Monday, June 30, 2008

New Eagle

Patrick wearing his Eagle ribbon.


Two Eagle brothers.

Another Child of God

Meghan resting comfortably just before her baptism.

Monday, June 23, 2008

Preparations

We are preparing for visitors. Hooray! My parents are coming to visit and will arrive on Thursday evening. We hope to show them around the Misawa area, take them to a Japanese baseball game, and go on a short pilgrimage to Akita.

We are preparing for a baptism. Hooray! On Sunday, Margaret becomes a member of God's family in the Catholic church.

We are preparing for an Eagle Scout Court of Honor. Hooray! Patrick will finally be recognized for his hard work in earning Eagle. It's been so long that he has almost earned his first palm. He could be presented with both at the ceremony on Monday.

Posting may be slim for a week or so while we enjoy our visit with Mom and Dad. I can't wait to finish all the preparation and start the celebration.

Rain, rain

Day two of unceasing rainfall.

The yard is flooding.

Last year when we had rains like this, I remember that they ended.

The quiet woke us up.

Friday, June 20, 2008

Mmmmmmm...

She smells rosey and apricot-y.

She had a bath, which made her cry hard,



and now she's sleeping peacefully with her head over my heart.


What could be sweeter?

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

New haircut


Even with shorter hair, the curls are going strong!

Two weeks


We took Meghan to the doctor for her two-week check-up this morning.

She weighed 10 lbs., 14 ozs., which is almost back to her birth weight. Katie observed, "Well, she's not really two weeks old yet. By tonight, she'll weigh another ounce."

She still looks little to us.

She's 22.6 inches long now, and her head circumference is 15.1 inches (it was 15 at birth).


So she's still above the 95th percentile for weight and length and 75th for her head size. This makes sense. The other children eventually evened out around the 75th percentile for height and weight, so Meghan will probably do the same.

The doctor said she looks great!


We agree. ;-)

Meghan's admirers

Monday, June 16, 2008

Requiescat In Pace

For Edwina Froehlich, co-founder of La Leche League. She passed away on June 8, but I just saw a note about her on Danielle Bean's blog, as well as this link to information about her life.

Without women like Edwina Froehlich, and women like my mom (and John's mom, too) who nursed babies in the 60s despite cultural discouragement, who knows whether our six would have had that advantage in their lives. Thanks to Mom's example, I always felt nursing was the best way to feed my babies. Thankfully, because of his mother's example, John was also supportive of the breastfeeding decision from the very beginning.

When Tommy was born, I did a lot of reading, especially The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, which helped me articulate a thoughtful explanation for professors, employers, and friends.

There have been some awkward moments...I think of the time I was nursing Tommy at the Wright Brothers museum in Kitty Hawk. I was sitting on a bench in a hallway with a blanket over my shoulder. He was only a month or two old at the time, and I was new to public nursing.

Shockingly, as a ranger program let out, a man walking by jerked the blanket off my shoulder and said, "Is that a baby under there?" I don't know if he knew I was nursing or not, but he got the surprise of his life if he didn't. ;-) Thankfully, I was pretty well covered even without the blanket, and I felt annoyed instead of embarrassed.

"How dare he!" I thought.

Without Mom's example to raise my overall comfort level and without the women who worked for so many years to make breastfeeding accepted in the U.S., I would probably have melted into the bench right then and there. Instead, I felt HE was the one who should be embarrassed for his unenlightened, uncharitable behavior.

So please join me in prayer for the repose of the soul of Edwina Froehlich:

Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord,
And may your perpetual light shine upon her;
May her soul, and all the souls of the faithful departed,
Through the mercy of God,
Rest in Peace.

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Happy Father's Day

To my Dad and to John and all my brothers and brothers-in-law whose children bring such joy to our family. May God continue to bless all of you with good health, wisdom, and understanding.

To Dad, especially, thank you for your love and support throughout my life. I love you!

Here's a prayer for all of you from the back of the holy card distributed at Mass this morning.

Father's Prayer

Most loving Father, you are the
perfect example of fatherhood.
Through the intercession of St.
Joseph, patron of fathers, teach me
what to give and what to withhold.
Show me when to reprove and when
to praise. Make me gentle and
considerate, yet firm and watchful.
Keep me from weak indulgence and
from great severity. Give me the
courage to be disliked sometimes by
my children when I must do
necessary things which are
displeasing in their eyes. Give me the
imagination to enter into their world in
order to understand and guide them.
Give me all the virtues I need to lead
them by word and example in the
path of righteousness. Amen.

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Shake a little

We're fine. The earthquake this morning was stronger and longer in duration than our usual little ones, but Misawa did not have any damage that we know of, and we never lost power.

I was at home nursing Meghan when it hit, and I have to admit that when it didn't tremble and go away quickly, I got a little nervous. But just as I was thinking, "Wow, this is bigger than usual, I wonder if I should get up and move somewhere safer," the tremors slowed and stopped. Although I did feel a wavy motion for several minutes after the shaking stopped.

John, Katie, Joseph, and Matthew were on their way to soccer games and didn't feel the tremors at all.

Thanks be to God for our safety, and please keep the families of the 3 victims and all those affected in Iwate Prefecture in your prayers.

Patrick's summer

He's off to Boy Scout camp today. He's on the staff at the BSA Far East Council summer camp this coming week. Scout camp here lasts only a week, and all the American scout troops in Japan come at the same time. They're at Atsugi Naval Air Facility this year, and it sounds like they're going to have a great time. Tommy is wishing he didn't have to work because he'd like to go to camp, too. I seem to remember some years when Patrick wished he could go, but was too young. Guess it all evens out in the end...

When he gets back, Patrick will start his summer job working at the base chapel. He works part time, weekday mornings from 7:30-11:30.

On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons, he has cross country summer training.

Sometime each day, he will spend on his summer school work: finishing up Latin II and Chemistry w/ lab.

In his free time, he has lots of social plans with the friends who are still here. But this morning was a tough morning for him. He spent some time on the phone before it was time to leave because his closest friends will be gone by the time he gets back from camp. And it was tough to say good-bye.

Sometimes this military lifestyle can really get you down. Please say a little prayer for him and for his friends if you get a chance. We all know, and they know, too, that they'll get through it fine, but it doesn't make the separation much easier.

Friday, June 13, 2008

Passport photos


Meghan got her passport photos taken today. We discovered that it's a bit of a challenge to meet the post-9/11 photo requirements when you have a newborn.

Both eyes must be open.



Both ears must be visible.


We're not sure any of these photos will be accepted, but we're hoping that they'll give us a break since she's so little. We felt lucky she was awake at all. Patrick slept through the entire process when we had his done at this age. But those were simpler times.

We'll find out Tuesday morning at our birth report/passport request meeting. If they don't pass muster, I guess we'll be back at the passport photo place next Friday morning.

Monday, June 9, 2008

What's in a name?

Why did we choose Margaret Maire-Therese? And Meghan as a nickname? We thought we'd share some of our reasons with you.

John really likes the name Meghan. In fact, it was almost Katie's name, so we have been thinking of it for a long time as a favorite. Meghan is the Scottish diminutive of Margaret. It means "little Margaret."

Mary is John's mother's name, and we especially liked the Irish spelling, which we pronounce like the French, "Marie." It is also the name of our Blessed Mother, for whose intercession, as Our Lady of la Leche, we prayed throughout this pregnancy and delivery.

Margaret means "pearl," an appropriate name for a daughter born in Japan, we think :-)

But there's a bit more to this choice, as well. Back when I was pregnant with Joseph, I began to learn about St. Margaret-Mary Alacoque and devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through a religion project Tommy was doing for Kolbe Academy. The more I learned, the more I wished to name a child for her patronage. I prayed to her for a daughter during my pregnancy with Matthew, but God had other ideas that time. ;-)

Near the beginning of this pregnancy, I also prayed to St. Therese of Lisieux on her feast day, October 1st. By this time, my request had changed, and I asked her for a sister for Katie. Thinking of St. Therese's loving relationships with her sisters, I knew she would understand Katie's longing. All along, I have trusted that her prayers would bring a sister, but I was afraid to say it out loud. Katie and John were much more confident than I was. They have been calling this little one "she" from the very beginning. :-)

To thank her and honor her for her prayers and to ask that she continue to pray for our little one, we chose Therese for a middle name.

5-day checkup

Meghan had her 5-day check-up today and is in excellent health :-)

She weighed 10 lbs, 8 ozs, losing only 3% of her birth weight. Good news, but we weren't really surprised. Unlike some of her siblings, she has been a good nurser from the first moments after birth.

Her bilirubin level was normal, and everything else looks good, too.

We go back again on the 18th for a 2-week check.

Thursday, June 5, 2008

She's here!

Margaret Maire-Therese Riordon

Born at 10:49 pm on 4 June 2008

10 pounds, 15 ounces; 22 inches

Second sister

First Night

First Day

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Labor

Well, sort of.

I started with real contractions last night around dinner time. John and I got a pretty good night's sleep, considering, and the contractions are still going, but only about every 20 minutes or so. This is typical for me. I tend to have long, slow labors. In the meantime, I can get the last couple of loads of laundry folded ;-)

John had to go into work to distribute some duties this morning, but he's back home again. Neither of us expected this baby to arrive on his or her due date! It might take until tomorrow, though.

Laboring at home is so much more peaceful than at the hospital. We will head over there eventually, maybe this afternoon if things progress. It's a little hard for me to predict.

Please keep us in your prayers. We hope to have baby news for you in the next day or so.

Hooray!!

Monday, June 2, 2008

40 weeks

For those who are waiting with bated breath...

I have a few pre-labor contractions every day, but no other progress yet.

Sigh....

We'll see what the doctor says when I go in on Friday for my 40-week checkup.

Really, I could use a few more days to get the kids' grades sent in anyway. But I hope we won't have to wait more that a few more days. Even with some of the things on my list still undone, I am ready to hold this little one in my arms.

Keep us in your prayers, especially to St. Gerard and Our Lady of la Leche.

Sunday, June 1, 2008

Rainy season


Rainy season on northern Honshu begins in June and lasts until at least mid-July (about 40 days, we're told).

Seems the season is starting right on time...

But what about the prom?

Patrick in black pinstripes

We haven't felt like anyone was missing out on prom just because we home school. In Yakima, there was the home school prom. Here, Tommy and Patrick have both been invited to the local high school prom by friends.

Patrick went to the Edgren High School prom last night. He and a group of friends met at the Mexican restaurant on base for dinner and then went over to the dance at the Officer's Club.

The theme was "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and at least one teacher and several children of teachers dressed as fairies for the event.

The dance is only for juniors and seniors, but many of Patrick's friends are upperclassmen, so he was invited to go by his friend, Jeniffer, whom he knows from cross country and soccer. Trent, to the left of Jeniffer, was in Patrick's Confirmation class last year and also cross country and soccer. Nicole, to Trent's left, also played both sports. Becca, on the far left, is one of the g irls' friends.

It was rainy and chilly last night, but the kids were in good spirits anyway.
Not sure what happened to the color on this photo. I'll try to re-load and see if it's any better.

Several of his friends, including the three to his left in the photo above, are moving away this summer, so it was also a bit of a last hurrah for them.

It sounded like they had a great time, despite the fact that most of the music was not to Patrick's taste. He did say that at the end when they started taking requests, it got a lot better.