Have You Heard of This Show, Call the Midwife?

by youngmarriedmom Posted on June 19, 2013

I’ve asked this question of so many friends lately, I decided the show deserved a post.

 

I know it’s summer and gorgeous outside and we should all go get our vitamin D. BUT. We’re very busy these days and sometimes it feels good to just relax to someone else’s story. Since John took his test, we’ve enjoyed the luxury of watching a couple of movies together (Megamind—good, but I thought the romantic storyline was too dominant to hold kids’ interest, and Les Miserables, which I thought was fantastic). I missed that, and I’m glad to be back to it.

 

I tend to have a show that I watch on my own time, as well. There isn’t a current season of The Biggest Loser, but that’s okay. A while back, I stumbled on an ad for a show on PBS called Call the Midwife. In the following weeks, I saw mention of it more and more often. It seemed to be what Downton Abbey fans were watching after season three ended (badly).

 

When I watched the first episode, I thought that was it for me. I was too close to childbirth to be able to handle the tension that comes with each birth. I pretty much swore it off.

 

A few weeks later, I changed my mind. I wanted more. The characters are interesting. The accents are wonderful. And comparing the techniques available to expectant mothers then to what I’ve experienced less than sixty years later (for better and worse) is fascinating.

 

Also, everyone’s hair is adorable. Every episode I’m tempted to pin my hair up before going to bed.

 

I love about this show what I loved about Downton: it’s a peek at a not-too-distant past where we can see the world that was turning into the world that is. Politics, social thought, science! Watching it all come together reminds me that the world we know will not entirely be the world our children know, which means we have the chance to shape it.

 

In an episode I watched last week (Season 2, Episode 6, I think), one of my favorite characters said something to this effect: “Are children valued more now that more of them survive, or do more of them survive because they are valued more?”

 

And in another episode, another character says, “You know what it takes to be a parent? Proximity.” I loved that. Being there is the most important thing. We can get caught up in all the other things we’re “supposed” to do for our kids, but really, they just need us, our love.

 

So much to think about with this show! I love entertainment that gives a little more like this. Oh, BBC. Where have you been all my life?!

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Father’s Day Recap

by youngmarriedmom Posted on June 16, 2013

When I plan a celebration for John, it’s never just one meal or just one day. I think of a bunch of things I want to do and make as many of them as possible happen. This means Father’s Day is not a day at all, but a whole weekend experience, and this year, one that John had a good deal of input on too (I’m not taking credit for all the fun we had . . . just some of it).

 

Normally I don’t do a play-by-play, but we had such a good weekend, and my short-term memory isn’t great lately (waking up every two hours will do that to you), so this is for my own record as much as it’s to share. I’m leaving the culinary portion of the weekend for this week’s Quick Takes, so here’s a look at the rest of what our beautiful weekend held.

 

Friday night: Dinner with Jacob. A bottle of wine. Enough time to watch Les Misérables after the boys went to bed.

 

For the record, according to Wikipedia, Les Misérables can be translated to mean, “The Miserable, The Wretched, The Miserable Ones, The Poor Ones, The Wretched Poor, The Victims, or The Dispossessed” in English. Just thought you might like to know.

 

Saturday morning: John made chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast—yum!—and served them with sausages and smoothies. After Mass, I had some time to write alone at home, while he took the boys for a run and a trip to the playground. I admit, this morning was as much, if not more fun for me as it was for John. He even let me sleep in an extra half hour! After months and months of heading out early to study, I think we were all just happy to have him home—no matter what time it was.

 

Saturday afternoon: The plan was to get to the beach, but timing and logistics were too hard to manage. Instead we went to the Prospect Park Zoo. We arrived in time for the last sea lion feeding, which Jacob just loved. We’ve been to this zoo and the Bronx Zoo before, but Jacob was interested in a whole new way this time. He was leading us around and pointing things out, which was so much fun—what a little boy he is! And when one of the sea lions dove into the water, he squealed with delight and clapped his hands from John’s shoulders. We got home for a nice dinner together . . . and then John passed out from such a great day!

 

Sunday: John let me sleep in and then made breakfast again! Eggs and bacon, yum! We went to Mass, where John received a special blessing with the other fathers in the congregation, as well as a keychain flashlight with “Fathers are a light” printed on them. Post-nap, we went for a run, bought new sunglasses at a street fair, and . . . took a ride on the carousel!

 

Last year, Jacob was not thrilled about the carousel we put him on. This year, he was more into it (though a carousel ain’t no sea lion). I stayed with Henry while he and John rode. When he got off, I asked him if he had fun.

 

“Yeah,” he said. “I saw Jesus.”

 

I looked at John, who was as surprised as I was, then back at Jacob.

 

“You saw Jesus? On the carousel?”

 

Totally straight-faced, Jacob answered, “Yeah.”

 

“Okay, buddy. Well, he’s everywhere, isn’t he?”

 

I don’t know if Jacob saw something that looked like a cross, or a man with a beard that I didn’t notice, or meant something entirely different. Whatever it was, no way I’m going to argue with that.

 

After many weekends spent holding down the fort while John studied, and with weekends full of home improvements in the future, it was wonderful to just enjoy each other this weekend.

 

Thank God for families. Thank God for fathers! Thank God for John!

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Quick Takes 4 – Édition Henri

by youngmarriedmom Posted on June 14, 2013

— 0 —

This is unrelated to Henry, but why does it seem that right after we install our air conditioners each year, it gets cooler for a week or two? I’m not really complaining, just curious.

— 1 —

Henry rolls! One night this week, he rolled tummy to back to tummy, from point A to point B (neither point itself was terribly exciting), for the first time. John got on the floor with him to join in, and Jacob was very close behind. It was pretty cute to have the three of them rolling around together.

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— 2 —

Henry scoots! Once he rolls from back to tummy, he is trying and trying to get that belly off the ground so he can start moving! He’s up on his arms, then pushing off with his knees, and back and forth. He also rotates pretty well (PIVOT!), but at this point, his only real direction is backward.

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— 3 —

Henry smiles! When he lifts his head up, the kiddo is all smiles. I love seeing how thrilled he is that he has this new view of the world. There’s a whole lot more to come, buddy!

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— 4 —

Henry laughs! Making your child laugh is a great thing, but I think laughing with him is even better. Certain motions—lifting him to “stand” on my lap, for example—make Henry lose it, which makes me crack up, too. This reminds me of one of my favorite passages from my very favorite novel, Gilead by Marilynne Robinson:

 

“It is an amazing thing to watch people laugh, the way it sort of takes them over. Sometimes they really do struggle with it. I see that in church often enough. So I wonder what it is and where it comes from, and I wonder what it expends out of your system, so that you have to do it till you’re done, like crying in a way, I suppose, except that laughter is much more easily spent.”

 

Beautiful, right? Add it to your summer reading list! Like, now, please.

— 5 —

Oh, Henry. This little guy brings me so much joy. A number of times this week, it’s occurred to me what a different place I was in last year, waiting for him, afraid I’d never really meet him. Each time, I whisper into Henry’s ear, “I’m so glad you’re here.”

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— 6 —

I’ve mentioned before that Jacob really likes to sit on or near Henry. As the mom, I feel like I have to stop these “hugs” because I value Henry’s inner organs. Twenty times a day I tell Jacob to get off of Henry. Up until now, Henry’s quietly gone along with it, and I thought he might just be on my side. This week, he’s started to laugh when Jacob “rides” him. I get that roughhousing is good for kids, but isn’t six months a little young for that?

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— 7 —

Six months! Next weekend, Henry will be six months old! What?!

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When he was born just a few days before Christmas, I thought we might make a point of celebrating his half-birthday in the future, so he had a day of his own (not that sharing a season with baby Jesus is a bad thing). Turns out, Henry’s half-birthday is John’s birthday. Oh, well. That’s what baptismal days are for!

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P.S. Speaking of John’s birthday, this weekend and next are the high points of the Month of John. Next week’s Quick Takes will be a smattering of all the salty, fatty, and sweet treats we’re making to celebrate. I love that John’s body doesn’t seem to know how to create fat. Makes it more fun for me to cook. Love you, dear!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

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