What's in a name?

Now that we know we're having a boy, the inevitable next question is, "Have you thought of any names?"

Why yes, yes we have!  In fact, after discussing and praying about names since finding out we were pregnant, we had our boy name pretty much picked out going into the ultrasound.

I would like to introduce you to Liam Roderick Crane.

I think he's waving :)

The middle name was the easiest part--we knew even before we found out we were pregnant again that we wanted to name our next son after Alex's dad.  There are so many reasons... both Alex and I are very traditional (ha! you never would've guessed, would you?) and love the idea of names being passed along in the family, but even more importantly we love Rod/Dad so dearly and respect him so highly that it was pretty much a no-brainer to want to name a child after him.  I know Alex's relationship with his dad has been--and continues to be--so precious and formative in his life. And I am eternally grateful to Rod for the example he has set--and continues to set--for Alex in how to be a husband and a father.  We hope and pray that Liam will learn many things from his Papa: faith, love, service, humor, and many more!

We talked about several first names; it had to have some sort of family and/or religious significance, it had to work with Roderick, and it had to be at least somewhat awful-nickname-resistant. The last criterion was more Alex's than mine; apparently fathers are more aware of what boys are likely to do to each other's names than mothers are.  So, for example, Alex ruled out Isaiah because he would inevitably be called Izzy.  My response: Well, we won't call him Izzy!  (The thought had never occurred to me.)  But apparently other boys would, so that name was out.  I'm still kind of disappointed about that one...

So finally we decided on Liam.  William (of which Liam is a derivative) was the name of my great-great-grandfather on my mother's side, and is also the name of a 12th century English saint known for his gentleness, charity, and kindness to his enemies--so the name has double significance for our family.  If you think of any awful nicknames for Liam, please don't tell us!  There is also a St. Roderick (San Rodrigo) who was martyred in Spain in the 9th century during the persecution of the Christians by the Moors.


Both St. William and St. Roderick were priests... hmmm... :)


(In case you're curious about the story behind our first-born's name, you can find it here.)

Whooooo are you? Who who, who who?

Radio Game points to anyone who gets the artist of the song in the title (without googling it!).

We had our ultrasound yesterday, and the baby was very cooperative (so much so that I think the ultrasound tech was amused at our new little one's complete lack of modesty).

So,  without further ado, Michael is very pleased to announce that he is eagerly awaiting the arrival of his baby brother in November!!!

I was convinced that this baby was a girl.  I've been referring to him as "she/her" for pretty much the whole pregnancy (largely because we hate referring to an unborn baby as "it" and I just needed to pick one to go with until we knew).  This pregnancy has been very different than Michael--more nausea, less clumsiness (I developed the very inconvenient and painful habit of misjudging my distance from door frames in my first pregnancy), less weight gain (so far, and praying it continues!), etc.

So when the ultrasound tech told us we were having another boy, I almost asked her, "Are you sure?"  Well, three or four very clear shots later there was absolutely no room left for doubt--the little creature kicking up a storm inside me and making me feel like I'm starving 10 minutes after I finish a meal is, in fact, male.  We are ecstatic :)  Michael is too, he just doesn't quite know why yet.

Leading up to this ultrasound I've gotten a lot of questions from people about what we "want" to have.  My answer was usually "a baby."  I absolutely want to have a girl someday, God willing, but to come out and say "I'm pregnant and I want this baby to be a girl" seemed to imply "I don't want this baby to be a boy."  And that wasn't true at all.  I wanted a girl; I also wanted a boy (preferably not at the same time).  So there were a few moments of readjusting my thought process during the ultrasound, but there was also the absolute certainty that this little boy is exactly who our family needs right now.

7 Quick Takes (vol. 7)

--- 1 ---

We were quite disappointed with the announcement of the Supreme Court's ruling on Obamacare yesterday.  But, as always, our chaplain at the Augustine Institute had some wise and comforting words.  At Mass yesterday he reminded us that the Church always thrives when she is pruned, and that we were chosen specifically for this time.  There was also an amazingly applicable line in the preface to the Eucharistic Prayer, which I was determined to remember... it was something to the effect of God being victorious and the suffering of all his servants being for his glory.  I'm kicking myself for not writing it down immediately after Mass...

--- 2 ---

Also in light of the Supreme Court decision yesterday, Marc Barnes has announced a new project focused on exposing the "wackness" (as he calls it) of artificial contraception. "We want awesome relationships and mind-blowing sex lives. We want women and men to be respected and loved for who they are, to the very depths of their being. We want sex free from fear, love free from use, and a world of people who love and respect their own bodies. In short, we want sexy back. In fact, we demand it."  Check out 1flesh.org.

--- 3 ---

On a lighter and completely different note, this video completely made my week.  I almost never pass along online videos, but well-done music video parodies are the exception.  In case you have the luxury of enjoying your own exceptional tastes in music free from the intrusion of lesser forms, the original song is "I'm Sexy and I Know It."  As far as I'm concerned that's all you need to know about the original to be highly amused by this far superior version, but I might be biased by my Nebraska roots.  (It's a not-so-minor miracle that I'll even admit to having Nebraska roots, but that's a story for another day.)

--- 4 ---

I probably should have warned you that you will now have that song stuck in your head for at least the rest of the day.  Probably longer.  I just wanted some company...

--- 5 ---

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for those affected by the fires here in Colorado.  One of my coworkers was evacuated from her home for the High Park fire.  Their home is one of only a handful in their neighborhood still standing, and it may take as long as a year before they're able to move back in.  Thank you for your continued prayers!

Also, here's a haunting time-lapse video of the Waldo Canyon fire outside CO Springs (two videos in one post... I never do this...).  It's Vimeo and not YouTube, so I can't figure out how to embed it--if you're interested you'll have to click over, sorry.

--- 6 ---

We leave for our ultrasound in one hour!  I was going to wait to post until after we found out, but we'll go straight from our appointment to our nephew's 1st birthday party and won't be home until late-ish.  So you'll just have to check back in tomorrow if you're at all curious about whether Michael is getting a baby brother or sister :)

--- 7 ---

And to finish off this week's quick takes, here's a picture of Michael with two of his current favorite things: his hat and his lawnmower.  Life is good :)

Go see Jen for more quick takes!

Live and Let Die: Tolerance and the Christian

Considering the endorsements and celebrations of June as Gay Pride month by various commercial groups (Target and Kraft Foods' Oreos, to name a few), we are being especially bombarded with the calls for tolerance right now.

In light of this, I found the readings at Mass today,the Feast of St. Irenaeus, bishop and martyr, to be especially striking.  From the first reading:  "Avoid foolish and ignorant debates, for you know that they breed quarrels.  A slave of the Lord  should not quarrel, but should be gentle with everyone, able to teach, tolerant..." (2 Timothy 2:23-24, NAB).  And yes, the Greek word, ’ανεξικακον, actually does translate as "tolerant" (also "patient")--it's not just an insipid word choice by the NAB.

So there you have it, folks, right there in the Bible.  We Christians should stop arguing about stuff and just be tolerant like everyone keeps telling us.  Right?  Not quite what St. Paul had in mind.

Verses 25-26 go on to say, "correcting opponents with kindness.  It may be that God will grant them repentance that leads to knowledge of the truth, and that they may return to their senses out of the devil's snare, where they are entrapped by him, for his will" (emphasis mine).

For the Christian, tolerance is always about the person, and never the act or the idea.  Paul instructs Timothy to avoid foolish and ignorant debates, not to stop talking about the truth.  The idea here is to refrain from quarreling, not all dialogue.  And how do we approach dialogue (which does not mean "beating someone over the head with the truth nicely")?  With gentleness, a desire to teach (not browbeat), and tolerance for the person.  The goal of all of this is not to affirm everyone's life choices regardless of how they fit (or fail to) with our worldview, but to correct opponents.  And we seek to teach and correct gently remembering always that it is God who grants repentance and conversion.  Tolerance opens the door for dialogue and teaching.  It does not compromise on what the truth is, and it most certainly does not deny that there is, in fact, objective truth.

So yes, as Christians we are called to be tolerant.  But it is not a blind tolerance, and it is not tolerance for its own sake.  If we submit, instead, to the world's call to tolerate sin and lies, not only will we risk losing the fullness of life, but we will also miss the opportunity to invite others into that life.



"The glory of God is man fully alive, and the life of man is the vision of God.  If the revelation of God through creation already brings life to all living beings on the earth, how much more will the manifestation of the Father by the Word bring life to those who see God."  --St. Irenaeus

Birthday gifts--a (rather long) reflection

A little over a week ago I mentioned that Alex surprised me with a perfect birthday date, and I promised a more detailed account.  I consider fulfilling that promise within the same month as my birthday to be quite the accomplishment indeed.  So here it is, along with some reflections on some other amazing birthday presents I've received over the years (because when I'm feeling discontent, like, say, about not being able to move forward in the house hunting process, I know I need to step back and reflect on all the things for which I'm thankful!).

I've received some great birthday presents over the years.  Some of the highlights are: my favoritest pair of earrings from my sister several years ago; Tales of the Kingdom from my parents for my 6th birthday (which we recently finished reading to Michael for bedtime stories; unfortunately it's out of print, but well worth the effort if you can find a copy somehow!); The Silmarillion from my aunt Nancy for my 15th birthday; and my uncle Ken making me watch the Star Wars original trilogy and then taking me to see The Phantom Menace for my 14th birthday (no, I hadn't seen the OT before then, and yes, I'm willing to admit that it changed my life); and my parents' wonderful new tradition of sending us date-night money for our birthdays.

Not that Alex's previous birthday gifts left anything to be desired, but this year's deserves special mention.  I thought I was getting new glasses for my birthday (because even though I'd had my current pair for so long, it just seemed like that kind of expense should coincide with a special occasion) and I was looking forward to a date night sometime in the general proximity of my birthday.  

But the Wednesday before my birthday Alex woke me up and told me he had arranged for his Mom to watch Michael while we went to Mass and breakfast afterwards.  I'm pretty sure it was the first time the two of us went to Mass together without Michael since he was born, and a quiet meal alone (whether in or out) is always a treat.  After breakfast at LePeep's--our favorite--we headed over to Barnes & Noble for our annual tradition of picking out birthday/Father's Day books together.  I've been wanting to experiment with some new breads, and much to my delight I found a cookbook filled with bread recipes from around the world: The Best-Ever Book of Bread.  I haven't had a chance to try any yet (baking bread in 100 degree weather isn't all that appealing) but I'll be sure to report back on both successes and failures.  I love this tradition of ours because we nearly always enjoy each other's books as well--Alex's motives in buying me a bread cookbook were hardly (purely) altruistic, and I'm looking forward to reading his gifts as well: Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophey, Spy by Eric Metaxas and Angels (and Demons) by Peter Kreeft.

After taking our time browsing and picking out books, we stopped by DSW to get me a new pair of sandals and Alex some much-needed new dress shoes.  Again, it was such a luxury to not need to entertain a toddler while shopping (and a huge thank you, again, to Cici for making this surprise date possible!).  We had a lovely morning together, made even sweeter by the fact that it was completely unexpected.

Needless to say, Alex has set the bar incredibly high and I look forward to next year ;)

Alex's gifts are so special in part because he knows me so well.  In this way (like many others, including almost never taking the closest spot in a parking lot) he is a lot like my dad.  There are two presents my dad has given me which are without a question at the top of the list of highlights of Presents Past: a Moody Blue's compilation CD set and a tool kit.  I first started playing the Radio Game with my parents largely because I just like knowing the answer to things.  Much to my surprise, I discovered that I actually enjoyed a lot of the music.  And even more, I enjoyed enjoying something that my parents enjoyed so much (I'm sure there's a clearer way of saying that).  I loved listening to the Moody Blues and other groups, knowing that my parents had listened to the same songs in high school and college.  Five(ish) years ago my dad surprised me with my very own Moody Blues CDs for my birthday.

Dad may or may not have been motivated, at least in part, by a desire to take away any incentive for me to steal more of his CDs (a valid concern; I'm hoping my parents have forgotten about that Little River Band CD they used to own but which has been in my possession for the last several years) but that simple gift was (and is) profoundly special to me because it demonstrates how well Dad knows me, and our shared love of the Moody Blues serves as a reminder of all the other (more important) things we have in common.  In fact, our father-daughter dance at my wedding was to their "Voices in the Sky" (which the other guests probably found to be an incredibly strange choice).

The tool kit was such a special gift for somewhat different reasons.  While I do enjoy fixing things upon occasion, thus far I have shown nowhere near the aptitude for that pursuit that I have for identifying songs by artists who were famous before I was born.  I saw the gift of the tool kit shortly before I moved to Denver as a sign of my dad's deeper desire to equip me for the road ahead (and not long after he gave it to me I needed the screwdriver in it to replace my stolen license plates... let me clarify, put new plates on after mine were stolen, not replace stolen plates which were on my vehicle).

Now, of course, Michael gets all the presents (and attention, until he goes to bed and we get to play the Radio Game), but that's okay :)  Dad's gifts are such small tokens of his love for me, but so incredibly precious.  And, as always, they point me to my Heavenly Father's love and his many gifts.  In a similar way, Alex's gift of that relaxed morning together and the joy of his company reminds me to make time to place myself in God's presence and enjoy his company.

As I was reflecting to my friend Nicole the other day, Alex is so good at pointing me to God.  Whenever I try to compliment Alex on what an amazing father and husband he is, his response is always, "It's not me."  I, on the other hand, usually just take the compliment and forget to pass on the credit.  As with so many other things I'm sure Alex will help me work on that :)

I'd love to know--what are some of the best birthday gifts you've ever received?