What Might Have Blogged

Blame the trouble baby

As a roundabout way of excusing myself for not updating in quite a long time, I've compiled a list of possible posts I have actually considered, but failed at, writing.

" For Auld Lang Syne"-all about our trip to Cleveland, seeing old friends whom we have dearly missed. Basically, some times are so lovely they don't really fit into words.  What could be better than sharing my family with some of my favorite people?  Besides, I  forgot, in typical fashion, to take any pictures with the camera I dragged around all weekend. 

"Maypoles, May Day, May Crownings, and May Altars" -all the ways we are excited to celebrate the month of flowers and Our Lady with Finn (and any siblings he may have at that point) when he is older.  I was definitely going to include a link to the wonderful poem by Gerard Manley Hopkins "The Blessed Virgin Compared to the Air We Breathe"

Finn was a little afraid of the up-and-down part of his carrousel ride

"Lions and Tigers and Bears and Finn"- our trip to the zoo with Daddy (who was off last week. This accounts somewhat for why I haven't updated, in two ways: 1) we have only one functioning computer which does not allow blogging and video games at the same time, and 2)I was enjoying my time with my wonderful husband)  Finn actually noticed some animals, besides peacocks, because we took him over to the farm section where you can get much closer to the animals.  He also had loads of fun on the very few pieces of play equipment that were baby appropriate. 

"Hooray for the Farmer's Market"- a rather self-explanatory one really.  This year's first trip to the awesome Rochester Farmer's Market, what we found there (organic eggs and spinach, cinnamon rolls bought from an awesome old Citroen truck that looked something like this one,  mushrooms, potatoes, and greenhouse broccoli) and how we ate it (fried with bacon, cooked with garlic, immediately with gusto, and yet to be determined, respectively).  I would also mention how delighted Finn was with the bright yellow stick, er, pinwheel they gave him.

Trying to get a picture of the three cousins on the see-saw.  It takes a lot of parents.

"The Dawning of the Age of the Cheerio" - All about the new things Finn loves: eating blueberries and cheerios like a big boy, opening closed doors, escaping from Mama, walking with his walking toy across the whole room, dancing, balloons, getting into dirt and the great outdoors.

Finally, I was going to tell you how Finn was sick this weekend and is still recovering.  It's hard to explain how very terrifying and torturous it is to feel your little one burning up, to hear him cry and not know what hurts, to sit up all night rocking him so he can get some fitful sleep.  I definitely over-reacted to what turned out to be a viral infection that gave him a sore throat.  But I couldn't really help it, because it's so hard for me to see him in pain.  A thousand times worse than being sick myself.  It shook me to realize there was often little I could do for him, to find myself, the one who is supposed to help him with everything, so helpless.  I was so blessed to have a husband who stayed calm, not to mention the helpful advice of my mom, a nurse.  Hopefully, I will learn to take neither my beautiful baby nor the blessing of his health for granted.  Thanks be to the One "who pardons all our sins and heals all our ills."

Today is: The Feast of St. Dionysius (St. Denis, patron of France and a very, very beautiful church)
Finn is:Nine Months and Three Weeks Old
Mama just finished reading :The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (I know, I know. I said I wouldn't read it, but gave in.  Darn you, page-turning YA fantasy!)