Another Special Day!

Three anciently long decades ago, Pat and Danny Haigler gave birth to a bouncing baby boy.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JASON!

(I hate to do this to him, because we truly NEVER spend time on boats and his hair is NORMALLY in place, but the boy fusses every time I pull out a camera so I'm left with only a couple of pictures of him per year. Maybe yet another boat pic will inspire him to be a little more photography-friendly!!)

on ashes

It's Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent (and the day Sean gets back home-- YAY-- but that's unrelated...). I also heard someone explain once that "Ash Wednesday is the day all your co-workers freak you out by walking around with the mark of a blackened cross smeared across their forehead." :-)

Anyway, seems a good time to quote more of the book I've been relishing lately, seeing as how it all revolves around what it meant for Christ to die and rise again. These quotes deal with the issue of tradition and sacraments specifically, although that (like the art stuff I quoted) is just a minor bit of the book. I just like what he has to say on this topic, too.

Emphasis [and ellipses] mine, for all you skimmers out there...

From Surprised by Hope, N.T. Wright, p.261-263

"...jettisoning tradition just because it is tradition is to capitulate to postmodernity and to a kind of ultra-Protestantism that cuts the tree off at the root because it believes that trees should be entirely visible and obviously fruitful, no part of them buried in dirty soil."

"Of course, the sacraments can degenerate into mere superstition and idolatry. But we should never forget what happened when the Israelites allowed that to happen with the Ark of the Covenant, treating it simply as a magic talisman to be taken note of only when they were doing badly in battle (1 Samuel 4-5). The ark was captured and the Israelites lost the battle. But when the Philistines put the ark into the temple of Dagon their god, Dagon fell flat on his face before it. Abuse of the sacrament does not nullify the proper use.

Successive Christian generations have struggled to find language to do justice to the reality of what happens in baptism and of what happens in the Eucharist. It is perhaps not surprising that they have largely failed because in fact the sacraments are designed to be their own language... (Remember the ballerina who, asked to say what a particular dance meant, replied, 'If I could have said it, I wouldn't have needed to dance it.') But to reject, marginalize, trivialize, or be suspicious of the sacraments... on the grounds that such things can be superstitious or idolatrous... is like rejecting sexual relations in marriage on the grounds that it's the same act that in other circumstances consitutes immorality. (I am always amused, on this point, when I visit churches that carefully abandoned all signs of professional worship from a former age-- robed choirs, processions, organists, and the like-- and then invented new forms of worship that demand just as much professionalism in terms of competent people managing sound systems, lighting, overhead projection and PowerPoint, and so on... The implication that older styles of worship are somehow less spiritual and the modern electronic worship is somehow more worthy is sheer cultural prejudice and should be happily laughed at whenever it emerges.)"

So here's to the tradition of Lent.

On this special day...

Just a handful of years ago, Martha and Lou Haigler gave birth to a bouncing baby boy.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE GREATEST DAD!

33 (and a half, really) Weeks

The Still Nameless She-Sims is now over 4 pounds and past the 17 inch mark. BabyCenter.com says to think of a pineapple. I say: then, think about the hefty pineapple tree and root system that are required to grow said pineapple... these are also in there, in some sort of convoluted fashion. I mean, hellooo--pineapples do not grow spontaneously. I [and my fellow pregnant comrades] are harboring entire ecosystems.
Everything has been super hectic lately with house projects, car issues, etc. I forgot to take my belly photo at 32 weeks like I was supposed to, then remembered at 33, but am just now getting around to actually posting it, even though I'm closer to having finished 34 weeks now. Sean's also been meeting himself coming and going-- on top of work, he's had to help me with all the parts of my projects that require climbing higher on the ladder than I'm "allowed" to go. A mid-dinner-cooking action shot will have to suffice for his 33 week photo:

Time has been flying. Our friend Wendy popped out her baby girl February 4th, and Sarah's due to be having hers any day now! We're super excited for both of them and their families.

Although... their due dates, combined with the commencement of our weekly birthing classes, combined with my check-ups now popping around every two weeks instead of four... all these things are the signposts of it being OUR turn [way too] soon. I'm in TOTAL denial.

I find husbands boring.

Don't tell Sean, but I have SUCH a crush on the gardener. AND the painter. Even the gutter-cleaning-guy.

And fine... I guess that ring-bearing guy working ridiculous hours every week to bring home the bacon is pretty cool in his own right. I like him, too. (Plus he makes a better date than the scruffy handyman.)

We should all be Post Marxist Subversives!

So I can't decide if what I'm about to share enhances or destroys the title of Sean's blog. At the very least, it kills the humor of his randomness. But when I came upon this bit in a book I'm reading, it was just so relevant I couldn't not post it. It's relevant to his blog title; it's relevant to Christians who consider any of their endeavors to be even somewhat artistic.

The context:
Wright is describing a trend in the arts. You typically have one of two varieties-- First, a response to the beauty of creation. But since we don't live in the Garden of Eden this "quickly becomes flaccid and trivial," kitsch and sentimental (the church is an excellent place to find examples of this). Second, art that faces the problem of evil and "responds to ugliness with more ugliness... a kind of brutalism that under the the guise of realism simply expresses futility and boredom."

And here's the inspiration to subvert that trend in a truly post-Marxist way:
"When art comes to terms with both the wounds of the world and the promise of resurrection and learns how to express and respond to both at once, we will be on the way to a fresh vision, a fresh mission.
A parody of this is found in the passionate belief of many artists and writers of the last generation that the only true art is art that is politically committed. At least the Marxists who thought like that had grasped the point that neither sentimentality nor brutalism will do, but only eschatology* in the process of being realized. If Christian artists can glimpse the truth of which that Marxist vision is parody, they may find a way forward to celebrating beauty without lapsing into either pantheism or cynicism. This will take serious imagination, imagination fueled by reflection and prayer at the foot of the cross and before the empty tomb, imagination that will discern the mysteries of God's judgement on evil and God's reaffirmation, through resurrection, of his beautiful creation. Art at its best draws attention not only to the way things are but also to the way things will be..."

*As used by Wright, eschatology means the study of the last times: namely, God's redemption/renewal of his creation, already set in motion by the bodily resurrection of Jesus.

Surprised by Hope, N.T. Wright, p.224-225 (An excellent book, btw-- potentially life altering. Does a supreme job setting straight some commonly misconstrued elements of Christian theology, especially when it comes to death, resurrection, and how that impacts our current global and individual "missions." Originally heard Wright referenced last Easter by Kris McDaniel at Trinity Vineyard in Atlanta-- heard a lot of excellent messages via McDaniel.)

Calories for a Cause

Some people race triathlons in the name of cancer research, others run marathons on behalf of world hunger... Well, I've decided to throw my personal endeavors into the development of local youth. If you wish to sponsor me in my sacrificial efforts to single handedly hoard and devour mountains of Girl Scout Cookies, you know how to reach me. (Some pocketbooks might be a bit tight due to the economy, but don't worry-- there is always next year-- I'm very committed to the cause.)


I also consider it a hefty responsibility to properly initiate our little Daisy-in-training. So I bought 4 boxes Saturday. It's Monday morning. We're not going to talk about how many cookies are [or are not] left. Don't act shocked... my personal record was set last year: 12 boxes in a week, I believe. I think this means I'm near sainthood. I'm expecting the Carmelite Nuns to contact me any day now about founding a sister order... the CaramelDeLite Nuns...

IMPOSSIBLY Adorable

I saw this outfit and instantly wished away the first 6 months of my unborn daughter's life JUST so she could fit into these blessed garments.

Can you blame me? HOW adorable is it going to be to have a little blue-eyed bundle reaching out for a hug while wearing this?? My heart is already melting.

I have no idea where she found it, but the credit goes out to Christi in Atlanta-- who also sent (along with books and magazines) her labor and delivery room playlists (quiet, medium, and loud), saving me oodles of time putting together my own! As most of you know, she's got an adorable bundle of her own who just turned 5 months.

We also recently inherited enormous amounts of secondhand baby girl clothes from the ladies who go to First Presbyterian Church of Austin. My friend and fellow Roo grad, Sarah, is a pastor there and due with her first baby in just a couple weeks! She took what she could use from the stash, passed the rest along to me-- which is still way more than our daughter can use. Thankfully there are like 3 other ladies at my church, Mosaic, with baby girls on the way, so the heaps will be passed right along. Thanks to all that Sarah shared, in addition to other accumulated outfits, we're totally set in the clothing department on all small sizes 0-6 mos. Six month clothes that run large, like the outfit above, or 6-9 mos, 9-12 mos... those aren't maxed out yet... it gets tricky knowing what season we'll be in when she's that size.

Anyway, being rather smitten with hedgehogs, I naturally had to share my glee over this outfit. Hope everyone's doing well.

benefacting the cowpoke

It seems our daughter has already lined up a few patrons eager to support her debut and development as a human. (As soon as she can communicate, I intend to glean her secrets and publish a Guide to Incredibly Effective Fundraising... for my own profit, of course). Meanwhile, if you are one of the individuals she has successfully inspired, you can direct your much appreciated generosity towards the following:

http://www.myregistry.com/

Go to website, and in the "Find a Registry" box on the upper left-hand corner, type either "Jenny" or "Sean" for the First Name and "Sims" for the Last Name. You will go to a page where you see "Jenny & Sean Sims - Austin, TX." That's us! Click there and you'll see the items I've put on the registry.

Rarely are things very simple with us, so allow me to make a couple notes.

Note #1: With everything but the mattress and pacifiers, we prefer that the items are purchased secondhand or from "alternative" sources, which is why we chose not to register at the standard baby-registry stores like Babies R Us. Why do we prefer secondhand? We're doing our best to avoid supporting big box retailers and their insanely commercialized approach to life. It takes a little extra planning, but this isn't as hard as you might expect; I've found that the vast majority of things we need are easily available in good condition at resale, consignment, or thrift stores. (If you printed out the registry list to accompany you at one of these stores, chances are that they’d have some of the items on our list). Craigslist, e-bay, and garage sales are also great. Via these sources, we've already landed (for dirt cheap!) a crib, jogging stroller, boppy, diaper pail, changing pad, bath cushion, car seat, johnny jump-up, some clothes, and most importantly, her first pair of cowgirl boots!

Note #1 and a half: I've gone through a company called Green Mountain Diapers for the cloth diapering needs, because I grew to really trust her feedback and prices after doing as much researching as my eyeballs could handle. If you do find any of the specific products I chose at a cheaper/secondhand price, feel free to get them elsewhere! Otherwise, though, I'm happy supporting this company-- they're small and have put a TON of effort into making their website informative-- which a new mom like me appreciates TREMENDOUSLY. (Plus, for the record, I did not find lower prices anywhere else).

Note #2: The mattress and its coverings are more than making up for the other items that we're finding at cheap prices. (We decided this would be the area where we splurged-- we're going as certifiably organic as possible). If there are several people who want to collaborate on the big items, we can totally facilitate that (and for the record, Sean and I are prepared and happy to pay for the stuff ourselves, too, so no one should feel pressure to buy anything!)

Note #3: Keep your eyes open for used baby washcloths. Those thin kind. I've heard they make great diaper wipes, but I refuse to use something NEW to wipe poo off her rear. I do love her, and I want all the best for her... but her poo is something different altogether.

Note #4: If you can’t find anything on the registry that inspires you, here is a list of unique websites that sell toys and other cool things. I snagged these links to alternative sources of gifts off my friend Michele's blog. So far I haven't had a chance to go through them and actually pick things out to add to our registry, so we're currently just accepting the risk of these items being duplicated. There are a LOT of cute things to pick from on these sites, though, so I think the chance of overlap is pretty small.

The Pajama Squid
PlanToys
Romp
Ten Thousand Villages
Mahar Drygoods
Nubius Organics
Natural Pod
Hyena Cart
Fawn and Forest
Anti-Princess Reading List for Girls
Cool Mom Picks


Conclusion
To put all this in context, one of the motivations behind this on-line blog registry is due to us and several friends having recently moved. As a result, most of our friends and family are just about as far North, South, East, and West as you can get in this country. This makes it difficult to have a quorum present for a formal shower, but my siblings were not content with having no shower at all. So they thought it best to set a date when immediate family could all convene to celebrate and open her gifts on February 28th. In effect, it will be like a virtual shower-- I can post pictures of gifts afterwards. And you can all gather in localized little groups and play fun games like "Name That Horrid Flavor of Baby Food," and tell me who won, and I'll send prizes! ;-)

Now, if all this information and guidance doesn't meet your every shopping need (I would think it would wholly overwhelm most people!) you are on your own (and likely crazy). Other than remaining accessible to field questions, this is one tired mama who cannot process any more babyworld for now!