F5's First Haircut

Our Sicilian barber wants to buzz this one's head this summer because "it will grow back beautifully" -- presumably because his hair is so thin. He did great considering he's only 19 months. "Most kids his age would be moving more," said Louie. (The Firstborn was NOT this cooperative and scared me away from a regular barber shop.) I am so grateful for this child's "chill" side!

 

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20 Week Fetal Anatomy Scan

For a pretty exciting pregnancy, the baby looks perfect. They confirmed a boy, which no one was ever questioning after the NIPT. Perinatologist suspects 36 week delivery and my regular obstetrician and hospital should be just fine. Please keep praying that we receive the best medical staff this entire process. Everyone I've worked with has had at least a decade of experience so far; but some are truly exceptional. We are so grateful for this baby! + (Caesarean hysterectomy still likely.)

 

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Restaurant

Pop Pop helped the Engineer turn his sign into a food station. 

The Eldest helped with construction.

 

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Pop Pop Birthday

 

Aunt C picked out a cake from the best bakery around.

Aunt R bought a large Edible Arrangement, which is partially eaten in the picture below. 

It was a huge hit. The 3 oldest went shopping the night before, bought cards, and setup the decorations while giggling while we shushed them so we didn't wake Pop Pop. They love to make surprises.

Cake brings the children:

And presents too:

We took him out to dinner at the beach. He shared calamari with Sweet Pea:

Happy birthday, Pop Pop! We love you.

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Crepes & Roses

I made Nutella crepes for Palm Sunday. This one was so thrilled, he had seconds, thirds, and fourths, gave me $5, and brought me this enormous rose from our back yard. 

Food is his love language.

 

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Retreat

“We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature – trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence… We need silence to be able to touch souls.” –St. Mother Teresa

DH deserves a special thanks for rearranging his scheduled to accommodate me on the first post-covid opportunity I had to attend a retreat. It was socially-distanced and exactly what I needed.

Here are a few views from Rancho Palos Verdes. This property overlooks L.A. (It is very difficult to find large pieces of land in LA and Orange counties -- and we could never afford to live on one), but they are perfect for retreats.

I've been attending retreats almost annually since college. (And I could talk for a long time about finding a good retreat. Many are not worth the time/money.) But a good one is priceless. They are essential to my spiritual life. +

 

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"To Do Your Will O Lord Is My Delight..."

"...your law is within my heart." -Psalm 40:8 (Liturgical translation)

There are many liturgical references to the Lord's will as we approach Holy Week. 

"I delight to do your will, O Lord. Your law is in my inner being." 

-Psalm 40:9 (RSV translation)

Jesus was buried with the law written "on his forehead" according to historians who've studied the Shroud of Turin. You can see the "V" between his eyes in the image below, which corresponds to the law Jewish men carried with them. I've found the historical, forensic, and scientific studies of this relic helpful to passion meditation. For example, though the evidence shows a crucified man, who underwent excruciating torture, an expression of serenity is on his face. Jesus possessed incredible fidelity to His Father's will. There is so much to be learned from His example. 

Photo: Christian Post.

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Irish Whisperer

Livin' the dream over here!

(No need for the Litany of Humility. We have children.)

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Aunt M Visit

We had a lovely visit with Aunt M. The kids (esp. Sweet Pea) are asking when she comes next.

We discovered an authentic, strong coffee place:

We had a girls' night:

We spent a lot of time at beaches. Treasure Island has eroded incredibly since November. The gardener told us that high winds brought the waves higher, which washed out 8+ feet of sand. This particular section of beach is very susceptible to erosion:

 

We visited the Old Mission in San Juan Capistrano:

We're so glad she came!

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Placenta Accreta

We finally have an answer for my early bleeding, high AFP, and continued spotting: placenta accreta. An MRI suggested the level of intrusion appears "increta" in a 1.5 cm area, which is pressing on my bladder but has not gone beyond the uterine wall. In most cases, treatment for accreta is caesarean hysterectomy. We are at peace with this possibility but welcome all prayers for a safe delivery for baby and mom! Caesarean hysterectomy is a last resort performed only to save mom's life from massive hemorrhage. Please pray that we are given the best doctors in all disciplines and excellent nurses too -- and that they perform at their very best! I am trying to remain calm and place all these intentions before the Lord through the intercession of St. Joseph and Bl. Solanus.

 

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Jog-A-Thon

This was the best day we've had in months. Parents were finally allowed on campus under the normal conditions (masks, social distance). We went to Mass in the morning (Solemnity of St. Joseph, Year of St. Joseph) and headed over to the Jog-A-Thon.

The kids personalities came out. 

This one needed a bit of social pressure:

This one didn't stop moving, though she did "half" the trek for the entire 2nd half of the jog. Her teacher said, "She hasn't stopped this whole time!" I told her she was like that at home too.

He noticed right away that family was there to support him; and he pulled out his long-distance endurance. He ran the most laps at 53.

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"To Make Complex Things" -Firstborn as Star Student

He was so thrilled finally to be selected as Star Student. "She always picks a girl, Mom. Seriously, all the girls have been chosen and like one boy this whole year." (To which I LOL-ed.) He has been trying particularly hard to "clip up" the last few weeks. But last week, he cleaned his desk, which was a huge milestone.

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St. Paddy's Day!

"The leprechauns visited our classroom today!" -Mr. Serious, beaming with enthusiasm

"Leprechauns aren't real." -The Engineer, satisfied

Artwork by Sweet Pea.

 

Thank you for the mustaches, Aunt R!

Thank you for the reubens, Pop Pop!

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The Engineer's Valentine's Writing

In addition to a long letter about how much he likes his school (due to all the time off and last summer vacation being "like 155 days"), we received this gem that shows his personality.

 "My heart is full of love, hope, free will, charity, faith, truth for God my family. We also pray that nobody accidentally chooses to live on a fault line and gets swept up by an earthquake and dies. We pray for the sick ill families, the people who have covid, and to be good."

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