Harry Kalas- RIP

When I was a kid I loved watching the Phillies with my dad. I was a fan of the game, of the team, of my dad. All games were watched in the same way: sports section of the newspaper spread before him with a makeshift score grid at its top, the television on mute, and the little transistor radio, antenna sticking up, tucked at his side. I always asked why he did this and his answer was always the same "You gotta listen to Harry Kalas!". I had no idea then, actually not until recently did I know, that most households throughout Philly were doing the same thing. I admit it, I did not get it.

Last October when the Phillies won the World Series, despite the half second delay from tv to radio, Todd insisted we watch as my father does; TV muted and radio on, because he said "we have to hear Harry's call when we are the World Champions!". I admit it, I only partially got it.

Today, Harry Kalas passed away! He did so just hours before the first pitch between the Phillies and the Nationals at Washington's home opener. He did so in the broadcasting booth where he would have called the game, should have called the game. His passing, and his life, touched many hearts in Philadelphia, touched many hearts worldwide. Yesterday the Phillies won in a come from behind victory with a Chase Utley homer to tie it and a Matt Stairs homerun to give them a lead. No one knew at the time that this would be Harry's final game, final victory, final "outta here!"

It is all a little eerie. The Phillies finally won a World Series, they had just received their rings a few days ago. Harry stuck around long enough for that prize yet not nearly long enough for life.

My boys won't grow up hearing the voice of Harry the K. Another sportscaster, filling in for but never replacing HK, will be the name and voice that colors the Phillies games they listen to. For them, it will be no different and this new guy may even become beloved. I am sure, however, that their father and grandfather will make sure they know, understand better than their mother, that no one calls a game like Harry Kalas.

For the record here is Harry's call as the Phillies became the 2008 World Champions:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeZ2kBh_OJw

For those of us who lived it, it will never get old, and for my boys it will surely be a classic!

Here is the link to ESPN's tribute:
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4064793

New Buddies!!!

This is Turner with his new buddy, Sawyer Matthew Cohen. Turner looks a lot bigger, it's amazing what 10 weeks can do!! Sawyer's sister, Ilivia, is a good friend of Chase and Ryder's.

Here they sleep peacefully, fast forward a year or so and I am sure there will be no settling them down!

We look forward to the trouble er, fun!!

A Letter to my Son on his Three Month Birthday!

Dear Turner,

Happy Three Month Birthday!! In one of the few baby books I read, admittedly most of these few were prior to your brothers' birth, it said the first three months of a baby's life is like it's 4th trimester, still needing the comforts of the womb yet adjusting to being removed from it. I suppose this is true, and therefore I welcome you to the rest of your life:)
You seem much more mature than just three months as you are very alert and very strong and have good head control.
You are the most pleasant baby, laid back and relaxed most of the time.
You seem to love music, your brother's, and anyone who shows you some undivided attention.

You are a great sleeper and are going about 10 hours. We have dropped a feeding as a result and you are now at four a day. As much and as quickly as you ate in your first two months you have reached a plateau and for a while were not finishing any of your bottles. We now make you 6 ounces but it is usually a guess as to how much you will take.

Although you seem like a big boy to me, and one piece outfits are a tough fit on you, when I look at your beautiful little face, it still seems so small.
You now have control of your smile and know exactly how to use it to melt mommy's heart. You smile often, and it seems you may have a dimple on your right cheek. I love it when you smile in response to me. Though you have not laughed yet, you want to and it seems you try when we make silly faces or touch you. You are very ticklish; your feet, your belly, your face.

We have welcomed some friends this month- Sawyer Matthew Cohen and Jagger Dylan Fink. Won't it be fun when you all start playing. Both boys have sisters that are friends with Chase and Ryder.

If I had to guess I'd say you will have light hair. Though your eyes are still really blue I am not sure they will stay that way. You seem to be a look all of your own. Some people say you look like Ryder, others say Chase. Some people say you look like me, others say daddy. To me, you are a big combination of all of us and regardless you are extremely handsome, if I must say so myself. You have a perfectly round head, big eyes, long lashes, a tiny nose, and beautiful skin. I could not have dreamt you more beautiful.

Chase and Ryder love you. They call you "my baby, Turner Luke" and they are very much aware of your presence. They ask for you when you are not In the room with them and they greet you with hugs and with smiles when they see you. From your responsive glow I would say you love them too. I know they can't wait to have you join in their fun.

You are not yet on a set schedule, and who knows if you ever will be with the way I cart you around, but you are definitely establishing more of a pattern, allowing your awake time to be a bit more interactive.

You had your first overnight without mommy or daddy. Mom-Mom Jill stayed with you and your brothers' and it seems everyone had a great time. You did very well without us which makes us so proud.

You coo and you smile and I know you have so much to say. I talk right back at you and it won't be long before we share an actual conversation. Although I love to watch you sleep, peaceful and beautiful all at the same time, my favorite times are when you are awake lighting up my world with your grin. You are responsive and happy and I could not be more proud.

Every moment, every day, I love you so!!

love,
mommy

It's Raining, It's Pouring!!

When I was younger I used to love sitting in the car when it was pouring rain. I loved how the sound would be so intense you could feel the rain drops hitting you, yet you remained completely dry.
Tonight was one of those nights. The sky was filled with long, thick, navy blue clouds and the few clear patches were the color of graphite. The textured clouds were like floating suede. It was prematurey dark for early April and the streets had inch deep puddles.
Yes, tonight was one of those nights I could have sat in my car feeling the rain for hours...but who really has hours to pass? So, I enjoyed the moment for the few seconds that I had to myself then returned to my life.

Two Month Portrait!

When you have a baby, included in your six-digit price tag is a 3 day stay (4 days if you have a c-section,) a dosing of good drugs prior to birth, several dosings of OK drugs as needed afterwards, around the clock vital checking, unlimited television of limited stations, and 3 meals a day from a vast menu of sub-par food. As a special gift, your infant gets a free portrait sitting, but to even see the pictures, let alone get a copy, you must pay additional money. We bought the smallest package. A portrait of a three day old newborn is not often something you want too many copies of, because, though beautiful to its parents, newborns tend to look a bit like rats. Here is Turner's newborn shot, which I don't think is half-bad considering he is 72 hours old and weighs barely 7 pounds.



This go round of child-birthing I received a second free sitting- a two month portrait. Although I am sure they now offer this to everybody, since it was not part of my deluxe stay in 2006 I like to believe this is a returning guests gift, like a prize for those crazy enough to come back for more.
The sitting was free, but to view and purchase, there was a charge. At two months old, still blue-eyed, bald, and cute as can be Turner had an hour long photography session that has prepared him in case he should ever become a celebrity baby. In addition to his numerous poses, we also captured a few obligatory journalistic shots, which I do love. He cried out of hunger before the pictures began, but as the photographer promised, you can't tell in the photos. Here are the results of his photographic debut:

Re-Pete's Dragon

When I was a kid I loved the movie Pete's Dragon. My sister and I watched it all of the time. We had recorded it onto a VHS tape from the television as only you could in the early 80's. It was on the same tape as Grease, another favorite of ours, and right after Danny and Sandy fly off in their car the music changed over to the start of Pete's Dragon. We watched this double feature so often the tape began to wear.

I had not thought much about Pete's Dragon too often once I stopped watching it on repeat.

Amy had bought the DVD of our childhood movie recently. She thought her girls would like it, or perhaps she just hoped they would so she could get a break from High School Musical. My understanding is Amy liked it better than the girls.

Recently the boys have discovered Puff the Magic Dragon. Beth and Dave kindly bought Turner (and his brother's) a library full of wonderful children's books. Included in the selections was Puff, the story and audio CD. We read it once, then I sang it, then we played the CD. Instantly the boys were hooked and between their questions about Jackie Paper and what he is pointing to (the lighthouse) and why he stopped believing in Puff, they would sing the song and giggle.

On Sunday we went to Amy's house to celebrate Madden's 2nd Birthday. Since you can't get much past their perceptive eyes, and DVD's are amongst Ryder's favorite things to play with, it did not take long before they noticed a DVD with a dragon on it. He assumed it was Puff the Magic Dragon. I went on to explain how it was actually Pete's Dragon, Elliott, and though they seemed to get that it was a whole new dragon, they still insisted on watching it. And so, we borrowed Pete's Dragon from the Benjamin's. Much to my surprise they were not scared of any parts of the movie and much to my delight they love the movie. They insist on watching it any chance they get, and despite watching it way too many times in only five days, I personally love watching it again. With today's movies being computer animated and digitally enhanced, it is fun to watch an "old fashioned" children's fantasy movie with real actors and real songs. Once I watched Pete's Dragon again I realized how little I rememebered, but still loved it as if I was five.

The Need for Expletives!!

I don't have the cleanest mouth. I am not proud of this but I tend to drop an unnecessary Fbomb too often. Shit and damn come out of my mouth a good amount as well, but I hardly consider them curses anymore which gives you an idea of where on the PG scale my language tends to fall.
I do, however, curb my language much more these days so that my children don't learn the letter F by the Fword.
But, sometimes an expletive is imperative for the full meaning of a situation to be described. If your child dumps a bottle of walnut oil on the floor shouting "oh sugar" just does not fully get out the frustration of such an impossible cleanup. Or, if your child decides that slinging loaded diapers across the room is amusing, no way is it even close to appropriate to say he is slinging doody. Nope, you have to call it what it is, slinging shit. And, if your team wins the world series after 28 years of losing, just saying we are World Champions is not enough. Well, at the risk of sounding obnoxious (though I know every parent has the same sentiment of their kids even if they don't use the same words to say it), there are moments when I look at my kids and it is absolutely necessary for me to say, expletives and all, "Damn, they are so fucking cute!" Because, I truly think they are.