Anything that Works

Poor little X-Man. He's a teething maniac. (Yes, he is gnawing on big brother's chalice from our Mass kit.) I can feel the ridges of the teeth just ready to burst through his lower gums. It's been like that for a week, but still nothing. Hopefully, he'll get these first chompers by his first birthday! =P

Can You Guess What He Is?

Almost every time I come out of X-Man's room after putting him to bed, I find Boo-Boo in this position. He lays on top of the back of the couch (where he knows he shouldn't be, of course), puckers his lips and hoots. I ask him what he's doing, and he says "I'm an owl, Mama!" I really have no idea why he thinks he's an owl when he does this, but he's cute anyway!

BREAKING NEWS!!!

We've been waiting for weeks for X-Man's first sign. We've done the Baby Signing Time routine, and Boo Boo has been signing to X, too. We knew it was only a matter of time, but we didn't know when.

Then tonight, when Dear Husband got home, X made a beeline for him -- as usual. And when DH picked up our precious Dumpling, X said, "Da!" and raised his little hand in the air. We asked him to sign "Daddy" and he did it again.

Now, it isn't a perfect "thumb-of-open-hand-bouncing-on-forehead" sign for Daddy, but he communicated well enough for us to figure it out!

How often can a tiny person make two big people jump around and shout for joy? Tonight was one of those times. We were ecstatic, and my heart is overflowing with pride (the good kind)! I'm so excited to get to know X even better, in an entirely new way. We'll just have to work really hard on the sign for "Mom" next! ;-)

Thursday in the Park with Mommies and Boys

We've found another friend in town -- another of Dear Husband's colleagues has a wife and son living here for a year. Today, we three moms and four boys met at a big city park and explored. It was pretty run-of-the-mill, except for the kid-sized train that goes throughout. I was surprised how fun it was, even for us big kids -- except for the noxious carbon monoxide fumes from the little engine that almost couldn't get started for us. =P

Gratuitously Cute Photos of the Week

Just had to share these two of the boys I took recently. The first is Boo-Boo playing peek-a-boo with X-man; I just love the look of pure joy on X's face!

The second is of BB "helping" with X's mealtime by reading a board book to him. Lest you mistakenly think our children are anywhere near perfect, I'll share how this idyllic reading session ended:

1) X reached for the book.
2) BB screamed "NO!" at him.
3) I took the book away from BB as punishment.
4) BB dissolved into a screaming fit on the kitchen floor.
5) X started crying because BB was crying.

Just a day in the life at our house! =)

Our World of Beatrix Potter

This morning I walked into the living room to find Boo-Boo under a laundry basket. I asked him what he was doing, but he just kept talking about a cat sitting on top of the basket, and how the inside smelled horribly of onions. He was pretending to be Peter Rabbit, of course, stuck under a basket with his mischievous cousin, Benjamin Bunny, in Mr. McGregor's garden. I should have known! LOL!

A Bath with a View

This is the sight I'm blessed to see when I take a bath in the morning. Bright-eyed and Buddy-tailed! =)

God is So Good to Us

The official report from the weekend is incredibly favorable. Somehow -- due to the grace of God and your prayers, I think! -- I had an easier time with the boys last weekend than I usually do during the week. Go figure! Isn't it wonderful to be pleasantly surprised by something good, especially when you were anticipating something ... not so good? What an important reminder to turn every day over to the Lord, and fill it with humble prayers for help! =)

Dear Husband also had a lovely time at his retreat. He finally, finally had a true Ignatian experience (working directly with the "Spiritual Exercises," directed prayer, general confession, resolutions, etc.), just as I had hoped for him. Thanks, Uncle Iggy!

St. Ignatius of Loyola, pray for us! =)

Gloria a Dios!

When I awoke this morning, I knew I wasn't up to hauling the boys downtown by myself to suffer them through a solemn, quiet Latin Mass.

I searched masstimes.org for something, anything other than the two nightmare suburban parishes we had already tried. And I found the perfect thing for today: the Spanish Mass at St. Leo the Great, only 10 miles from our house.

We're getting used to Mass in Latin anyway (and not always understanding everything yet), so why not go for a related Romance language? And what could be more "Texan" than attending Mass with the folks who make up more than half the population in our county?

Thus, I learned quite a few things today:

* My and the boys' names really translate easily, as they are named after two Basque saints. It was quite handy when attempting to speak to a priest who welcomed us.

* I'd be hard-pressed to find a more kid-friendly Mass that wasn't a circus. The place was literally crawling with children of all ages, and there was a general "hum" of noise throughout the Mass. Nobody looks at you in offense if your kid makes a peep -- or two! And yet, the people appeared quite devout in their postures, mannerisms and attitudes (especially the triple signs-of-the-cross complete with fingertip kiss). You can have both in the same Mass!

* In this instance, it was good that the priest was not celebrating the Mass "ad orientem" (often, sadly referred to "his back to the people" -- see the ZENIT article from yesterday's post) or it would have really looked like we were worshiping the 20-foot tall image of Our Lady of Guadalupe on the back nave wall! ;-) (FYI -- A very nice crucifix was suspended over the altar.)

* Anglos and Hispanic-Latinos have entirely different ideas about personal space. We started out in a side pew near the front with a bit of space on either side for both boys and our bag. Then, the parishioners kept going around us into our pew, and sitting where I hadn't seen empty spots before. And then, the priest (before the first reading) asked everyone to scooch down the pews and consolidate as much as possible. A few more people squeezed in. We had an old abuela who held hands with X-Man on one side, and a plump madre whom Boo-Boo snuggled up to on the other side. I glanced behind us, and there were people standing along every aisle, the walls and even in the hallways in the church building. They know how to pack 'em in! It was a little tight, but strangely it made me feel more loved than claustrophobic.


* I really, really need to learn the Spanish words for: "sorry," "excuse me" and "His name is ..."

For Your Reading Pleasure

A certain husband-and-wife journalist-team may have had something to do with an interview in the Sept. 21 edition of ZENIT on "Reorienting the Mass" with Father Uwe Michael Lang. People, look East! =)

Visiting Daddy

Dear Husband got some special little visitors at work today -- our first time seeing his office. In perfect Boo-Boo fashion, our eldest ran into DH's judge's chambers and said, "Hi, Judge!" LOL!

We went out to lunch with his very nice co-clerks (including the family of one) at a nearby BBQ place, and made quite a scene walking there and back. Again, Boo-Boo was a show-stopper. As he was stomping down the sidewalk, he looked at a homeless man on a bench and announced, "I'm marching!" Of course, the guy had to laugh, along with the rest of us.

Our Little Stinker

X did give me some excitement tonight after all. As I turned my back during dinner, he emptied the entire bag of puffed corn on his tray and the surrounding floor, much to his delight.

It was one of those moments -- after a long week and a long day, and after just vacuuming cracker crumbs in another room -- that I had to laugh, or I'd cry!

But who could be upset with this cute little stinker? Even when he unrolls the toilet paper and tries to eat it, I have to chuckle.

A Quiet Week, A Quieter Weekend

We've laid low this week. Both boys have had mysterious runny noses (seasonal allergies?), and I've been trying to take it easy myself.

So, no cute stories. No funny photos. Just boring old us! =)

Please pray for us this weekend, though. Dear Husband is headed off to a silent Ignatian retreat for a much-needed respite and quiet time of prayer. And hopefully the rest of us will all be in one piece when he returns Sunday night! =P

We'll miss you, Daddy!

And the Winner Is...

All the ballots are in, and it looks like Holy Rosary will be our parish this year. It has Dominicans in full habit, Latin in the liturgy and a communion rail. And it has a mothers/kids play group twice a month.

Plus, does get much better than the BVM handing St. Dominic the rosary in the relief above the porta sancta? We don't think so!

Our Grown-Up Boys

We continue to be amazed by how much and how quickly our boys are changing.

X-Man is a month away from his first birthday (Oct. 15)! He's still a tiny guy, but he's lithe and can be a wily little rascal. He can scuttle across a room in seconds, pulls up on anything stationary, climbs up stairs, is seriously flirting with cruising and can twist his body out of a diaper change at an alarming speed. X is definitely a tactile kid, preferring toys and gadgets to books (which he usually just wants to chew on; still no teeth!). He couldn't be happier than holding a remote control in one hand and a cell phone in the other. But his deepest love continues to be for his father and brother. I am simply a milk receptacle, as he has taken to almost crouching on my lap and facing me when nursing! LOL!

Boo-Boo thrilled me today at the "kitty-cat pool," as he calls it. (Get it? "Kiddie" and "kitty" sound the same to him.) We were in four feet of water when I decided to let go of him and see how he'd do on his own. (Don't worry; he had a floation vest on). Of course, he was perfectly fine on his own, as if he'd been waiting for me to let him loose all along.

I can't say that he's an Olympic swimmer, as I'm sure he'd sink to the bottom without his vest. But it was startling to see my fat-faced first baby floating alone, out of arm's reach, and not concerned in the least. He leaned back, gazed up at the sky and said, with a big smile, "Wook, Mama! The cwouds are soo beautiful!"

Not a Drop

The phone calls from concerned family and friends have started again, wondering if we're OK with tropical storm Humberto hitting the Gulf Coast. I love that I find out about severe weather here from people 1,000 miles away, and I never encounter said weather myself.

It's been raining every afternoon for the last week or so ... except for the last two days. Those days have been clear, sunny and "cooler" (with a high of 85). Quite lovely, as a matter of fact!

No need to worry about us. But thanks for your concern! =)

No You Didn't!

Oh, yes, we did! This morning we dared to visit the local fine arts museum (note the avant-garde T-Rex sculpture) with our new friend, toting two babies and a toddler. Eeek! The tiniest baby slept, while X-Man wrestled in his sling and Boo-Boo stomped around the galleries in his rain boots. We got a few looks, but somehow, they didn't kick us out. I don't know if we'll chance it a second time ... I think we're better off with the other noisy animals at the zoo!

Anything for a Pickle!

Boo-Boo caught sight of the jar of baby pickles in the fridge while I was getting dinner together tonight. He asked excitedly for one, of course.

I began the usual bartering, "You can have a pickle when you eat those pieces of chicken on your plate ..."

... at which point Boo-Boo stuffed the pieces into his mouth -- almost gagging himself and making his face turn red -- and dove for the open jar of pickles on the table.

Even little brother likes them.

Hilarity! Further proof of their inheritance from my side of the family: excessive love of food, even to the death!

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

We shook it up a little this Sunday, with mixed reviews.

Dear Husband was blessed enough to catch a quiet, meditative Tridentine Mass at Assumption, as he had to go into town anyway. (Turns out now they're doing a daily Trid Mass, too -- if you can believe it!)

The boys and I braved a new parish in a neighboring suburb. (That should send up the red flags right there!) I figured that if my new Familia group was based there, it couldn't be that bad. Unfortunately, my theory was proven wrong.

Our experience this morning could be classified as the following:

* The Good: Boo-Boo deciding that he did want to be a good boy and go back into the sanctuary after I held him in a vice grip in the crying room during the homily.

* The Bad: An all-male choir that made everything they sang sound like a seafaring song, and a woman on a grand piano who thought she was the next Liberace.

* The Ugly: A priest who sang the Eucharistic prayer like he was on "American Idol" and left out some fairly important words (which made me question the validity of the Mass), and then distributed the Most Holy Body of Christ like he was dealing cards at a poker party.

Let's just say, we'll all be making the trek into town every Sunday ...

MORE Middle-of-the-Night Feedings?!

The last week or so, Boo-Boo has awakened us at 6am every morning. After a few days, I figured out he was just hungry, and sent him back to bed with a few breakfast bars. (It's getting darker in the mornings, praise God, so he still believes it's nighttime!)

We've tried really pushing the bedtime snack to alleviate the problem, to no avail.

Last night, BB awoke me (love that I continue to be the source of food for my children years after weaning!) at 3am, wanting something to eat. Then again, at 6:30am. He's waking up in the night for food more than X-Man now!

Any ideas on solutions? Should I put a snack bar in his room? Ignore the requests to break him of the habit? (As someone who's also always hungry and can't sleep without a full stomach, I can't imagine doing this.) Is he in a growth spurt, and this is only a passing phase? Your help would be much appreciated!

Gratuitously Cute Photo of the Day

Just had to share this one of "Father Boo-Boo" in action. I told him to stop getting his brother wet, and he said to me, "But Mama, I'm baptizing him!" LOL!

Happy Anniversary to Us!

To my dearly beloved husband,

Thank you for five full years of sharing life and love together. Thank you for being my constant companion through all the good times and the bad. And thank you for the greatest fruit of our marriage -- our two beautiful boys.

May God bless us with many more years together!

I'll love you forever.

P.S. Does this make up for me not getting you a card? =)

Happy Together

There's one good thing about not having many playmates in town: Boo-Boo and X-Man are really bonding. X is completely mobile via crawling, and BB is getting down and crawling around with him, showing him the ropes.

The other day the house got too quiet, and I realized that they had gone off somewhere together while I was busy in the kitchen. I found them in our walk-in closet, laughing together, with X chewing on one of DH's belts.

And yesterday, BB started hiding in his bed, under the sheets, and calling for X to come find him. I usually have to lead X (by crawling) in the right direction, but when he finds his brother he squeals with excitement and chuckles extensively.

How sweet it is to watch their relationship grow!

Candidate #3

Sundays are always fun because they mean a new adventure at a new church. This morning we ventured across town (yes, again) to the last church on our "list" of prospects: a Dominican-run church called Holy Rosary.

We didn't hit the Latin novus ordo Mass, but at least our ordinary was in Latin. Dear Husband tells me the homily was fittingly catechetical and inspiring; I was in the narthex with X-Man, clueless of the nearby crying room outfitted with a live video feed of the action on the altar. Oh well!

Afterward we met up with a local family (through one of DH's friends) with a girl and three boys, and went to brunch at their country club. Boo-Boo was ecstatic to be with a pack of buddies (in the photo they're climbing up to a striking statue of St. Martin de Porres); he literally would thr0w himself on the pile when they would wrestle on the floor. Thank heaven for little boys!

One Month: An Early Morning Reflection

As I've been lying awake since X-Man's 4am feeding, I can't stop thinking about the fact that it is September already. In a few days, we will mark a month since we left home and arrived here.

The time has gone both slow and fast. And though some things have gone remarkably well, praise God, we are not without our challenges.

So if you have any prayers to spare, please consider the following intentions:

* X-Man: Though still the sweetest child in creation (in our unbiased opinion), X is being haunted by something mysterious. He has had a hard time sleeping since we got here, and is physically uncomfortable almost every day. Could it be gas, as usual? A tooth, finally? (He still doesn't have one tooth in his head at almost 11 months!) Who knows. Whatever it is, it's making him weepy and clingy, and just out of sorts.

* Boo-Boo: As he has always been the most phenomenal and challenging child from minute to minute, he's taken it up another notch since we arrived. We're hoping this is just a wretched terrible-twos-going-into-terrible-threes stage that we'll look back on with laughter someday. But in the midst of it, we're getting a bit beleaguered with his "Via Negativa." It seems that everything is a battle, and every word that comes out of his mouth is some form of "No!" And, as it seems to be the popular thing to do around here, he's quite weepy and clingy.

* Me: I would dare to say the house is settled and I'm getting used to how things work here (i.e., we're not running to Wal-Mart twice a day anymore ... well, most days!). But I'm adjusting to Dear Husband -- the only adult and physically present friend in my very small world right now -- being gone for 11 hours a day and the lack of a much-needed friend (stay-at-home mom with children to play with my children) this side of town. I'm getting by OK, but struggling with some feelings of loneliness and isolation (what a surprise?! ;-)) I know it's only going to get better, but it's a hard time at the moment.

* Dear Husband: Pray that this year will be a resounding success for him professionally.

Well, hope that wasn't too alarming or sobering for any of you. When it's 5am, DH and I both can't sleep, and we're facing another long day with the boys, the unpolished nitty-gritty of our life comes out.

Thanks in advance for your prayers. Please let us know if you have any of your own intentions. We'd be more than happy to return the favor...