Déjà Vu

(Written Monday.) As sometimes happens in life, we had the pleasure of repeating a not so enjoyable experience today. Mattie pulled the tape off of his stitches tonight. With it came three of his five stitches. So, off we headed to the ER. Again. It's really not a bad place to be, it's just that it takes such a long time. We end up sitting here for hours, for just a few minutes worth of work. But, when you have kids, you have to just roll with it. And so, I found myself sitting in ER room 5 with Mattie once again. We blew more bubbles, we watched more tv, we got more stitches. We even had several of the same staff people working with us. This time I had them put in nylon (rather than dissolvable) stitches, in the hopes that we won't go for yet another repeat visit. As we set out in the car tonight, it was already dark out. Mattie immediately started looking for the moon again. When we couldn't see it through the clouds, he said, "I think the moon will growl at the clouds. He will surely scare them away, right?" I should have known it was going to be one of those evenings as soon as he spoke...

Stitches

I love three day weekends. It's having that extra day - the one I feel like I always need, but never get.  This time around, I busied myself baking "Bakery Style Cinnamon Rolls" yesterday, and 4 loaves of wheat germ bread today. Ted sweetly, and as he often does, took all three boys down to Hingham for Jack's and Elliot's weekly hockey game this morning. I enjoyed a very quiet morning at home while Theo napped. I had just put the wheat germ bread into the oven for the second rise, when the phone rang. It was Ted, calling to let me know that the boys had won their game 9-5, and they were on their way home. Elliot, as goalie, had made many more saves than last time, and was extremely happy with his performance. (He wore his new goalie pads for the first time this weekend.) Oh, and Ted just wanted to give me a heads' up that they had some great plans for us for the rest of the afternoon. One of us was going to get to take Mattie to the ER for stitches in his forehead. Apparently Mattie was running around the lobby of the rink while his brothers were playing their game. He ran right into a door, which someone was opening from the other side. He caught the metal edge of the door right in the middle of his forehead.

The boys came home, and I took Mattie to the ER. Luckily, our local children's hospital is fantastic. My kids actually love to go there. I packed some chocolate milk and a special pretzel necklace, and Mattie went happily to get his boo-boo all "healed off". Besides being stuck there for almost 6 hours, we had a great experience. Mattie was a perfect patient. He happily watched a video (held right over his head by one of the Child Life specialists at the hospital) while they sewed up his head. On the way home he asked me lots of questions about whether his boo-boo would hurt again, and whether it was going to heal off in a few days. I assured him that the doctors at the hospital had fixed it all up. We were at the hospital for such a long time, that it was night by the time we left. Mattie was pretty surprised to see it was dark out already. We had a very cute conversation on the way home.

Mattie: Is it nighttime already?
Mama: Yes, it's dark out, isn't it?
Mattie: Is it time to go to bed?
Mama: It will be when we get home.
Mattie: The moon must be out because it's nighttime. Where's the moon? I can't see it.
Mama: Oh, it's cloudy and rainy out tonight, so I don't think we'll be able to see the moon, even if it is out. The moon is always there, but we can't always see it. Sometimes it's hiding, or the clouds are in the way.
Mattie: Do you like the clouds?
Mama: No, I don't like the clouds. I like the sunshine much better.
Mattie: I don't like the clouds either. The moon will surely growl loudly and scare the clouds away, right? I think it will.
Mama: Yes, probably. Maybe we'll see the moon tomorrow.
Mattie: I think we will.

After that, he came home very happy to be all fixed up, and clutching the new blue light up ball they sent him home with in his hand.

Click on any of the images to see them larger. His cut doesn't look nearly as open or deep in the photos as it did in real life! He got 5 small stitches hidden under the steri-strips. Oh, and he loved his pony tail. He called it a dinosaur horn. I put it in during our consult with the plastic surgeon so that I could use both hands to push the wound closed. He liked it so much, he didn't want me to take it out. You can also tell what a great time he had today by the look on his face in all the photos.

Book of the Week

I pulled an old favorite book off our bookshelf the other day, and have been delighting in it anew with the kids every day this week. It is A Child's Anthology of Poetry, edited by Elizabeth Hauge Sword. I found this book when Jack was 4, and I was on a quest to find some of the classic old poems that I had loved as a child. I believe I was specifically searching for Animals Crackers and Cocoa to Drink and the Children's Hour. Finding both in this volume, I returned home happily. But, it wasn't until I had a chance later to sit down and flip through the entire book that I realized what a treasure I had stumbled upon. This anthology contains every poem that I remember learning as a child. After perusing the entirety of the book, I felt like I would never have the need for another poetry book in my life - they were all in this one volume! Clearly an exaggeration, but it describes perfectly what a wonderful job I believe Elizabeth Sword did in compiling this anthology. I can't think of a single poem I would add. From the Village Blacksmith, to the Cremation of Sam McGee, Sick, Mr Nobody, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, Winken, Blinken and Nod, Paul Revere's Ride, the Raven, and more. And we have discovered new favorites as well, like Eddie the Spaghetti Nut, and my kids' favorite, the Old Pond. The kids occasionally grumble when I pull this book off the shelf at story time, but before I know it, they are all snuggled in beside me, laughing, or listening attentively. And after a few stanzas, they are begging for more. Once we've started, they never want us to put the book down!

I should credit both my father and grandfather, as well as my 6th grade English teacher Ms. Whiteside for instilling in me such a love of poetry. The poem below is one of my all time favorites, and my recollection is that I memorized it for Ms. Whiteside's class. (We each had to memorize and recite a poem out loud to the whole class about once a month.)


The Children's Hour 
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Between the dark and the daylight,
When the night is beginning to lower,
Comes a pause in the day's occupations,
That is known as the Children's Hour.

I hear in the chamber above me
The patter of little feet,
The sound of a door that is opened,
And voices soft and sweet.

From my study I see in the lamplight,
Descending the broad hall stair,
Grave Alice, and laughing Allegra,
And Edith with golden hair.

A whisper, and then a silence:
Yet I know by their merry eyes
They are plotting and planning together
To take my by surprise.

A sudden rush from the stiarway,
A sudden raid from the hall!
By three doors left unguarded
They enter my castle wall!

The climb up into my turret
O'er the arms and back of my chair;
If I try to escape, they surround me;
They seem to be everywhere.

They almost devour me with kisses,
Their arms about me entwine,
Till I think of the Bishop of Bingen
In his Mouse-Tower on the Rhine!

Do you think, O blue-eyed banditti,
Because you have scaled the wall,
Such an old mustache as I am
Is not a match for you all!

I have you fast in my fortress,
And will not let you depart,
But put you down into the dingeon
In the round-tower of my heart.

And there I will keep you forever,
Yes, forever and a day,
Till the walls shall crumble to ruin,
And moulder and dust away!

Quote of the Day

I had the following conversation with Mattie yesterday morning before school:

Mattie: Who's going to pick me up at school today?

Mama: Me.

Mattie: Who else?

Mama: Jack, Elliot, and Theo. Everybody.

Mattie: I think my nana's going to pick me up.

Mama: (Puzzled, because he doesn't call anyone "nana".) Do you mean your nanny?

Mattie: Yes. I think my nanny's going to pick me up.

Mama: (Very curious, since we have never had a nanny!) Who's your nanny?

Mattie: You!

Oat Bombs

Jack has always loved recipes and baking. From before he could write, he has been concocting recipes. My Better Homes cookbook has some of his earliest writing in the back - a memory I'll always treasure. He wrote the recipe above when he was 4. (I spelled the words for him.) As with so many of his other interests, he loves to follow a familiar pattern and reinvent it. This past weekend he came up with a recipe for a cookie he called "Oat Bombs". It was based on a basic oatmeal cookie recipe, with a few special additions. We made them on Sunday. They were delicious! Ted said they were the best oatmeal cookies he had ever tasted. After we had all sampled a few, Jack asked us to rank them on a scale from 0-100. They were clearly a success! He has now decided to embark on making an entire cookbook. I hope to get the first copy!

Jack's Oat Bombs
3/4 c butter or margarine
1 c brown sugar
1/2 c sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 t lemon extract
1 3/4 c flour
1/2 t cream of tartar
1 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t ground cloves
2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 c chocolate chips
1/3 c sunflower seeds

Preheat oven to 375. Combine all dry ingredients except chocolate chips and sunflower seeds in a bowl, and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter/margarine and sugars together. Continue mixing, and add egg and other liquid ingredients. Slowly add in dry ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips and sunflower seeds. Drop onto cookie sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool and enjoy!

Happy baking!

Winter Baby

My mom still marvels at how I manage to be out and about so much (and for such long intervals) with a baby in Boston winters. Well, Grammy, here's how - he doesn't even wear a coat! I took these photos today, in our backyard.

Those are my stroller muffs in the foreground. I have to keep warm too!

Family Rules

How often is it that we take an honest assessment of our own interpersonal strengths and weaknesses? For me, the answer is rarely. But, I found something that led me down just that path of introspection this week. I was cleaning out our kitchen junk drawer, and came across an old paper with our family rules written out.  It must have been buried in there for along time, but I took it out, and hung it up on the side of the refrigerator. I've been staring at it, and thinking about the rules all week. They were typed out, so I was able to find the original file on my computer and see when exactly we drafted them. It was August 19, 2008. I was really impressed at how appropriate and on target the rules were, given how long had passed since we wrote them. Amazingly, the rules cover the same issues we struggle with daily. But, as I stared at the five simple lines day after day this week, I began to think more about the behaviors that prompted them, and why those issues remain our constant struggles. I was inspired to create our own set of family rules after watching the various nanny shows on tv. I watch them religiously, and have a great deal of respect for their techniques. For every family they visit, they draft a unique set of rules. This is always their first step towards creating a better, happier family dynamic. So, I decided to write a set of rules for our family. That was back in 2008, and I never did anything more than that. But this week, as I looked at the rules stuck to the refrigerator, and thought about their inspiration, I also thought about what else the nannies do when they go into a home. They always focus on changing the parents' behavior. When they do that, the kids' behavior changes as a natural byproduct. And so, standing in the kitchen alone one day, staring at the refrigerator, it hit me. Those rules I wrote, that were so well thought out, and so timeless in their application, were for me too. Of course, in an adult way, I follow all of those rules. But, when I looked just slightly below the surface, I realized that those rules not only point out the kids' weaknesses, but mine as well. In an instant, I saw so clearly that one of the reason the kids struggle with those issues, is that I too struggle with them. I tell them one thing, then do another myself. It's hard when something like that hits you so unexpectedly. But, I also am excited by the feeling that a well-lit path has been laid out before me. Those rules are now my beacon.

I look at the piece of paper now, and marvel at how simple yet profoundly wise the five rules I wrote are. When I drew them up, I never realized how seriously they would be taken, least of all by me. They will definitely be staying on the refrigerator, and maybe in 5 or 6 more locations throughout the house, as an inspiration. After all, even an old dog can learn new tricks. Here they are:

The Bruntrager Family Rules
1. We are a team -- work together, help each other.
2. Be kind. Don't hurt anyone else.
3. LISTEN. Don't talk when other people are talking.
4. LISTEN. Do what you are told the first time.
5. No whining. Be polite.

And I've decided to add one more rule that seemed too import to leave out. It's another weakness of mine that I hope to turn into a strength:
6. Have fun!

 (These photos are from our annual Thanksgiving family talent show, where our family truly shined.)

The Tale of the Bathroom Doors

Yesterday I picked up Mattie at school like usual, with all of his brothers in tow. We sat in the hallway outside his classroom for quite a while, chatting with the preschool director, who by now is an old friend. The boys enjoyed their snacks, and Elliot visited the restroom.  Today at pick up, the director pulled me aside. She wanted to share something with me, something that one of the teachers had brought to her attention. Apparently this teacher went into the school bathroom this morning and found all of the stall doors locked from the inside. Now, the director had been with us yesterday afternoon, and knew as well as I did what must have happened. Luckily, she has been running the school for 30 years, and was as cool as a cucumber. Together we shared a good laugh. I promised her that I would bring it up casually at home tonight to see what the reaction was. I did. Elliot beamed from ear to ear during the whole telling of the Tale of the Bathroom Doors. I'm thinking the teenage years are going to be tough with this one. I can't trust him already.

Vital Stats

Baby Theo had his 9 month check up this week. He weighed in at 21 lbs 9 oz (63rd percentile,) and measured 30" (92nd percentile.) I feel like he's our biggest baby, but I haven't dug out the records to verify it. He is in an absolutely wonderfully fun stage of development. He is so happy, and he knows what's going on around him and just loves it! He's started to crawl, but can only go forward on his belly, or backwards on all fours. His older brothers delight in it almost as much as he does! He's learned to wave, clap his hands, give high fives, and is starting to use some signs (milk and all done mostly.) The boys love that he will perform on command. He's sleeping in his big oval crib in Mattie's room, and doing great in there. Mattie's not too wild about it though, as Theo tends to wake him up around 6:50 every morning. Mattie would much prefer to sleep until 7 or 8. He tells us to put Baby back in our room to sleep because he "wants milk" when he sleeps in Mattie's room. Theo is eating 2 meals a day of baby food, usually breakfast and dinner, and can pick up finger foods like Cheerios himself. He's still breastfeeding, but I've been trying to keep up giving him a bottle at least every other day to make sure he'll keep taking it. This is such a miraculous novelty to me, that I don't want to let it go. (None of my other boys ever took a bottle after 4 months of age, leaving me little recourse for escaping for more than 3 hours at a time.) I love every minute of every day with Theo. I wish I could keep him this age forever. And although he's only been with us for 9 months, it's hard to imagine what our life was like without him.

Book of the Week

Before the Christmas season is completely behind us once again, I have two more holiday book picks, Silver Packages by Cynthia Rylant, and Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett.

Silver Packages is the type of story that may very well appeal more to adults that to children. My mother in-law gave it to us years ago, and it has been one of my holiday favorites ever since. It tells the story of Appalachian boy who hopes each Christmas for a doctor's kit. Too poor to get any presents at home, he waits for the Christmas train. Each year he receives something practical like warm socks or mittens, along with a small toy. The doctor's kit never arrives, but the necessities he receives, along with the love and hope shared by the generous stranger on the train, inspire him to fulfill his dream in another way. Like the Giving Tree and Love you Forever, this story tugs at my hearstrings. I often find myself having to pause towards the end of the story to stifle a tear and clear my throat. The kids enjoy the warm story without grasping the deeper messages, but I am confident that they will return to the familiar book years from now, and feel the same tugging that I feel now.

Gingerbread Baby is Mattie's favorite Christmas book this year. We have read it to him at least 25 times in the last month. This is a variation of the traditional gingerbread man story, where the baker opens the oven too early, unleashing a lively gingerbread man who runs away. In this version, a young boy named Matti makes the cookie. In its unique ending, he manages to catch the gingerbread baby himself. The story is cute, and will certainly appeal to young readers, but my favorite part of the story are the illustrations. Each page contains several different layers of drawings from the main image in the center, to border images, and small glimpses in the margins into what Matti is busy doing at home to catch the gingerbread baby while he is outside running all around town. Like Silver Packages, there is a more sophisticated layer to the story, which is added by the images in the margin. They also makes the repeated retelling of this story more appealing to kids, as it is hard to take it all in the first time around.

Enjoy, Merry Christmas one last time, and Happy New Year!