(anyone but) Obama in '08

After I made yet another anti-Obama comment last night, my Dear Husband (henceforth, DH) asked me why I dislike the man so much (not that's he's pro-Obama; he was simply asking). For starters, I think that a part of it is a somewhat latent contrarian streak showing up; living in Chicago, not worshipping Obama is heresy, and, boy oh boy, I sure don't want to be like everyone else! Second, I don't really want to move to Portugal. Non sequitur, you wonder? The thing is, DH and I have (jokingly?) talked of moving to Portugal if Obama gets the Democratic nomination and goes on to win the Presidency (there's an aviation institute in Portugal). For the first time, I have some sympathy with those whiny libs who threatened to move to Canada if GWBush won in '04. (Well, he did, but did they?) Don't test us, America. Don't put Obama in charge. (Though Portugal would offer a great opportunity for our kids to get in touch with their Iberian blood...)

More seriously, I really don't like him. Here are some reasons why:
I can't stand the guy's rhetoric. Call me cynical, but it sounds pretty empty and way too fluffy. "Change" and "unity", blah blah blah. I'm convinced that he got his slogans from (1) Chicago Cubs fans ("Believe!") and (2) a self-help book ("we are the change that we seek"). It's like Joel Osteen for secular humanists. Give me boring ol' Hillary any day over a guy who knows how to make a crowd cheer with platitudes about unity and change.

Speaking of unity... While Barack preaches unity, a fair amount of criticism that I've read and heard points to a record that shows anything but unity. A friend tells me that Obama's Chicago church's magazine honored Louis Farrakhan a while ago (roundabout, but not unimportant: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/14/AR2008011402083.html). Obama has protected infanticide (while killing babies! How ironic! See below). How a man who advocates these far left positions can hope to bring unity to this country is a mystery to me. Unless he plans to hypnotize us all with his charm? Entirely possible.

And speaking of the left... an article (http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=18647) a friend sent with the advice to "remind anyone who cares that Obama is more liberal than NARAL" pretty much sums it up. While I have no illusions that abortion will ever be outlawed in this country (see this link http://www.kucinichonline.com/pdfs/Kucinich_Reproductive%20Rights.pdf for a brief summary, which, yes, I know is from a Dem, but most Republicans are hypocrites when it comes to abortion), Obama isn't just pro-choice; he's perfectly okay with infanticide. Talk about kowtowing to special interests (radical feminists and "ethicist" creeps like Peter Singer), as infanticide arguably falls outside even abortion's scope (hey, even NARAL thinks so!). One doesn't have to be a single-issue abortion voter to think that Obama is going way too far.

(Who's Peter Singer? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Singer Make sure that you notice that his views on euthenasia could actually apply to any disabled person, adult or infant, as "personhood" requires a certain degree of self-consciousness.)

As if the reasons above aren't enough for me not to like him, Obama's followers themselves make the man a bit repulsive to me. There seriously seems to be some sort of messianic fervor following him. My impression is that he's captured young people by mere virtue of being young, "hip" (whatever that means), "sexy"* (see below!) and energetic. Some Evangelicals have embraced him because, evidently, Obama is going to end poverty in our lifetime. What a joke. Obama is no messiah, and he will not save our souls...

...as William Kristol points out in this delightful and way-too-fun op-ed piece in the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/25/opinion/25kristol.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=william+kristol&st=nyt&oref=slogin). I'll leave it at that.

*Please note: I'm not calling Obama "sexy." I'm using "sexy" here in the same way that I say, "The media loves to report on accidental gun deaths involving children because it's a far more sexy issue than reporting on children drowning in backyard swimming pools. Drownings equal boring; handguns equal sexy." That's all.

A love affair

A boy and his trains.

Here Jonah is watching trains on youtube. "Mas" is Spanish for "more"; the putting-together of his fingers is sign language for "more." No such thing as too much train!

a long winter

Winters in Chicago can be very lo-o-o-o-o-ong. Sometimes it's too cold to take even a short walk; other times, everything is covered in a sheet of ice that just won't melt. Also, getting two young kids out the door can be a rather daunting task, so I like to know that the payoff will be worth the hassle. Thankfully, we've been able to borrow cars or beg rides in order to get out of the house every once in a while. And we've had some fun projects going on around the house to try to stay sane (sometimes it's a struggle).

Katie recently told me that Corene used to cook with Jude a fair amount (maybe you still do, Corene?). A day after I thought to myself, "Cooking with a toddler? Is she crazy?", I found myself in the kitchen with Jonah trying to make some chocolate-chip cookies to compete with those that Gangee sent for Valentine's Day. I can't resist a boy who says "coo-KIE" so sweetly (he learned that word fast and well and uses it often). Thanks for the idea, Madrina Corene! Jonah was pretty pleased with himself for helping me so much.

Here's Jonah after enjoying the fruits of his labor. I think he's looking for more. Under the dish, maybe?
Jonah also tried painting again. He was much more into brush-painting than finger-painting. We later used this masterpiece to make a Valentine's Day card for Dada.In order to get rid of that bald spot, Manny continues to be subjected to tummy-time.
Tummy-time is much more enjoyable when he's propped on Boppy. One might even think that he likes it!
We did our patriotic duty and helped the economy with a little needless spending (thanks, tax refund!) on these metal truck, bus and car signs from Land of Nod, a great kids' store. (I recently threw the catalogue away so that I would stop drooling over it.) On second thought, I don't think that Jonah considered it "needless"; can you see how excited he is about the sign with the "tow-tow truck"?

Jonah has also been practicing his handyman skills in a bid to impress Pop-Pop. We won't let him play with hammer or nails, so he's decided to make do with the measuring tape, which is arguably just as fun. Bendy!

Jonah continues to play with, and get lost in, his pile o' trucks. Always a good time!
Jonah and Manny also spend some quality time together every once in a while, though their interest in one another is generally fleeting.
For a few weeks now, Manny has been bringing things to his mouth. Here he cuddles with, and chews on, the puppy that Gangee bought him while he was in utero. Look at those sweet little peepers.
Manny crashes after a hard day at play. Really, he grabs his head like this when he is tired. He's also started sucking on his thumb, which means that we're effectively taking his paci away--special occasions only. This is actually a relief for us. While we survived Jonah's paci weaning (he only barely did), it bordered on brutal. The sound of Jonah at age six months sobbing for three hours on New Year's Eve while we watched "Rocky" is still fresh. In only took two more nights (40 minutes of crying on night two, 15 on night three) for the job to be done, but it was no fun. Thanks, Manny, for sparing us that trauma.
We also visited the doctor two weeks ago for Manny's 4-month visit (a bit early) and Jonah's 18-month (a bit late; it's all about compromise). Manny weighed in at 14 lbs, 6 oz and 25 inches, putting him in the 50th percentile for both. A perfectly proportioned baby! Evidently he's had an upward growth spurt; it's a bit sad that he's no longer quite so roly-poly. Jonah is 27 lbs, and 33 1/2 inches, about the 75th percentile for both. No longer quite so giant as he used to be, but still so big! Both boys are healthy and doing great. Jonah continues to learn more words daily and is getting really good at the two-word phrases. The most frequent is probably "There it is, (name of object here)." Which actually qualifies as a whole sentence, not just a phrase. He's into identification. Manny is a strong little baby who likes lots of attention. He's just started crying when we leave the room. He's very sociable. He also let loose with his first laugh yesterday, on his 4-month birthday. Somehow Auntie Katie got him to laugh just by talking to him and smiling at him; I think Manny's in love. Seriously, he really likes her.

Our friend Miriam (a.k.a. Jonah's favorite Latina) helped us during our doctor's visit, as two kids in a waiting room didn't sound like fun to me, neither did only two hands when both boys needed shots. Now when I ask Jonah to say "doctor", he says "Doctor; Mimi." I guess that it just wouldn't be a doctor's visit without Mimi. Thanks, Miriam!

belated

Manny just wanted to say, "Happy Valentine's Day". Yes, I know he's late, but, c'mon, you don't expect babies to run on schedule, do you? One as cute as this can do whatever he wants (at least, that's what Manny thinks).

Nature Museum follow-up

You can see pictures of our trip to the Nature Museum (the site of Jonah's down-the-steps nosedive) on Katie's blog, here: http://gaspard.typepad.com/gaspard/2008/02/sight-seeing-ba.html

Her pics came out much better than mine, as you'll see. No surprise, since she actually gets paid to take pictures! Thanks, Katie!

Coming soon: Shedd Aquarium pictures! Stay tuned.

Jonah's nose, by the way, has healed quite nicely.

Not "business as usual"

I’ve been thinking a lot lately (yes, yes, I know that thinking is a dangerous thing to be doing, especially for a woman) about a particular topic, namely, abortion. The topic has been brought to mind lately in part because of recent political activity, in part because of a recent e-mail thread on which I was cc’ed, and in part because I’ve also run across a couple blog posts that have talked about abortion. Let me begin by saying that I am adamantly pro-life, as any close friend will tell you, and nothing written below should be construed otherwise. Further, my apologies in advance to anyone on either side of the debate whom I might offend.
My purpose here is not to debate whether abortion should or should not be legal, or what steps should be taken in either direction. Rather, my primary aim is simply to comment on a few observations about abortion. My pre-existing opinions have been shaped in part by a homily given by our parish priest in which he discussed how a culture’s mores are a part of what shapes an individual’s idea of shame, or right and wrong. In light of this, I would submit that our culture’s mores are such that aborting a child attaches such a minimal amount of shame to a woman (if any) that the “war on abortion” is already, for the most part, lost. (I may just be a pessimist; I pray that I am.)

My observations:
When Vogue magazine published an article (Jan 2008) relating one woman’s experience of aborting (via partial birth abortion) her baby who would have either died in-utero or been born so prematurely that the baby wouldn’t’ve survived, pro-lifers were called “zealots” and “haters” for protesting the “high-fashion makeover” of PBA (the article ran with a single large 'candid' photo of the woman and her born daughter in designer clothes). Comments on blogs primarily sympathized with the woman for facing such a horrible situation; few comments even mentioned the fact that the child was born and killed via PBA, which was in no way medically necessary. When I raised this point on one blog, I was attacked for basically being a callous, soulless person who clearly hated the woman and couldn’t possibly “judge” because I hadn’t faced the same situation. The emphasis was so much on the woman and how she felt and the pain she experienced facing the death of her child that readers essentially said that whatever she decided was “okay” (note, there’s no idea of right or wrong here), because she agonized over it and “believed” it to be so. Essentially, no one else can judge a “woman’s choice” as long as she thinks about it and is doing the “right” thing “for herself.” What criteria!

Additionally, the Pill and other chemical forms of birth control are widely accepted by Christians, and by anti-abortion Christians (Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox) despite the fact that they act as abortifacients when they fail to suppress ovulation, or properly kill the sperm or egg, or fail in whatever other manner they are supposed to work. By preventing the implantation of a fertilized egg, chemical birth control kills life in its earliest stage. This fact, however, is either off the radar for many or is brushed aside as the desire to not have children (at least, “not right now”) trumps the fact that a couple will probably kill one of its own offspring in the course of their relationship. The argument that life doesn’t actually begin at conception is bunk scientifically and morally, and getting started down that slippery slope can land one in unbelievably demonic arguments, like the one that claims that a child is abortable until the point that he can breathe on his own because the Bible refers to “the breath of life.” Yes, that argument has been put forth by someone professing to be a Christian. Let’s call this what it is: bullshit. Again, these mindsets are not uncommon among Christians, who are supposed to act as lights shining in darkness, as Christ is the Light of the World.

I simply think that our culture has passed the point of no return as far as abortion goes. Because economic and social success and general “happiness” are seen as “ultimate goods”, and because children are seen as barriers to this, an unplanned pregnancy is a hurdle to be overcome by means of abortion. It’s just too easy. What 19 year-old college student wouldn’t want an abortion so that she can go on to a professional job and attain financial ability and independence, rather than deal with the consequences of her (and his!) actions? Abortion is a boon for men and women whose highest goal is "happiness" in this physical, material world. Kids can come later (if they’re wanted), and, after all, it’s just a parasitic lump of tissue growing inside her. People honestly believe this, and the numbers of those who don’t are growing smaller every day. I would argue that any occurrence of post-abortion guilt depends on one’s upbringing and immediate cultural milieu. A devout Christian might believe that, yes, she just killed her baby, but a woman who has been brought up in an agnostic or a-theistic setting, or a morally flexible “Christian” setting (all of which seem to be happening far more often than ever before) sees that baby as an expendable mistake.

I’m at a loss as to how to battle such a pervasive cultural mindset (I’m not speaking to political tactics here). Though I believe that women should have to participate in some sort of full-disclosure counseling session prior to abortion (it is, after all, a medical procedure), I’m totally grossed out by those whack-jobs who carry around signs with pictures of bloody aborted babies. Is that really the way to go? My husband and I will certainly raise our children telling them that abortion at any stage of life is wrong, but we are among a diminishing number. I fear that there is no common ground between the two sides and that they will only grow farther apart. One side denies that a "fetus" is a human with any significant moral claim upon the woman who carries "it" (the point at which this fetus "becomes" a person is a matter of opinion); the other side recognizes that the life carries a moral claim (make no mistake here, though; this is not a broad endorsement of the "right to life" movement's rhetoric, tactics, or politics). As I contemplate this issue, I want to cry: nobody cares, and nobody is going to. Any appeal to a moral standard when it comes to abortion has lost any authority that it may have once had. I can’t help but think of the verse from the prologue to John’s Gospel: “The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Pray God that I am only a person of little faith and that these words will prove true.

Uh-oh.

Katie and I took James, Jonah and Manny to the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum on Monday; here's the aftermath:
Poor Jonah! He was climbing in the play area and was on top of the steps, about three feet up. I told him to "sit and scoot" and then turned for about three seconds to look behind me at James. I turned back around in time to see Jonah flying down the steps, land on his face, and flip over onto his back. It was really horrible. Of course, the first thing that flashed through my mind was, "He broke his neck!" That quickly proved to not be the case, and I could tell within the first several seconds after picking him up that he was mostly scared, not hurt. What an incredible relief. I don't think that he cried for much more than a minute, and then he immediately asked for a cracker. All tears were gone by the time we sat down with his snack, though my adrenaline was still pumping. I feel that we've had our share of scary moments with him; here's another one to add. I'm so thankful that he wasn't hurt worse and that the stairs were carpeted. I don't even want to think about what might have happened otherwise. His nose swelled a bit, but this rug burn is the only clue that he took such a tumble. Also injured, however, is my pride. I couldn't help but think that all those 40-years-plus moms (moms? grandmas? hard to tell, sometimes) in the play area thought to themselves, "And that's why you don't have babies when you're still a kid yourself." Gabe and I have been calling Jonah "Rudolph" for the past few days, which is the only way that I can refer to his injury without bursting into tears at the evidence of my carelessness. Katie reassured me a few minutes later by saying, "Good thing kids are made of rubber." Indeed!

We did manage to enjoy the rest of our time at the museum. The boys especially loved the butterfly exhibit. Too bad our cameras fogged up so much. Here's Jonah pointing out the butterflies to me, or maybe just waving his arm around with excitement.













And here's Katie hanging out by the one-fish pond with James. I think that James may have actually shed a few tears when we tore the boys out of the room. I'm thinking of building my own butterfly house. Maybe then James won't move to Texas. I think Jonah's going to breakdown in tears when James leaves; at the very least, I know that I will. (Ahem. Hunters, time to grab their lease!)




Manny spent most of the trip awake. He finally fell asleep, though no more than ten minutes before leaving. I guess it's probably a little hard to sleep between a new place, brother falling down steps, and brother's incredible excitement at polar bears, brown bears, ceramic bears, and butterflies. Hooray!

Baptism of Manuel Mark

You’d hardly know it from the lack of attention that it has received here, but a few weeks ago Manny passed through the most important event to occur in his life, namely, his baptism into the Orthodox Church. (I’ve been waiting to find the time to write a substantial post and upload photos, only to discover that I can’t upload the photos I wanted; admittedly that may be primarily because I’m not so good with this computer-thingy. Grrrr. E-mail me if you want to see them.) In our humble opinion, the baptism was especially beautiful because it occurred on Epiphany, the feast that celebrates Christ’s baptism in the Jordan, in which the worship of the Trinity was initiated. Also, Manuel meaning “God with us”, everything ties together quite nicely! Following is the hymn for Epiphany.

When Thou , O Lord, wast baptized in the Jordan, the worship of the Trinity was made manifest; for the voice of the Father bare witness to Thee, and called Thee His beloved Son. And the Spirit in the form of a dove confirmed the truthfulness of His word. O Christ our God, Who hast appeared and hast enlightened the world, glory be to Thee.

As I sat down to write this post, I found myself struggling with the best way to convey to my Protestant family and friends the absolute importance of the sacrament of Baptism in the Orthodox Church. Baptism is not a mere symbol of one’s having already been “saved”; rather, it is salvation itself. Our beautiful son, Manuel Mark, “passed from death unto life” upon his Baptism. To help explain, I turn the topic over to hands more capable than my own. Please make the time to follow the links after these excerpts.

“Holy Baptism is the first of seven Sacraments in the Orthodox Christian Church. Together with the Sacrament of Holy Chrism it joins the candidate to the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church. Some people argue that the only valid baptism is that of an adult who believes in Christ first. They argue that to baptise a helpless infant only a few weeks old who is unable to believe is meaningless. So why baptise a baby when it doesn't know yet what is happening? Why not wait for the baby to grow and believe in Christ and ask for baptism? If we were to follow this line of reasoning, we wouldn’t inoculate the baby against diphtheria until he grows up and asks for it! But we know better. Baptising infants before they know what is going on is an expression of God's great love for us. It shows that God loves us and accepts us before we can ever know and love Him. It shows that we are wanted and loved by God from the very moment of our birth. Nothing shows the nature of God's grace more than infant baptism. The Orthodox Church does not belittle personal faith in an adult who seeks baptism, but instead insists that the whole emphasis of baptism is not on what the baby does or the parents or the godparents, but on what God does. The fact that we are Christians is not due to any act on our part; it is due to the act of God in Christ through the Holy Spirit. Of course Baptism demands a personal response on the part of the baptised child when it reaches the age of reason. The child must accept what God did for him or her in Baptism. Baptism is not a divine pass that will get us into Heaven automatically. It must be followed by a personal awareness or awakening to the many gifts of God's love bestowed upon us through this great sacrament.”
(from http://home.it.net.au/~jgrapsas/pages/Baptism.htm)

Further:

“Although an opponent of infant baptism, Dr. Jewett, in his book Infant Baptism and the Covenant of Grace, makes a very logical conclusion about baptism if it is understood to be a release of supernatural power:

'... one believes that baptism washes away the guilt of eternal sin, so that any one departing this life without it is in danger of eternal damnation, he will have good reason to conclude that infants should be baptized. In fact, the question of infant baptism can hardly be raised without such a sacramental theology, since an affirmative answer is a foregone conclusion.'

Certainly if there were a taint of sin upon each who is born in this world, there would be a need for every person to be cleansed from this impurity before leaving the temporal life. The Bible's "sacramental theology" states that there is such a need since '... through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men.' (Romans 5:12) For this reason ' ... there are none righteous, not even one' (i.e. not infants). (Romans 3:10) How are these young ones saved from the sin they have received from Adam's race? They are saved through the regenerative power of baptism and the faith of the Church (i.e. the Christian faithful):

'He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration baptism) and renewing by the Holy Spirit.' (Titus 3:5)

'Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.' (Acts 2:38)

'Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God." ' (John 3:5)

'... when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water, and corresponding to that, baptism now saves you.' (1 Peter 3:20,21)

Baptism is not just a symbolic testimony of what God has done in the heart of an adult believer, but is in itself a dynamic means of actually effecting the power of the Gospel (the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ) in a life (Romans 6:4). Christian baptism is the means whereby we encounter and identify with Jesus Christ Himself. This is one of the reasons why Paul explains baptism as the manner in which we genuinely 'put on' or 'clothe' ourselves with Christ (Galatians 3:27). This is not just a metaphor, the Lord actually transforms a person through his baptism.”
(from http://www.goarch.org/en/ourfaith/articles/article7067.asp)