Saturday, April 21, 2007

The Good of Two...




Ezra is now over the one month hump. During this short time he has experienced many of the penal fall outs from Adam's folly. For the past few weeks he has been labouring simultaneously with thrush (a yeast infection on his tongue), a cold, and my personal favorite conjunctivitis (aka pink-eye). He has a had rough few weeks, but I figure all this suffering is wonderful introduction into life.

Manuela and I am coping well. I have found that the addition of child number two is a larger adjustment than the first. Most likely because now i have to play a more active role. When we had just Mila, Manuela could handle the loin's share of the educating. But with Ezra now on the scene and monopolizing all of Manuela's time I'm needed to tend to lil'o Mila. I think Manuela has received the better hand in this deal. All Ezra does is sleep and eat, while Mila - who bytheby has entered that wonderful phase so befittingly called 'the terrible twos' - spends the entire day conceiving ways how to be defiant and erupting in fits of fury when she fails to get what she wills. Consequently, I spend my days disciplining and pacifying and the 20 minutes in between writing grand treatise on the grandeur of the beatific vision. This paradox my friends is the good of the Christian vocation!

One further note - Ezra is being Baptized on the 29th. My sister Veronica and her and humble and pious husband Andy have consented to by the godparents. Please keep all of us in your prayers on this date.

Sunday, April 8, 2007

Alleluia, He has Risen!






A blessed and joyous Easter Octave to you and yours from the Meloche Clan in SWF. After Mass, the local Parish had an Easter egg-free-for-all (see attached pics). We were a bit surprised to witness Mila's competitive nature. She was in in "0-3" age grouping and was not at all intimidated by the size and maturity of some of the other kids. Mila was not even fazed by the 'intimidation tactics' of one of the larger kids (I think he should been in an older grouping - he was at least 5 feet tall, appeared to have forgotten to shave and kept repeating to Mila the phrase: 'you ain't nutt'in'). Even in the face of such opposition, Mila was a stand out. She waited for the appropriate signal to start and as soon as the flag was dropped she busted out and snagged up her first egg even before the other kids realized what was happening. Her first step was reminiscent of Ben Johnson in his world record jaunt - minus the yellow eyes! Once she had a leg on the other kids it was clear sailing. At times she was 'double fisting', that is, setting down her chicken basket and grabbing two eggs at one time, to utilize time and energy - her technique was poetic. Needless to say she filled up her little basket in record time and left utterly content. It was quite the display of raw athletic talent.

Sunday, April 1, 2007

Donkey riding








No specfic reason to write today. Just a profound desire to show off my family. Wishing everyone a Holy Ghost filled Holy week.

Thursday, March 29, 2007

He's a keeper








According to the receipt, time has since expired (policy allotted only a week)to return Ezra for a full refund and/or an exchange. Fortunately for us we are very content with our new addition. He is a perfect baby boy, which amounts to eating and sleeping well and not crying. He has been to see the doc who informed Manuela that he has gained 1/2 a pound and a full inch (this is rather unusual for a breastfed baby). Everything else is in-line with normative infant development. We were concerned that Mila might be a tad jealous of Ezra monopolizing Manuela's time, but like a champ, she has taken everything in perfect stride. It is rather cute to watch Mila look affectionately at her lil'bro and kiss him ever so gently. Here are a few pics of the family. Thanks for all your prayers, they were truly efficacious!

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Ladies and Gentlemen, without further delay...







herrrrre's...Ezra Maximilian Meloche.


He was born born this morning at 8:03am with no complications. He weighed in at a whopping 8.7lbs. and is 21" long. Manuela amazed all the nurses/doctors walking into the hospital a full 9cm dilated with a smile on her face and pushing lil'Ezra out with no meds. Manuela and baby are doing great. O'Bonitas!!

Saturday, March 17, 2007

Stivenson!

We are still waiting. Manuela had her weekly check on Friday and she is 4 centimeters dilated and fully effaced. The midwife, without any consultation with us, scheduled an inducement at the local hospital at 8:00am this morning simply because Manuela was a week overdue. This suggestion by the midwife did not come as a surprise given our societal desire to technologically control absolutely everything - including the natural ordering of the human body. This procedure is of course completely unnecessary. It would not have been an aid to Manuela or the baby, rather it would have caused Manuela to have a harder more difficult labour demanding a costly epidural and thus a substantial financial gain for the hospital. After pressing the midwife, she consented that the reason for such a recommendation was to safeguard her own personal good (the probability of complications are less if the labouring woman is at the hospital under observation and is thus less likely to be a target of a lawsuit). It is sad to consider that those responsible for our health and well being are more concerned with their own financial gain.
Safe to say, we have decided to wait and allow Manuela's body to run its natural course.

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Everyone is a loser...


Thanks to all those who participated in the first-ever baby Meloche B-Day pool. Unfortunately for all those who entered no one picked the correct date, which means the small fortune that was being offered for the grand prize will be rolled up into the prize money for the next Meloche kid - which at the rate that we are going should be in about another 10 months.

Manuela, according to her mid-wife, is "ripe" for delivery. She is fully effaced and 3+ centimeters dilated. My lil'boy, however, refuses to leave his watery abode. His stubborn refusal truly reveals his Sicilian heritage and possibly throws a monkey wrench into my master plan. I need Manuela to begin labour no later than 2:00pm this afternoon on account of a patristic exam that I need to write which I am not all that well prepared for and I'm thus in need a viable excuse to skip. Consequently, if my son acquiesces and decides to help out his 'old man' I vow to name him after one of the Patristic fathers...perhaps Polycarp or Tertullian.