one month!

(Thanks for the snazzy month labels, Grandma Sharon!) blurry but so happy He was having one of those sleep-all-the-livelong-days yesterday, but he roused enough to hear me layering it on real thick, telling him what a handsome, delectable boy he is. He always smiles for that kind of talk (who wouldn't?). The little pink spots on his forehead and legs? Nasty mosquitoes the other night at Oktoberfest. The nerve of some bugs.


Our baby boy is one entire month old today! I'm not going to say that I can't believe it, but you know what I'm thinking.

He is one mellow dude. Sure, he is occasionally fussy in the evenings and still wakes three or four times in the night to fill that belly (his longest stretch is four hours). He's a baby. But he sure is a sweetbabe. Like our other kids, we have a slew of nicknames for him already (which, thank heavens, do not include T-bag)-- Tobes, Tobers, Sweet T, Turtle, Tob 'R' Us, Toby Tiger, Turby, Tasty Cake, Toblerone, Tobylicious... and like our other kids, I think his biggest fear come his first birthday is going to be that his parents are fattening him up to eat. He's getting nice and plump. In fact, he's the biggest Ryan kid at one month of age to date. He weighed 11 lbs, 9 oz. at the doctor's yesterday (up 4 lbs, 3 oz since birth) after letting loose with a small arc while on the scale first. He was 22" long, and had a head circumference of 41 cm. I think the percentiles they give are hooey, but for what it's worth, he's in the 91% for weight, 70% for length, and 97% for head size. That's ma boy!

Before he was born, I was gearing myself up for another spit-uppy boy, as Jack was Projectile Vomiter Extraordinaire. He got the curtains, six feet away, when we were changing him one time. And while Toby's hasn't been nearly that bad, he still spits up quite a lot (especially after we've been driving). Though he doesn't seem to be phased much by it. It just creates more laundry. And I've mentioned before that he is NOISY. In his sleep, when he's stretching, when he's eating, when he's breathing... Mmmmmmmmm. Mmmmmmmmmm. Mmmmmmmmmmmm. It's cute, and pretty funny. Unless it's keeping me awake. He's a good nurser, which I am soooo thankful for after my last two sloppy gals. After pumping for them exclusively until 11 months or so, I've come to loathe the act. This child may never have a bottle.

All of his siblings adore him. Opal is often coming up to him, peering closely into his face, "Hey, Tobes. I lub you, Toby! He fitting!" [spitting]. Or stretching her arms out, "Can I hold it?"

Tobias means "God is Good." Nathaniel means "Gift of God." God has sure been good to us with His gifts! We are so very blessed by this little one. Here's a kind of awake one. Sweet boy.

Happy Feast of the Archangels!

This morning, we reviewed the stories and significance of each of the Archangels as well as the prayer to Saint Michael. The kids were excited to read about Saint Tobias in the story of Saint Raphael, who happens to be Mike's patron saint. And Asmodeus, who is also a character in Redwall. Abigail's rendition of Raphael (nearly finished- didn't they do an amazing job??)

I ordered this coloring poster back in the summer when I was first planning our school year. The kids were SO excited when they saw it on the play table this morning. Each of them had an angel to color, and when I came back down after doing who knows what with Toby or Opal, Jack announced, "Mom, we decided that it wouldn't be fair for any of us to color the top part, so we think you should color that part." I was happy to oblige.

Saints Raphael, Michael, and Gabriel, pray for us!

two heads are better than one (weekend recap)

Abigail's newest drawing of Our Blessed Mother. Turtle What a fun and eventful weekend! While Mike helped some friends move yesterday, I took the kids to karate class and to the post office (yes, all five of us went in and got a few hands-full comments). We then picked up lunch at Dairy Queen and headed to a fun new-to-us park nearby, where we played for a looong time until we were all tuckered out. Post afternoon quiet times, we all attended evening Mass and then went to Oktoberfest in New Glarus. Good thing we didn't get there a little earlier, or we may have returned home with a kitten. Sooooo dear. Toby does have a doctor's appointment in New Glarus tomorrow. Hmmmmm...

This morning, Mike took the big two to their karate tournament while I took little person duty at home. Jack got second place for his form (in a group of four)- not bad. After lunch, Mike's friend from high school, Nick, came over. Dad's friends are always a lot of fun- and good for a rousing pillow fight. This evening, we dined at one of our favorites, Sugar River Pizza, with none other than a two-headed monster. Our kids are goofy.

Blessings on your week!

five on Friday

1. We took in two extra kids for several hours yesterday (while their mom and older brother attended a Shakespeare play a ways from here). Such nice kids, who all play so well together- there was nary a dispute during the whole seven hours! And it's awesome how additional kids can mean less work for me (though we didn't bother with school), and tired-out kids at the end of the day. Bring 'em on!

2. (excuse the abysmal phone pictures taken through our bedroom windows)

The good thing about being awakened at the crack of dawn by an infant... prayer time amid God's evidenced beauty.

3. We are going here next week, courtesy of Mike's employer. And we're taking our whole gang with us. And getting cozy in a single room for two nights. With a one month old. So help us all. Don't be fooled. Mike and I dine like this every night.

It's a pretty posh place. We, are not. And with five kids under eight, I imagine that all the other guests will be talking about us behind our backs and cursing us at 4am. Such is life. We are going to make the most of this spectacular opportunity. Mike even signed me up for an 80-minute massage with some of our spending credits. I have never done anything of the sort and care not at all for strangers touching me, so we'll see if I wimp out at the last minute. The kids are excited about the pool. Mike and I are excited about the babysitting services.

4. Just look at this crew! (Today was picture day- can you find the older three?) I am increasingly thankful for our homeschool group here. Our Fridays are kind of crazy. Afternoon quiet time/naps don't happen, but I can run errands with the little two while the big three are in classes, which is nice. Or we can stay in the Moms and Tots room or outside if it's nice (like it was today) and play and chat. The kids are really enjoying their classes (art, choir, science lab, and gym) and have a lot to tell me at the end of their days. And they and I have made some very nice friends.

5. My first week of having the kids by myself during the days went remarkably well. God gets ALL the credit. It was even a relatively busy week for us. We had something going on every single day outside of our usual routine. All fun activities, but an infant who requires sustenance at frequent and unpredictable times of the day can potentially throw a wrench into things. And he didn't, sweet boy. I'm so thankful for every member of my family, the big and small. And for friends who have provided us with yummy homemade meals (a MEGA thanks to my friend, Eva, who brought over a meal for tonight in addition to a few meals for the freezer!). They've all helped make this transition a smooth one.

I leave you with cows. We are so blessed.

welcome, fall

And repeat.

They did this all on their own after we returned from the park with friends this morning. Yesterday, it was cardboard boxes.

We are so blessed.

prayer, fasting, and extra graces

(Abigail fitted this washcloth on his sleeping head while helping to fold laundry) Toby and his other mom our temporary table while Mike polyurethanes the cracks in our kitchen table (what a view!) a post bath Toblerone We had a poor night of sleep here last night (surprise, surprise!). I find it hard to blame Toby though because he wasn't necessarily awake for much of that time- the kid is a sweetheart of a babe, but he roars like a sea lion IN his sleep. Yesterday, I had to take him out of Mass while he performed his waking stretch routine, he was making such a racket. But I like to think that all of my awake time last night was so that I had extra time to pray. Because today was my first day of having all five kids by myself. The extra sleep would have been nice, too, but prayer is even better!

I found out this past weekend (through Children's Rosary) that this week also happens to be the 22nd International Week of Prayer and Fasting (for the Conversion of Nations, the Protection of life, and World Peace,) advocated by Pope John Paul II and Mother Theresa during their lives. I don't think it best to give up food when I'm breastfeeding, since I could eat up all the things and still be hungry, and I figure, the food is going toward an awful good cause. I took a cue from a friend, who gave up yelling at her kids for Lent, and decided to do the same for this spiritual fast. I have a newborn, so it's no secret that I'm sleep deprived. Maybe you've been there? Shorter with your kids and husband and anyone who crosses your path? Raising my voice or losing my cool is often my reaction when I'm overtired to crayon all over our temporary kitchen table, or spitting siblings, or sifting through the kitty litter box as if it were a sandbox (yes, all today). You get the idea. But when each possible in-the-moment reaction is turned over to God as a short prayer petition, the alternative is grace. I think this prayerful venture may have to extend beyond this week.

What did we do on our first day of my return as full-time mom of all? We did a little formal school (not much); we watched a documentary about wetlands from the library; Opal colored ALL OVER the table with crayon, and Abigail (without being prompted) saw it and got a Magic Eraser to scrub clean as much as she could before the Eraser disintegrated; we learned that strawberries and blackberries are not actually berries, but tomatoes, pumpkins, bananas and avocados are (Mind blown.); I filed our PI-1206 form, reporting that we are homeschooling kids 1 and 2 (it's that simple in the state of WI!); we played a few rounds of UNO and Spot It!; I made Waldorf salad and ate the whole 8 servings; I sorted out credit card fraud (someone used our old one to rack up $1,400+ charges in Illnois and Georgia last week - thank you, Home Depot security breach); we prayed a decade for Family Rosary; the kids made a big mess and I averted my eyes while having a bowl of Pumpkin Patch ice cream; all enjoyed afternoon quiet time; we dropped Jack off at karate; and the girls and T and I hurried through Millers & Sons for a few groceries and a rotisserie chicken and broccoli for dinner. Praise God for the graces to bring me through this day! And without yelling once.

The morning offerings that have shown up in my inbox the past two days have been especially appropriate:

"For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy." — St. Therese of Lisieux - The Little Flower

"Grant me, O Lord my God, a mind to know you, a heart to seek you, wisdom to find you, conduct pleasing to you, faithful perseverance in waiting for you, and a hope of finally embracing you." — St. Thomas Aquinas