Still off the air

Our media blackout is, I think, a good thing and already bearing fruit as far as the family is concerned.  It's tough, and it's inconvenient sometimes, but it isn't the end of the world.  I've read a lot of books, and played with V and the baby a lot more than (at least it seems like a lot more than) I used to, or than I think I would have if I had the internet to distract me.  It's nice, and the only thing that might be a bit of a trick is gathering what I need to "do music" with the co-op kids starting on Friday.  But it might be simpler than I'm making it out to be, so I decided not to stress until after the first class is over and I see where I stand.  Complexity-wise.  And such.

But the main thing I've been thinking about lately is that my sweet little sister is going to the convent in a week.  I wish I could be there.

I Shall Update Thee

But only briefly.  Like, I'll do quick takes until I run out of takes.

1. We're moved in to our house and it's awesome and lovely and full of stuff.  We triaged the boxes so it looks livable and cozy, except that if you open the closets you see much less livability and cozyness.

2.Wicked hot out there.

3. Also a thunderstorm.

4. Canceled the home internet in an effort to become more attuned to the modern culture.  This could slow blogging, but since we're basically already at a stop in that department I'm not too worried.

5. Hosting a tupperware party this month, my first ever.  It's been four months since I had a party of this type, which is about my normal span before going boing and having to buy a bunch more stuff that I prolly don't need.

6. Also a thunderstorm.

7. Discovered the other day that one of my two remaining classes won't be offered again until October, so I gave myself the rest of the summer off and probably will choose an elective to start in September.  No word yet on that will cause reevaluation in the internet department.

8. Started doing a modified Dave Ramsey money thing, more accurately titled "who can go the longest without spening any money."  We're both losing at the moment.  Too many trips, thunderstorms, weddings, promotions, visitors, and children to make this an easy task.  I guess it isn't supposed to be easy?

9. All done.  Email me if you want to buy some tupperware.  If enough gets bought through my party, apparently I get a free kitten or something.

Once Upon A Time

I talked him into something really fun to do for the rest of our lives.

Ha ha ha.

C, E-flat, and G walk into a bar. The bartender says, "Sorry, but we don't serve minors."So E-flat leaves, and C and G have an open fifth between them. After a few drinks, the fifth is diminished, and G is out flat. 

F walks over and tries to augment the situation, but is not sharp enough. D comes in, and heads for the bathroom, saying, "Excuse me; I'll just be a second." Then A comes in, but the bartender is not convinced that this relative of C is not a minor. Then the bartender notices B-flat hiding at the end of the bar and says, "Get out! You're the seventh minor I've found in this bar tonight." E-flat comes back the next night in a three-piece suit with nicely shined shoes. The bartender says, "You're looking sharp tonight. Come on in, this could be a major development." 

Sure enough, E-flat soon takes off his suit and everything else, and is au natural. Eventually C sobers up and realizes in horror that he's under a rest. C is brought to trial, found guilty of contributing to the diminution of a minor, and is sentenced to 10 years of D.S. without Coda at an upscale correctional facility. "

Love you, Mom!

This little boy loves him some gramma.  :)  

(and she's not sad in this picture, she's sleepy because she had just finished driving us home after Christmas)

I Spy Progressification

There are about 80 steps for each room in getting ready to move, I swear.  The upstairs bathroom is "done," meaning all that's left to do up there is clean it, which of course I'm not interested in doing until next week right before I actually leave.  The downstairs bathroom is "almost done," I have to go through the cabinet and toss/give/use the leftover stuff under there.

There are no paintings or curtains anywhere any more, except in the library.  That curtain is actually installed properly and I need help (and the drill) to get it down.  Every book in the house is on a shelf (yes, this is an accomplishment).  The fridge is denuded of magnets and other accessories. 

And that's it.  That's all that I can check off.  Everything else is in broadly varying stages of undone, some things waiting because I need help, some things waiting because they can't be done while people still live here, and most things waiting because I just don't feel like doing them.  So much work!  So much discipline!

I think I'll transcribe more of Del Valle's journal instead.

Seven Quick Takes

1. If you only know me by reading the blog, the latest on my brother is that all seems well.  They got a better picture of his condition and it turned out to be a non-serious acute version of a serious genetic condition.  All he has to do is stay super hydrated and follow his new custom PT schedule very carefully.  Apparently a serious leg break back in high school is the likely cause of the whole ruckus.  Our flight surgeon friend said it might be something he completely "grows out of," if the old damage to his leg is properly repaired with professional fitness work.

2. Eleven days to go before I leave, with only eight of those being really usable working days.  Adrienne said many things that I've thought over the last few weeks, but she says them much more poetically than I would have.  My version goes more like "HOLY CRAP I AM SO BEHIND I'LL NEVER GET ALL THIS STUFF DONE AND WOW LOOK AT THESE CUTE KIDS I HAVE WHEN WERE THEY BORN AND HOW DID I GET SO OLD AND RESPONSIBLE HOLY CRAP WE BOUGHT A HOUSE."

3. The finches are obligingly finishing off the last of the nectar in my hummingbird feeder.  I find this bizarre in the extreme, but I appreciate their help all the same...the more they drink, the less I have to pour out and possibly get all over myself when I go out to clean the feeders and pack them away.  Tried several times to take a picture but they move too fast and my phone camera is crummy.  On a relatedly outdoorsy note, when they say to "thin carrots before maturity" they weren't kidding.  Vegetable fail.

4. Dumb America is Dumb.

5. My dear father-in-law is always upping the culture content of our inboxes by passing along really fun stuff, like the photo for today which was labeled "May the 4th be With You!"  I'm all geared up for tomorrow, because he usually sends us this joke, but without the snopes part.  Shows how much I love him, that I remember last year's forwards.  :P

6.  I'm developing a really bad habit of posting the worst grammar/spelling/syntax offenses from my classroom.  It makes for really good Facebook fun, and since I don't know any of the people personally and no one on Facebook can even see their names, I view this as mostly harmless.  Wow, though.  A couple of them are just too much...are they really that ignorant? Or careless?  Or what?

7.  Little boy is pushing two months, which is weird.  It embarrasses and saddens me that I have not taken nearly as many pictures of him as I did of V.  V is partially the cause of this, of course, since now I can't just leave my good camera lying around handy to snap a foto o dos.  Instead it has to stay safely packed away so he doesn't destroy it....ergo fewer pictures of the baby.  :(  But I took a couple good ones yesterday to make up for it.  I just love their eyes.  They have the same eyes, so thoughtful and deep.

Now visit www.conversiondiary.com and add your quick takes!

Embrace the Camera

Things babywearing is good for: 
1. holding the baby
2. staying very warm

Things babywearing is not good for:
1. everything else

Join the link party at http://andersonfamilycrew.blogspot.com/  :)

Still Chugging

Ah, yes.  13 days left in my house.  More than 13 tasks left on my list...blaaaaah.

This morning, instead of one of my tasks, I did two of the workouts from this video:

It's a pain to not be able to do things like pilates, which I think are more effective.  I'll work up to that, but for now, yeah.  Hmm.  Not much pilatesing being done without abdominal muscles with which to pilates.  The best part of this workout is V, who sometimes dances as well, but mainly runs around the perimeter of the room yelling.  Occasionally he pauses to come run into my rear end, bounce off, and run away again yelling.

Birthday Takes

1. Yes, citizens, sometime in the next few days I will again party party in commemoration of my birth.  This year is a fun one because it's what I call the "half birthday," not in the traditional sense, but meaning this is the year that I am half my mother's age.  Not to tell her age on the internet or anything, but since I was born on her birthday (how thoughtful of me) it's fun to be exactly the same age she was when she had me.  And by exactly, I really can say exactly.

2.  You can still win an iPad by going to this Catholic family's blog and following the instructions.  As far as I'm concerned, the "giveaway of cool things" is the most awesome way to raise money for a cause that I can think of.  Someone donates an item and gets to feel good, people get to enter a contest virtually for free and possibly win something they want, the beneficiary gets (a) air time and (b) some dough.  Yes.  And you WIN AN IPAD.

3.  I was intensely amused by this headline: "Hawk Steal's Playboy Playmate's Puppy."  Inappropriate, you say?  But it's so darn funny!  I envision her staggering around the yard in her high high heels, wailing in terror but unable to dial 911 because her nails aren't dry.

4.  I was not amused by this headline: "CISPA Passes in the House."  This is like the Patriot Act, only bigger/worse/different/broader.  This time the ostensible restriction to "behavior or information related to terrorist activity" doesn't exist.  Now it's just information sharing for the sake of sharing.  Le sigh.

5.  I was very amused by two new sites this week.  Everyone on Facebook knows I really like to read Failblog's various incarnations, especially FailBook.  Now I can add to my list a page of really terrible Amazon.com reviews, and a page of people being confused by the Onion. 

6.  My leetle boy is over six weeks old now!  With V, time passed quickly but I still felt like those early months dragged on.  Would he ever sit up?  Would he ever quit barfing?  Now I'm going "Wait!  Slow down!"  This is terrible.  I'm turning old.  As soon as he gets that massive head under control, he plans to crawl.

7.  Yes, I'm still working on that same class.  Blessed thing, since it's on World War II I am able to use sources and knowledge that I already have.  The next project due is a bibliographical sketch, and being the awesome magnificent thing that I am, I actually have a photocopy of the man's actual battle journal to work off of.  I held it in my hands.  I thumbed through it.  (Ok, in the interests of honesty and fairness, my very awesome husband actually went and pulled the file and found the stuff for me after I told him who to look for, then he made the copy even though I told him he didn't have to do that.  But he did and he's cool and now I'm glad he did it because I'm not going to get back to the archives as soon as I thought I was.)  He's a cutie, no?

Now, head to www.conversiondiary.com and link up!

Wee Hours

It's been a long time since my late night/early morning wanderings have brought me to the blog.  You all could have been doing a lot of quality reading all this time, considering that I'm awake for at least an hour every night.  I don't remember the last time I slept straight through from midnight to six.  And it doesn't have anything to do with the baby.  He's right here, snoring away and dreaming about eating.

Anyway, since I'm up, anyone reading can say a quick prayer for my brother.  He's at OCS but is now waiting on some bloodwork about a medical condition no one knew he had.  It could be a complete no-big-deal, or it could mean a medical discharge.  I'm so worried and sad for him.  This is just one more bump in his road.  :(

In nicer news, we had a fantastic time last night with several friends who came over for dinner.  Six adults!  Conversation!  Laughter!  I'm going to be sad to move...after three years in this place I'm just starting to make friends (other than the one or two very dear ones we met soon after arriving, some of whom are already gone).  That's life, I guess?  It does begin to explain how I know all these women who become total blathering BFFs with their neighbor within minutes of unloading the truck.  You have to!  Otherwise you won't get a chance to get to know one another before someone moves away.

Ah well.  Better luck next time.

Update

Some women dye their hair. I change my blog. It's a bad habit, or something.

Please note that I have moved and changed many things. No one who is "gone" need fear! I pretty much went with a most-often-updated-stays rule for clearing the blog list. I don't hate you.

I added many new things, all of which have to do with adoption. I started haunting adoption sites long before I met Leila, and often spent time crying/fretting/fuming over the fate of so many children who wait in foster care or institutions. We had friends growing up who fostered infants while their adoptive families' home studies were being completed. It's a thought often on my mind.

Leila introduced me to a whole new world of adoption stories to cry/fret/fume over: children from foreign countries who are disabled. Despite all our really dreadful problems here, those who are already born have a pretty good quality of life in the United States. Not so in Eastern Europe, Asia, and parts of South America. So I've linked to a bunch of family blogs from those who have adopted or are adopting a child from one of those places. Those who aren't in a position to adopt children themselves (like me) can pray, observe, donate, or simply spread the word.

Cephalopelvic Disproportion: It’ll Change Your Life

Yes, I had the baby.  Yes, he has a lot of hair.  Congratulations all around, thanks for the prayers, thanks for the gifts, and all that other stuff that goes with big life events.  God has blessed us again with safety, health, and a beautiful child.

So he ended up being a c-section, which was simultaneously a disappointment and (very strangely) a kind of relief.  He wasn’t going to fit, and it was for sure this time (though again, not until after I had to make the call to go for surgery).  This makes me oddly peaceful about the first c-section, since it confirms the fact that Vincent wouldn’t have fit either.  Napoleon was a full pound heavier and three inches longer than V, but their heads are roughly the same size—and it wasn’t the OR surgeon or the specialist OB that was telling me the guy wouldn’t fit.  They were concerned about heart decels and my failure to progress.  No, it was the OR pediatrician who made the observation about baby size.  “Look how his head is so molded already, and he was still at a pretty high station.  He wasn’t ever coming down any further,” she said.  “Oh, and he has a lot of hair.”  This was, again, after the fact and thus a simple observation.  She wasn’t trying to convince me to take any action.  She was pointing out the little conehead’s coneheadedness.

So that’s something for me to focus on, assurance that the first time wasn’t a huge mistake.  There’s serenity in knowing that.  I can let go of some of the regrets and anger at how I got “cheated” out of a normal delivery.  Turns out that it wasn’t the doctors at all that trapped me into a section, it’s just nature.  Like someone said, I probably would have been one of those women that died way back when.

Still, it’s daunting and sad that this probably means I’m stuck with c-sections for the rest of my life (or else frighteningly early deliveries of much smaller, premature babies).  That’s a hard truth, and the complete disinclination to ever go through that ordeal again makes me feel a little guilty.  Where is my trust?  Where is my faith?  I guess I should give myself more than six days before I start putting any serious thought into my so-called feelings, much less put any stock in them.  Still, if you asked me today how many children I wanted, I’d say two.  Two.  Only two.  Get away.

But they’re an awfully nice two.

Wine and Wafers

So, this story at Patheos is getting some viewage in the Catholic blog world this morning, about a woman who was denied Communion, at her mother’s funeral, because of a supposed lesbian relationship.  If you spend the 35+ minutes it takes to read all the comments on the Deacon’s post, you’ll find that a good 75% of commenters are appalled that a priest would do something so insensitive at a funeral.  Really?  Our take away from a story in which the priest has been told, according to the woman herself, that she has a female “partner,” is that the priest shouldn’t have hurt peoples feelings that way?  It sure is.

After weeks of being so proud of the bishops and pleased at the masculine stance they had taken on all the HHS nonsense, we get kicked back to the curb (along with this poor priest) by the Archdiocese of Washington and their pitiful, pansy statement that it “isn’t archdiocesan policy” to publicly reprimand anyone on their suitability for the reception of Communion.

The frick?

We’re putting feelings on a pedestal here, in just the most disordered way I can imagine.  How about, Cardinal Weurl, you start out with, “Out of supreme respect for the presence of Jesus Christ, King of Kings, Prince of Peace, Mighty God, in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist, the Archdiocese of Washington commends Father Marcel for his sincere effort to safeguard the dignity of the source and summit of Catholic life.  Unfortunately, misunderstanding and ignorance about circumstances under which we may receive that gift of God’s Presence sometimes arise, and for that we apologize.  It is not the policy of the archdiocese to give public scandal as regards denying Communion to anyone, etc…”

Nope.  Too many scary words, like “God” and “ignorance.”  The minute Father Marcel did what he did—which again, was the right thing—he effectively threw himself under the bus and probably knew it, too.  He knew that his action was going to make waves, certainly there in the building, probably in the immediate interaction with people afterward, and even possibly at the Chancery.  It shouldn’t surprise him, in fact, that someone took the story mainstream.  Perhaps seeing himself in the Washington Post the next day was a bit of a stunner, but he still had to know that his action would have fairly unpleasant repercussions.  The primacy of “pastorality” has taken hold, and anything that smacks of rules, laws, or coldheartedness is going to be disowned by the bishop faster than you can say tax exemption.  It’s a world where everyone wants kindness.  If they’re really up on their theology, they’ll call for charity.  But charity without truth brings no one to salvation.

The Truth is Present in the Eucharist, and no one seems to have remembered that in this discussion.  In the original news article that aired, we’re told that the woman was shocked when Father Marcel “covered the wine and wafers” with his hand.  Those aren’t her words—those are the words of the WUSA Channel 9—but plenty of Catholics manage to use bread, wine, cup, and wafer at every conversational opportunity.  When you sanitize the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ down to mere “wine and wafers,” its no wonder you have spare neurons to waste on things like feelings and sensitivity.  It’s exactly the same kind of (literally) Satanic language ploy that bought us the mental space for “products of conception,” the “fetus,” and “reproductive therapy.” 

Abortion kills a baby.  Jesus IS the Eucharist.  These are real truths, one awful and one beautiful.  Thinking of them in solid, truthful terms might be hard, but reality and priority come much more sharply into focus.  Simultaneously, those who choose the wrong answer (“kill the baby, desecrate the host, etc”) become starkly outlined against a clear and unequivocal moral canvas.  They are wrong.  Calling someone wrong is now mean, identifying unacceptable behavior is insensitive, and as long as we find nicer, softer terms for those pesky truths, we can erase things like “wrong” or even “sin” altogether.

Yup.  Wine and wafers.

All Done

Well, that semester is in the bag.  For better or for worse.  Ha.  Now I have to make a decision about whether to start the next class right away (as in, next week) and have a crazy first couple weeks with the baby also arriving around that time, or else wait to start the class and have a crazy final few weeks of class because they will coincide with our moving.

Not sure what to do about that one…but I have 48 hours to make a judgment and do something irreversible!  So it’ll be fine!

Take Note

Please see the very cute picture of a baby to the right.  Over there.  --->

Do click on it and participate in the 40 Days for Life event/events that are taking place via new media.  Some of us don’t live near an organization or a venue to physically take part, so prayer and online participation are the next best thing.  So, go clicky!!

In other news, I’m still up to my moustache in school projects, but I’m almost done.  The last piano lesson was on Wednesday, there are two papers left to write (but no further forum essays), baby is due in three weeks, and life is very good.  I just have to read all these books that I said I was going to read in order to write the awesome paper I said I was going to write.  That’s the whole trouble with a significant assignment that includes a topic proposal.  You have to meet your self-set awesomeness factor with deliberation and some advance planning, instead of just coughing up a hairball at the last minute and going, “Look!  I made a magical essay that’s beautiful and exactly what I intended from the start!”

Meh

Welp, I’ve got a bazillion [Microsoft says bazillion is a real word] things I should be doing right now but I don’t want to do those things.  Besides, one of the bazillion was shifting the pictures from my phone, which I ought to do monthly but actually do quarterly.  And I did that one thing!  And now I can put pictures of my little boy on the blog!

Because he’s so cute.  These are mostly self-explanatory…it’s called Being Two Years Old And Your Mom Has A Smartphone.

(kissing a relic of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton)

(this is not my son.  this is the iris.  it’s STILL blooming.)

10 Things That Aren’t A List At All

There aren’t even ten of them.  So there.

My child has eaten a dozen mini blueberry muffins this morning.  No, wait.  He’s eaten…14 mini blueberry muffins this morning.  I’m trying to use the food in the pantry before I have to admit to myself that I’ve had it a whole year  and it’s still just sitting there.  So we had muffins for breakfast, and he ate…15 of them.

Yesterday I caught him climbing his bookshelf, which caused a huge altercation and day-long ordeal of sadness for a little boy who had ALL the toys and books and animals taken from his room.  He took a really long nap.  This morning, I caught him doing it again and figured out the motivation—he was after the DVDs on the top shelf.  So.  DVDs don’t live in there any more.  Problem solved.  If only I could get as clear a picture on motive every time he does something insane.  There might be fewer epic sadness days.

It looks like it could snow any minute out there—overcast and dreary.  You want to make hot chocolate, or get out a blanket, or something.  Except when you open a door or window you discover that it’s 68 degrees and pleasant-feeling.  Help.

Went birthday shopping this morning in the discount section of Amazon.  The algorithm isn’t always flawless, however, and sometimes it’ll give you something that’s basically the opposite of discounted.  No need for coffee now!  I’m revved!  I’m ready!  My heart is MOVIN’, man!!

I’m down to one small paper (due Feb 26th, I think I’ll be fine) and one large paper (due Feb 26th), then I’m done with these two classes.  The paper I wrote yesterday is good, but I wish I had realized just how good it was going to be.  I would have used the topic for the large paper due next month, instead of having to trim and skip in order to keep to 10 pages for the current assignment.  Oh well.  It’s a good topic.  One of the better ones I’ve chosen.  One of the few I’ve chosen and not had to go, after researching for a while, “Well crap, I’m totally wrong in my premise.  Now what?”

I have simultaneous desires for both a new car and an “office” space for myself.  The car will come, one day, because we’re just going to need a second car.  One was nice, but someday we might actually move to a real town or city and I’ll need to go places.  So we research slowly, and put off decisions, and hopefully a car will wander away from home and end up on my back porch, and I’ll look for a collar and it won’t have one, and we’ll put up signs but the owners never come, and then I’ll just keep the car and call it my own. 

And the office…well, that’s just silly all around.  Because the whole thing stems from this big, white, overstuffed Giant Chair that I saw, that I would want in my office so I could use it for reading.  And of course there would be a picture window, and an oversized desk, and shelves that match, and classily organized bins, and themed wall decorations of an artistic and academic bent.  What kind of a retarded idea is that?  White?

Yea, Though Epic Fail Followeth Me Wheresoever I Go

Yet I keep the blog and act like I’m a blogger by reading everyone else’s work.  Oh well.  I’m alive!  I’m supposed to be reading this entire book about Leyte Gulf by this afternoon…but I’m not.  I’m putting up a link to my article at IGNITUMTODAY.

And also posting a picture.  Who doesn’t like pictures?