Mariana's 3rd Birthday

Pardon the not-so-flattering photos of our youngest girl.  The beginning of November was when a long-lasting respiratory virus first decided to make its home at Chez Afelskie.  Joe was its first victim followed very quickly by Mariana.  Perhaps its a birthday virus, homing in on those born in November.  Interestingly, I finally succumbed in December, my birthday month.

Mariana was very fevered in these photos and only looked somewhat presentable thanks to a handy-dandy combo of Tylenol and Advil.

This face says:  give me Tylenol.

This face says:  give me Advil.

Do you see it?  Transformed by pharmaceuticals.

But, please don't mention it.

By the time we drew near the birthday cake, the fever had risen again and another dose of drugs was administered.  They were just taking affect as the candles appeared.

Poor little girl.  She actually lost four pounds due to this illness and there was no vomiting.  Weight Watchers, you've got competition.

Here's to next year!

Matthew's Baptism: photos and a tiny bit of text

First family photo in five years.

If you look closely, the baptismal date is actually incorrect and reads the 22nd of September. 

Mark and Yvette Bourque as godparents.  The Bourques are friends of ours from marriage prep and Yvette is the director of youth and family formation for our diocese.  Mark is an electrician at Base Petawawa.  Fabulous people.

Isaac and Sarah practising their parenting skills.

Below:  pre- or post-exorcism?

Matthew was baptised on the Feast of St. Matthew, Sept. 21.  For those of you in the Ottawa region, you might remember that as the day of the tornado.  While the weather didn't get that severe in Barry's Bay, we did start the baptism in extreme heat and under a tornado warning.   By the time Matthew was baptised, the heat was breaking and a massive rainbow arced over the town.  It was not until a week later when I was in Pembroke and looked up to see a rainbow that I realised the relevance of the rainbow on Matthew's baptismal day.  Matthew was born 17 months after a 12-week miscarriage that I experienced in March of 2017.  The miscarriage was quite devastating; I hemorrhaged and was brought by ambulance from our hospital to the obstetrical department in Pembroke.  I remember thinking, "Is this how it all ends?"  As it turns out, that devastation was not how it all ended.  Rather, the Lord had a rainbow baby in store for us and the reality of Matthew as a true gift from God was manifested by the rainbow that greeted us as we emerged from the church with our newest baptised child.  Awesome, in the truest sense of the word.