Everybody loves a parade

Part of the Columbia Arts Festival this year was the Kinetic Art Parade. We thought it would be interesting for Jacob, so we decided to go. It might have been the shortest parade I've ever seen. The time span worked well with Jacob's attention span.

Naturally, the parade started with a police escort, the sort of police Jacob likes:


It also starts with a banner from the parade organizer or host or sponsor:


Jacob was more interested in the flags that came behind the banner, but after that came the police that he didn't like. These cops blare their sirens at full volume!

You would think the cutesy vehicle's full volume wouldn't be so bad, but Jacob wouldn't agree. The next car was better because it threw candy at us:

We went from old guys to old friends as Jacob's favorite man in black came marching by:

I'm not sure if Darth Vader was waving or doing Jedi mind tricks on the crowd. All I know is Darth is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I've ever known in my life. Not as cuddly as a Jawa, but who is?


Jacob loved the next group the most. Not only did they have a dragon (notice Jacob pointing excitedly)...

...but they also had what Jacob was really pointing at, a big big drum!!


Jacob also liked the city bus, but was still looking with longing after the drum:

We passed this car driving in to the parade and we wondered if it would be part of the fun. You can't really tell here, but that's a sand castle on the roof. A lot of sea shells were on the back bumper too.


Another loud entry, at least according to Jacob, was the lone marching band in the parade (I think they had to have one in order to qualify as a parade):


We knew it was the end when we saw the cops coming again, leading another parade of sad drivers who didn't know they were on the parade route until too late.


I'll bet they too were glad that it was the shortest parade I've ever seen.

Library Summer Reading Program

On Saturday, we went to the East Columbia Branch of our local library for the kickoff of the Summer Reading Program. We signed up Jacob and Lucy for the Wee Splash reading program, which included tickets to a local minor league baseball game in August and our favorite, coupons for Chick-fil-A. We also participated in lots of fun activities.

At one of the craft tables, Jacob had the chance to decorate a fan. He didn't use any of the stickers but he did doodle on it with a purple pen. Outside, he put some dirt and seeds in a cup. Unfortunately, we've already lost track of the cup, so the seeds may not get to grow.

Jacob and Lucy listened as County Council member Calvin Ball and his daughters read stories at 10 a.m. Unfortunately at 10:10 the overhead speaker announced that the bubble lady show was starting immediately. The children went wild for the bubble show and the poor councilman was left reading to his own kids. My only consolation is that Jacob lost interest about 10:05, so he and I had already wandered away. The bubble lady was impressive. She made gigantic bubbles while the crowd oohed and ahhed. I took Lucy and got in line for the balloon guy during the bubble show. The line had little to no progress, so we didn't get a balloon there. As we checked out, Lucy swiped a balloon from the front desk. I guess she really did want one.

Unfortunately, the only pictures we got were on the way out with my cell phone of Jacob with an unrecognizable mascot/gigantic cat. A prize will go to anyone who can identify this creature:

Jacob tries to avoid an embarrassing photo op by sneaking past

Lady tries to convince him it won't be embarrassing

You judge the result; all I can say is, "Jacob, I'm sorry"

Cry Room Chronicles II

Lucy in her going-to-Church outfit, now with shoes!

We parked our car in the Church lot at 7:59 a.m., so we were as close to almost on time as you can get. The procession had already made it to the altar by the time we got in, but the first hymn was still being sung. We made our usual way down to the Children's Chapel, only to discover no sound or picture of the Mass.

We climbed back upstairs and Angie let the junior usher (he looked about 10 years old) know about the problem. Entering the church, we filed into the backmost pew we could. Lucy and Jacob were pretty squirmy today throughout the Mass.

Lucy started burbling during the first reading, so I don't know what the reading was about. She started making more noise during the homily, so I pulled out what was left of her 7:30 bottle and quieted her down. It seemed like a brilliant idea until I discovered some spit up on her dress and chin! Luckily we keep extra outfits for both children in the diaper bag. Even better was the changing table in the men's room (a lot of men's rooms don't have that). I missed the heart of the sermon but didn't have to change Lucy on the floor. As a side note, I was surprised by how many guys were using the restroom during Mass. The total must have been four or five, not counting Lucy and me.

Jacob did a lot of squirming throughout the Mass. He needed a lot of holding in our laps or blocking from escaping the pew. At one point, he banged his head into the pew by accident, so Angie had to take him out to calm him down. After they came back, Lucy wanted to switch parents, so I held Jacob through the end of Mass. He wasn't as enthusiastic about the sign of peace as he usually is. He did shake a few hands besides mommy's and daddy's. He told me he wanted to leave after that. I told him we had to go to communion and sing another song before leaving. Jacob replied, "We get body of Christ!" He was still pretty antsy to get things moving.

As we were driving home, Angie said it was a toss up as to who was the more troublesome child today. Personally, I think spitting up during the homily wins easily. I did think of telling Father that his sermon made my daughter throw up, but then I would have been the most troublesome child. What I did hear of the sermon was quite good. He started with a short overview of the history of the Feast of Corpus Christi, including its origin in 1264. Thomas Aquinas was commissioned to write part of the Divine Office and some hymns for the feast. The feast became very popular and two cities in the USA are named after it: Corpus Christi, Texas, and Sacramento, California. Sacramento is the Spanish word for "The Sacrament," since the Eucharist is the central sacrament of our Faith. The rest of the homily was lost on me, alas.

Hopefully next week the Children's Chapel will be back online!

Lucy in her post-church outfit, still with shoes

Jacob's Right

Jacob has entered the phase of toddlerhood where he wants to argue with or correct everything, especially what I say. Consider some examples:

• I suggested we go to the movies. Jacob said, "No, daddy, we go to movie theater." So much for that outing.
• Of the three or four songs I've made up for diaper changes, only one is the right one according to Jacob. If I start singing Super Fast Diaper Change he says, "No, no, sing Change That Diaper!" He'll even sing the first few words to get me started.
  
• One of his library books has this line: "Thanks, D.W." whispered Aunt Lucy. When I read it, I whisper what's inside the quotation marks and use a normal voice for the end of the sentence. Jacob corrects me by saying "Thanks, D.W." out loud and whispering the rest. He usually isn't satisfied until I say it his way.
• We argued today about a big mess that he made in the play room. I said he had to help clean up. He said no. When I insisted, he told me, "Jacob said no!" So I replied that he could help me clean up or have a time out. He countered with asking to watch a video. After he refused to choose two more times, I gave him the time out. He was pretty upset, but we were okay afterward.
• At meal time, Jacob often wants to leave before he's had enough. I usually say, "Two more bites and you can get down." Sometimes he goes along with the offer, but other times he replies with "Jacob said no!" Luckily he is not too insistent. Maybe he knows that two bites really isn't too much. Sometimes he tries to renegotiate the terms and says, "No, Jacob wants five bites." I usually cave in to such a tactic.
• At nap time and bed time, we read three books and then he goes to sleep. Here he also tries to renegotiate and says, "No, five books." Angie and I don't give in this situation. He's tried it on babysitters Carlos and Rosemary to no avail.
  
• Jacob has learned to climb into his seat in the van by himself. Consequently he wants to do it by himself every time. Sometimes he goes quicker than other times. If he's too slow (e.g. I've already put Lucy in her car seat, taken out some trash, loaded the car with canvas shopping bags and library returns, etc.), I count to ten and if he isn't sitting by ten, I pick him up and put him in the chair. The first two or three time he was really upset about being picked up ("I wanted to do it myself!!!" amidst sobs of anguish), but lately it is just a game. He makes some token protest but is grinning as a strap him into the car seat.
• Yesterday he went out to the sprinkler with Mommy but protested he couldn't go because he didn't have a swim diaper on. Luckily he was persuaded that it was okay without it. Even luckier, he didn't insist that Mommy and Daddy have swim diapers!
  

The pediatrician warned us that Jacob would be testing his limits and trying to get away with as much as possible in his second year. He's also giving his parents a lot of opportunities to develop patience. I'd like to say, "Thanks, Jacob" but I don't know if I should whisper or shout.

Cry Room Chronicles I

Today we were up early enough to go to the 8 a.m. Mass at St. Louis Parish in Clarksville, Maryland. Since we have a two-year old and a nearly one-year old, we quite often go to the Children's Chapel.

The Children's Chapel is a room down a staircase and down a hall from the main church. The sound from the Sanctuary is piped in and a TV mounted on the wall provides live video of the Mass. Under the TV is an altar with a crucifix and two unlit candles. Four rows of folding chairs provide seating. On the left side of the room is a roomy bathroom which allows for private diaper changes during the service. On the right side low shelves are full of sturdy, spiritual children's books, large bead rosaries, some square pieces of rug for kneeling. The set up is very nice and very helpful for us to pray while trying to corral the little ones.

Today was a pretty good worship experience. The worst thing that the children did is when Lucy stopped me from making the sign of the cross over her at the end of Mass. A lesser offense (though possibly more dangerous to her) was when she tried to pull the trash can over on top of her. The first time she did it, we caught her in time. The second time she headed over there, I got up and beat her to the trash can. The third time she stopped half way and looked back with a wicked little smile on her face. Angie and I rolled our eyes and picked her up. What kind of trouble will she cause when she's walking?

Jacob did much better than usual. He did his usual and quite altered versions of the hymns. To his credit, he sings the gospel Alleluia almost correctly. And he is very helpful in getting us hymnals and missals when we ask. He didn't shake our hands for the sign of peace, which he usually loves to do. Without other parents and children in the room, it may have been less interesting for him. He only tried to leave once or twice and sat through most of the homily.

Which was nice, since that meant we could pay more attention to the homily than to the kids. The homily discussed the Trinity (since it is Trinity Sunday) and ended with some homework! Father asked us to think of who we pray to when praying to God--God the Father or the Son or the Holy Spirit. Or do we just pray to God in general, without specifying. He said that the answer would show something about our priorities or focus in spiritual life. For me, the answer is God in general. I wonder if I should be more specific in the future?

Reflections on the Lost Finale--full of spoilers

I just finished watching the final episode of the TV series Lost. Whoa, there was a lot going on! Do not read on if you don't want to read some massive spoilers about the show.

Clearly, the big reveal of the episode is the explanation of the flash-sideways as the afterlife. Remember back in seasons one and two when a lot of people thought the "survivors" of Oceanic 815 were all really dead and the island was supposed to be Purgatory? Purgatory has finally come to the show, even if it isn't called that. The characters in the flash-sideways have been running into each other and slowly been discovering their previous lives, realizing the need to let go and move on. Most of them do this in a final scene in a church, where Christian Shepherd almost literally "shows them the light." Kate Austin even says earlier in the episode, "Christian Shepherd? Really?", referring to the obvious literal meaning of his name.

The flash-sideways/afterlife shows a couple of things. First, the characters need to work together to move on (presumably to Heaven). This idea is a great artistic representation of the communion of saints. Second, it shows that this life is incomplete and fulfillment is ultimately only in the afterlife. Third, even if your life ends really badly (blowing up with a bomb, drowning, etc.) you can have a happy ending. Fourth, a lot of times, couples save each other (here is a case where the exception does prove the rule: I think Ben wasn't ready to move on yet because he was in the most dysfunctional couple on the show, viz. him and Rousseau).

They left a lot of questions unanswered, especially about the island mythology. I was prepared for this because the producers, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, have been saying on their podcast that they wouldn't answer everything that the fans wanted to know, partly because there was no way to fit it all in and mostly because they wanted to conclude the story the way that they had planned it. I think a lot of fans are obsessed with the mechanics of the plot or how the island works (how did the smoke monster get his powers, what are the rules between Jacob and the Man in Black, how does the island regenerate people/only regenerate some, what different people have come to the island and what's their stories, etc.). The creators are clearly more interested in the interpersonal relations of the characters and wanted to resolve those issues. I'll have to think more about the mythology. I suppose I was satisfied enough with what they gave us. I don't really care about all the different groups who've been on the island though it would be cool to know what the "rules" of the island are.

Lost is over now, what will I do? I'll probably re-watch the whole thing now that I know all that they'll tell me about what is going on.

More on Lucy's Teeth

Lucy's teething has continued. Angie received a lovely Mother's Day gift, a teething ring bracelet! Lucy shows it off in its "stand alone" mode.

It won't keep her satisfied forever, though. It looks like she's found something better to chew on.


In fact, I think she wants to give the cameraman a hug!

Uh-oh! She has a fourth tooth...and what is she going to do with it?!? I think I saw this pose in a Hammer Horror film.


I guess I can't complain. Jacob did the same thing when he was her age: