finding the sacred everyday

Image from the Society of Antiquaries of London

Just about three years ago, I peed on a little stick and our world changed.  Twenty or so weeks later, we found out there were pink unicorns and princesses and little rubber hair ties in our future and we began looking for a name for our soon to be born baby girl.  One late evening at his office, Jake threw out a name–Audrey–and it was perfect.  We didn’t know the background or the history, but it seemed right for us so after some take out Chinese (incidently the food that clinched the night we got engaged) I hopped online to learn about Audreys beyond the two lovely actresses.

Today, we will tell this story to our little girl and she may stop her tornadoing for a moment and listen to her history–the history of Audrey Beatrice who is two and loves animals–and the history that runs much deeper through her being.  By choosing Saint Audrey to be this little girl’s patron, we have asked and continue to ask for her prayers for our daughter. We hope and pray that our child will become more and more like the woman who used her weath to spread the gospel, who chose the Church over the state, and whose incorrupted remains remind us of the life we all may enjoy after death.

As we tell the story this year, and I hope that in each year to come, the story of Saint Audrey, the Queen of Northumbria who gave up everything to follow Christ, will be a constant companion for our child who bears her name.

Some Audrey Links:

Orthodox Service to Holy Mother Audrey
Audrey of Ely
Æthelthryth

1. One very, very full bowl of fruit on the kitchen counter.

2. Said bowl also contains three monster tomatoes from our garden

3. It may be warm enough to swim today

4.  Jake got back from choir camp  safely.  (Really chant camp, but still, music camp.  And really if I’m being honest, he went to interview chanters, not actually learn something musical.  BUT STILL– I never, ever thought my husband and choir camp would be in the same sentence.)

5.  Little Red Riding Hood Fabric.  Available from Purl Patchwork.  I love it and Audrey loves it.  Now to finish her duvet cover.

1. There are 7 stickers on today’s chart.  That’s seven diapers I didn’t have to change.

2. The GRE score (on practice tests at least) is making nice progress. I look forward to shelling out $150 and confirming my vocabulary awesomeness for real.

3. Israeli pearl couscous from Trader Joes is my new favorite grain.

4. Snickers. Both the candy and the verbal kind.

5. Grad school financial aid. I have no shame.  I’ll take free money.

by da100fotos

1. The garden orb spiders I didn’t shoo away this summer are doing a smackdown on the “Irvine gnat.”  Fewer little flies in my house but lots of yellow spiders in the tomatoes.  Its a trade I’m willing to make.

2. Mo Willems’ Time to Pee! and the corresponding sticker chart.  She’s making progress.

3. My sister is beyond generous.  Beyond.

4. It’s officially fruit season.  Since Saturday, we’ve eaten: 2 seedless watermelons, 1 pint of blueberries, 4 pints of strawberries, 3 nectarines, 2 peaches and we’re not slowing down.

5. Little Golden Books. Did you know there are bunnies and elephants and chickens on the spine?

1. One of my mom’s fancy friends complimented my sweater last night at the funeral.  I smiled gracefully and didn’t shout “It’s from Target.  On the clearance rack.”

2.  I had the great benefit of growing up with many old ladies doting and praying over me.  Myrtle Bishop was 92 when she passed away over the weekend.  May her memory be eternal!

3. I am now 32 needles richer after making a new pincushion and squeezing all the pokies out of grandma’s old one.  Think about it- 31 times she thought to herself, “now where did my needle go?” and it was hiding in the pincushion all these years.

4. Audrey is so darn proud of herself after she, ahem, “makes a poop” in the potty. We’re making progress on the potty training front.

5.  Now that there’s nothing worth watching on TV, Jake and I spent an evening listening to the classical station on the radio and reading.  It was AWESOME.  I know, we’re nerds.

We’re back from Mexico. It was absolutely fabulous and I need to get the photos from my mom and sister.  This post is brought to you by some of Audrey’s comments since we’ve been back.

1. I’m serious, mom

2. The bouncy wouncy is at our pink home.  (That would be her new best friend, the trampoline.  And yes, the resort was very, very pink.  Hence, the name pink home.  This phrase is always accompanied by a little sad sigh.)

3. Let’s sing “Holy, Holy”

4. Mommy’s not good at the bongo game.  (A DDR style rhythm game for the wii.  It’s true)

5.  POOP!  I made a poop!  I’m gonna make another one.

1. I am done with my first year of graduate school.  Done.

2. The idea of summer break (even if it isn’t really a break) brings me back to the days of elementary bliss.  I did, however, break my arm on the 2nd day of summer when I was seven years old, so I’ll be careful this week.

3. Audrey climbed her first tree yesterday. AND climbed down.  She did not fall and break her arm on the 2nd day of summer.

4. Burrito night

5. Tomorrow morning at 8 am we will join my family for an assuredly squished ride to LAX and then a flight to a beach resort in Mexico.  We are not worried about swine flu and we have plenty of sunscreen!

So, I’ve posted before about potties.  If you click on that link you’ll figure out really quickly that I didn’t make it to the then goal of having Audrey potty trained by age 2.  My new goal is by the end of the summer so that preschool can be diaper free, but I’m even starting to give up on that.

When we got back from Cyprus, Audrey wanted to go potty every hour.  Problem was, she never actually “went,” she’d just sit on her little potty, sing a round of “Twinkle, twinkle, little pee” and then get up.  Then! We visited a montessori preschool and while we were waiting for our tour, Audrey said she needed to go potty.  Fine.  I asked where the bathroom was and we walked all the way down the hall.  I placed her on the toilet and voila–she went potty.

We went home to much rejoicing and the promised treat of a marachino cherry.  After that–no desire to go potty what so ever.  Well, not no desire, but unless we were doing something she wanted to get out of she’s expressed no desire to sit on any potty.

Sigh.

Do you guys have any potty training advice?  I figured once summer rolled around I’d let her go freestyle under a dress but after cleaning up random incidents of cat pee for the last couple months, I really don’t want to deal with human piddle on the couch and carpet.

PBN and Pull Ups are sponsoring a conversation about potty training. Me? It seems like one of the few things I can’t avoid talking about.  Who knew the bodily functions of a small person would take up so much of my mental energy?

Since my little camera has been out of commission, I’ve realized I’m doing a horrible job of documenting all of Audrey’s little adventures. This morning week we went to the zoo with super cool new friends and did I get pictures? Of course not.

In other news, I have one paper done
Blurring the Sacred and the Profane:
Modern Adaptations of the Second Shepherds’ Play
(wonder where I got that title??)
and am almost done with the 2nd. I’ll be sitting a mock MA exam this evening and have to email that other pesky paper to my professor by midnight tomorrow.
Then–at 8am we’re out the door on our way to Puerta Vallarta for the week with my family!

1. Watermelon, particularly when paired with drool

2. The sound of rapid typing followed by a very long “thinking” break

3. Tan lines

4. Popcorn with real butter

5. BBQ sauce

(Can you tell I like to snack when I’m writing?)