He who is without sin cast the first scone....

Ok, as I am writing this, Mr. Bracken is watching The Exorcist, the one with that crazy little pre-teen girl...the revolving head, projectile vomiting, the works. Can I write a blog update recording Finn's baptism under these conditions? That said, I do have to admit the townhouse in Georgetown is sweet, but having Satan as your child is a high price to pay...crown molding and full south facing windows be damned (although the huge kitchen did give me pause. How much trouble could a satan-child be...maybe boarding school?)

So, Father Tom (FT) was gracious enough to baptize Finn at the Aquinas House under a full crowd of family, friends, and other older Mass-goers unexpectedly trapped into our family event (don't think I didn't see their eye-rolling when they walked into Aquinas and saw the baptismal bowl.) Once again, FT hit it out of the park and did an amazing job ridding Finn of that pesky original sin. We think it may have been what was keeping him from sleeping through the night, so we are very much looking forward to a sin-free baby in our home. A couple of observations...I had to block out the thoughts about Kevin and Hope's raucous wedding reception taking place in the very room where our little Finn was doing the eternal sign up with the church. Let's just say MTV would have been pleased with footage from the Cotter wedding, so I had to subvert those images on our holy day. Second, Finn was dressed like an extra from that Harrison Ford movie "Witness". That said, he looks cute in a bonnet - even if it can only cover 60% of his massive Irish cranium. He was alert and didn't cry once - which was fantastic. Godparents Anne LeMay and Kevin Bracken were properly reverent as spiritual stewards, and FT even got Shane LeMay and Katie LeMay involved in the baptism ceremony (Bridget LeMay appointed herself godmother runner-up in the event her mother could not execute her duties in the event she is befallen by a Vanessa Williams-type scandal.)

After the baptism, we gathered back at our house and had quite a little reception organized by the Reavey women catering service. Food came in from North Jersey, Connecticut, and Virginia. We had a great time hosting everyone and Father Tom blessed each room of our house with holy water, and took special requests from some parents to get extra holy water sprinkled on the more "spirited Linda Blair" like kids. There was some sizzling holy water but no head spins. The Bulls surprised us on their way back from a family event in the Poconos, and Anna Reid, the baby belle of Georgia, stopped by to chat with Finn. Thankfully, Finn has closed in on Anna Reid in the size category...you can't have your girl cousin dominating you all through your childhood.

So, the final word is that Phineas Robert is now a proud member of the Roman Catholic church and is currently sin-free. We will see how that goes. We had a great time with family and friends and we feel lucky to have so many great role models in our life, starting with Finn's godmother and godfather.

Picture Key

1. Finn, Molly and I with Father Tom at Aquinas House, Princeton University

2. Scott LeMay's artsy photo of the baptismal bowl. Simon Pearce...very nice.

3. Finn rocking his Amish outfit with godmother Anne bestowing blessings. Bridget lurking...

4. The money shot. Nice work Scott.

5. All of us with godparents Kevin Bracken and Anne LeMay. Assisted by Shane & Bridget LeMay.

6. Finn experiencing the rapture as Father Tom drops knowledge. Grandparents Bracken look on.

7. Babies Finn and Anna Reid get re-acquainted under the Christmas tree.

8. Godfather Kevin with the NC BBQ express Lisa Benfield and Matt Bracken. Uncle Jerry lurking.

9. The Crons say goodbye to Harrison, Finn, and "Hosanna" Bracken as they leave for Conn.

10. Shane LeMay and Finn rocking the matching fire truck sweaters. They both love frogs.

11. Godmother Anne Dunne LeMay and event photographer Colonel Scott LeMay.

12. Anne, Scott, Tom, Colleen. Midwest represent!

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow....

We recently had some snow here in NJ, and when the chemical plants that dot the state are covered in a beautiful ecru blanket, it just all looks like a scene from Norman Rockwell's "Industrial American Dream" series. Princeton grads will be pleased to know that Finn was naked when the first flakes of the season came down (his only departure from the Nude Olympics was that he was sober and on a changing table rather than less than sober and in Holder Courtyard.)

Finn seems to like the snow, and when it began to really accumulate we got out the shovel and put him to work. One of the main reasons for my wanting a son is so I can offload some of the more strenuous/mundane jobs both inside and outside the house. I put him on the walk and he just laid there on the ice crying like a little, well, like a baby. He needs to learn that all his little cute stuffed animals and countless bottles aren't free...everyone in this house needs to contribute.

We once again drove up to the Brackens to cut down our Christmas tree. Colleen and Harrison joined us as we looked for the perfect tree at the Korean monastery/tree farm near the Bracken's house in Sussex County. Nothing says Christmas to us like a Korean monk parking attendant in a Santa suit eating kimchi and handing out candy canes. The place is the best. I do want to proudly note that this year's Rockefeller Center tree did come from nearby Hamilton, NJ, so we know our trees. We closed the weekend with our Christmas cookie making bonanza. Molly runs a tight assembly line. We crank out an army of snowmen like mad dictators. Not to be competitive during the holiday season, but my hats look like perfectly formed fedoras, and Molly's brown smudge at the top of the cookie often looks at best like a bullfighter's hat and at worst a mop of brown, unwashed hair. Her snowmen looked like they have been sleeping in alleys somewhere, all disheveled and beady-eyed, carrot all askew from a night (or more) of hard partying. Keeping with the theme, I watched "Frosty the Snowman" with Finn, which was his first Christmas TV special. Man, that animation is terrible....like Pixar for first graders. And the kids and their stupid, cloying holiday optimism. The character development is totally two dimensional--literally and figuratively. I cheered when Frosty melted in that dang greenhouse but it just kept going and going....kind of like my posts.

contemplating fatherhood

Blog resuscitation

I am here to address a couple of things. The first, obviously, is my complete abandonment of the blog. In my defense, it is better to abandon my blog than abandon my baby. I have even suffered a few "carefrontations" from alleged readers. CAREfrontation is residence life lingo for situations when you "care" enough about the person to confront him/her about their failings. All this is done in a non judgmental and relativist manner. Usually parents and/or the corporate industrial complex are blamed. In response, I promise (mostly to myself because as I have recently learned by watching the Tyra Banks show, self love is the cornerstone to fulfillment and personal responsibility) that there will be a flurry of posts in the next few days. Please ignore the dates not matching the postings (no, we didn't celebrate Thanksgiving in mid December.) Also, if you have a shopping addiction, Tyra is looking for guests on her show. Call them; she cares and will get you the help you need...and a make-over if you play your cards right.

The second issue I need to address is my "conflation" of events involving two separate visitors. Molly dutifully pointed out that in my last posting that I combined some of the details from Jen and Tom's visit with the details from Julie and James' visit. It turns out that I confused a visit where we hosted two small children and went on a tiger hunt (Julie and James) with a visit where we loaded down the pram with alcohol and hoagies (Tom and Jen, NYC slicksters, pictured above). Honest mistake, and one I am sure is made often. If any patients in Connecticut now worry their doctors are alcoholics with bad parenting and worse dietary habits, rest assured that it was wholesome family fun for the Connecticut folks...there was even a volvo wagon involved. That said, please note I can only confirm that their time in New Jersey was alcohol and hoagie free; I cannot speak to their conduct in the privacy of their own home in Guilford. For all I know they feed little Nola Magic Hat beers and cheesesteaks around the clock. I don't know- I am not there. Perhaps there are telling signs. I'm just saying...two doctor parents, perfect kids and a perfect little house by the town green. It just screams skeletons in the closet, you know? But NJ was dry and steak-um free.

As for Jen and Tom, we were just relieved they didn't get Finn hooked on any of that crystal meth which is all the rage with the city folks up there in the concrete jungle. If you enlarge the picture you can see Finn giving a blank stare constructed with a perfect mix of profound paternal disappointment and crushing boredom. I am sure he wanted to take the train back to the city and really live, you know? Feel the pulse of the great metropolis. Jen and Molly look like secret sorority sisters as they have taken some version of this photo (the girl-besties arm in arm picture) a thousand times in countless dorm rooms around a beer die table in snowed in Colby College. Tom looks justifiably creeped out that some guy (namely me) just said "wait, we need a picture for my blog"...if he knew how to call a cab in the burbs I am certain he would have foregone my offer of a ride to the station.

Connecticonnection

Ok the posts are backlogged again. Damn you demanding baby...the thing is he is always there. Would it kill him to make a friend and go out for a movie or a sleep over? Maybe his social life would pick up a bit if he stopped spitting up on his clothes and/or stopped going the bathroom in his pants.

The pictures above are from a recent visit from our favorite Liebermaniacs, the doctors Cron-Lai (not to be confused with my high school friend Khan Thai, who incidentally is also a doctor). They came rolling from the Nutmeg north like bats out of hell and we had an awesome time touring PTON. It was a beautiful fall day and went on a tiger hunt on campus, got hoagies from the Haven (yes, I wept tears of joy that this dinner plan got green-lighted), and then completely loaded down the Blue Thunda with beer and wine (pictured above). A stroller loaded down with booze, that is how they roll in Connecticut. We had a blast hanging out while 6 year old Hayden babysat his younger sister Nola and Finn. James and I launched his next career trajectory as an on air medical expert....see the enclosed video and tell me that the camera doesn't LOVE this guy. We will have him in the NY or Philly market in the next three years. Any readers from William Morris, call my people and we can set up a lunch at Jean Georges....let's bang out a deal over the seven course tasting menu. Done and done.

blog confession: I was waiting for the Crons and Molly to come out of the liquor store (you all know how hard it is to get Molly out of a liquor store once she gets going) and decided to take a picture of Finn under the liquor banner with my phone. I then stood on a waist high wall to get the shot of Finn and the sign in the frame. Noticing that a guy had come up behind me (we were right by the door) and saw me taking the picture, I sheepishly told him "It's for my blog." He looked at the baby, the alcohol sign, shook his head in disgust and went in the store. Shameful. I am pleased to report that the cheesesteak photos were taken moments later without incident.

YES WE CAN!

Big election day for the Dunne family...Phineas' first presidential election. I know this has been a hotly contested election, but I never expected the two candidates to stop by this morning to give an in-person plug for our votes (see photos above). And to think New Jersey isn't even a swing state! Obama took a look at the condition of the outside of our house and yard and said we qualify for an even bigger tax cut, so good news for us on Nov. 5th! When Sen. McCain came by, Finn started to cry, but we were thrilled to hear him utter his first words "No corporate welfare for multi-national corporations like Exxon Mobil." Wow, that was a mouthful and more than a little surprising. And a part of my heart broke when his first words didn't include "dad" or "Boston College."

The weather was amazing here today so we walked up to the polls as a little happy family. Finn was wearing his "Babies for Obama" onesie given to him by Carol the democratic zealot in the admission office, and we were happy to support the team. On our way up the hill (it may not be a hill exactly but I am so out of shape it definitely feels like one) we ran into the babysitter who rejected a pre-born Finn from her daycare spot. She waved us over from across the street, and Molly hissed to me "What if the babysitter is not a democrat?" Thinking that I didn't have enough time to rip off the onesie, I mummified Finn in his blanket. Hey, I am all about Obama's message of HOPE as much as the next guy, but we are talking childcare people...nothing is out of bounds. I would steal Obama's kidney (before he had secret service detail) to get a spot in this woman's daycare operation. It is located about five houses up from ours...the kids look so dang happy...and did I mention it is five houses up from ours? We do need to balance the needs of our young child with the needs of our aging PT Cruiser (for the love of God give us two more years of no car payments). Luckily, she is a big democrat (in Princeton, imagine that) and got a kick out of the Obama onesie. I am going to do a reverse smear campaign on some of the other kids in the class...just throw a Bush/Cheney '04 sticker on their cars when they are dropping off one of their lucky spot-hogging brats. Let's see if that doesn't loosen up the roster of her daycare a bit.

We finally got to the fire house and cast our ballots. Molly still is under Bracken...she just loves having an out clause. I am going to order Sleeping with the Enemy on netflix just to send a subtle message. (Wow, domestic violence jokes...a new low for the blog.) She got to take Finn into the voting booth (pictured above) so he could officially say he voted in this historic election. When she finished there was a raft of "check the age on that voter" jokes. Ha ha ha. Man, volunteer election sites are funny places. To be fair, we did vote in what appeared to be a bar attached to the fire house. Should we encourage volunteer fire fighters to drink on duty? When Molly answered that Finn was two months old, the young volunteer exclaimed, "Two months, you look FANTASTIC." Ok, buddy, that's my wife and I am standing right here...now I see why Molly likes to keep her "Bracken" name; it's like she is marlin fishing down in the Keys. I am gonna get on this name change issue.

So, our work is done and now we wait. We have a big election returns party on campus tonight. Remember, we are not a red country. Nor a blue country. We are a Dancing with the Stars country. And a professional wrestling country. And super-size fries country. Let our greed, naked self-interest, and xenophobia unite us once again as the greatest exporter of slasher movies, t-shirts with crude double entendre "johnson" jokes, and over-priced jeans and basketball shoes. Let us bring hi-def t.v. and processed junk food with Disney movie tie-ins to the masses across the world.

Cue Lee Greenwood's "Proud to be an American" and fade to a long shot of the golden wheat fields of Kansas, followed by a shot of a sunset with the Santa Monica pier in silhouette (this terribly cheesy image was flashing behind the speakers at the Republican hate fest in Minnesota.) Good night America and thank you for voting -- just so you could get a free cup of Starbucks coffee.

Socialism abounds! Free candy for the masses!

Today was Phineas' first Halloween. My day started by finding my colleague Tori dressed up as Tom Dunne (pictured above), replete with a baby Finn, a loosened collar and an electronic razor. She even went as far as to buy a wig...but for some reason she bought one with a lot of gray rather than the warm chestnut glow of my glorious mane. Not sure where she was going with that...the one she bought must have been on sale. Phineas came up to West College later in the day and he got to hang out with some of the folks in Molly's office and mine. He was sporting a great Boo! hat given by Dianne (hat shown in the picture with my boss Kathleen Deignan...is there a law against using your child to suck up to your boss?) and also wore assorted Halloween bibs, socks, onesies, etc. So lots of orange and black which fits in very well. We walked to Colleen and Harrison's for our first official trick or treat experience, and got a great Halloween bag for Finn's candy...I look forward to Finn filling it for years to come. I swear I am going to make him go to 50+ houses...go get daddy some candy! Our friends Kevin and Hope stopped by in costume (pirate for Kevin and "harried hedge fund employee just of a train" costume for Hope) and we passed out some candy. Our last trick-or-treater was a solo woman solidly into her 30s trick or treating by herself...she kept asking Kevin if they went to high school together. Hey, I can't blame her, she is out there networking, meeting the neighbors, mining dating prospects and washing it all down with free Almond Joys. But, our rule is when the adults without children start coming to the door it is time to snuff the candles in the pumpkins and shut it down. We hope everyone had a great Halloween!

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that the second picture is of Finn's costume....a dinosaur or dragon. The good news is that Phineas is in a major growth binge...the bad news is that he got too big for the halloween costume we bought about a week ago...so, we put it on one of Finn's bears. Dang, would have been cute.

Blog Contest: Name the New Chariot

The blog is running our first contest! As many of you know, Phineas is fond of rolling through town in "The Blue Thunder" our navy blue pram. Molly, our in house Craigslist wizard, found this red jogging stroller, which I believe is the 37th motion/carrier related item we had to buy for Finn. In this case, Molly kept circling back to the "jogging" feature of this stroller, as in "wouldn't it be fun to take Finn jogging?" Gee, Molly, I don't know how hard it is to find a babysitter willing to jog the baby. I did go online to find at attachment which would allow me to hook (safely of course, which reflector lights and everything) the stroller to the PT Cruiser. That I wouldn't mind and I think Finn would enjoy the fresh air.

So, on to the contest. We have been enjoying the red stroller thing but it is a bit lame to hear Molly say, "no, not Blue Thunder, the red stroller." Anti-climatic...just sets you off on a sucky walk. So, post a name for the new stroller (pictured above) and/or vote for the name you like the best. The winning name will not only get the naming rights to the hot new wheels, but I will also send out Phineas' first play list with 37 solid songs. I look forward to your suggestions!

Happy Anniversary Finn

Finn is a month old (if the self serving picture didn't already give it away). When his hands aren't swaddled in blankets or ensconced in little girly mitts with lace trim, he taught himself to write and made this sign himself. His first one said "Save Me" but Molly and I thought it a bit Evangelical so I tore it up. This time he followed directions....his printing is pretty good but the baby down the street is writing in cursive so he has to put down the Wii and hit the primer books. In the second picture with the pacifier (can we call it a mouth Gandhi? No, that is offensive. Other famous pacifists? Jesus-- uh, also totally not appropriate. Jimmy Carter...a mouth Jimmy or a mouth Carter? Not sure. Ok I am moving off this. Email me if you know of a famous pacifist with a catchy name not tied to a major religion or culture) o.k digression over, back to the baby...in the second picture we think he looks like he is coyly waving hello to us. How cute. Although, his babysitter is a Rollin' 20's Crip so maybe Finn is showing some love for his people in the 213. West side is the right side.

Virginia Trilogy: Tripping the Fairfax Fantastic

On Sunday following a great brunch in Williamsburg, we headed north to Fairfax to meet up with the LeMays and the Dunnes. Grandma Dunne rocked the Astro Van all the way from North Carolina to meet her double digit grandchild (Phineas is number 10). We got a picture with grandma and nine of the ten, as Harrison was up in Massachusetts at an AAU basketball tournament. We had some fantastic meals and Finn got passed from LeMay to LeMay after spending some serious time with grandma. Scott made some incredible burgers and the Dunnes came down from Leesburg to hang out with the cousins. The next day we went to a great county park and checked out a really cool nature center-- snakes in cages, turtle tanks, the works. We went on a hike and Finn broke out his baby bjorn harness thing. We ended with a picnic lunch in the park--the all american day. The kids were great with Finn and picked out two huge boxes of toys for him...when we were leaving, Finn was crying and Shane said "Don't cry Finn, you have a car full of toys now." Now that guy has his priorities in order. Speaking of gifts, Anne and Scott gave us an awesome Garmin which we used to guide us home. We named her Ginger, and provided you don't make her "recalibrate" directions too often, she is perfectly pleasant and a great help on the road. We drove home on a route right through DC...past the white house and the monuments on our way back to New Jersey. Finn's first major road trip was in the bag and was a great trip with a ton of family fun.

PS I LOVE that picture of Finn and Grandma Dunne!

Breaking News: Matt and Lisa are getting married

The big news from the Williamsburg gathering was a surprise announcement from Matt and Lisa that they got engaged earlier that morning in the Carolina mountains. Kevin, Uncle George and I were in on some of the pre planning, and Kevin and I put the over/under at 4 minutes before one of the women in attendance would spot Lisa's engagement ring. Molly and Patty spotted the ring literally as Lisa walked in the door...it was uncanny. It's like they have some supernatural mental ring scan going at all times. Matt had about one of the most romantic proposals I've ever heard. Everyone gathered and Aunt Anne gave a beautiful and moving toast, and I think Aunt Cathy had Julie join us via cellphone as Lisa and Matt recounted the story.

For those readers who don't know Lisa and Matt, they are literally two of the nicest, most generous, caring individuals I've ever met. It frankly makes them hard to be around sometimes...nothing like holding a big fat reality mirror up to your own shallowness. I can't believe how much I have scored in the in-law lottery. We wish them all the happiness they deserve. Enclosed are some pictures of the family and of course my forcing Lisa to show off the Finger Ice.

Virginia Trilogy: Talkin' Bout a Revolution

After Leesburg we headed south to Williamsburg, home of Aunt Anne and Uncle George Bull. Those of us in the know call it Billburg. Or Wibu. For those of you unfamiliar with this national treasure, Williamsburg is a colonial era town with a bunch of re-enactment and educational stuff (we skipped the educational stuff to hang out in a cafe, but Grandpa Bracken took Finn to see a drum and fife corp parade. Very colonial.)

It is also home to the College of William and Mary, a beautiful public university which is one of the oldest in the country. Are we dorky enough to visit other colleges while on vacation? Well, yes we are. We even took a picture by the Admission office. Man, does Finn have some GREAT family vacations ahead of him....college visits across America! The town is beautiful, but it takes a bit getting used to the woman in a petticoat and a bonnet standing behind you in line at Starbucks. We did see a guy in a tri corner hat set down his musket and check sports scores on his blackberry...I started shouting "He's a witch! He's a witch! He has a devil tinderbox in his pocket-- it lights from within with the cold fires of sin." The rest of the townspeople gathered around and jostled the blackberry free...so we got to stone the guy in the town square. Now that is an inspiring commitment to living the past. It was so cute seeing Finn lean forward in his stroller to get a little baby handful of pebbles and attempt to throw them at the accused witch....such a good little helper!

The Bulls live in this beautifully landscaped neighborhood which I am told reminds people of the houses in Desperate Housewives (I wouldn't know because I only watch PBS shows, with the sole purpose of expanding the intellectual horizons of my child.) The hosted a great party for the family to meet the newest editions of the next generation...Anna Reid Bull of Georgia and Phineas Robert of the glorious Garden State. The Bulls had family in from New York, Connecticut, Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia. It was great food and even better conversation. Anna Reid and Finn got along well (apparently betting on baby fights in a pack-n-play cage match is frowned upon in both the colonial and contemporary times, so we passed on that activity.) It was just a great way for Finn to meet all the family members he hadn't met yet and catch up with everyone.