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.