The World Series of Stuffies

This was the summer of baseball for us, the first summer where Cody really understood the game and fell in love with it not as a spectacle, but as a sport. I can't tell you how wonderful that was. Recall his visage from the PNats home playoff game we went to:

Shortly after that we went to his first big-league game:

And just a few days after that, to his first playoff game at the Big House. Where he got to see the Nationals eliminated in a thrilling game 5, at the hands of the dastardly Los Angeles Dodgers:

In a game that did not end until 12:45 a.m. On a school night. God love him, he made it through the entire marathon totally dialed in and didn't wilt until the car ride home. Which ended at 3:00 a.m. Again, on a school night:

As the playoffs have progressed, Cody has fallen in love with the Chicago Cubs. The reasons for his infatuation are mostly rational. His friend, Kieran, is a Cubs fan. And the Cubs single-A affiliate, the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, often plays the PNats, and they have, objectively speaking, the best uniforms, ever. So who wouldn't want to be a Cubs fan?

Also, Cody chose the optimal moment to fall for the Cubs, just days before they broke the 71-year-old Curse of the Billy Goat.

On Saturday night, as the Cubs were playing in game 6 of the NLCS, trying to clinch their first pennant in generations, Cody and I watched the entire game from our tent. It was the campout at Cardinal, the wind was howling and the temps had dropped to the high 30s. And Cody and I snuggled into our sleeping bags and watched history unfold on the iPad. It was a moment I'll never forget. And I hope he won't, either.

All of this is Big Cody.

But he still has some little boy left in him. Which is why, on Sunday afternoon, he packed up several of his stuffies, took them outside, and assembled them to play stuffie baseball. Evidently, it was their World Series. Cody was the ace pitcher, and also their biggest bat. He informed me that he's batting an improbably .700 on the season. And this was their game 7. So Fawnie, Honey, Elkie, Patches, and others set up a somewhat non-regulation field in the front yard for the big game.

The big news is that Cordelia was allowed on the team:

No, I cannot explain the set up with the orange cones. I can, however, explain the yellow shammies: They were strategically placed so that stuffies could play the outfield without having to rest on the dirty ground.

In any event, Cody, Cordelia, and the stuffies combined to beat the opposition (me) by a mere 14-2. They they enjoyed their well-deserved World Series of Stuffies win:

Two-Face Emma and the Three Faces of Cordelia Mary

We'll have a longer baptismapalooza roundup later. (Or not.) But in the meantime, here are two sets of pictures of the girls which show their . . . different . . . moods.

First, it's shy, beautiful Emma:

And then it's MAD Emma:

Look! It's happy, lovely Cora!

Watch out, here comes concerned, plotting Cora:

Oh fuck. It's angry, jealous Cordelia. Is the strychnine still locked away safe?

Cordelia's Secrets

Two days ago I discovered that one of the small, pink feet from Emma's doll bed was missing. The what of this story isn't important--just understand that what was missing was a pink piece of plastic perhaps the size of a thimble.

I asked the assembled children if anyone had seen this piece of plastic and Cordelia perked right up. "I know where it is," she said.

This surprised me because normally Cordelia's memory is spotty and her powers of observation come and go.

I asked her where she had seen it. She replied, "I can't describe it. I have to take you there."

So she took me by the hand and led me downstairs. Out into the garage. To the back of the garage. To the bottom shelf. Where she pulled out the big plastic tub we use to store swimming paraphrenalia. She then fished around to the bottom of the tub, in the far, back corner. And promptly produced the pink doo-hickey.

"How did that get here?" I asked.

"I put it there," she answered matter-of-factly. "It looked special to me so I put it there to keep it safe."

She scampered off and I immediately started to wonder what other items she has stashed around the house. Maybe we should keep Shannon's jewelry in a secure place? Or lock up the silver?

But the thing that struck me most is that of the kids, Cordelia remains the one with the deepest interior life. Cody tells you everything he's feeling. Emma, too. But with Cora, there are wheels within wheels.

Baseball Night In America

I think I said the other day that the PNats clinched a berth in the playoffs and Cody, Cora, and I got tickets. Well, tonight was Game 1 of their first series. It was scheduled for a 7:00 start, but a thunderstorm rolled through and the game was pushed back an hour. I almost bailed entirely--going at 8:00 would mean we'd get an hour at the park and it seemed almost cruel to bring the kids to their first truly meaningful game and then have to leave after a couple innings.

But then I thought of the immortal words of the great Danny Ainge: Come on! It's the playoffs!

And we went. And again, magic.

The field box seats really are amazing. I'm pretty sure Cody is ruined for ever going to a big-league park:

Because it's the playoffs, both teams lined up on the sidelines for introductions.

And then, when the PNats starting catcher, the superbly named Raudy Read ("Let's get Raudy!") was called out, he jogged past our box and handed the ball he'd been working with to Cody. Who went insane. I insisted he share with Cordelia and he was more than happy to do so. Because this wasn't an ordinary ball. It was a Playoff Ball.

But then, in the bottom of the first, a foul ball was hit to the first base side. The first base coach scooped it up and tossed it into our box. A guy in his late 50s caught it and walked right over to us and handed it to Cora. So two Playoff Balls.

Then Uncle Slam came by for a visit--and he signed Cora's ball.

And then, in the third inning, with the bases loaded, Cody was dialed in to the game. He looks like he's 12. Maybe one of my five favorite pictures of him, ever.

We left after the third inning. Both kids were super good sports about it. I tucked them into bed 30 minutes ago, a mere two hours after their bed time. On a school night. I'm sure I'll pay for this tomorrow. But again: Come on! It's the playoffs!

As I type this, the PNats lead 6-0 at the bottom of the 6th and play has been suspended again as another storm pushes through.

And I go to sleep happy in the knowledge that if they win their best-of-three series with Lynchburg, I already have our tickets to the next series.

The Big Kids

Like Shannon, I'm so far behind that I've basically given up on trying to catch up. So here's the big Yellowstone trip, in all of the essentials, with very little left out. (Except for me teaching Cody how to play poker, and instilling in him (possibly?) a life-long love of gambling.) It's my hope that someday Cody will cherish this love letter.

On the subject of other events I've missed writing about, I took Cody and Cordelia to Belmar last week. It was wonderful. They went to the beach with Mary Beth, we all went to a minor league game at the Lakewood Blue Claws, which was one of Walter's favorite things to do. We went to the rides at Point Pleasant, and afterwards watched fireworks on the beach. With ice cream. We went to the retro arcade, where I played Gauntlet and X-Men--two games BJ and I played endlessly as kids--with my own children. Which was both wonderful and bracing.

Here's a random assortment of pictures:

That's the Tilt-a-Whirl and the Himalayan, for those of you keeping score at home. Two of Monika, BJ, and my favorite rides as kids. Cordelia loved everything we did. Except for the Gravitron (which is called the Starship 3000 at Point Pleasant).

Which brings us to today, Labor Day.

Last night I took C&C to see the PNats. It was a night game. It was a debacle. PNats gave up 7 in the first inning. The starting pitcher was relieved after only two-thirds of work. But we went back to the ballpark today because all the PNats had to do to clinch a playoff birth was win. And they did. That's half the story.

The other half is that Cordelia sat in a field box for the first time ever. And that she made it through a complete game for the first time ever. And during the 6th, a screaming foul ball came our way and bounced over us. It landed near a couple at the end of the box. We turned around and cheered for them. Then they called Cody over and gave him the ball. And he in turn gave it to Cordelia.

What makes this such a big deal is that beginning at last night's game, Cody talked endlessly about how he was sure to get another foul ball and he kept promising Cordelia that when he did, he was going to give it to her. When it happened, she looked like she'd been handed the Hope Diamond. It was magic.

Also magic: The PNats won, beating the mighty Myrtle Beach Pelicans (who are like 18 games over .500). They made the playoffs. And after the game, we marched over to the box office and bought field box seats for the entire run of playoff games. Three of them.

This, by the way, was from a magical night at the park earlier in the summer. It was the first field-box night for Cody and the PNats won with a walk-off home run in the 10th. And in the 7th, their first baseman flipped a ball to Cody, who was cheering for his catching of a routine foul ball like the guy had just caught the last out of the World Series. One of my favorite pictures, ever.

And here's the cherry on top for today: Cordelia is having trouble falling asleep. She's tried everything. She's unhappy. Her tummy hurts. What's a girl to do.

So I went upstairs, took her in my arms, sat on the edge of our bed and just rocked her. At first I whispered little sweet nothings to her, but then as she settled in I just rocked her silently with her head on my shoulder. Then, suddenly, she pulled away to be able to look me full in the face. And she whispered, "There's no love as strong as our love."

I agreed. She put her head back on my shoulder. And three minutes later she was sound asleep. I carried her to bed, lifted her into the top bunk, and kissed her forehead goodnight.

For Unto Us a Child is Born

You know that feeling when you meet someone once or twice, and exchange names, but then a few months go by and you don't see him, and when you see him again, you can't remember his name, but you don't want to ask because enough time has gone by that it's just kind of awkward?

That's pretty much how I feel about this blog. Which I haven't updated since…MAY. No vacation pics, no end-of-school pics, no summer fun pics. It's not that I don't have them. It's that time has finally defeated my best intentions. I ran out of it. So, I think at this point it makes sense to just start from here, and (hopefully) work my way back over time. 

In the meantime, we have some pretty big news. Baby Last #4 was due August 25, and scheduled to arrive via c-section on August 18. We had a plan in place: last day of work August 15, Mom, Dad, and Mary Beth arrive August 17, have our little boy the next morning. On August 11, I had a checkup with Dr. Weltman, who said she'd see me next week. I said, "Any chance this kid will come early?" And we all laughed, because my kids NEVER come early. I'm sealed like Fort Knox, she once told me. "Well, call me if your water breaks or something," she said, "but we all know that's not happening."

Well, 15 hours later, that happened. I was in bed with Emma, who had night terrors around 4:00 a.m. She didn't wake up this time, but was thrashing and crying in her sleep, so I just lay down with her to settle and comfort her. I dozed off. About 45 minutes later, I thought…what the heck is that?!

Then hilarity and panic ensued. I waddled to our bedroom and said "JONATHAN WAKE UP I THINK MY WATER BROKE!" Then I texted and called Dr. Weltman, but her phone was off; I knew, though, that she would be the on-call doc at the hospital starting at 7 am. But I had no idea what to actually DO once my water broke. So I called the on-call doc and had a thoroughly incoherent conversation with him, and he said to just come on over. So then I threw some stuff in a bag—which later turned out to be a Bible, 6 pairs of socks, a tank top, a couple of still-in-the-plastic wrap nightgowns, and that was all. Then I realized I had three sleeping children. So at 5:30 I called Sarah, who answered warily, and said, "SARAH ARE YOU AWAKE MY WATER BROKE!" Calmly, she said, "I'll be there in 15 minutes." Then I called my mother and said "MOM IT'S ME ARE YOU AWAKE MY WATER BROKE AND I'M PRETTY SURE THAT MEANS I'M HAVING THIS BABY TODAY I'LL CALL YOU BACK!" 

By that time, Cody had wandered in and immediately realized something was up. Naturally, he woke up the girls, setting everyone up for an excellent day. So we all came downstairs, and Sarah showed up. She secretly took this picture — the last embrace of a family of five. 

I said things like, "Lunches? Can you make them! Tupperware in there!" and "They have bathing suits on the deck!" and "They should eat breakfast!" She nodded and smiled, and shooed us out the door, as all of our children cried. And then I cried. Because: this was NOT THE PLAN. 

We got to the hospital, got started on IVs, and waited for Dr. Weltman to clear the decks of the hundred other babies who just HAD TO GET BORN THE SAME DAY. I breathed, and tried not to panic, with limited success. Then they wheeled me into the OR, and the less said about the birth, the better. It was pretty traumatic from start to finish, and the baby was gray and not breathing when she pulled him out. Thankfully, they were able to get him going relatively quickly—only a lifetime for me. And then they brought him in, and put his cheek against mine, and I wept all over again, and thanked God for delivering sweet Gabriel Walter into this world.
For that is his name. Gabriel is not a name that was ever on our list — but it's the name he came with. I found out I was pregnant with him during Advent, and the reading that day was from Luke, when the angel Gabriel tells Mary that fantastically enough, she was about to become a mother. Obviously, there are few parallels between Mary and me, but I could really relate to her feeling stupefied, troubled, and unprepared. But Gabriel simply says, "Do not be afraid." That became my mantra for the next 9 months.

We named him Walter after Uncle Walter, who would have been right there beside Mary Beth to greet Gabriel on the day of his birth, and would have stood beside him at the altar for his baptism.

Here he is on Cody's birthday:

We wanted each of our boys to carry a piece of Mary Beth and Walter with them always — hence Cody and Walter. I managed to capture the moment that JVL told Mary Beth his name. Part of us was worried it might be too painful for her, but instead, it felt just right to her, too.

Granny and Pop-Pop arrived at some point while I was in recovery, and were overjoyed to meet him. 

 Then, Sarah brought the kids over to meet their little brother. It was pretty emotional; they were anxious and tired all day, and worried about me and Gabriel. When Cody walked in, he took one look at Gabriel and just burst into tears, saying "I am so grateful you are here, that you are safe!" He wept as he held his little brother for the first time. It was just beautiful.



Each of them then pulled their favorite stuffed animals out of their bags to leave at the hospital with me.

 

 A happy Dr. Weltman, and a happy Granny, too.

After 4 days, it was time to come home! The hospital was so much quieter. We are all adjusting, some  of us better than others, and we all have our moments.

 But it's good to all be under one roof. Which brings me to something truly hilarious: a few months ago there was an insane hail storm, and our roof was severely damaged. The new roof was installed the day after I came home from the hospital. All day long, we listened to banging and scraping and hammering—G slept through almost all of it; the rest of us needed Motrin. It was pure comedy at that point — yet another thing that was to have been done before he was born.

 Meanwhile, the girls engaged in a little escapism...

 Cody loves to have little chat sessions with his little brother...

 This one's just funny….

 Little nugget.

 He looks JUST LIKE CODY.

 No really. Here's Cody:

Here's Gabriel:

 Emma and Cordelia are both having a bit of a time adjusting — but they've had very sweet moments, too.

 I was able to catch him in the midst of a gassy smile...

 And here's the best news of all — exactly two weeks before Gabriel arrived, his gorgeous, precious cousin Faith Elizabeth arrived to Uncle Sean and Aunt Monika! And last night, the cousins met for the first time!!

 It looks like G is trying to tell F something here.

 And finally, the hair. Because — wow.

Can't help but draw the comparison. 

And with that, someone wants to eat. More soon! Soonish, anyway.