Thanks for the icon Barb

I love my German Shepherd.

cheap shot(put)

So, last week Bubba dropped a shoput on his finger. Don't ask me why we have a shotput. I had no idea we had one, let alone that it was stored in our laundry room on the floor (?!). I wasn't home at the time; I had taken La Bambina to the pediatrician for a checkup. My mom, who was watching him, felt terrible, but honestly, it could happen to anyone in our family. I mean, we do leave shotputs out in our laundry room. So, when the incident happened, he cried a good bit, but was totally fine when I got home half an hour later. The fingernail turned funny colors and didn't seem to bother him too much until the nail started to pull away. It finally fell off this morning. He asked me to take him to the hospital to get a new fingernail. He was very tough about the whole thing. He's such a strong guy.

Bub started Pre-K yesterday. I was a little afraid he'd cry, but he did very well. he wanted to go back this morning, but he only goes on Tuesdays and thursdays, so he's got to wait till tomorrow. But he's excited, and that's good!

Happy Birthday!

Three years ago today my Bubba entered the world. He was a very docile baby, the complete opposite of his much more intense brother. He was also my largest baby, 10 lbs., 1 ounce. He is my little friend. He is a bit of a mama's boy right now, but he loves to roughhouse (Remember Bubba, we don't tackle at school!) and play ball with Dad and Primo. He is my singer, belting out any Dan Zanes song you ask for, or his favorite, "God Bless America." He loves to tell jokes, then repeat the punchline over and over; after all, it is the funniest part of the joke! He loves his Thomas trains and puzzles and letters and numbers.

Thank you God, for our Bubba. St. Dominic Savio, pray for him!

We are three thousand

I love the poem "We are Seven" by William Wordsworth. I thought about it the other day because my sons were fighting, as brothers who suddenly have a new person vying for their parents' attention are wont to do. I said to them, as I often do: "Be kind to each other. He's the only brother you have on this Earth." (I have had 3 miscarriages, and I know at least one of them was a boy. I'll link to the post if I have the time to search for it.)

See, as Christians, we don't believe that death is the end of the line. The little girl in the poem knew it very well (Didn't Jesus say something about having childlike faith to enter the Kingdom of God?). My sons know that they have siblings in heaven who will be there to meet them. And my daughter will know it too. All of us should be like the girl in the poem.

That's what should make a day like today a little more easy to bear. I live in North Jersey, about 10 miles away from Manhattan, as the crow flies. I didn't know anyone who was killed that day. But I remember that day vividly. My mother and my husband were at work. I was at home with 8 month old Primo, watching "Good Morning America." It was a beautiful day. Would we head to the park later? What would we do today? The local ABC affiliate cut into the broadcast to cover this plane accidentally crashing into the World Trade Center. Then the second plane hit. I remember thinking: "Boy, some air traffic controller really screwed up, eh?" My mom called from work and asked if I was watching the TV and I said yes. She said, "You know we're under attack, don't you?" And then I snapped out of my naivete. duh. Two airplanes don't crash into those buildings by accident. One maybe, but not two.

I had a hard time reaching my husband, who was working west of where we are, nowhere near Manhattan. He was on the treadmill in the fitness center watching it all on the TV. He finally called me, anxious to know how we were. By now, the Pentagon had been attacked. I remember him saying, "If anything else happens, I want you and Primo to come out here. There are a lot of oil refineries in town and I want you guys out of there if something happens." I just wanted him to come home.

September 12th was even worse. The wind changed, it was blowing in from the east. The fires were still going strong in the rubble at Ground Zero and there was a haze in the air here in Linden. And a stench like death that came over with it from Manhattan. And it was eerily quiet. See, we live in the flight path for Newark Airport, so our windows rattle continuously from all the planes that take off every day. And all the flights were grounded. My mother lived in an apartment in Newark, on the 10th floor. She heard planes, but they were fighter jets.

A month later, the Tribute in Light reached into the sky to the east of my home. I still look up in the eastern sky at night and miss its glow.

So many people died on that day. But they're not really gone, are they? Still, I couldn't bear to watch the coverage from Ground Zero this morning, with the names of all those who were killed that day being read aloud. I have deliberately stayed away from coverage of that day. To see people jumping out of windows of the WTC, to watch people try to outrun the debris from the collapsing towers, is just a little too much for me. Maybe my faith isn't strong enough. But I know that we are not seven, we are three thousand.

"We are Seven"

— A simple Child,
That lightly draws its breath,
And feels its life in every limb,
What should it know of death?

I met a little cottage Girl:
She was eight ears old, she said;
Her hair was thick with many a curl
That clustered round her head.

She had a rustic, woodland air,
And she was wildly clad:
Her eyes were fair, and very fair;
— Her beauty made me glad.

"Sisters and brothers, little Maid,
How many may you be?"
"How many? Seven in all," she said
And wondering looked at me.

"And where are they? I pray you tell."
She answered, "Seven are we;"
And two of us at Conway dwell,
And two are gone to sea.

"Two of us in the churchyard lie,
My sister and my brother;
And, in the church-yard cottage, I
Dwell near them with my mother."

"You say that two at Conway dwell,
And two are gone to sea,
Yet ye are seven! — I pray you tell,
Sweet Maid, how this may be."

Then did the little Maid reply,
"Seven boys and girls are we;
Two of us in the church-yard lie,
Beneath the church-yard tree."

"You run about, my litle Maid,
Your limbs they are alive;
If two are in the church-yard laid,
Then ye are only five."

"Their graves are green, they may be seen,"
The little Maid replied,
"Twelve steps or more from my mother's door,
And they are side by side.

"My stockings there I often knit,
My kerchief there I hem;
And there upon the ground I sit,
And sing a song to them.

"And often after sunset, Sir,
When it is light and fair,
I may take my little porringer,
And eat my supper there.

"The first that died was sister Jane;
In bed she moaning lay,
Till God released her of her pain;
And then she went away.

"So in the church-yard she was laid;
And, when the grass was dry,
Together round her grave we played,
My brother John and I.

"And when the ground was white with snow
I could run and slide,
My brother John was forced to go,
And he lies by her side."

"How many are you, then," said I,
"If they two are in heaven?"
Quick was the little Maid's reply,
"O Master! we are seven."

"But they are dead; those two are dead!
Their spirits are in heaven!"
'Twas throwing words away; for still
The little Maid would have her will,
And said, "Nay, we are seven!"

— William Wordsworth (1770 – 1850), 1798

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The day from hell

Dad is sad,
Very very sad.
He had a bad day.
What a day Dad had!

From "Hop on Pop" by Dr. Seuss

I talked to my dad this evening. He started a new job about 3 months ago. He was fired from that job yesterday (My stepmom was laid off at the same time he got this new job back in June). So, now both of them are out of work with my 16 year old stepbrother still at home.

Here's the backstory: After about 20 years with one company, severely underpaid for his Systems Administrator position, he found another Systems Admin. job for a lot more money. After about ayear with that company, he was laid off and was unable to find another IT job for three years. He landed at this other place 3 months ago. There was a 90 day probationary period. He had an evaluation about a month ago and he claims it was a glowing performance review. Dad took a few days off last week to fly to Utah for my godfather's wedding. Yesterday was his first day back after the long weekend. He walked in and was told he was being let go because of job performance issues. He was told his desk would be packed up and sent to him.

So Dad, really mad, went home. Where he realized that he still had a key to the building. So, he called back and told them they'd get their key when he got his stuff. So they said, come back and get your things.

About 5 minutes away from his former employer's office, Dad stoppped at a red light. At which he was rear ended by a school bus. No one was seriously hurt and there were no kids on board. He went to the ER and was released. His car is totally messed up, but driveable.

So pray for my dad that he and my stepmom both find work soon. And that the auto body place will just fix his car since it's paid off and they can't afford a new one since they're both out of work.

we're home

La Bambina and I are home. She was 9 lbs, 13 oz when she was born on the 30th of August. The delivery went well and, oddly, I've had less pain than with my other 2 C-Sections. Well, with all of you praying for me, maybe that's not so odd ater all.

Bambina nurses well, and she's got her days and nights mixed up a bit. She's much more calm in the hustle and bustle of Casa Giglio than in the relative quiet of the hospital. She's in her co-sleeper bed right now and I think she might actually go to sleep!

Her brothers are really excited to have her home. The trick is going to be keeping them from loving her to death.

What was left of Ernesto rolled thru Jersey yesterday. I was still in the hospital and the power went out in our area because a transformer blew across the street from the hospital. The emergency power came on and very little changed due to the outage. I'm just glad I wasn't in the OR. That might have freaked me out a bit.

For obvious reasons, the blogging will be light. It is nice to be home!