Wipe Out!

After rolling and rolling and rolling yesterday, iBoy could not keep himself awake after 5:00 pm. Neither his favorite door jumper-chair, nor  the smell of sauteing ginger and red curry sauce could keep him awake. He completely wiped out on the tray! Turn up the volume to hear his awesome heavy-sleeper breaths. {Yes, you detect a potential amazing snorer!}

Read More

How Much Is A Homemaker Worth?

What a great article I came across today! I make back my old salary before you even finish the first paragraph.

Photo Credit: Mint.com

Read More

Milestone!

Back to tummy roll completed!

Read More

Weekend Fun

Isaac has been eating solid foods for the last week. We started him on iron-fortified whole wheat cereal, which is high in Vitamin D. He made faces at first. It seemed like he didn't understand what to do with the spoon more than anything. But over the weekend, Dad got him to eat really well.

Dad and iBoy at the Washington Monument:

More eating:

Fun with Miss Holly. (Isaac habitually sucks on fingers #3 & #4 and occasionally offers them to others.)

On the National Mall (Capitol & Smithsonian Castle in distance):

Read More

The Great Escape

Read More

Fun with Aunt Roxane

We had a great time with Aunt Roxane! Isaac talked to her a lot. Here they are playing. He was laughing so much, but I missed most of that on video.

Read More

What Is This Small Mommy Looking at Me?

Moments like these make me so glad that I can stay at home with our baby.

It's amazing how much these small people love their moms.

He often just looks at me during the day. If he's on his tummy, he looks around until he finds me. Then he plays with his toys like everything is okay.

When I get down on the floor with him, he stops staring off into space and gets wide-eyed and smiley. When he's trying something new like grabbing toys, rolling, or turning, he tells me about it. He squawks until I respond. It's really the sweetest thing.

Here he is looking at me in the reversible camera on my phone. He was confused at first, but he understood that I was talking to him and smiling at him. He really got a kick out of it.

I was surprised that he kept looking at me, not himself. The boy is a sweetheart. I am so blessed to have him! 

Read More

March for Life Continued

This year I wanted to go to the March, but also not subject Isaac to the wind and cold. So we decided to visit our congressmen instead with a basic message.



We visited the group from home in their hotel after the March. Here is Isaac with Aunt Monica.



I e-mailed them and also brought them a hard copy of my message.:

I join with all those marching in Washington and throughout the country in calling for the end of Roe v. Wade as the law of the land. Since the regime of Roe was imposed on this country in 1973, more than 53 million children have died and many of their parents have been traumatized. The decision is opposed by millions of Americans and has been severely criticized by many legal scholars as lacking a foundation in the Constitution.

As your constituent, I urge you to work to end Roe and to support the protection of all unborn children in law.

Thank you.



With Aunt Mary.



With Cousin Elizabeth.



We visited the offices of both of our senators and our congressman. Isaac enjoyed riding around in his stroller but didn't get too cold. There were a lot of people there. Thankfully, many of them also went to talk to their representatives after the March itself. There were long lines at the entrances of all of the legislative buildings. Several people helped me lift Isaac up the stairs where there were no handicapped ramps nearby. I pray that this is the year Roe v. Wade really is overturned and help is provided to all of those harmed by this awful procedure.

Does Isaac get enough attention?

Read More

Do Not Wake Me

I can't face the world!

Read More

I Have Been Waiting for This Moment!

The unprompted camera smile!!

Read More

Marchers for Life

After a twenty-five hour bus trip they *finally* made it in to town! Oh how I hate bus rides, especially through the night!

Isaac with Uncle Michael and Aunt Monica



Isaac got to hang out with his aunt and uncle on Saturday and Sunday. He likes them a whole lot. He even took a nap in Michael's arms.



Read More

Saturday Morning Madness

Read More

Working on the Videography Skills

Notice the big smile at the beginning.

Read More

I Have A Dream

This Martin Luther King weekend, we visited with Rich's parents. They brought Isaac some great colorful brain-stimulating toys and a nice, colorful quilt. We visited in the evening when they arrived. Grandpa and Issac are here in his Swaddle Me, getting ready to go to sleep for the evening.

He was fascinated with this wheel toy. Grandma is showing him how it works.

Hanging out, as always, with a little drool running down his chin:

Talking with Grandpa:

A great moment captured by Grandma:





Grandpa discovered a great, free place to see: the National Firearms Museum. We found many different guns of all periods and countries. I took phone photos and sent way too many to my brother. Then, we got a message from our phone company saying that I used 75% of our data for the month - with about 75% of the month left. Awesome.

And what would a gun collection be without sporting heads of exotic game on the walls. There were bison an gazelles and strange looking deer-like animals.

  

Our favorite was the Hollywood room. Here is Helen with the Dirty Harry paraphernalia.

And of course I had to get a photo with the Duke:

Read More

What Is This White Stuff?

Read More

Good Morning from iBoy!

Read More

Four Months Old!

Our little man is getting bigger, stronger, and braver. He received his booster shots with hardly a squawk. iBoy weighs 14 lbs., 4 oz.; is 26" long; and has a head circumference of 17". That's the 25th, 86th, and 91st percentiles respectively. He passed all of his tests and is progressing quite nicely. He makes good eye contact, smiles a lot, can partly support himself on his legs, etc. ...

He's really, really trying to roll but keeps turning his head and not his hips. Then he squawks because he is frustrated. Notice the focused expression. I let him try for a while and then help him out. And the process repeats itself... :)

He is also grabbing larger objects now. And singing to them.

And drooling on them.

All of this work makes him tired too.

I have some outstanding videos to share, too. They are too large to download now. When I figure it out, I'll post them. :)

Read More

You Want Me to What?

I don't like to smile on command, mom.

How about I just keep focussing on making sounds?

Okay, maybe just a little one.

Are you going to kiss me, mom?

That's so funny.



Stop kissing me already.

Read More

A Few Beautiful Things

When we arrived home on Saturday, we discovered many Christmas greeting cards in our mailbox and a few packages at our door.

We uncorked a bottle of wine, pulled out some cheese, and read through the cards. They filled up our mail basket.

We played three games of Scrabble while fireworks went off in the distance. There were many parties and events going on that night, but we were happy just to be home after the 17 hour drive and to have a baby sleeping peacefully in the next room. Rich ran away with the first game. I ran away with the second. And we played a competitive third, during which we discovered that "za" (a pizza) is actually in the Official Scrabble Player's Dictionary. I love this game because it keeps my mind stimulated amid my daily baby-oriented tasks.

This morning Isaac and I went to Mass and saw a beautifully decorated church.

It reminded me of Mass at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit, where we went at Midnight on Christmas this year. It was phenomenally beautiful from the music, to the lights, to the homily, to the liturgy. To top it all off, I met Archbishop Vigneron. And he remembered my name - and how to pronounce it! We looked at all of the religious artefacts, including the chair that Bl. Pope John Paul II used when he visited years ago. I was so grateful that the grandparents offered to watch Isaac because the late night would have been too much for him. I was also glad that Rich pitched the Midnight Mass at the Cathedral idea so much because it was, in fact, outstanding. I wasn't at all in the mood to wake up from my nap after driving through the previous night and getting stuck in black ice for the last hour of it, but I'm so glad that I did. The experience was truly edifying.

Photo Credit: Joseph Tremblay

Today, my little buddy and I are catching up on bills, running errands, writing thank you notes, cleaning, and otherwise keeping house. It is the feast of the naming of Jesus. I don't know how much Isaac understands, but I do say Jesus' name a lot around him. Here is a beautiful creche bought for Isaac by his godparents.

This year I have two resolutions and one goal. I'll let you know what the first two are if I accomplish them. The goal is both Richard's and mine. We want to go to Rome. We're working hard planning and saving now. Ever since my study abroad there, I've really wanted to be able to share the experiences with my husband!



"...whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." -Phil. 4:8



Read More

Christmas Travels

We decided to go for the gold this Christmas by visiting both families and several of our extended family members. Thankfully, we both come from the Midwest so this task is manageable. We traveled for eight days in a route that looked something like this:

Here we are on Christmas day. Isn't he handsome? He's opening a gift of a photo album of recent photos his sister made for him.

Cousin Rachel and Isaac. There was no shortage of attention. The adult/child ratio was 10/1. He's in his happy place!

Cousin Mark checks out a gift. He and Rich went to the Lions game on Christmas Eve. This was my present to Rich. It was a great game. The Lions slaughtered the Chargers in a 38-10 game, guaranteeing the Lions trip to the playoffs. Since the game, dubbed "Clinchmas," Rich informed me that I must keep our Packers T-shirt in my dresser. He now has higher hopes for the Lions this year.

Apparently, all of the seats were sold out. There were many, many people traveling home to Detroit for Christmas with us. The road was even pretty full at 3am when we were driving through the city. It was a reminder to us that a lot of people still call Detroit home, even if they work and live elsewhere. 

 

Grandma Helen and Grandpa Richard visited with Isaac after we arrived. Isaac was fascinated with Grandpa's hand. He kept feeling it.

Gift opening with Aunt Charlotte and Uncle Dan. Yes, that is a Christmas collection Barbie!

One of the gifts I received was a new camera - thank you Richard & Helen! I'm still learning about all of its gadgets, but it's a very nice camera. You can probably tell the difference between the photos taken on it and those not taken on it.

We (READ: Rich) found an outstanding gift for Grandpa Richard. He loves penguins. We looked and looked and looked but could not find the right penguin gift. Thankfully, Rich decided to give it one last try during his lunch on the last day before we left town. He found a penguin as big as Isaac. Do we get a prize for biggest gift?

Mr. Isaac getting lots of love from Uncle Dave and Aunt Roxane. He had a big smile a second before I shot this photo! :(

Lots of delicious hand-dipped treats by Uncle Dave:

After we opened gifts, we headed to Wisconsin. Thankfully, the weather cooperated and we made it there by Midnight. The nice thing about traveling on Christmas day is that you don't have to contend with a lot of traffic! When we arrived everyone was waiting up to see Mr. Isaac. He was in a funny haze from all of the traveling.

Here he is with Grandma Jean in his new Oshkosh B'Gosh overall outfit from Grandma & Grandpa:

We had a wonderful time visiting with all of my siblings. My Aunt Mary Ann and family came the day after Christmas and we visited and caught up with everyone. I can't believe I don't have any photos! :( We pretty much crashed while we were in Wisconsin. On Tuesday night we went to my brother's and his new wife's home for dinner. We talked and laughed and tried to recall the Superman theme song but kept getting stuck on Star Wars!!! We had a quoting match, during which I accepted defeat on Office Space, which I now want to watch again! Oh, the memories...

We went to dinner with Grandpa Jim and Grandma Jean on our last night in town. It was really nice to visit with them. They, like most people in Wisconsin, have been forced to work much longer and harder in this slow economy. We were so happy to get some quality time with them!

Aunt Maria makes a royal saddle for her royal horse. Unfortunately, she's the only of my siblings I actually have a photo of. :( Hopefully, we will catch the other on camera during the March for Life and summer visits!! :) We stayed up every night talking and/or watching Perry Mason re-runs, a guilty pleasure of my mother. If ever there was a family activity, it would standing or sitting around this island citrus fruit holder and talking and laughing late at night.

We also got to see Aunt Betty, who has her own Grandson Isaac. It had been far too long since we last saw her! Thankfully, we caught glimpse of her a couple of times at Mass as well.

On our way home, we visited my Great Aunt Judy in Milwaukee. She had coffee, tea, and lots of sweet snacks waiting for us. There was a fire going in her fireplace, Christmas music, and Christmas lights everywhere! I told Rich that I hope that my home is as pristine as hers is when our children are no longer at home. We had a lovely visit with her and her daughter Jody and her husband Joel. I miss our summer trips to Milwaukee!

We also stopped just outside of Chicago to visit my Great Aunt Jean. We last saw her at my brother's wedding in May. There were so many people in town then that we didn't have a chance to sit and have a good chat. Thankfully, we were able to catch up a little bit. Unfortunately, Isaac was beginning to enter his fussy time when we arrived. So we didn't stay too long. We did, however, have a very good vegetarian quiche, mashed squash from their garden, and a delicious handmade salad. It was a nice to take a step toward our healthier-eating resolution before the new year even began!

Rich had to show me the famous Lourdes Grotto at his alma mater.

Grandpa Richard and Grandma Helen drove down to Toledo to meet us on the way back on day two of driving. They caught Isaac in his happy morning mood. He cooed and smiled and looked around at everything.

We arrived back on New Year's Eve at 7:30pm - before the traffic got too crazy. There were thirteen police cars on the road that day. Thankfully, we were able to use cruise control most of the way!

How did Isaac fare? Well.

And now he's resting up!

Read More