Thursday, 24 November 2011

First Snow

Yesterday was our first Ottawa snowfall. Since Liam was too little last year to care about weather, I was eager to introduce him to the snow yesterday. I dressed him up around mid-morning – he looked hilariously cute. I enjoyed a good solo laugh as he stomped around the house in his giant blue suit and new winter boots (at moments like that, I really wish another adult were around to enjoy with me the humour of the situation!). I was hoping Liam would be intrigued by the snow, but he seemed unimpressed. He noticed it, and tasted it, but was more interested in trying to run towards the road. Our dog Freya was far more excited about the snow than Liam was. She ran, rolled, and did her strange bucking maneuvers (which Brendan calls rodeo jumps), enjoying herself thoroughly. Liam got a kick out of Freya’s antics, as he usually does.




We came in after a short time of walking around outside (mostly Liam walking toward the road and me carrying him away from it), and I had a happy feeling of anticipation as I imagined the day when my little boy and I would actually play outside, and come in with rosy cheeks, to clutch mugs of hot chocolate, and wipe runny noses without crying. One day. But I’m certainly not wishing Liam to grow up any faster than he is. My baby is almost 15 months old and already looking like such a big boy:



I’ve noticed a marked increase in his development in the last month. He calls the dog by her name, which he pronounces, “Vey,” and says “num-num” almost constantly (this boy loves to eat!). He is remarkably agile and is an adept runner and climber. He’s also very curious, and enjoys opening cupboards and spreading their contents all over the floor. He loves books and has the endearing habit of climbing into my lap to read stories. I rarely get through the whole book before he’s on to the next thing, but even a five second story time cuddle is nice (especially now that he’ll actually look at the book without smashing it with both hands, as was his former way). 

Stealing a kiss before he runs away!

He is an unabashed Blankie Boy, and although Blankie rarely leaves the house, it follows Liam nearly everywhere while we’re home. If he happens to forget about Blankie while engrossed in something else – a toy, or a book, or a kitchen utensil – he usually recognizes his oversight and goes to fetch his friend. I had made up my mind before Liam was born that I didn’t want to foster an attachment to a big dirty stinky blanket, but alas – the blanket won. I try to wash it often, but it’s still covered in dog hair most of the time (come to think of it, nearly everything in this house is covered in dog hair most of the time…).

Liam's favourite perch - notice Blankie at his feet






The weather forecast says eleven degrees on Saturday, so it doesn’t look like this first snow will last. That’s ok though – it’s still early. There will be plenty more snowfalls in the coming months and many opportunities for Liam to enjoy his first Canadian winter – maybe some of Freya’s enthusiasm for the season will rub off on him!



Sunday, 13 November 2011

Proverbs 31

The first reading at Mass today was from Proverbs 31:

“A good wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.
The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.
She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life.
She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands.
She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle.
She opens her hand to the poor, and reaches out her hands to the needy.
Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.”

After the reading, Brendan whispered to me: “That describes you! Especially the part about working with flax!” I had to stifle my “this-is-not-an-appropriate-time-to-be-laughing” laughter for a good couple of minutes. He said this because I’ve recently become obsessed with healthy food, and flax is one of the new additions to our diet. I think he also said it just to make me laugh.

Although I was honoured by my husband’s praise (because it was a compliment, flax joke aside!), I know that becoming the Proverbs 31 woman is a long journey. She is trustworthy, noble, hard working, generous, faithful to God and to her family – when I think of this woman, I imagine someone with great strength of character who does not back away from challenges, but meets them courageously, unafraid to give of herself for the good of others. When I was a teenager I noticed that my mom would never sit down to dinner until everyone else had what they needed. If there was not enough of something to go around, she would be the one to go without. I remember assuming that this kind of generosity was part of motherhood. When you’re a mom, you give. In my teenage way, I thought this was something you just grow into spontaneously. My mom’s self-giving seemed so effortless that I figured it was just something that came naturally when you assumed the responsibility of looking after other people. Now that I’m a wife and mother myself, I realize that generosity, even when it comes naturally, is not always effortless. I don’t think the Proverbs 31 woman just woke up one morning ready for the task of caring for a husband and children, working at her craft to provide for her family, feeding the poor, honouring the Lord in everything she does – she had to work at these virtues. And although the idea of so much hard work can be daunting at times, it’s encouraging to think that with effort (and grace, of course), we can become the people we want to be. Every small decision I make to be generous, to work hard, to meet the needs of others, molds me into the kind of woman I want to be. A woman like the wife in Proverbs 31 – a woman like my own mother.