Fun With Camera

Or: What We Did This Weekend

Claire

Welcome to the outside world, Claire Sophia Wambeke!

Born at 12:42 AM on July 20, Weight: 7lbs. 15oz. Length: 21in. Mom was a champ the whole way.





It's been a hot and eventful week 'round the shire. With temps pushing 100 and dew points in the 70s, it's been oppressive out, and the air conditioning has been working 24/7 to keep a certain pregnant woman cool.
Our experiment in raising turkeys and chickens for meat turned this week into a daily experiment in how to keep birds from spontaneously tipping over in the heat. Fans? Water sprays? Big blocks of ice in the coop? You name it, we tried it, and still the chicks kept dying. Thankfully, Grandpa Wambeke (a.k.a. "Papa"), with MacGyver-like ingenuity, was able to literally take junk from around the farm and put together a moveable coop to keep them shaded and breezy. Both chickens and pregnant ladies were grateful.



In the midst of this hubbub, baby Claire decided to make her appearance. ('bout time! A week and a half overdue...) After an evening walking about Menards (where else in Marshall - besides oh-so-boring Walmart - can one walk in wide circles in air-conditioned comfort?) things were definitely moving, so we went to the hospital. As we left the store, a gentleman looked at Joy and said, "when you havin' the baby?". Straight-faced, Joy said "tonight". A little uncomfortable laughter ensued, and the man quickly made his exit (as did we). Three hours later, we heard Claire's voice for the first time.




Claire comes into this world with an older brother and sister who are intrigued by this new presence. Toby (2yrs) doesn't really get it, of course (except to shout "baby!"), but Ana (4 1/2 yrs) is all over being the "second mommy" to her. In preparation, she made a special place at the foot of her bed just for the baby, with a "baby bed", lots of random knicknacks she collected from around the house, and of course two boxes of diapers. Ana even - several months ago - chose a name for the baby: "Tiger-la-lilly". So upon being told the baby's name was "Claire", she scrunched up her nose and said "I don't like that name, daddy". Of course, soon enough she had modified her name to "Tiger-la-lilly-Claire", and by the end of the day yesterday she confessed, "Daddy, I like the 'Claire' name."



March 2009: Ana meets Toby for the first time.

  July 2011: Ana and Toby meet
  Claire for the first time.




Why did we choose "Claire Sophia"? Well, in addition to the lyrical cadence it has to it, "Claire" is, of course, the French spelling of "Clare", as in St. Clare of Assisi, a very fitting example of generosity and selflessness for a gal to have. And "Sophia" is Greek for "wisdom". There is a tradition in the Orthodox side of Christianity of a St. Sophia, who in the 2nd century was to have been martyred together with her daughters Faith, Hope, and Agape(love). While it's uncertain whether this small-"t" tradition originated with historical individuals or simply was a figurative embodiment of Christian virtues, what is certain is that "Sophia" - as a concept - played a large role in the development of Christian theology. Wisdom was understood from the beginning to be an aspect of God himself, the embodiment of which is found in what Christians called the Logos (Jesus Christ). "Logos" being here an intentional concept (again of Greek origin) used to understand the second person of the Trinity as not simply a person, but above and beyond that as the expression of God's ordered wisdom itself. It was this confidence in God's rational nature (and that of all of his Creation) that allowed Christianity to have such a positive encounter with the insights of Greek philosophy and which even today infuses an authentically Christian outlook in the world. Now, I've no doubt it will be years before little Claire can come to an appreciation of this; for now she's just content snuggling with mama in their new baby sling.




So, today we are getting the house ready for our newly-expanded brood (three bundles of non-stop movement? This house has never seen this much energy in my entire lifetime!). Ana and Toby are with Grandma & Grandpa while Joy & I tidy things up, rest, and get some cherished alone time with Claire. Tonight, we are all home together as a family for the first time. Onward, to new adventures in the Wambeke family....

Flood Update (by Dan)

We haven't built an ark (yet). In fact, we are better off than many. We (only) got 6 inches in the past 48 hours. And the new drain tile that we installed around the house has passed the "stress test"! No seepage problems in the basement, and the sump pumps are just trotting along at an easy pace.

But, our farm is an island right now, and the amount of water around has at least tied (if not surpassed) the Great Flood of 1993. The timeline:
Thursday Evening - Water starts trickling across our road.
Friday Morning - Our road is passable only via 4WD truck
Friday Evening - Our road is passable only via tractor
Saturday Morning - Water is 2 feet deep; Can't see road and don't want to drive tractor into the ditch. Thus, our road is passable only via boat (or foot). I carried a load of supplies (milk, frozen pizzas, and cookies) out to dad. We're hanging out the rest of today and having a party. You're invited, if you'd like. Just wade on over!

I think the water is peaking this afternoon.

A photo journal of the event:

Flooded Garden:





Ferrying pumpkins to the market, by way of tractor.





Our new lakeside view.






Soybeans, gone...
I would estimate 1/3 mile of our road is under water.



View from the end of the road. (What road?)


View from our house.











Beauty, Amid Destruction

Overheard, in the Changing Room (by Dan)

Ana: I want the blue one.
Mommy: Honey, the blue one doesn't fit you anymore. It gives you a snuggie.
Ana: [pause] I want the snuggie!

Like Mother, Like Daughter (by Dan)

'Round here, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree...

Things I Never Thought I'd Hear My Wife Say (by Dan)

Joy, upon learning that we probably have to bring in her cell phone to get it repaired: "Can I trade it in for a Blackberry instead?"

Rodeo Virgin* (by Dan)

Joy's rural metamorphosis is officially complete. Last night, we went to her first rodeo. (Full disclosure: it was my first one, too.)

Unbeknownst to me, as we entered this occasion, the word "rodeo" meant, to Joy, lots of pretty ponies trotting around doing field trials and perhaps the lassoing of a calf or two. At least I knew what I was getting myself into. Imagine her shock when, first thing right out of the gate, came this spectacle:


Once the initial shock wore off, we had a blast. It was fun just soaking in the atmosphere, that rodeo vibe that was a brand new experience for us. A nice healthy dose of reverential red-state patriotism fused to a good-ol' boy work and play ethic, all mixed together with the love of the land and, of course, horses.

I was incredibly impressed by the level of precision, skill and downright guts required for many of the events. In the course of farming, I've wrestled hogs to the ground before, but that's nothing compared to steer wrestling. A few elements, however, were jarring, and even a bit disturbing. It's entertaining, to be sure, to watch a grown man show off his testosterone by clinging for dear life to the back of a rampaging bull, but I just wonder, ethically, does the entertainment value really justify the risk to life and limb? We were privvy to the sight of one poor fellow getting caught in the rope and being thrown around like a rag doll while the bull stomped oh-so-close to his skull. He got off lucky, but his leg is still gonna need some serious work...

All in all, a horizon-expanding experience. I don't see any cowboy boots in our future, but at least we got down the lingo. Yee-haw!

*Thanks to Teresa Mhyre for giving us this label!

Reason # 3,422,509 Why I Married Joy (by Dan)

There will never be a shortage of every grain imaginable in our household.... (Click on the picture to enlarge it and read the labels)
I should note that each pail holds 3 1/2 gallons...

And also note that there's not one, but two kinds of wheat and two kinds of rice.

Young at Heart (by Dan)

Joy neglected to post the other highlight of her day today: splashing in the puddles with Ana, after a quick rain squall came through:

Eschatological Hope, Joy-style (by Dan)

This little tidbit should tide everyone over until Joy gets back online:

So I just got off the phone with my dear beloved wife. At one random point in the conversation, I heard the phone slam down on something, and then for the next minute all I heard was Joy making various squawking noises, amplified for dramatic effect.

Then, for a good ten seconds, there was complete silence. Stillness.

Then, a deep breath and Joy was back on the phone, very calm and composed, with this little nugget of wisdom: "There's two things I'm looking forward to in heaven. One is, you know, that whole 'union with God' thing. The other one, though, is never having to stub my toe again."

My Dog ate My Blog Post (by Dan)

Yes, it's true.

Our sweet, adorable puppy chewed her way through our internet cable at the spot where it comes out of the house. We were frantically trying to bury it before she got to it, but she clearly won that little contest.
The current score: Puppy: 7, Wambeke's: 0

And I have discovered, through much trial, error, and foul language, that repairing one of those cables requires a couple of very specialized tools, which are difficult to track down anywhere within an hour's radius of Marshall.

It may be a few days before Joy can post again....

Overheard (by Dan)

Joy: I am so done with shopping for clothes at regular retail stores.

Joy (5 minutes later): Oooh! L.L. Bean is having a 50% off sale!

Teachable Moments (by Dan)

We buried Stewart today. Even though Ana is only two, we wanted to make as much of a teachable moment out of this as possible.

After telling her that it was time to go and say good bye to Stewart, we went out to the meadow to see him. We explained that all living things need to die sometime, and that it's just the way things are. She wasn't at all bothered by the sight of him laying there, and seemed to understand that there was something different between him in that state and him as a sleeping cat. She was a little concerned when I laid him in his grave and started putting dirt on top of him ("What's daddy doing, mama?") but took it all in stride. After I was done, we all had a big group hug (sniff, sniff) and waved bye-bye to Stewie.

As we walked away, she said, "Stoower got a bang-bang."

Yes. She may never remember this day, but at least she had a glimmer of understanding....

Stewart, R.I.P. (by Dan)

Stewart the cat is dead. He'd been missing for a couple days, and just this evening we found him lying in the alfalfa field in front of our house where he loved to romp. There were no signs of injury, so it must have been the culmination of some unknown illness (he was only 7). Looking back, there were occasional hints that his health might not be in the best shape. But with Stewart it was always hard to tell.

Stewart was our "engagement kitty". Some people come home from getting engaged with just a ring. Us? We came home with a ring and a cat. After Joy finally let me propose to her on the bluffs of the Mississippi (ask her about that sometime), we went for a quick hike. Coming back to the parking lot, we were greeted by the sweetest little kitty. As we enjoyed the moment, the vending stand operator nearby yelled out to us, "Want a cat? He's a stray, and needs a good home." Joy turned to me with those eyes of hers, and well, like I could say "no"....

They don't come much friendlier than Stewart. They also don't come much more neurotic. He loved people. And insisted upon being with them all the time. We'd go for walks, and he'd follow us like a dog. When he was an indoor cat, if we shut a door, there'd invariably be that paw reaching underneath it to say, "let me in!" And now, on the farm, he finally got his wish to be an outdoor cat, but still insisted that the house should be his, too. We've got claw marks in our window screens where he'd jump up and hang on for dear life, just to make sure we knew he was there.

For all his annoyances, he was a great cat. And was especially perfect with kids. He didn't care if Ana pulled his hair, yanked his tail, or tried to sit on him - it was all good fun to him. What saddens us the most is that he won't be a part of Ana and Toby's childhood memories. Ana at least got to know and love him (she'd go outside and yell, "Stoooower!"), but she will certainly forget all about him. Shortly after getting engaged, Joy & I had the happy realization that he was the first addition to what would be our family legacy. But I guess it just wasn't meant to be...

So, with due credit to Martin Luther, who penned this remark upon the death of his beloved dog, here's my slightly modified version, for Stewart:

Be thou comforted, little cat. For you, too, in the Resurrection will have your golden tail.

Immortality Through Architecture, by Dan

Just read a bizarre story in the Wall Street Journal, and had to pass it along.

It seems that one of the casualties of the Bernie Madoff ponzi scheme was a couple who was attempting to achieve immortality through architecture. Yes, you read that right. The shocker here is not that Mr. Madoff stole their project's source of funding (that's so yesterday's news), it's that these two artists were - literally - trying to live forever by creating, and living in, houses with bizarre architectural features.

Their premise is that people die because they live too comfortably. So, the solution? Create houses and apartments that "leave people disoriented, challenged and feeling anything but comfortable." Their creations feature windows that are either too high or too low to see out of, floors comprised of a wavy, moon-like surface ("designed to throw occupants off balance") and rooms that are far apart. Seemingly guaranteed to make you trip and fall on that groggy 2AM bathroom run....

You have to see it to believe it:


I can't help but think of a very astute observation Pope Benedict said in his last encyclical, Spe Salvi:

"Perhaps many people reject the faith today simply because they do not find the prospect of eternal life attractive. What they desire is not eternal life at all, but this present life, for which faith in eternal life seems something of an impediment. [However,] to continue living for ever — endlessly — appears more like a curse than a gift. Death, admittedly, one would wish to postpone for as long as possible. But to live always, without end — this, all things considered, can only be monotonous and ultimately unbearable."

Eternal life in a carnival fun house like this might not be monotonous, but it would certainly be unbearable!

Love Potion (by Dan)

Overheard, on Day 11 of Toby's life:

Joy, commenting on her post-partum hormonal changes:

Boy, the oxytocin must really be coming in... Every time I feed Toby at night, I come back to bed and see you and Ana, and think, well.... [sniff]... I love you guys...

True Love

Multi-tasking, Maternity-style (by Dan)

A scene from our house this morning:

Joy, operating the breast pump with one hand, and a cup of coffee in the other....

We [heart] Toby

Announcing.....

Tobias John Wambeke
born March 9, 2009 at 11:43 AM
6 lbs 14 oz
20 1/4 inches long

Today was the big day! Joy woke up at 4:00 AM, and said, "This has to be it." We tried to get some rest (ha!), and the original plan was to have a nice relaxing morning of laboring. Dan even (foolishly) thought he could sneak in a task or two from work. Yeah right. Things went a little faster this time around. By 7:00 we called Grandma & Grandpa to come pick up Ana, and by 9:00 we were packing up for the car. At 10:00, when we were settled in at the hospital and they were giving Joy the once-over, the nurse suddenly proclaimed, "Holy cow! You're already at 8 centimeters!" Joy grined so large after that comment she practically swallowed her ears. And, well, Toby was born less than two hours later. Joy was a champ the whole way through. I'm so proud of her!!!

So far, we know that Toby likes to sleep. A lot. And he seems to have the nursing thing under control. So that's good.

Grandma & Grandpa brought Ana around for a visit, so she got to see baby Toby for the first time. We've been talking about him to her for so long, and Ana really had gotten to the point of understand some of what was going on, so she handled it really well. She wasn't surprised by him, but was curious about him, and very careful and very attentive to his well-being - when he cried she was visibly concerned. She did ask to nurse him once, so she's not quite getting everything yet. She'll figure it out eventually. She's going to be a great "big sister," for sure.

---

So, I know you're all dying to know about the name. Toby? What's up with that? Well, most of you know how fond Joy & I are of The Office. Well, lesser-known is the fact that my favorite character on that show is actually Toby Flenderson:



No, really.

Okay, the joke's up. I do have a special fondness for Toby, because on some level I see a little bit of myself in him, but that's certainly not why we named our son Tobias.

No, instead here's the scoop. Tobias, which in Hebrew means, "God is great," was a central figure in the Old Testament book of Tobit. (For you Protestants out there, go to the "Apocrypha" section in your Bible, if it has one. You'll find Tobit in there. You Catholics, just look in your copy with the rest of the Old Testament books.) He was the son of Tobit. In the story, God sends the Archangel Raphael to heal Tobit and to bring Tobias and Sarah together in marriage. Sarah had been the unfortunate victim of a demon, who had murdered each of her seven successive husbands on her seven successive wedding nights. (How's that for a curse?) Raphael gives Tobias instruction on how to cast away the demon, as well as how to heal Tobit upon their return home. The whole story's worth a read (read it here), especially the funny part where Sarah's parents basically ask Tobias, "you really sure you want to do this?" and then go dig a burial hole as they send him into what they assume will be a death-by-bedchamber-demon.

In the story, Tobias exemplifies the characteristics of honesty, devotion, and purity of heart that we hope our son will someday grow to emulate.

At our wedding Mass many years ago, Joy & I chose a Scripture passage from Tobit. It was Tobias' prayer on his wedding night:

Blessed are you, O God of our fathers, and blessed be your holy and glorious name for ever. Let the heavens and all your creatures bless you. You made Adam and gave him Eve his wife as a helper and support. From them the race of mankind has sprung. You did say, `It is not good that the man should be alone; let us make a helper for him like himself.' And now, O Lord, I am not taking this sister of mine because of lust, but with sincerity. Grant that I may find mercy and may grow old together with her.
-Tobit 8:5-7

---

Toby, we don't know where God will lead you in life, when you eventually leave our protective care. Wherever it may be, our prayer is that you will have developed those habits of honesty and purity of heart that will serve you and more importantly serve God. Right now, though, we're not too concerned. First things first - we've got to get to know you. And that's going to be a fun adventure all in itself...

Overheard (Maternity Edition), by Dan

Frazzled Wife, to Husband (after spending 5 minutes convincing Daughter to put on her jacket):

You know, as I survey the rest of my life, sometimes all I see are a massive sequence of motivational talks...