November 2004 Archives

1. make coffee
2. make bacon
3. put the car seat pad in the dryer (Note to self: remind husband that cars, fruit pies, and three-year-olds do not mix)
4. Despam the blog
5. get dressed
6. drink coffee
7. finish dishes
8. check on car seat
9. get Hambet dressed, fed, and in a car seat by 8:30 -- use spare if necessary
9.5 Say rosary in car; plan another time of prayer today.
10. pack some letters, catalogs, cookbooks
11. take Hambet to preschool; while he's in class drink coffee with other moms and write letters, peruse catalogs and cookbooks.
12. Come home. Stop by Safeway for ground beef if Hambet isn't too tired.
12.5 eat lunch
13. Declutter dining room table.
14. Dust and vacuum downstairs.
15. Get Hambet down for nap. (move to 12.75 if feasible.)
16. Call client.
17. Start supper (note to self -- check condition of lettuce; add to grocery list if necessary)
18. If time permits make sample scrapbook page.
19. Serve supper.
19.5 Put Hambet in pajamas.
20. Welcome clients to scrapbook class.

for Karen Marie Knapp, who had surgery today.

Had friends over this morning and I'm just getting ready to start my pies. Tomorrow it's off to see my mother-in-law for Thanksgiving. We'll be back Sunday. Have a happy Thanksgiving!

Fredegar had his second check-up yesterday. About a week and a half ago the doctor was a bit worried because he was looking quite yellow. They took a blood test and his bilirubin was at 14.5 which the doctor said was "ok". Yesterday the doctor said he still looked yellow, but is growing, eating and doing all the stuff babies should be doing, so he is not concerned. He weighs 9-8 now and is filling out. My daughter and I say he looks like a potato, but my husband says no.

Fredegar is such a good baby. Having a non-colic baby is so easy and is so much fun. Post partum itself is so easy this time around. I have no post partum depression, no mastitis, I am very blessed. He is so cute I can't stand it. Even when he decides to keep me up at night, all he does is sit there and stare at me with his cute little eyeballs in his tiny, little round head.

The only thing I am upset about is I am still rather zoftig. I only can fit into my yoga pants these days and I do not look like I do yoga. I am going on my diet after Thanksgiving. I have been dying to work out, but cannot find a spare minute as of yet. My husband says I need to chill since I just had a baby. He is right, but I know the longer I wait the harder it is to get back into shape. And I am too vain to buy new clothes in a larger size. I guess I am also a little paranoid because I do not wish to hear any speeches from my grandmother about how she is making novenas for me because I am starting to look "matronly".

...and saw The Incredibles yesterday.

I am so blown away, I can't even tell you how good that movie is. I am scheming to see it again this very week.

(And yes, I was right not to bring Hambet.)

is here.
There are details about the funeral tomorrow, and a place to leave condolences for his family.

Isn't this the kind of thing you do after a president who accomplished great things is dead? Like did Lincoln give himself a speech in his honor at the opening of the Lincoln Memorial? I don't think he would have actually.

Also, the article I read about this on AOL, no one mentions who paid for this.

Clinton's library collection consists of more than 80 million presidential items, and Clinton has promised to give scholars early access to previously private policy advice and other documents he isn't required to release until 2006.

Like what? Cigars? OK, that was low. Here we go:

The Lewinsky matter is covered in an alcove dedicated to the ''politics of persecution.'' The display lumps together Newt Gingrich's ''Contract With America'' and independent counsel Kenneth Starr's Whitewater investigation.

This just seems so weird to me.

... and may perpetual light shine on him. Amen.

He compiled the first directory, and now he is St Blog's first intercessor: Gerard Serafin, of Praise of Glory, died early this morning.

Why is it whenever a little baby smiles, people always say "it's just gas." Since when does gas make people smile? Like I have never sat there with like a girlfriend and they spontaneously giggle and I say "what?" and they say "oh nothing, just gas." So why is that the case when you are like 1 month and younger?

My extended family hates the holidays. Instead of being happy that this is the time of the year to get together, they start dodging phone calls out of fear my mother will invite them over, or ask what they are doing for Christmas.

I was looking at this pretty red velvet jumper dress at Chadwicks that would be perfect for a holiday get together. It would be so cool to have egg nog, holiday music, plum pudding and a kid who says "God bless us everyone" and everybody chuckles. Maybe just one year.

Ok, so perhaps I have been watching too many TV Christmas specials on the Hallmark Channel.

I know I have not been verygood this year, I know. But I haven't been unusually wicked, either.

Dear Santa, as you know, my grandmother passed away this year and this will be the first year in my mother's life without Christmas At The Farm. My sister is coming home for Christmas and I would like to go too. But the plane fares are so expensive!

Now, Santa, I know you know all about flying. Can you arrange for some really cheap airfare for us to go to Fargo? My proposed travel dates are December 24 to December 28. I would prefer to travel in the morning or the early part of the day. I need three tickets.

If you don't do it for me, Santa, please do it for Hambet. He's been good.

Sincerely yours,
Your friend and ally,
Peony Moss

Well, since we ahem "acquired" the new kittens (one who broke into our house and moved in), our old cat, Chun Li has been having temper tantrums and messing on our beds. We brought her to the vet to see if there was anything medical wrong with her, and not just attitude. It was attitude. The vet said to add one more litter box than number of cats (for a total of four), spread them around the house, not keep them together, and prescribed an anti-depresssant for Chun Li. My husband, Polo went and bought the litter boxes and purchased a cat door so we can keep them out in the mud room. We put three in the mud room, one in a different corner. This all worked because Chun Li has not messed on anyone's bed since then.

First of all, Melody, the cat who made a hole in the screen window so she could move in, could not figure out how to use the cat door. When she finally figured it out, the cats would all flock to one litter box and literally wait in line to use the same litter box despite the 3 others around-some just a few feet away. Sigh.

The funny thing is, we brought Melody for a check-up on Saturday and she escaped from the pet carrier in the car. I am pleased to announce that as of today, she has figured out the cat door. It only took a week and a half.

This morning I had Baby Dominic (I have to start using his hobbit name, but I keep forgetting it) in the sling while I was making pancakes. He was staring at me with his little eyeballs and I tickled him under his chin. And he gave me a big smile! Happy moment!

Update: Baby Fredegar.

Gorbulas is having a cute moment as well. He has a bowl of Chicken and Stars soup in front of him and he keeps asking "Is hot syoop?"
"Yes, hot soup"
"Is hot syoop?"
"Yes, hot! Blow."
"Is hot syoop?"
"YES!"

Regnum Christi recently started a La Familias group in my area. I was very excited to join because I have been waiting for something of this sort for a long time. I have only been a couple of times, but I am enjoying reading about the Pope's words on marriage and the family with other women.

Last week I think I stepped on some toes. One of the discussion questions was "how do we protect our families from evil in the world?" The answers started flowing out "turn off the TV", "only wear dresses", "homeschool". Someone said "build a strong personal relationship with your children" which is the answer that made the most sense.

I have been struggling for the past year with the fact that most of the homeschooling teens I see around here in real life are not ones I would have my children around. Before we started homeschooling, there was a great deal of propaganda that if you homeschool, your children will not be troubled teens, will be smart and always stay in the faith. It's like the propaganda surrounding NFP. "NFP builds marriages"-whatever. While I think there are always better choices, NFP for example, will not fix a marriage that is in trouble (unless of course the trouble is simply birth control). Same with homeschooling. I see a great deal of good in homeschooling which is why we do so, but not as a cure all over a relationship with your children. Not over putting parenting in God's hands and asking the Holy Spirit to guide you in correct decisions regardless of how much "evil" you try to keep from them.

I do not mean to vent so, but I get kind of discouraged when Catholics get started so much on the "evil in the world" subject. I know I personally am never doing it right in many a Catholic's eyes. I allow my children to watch occasional TV with Spongebob in his underwear, I allow my daughter to wear pants and the list goes on. But I just don't think God cares so much about some of these things. I see so many parents obsessing about the evils of Harry Potter, while their teenage daughters are having aborrtions behind their backs.

My brothers attended traditional parochial schools all their lives. I think the way my parents raised them would qualify as quite evil in many people's eyes. Yet they turned out the way I want my children to turn out. They are funny, down to earth, smart and practice their faith. Sometimes I think the devil puts up issues to distract us from real evil quite literally in front of us. I think that unless I personally develop a better prayer life and conversation with the Holy Spirit, those issues will always distract me from what I really need to do.

Just to clarify, I am not trying to put down anybody's parenting decisions in raising Holy children. I am just vocalising the fact that there are many decisions I have made in the past simply to appear "Holy" to other families on issues that not only did I truly feel made no difference, but made my children feel "weird". I don't think that is what God is calling me to do as a mother. And I just get tired of hearing "I never...that's evil, that's horrible...that secretly means..." and I rarely hear "oh, that was so much fun".

I have stuff I want to blog about, but it is hard to type with one hand and hold baby with the other. So if I get a free hand, I have a few blogs coming up...

It's been a busy week. This time last Thursday we were bundling Hambet into the car and heading off to the emergency room -- he was sliding off his booster chair and smacked his head against the edge of the counter (very close to where he hit his head back in January). This time it was more serious and he ended up getting five stitches. They are out now; the wound is healing well but he still has green bruising on the side of his face.

Last Friday I woke up with one of those horrible colds that makes you feel like death even though clinically you aren't that sick. I've been keeping myself going with Sudafed this week, and today I'm finally feeling better and enjoying the energy surge. Meanwhile, poor dh has been suffering with seasonal allergies, and we learned at the ER that Hambet has them too. We've gone through a lot of Kleenex this week and have mostly been stumbling around croaking at each other.

But today I've been rolling. My husband was grunting with displeasure this morning because the refrigerator was so empty, so I took the opportunity to clean it out this morning. I could just stand there with the door open gazing with pleasure at my nice clean fridge. My husband was not terribly impressed with the sparkling fridge, but he did seem to appreciate that I went out and brought back something to put in it.

Now I am preparing for tomorrow's big project: painting Hambet's room (Behr "Geyser" with white ceiling and trim.) So off to prep the room.

Oh, and I've started my *shudder* Christmas shopping.

St Blog's anchoress, Karen Marie Knapp, one of those people whose prayers keep the universe from falling apart, could use prayers herself -- she is in the hospital with cellulitis and pneumonia and had surgery on Tuesday.

Thanks to Nathan via Gerard for the heads-up.

My dear husband has been longing to take Hambet (3 1/2) to his first movie. We all love Pixar around here, but I see that PG on The Incredibles and am having second thoughts.

The thing is that they will give a movie a PG for firing a fantasy weapon (because it looks like a G-U-N) but they will give a movie a G that has all kinds of things hated by parents of preschoolers (name-calling, potty humor, "shut up", and other obnoxious easily imitated behaviors.)

So what do you think? How young is "too young" for a matinee of The Incredibles?

We are home. I stayed at my mother's a few days and babymooned and I am home now.
Like Peony mentioned, we had an Election Day baby. The name we picked was Dominic Jose. Dominic after St. Dominic and Jose after St.Joseph and my husband's grandfather.

He is doing very well, nurses like a trooper and no sign of colic. I am on cloud nine. He is just so tiny and so cute.

The birth went well and was actually kind of funny. On Tuesday (11/2) the doctor came in and broke my water at around 9.30 am. For a couple opf hours we watched ER and Judging Amy on TNT much to my husband's chagrin while the nurses kept coming in and asking me if I was having contractions. I was having a few mild ones, but the nurse said it was not enough and they might have to put me on pitocin. Yuck. The monitor showed contractions every 7 minutes, so they decided to check me. Thankfully, I was in labor and did not need to go on pitocin. After that they filled up the tub for me which was a relief because I did start to have one or two contractions. Also, the gravity relief was awesome. The only thing was my husband got the remote control and changed Judging Amy to annoying sitcoms. I think I got in the tub around 2, and my husband started watching I think the Steve Harvey Show which I never heard of and remembered that during a couple of nasty contractions wishing badly he would just turn the darn thing off. At about 2.10, they sent their medical school studen t to ask me some questions. I remember his name-Dr. Garrick Tong- and he was just too young and cute and I wanted him to go away. Actually I wanted them all to go away, but it all seemed a bit more humiliating with handsome young doctors around. So like I said it was around 2:15 and the nurse came in and asked how many contractions I had and if I felt any pressure. I said I had like one bad one at the point but no pressure and they were about 3 minutes apart. They were very specific that I could not deliiver in the tub and needed the doctor there when I delivered due to the gestational diabetes. So I told them that psychologically I was feeling with each contraction that I wanted to stop and go home, so that was probably a sign things were moving right along and maybe they should check me. The nurse said "Ok" she will call the doctor and left. The next contraction was a long hard one and in the middle of it changed to a "pushing" contraction. My husband said I screamed to which he asked "is everything alright?"
I said "no, the baby's head is out".
I never, ever saw my husband look so anxious as then. He called the nurse in and the nurse started yelling for other nurses. Apparently there was a midwife there who picked me up and said "OK, out of the water" (I was not allowed to deliver in the water due to the GD). I remember thinking first "you gotta be kidding" and then "take one step, then another" I also remember asking if I was going to squish his head by walking. Thed bed was two steps away and I made it to the bed. I reached for the other side of the bed, got one knee up to climb up, and my husband caught the baby.

The maternity ward nicknamed Dominic "Speedy".

Given my lousy track record, I should probably stay off this issue. But here I go.

Mark Shea links to this action item from K.Lo at The Corner:

Senator Arlen Specter cannot become the chairman of the Senate Judiciary committee. You can go here to email Bill Frist, the Senate Majority Leader.

Shea gives this sample letter:

Dear Senator Frist,

After a long and contentious fight to retain the White House and expand our majority in both houses of Congress, I am extremely dismayed by comments made by Senator Specter regarding the President's right to choose his own candidates for the nation's judiciary. After several years of stonewalling on the part of Democrats in the Senate Judiciary Committee, it is incredibly distressing to see a member of the Republican party attempting to block excellent and qualified judges from the bench because of their conservative ideology.

I am a partisan. I will continue to work for our party's success because I believe that we embody the principles that are best for the nation. But make no mistake, conservative members of the Republican party will not continue to support the GOP if a very small minority of our Senators refuse to give a fair hearing to judges who agree with the party platform.

The last election should be a wakeup call to party leadership. The single most important issue to voters was "moral values". The party did a masterful job of getting Evangelical and other Conservative voters to the polls - voters who stayed home in 2000 - largely because of the moral issues facing the nation. It would be disastrous for the party and country if these voters felt betrayed and did not return to the polls in 2006 and 2008.

Renegade judges have been legislating from the bench for decades and have recently accelerated a dangerous experiment in social engineering - whether by redefining marriage, tinkering with the Pledge of Allegiance, or ruling against late term abortion restrictions. The American people recognize this judicial tyranny for what it is, and we look to you and other members of the Senate to put a stop to it.

Senator Specter and Democrats in the Senate say that the President should not nominate candidates with a conservative ideology because they are "outside the mainstream". If that is the case, most of the country must be outside of the mainstream. The vast majority of Americans support some limits on abortion, and clearly Tuesday's results in the states voting on Marriage Amendment should prove that this country will not accept gay marriage as a government supported institution.

In light of all of this, I am writing to you to urge you to take action to remove Senator Specter from the Judiciary Committee. The idea that this man, who won a tough primary fight only with the help of the White House, could be the next Chair of the Judiciary Committee is truly frightening. Please take steps to ensure that he does not aid liberals in continuing to block the President's agenda.

I understand that this move could lead to Mr. Specter defecting to the other side. In reality Senator, he made that defection long ago. Please do what is right and help President Bush and the majority of the American people in seating solid judges, without forcing them to pass a liberal litmus test. As our majority leader, we are counting on you.

Call Senator Frist:
DC office number is 202-224-3344 (fax is 202-228-1264)
Nashville office number is 615-352-9411
Majority Leader office number is 202-224-3135

Well, I was a good citizen do-bee yesterday and researched all the candidates and questions on the ballot.

Here in Maryland, the idea of a two-party system is still catching on, so it didn't surprise me that I couldn't help the President with a few electoral votes (though I could do my part for the popular vote.) And it didn't surprise me that my choices for Senator and Representative didn't win either.

But all the ballot questions I voted "yes" for also failed. And all the school board candidates I voted for also lost! At first I thought, well, it was because I didn't vote for incumbents. (I usually never vote for incumbents in local elections.) But there was one incumbent I did vote for -- and he lost!

So remind me not to post my own voter's guide next year.

to Florida for delivering a nice comfortable margin for their candidate
to Ohio for coming through for the President -- and with a nice, comfortable margin
and to South Dakota for tossing out Daschle!

Nancy Drew's Father: The fiction factory of Edward Stretemeyer

Pray, pray, pray!

Father Johansen writes:

In a separate hearing on Thursday, Pinellas County Circuit Court Judge Greer heard arguments from George Felos, who asked the court to end his stay on the removal of Terri's feeding tube early, on Friday. Attorney for the Schindlers, David Gibbs, countered by asking Judge Greer to continue the stay indefinitely.

But in a surprise decision, on Friday Judge Greer issued the indefinite stay requested by Gibbs on behalf of the Schindlers.

The decision barring the removal of Terri's feeding tube indefinitely has prompted Michael Schiavo's attorney, George Felos, to consider ending his efforts to kill Terri:

"I think we are coming very close, if we are not here already, where proceeding in the judicial system is futile," said George Felos, who represents Michael Schiavo in his quest for court permission to stop feeding his brain-damaged wife. "It would appear that pursuing any remedy through the judicial system is simply a waste of time," Felos said. "It is hard to see where there is any benefit in staying the course in this case."

He's here! He has a name! Details to follow!

UPDATE: 8 pounds, 7 ounces, 21 inches

1. Pray for the souls of the faithful departed.
2. Pray for Pansy and a quick, safe delivery.
3. Mop the kitchen floor.
4. Keep a doctor's appointment.
5. Vote. (I even researched the judges and school board members!)
6. Plan activity for Hambet's play group tomorrow.
7. Cook dinner. (Chicken of some kind.)

UPDATE: at 5:30 and I've only completed 1, 2, 4, and 5. Yikes! #7 will be an encore presentation of Sunday dinner, supplemented with some snack-type treats for my election-statistics-junkie husband, who will be up all night tapp-tappa-tapping on the Net, with the TV and radio going. If I go quick I can knock out #3 really fast....

UPDATE part 2: *slapping forehead* After reading an exchange between TSO and dear Mr Luse over in the Apologia comments box, I am reminded that I forgot to pick up some beer for my dear husband while I was out. Oh well. There is a beer store near our polling place, so perhaps that will be an incentive to get him over there to vote....

1. Vote
2. Have baby

Tomorrow they are going to break my water. I am cool with that though because the midwife does not think I will need pitocin-just my water broken. My doctor went out of the way to do an ultrasound today so I can have a waterbirth. Apparently insulin dependant Moms are not supposed to have waterbirths, but they figured if they are armed with the baby's measurements, it should be alright.

So please say a prayer all will go well.