A Different Perspective

I'm pretty sure my parents LOVE being grandparents.  My father, I think, especially enjoys the payback I get as a mother after all the antics I pulled as a child : clearing out his calculator in the midst of the twenty step problem for his thermodynamics class in college, sitting on the books during family story time, redesigning pants with some scissors I happened to find,  ripping the clothes off of Barbie dolls that Tess spent hours preparing, throwing rubber duckies in the toilet, or tormenting Tess with rubber donuts while she was held captive in the jumper/stroller.

Well....

Payback's a ah-hem...

AUGUSTINE!!!

 

Today alone, just over a month shy of the two year mark, our beloved second born scaled the fully upright sides of the crib to make his glorious escape from naptime, shoved lettuce up his nose and tortilla chips in his ears, and ran around the house screaming "NATE-ted Butt!!" after shedding his soccer ball shirt, sweats, and skivvies.  And at story time...he gave us a break by only rubbing his hands over the pages I was trying to read or pushing the book a little further away with his feet.

Second child syndrome?

 

 

 Following in the footsteps of the wild and crazy St. Augustine of Hippo prior to his conversion?

 Lord, let's hope not!
Surely Augustine John is an innocent, sweet, child that spends his time in company with angels.

Or on the run after knocking down Luke's duplo block empire,  stomping through the carefully assembled village along the train track like Godzilla, or speeding through the living room with his face adorned with a mischievous grin and Luke's blankies in tow. The onlooker can't help but laugh as he scampers past with the one arm tucked up a little higher than the other pumping vigorously to aid in locomotion.


A few months ago, before Clement's birth,  Pete and I were comparing our children.  Although Luke may don more of my physical characteristics he seems to have adopted more of Pete's personality.  Augustine, however, a spitting image of his father (thanks Grandma Schafer for sharing these gems) seems to have been blessed with an ounce, or two, of my orneriness;-)

He has seemed to show mercy on Clement, to this point, but I'm sure Clement will "suffer" a bit after reaching a reasonable age.  Augustine is ornery.  Not mean.  What is especially frustrating is that the little punk knows darn well what he is doing and takes pure delight in causing a bit of an uproar.  He has, within the passed month, started using "Why?" extensively.  He is very verbal...more than Luke at this age I think and full of energy.  He stays put in a timeout when issued- a striking contrast to Luke who we would have to practically hold in place, but won't sit still for the duration of a 15-30 minute television program/DVD or a series of books.  Similarly, he slides off the toilet as soon as he's finished with his business to continue with his daily duties whether he's wiped or not. 

We've recently started transitioning him to the "big boy" bed which comes in the form of the trundle under Luke's bed. One night Pete heard Augustine crying and went to go help him out since usually crying while in bed means he has to go potty.  Upon entering the room however, Augustine was no where to be seen.  Somewhat puzzled, Pete continued to search the room still hearing the whimpers.  Turns out Augustine decided to crawl under Luke's bed and couldn't find his way back out since the trundle was in the way.  Pete helped him out and Augustine just laid down on his bed and went to sleep. 

On another occasion,  Pete arose to find Augustine taking over the house.   Augustine, ready to start his day, went directly to the refrigerator and got out the gallon jug of milk along with his milk cup.  Both were setting on the table with the lid off the milk jug.  He had also brought his step stool into the kitchen and took out a package of crackers to eat.  This was a somewhat surprising scene having been fooled by a Luke that, whenever he wakes up, walks right into our room to fetch dad or mom, if we aren't already up and moving around for some reason.  Augustine seems to have a bit more confidence and independence in his blood.

He jumps on the bed/couches and sits/stands on the windowsill earning an enthusiastic response from his brother wrought with giggles who delivers the exciting events to mommy, thus increasing the audience which obviously motivates the culprit to jump higher, scream louder, or run faster.

Augustine is a character.  A wonderful child of God that continuously challenges me not to become a lazy parent.

I love the little booger! 

I love the way he says "byooon" for balloon.  I love the "tainnts" or "taint you" matter-of-factly offered at the appropriate times without reminder.  I love the, "I tarry Yute-ey" as he wraps his arms around Luke's waist in search of forgiveness for the most recent swat.  I love the little shoulder shrug and open hand that accompanies the "mooo-mom" for 'come on' as he summons George or myself to follow along on his next big adventure.  I love the way he smiles, gives Clement kisses,  and folds his hands or offers to hold ours while praying.  I love his proud "ME" response when we ask 'who did that?' or Who has gassers?.  I love his, "NO! ME Do It!" when we attempt to help buckle him in, ascend the throne, or pour his juice or milk.  I tear up during his not so graceful rendition of the Alleluia he sings at Mass or the "Happy to you" he bellows lovingly at birthday celebrations.  He was particularly excited once he realized we were singing to him on his feast day that we celebrated on Thursday August 28th with strawberry shortcake and a gathering of family and friends.

Happy feast day to you!

 Apparently birthdays and feast days don't get in enough practice in blowing out candles.  We've yet to do an ice cream cake to prevent the treat from collapsing into a puddle while we all wait patiently for Augustine to make the flame disappear.  Hopefully advent will help prepare Augustine better for upcoming celebrations.

 Besides running, baseball, trips to the "day-down!", knock-knock jokes, and playing with squirters, one  of Augustine's favorite pastimes has become taking pictures.  He aims with the camera smashed against his face and encourages, "MY- Il!!"  Perhaps photography is in his future or maybe he was just helping out since Grandma Schafer couldn't make it to the feast day party this time.  He may be an impressionist.

not quite to the top of Grandpa Steve and Uncle Adam

Trashy neighborhood

Dad-DEEE-OH!

Peek over George's shoulder

Selfie!!!!!

From thy bounty

Taking a look

While the somewhat more centered and focused photos were from an 18 month photo shoot with the Maione family and give us different views of Augustine, it's interesting to see what the world looks like through the eyes of Augustine as well.  He's bound to keep charming us with his personality and I'm sure we'll hear plenty more "Nang Knab-BIT"s when he's frustrated and continue to work on those counting skills which currently go as follows "one, two, tee, five, tix, eight, NINE!"  We look forward to what each new day brings- the challenges and joys of having Augustine around.

Oh Lord, we adore you and praise you.  We stand in awe of your creation and delight in the opportunity to share in its beauty.  We thank you especially for Augustine John and pray that we may be guided by your light and compassion  in all that we say or do.  Help Augustine realize that as much as we love him, your love is ever greater. Protect him from harm as he continues to grow and explore and give him the knowledge and courage to fulfill his call to bring others closer to you.  Amen. Alleluia!

Goodies. Goodies. And More Goodies.

My blogging presence/inspiration is consistent with life of a mother with young children.  Lots of thoughts and bright ideas that may not materialize as quickly as desired floating playfully in the air dripping with anticipation like grown-up dialogue made up of half finished sentences.  I'm not sure that analogy even makes sense, but I guess that's the point.

Pete just returned from the store after finding our cupboards void of coconut.  Not a big deal except I innocently mentioned my intention to make a coconut cream meringue pie which would go marvelously with fresh coffee day tomorrow.

Yay for stand mixtures providing white noise to push this post along while whipping up the fluffy peaks to top off the pastry!

Allow me to interject the confident chimes of the nearly two year old Augustine with his famous word...

Why?

Why in the world would we start making a pie at 11pm (especially now that we've decided to get up early and workout before Pete heads to work and I tackle whatever presents itself on any given day)?

I blame Luke.

It all started when Luke was gathering ingredients and working diligently making an imaginary lemon meringue pie.  "One of Dramma Schafer's favorites" he said. Thus the seed was planted.  And nurtured by the two fresh lemons resting in the refrigerator.  Then of course the thrill of trying something new.  And so the thought of, Hmmm...I've never made a lemon meringue pie before, became the refreshing raindrops that were photosynthesized into a light, cool, refreshing dessert.

 

Pete wasn't too crazy about the idea at first having been fooled as a child by meringue that didn't measure up to what appeared, in his mind, as whipped cream.  Thank God for second chances and the stamp of approval declared by his adult tastebuds. Grandma Schafer also approved, "the tarter, the better!"  She's darn lucky she even got a piece that took every ounce of willpower to reserve since we first sliced into the treat on Sunday night and she just claimed her piece today!  Grandma acknowledge her good fortune and added the comment, "Leave it to Pete and Elise-read directions in a book and just do it"

All this NATURALLY led to the "need" to try coconut cream meringue pie. (Plus it was the recipe next to the Lemon meringue pie in the cookbook ;-)

In case you missed it... the fashionable background of the pie pictured above is, in fact, our brand new kitchen countertop!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It arrived 7 weeks after we ordered it.  Both Pete and I found this quite frustrating having been told  in the beginning of the process that it would only be 2-4 weeks.  At that point Clement was still in utero and we wondered which would come first-baby? or countertop? When they finally called they scheduled the installation for August 13th between 2 and 4pm.  I was ticked by this proposal initially knowing that we would be traveling to Columbus that weekend for Pete's cousin Heather's wedding which connected to the home visit of his sister sister (previously known as Michele now Sr. John-Mark Maria of St. Peter the Apostle) who gets to visit Ohio for only 3 days out of the year.  This made for a packed full schedule of family get togethers and undeveloped plans of when exactly we were going to remove the old countertop.  Upon revisiting the issue having all the parties helped keep us out of the house and therefore out of the dismantled kitchen while providing plenty of food without having to cook amidst the disarray.

Unfortunately, we don't have a single picture of the wedding weekend in Columbus  (Congratulations Heather and Alex we had a great time!!!) where we also got to meet up with Uncle Andy but here's some snapshots of the other blessings.

 

 Thank you to Matt that came over on his day off to help Pete remove ye olde countertop.  Pete's prayers to St. Joseph were answered as the task was completed only 45 minutes after Matt's arrival and the later installation of the new plumbing went relatively well and no leaks have been discovered as of yet.  The finished look and satisfaction of having the project complete has nearly erased the fact that the installers came two hours early without notice which just happened to coincide with my departure time for my first full day back in the office at Walsh.  Before we got everything put back together we took the time to scrub the grout in between the tiles of the backsplash that needed a little TLC.  Overall, we are very pleased with the finished product and hardly can remember what the room looked like before.

In other exciting news we welcomed back George Angelo for the first time on Tuesday.  I dressed Clement especially for the occasion.

 The day went well except for a slight hiccup at nap time when I wasn't exactly sure where to put everybody. After a few deep breaths, some Hail Mary's and some lunch we revisited the possibility and the three younger boys got in some Zs.  I was a little anxious preparing for George's return considering when school ended in June he wasn't really walking around on his own yet.  I started worrying about stairs, and gates, and lunchtime, and climbing, and.... well we know what scripture says about worrying!  We're glad we get to enjoy the company of George again even though there are bound to be some busy days with four little boys to tend to. Hail Mary, full of grace...

Some other tasty tidbits include:

Using up the leftovers from Daddy's Sunday Sundae party to celebrate his birthday.  This picture was taken about a week after Clement was born

 

Notice the poundage...We picked up this baby at GFS while shopping for Clement's baptism celebration.  We Schafers do love our popcorn!  

Clement's Baptism July 12, 2014 with Godparents Katherine and Andrew Theken

At Christ the Servant Parish, Canton, Ohio

What did you wake up to this morning?!?!?!?!?!

 

 

Coconut Cream Meringue Pie

Have a blessed day!

O Clement, O Loving, O Sweet...

Meet Clement Zechariah Schafer.  

1st full day at home (July 3rd)

His birthday is July 1st, 2014 and he made is big appearance at 6:28pm.  He weighed in at 8 lbs. 5.5 oz. and measured 21 inches long.   I've decided to break the experience down into a few different blog posts.  And since opening your eyes to the world outside the womb is a pretty big deal, that happens only once in a lifetime, I thought the little booger worthy of an entire post dedicated solely to him.

The Golden Hour

My water broke at 11pm on the 30th and then really broke at 2am on the 1st.  I'll save the rest of the details until another day but mention it to say that the whole laboring experience took longer than I had hoped (this being the 3rd time around). But, it was right.  It was, most definitely, worth it.   I'll not forget the wonder and awe in Pete's voice as the child emerged into the mid wife's hands.  "It's a boy?!?".  Based on previous appointments I could tell Pete was nervous about having the task to make the announcement fearing he may psychologically scar his offspring with an inaccurate label for those precious and chaotic first introductions.

They seem to have hit it off though.

Watching the Tribe.

They got the "W".  Indians-5 ; Dodgers-4.

The next few photos are from within the second hour of his birth.  Basically after the first "golden hour" that Mercy Medical Center allows for cuddle time/ skin-to-skin contact with momma.  I was more than happy to snuggle even after I got a glimpse of his condition when he emerged from under the blankets.  I couldn't help but smirk in recalling Grandma Schafer's nickname for her son/my husband, Pete, when he was younger.  "Little Shit".  One day I suspect Clement will be quite embarrassed that I displayed his meconium schmeared limbs but I didn't get a photo of the artwork he left behind on my somewhat deflated belly.  Oh well, first lesson in life son...shit happens.  We move on.

 

The scale shot.  I thought he was going to flip himself right out!  He managed to wrap his fingers around the top edge and pulled himself on to his side.

 In all seriousness though...God is good! After my water broke I made a pointed effort to paint my fingernails.  Something I haven't done in nearly a year. Eh, I thought, I'll at least have a day or two that I won't have to do the dishes.  I had a quick flash of, Oh, we must be having a girl then since I'm so concerned about my nails. Then,  AHHHHH!  - minor panic- but it-it-it's a bluish color so it could be a boy and that's okay.  Needless to say, despite many claims, I didn't really have a good sense throughout the pregnancy whether I was carrying a boy or a girl.  But, again, it is right.  He is right.  God has a plan.

We returned home from the hospital late on Wednesday night.  Early the next day I pulled out the Magnificat to pray.  In the opening pages was an editorial about "little ones" and their ability to see the invisible and receive the great secrets of heaven.  Then came strawberries as fruits of generosity, vacation meditation, and then... THEN... a familiar and meaningful text.  Somehow missing the connection previously, I realized that the "Salve Regina," the hymn that my father sang at our wedding for the Marian reflection, is in fact the Latin version of the "Hail Holy Queen."  This prayer was the convincing factor in selecting the name Clement.  In the months after graduating from Walsh I had invested more time and effort in praying the rosary, and I remember being especially moved by the line, "o clement, o loving, o sweet Virgin Mary."  I specifically looked up clement to see that it meant "mercy or merciful one." 

Salve, Regina, mater misericordiae;    vita, dulcedo et spes nostra, salve. Ad te clamamus, exsules filii Evae. Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes    in hac lacrimarum valle. Elia ergo, advocata nostra,    illos tuos misericordes oculos    ad nos converte. Et Iesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui,    nobis post hoc exsilium ostende. O clemens, o pia, o dulcis Virgo Maria.

Hail, Holy Queen, mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To you do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To you do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, O most gracious advocate, your eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

 

Early on Pete liked the name Clement.  I argued with him a bit, particularly with the nickname Clem (rhymes with phlegm).  Urging him to convince me and support his argument with specifics, he told me of two Clements in the early Church: one from Alexandria and a theologian, and the other from Rome and one of the early successors of St. Peter as Bishop of Rome.  After reading accounts of their lives, we were both drawn to Pope St. Clement I of Rome.  He is mentioned in the first Eucharistic prayer (right after Linus and Cletus) indicating that he was the fourth Pope.  He wrote a letter to the Church at Corinth which was circulated and read at many communities of the Mediterranean world (Read the letter here).  When the official canon of the New Testament was being decided in the 4th century, there was some support for its inclusion in Scripture.  Though it is not an inspired text and officially part of Scripture, it has many insights on faith, the early Church, and the development of the importance of the Bishop of Rome (later called "The Pope") that are still relevant today.  Once he told me he also had an "uncle" Clem that he remembers fondly from his childhood I further warmed to the name and even the possibility of our child being called Clem.

Here are some of the many faces of Clement that we have already experienced. 

We had actually demoted Clement as a name choice because we had difficulty finding a middle name to go with it.  Again credit is due to the Magnificat.  Praying one afternoon, I focused more intently on the Canticle of Zechariah.  Hmmm... Zechariah... Clement Zechariah... That could work.

Zechariah is John the Baptist's father, Elizabeth, Mary's cousin's husband.  He was struck mute when he doubted that his wife Elizabeth was pregnant but regained his voice after writing "John" on a tablet when asked what name to give his son even though John was not a family name.  The last two stanzas are my favorite.

CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH  Blessed be the Lord, The God of Israel; He has come to His people and set them free.    He has raised up for us a mighty Savior, Born of the house of His servant David. Through His holy prophets He promised of old That He would save us from our enemies, From the hands of all who hate us. He promised to show mercy to our fathers And to remember His holy Covenant. This was the oath He swore to our father Abraham: To set us free from the hands of our enemies, Free to worship Him without fear, Holy and righteous in His sight All the days of our life. You, My child shall be called The prophet of the Most High, For you will go before the Lord to prepare His way, To give his people knowledge of salvation By the forgiveness of their sins. In the tender compassion of our Lord The dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness And the shadow of death, And to guide our feet into the way of peace. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning,  is now and will be forever. Amen.

Getting ready to leave the hospital

I don't think it was any big secret that I was ready for #3 to make his or her appearance.  I was getting anxious and quite honestly very frustrated as other people posted pictures of their newborn babies.  Yet another exercise in patience and reminder that I'm not in charge.  Late as it was, as I sat with Clement at home praying I felt the gentle pat on my shoulder, "See my child, I knew what I was doing" and practically saw the proverbial winking face appear on the pages of the Magnificat.  Morning prayer for July 1st opened with the hymn Love Divine, All Love Excelling  which was the closing hymn at our wedding.  Similarly, the reading was Genesis 1:27-28, 31a, the 1st reading at our wedding,

God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them.  God blessed them, saying to them:"Be fertile and multiply..."

...God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good.

I couldn't agree more.

Pa-pa Schafer meets Clement

 

And now a round of applause for the winners.  Pete's brother Matt gets the "big" prize.  Despite the lack of written evidence at Pete's Sundaes on Sunday party for his birthday Matt said, in front of numerous witnesses, "I tried to enter in my guess twice but it didn't let me".  He guessed  Cletus Clement figuring that we'd call him CC for short.  I don't know if he even guessed a birth date or other statistics since I was trying to keep a blank face surprised that Clement was mentioned, particularly this late in the game.

Likewise, Stephen J. Francis, Sr. my grandfather, wins second prize for guessing a boy on July 1.  (Sorry Becky Z.- grandpa wins by a nose because he's 80 years old and shares his birthday with Clement)

And Jen Jab you win for most creativity.  Thanks for having fun playing the game and adding in the reasoning and laughs.  Big brother reactions will be coming soon in a follow-up post.

I'm hearing sirens for a late night snack.  Peace be with you all!