Onbuhimo

Isaac curled up in his new Onbuhimo

The past month or so many an afternoon has been interrupted by a cranky sleepy baby/toddler who neither seems to want to be carried nor put down. And so begins the up, down, up, down that is very difficult on the 30 weeks pregnant spine until the little guy finally falls asleep. He has also weaned recently and is still trying to figure out a way to fall asleep. I thought baby wearing might be helpful and comforting to him since when he becomes moody he wants to be on me but pushes my arms away. I have several baby carriers but unfortunately they tie/buckle around the hips and since I carry low I am usually unable to use these carriers during my pregnancies. I decided to purchase an Onbuhimo, a Japanese style baby carrier that like most Asian carriers, is made with a rectangular piece of cloth. The Onbu has only two straps at the top and then a pair of rings at the bottom, and can be tied above high, above the belly.

Just as I was checking the mail Isaac was beginning to throw a fit and I was happy to see that in the mail was my Onbu order! So I popped him in right away and it worked like a charm. He instantly quieted down and I proceeded back to the kitchen chores and the laundry I was folding, with him sitting quietly on my back. He soon fell asleep and I was able to carefully transfer him off of my back still sleeping.
Alice thought the carrier was beautiful and called it a "piggy back carrier" because I was wearing him on my back. She also commented "It's a good thing it's a piggy back carrier, since Isaac is a piggy" (I affectionately call him piggy sometimes because he eats a lot). 

I purchased this custom toddler size Onbu from twomommasdesigns.com.

Corpus Christi

 Our Parish's Corpus Christi procession was just beautiful. There was a huge turnout, possibly as many as 600! We were also blessed to have Archbishop Peter Sartain offer Mass and attend the procession. The day began cold and overcast and on the way to Mass I was just praying and praying that the sun would come out and I'm pretty sure there were many others praying the same thing! By the time Mass ended the sun was shining and it was just a perfect day for the procession! Deo gratias!

 Alice walked in uniform with her AHG troup.

"I am the living bread which came down from heaven.  If any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever; and the bread that I will give, is my flesh, for the life of the world.  The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying: How can this man give us his flesh to eat?  Then Jesus said to them: Amen, amen I say unto you: Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you.  He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath everlasting life: and I will raise him up in the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed: and my blood is drink indeed.  He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, abideth in me, and I in him.  As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father; so he that eateth me, the same also shall live by me.  This is the bread that came down from heaven. Not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead. He that eateth this bread, shall live for ever.  These things he said, teaching in the synagogue, in Capharnaum. Many therefore of his disciples, hearing it, said: This saying is hard, and who can hear it?  But Jesus, knowing in himself, that his disciples murmured at this, said to them: Doth this scandalize you?  If then you shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?  It is the spirit that quickeneth: the flesh profiteth nothing. The words that I have spoken to you, are spirit and life.  But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning, who they were that did not believe, and who he was, that would betray him. And he said: Therefore did I say to you, that no man can come to me, unless it be given him by my Father.  After this many of his disciples went back; and walked no more with him.  Then Jesus said to the twelve: Will you also go away?  And Simon Peter answered him: Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we have believed and have known, that thou art the Christ, the Son of God." - John 6:51-79 

Blessed be God. Blessed be His Holy Name.
Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true Man.
Blessed be the Name of Jesus.
Blessed be His Most Sacred Heart.
Blessed be His Most Precious Blood.
Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.
Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most Holy.
Blessed be her Holy and Immaculate Conception.
Blessed be her Glorious Assumption.
Blessed be the Name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.
Blessed be St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse.
Blessed be God in His Angels and in His Saints.

Wild Fermentation

Still using disposable cameras, so I apologize for the poor quality, but I still think the color is really pretty! Finally got around to making some home-fermented sauerkraut. This picture is before fermentation, but as of now it has been fermenting for about a week now. It's nice and bubbly and getting more sour everyday.
I recently obtained a copy of Sandor Katz's "Wild Fermentation" which contains all kinds of recipes from sauerkraut to beer to bread.

7 Quick Takes Friday

1. Camera Troubles - with both digital camera and phone camera not currently useable I've had to resort to disposable cameras. Unfortunately the last disposable camera only developed 9 of the 26 shots.

2. Which means there were some potentially very cute photos that are forever lost, like the several pictures I took of Alice sitting on the bunk bed reading to her baby brother and him listening attentively, and all of the pictures I took of Alice at her American Heritage Girls end of the year ceremony.

3. Alice completed her first year of American Heritage Girls and has crossed over from Pathfinder to Tenderheart. We are so proud of her. Unfortunately when we move there will not be a Catholic American Heritage Girls troop in our area so she will not be able to participate as a Tenderheart.

4. Adventures in Hair Cutting: two months ago the boys went to super cuts with their dad to get much needed haircuts and I really wasn't very satisfied with the results considering the price and so I decided I would cut their hair myself. Since May I have cut all 3 of the children's hair and considering it's a free/DIY haircut they look good. Julius' cut even looks better than the $8 "super" cut in my opinion. I took a few pictures of Julius' layered boys cut on another disposable camera, which hopefully develops better than the last.

5. Alice is hooked on phonics: well, we don't use that particular product, but lately she hasn't been very interested in math and mostly wants to do reading and phonics, especially her "Explode the Code" lesson books, which she says are really fun. After thinking about it I figured that there have been times in the past where she has mostly wanted to work on math and that it will all balance out. After all, I focus on my interests in much the same way, for a few weeks I may cram information on gardening and the next few weeks I'll mostly be interested in various knitting projects and then I won't knit for a time and focus more on catching up on reading good books etc. etc. I figure actual learning and retention of information is much more important than pushing ahead on a curriculum schedule and she is really advancing quickly in her reading skills. Now she will often point out words on signs and such that she is able to sound out or read small simple sentences she spots in my own books and magazines. As I mentioned above, she also reads baby books to her little brothers.

6. Little brothers and homeschooling: when possible I try to do lessons with Alice when the boys are napping, but often Julius is awake and I bought him a sketch book to color in while Alice writes in her lesson books. He absolutely loves Alice's lesson books and will flip through them reading the words and pointing out numbers etc. While she is working he will sometimes glance over and copy some of the words into his sketch book. He can read quite a few little books himself and holds a crayon with the correct grip even though he has never been instructed on how to hold it. He's really never been instructed on anything. He prefers to teach himself what he wants to know. So far he is a very successful "unschooler". Isaac loves to hear his older brother and sister counting and singing the alphabet song. Isaac will point and letters and numbers and lay on the floor flipping through books pretending to count and read like one of the big kids.

7. Number four: I am 27 weeks along as of today. I had an appointment with my midwife this week and everything is going just fine. I'm finally feeling healthy. I was still not quite myself until about week 22! By week 16 I could at least walk around and get out of the house a bit but still easily tired, had a lot of dizzy spells and felt ill as soon as I felt hungry at all, and got motion sick quite easily. It took a little while to build my muscles back up again as well. They had atrophied from the two months spent in bed and I could wrap my hands easily around the middle of my thigh (not a normal thing for me since I have naturally strong muscular legs). But now I'm feeling much better, more energy, and trying to exercise and build up the strength and endurance that I will need for labor and birth. Still no consensus on a name for the little guy.