Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Hanging out with Dad
[caption id="attachment_740" align="aligncenter" width="421" caption="Comfy resting spot"]
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Thursday, March 26, 2009
More fallout at ND
I have another post up here. Bishop D'Arcy has decided not to attend Commencement for the first time in his 25-year tenure, and several student groups, including the pro-life group, have organized to express their opposition to recognizing President Obama with an honorary law degree. As the students note, "To award a Notre Dame law degree to a lawyer and politician who has used the law to deny equality to the unborn diminishes the value of the degree itself." That somewhat understates the matter, but it's clearly correct. The media are starting to take notice. I think the University must have known they weren't doing the right thing here, but they must be surprised by the scope of the reaction. How are they going to respond?
Moving right along
Michael had his four-month checkup (and four-month shots) this morning, and all seems to be well. We determined he is still tall and has a big head! He is 13lb 11oz (so gained 2 1/2 pounds since last time) and about 26 inches long (so grew two inches). That fits with what I thought -- he has long since outgrown the 0-3 month footie outfits because of his legs, but he still fits into a lot of the 0-3 onesies because he is skinny :). The Focus on the Family book we have says most children are double their birth weight by six months, so we're on track. It is still 25th percentile for weight and 90th for height, though, according to Dr Agrawal. Michael rolled over for her and talked to her during the appointment, which was cute. He cried during the shots but was pretty calm on the way home. I went ahead and gave him baby Motrin and he's eating fine now. Hopefully he'll be all right for this evening's pasta fest at Aunt T's house.
In other "news," Michael loves this book that Alberto got for him. He mostly loves chewing and drooling on it, but he will look at the pictures for a little while when we read it to him too:
[caption id="attachment_735" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Are you my mother?"]
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And I've gone ahead and started my nanny search for after Aunt Amanda's tenure this summer. I am interviewing one person on Sunday that comes with great references. She doesn't have a car but she is an older, Spanish-speaking lady whose previous families absolutely loved her, so we'll see how that goes. I also signed up with a nanny website to contact a few leads there -- and 20 people have contacted me first! Some seem to not fit my criteria at all, but a few seem promsing, so I will set up some additional interviews (at least by phone). The interesting thing is there are two completely different profiles I seem to have settled on as possibilities (that I'm getting lots of contacts for too) and I'm not sure what the best fit will be -- either a younger person with a college degree and great sitting or early childhood education experience (and in some cases ASL sign language ability), like my sister :), or an older person who probably didn't go to college but has experience from already raising her own children and working for lots of families, and is Spanish-speaking. Like I said, very different. Maybe it just comes down to the person and our confort level with them. And also whether they accept what we can pay and our timeframe, too, I guess. We'll see. But I decided I wanted to start the process. Any advice?
In other "news," Michael loves this book that Alberto got for him. He mostly loves chewing and drooling on it, but he will look at the pictures for a little while when we read it to him too:
[caption id="attachment_735" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Are you my mother?"]
[/caption]And I've gone ahead and started my nanny search for after Aunt Amanda's tenure this summer. I am interviewing one person on Sunday that comes with great references. She doesn't have a car but she is an older, Spanish-speaking lady whose previous families absolutely loved her, so we'll see how that goes. I also signed up with a nanny website to contact a few leads there -- and 20 people have contacted me first! Some seem to not fit my criteria at all, but a few seem promsing, so I will set up some additional interviews (at least by phone). The interesting thing is there are two completely different profiles I seem to have settled on as possibilities (that I'm getting lots of contacts for too) and I'm not sure what the best fit will be -- either a younger person with a college degree and great sitting or early childhood education experience (and in some cases ASL sign language ability), like my sister :), or an older person who probably didn't go to college but has experience from already raising her own children and working for lots of families, and is Spanish-speaking. Like I said, very different. Maybe it just comes down to the person and our confort level with them. And also whether they accept what we can pay and our timeframe, too, I guess. We'll see. But I decided I wanted to start the process. Any advice?
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Brought to you by the number 12
This is for my sister. How great is the Internet to find these things after 25 years?
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Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Scandalous invitation
The news broke late Friday that President Obama will be Notre Dame's commencement speaker this year. That the nation's preeminent Catholic university would invite the most pro-abortion president we've ever had to give such a prominent address and receive an honorary law degree is astonishing and unjustifiable.
After a weekend with little to no comment from the university -- they must realize how objectionable this whole affair is -- Fr. Jenkins commented yesterday in an interview with the Observer. My take: I'm still as upset as I was on Friday when I heard about it, and a lot of other people are too. I bet Bishop D'Arcy won't even attend the ceremony.
In its 2004 statement "Catholics in Political Life," the USCCB advised, "The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions." This should be a no-brainer, but the frequency with which Catholic institutions host such speakers means it needed to be said. Unfortunately, Fr. Jenkins seems to be ignoring the clear meaning and context of this directive in favor of hair-splitting interpretations: The president's honorary degree, he said, "does not, it is not intended to condone or endorse his position on specific issues regarding life. That's not what we're honoring."
So how is he going to make that clear? As the USCCB statement implied, it's hard to separate public honors and accolades of a person from censure of his positions. That's assuming censure even occurs, which I doubt it would here. Fr. Jenkins can tell the alumni and students in the student newspaper that of course we disagree with the President on life issues, but is it likely he's going to say even that much on stage? - much less give any sort of harsh rebuke to the President for causing taxpayers to fund international abortions or destruction of human embryos? Of course not. (You can already tell from Jenkins's comments that he is looking forward to honoring Obama as a "powerful and eloquent" speaker who is "an inspiring leader." Um, sure.)
Even if Catholics could delude themselves, a la Doug Kmiec, before the election that Obama was somehow, despite all evidence to the contrary, really pro-life in practice, there is no way they could think so now. The President has gone out of his way, during a time of economic distress, to allow taxpayer funding for embryonic stem cell research and abortions. He routinely selects pro-choice Catholics (Biden, Daschle, Sebelius) for key positions, including ones that will affect health care in America. And regardless of whether it's likely to end up on his desk, he has said he will sign the Freedom of Choice Act to eliminate all legislative restrictions on abortion. This is morally and ethically wrong, especially to Catholics. Fr. Jenkins doesn't pretend otherwise (I don't doubt he adheres to Catholic teaching on life issues; of course he does); he just thinks hosting Obama will allow us to have a dialogue and engagement with Obama on these issues.
I think this is unlikely, to say the least. I think, instead, the media and public at large will miss any nuanced "dialoguing" that happens on campus in connection with the event, leaving the main narrative perception of the commencement events to be that Notre Dame hosted Obama, and so abortion just must not be that big of issue for the American church today. (Everyone today remembers Mario Cuomo's "personally opposed" debacle in the 80s happened at Notre Dame. Was there "dialogue" on campus at the time? Who knows?) It gives cover to the Pelosis and Bidens of the world who promulgate ludicrous misreadings of Church teaching and continue publically supporting abortion and other moral wrongs in America. It undermines the moral standing and Catholic character of Notre Dame. It's a huge disappointment for anyone who loves the university and cares about its character. For shame, Fr. Jenkins.
(cross-posted with my other blog)
After a weekend with little to no comment from the university -- they must realize how objectionable this whole affair is -- Fr. Jenkins commented yesterday in an interview with the Observer. My take: I'm still as upset as I was on Friday when I heard about it, and a lot of other people are too. I bet Bishop D'Arcy won't even attend the ceremony.
In its 2004 statement "Catholics in Political Life," the USCCB advised, "The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions." This should be a no-brainer, but the frequency with which Catholic institutions host such speakers means it needed to be said. Unfortunately, Fr. Jenkins seems to be ignoring the clear meaning and context of this directive in favor of hair-splitting interpretations: The president's honorary degree, he said, "does not, it is not intended to condone or endorse his position on specific issues regarding life. That's not what we're honoring."
So how is he going to make that clear? As the USCCB statement implied, it's hard to separate public honors and accolades of a person from censure of his positions. That's assuming censure even occurs, which I doubt it would here. Fr. Jenkins can tell the alumni and students in the student newspaper that of course we disagree with the President on life issues, but is it likely he's going to say even that much on stage? - much less give any sort of harsh rebuke to the President for causing taxpayers to fund international abortions or destruction of human embryos? Of course not. (You can already tell from Jenkins's comments that he is looking forward to honoring Obama as a "powerful and eloquent" speaker who is "an inspiring leader." Um, sure.)
Even if Catholics could delude themselves, a la Doug Kmiec, before the election that Obama was somehow, despite all evidence to the contrary, really pro-life in practice, there is no way they could think so now. The President has gone out of his way, during a time of economic distress, to allow taxpayer funding for embryonic stem cell research and abortions. He routinely selects pro-choice Catholics (Biden, Daschle, Sebelius) for key positions, including ones that will affect health care in America. And regardless of whether it's likely to end up on his desk, he has said he will sign the Freedom of Choice Act to eliminate all legislative restrictions on abortion. This is morally and ethically wrong, especially to Catholics. Fr. Jenkins doesn't pretend otherwise (I don't doubt he adheres to Catholic teaching on life issues; of course he does); he just thinks hosting Obama will allow us to have a dialogue and engagement with Obama on these issues.
I think this is unlikely, to say the least. I think, instead, the media and public at large will miss any nuanced "dialoguing" that happens on campus in connection with the event, leaving the main narrative perception of the commencement events to be that Notre Dame hosted Obama, and so abortion just must not be that big of issue for the American church today. (Everyone today remembers Mario Cuomo's "personally opposed" debacle in the 80s happened at Notre Dame. Was there "dialogue" on campus at the time? Who knows?) It gives cover to the Pelosis and Bidens of the world who promulgate ludicrous misreadings of Church teaching and continue publically supporting abortion and other moral wrongs in America. It undermines the moral standing and Catholic character of Notre Dame. It's a huge disappointment for anyone who loves the university and cares about its character. For shame, Fr. Jenkins.
(cross-posted with my other blog)
Translation
Here is a translation of the last post with a bonus picture :) (Mike asked me to write it in Spanish for all the Ecuadorian relatives we saw.)
This past weekend we went to DC to meet even more relatives, including the Ecuadorian ones :) We got there on Friday night. It was a long day for the baby because we had to pick up Mike from work first before going to the airport, the flight was longer, the rental car facility was a long way from BWI, and then it took 40 minutes to drive to Noni's apartment in DC. Everything went great until the end, when Michael cried the whole way in the car. That was tough :( He seemed happy to meet his third great-grandma when we finally arrived, though! Saturday we went to Martha, Lupe and Lorena's house for lunch, which was great -- Spanish rice and shrimp, carrots and green beans, and Martha's salad were all excellent. After we came back (DC traffic is no better than it ever was, by the way) we went to Gloria's house in Silver Spring for dinner and Noni's 74th birthday party. Dinner was excellent here also (chicken and rice, empanadas and other stuff). Michael enjoyed getting to meet his cousins here. Ryan was in town too for his spring break, so it was nice to see him.
Sunday we went to church and then to brunch (at Clyde's in Chevy Chase) with a few of Mike's old co-workers that he's kept in touch with. We didn't eat much, though, because we still had to go to Mike's aunt (his dad's sister) and uncle's house for brunch. Finally, we went back to the airport (fortunately, Michael slept the whole way there this time) to fly back to Dallas, where we dropped by Aunt T's house for a few minutes before finally coming home. Whew. I think we're done with trips for awhile now. Thanks to everyone we saw this weekend for a great trip. We miss y'all already.
[caption id="attachment_718" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Ciao!"]
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This past weekend we went to DC to meet even more relatives, including the Ecuadorian ones :) We got there on Friday night. It was a long day for the baby because we had to pick up Mike from work first before going to the airport, the flight was longer, the rental car facility was a long way from BWI, and then it took 40 minutes to drive to Noni's apartment in DC. Everything went great until the end, when Michael cried the whole way in the car. That was tough :( He seemed happy to meet his third great-grandma when we finally arrived, though! Saturday we went to Martha, Lupe and Lorena's house for lunch, which was great -- Spanish rice and shrimp, carrots and green beans, and Martha's salad were all excellent. After we came back (DC traffic is no better than it ever was, by the way) we went to Gloria's house in Silver Spring for dinner and Noni's 74th birthday party. Dinner was excellent here also (chicken and rice, empanadas and other stuff). Michael enjoyed getting to meet his cousins here. Ryan was in town too for his spring break, so it was nice to see him.
Sunday we went to church and then to brunch (at Clyde's in Chevy Chase) with a few of Mike's old co-workers that he's kept in touch with. We didn't eat much, though, because we still had to go to Mike's aunt (his dad's sister) and uncle's house for brunch. Finally, we went back to the airport (fortunately, Michael slept the whole way there this time) to fly back to Dallas, where we dropped by Aunt T's house for a few minutes before finally coming home. Whew. I think we're done with trips for awhile now. Thanks to everyone we saw this weekend for a great trip. We miss y'all already.
[caption id="attachment_718" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Ciao!"]
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Nuevo destino
Mike me ha pedido escribir este post en español para nuestros parientes ecuatorianos a quienes visitamos este fin de semana pasado. Espero que lo hago bien. Llegamos en DC el viernes por la noche. Fue un día largo para Michael porque teníamos que recoger a Mike desde su trabajo antes de ir al aeropuerto, el vuelo fue largo, el centro de alquiler coches en BWI fue lejos del aeropuerto, y fue un viaje de cuarenta minutos al apartamento de Noni. Todo estaba bien hasta el viaje final, cuando Michael lloró por todo el viaje :( Pero estaba muy feliz conocer a Noni cuando llegamos por fin:
[caption id="attachment_709" align="aligncenter" width="328" caption="Jugando con Noni"]
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El sábado fuimos a la casa de Martha, Lupe y Lorena in Fairfax para una almuerza deliciosa de arroz español con camarones, ensalada mixta, y zanahorias y habichuelas. Yum!
[caption id="attachment_711" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Lorena, Martha, Lupe, yo y Michael tomando una siesta"]
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[caption id="attachment_712" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Cantando a la Noni"]
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[caption id="attachment_713" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Gloria y los dos Michaels"]
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El domingo fuimos a la iglesia y después a desayunar en Clyde's en Chevy Chase con dos amigas de Mike de su trabajo antiguo aquí. No comimos mucho porque todavía teníamos que ir a comer a la casa de los tíos de Mike (la hermana de su padre) que también viven en DC.
[caption id="attachment_714" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Con Amy y Priya en Clyde's"]
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[caption id="attachment_723" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Hablando con Aunt Pat y Uncle Mike"]
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Finalmente regresamos al aeropuerto (afortunadamente, Michael dormía durante el viaje entero esta vez) a volar a Dallas, donde visitamos a Aunt T antes de llegar a casa. Whew! Creo que vamos a quedarnos aquí por un rato ahora, ya que Michael ha conocido a su familia entera :) Gracias a todos que vimos este fin de semana por un buen viaje. ¡Les extrañamos ya!
[caption id="attachment_709" align="aligncenter" width="328" caption="Jugando con Noni"]
[/caption]El sábado fuimos a la casa de Martha, Lupe y Lorena in Fairfax para una almuerza deliciosa de arroz español con camarones, ensalada mixta, y zanahorias y habichuelas. Yum!
[caption id="attachment_711" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Lorena, Martha, Lupe, yo y Michael tomando una siesta"]
[/caption]Luego (a propósito, el tráfico en DC todavía es horible) fuimos a la casa de Gloria en Silver Spring para cenar y celebrar el cumpleaños de Noni (quien cumple 74). La comida (de pollo, arroz, y otras cosas) estaba muy buena y a Michael le gustó conocer a Monica y Jamey y sus hijos, a Jorge y Sonia, a Elsa y Leonor, y a Gloria también. Tío Ryan estaba allí también para su Spring Break.
[caption id="attachment_712" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Cantando a la Noni"]
[/caption][caption id="attachment_713" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Gloria y los dos Michaels"]
[/caption]El domingo fuimos a la iglesia y después a desayunar en Clyde's en Chevy Chase con dos amigas de Mike de su trabajo antiguo aquí. No comimos mucho porque todavía teníamos que ir a comer a la casa de los tíos de Mike (la hermana de su padre) que también viven en DC.
[caption id="attachment_714" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Con Amy y Priya en Clyde's"]
[/caption][caption id="attachment_723" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Hablando con Aunt Pat y Uncle Mike"]
[/caption]Finalmente regresamos al aeropuerto (afortunadamente, Michael dormía durante el viaje entero esta vez) a volar a Dallas, donde visitamos a Aunt T antes de llegar a casa. Whew! Creo que vamos a quedarnos aquí por un rato ahora, ya que Michael ha conocido a su familia entera :) Gracias a todos que vimos este fin de semana por un buen viaje. ¡Les extrañamos ya!
Friday, March 20, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
Camera is fixed
So I had to take some pictures this morning, of course. (Everyone should remind me to take this many pictures of my next children :) Here is Michael chewing the teething ring and grabbing his foot (a new move since last week, still being perfected before he can eat his foot), and holding onto his supplement bottle by himself (he holds onto these with quite a grip now). You should hear the little crazy/hysterical laugh he does when he realizes you're making a bottle for him. He can barely wait to get his hands on it.
[caption id="attachment_698" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Funny business"]
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[caption id="attachment_701" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Serious business"]
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[caption id="attachment_698" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Funny business"]
[/caption][caption id="attachment_701" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Serious business"]
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