Geist

This is quintessential Boo Boo. Yes, he is getting a treatment from his much-used nebulizer and is a "big strong knight in shiny armor" at the same time.

He is our Spartan warrior child with wicked asthma attacks. He does military marches around our house while wheezing. He sounds like he's going to hack up a lung sometimes while he charges his spring horse into battle.

Nothing stops this kid. He's allergic to seemingly everything under the sun: gluten (wheat), dairy, eggs, soy, peanuts, dogs, cats, cockroaches, elm, birch and walnut trees -- you name it. He has no idea about the things he won't be able to eat (freshly baked chocolate chip cookies!), or drink (beer!) or do in his life because of his ailments.

Ever since the first contraction of his crazy fast birth, we've been amazed by this child's brute strength, sheer will power and steely determination. I'll never forget when a friend described him as "driven" when he was still a baby. Before he was conceived, we prayed for a child with geist -- with heart and spirit and gusto. Well, our prayer was answered. Many times, as parents, we've had to remind ourselves, "We just have to channel his passion, and the Lord will do great things with him."

Every day that I see him live his life to the fullest -- despite the icky medications, the weird food, and the persistent cough -- I am inspired by his heroic spirit. He's got geist, to be sure.

His Eminence, Daniel Cardinal DiNardo

ZENIT just let us know that we'll finally be getting bylines on the stories we write. (Too bad it's not five years retroactive, huh?!) So, here's the last undercover story by some anonymous Texas journalists you may happen to know.

Congratulations to Daniel Cardinal DiNardo -- the first archbishop ever from the American South to be elevated to such a position.

The Heat is On

It's getting "cold" now in Texas. That means that it's in the 60s during the day and 40s at night.

We're Minnesotans, though, so we've been reveling in the gorgeous weather and not wearing jackets. (Yes, grandmothers -- I do put light jackets on the boys.)

When it started getting "chilly," one of Dear Husband's colleagues (who's from a neighboring state) asked him, "Are you going to be one of those annoying Northerners that doesn't wear a jacket all winter?" DH answered in the affirmative.

But yesterday, we broke down. We didn't turn on the heat before bed Monday night because it was 69 in the house. But as the night drew on -- and DH got sicker and sicker -- we started to get chilled.

In case you Minnesota readers are thinking we're wimpy Southerners now, let me explain. The same thing happened when we lived in Rome for a year. It never got below 40, but we'd hardly ever been so cold. Both Rome (near the Mediterranean Sea) and the Gulf Coast of Texas have the "wet cold." That means the cold gets into your bones and chills you through and through. In Minnesota, it's a "dry cold."

So, to make a long story short: the heat is now on at our house.

Yes, We're Back

We're finally back online, everyone. Yes, we did get back in town Monday, but it's been a busy few days getting settled back home.

Since many of you are wondering, here's the official report...

*Flight to Detroit: Almost perfect. (Would have been completely perfect if both boys had slept.)

* Time in Detroit: Wonderful to see many relatives on both sides of Dear Husband's family. Lots of time together with our little family -- the most since we moved!

* Flight home: Pretty wretched. X-Man cried most of the time and began a new game of taking off my glasses and grabbing my nose. What fun! Boo Boo was so-so. Portable DVD player -- inactive due to screen malfunction -- was sorely missed.


* How to know when you're traveling too much: When I put Boo-Boo in the car on Tuesday he said to me, "Are we flying in an airplane today, Mama?"

* Some surprises: I get homesick for Texas now; I missed the sunny, warm weather, the mockingbirds and chicken-and-biscuits for breakfast.

* How we're doing now: Dear Husband came down with bronchitis the first day back; I'm dealing with the usual Texas sinus issues again; Boo Boo is still getting nebbed a few times a day due to asthmas aggravation; X-Man is busy getting into LOTS of mischief.

Hello Again ... and So Long for Now!

We’re just resurfacing after our long weekend sans Daddy. All in all, we did pretty well – except for Saturday, when I was sleep-deprived (for mysterious reasons).

A few things worth noting:

• Dear Husband is extremely happy to be home after an intense convention (at which he saw President Bush, Chief Justice Roberts and Rudy Giuliani) and whirlwind stay in D.C. It’s still one of our favorite towns, but it takes a lot out of you!

• Boo-Boo has become addicted to the DVD “Ben Hur: Race to Glory” – an animated kids’ flick based on the classic movie with Charlton Heston. Any piece of furniture is a chariot, and any electrical cord is a rein. Let’s just hope he doesn’t injure himself or his brother in his “races.”

• I consulted with a pharmacist and he confirmed that Texas is an awful place for environmental allergies because nothing dies – it only molds. He introduced me to two life-changing treatments for my seasonal allergies/sinus troubles (write this down, Seasonal Learner and Luci!): Aleve D and NeilMed. Thanks, Amit! I feel much more like myself again.

• X-Man is sporting a new sign. On Saturday (as I was at my breaking point) we were getting ready to go out, and he brought my shoes to me. Then he sat back and put his little fists together. Shoes! It completely brightened what had been a cloudy day for me. God bless him!

• We are working on packing everything but the kitchen sink for our flight to Detroit (now rated the most dangerous city in the U.S. – not much of a shocker!) on Tuesday afternoon. Dear Husband will be flying Wednesday night. Please pray for few delays and smooth sailing – or at least the grace to deal with any challenges that may arise.

I won’t be posting for about a week, but you have better things to do than read this blog, right? Take this time to enjoy the holiday with family and friends, and give thanks for the bounty that God has given all of us.

If You've Got a Prayer to Spare

Just in case you were needing some prayer intentions, we've got a few for you.

1) Dear Husband left last night for a convention in Washington D.C., and will be gone until Sunday evening. Pray that his trip will be fruitful, edifying and fun, even!

2) Pray for us holding down the homefront. I'm not too worried about being alone with the boys this long -- for some very odd reason! -- but I'm experiencing some general malaise. (I think it's seasonal allergies again, as it's 85 here still every day and there's no frost to kill all the pollen, ragweed, etc.) I plan on spending the next few days laying on the floor and letting the boys play on or around me.

3) I'm also mentally preparing for yet another solo flight with the boys on Tuesday, this time to Detroit to visit Dear Husband's grandma and extended family for Thanksgiving. (Yes, I chose to fly alone again because it saved us hundreds and hundreds of dollars to go a day early.)

Thanks much! God bless you!

A meditation on ... leg hair

As I was helping Boo-Boo get dressed the other day, I noticed something on his legs. It wasn't a new bruise or another scrape. It was leg hair. Light, blond but still manly leg hair. It wasn't much, but it was enough to make me think...

I am raising a man. He's a little boy now, but he will be a man someday (if he doesn't kill himself jumping from some height on the playground first). I carried him in my body for nine months, and lugged his fat self around until he walked at a year, and nursed him for a year and half ... but he's going to be a man someday. A big, strong man -- probably taller than I -- with, yes, leg hair.

Being a mother has made me look at everyone in the world a little differently. I look at a person now and think, "You used to be someone's baby. You used to be carried in someone's arms. You had to learn to crawl and walk and talk."

Sometimes it's astounding to think that we all started so fresh and clean and spotless. I marvel at how smooth and perfectly shaped and physically superb babies are. When did we all get so ... blemished? Dulled? Broken down? The marks and weight of the world are upon us as adults. But remember: We all were someone's beautiful baby once.

Gratuitously Cute Photos of the Week

Sweetest Moment of the Week

When I returned from working out early Monday morning, I walked up to the front door and heard the handle and locks being turned from the inside. I thought that Dear Husband had seen me coming and was going to open the door for me, but the door never opened. I pulled out my key and opened the door to find ... Boo Boo?! I gave him a morning hug and went into our bedroom to ask DH why BB was at the door (seemingly trying to get out, no less!).

"He was waiting for you to come back," DH explained. "He woke up right after you left and has been sitting by the door the whole time."

First Touch of the Sea

When we decided to move to Texas about a year ago, I took out a map for a good look at the state and saw that we were within driving distance of the Gulf of Mexico. I was all excited about being able to go to the beach, until a native Texan broke the news: the water to the east of the Mississippi is clear (as in Florida), but the water to the west is full of silt. Lovely.

Still, I was determined to get our boys to the Gulf Coast. We drove down yesterday morning and visited an old sea town with charming architecture, tall sailing ships and oil refineries. (We could even see the oil rigs way out in the water!)

One of the things I like best about parenting is witnessing my children's "firsts" -- to see their eyes and minds and worlds open to an entirely new experience. Boo Boo ran into the sea and shrieked with delight, throwing himself into it even though he was fully clothed. X-Man couldn't stop giggling every time his tiny toes would touch the waves lapping the beach.

When we finally dragged them away from the Gulf, we all had sand everywhere, and our wet clothes made for an uncomfortable ride home. But the memory of the first time our laughing children touched the sea will make me smile to myself for a long time.

Siegel's New Home

We have discovered that goldfish are "dirty fish." After four days in a bowl, Siegel produced enough waste to cloud his water.

Dear Husband commissioned me to find him a tank with a filter, so we set off for Wal-Mart bright and early the other morning. We ran into Guillermo (love it!), the store's fish guy, with whom we consulted for 15 minutes. The result is a new, improved, HUGE fish tank for little Siegel.

Both Boo Boo and X-Man just love watching Siegel, who has turned out to be a somewhat frantic fish.

We're hoping to get him some friends after our next two trips for Thanksgiving and Christmas. (Any ideas of how to feed a fish over a few days without getting a fish-sitter?)

Three Months: An Early Morning Reflection

As I mark the completion of our third month being in Texas, it's starting to feel like we've been here longer. After we returned from Minnesota, it was actually nice to fall back into the rhythm of our life here. I feel like we finally know how to operate here and now.

So, here's an update on us.

* Dear Husband is intensifying his job search for when his current position ends in September of 2008. Please pray that we see, accept and follow God's will for us.

* I feel like I'm doing better ... most days! We do have hard times here and there, but I am getting a better perspective about things. I think I've accepted how life is now (with Jason's work schedule and being alone so much) and just gotten used to it -- what a relief! Pray that I will continue to manage well and keep an even keel around here.

* X-Man is a delight to behold, as always. He just got his third tooth and is eating more and more finger food. He's climbing on everything and cruising more around the house. His first step should be any day -- but no rush! He is fiercely in LOVE with his Daddy; I can hardly tear him away from Dear Husband, and when I do, he screams! LOL!

* During this last month, I feel like Boo Boo, too, has gotten used to things. Phew! He's chilled out a bit and is acting more like himself (wanting to go to parks, excited to see his new friends in playgroups, etc). And he and I have grown particularly close lately, which I am enjoying. Of course, he is a bit confused about where he lives, especially after our trip to Minnesota; he keeps asking to go to Grandma's or Uncle's or a friend's house when we get in the minivan. When I tell him that they live in Minnesota and we live in Texas, he seems to accept it well.

Thanks be to God!

Take Two

Well, we're trying the fish experiment again. We went back to the store, and this time Boo Boo chose a nice fluttery gold fish (no bulging eyes).

He informed us that the fish's name was "Sea Gull" again, so we thought we'd give it a little spin and go with "Siegel Goldman" as his full name.

Siegel was a little feisty in the beginning, but eventually chilled out at the bottom of the bowl. We hope he won't stay there!

R.I.P., Cleo

It was a sad morning in our household. When I turned on Boo Boo's bedroom light in order to feed Cleo, I found her floating lifeless. Fittingly, she must have died on All Souls (Nov. 2), otherwise known as the Day of the Dead.

I have to admit that I was shocked (I had expected her to die the first night ... not the third!) and a bit squeamish; I dispatched Dear Husband to handle the "burial." He and Boo Boo said a prayer for her at a short but solemn toilet-side ceremony, reflecting on the 72 hours we shared with her. Then Boo Boo flushed her down.

Requiesat en pace, Cleo.

It's moments like these that make you feel nervous or ill-equipped as a parent. How was I going to explain her death to him? But, thankfully, I remembered "The Clown of God," by Tomie dePaola -- Boo Boo's a huge fan of the book. Its main character dies while juggling to make a statue of Baby Jesus smile. Not surprisingly, Boo Boo will toss an assortment of balls in the air and throw himself on the floor in imitation; "Mama! I died like Giovanni!" he'll tell me.

So that's what I told him: "Cleo died like Giovanni." And that seemed to satisfy him. Phew! He's already talking about getting new fish. Hopefully these will last a little longer than three days...

The Shearing of the Dumpling

X-Man's hair was getting out of hand. It was growing down his neck, and curling behind his ears and falling into his eyes. I knew I had to get it cut at some point, but I wasn't ready yet.

X-Man is such a tiny child that I feel like he's still a baby. He's so light to carry, and still crawling, and wears size nine-month clothing. I wasn't ready for him to grow up and get a big-boy haircut!

Well, yesterday, I caved. I was tired of having to wash his hair after every meal, and he was looking like a muskrat more than a boy. So I hauled the boys to our neighborhood barber and had our little Dumpling sheared. He did fairly well, but was definitely ready to leave when it ended. We couldn't have done it without Signing Time's Rachel Coleman, as usual.

So, what do you think? Doesn't he look all grown up now? Presenting our little man ... but always our little Dumpling.

Happy Birthday to ... whom?

I can easily divide my life into two eras: before motherhood, and after motherhood.

The transition can be perfectly illustrated by my birthday three years ago.

When I was nearing my 28th birthday, I was heavily pregnant with Boo-Boo. (He was due Nov. 12.) My birthday that year happened to fall on election day, and Dear Husband was hoping to attend an election night party at a friend's house and celebrate my birthday the following weekend. Truth be told, I threw a fit. I wanted my birthday to be celebrated on my day, in the way I wanted it celebrated. Harumph!

God has a sense of humor, though. I went into a crazy, fast labor two weeks before my due date and Boo-Boo propelled himself into the world. So, for my birthday, instead of the magical evening I had imagined, I was stuck at home, healing from labor, with a tiny, snorty, high-maintenance newborn. So much for what I wanted!

When I turned 29, Dear Husband and I escaped for a dinner out, but DH had an unprecedented allergic reaction to the food and we ended up in the emergency room for a few hours. When I turned 30, I was taking care of a newborn again.

As I've grown as a person and matured in motherhood, I've come to realize and accept that life is not about me anymore -- and that's OK. I had almost 28 years of what I wanted. My life is for my husband, and my two early birthday presents. And that's what matters most to me now.

For All the Saints...

Here's the line-up from the little All Saints Day gathering at our parish's play group (from left to right): St. Elizabeth of Hungary (what little girl doesn't want to dress up like a queen?), St. Patrick (bishop of Ireland), St. George (Boo-Boo decided to change his saint this morning and left the wings behind), St. Peter (see the keys?), St. Helen, and Blessed Theresa of Calcutta (my personal favorite). I didn't bother dressing up X-man; we can just call him the angel in the outfield...