Fall Activities and Theological Leanings

I'll open with a few shots from a Charlotte photo shoot yesterday:

Her smiles are intentional now, I assure you.

I love this little dress.

I just love her!

Yes, I do love her, despite the fact that she suffered from colic literally all day long yesterday. I had one ten-minute break in the afternoon, about 45 minutes of peace at dinner, and was saved a massive headache that evening only because the kids and I were at my folks' house and there were plenty of other people to get her through the fussiness. It's difficult, but I keep reminding myself that, hey, she's already a month old--not much longer! I hate to wish away these first few precious weeks just because of colic, but I am very ready to just enjoy a burbly, non-gassy baby. So far the gripe water recommended by her pediatrician on Monday (she weighed in at 9 lbs., 9 oz.--did I already post that?) hasn't done too much for the colic, but it does miraculously cure the frequent hiccup spells she contracts. Fun fun fun!

Besides the colic, things have been fairly pleasant and manageable this week. Autumn has arrived in full force. Point in fact: Saturday we were suffering at the Apple and Pork Festival in 85 degree+ heat; today, four days later, the high is 59 and I wish I had retrieved my slippers from our room before Charlotte went down for her nap. I am so thrilled to be back in the Midwest where fall actually means a seasonal change; in Mississippi, it was really just a continuation of summer with a few hurricanes thrown in for good measure. We are penciling in as many autumnal activities as we can this month. When I say "we," I mean "I," since Stephen outwardly rolls his eyes and scoffs as such trivialities as corn mazes, costume parties, and pumpkin picking. Inwardly he is as giddy as a child; he just wants to maintain the cool professorial persona he has so carefully crafted for himself. (I probably don't help this whole charade. Yesterday he showed me his picture which is used on the Department of Physical Science's faculty page and I told him he looked 12 years old in it.) Among the many activities we have planned: pumpkin shopping at Vana's Pumpkinland this weekend; a fall festival hosted by the School of Graduate and Adult Studies, which we can attend since my dad is employed by the grad school; buying apple cider and pumpkin bread at the Kankakee Farmer's Market; and a costume festival hosted by the Kankakee Valley Park District. The costume festival is free if you come dressed up, so all of us (as in my folks, my sister and brother-in-law, the kids, and me--Steve has a planetarium show) are planning on making very homemade and probably slightly ghetto superhero outfits, since we are too cheap to pay the $3 admittance fee to wander in a corn maze, drink apple cider, and gorge ourselves on free candy.

I love fall!

Today my wonderful husband took a few hours off of work (almost the whole day--don't worry, he can do that from time-to-time, as professors are evidently above the law) so that I could get my hair cut and shop for some fall clothing. After being pregnant twice in under two years, my body is slightly off-kilter and my wardrobe is more than slightly pathetic. I literally have one pair of jeans and three long-sleeve shirts, and that is it. No sweaters, no dress pants, nothing else but some sweatshirts. So today I headed over to Sequels, my favorite resale shop in town, and hunted through the tons of clothing. I don't want to invest too much in clothing, especially pants, as I plan on (ha!) working at losing the baby weight (no, make that three-babies weight) and possibly fitting back into a size 4. Right now I can only manage a size I-am-never-confessing-and-Stephen-sure-as-heck-better-keep-his-fat-mouth-shut, which is fairly depressing. Unfortunately, I was disappointed in the selection this time, which doesn't often happen. Maybe my experience was soured by the harsh florescent lighting of the dressing room which only served to draw my horrified eyes to several new stretch marks on my wounded body. I did find a pair of pants, which is better than nothing, and my haircut was wonderful (Kim has to thin my hair so much, I swear I lose ten pounds every time I get my hair cut), so the day was salvaged and Stephen's sacrifices were not in vain.

At this juncture in the blog I'd like to give a shout-out to my Sunday School class, Starting Points, a young marrieds class at Kankakee First Church of the Nazarene. We started attending this class at the end of last semester after not having participated in Sunday School since the boys were born. I really needed the peer interaction, even for just an hour each week, and we have been welcomed in with open arms by these loving young couples. Some have kids and some don't, all have been married about three years or less (or are engaged), and all come from different backgrounds and bring different opinions and experiences to the table. Kathy Heck, our pastor's wife, teaches the class, and she brings grace and wisdom to the discussion every week. I am especially fond of our class this week as they have put together a meal sign-up for our family for two weeks, due to the new addition to our brood. We have eaten well for a week and a half, more than I can say would happen if we couldn't take advantage of such a ministry, and everyone who has prepared and brought us food has been positive, kind, and eager to help. Stephen and I are huge proponents of Christians working to care for one another in a communal way, and too often this is a lost art in a church the size of ours. What an amazing realization of the body of Christ!

In that vein, I am proud to announce that Miss Charlotte Anne will be baptized into said body of Christ this coming Sunday, October 5th, in our church's 10:30 morning service. If you are able, come share in this time with us. We have chosen infant baptism for all three of our children, and I know a lot of people from Nazarene backgrounds similar to ours are confused, as often Nazarenes tend to choose dedication for infants. Both are accepted and practiced by the Church of the Nazarene, and we choose baptism over dedication mainly from a historical standpoint. Yes, just as in dedication, we are making the choice of Christianity for our children for the time being, welcoming them into the Church, and we recognize that baptism now does not act as a substitute for their personal choice to accept Christ as Savior later on. But we believe in an emphasis on the Church Universal instead of just focusing on the Church local or denominational, and baptism is a sacrament recognized by the Church Universal since its inception. We want our children to understand that they are a part of the most powerful movement in the universe, and we believe baptism is a fantastic way of teaching them of their connection to all other Christians worldwide. I'm sure Stephen could wax eloquent on this subject for much longer, but I believe that is an adequate summation of our thoughts on infant baptism.

Anyway, even if you don't necessarily agree with our reasons, come to at least see Charlotte dressed in a frilly, feminine white dress while she screams after getting water poured on her head. All of our family, including Stephen's parents, are joining in celebration with us. My only concern is wrangling the boys in service long enough to get through the baptism!

Wow, this post has really run the gamut. I should stop on that theologically thought-provoking note before I digress into a motherly discussion of baby poop or temper tantrums. Leave me a comment and let me know your thoughts on infant baptism. I'm always curious as to how people feel on this issue.