to summer and spring was a blip somewhere in mid-June. Now that it's September the weather seems to think that it's permissable to go straight into Fall...leaves turning and all. Despite digging in my heels and whining, time has not stopped and I apparently have to come to terms with the end of summer. To be honest, Fall is my favorite season, but evenso it feels dreadfully misplaced, like a snowstorm in July.
It's dismal and dreary in St Paul, today. I believe the British description of the weather is "spitting". I'm waiting around for Iain to wake up so I can feed him and get on with my day. I have errands to run. Yes, it's one of those exciting days. This evening we have an all-NET,SPO,CCR Mass to attend after which there is a pizza dinner. Unfortunately, the food is strictly RSVP and we did not, so we will BYOP(izza). This is yet another example of scheduling blunders that have afflicted our family recently. Too much to do and not enough motivation (until now?) to have a boring calendar meeting in our free time. Oh well.
Mark is thoroughly enjoying the school year thus far. Every evening we're around he slips out of the apartment to play pool in the basement with whomever happens to be around. He loves that he is getting paid, in his role as chaplain, to play pool, organize fantasy sports teams, hang out with guys, etc. With this year starting off markedly different than last year, we are considering a longer tenure here than previous thought...my jokes about babies sleeping in the bathtub and dresser drawers may not be far from the truth. We shall see... ;)
Baby's awake.
It's dismal and dreary in St Paul, today. I believe the British description of the weather is "spitting". I'm waiting around for Iain to wake up so I can feed him and get on with my day. I have errands to run. Yes, it's one of those exciting days. This evening we have an all-NET,SPO,CCR Mass to attend after which there is a pizza dinner. Unfortunately, the food is strictly RSVP and we did not, so we will BYOP(izza). This is yet another example of scheduling blunders that have afflicted our family recently. Too much to do and not enough motivation (until now?) to have a boring calendar meeting in our free time. Oh well.
Mark is thoroughly enjoying the school year thus far. Every evening we're around he slips out of the apartment to play pool in the basement with whomever happens to be around. He loves that he is getting paid, in his role as chaplain, to play pool, organize fantasy sports teams, hang out with guys, etc. With this year starting off markedly different than last year, we are considering a longer tenure here than previous thought...my jokes about babies sleeping in the bathtub and dresser drawers may not be far from the truth. We shall see... ;)
Baby's awake.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Fallen Hero?
I think not! Paraphrasing Mark, he asked me if I still think Sarah Palin is made of gold now that we know that her 17 year old daughter is pregnant. Roundabout answer: Well I can only imagine the difficulties that a 17 year old will have as a soon-to-be-married-very-young-mother. And, let's just call sin, sin... I'm not happy that she's arrived there by participating in something that is aimed at that end. However, the baby itself is NOT the issue. When, oh when will people "get it"?!
When did it become merely the ends and not the means that causes scandal? Why is it the baby and not the misplaced baby-making that has our country up in arms?
In a country that seems aware and all but encouraging of fornication, how is it that this still scandalizes us? The only remaining conclusion is that the scandal is the failure or absence of birth control. HORRORS! SHE FORGOT A CONDOM!
Well folks, when we get right down to it, I think this reaction of the media/country is a muddy-but-hopeful message. The fact that our country still thinks that a 17 year old unmarried pregnant teenager is scandalous means that despite the moral decline of our culture, we haven't yet forgotten that there is something here by which we are scandalized. It is our job, as intelligent Christians, to remind people of why they are scandalized... clearly it's not the failure/lack of birth control (let's just be honest, as a scandal that's just laughable). Rather it's that somewhere deep down inside, despite the best efforts of this relativistic culture, our country still knows that the place that God intends babies to be made ...means and ends... is within marriage.
I, the pessimist, still have hope.
Maybe someday soon we'll remember that sin is sin and babies are not sin.
So, to directly answer the question about Sarah Palin: Having read her response to the media concerning her daughter's pregnancy, she has done it again... calm, collected, mature, parental and loving. I still think she is 100% my vp candidate! Go Palin!
When did it become merely the ends and not the means that causes scandal? Why is it the baby and not the misplaced baby-making that has our country up in arms?
In a country that seems aware and all but encouraging of fornication, how is it that this still scandalizes us? The only remaining conclusion is that the scandal is the failure or absence of birth control. HORRORS! SHE FORGOT A CONDOM!
Well folks, when we get right down to it, I think this reaction of the media/country is a muddy-but-hopeful message. The fact that our country still thinks that a 17 year old unmarried pregnant teenager is scandalous means that despite the moral decline of our culture, we haven't yet forgotten that there is something here by which we are scandalized. It is our job, as intelligent Christians, to remind people of why they are scandalized... clearly it's not the failure/lack of birth control (let's just be honest, as a scandal that's just laughable). Rather it's that somewhere deep down inside, despite the best efforts of this relativistic culture, our country still knows that the place that God intends babies to be made ...means and ends... is within marriage.
I, the pessimist, still have hope.
Maybe someday soon we'll remember that sin is sin and babies are not sin.
So, to directly answer the question about Sarah Palin: Having read her response to the media concerning her daughter's pregnancy, she has done it again... calm, collected, mature, parental and loving. I still think she is 100% my vp candidate! Go Palin!
Friday, August 29, 2008
Proud to be an American! (and a Minnesotan)
I'm not one to discuss politics on my blog ...but Sarah Palin, anyone?! WOW! So far, I can't find anything I disagree with her on. Way to go, McCain! (And it has little to do with her being a woman...though I admit that as a frequently-overwhelmed mother of a 7-month-old I may be a bit intimated by her super-womanness.) :)
Glenn Beck (of whom I am a big fan) is apparently doing an interview with her on CNN this evening, which I'm really looking forward to.
Suddenly the Republican Convention, that's going to be right here in St Paul, actually seems like something to be excited about. Rather than feeling like I must brace myself for Obama as President, I have renewed hope for McCain, not to mention being thrilled that his VP is someone I believe I can support 100%!
Hurray!
Glenn Beck (of whom I am a big fan) is apparently doing an interview with her on CNN this evening, which I'm really looking forward to.
Suddenly the Republican Convention, that's going to be right here in St Paul, actually seems like something to be excited about. Rather than feeling like I must brace myself for Obama as President, I have renewed hope for McCain, not to mention being thrilled that his VP is someone I believe I can support 100%!
Hurray!
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Return of Moving Day, Part II, The Sequel...
That pretty much sums it up. We're in the process of moving yet again. To be honest, this is the most peaceful moving day, to date. We had a whole handful of dedicated guys helping us this morning and we (er, they) successfully transported all the heavy stuff over to Ireland Hall. Praise the Lord! All that's left to do is the bed/bath rooms. That will happen later when Mark returns.
So, Iain is sleeping, I'm taking advantage of my last chance to do laundry right around the corner rather than 3 flights down, and Mark is off at a softball tournament.
For those Iain fans out there, here's the latest: Iain's rolling over both ways now, he likes to sing/gargle with a whole ocean of saliva pooled in the back of his mouth (that's his favorite sound, currently), he gives wonderful wide-open-mouth drooley kisses, he gets nearly constant praise for his huge beaming smiles which he throws in all the appropriate (female) directions, he has now held hands with 2 little girls and 1 boy, he's still a huge fan of "mirror baby", and last but not least, he hasn't pooped in a week!
As for that last note, the Dr. recommended prunes (pureed, I hope it goes without saying), but I haven't been to the store recently, so I keep hoping that things will just move along...here's to hoping. Iain doesn't seemed bothered by this standstill and it's not unheard of for babies to go up to 10 days, so I'm trying not to let his poop color my every waking thought (which is why, of course, I would never blog about such things, thereby announcing it to the whole world!)
For those of you in MI, Iain and I will be coming your way this Thursday, the 14th, for a Saturday wedding, and leaving on Monday evening. If you're around and available, let me know! :)
So, Iain is sleeping, I'm taking advantage of my last chance to do laundry right around the corner rather than 3 flights down, and Mark is off at a softball tournament.
For those Iain fans out there, here's the latest: Iain's rolling over both ways now, he likes to sing/gargle with a whole ocean of saliva pooled in the back of his mouth (that's his favorite sound, currently), he gives wonderful wide-open-mouth drooley kisses, he gets nearly constant praise for his huge beaming smiles which he throws in all the appropriate (female) directions, he has now held hands with 2 little girls and 1 boy, he's still a huge fan of "mirror baby", and last but not least, he hasn't pooped in a week!
As for that last note, the Dr. recommended prunes (pureed, I hope it goes without saying), but I haven't been to the store recently, so I keep hoping that things will just move along...here's to hoping. Iain doesn't seemed bothered by this standstill and it's not unheard of for babies to go up to 10 days, so I'm trying not to let his poop color my every waking thought (which is why, of course, I would never blog about such things, thereby announcing it to the whole world!)
For those of you in MI, Iain and I will be coming your way this Thursday, the 14th, for a Saturday wedding, and leaving on Monday evening. If you're around and available, let me know! :)
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Saturday adventures
If you've read my last post, you probably guessed that I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed and under-rested recently. I'm not talking about a lack of sleep, though that probably doesn't help, but rather that sense of a busy life lived in a succession of endless Mondays.
Yesterday morning, I decided that I needed a change, a "let's pretend we're on vacation" kind of change. Something exciting and different needed to happen and I was bound and determined to go for it. Fortunately, my husband was more that willing to set aside his work for a few hours and humor my energetic whim.
The adventure began at 11:14 AM as we snapped a nearly-sleeping baby into his carseat and headed off to the St Paul Farmer's Market. We had never been, and it seemed like it might be a rejuvinating (free) adventure. It was wonderful! We ended up spending a whopping $3 for 2 basil plants and 5 honey sticks - yum! It was very refreshing to be surrounded by home-grown produce, plants, jams, cheese, and assorted meats and jerkies, including bison!
After that, we meandered across town to Bruegger's Bagels for lunch, with a brief stop in a small but nicely landscaped "central park" that we discovered. Lunch was followed with a frozen treat from Starbucks.
3 hours later, feeling like life had taken a wonderful turn for the better, we headed home to indulge in everyone's favorite Saturday activity: chores. Iain napped, Mark plugged away at work and I accomplished a week's worth of cleaning. Meanwhile, that energetic frenzy still brightly burning, I managed to talk Mark into an after-dinner family excursion to an Observatory.
We arrived just before the mosquitoes came out in full force, and aside from the 15 minutes we spent in the car to escape them until they settled down for the night, we enjoyed our little adventure in star-gazing. The telescopes were enormous (and free!) and we were able to catch sight of Saturn, rings and all, Mars, Jupiter, the moon (of course), and the Hercules cluster. It was thoroughly enjoyable, even in spite of the bugs, though I think if we return, it will be in the Fall when there are no bugs, it gets dark earlier and generally the humidity is less. For those of you who are not avid star-gazers, apparently the humidity causes "atmospheric turbulence" which affects the quality of telescopic image. And of course the best sights are seen after "astronomical twilight," according to a volunteer who Mark guessed is also fluent in Klingon.
Iain did amazingly well, especially considering our adventures disrupted his sleep a bit. We arrived home before midnight and I felt as though we had lived an entire wonderful vacation in less than a day! Thank you, Lord!
Yesterday morning, I decided that I needed a change, a "let's pretend we're on vacation" kind of change. Something exciting and different needed to happen and I was bound and determined to go for it. Fortunately, my husband was more that willing to set aside his work for a few hours and humor my energetic whim.
The adventure began at 11:14 AM as we snapped a nearly-sleeping baby into his carseat and headed off to the St Paul Farmer's Market. We had never been, and it seemed like it might be a rejuvinating (free) adventure. It was wonderful! We ended up spending a whopping $3 for 2 basil plants and 5 honey sticks - yum! It was very refreshing to be surrounded by home-grown produce, plants, jams, cheese, and assorted meats and jerkies, including bison!
After that, we meandered across town to Bruegger's Bagels for lunch, with a brief stop in a small but nicely landscaped "central park" that we discovered. Lunch was followed with a frozen treat from Starbucks.
3 hours later, feeling like life had taken a wonderful turn for the better, we headed home to indulge in everyone's favorite Saturday activity: chores. Iain napped, Mark plugged away at work and I accomplished a week's worth of cleaning. Meanwhile, that energetic frenzy still brightly burning, I managed to talk Mark into an after-dinner family excursion to an Observatory.
We arrived just before the mosquitoes came out in full force, and aside from the 15 minutes we spent in the car to escape them until they settled down for the night, we enjoyed our little adventure in star-gazing. The telescopes were enormous (and free!) and we were able to catch sight of Saturn, rings and all, Mars, Jupiter, the moon (of course), and the Hercules cluster. It was thoroughly enjoyable, even in spite of the bugs, though I think if we return, it will be in the Fall when there are no bugs, it gets dark earlier and generally the humidity is less. For those of you who are not avid star-gazers, apparently the humidity causes "atmospheric turbulence" which affects the quality of telescopic image. And of course the best sights are seen after "astronomical twilight," according to a volunteer who Mark guessed is also fluent in Klingon.
Iain did amazingly well, especially considering our adventures disrupted his sleep a bit. We arrived home before midnight and I felt as though we had lived an entire wonderful vacation in less than a day! Thank you, Lord!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Summertime, and the living is ...busy
Summer in St Paul is a wonderful but incredibly busy time of the year. Having a 5 month old who no longer sleeps more than 3 1/2 hours at a time, can make those busy days seem even longer. However, his enormous smiles, grabbing at anything within reach, rolling over and increasing chatter are wonderful consolations when the sleep deprivation hits hard.
In brief, here is what the last month has found us doing:
June 2nd: arrived home at 11 pm from world travels
June 3rd: packed up apartment and moved to 4 bed/2 bath apartment palace for the summer
Rest of June: Thank the Lord for the blessing of our "summer home" and get used to our summer schedule
Average summer evening schedule:
Monday: Mark goes to SPO Men's night, Betsy leads a women's group
Tuesday: Couples' group
Wednesday:Prayer meeting
Thursday: Take a breath and wonder where the week has gone
Friday: Cheer for Mark as he plays Softball and chat with the crowd of softball-groupies
Saturday: Celebrate the "Lord's Day" and have dinner with lots of nice people
Sunday: Be thankful that we don't have anything going on...unless we do
Now, I'm not complaining, but I do think our life is a bit full. Is it any wonder that I'd rather spend the daytime by myself (with Iain) than hang out with people? After all, I am an introvert, despite what some people may believe. :)
All the same, when my boss called and asked if I could work on July 1 (first time back since Iain was born) I jumped at the chance. A 6 hour break from mommyhood sounded like just what Nurse Betsy needed. The catch? Iain hadn't had a bottle since he was 1 month old and he wasn't too keen on picking up that lost skill! 3 days of trying the bottle, 1 day of realizing he's now allergic to diary-based formula, and 45 minutes of screaming later, he eagerly downed a whole bottle of soy-formula. I tried again that evening and he drank it like it's all he's ever known (though he's still a nursing champ!)
Work went like a dream, Iain did wonderfully for the sitters and despite the fact that I only got about 4 hours of sleep the night before, I felt like a whole new woman! I NEVER would've guessed I'd be that mom that wanted to work after her baby was born, but I tell ya, that one day back was absolutely wonderful.
I love my husband, I love my baby, I have a life-giving and very-occasional job, I'm a huge fan of our summer apartment, and I guess I'd rather have any overly-full life than an empty one! I am very blessed, indeed!
If only we could go on vacation...
In brief, here is what the last month has found us doing:
June 2nd: arrived home at 11 pm from world travels
June 3rd: packed up apartment and moved to 4 bed/2 bath apartment palace for the summer
Rest of June: Thank the Lord for the blessing of our "summer home" and get used to our summer schedule
Average summer evening schedule:
Monday: Mark goes to SPO Men's night, Betsy leads a women's group
Tuesday: Couples' group
Wednesday:Prayer meeting
Thursday: Take a breath and wonder where the week has gone
Friday: Cheer for Mark as he plays Softball and chat with the crowd of softball-groupies
Saturday: Celebrate the "Lord's Day" and have dinner with lots of nice people
Sunday: Be thankful that we don't have anything going on...unless we do
Now, I'm not complaining, but I do think our life is a bit full. Is it any wonder that I'd rather spend the daytime by myself (with Iain) than hang out with people? After all, I am an introvert, despite what some people may believe. :)
All the same, when my boss called and asked if I could work on July 1 (first time back since Iain was born) I jumped at the chance. A 6 hour break from mommyhood sounded like just what Nurse Betsy needed. The catch? Iain hadn't had a bottle since he was 1 month old and he wasn't too keen on picking up that lost skill! 3 days of trying the bottle, 1 day of realizing he's now allergic to diary-based formula, and 45 minutes of screaming later, he eagerly downed a whole bottle of soy-formula. I tried again that evening and he drank it like it's all he's ever known (though he's still a nursing champ!)
Work went like a dream, Iain did wonderfully for the sitters and despite the fact that I only got about 4 hours of sleep the night before, I felt like a whole new woman! I NEVER would've guessed I'd be that mom that wanted to work after her baby was born, but I tell ya, that one day back was absolutely wonderful.
I love my husband, I love my baby, I have a life-giving and very-occasional job, I'm a huge fan of our summer apartment, and I guess I'd rather have any overly-full life than an empty one! I am very blessed, indeed!
If only we could go on vacation...
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Christian Baby!
On June 1st, we celebrated with Iain as he was welcomed into the Christian family through Baptism. We had the great honor and privilege, all thanks to Kevin, of celebrating this Sacrament in St Peter's at the Vatican. God's grace was abundantely clear in many ways, in particular as Iain stayed alert and content and even cracked a few smiles through most of the baptism, despite having not eaten for over 4 hours (a miracle by any mother's standards!)
As you may recall, Iain (the Scottish form of John) is named after John the Baptist. It was our great delight to see, in the baptismal chapel, this painting of John baptizing Christ.
Fr. Tim was generous with his time and performed the baptism, despite feeling somewhat overwhelmed by his studies. God bless you, Fr. Tim! Behind him is the baptismal font.
Heidi and Kevin, Iain's Godparents
Fr. Tim blessing the water
Iain, being born again in the waters of Baptism! Praise the Lord!
Iain, with his white garment
the baptismal candle
Fr Tim, us, Kevin and Heidi (Godparents)
Fr Tim, Adam (Mark's older brother), Mum Archibald, us, Dad Archibald, Godparents
Happy Christian family! :) (well, mostly happy...one of is very hungry and needs a new diaper)
Babi and Grandad holding the newest Christian member of the Archibald family.
As you may recall, Iain (the Scottish form of John) is named after John the Baptist. It was our great delight to see, in the baptismal chapel, this painting of John baptizing Christ.
Fr. Tim was generous with his time and performed the baptism, despite feeling somewhat overwhelmed by his studies. God bless you, Fr. Tim! Behind him is the baptismal font.
Heidi and Kevin, Iain's Godparents
Fr. Tim blessing the water
Iain, being born again in the waters of Baptism! Praise the Lord!
Iain, with his white garment
the baptismal candle
Fr Tim, us, Kevin and Heidi (Godparents)
Fr Tim, Adam (Mark's older brother), Mum Archibald, us, Dad Archibald, Godparents
Happy Christian family! :) (well, mostly happy...one of is very hungry and needs a new diaper)
Babi and Grandad holding the newest Christian member of the Archibald family.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Around the world
Mark, Iain and I have recently returned from a whirlwind trip to Scotland and Rome. Rather than boring you with long-winded paragraphs, I've picked some favorite pictures to show off in chronological order.
Uncle Adam, Mark's older brother, with his favorite (only) nephew. This view overlooks part of Edinburgh. It was a nice little walk, though quite windy; my mother's heart was frightened of gale-force winds throwing my baby, stroller-and-all, over the side of the hill. Needless to say, we didn't stay up there long.
Our little family spent an afternoon walking around downtown (if that's what you call it). Here, we stopped at a little cafe so I wouldn't die of hunger...nursing mom strikes again! Despite Iain's appearance, it wasn't a cold day. Rather, he had (and unfortunately now has again) quite a case of what has since been diagnosed as Seborrheic Dermatitis, or, as our family doctor called it "Scottish skin". How appropriate. The hat and sock-mittens were to keep him from scratching at it.
An absolutely beautiful picture of Iain and his Babi (Mark's mum).
While in Scotland, Mark dusted off the old Super Nintendo which he purchased at age 11. Many an evening was spent reliving the old days for a 1/2 hour or so before bed. Here he is playing "Zelda".
A wonderful golden birthday. I turned 27 on the 27th. This was actually on the 26th, at Babi's house. Natasha, the girl on the left, charmed us all while we spent the afternoon visiting with Mum's side of the family.
Iain and Babi...or rather Great-Babi (?) (not sure what the Polish term is).
After a wonderful week+ in Scotland, we headed for Rome to see Uncle Kevin and Aunt Heidi...and BABY!!!
Aunt Heidi, practicing her moves. She has 7 months to perfect them...if all goes as planned (not that I would know anything about that).
I had to include all three of these pictures. Mark has quite a knack for making Iain smile...though when he's in the right mood, he needs no help! Here, he is smiling and chatting.
Ancient Rome was known for its baths. I don't think they went quite like this.
Piazza Navona is a popular tourist site. This is pretty much how our visit went: we traveled to Italy so we could gaze at ....Iain. :)
A trip to Rome is not complete without the famous and delicious Gelato! (Yes, I am a nursing mom, but that's no excuse for double-fisting it; I'm holding Mark's as well.)
Mark and I marvel at how we are blessed with the cutest baby in the entire world. :) This was in Termini station, as we waited for Mark's family to arrive from Scotland. They were able to join us for the celebration of Iain's baptism!
Uncle Adam, Mark's older brother, with his favorite (only) nephew. This view overlooks part of Edinburgh. It was a nice little walk, though quite windy; my mother's heart was frightened of gale-force winds throwing my baby, stroller-and-all, over the side of the hill. Needless to say, we didn't stay up there long.
Our little family spent an afternoon walking around downtown (if that's what you call it). Here, we stopped at a little cafe so I wouldn't die of hunger...nursing mom strikes again! Despite Iain's appearance, it wasn't a cold day. Rather, he had (and unfortunately now has again) quite a case of what has since been diagnosed as Seborrheic Dermatitis, or, as our family doctor called it "Scottish skin". How appropriate. The hat and sock-mittens were to keep him from scratching at it.
An absolutely beautiful picture of Iain and his Babi (Mark's mum).
While in Scotland, Mark dusted off the old Super Nintendo which he purchased at age 11. Many an evening was spent reliving the old days for a 1/2 hour or so before bed. Here he is playing "Zelda".
A wonderful golden birthday. I turned 27 on the 27th. This was actually on the 26th, at Babi's house. Natasha, the girl on the left, charmed us all while we spent the afternoon visiting with Mum's side of the family.
Iain and Babi...or rather Great-Babi (?) (not sure what the Polish term is).
After a wonderful week+ in Scotland, we headed for Rome to see Uncle Kevin and Aunt Heidi...and BABY!!!
Aunt Heidi, practicing her moves. She has 7 months to perfect them...if all goes as planned (not that I would know anything about that).
I had to include all three of these pictures. Mark has quite a knack for making Iain smile...though when he's in the right mood, he needs no help! Here, he is smiling and chatting.
Ancient Rome was known for its baths. I don't think they went quite like this.
Piazza Navona is a popular tourist site. This is pretty much how our visit went: we traveled to Italy so we could gaze at ....Iain. :)
A trip to Rome is not complete without the famous and delicious Gelato! (Yes, I am a nursing mom, but that's no excuse for double-fisting it; I'm holding Mark's as well.)
Mark and I marvel at how we are blessed with the cutest baby in the entire world. :) This was in Termini station, as we waited for Mark's family to arrive from Scotland. They were able to join us for the celebration of Iain's baptism!
Thursday, May 8, 2008
3 months!
Mark will be home from the Dominican Republic in exactly 24 hours and I can't wait to see him! Iain and I spent the last week in MI visiting family and friends. I won't bore you with too much detail, so you can go right on to the important stuff: pictures. I will say, just briefly, we have one SMILEY boy. I wish I had more smiley pictures to prove it, but he is a charmer! (And that's a quote from the lady who stood behind us in line to board the 2nd of our flights, yesterday.) Speaking of which, I think I scared the poor guy I sat next to on our first flight, yesterday. I don't know which he thought was worse: a screaming baby, or the remedy, which was me nursing Iain. :) I will try to get more smiley pictures posted soon.
Our baby is getting so big!
The thinker
I love the expression on Iain's face in this picture, it makes me laugh. :) (And doesn't Mark look handsome?!) :)
Our baby is getting so big!
The thinker
I love the expression on Iain's face in this picture, it makes me laugh. :) (And doesn't Mark look handsome?!) :)
The way you dress a baby for a walk in April, in MN.
Cousin Charlie...sorry it's blurry.
Iain charming his Grandma and Great-Grandma
After all that hard work, smiling, he peacefully drifted off to sleep in Great-Grandma's arms.
Cousin Charlie...sorry it's blurry.
Iain charming his Grandma and Great-Grandma
After all that hard work, smiling, he peacefully drifted off to sleep in Great-Grandma's arms.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Bath time, among other things
When I decided to get my BS in Nursing, I thought, if nothing else being a nurse would make me a better mom. Has it? Well, that's debatable, but I am definitely more of a hypochondriac. At least it's been good for something, right? :)
Case in point: Iain slept for 6 hours last night. Yes, 6 beautiful hours. And, in fact he has slept quite a bit this morning as well. (Having said that, he just started screaming; someone's hungry!) So, what has been on my mind since 6:45 am? Has it been, "Thank you, Lord, for a whole night of sleep!"? No. (ok, that's been thrown in there a few times.) But mostly it's been "Is he ok? He's eating less, too. Do I call the doctor? What would I say?: "Yes, hello, my baby slept well, and I've been able to do some laundry inbetween nursing him, for a change. No fever, no cold symptoms and nothing else unusual. So, should I bring him in, or go straight to the ER?"
Honestly, I'm sure he's fine. My guess is that he just finished his latest growth spurt and is back to his normal self. I'm just not sure what "normal" is. And in my own defense, with the rough first week of his life and my own health history, I may be a bit more sensitive to what I perceive to be unusual.
Here are a few pictures for your enjoyment. I think they're self-explanatory.
Case in point: Iain slept for 6 hours last night. Yes, 6 beautiful hours. And, in fact he has slept quite a bit this morning as well. (Having said that, he just started screaming; someone's hungry!) So, what has been on my mind since 6:45 am? Has it been, "Thank you, Lord, for a whole night of sleep!"? No. (ok, that's been thrown in there a few times.) But mostly it's been "Is he ok? He's eating less, too. Do I call the doctor? What would I say?: "Yes, hello, my baby slept well, and I've been able to do some laundry inbetween nursing him, for a change. No fever, no cold symptoms and nothing else unusual. So, should I bring him in, or go straight to the ER?"
Honestly, I'm sure he's fine. My guess is that he just finished his latest growth spurt and is back to his normal self. I'm just not sure what "normal" is. And in my own defense, with the rough first week of his life and my own health history, I may be a bit more sensitive to what I perceive to be unusual.
Here are a few pictures for your enjoyment. I think they're self-explanatory.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Happy Baby!
These may not be the greatest pictures, but we managed to capture the tail-end of a smile! Iain was in quite a happy mood this morning, until the camera came out, at which point he'd had nearly enough of the smiling game.
By the way, he had his 2 month check-up, yesterday. He is a hair short of 24 inches and weighs 12 lbs. That puts him in the 95% for height and 50% for weight, for babies a month older than him (according to his adjusted age)!!! He's off the charts for height and 95% for weight for 1 month babies. You've come a long way, Iain!
For those of you that read my last post, you'll recall that we had quite a beauitful, snow-covered April 1. Well, here we are, 3 days later. It is currently 59 degrees. This is the view out of our kitchen window (please pardon the screen).
Here is a close-up. I have to admit, this makes me laugh: shorts and snow in the background. :)
By the way, he had his 2 month check-up, yesterday. He is a hair short of 24 inches and weighs 12 lbs. That puts him in the 95% for height and 50% for weight, for babies a month older than him (according to his adjusted age)!!! He's off the charts for height and 95% for weight for 1 month babies. You've come a long way, Iain!
For those of you that read my last post, you'll recall that we had quite a beauitful, snow-covered April 1. Well, here we are, 3 days later. It is currently 59 degrees. This is the view out of our kitchen window (please pardon the screen).
Here is a close-up. I have to admit, this makes me laugh: shorts and snow in the background. :)
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
If it snows in Heaven...
...it might look something like this. Happy April Fools Day. Love, God. :)
This is the view from our living room window. It might be the most beautiful snow scene we've had all season, I just didn't expect to see it on April 1st.
On to the more important pictures! Happy 9 weeks, Iain! (Pictures narrated by Iain)
Look how big I am!
Mommy tried to put me to bed in this outfit. I thought it was too girly (so did Daddy) so about 2 minutes after she put it on me, I peed all over it, right through my diaper.
This is how I felt about that last outfit. This is the new one mommy changed me into; Daddy and I both approved, even though it's a little big on me.
Mommy decided to do a little photo shoot this morning. Grandma and Grandpa got me, yes ME, a new camera, and though Mommy's no professional, she thought she'd give it a whirl. By the way, this is our new favorite outfit. Thank you to Beth P. for the Easter present! Mommy esp. likes how it brings out my beautiful (only Mommy can use that word) hair color!
This was actually a smile, but Mommy was just a little too slow.
This pose made Mommy laugh. I think I look pretty darn cool!
This is Mommy's favorite picture of the day.
This is the view from our living room window. It might be the most beautiful snow scene we've had all season, I just didn't expect to see it on April 1st.
On to the more important pictures! Happy 9 weeks, Iain! (Pictures narrated by Iain)Look how big I am!
Mommy tried to put me to bed in this outfit. I thought it was too girly (so did Daddy) so about 2 minutes after she put it on me, I peed all over it, right through my diaper.
This is how I felt about that last outfit. This is the new one mommy changed me into; Daddy and I both approved, even though it's a little big on me.
Mommy decided to do a little photo shoot this morning. Grandma and Grandpa got me, yes ME, a new camera, and though Mommy's no professional, she thought she'd give it a whirl. By the way, this is our new favorite outfit. Thank you to Beth P. for the Easter present! Mommy esp. likes how it brings out my beautiful (only Mommy can use that word) hair color!
This was actually a smile, but Mommy was just a little too slow.
This pose made Mommy laugh. I think I look pretty darn cool!
This is Mommy's favorite picture of the day.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)