Baby Shower for Elijah and Paulo III

The Maycock and Restauro families. Saturday night, October 11, 2008

New friends! Elijah and Paulo meet each other. They're a little apprehensive now, but they'll grow on each other.

This past Saturday night, October 11 our church family threw a baby shower for Elijah and for Paulo Restauro III, the son of one of our church elders, Paulo Restauro and his wife Sheri.

It was a fun evening and we truly appreciate all the efforts the church members made on our behalf. Everyone pitched in to purchase a bouncy-seat for Elijah and a stroller for little Paulo. There was food to eat, games to play, and fellowship to share. Special thanks to Carol, Andrea, and Crystal who coordinated the event.

Babs, Elijah, and Virle


Father and son. Don't they look so much alike?


What's a baby shower without games? In this one the men had to drink an entire baby bottle of water as fast as they can. Unfortunately, I got one of those "slow flow" natural-type bottles. It took me so long to finish my bottle that eventually I resorted to. . .

. . .cheating. I took off the napple and gulped it. After that, our partners fed us baby food. My partner was "Little Sister" as Barbara was off feeding Elijah.

Now I know why you have to "airplane" and other things to coax babies to eat. That baby food is nasty! "Little Sister" and I had sweet potato and it was tough to get down.

I love being a dad!


Our wonderful church family

Elijah plays the keys with a keyboard from the Takayama girls

Opening gifts

The Restauros

My Favorite Thing in the Whole World

More of the Moms' Visit

Our Moms' Last Sabbath in Saipan, October 4, 2008.

We had a wonderful time with our mothers in Saipan and we were sad to see them go when they flew back home this past Wednesday. Thanks moms for all the delicious meals, all the help with Elijah, the new toilet, vaccuum, and shoes, the cleaned windows and shower, the organized and fully stocked kitchen cupboards, but most of all thank you for the pleasure of your company. We love you!


At Mt. Tapochau at sunset, October 4, 2008


On the ferry to Managaha Island on a perfect Saipan day. Sunday, October 5.

Mom Leen, Elijah, and Babs chillin' on the ferry.

Mom's an island girl at heart. She fit right in here in Saipan.

Mom Leen and Elijah at the beach on Managaha

My mom absolutely loved snorkeling in the waters off Managaha. Once I gave her the mask and snorkels she came in from her exploration of the waters only once during our time on the island--to get the booties and fins so she could snorkel more with greater ease. She's the snorkeler further back in this photo. I was so happy I could provide my mom with some special Saipan experiences like snorkeling at Managaha, as well as a morning at P.I.C. and a field trip with my students to see the ancient Chamorro sites on Saipan and learn about Chamorro history and culture.

Another shot of Mom Leen and Elijah

The grandmothers bid farewell to their grandson at the airport. Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Love you and miss you, Mom. Come and visit again soon! Love, your son, Sean.

Mom Leen and Babs. Thanks for making the big trip, Mom. Hope they'll be more to come in the future. Lots of love, your son-in-law, Sean.

Resolutions for the Year in Progress

Father and Son Hanging out by the Grotto. Looks like at least one of us is having fun!

Well, here it is October and I'm finally getting to my "New Years Resolutions." You may recall that last summer I decided to treat August as my new year, because as a teacher that's when things really start anew for me. The plan was to do the same this August, but like many plans this one got upended by a little fella by the name of Elijah, and my Resolutions entry languished, neglected, on my "Coming Soon" sidebar for two months.

But now at last I can post this entry (provided that Elijah stays asleep just now) and let you in on the resolutions for this year. Even though I haven't posted these, I've been thinking about them for awhile and taking steps to make them a reality.

Be an Active Dad
Maybe one of the biggest reasons I haven't blogged more often is because of my commitment to keeping this resolution. I wanted to be an involved father, for the sake of my wife as well as my son. I didn't want Barbara to feel abandoned to the task of raising our son, while I went out and brought home the stripples. And I wanted to be more than a distant authority figure to Elijah. Now that our lives are settling into a routine, I can see the temptation to leave the baby stuff to Babs. Dealing with a crying baby can be taxing and it would be so easy to beg off with the excuse of "work" to avoid helping out. But I'm determined not to do that. Raising our son is going to be a team effort.

But even more than pitching in with diaper changes and burping, I want to give my son an active life. Some people think the adventures end when parenthood begins--but I want this to be the beginning of new adventures. He's already been to half a dozen restuarants, Managaha Island, Mt. Topachau and the heights of Suicide Cliff. When he's a little older I want to strap him into the carrier and take him on my favorite hikes or put him in the jogging stroller and take him for a run. Already Elijah shows signs of being a very curious guy and one who loves the outdoors (A great soothing trick with him when he's fussy is to take him outside. He'll stop crying and his eyes will open wide as he takes in the sunshine, blue sky, and natural beauty of our island home). Rather than be the dad that always leaves him behind, I want to be the dad who always takes him along for the ride.


Be a better citizen
I've never voted. At the age of thirty-five, that is shameful. The irony of it is that I've long had an interest in politics and world issues and hold strong views on many of the issues facing both our local community in Saipan and back in the States. I'm not sure why that never translataed into civic action? Perhaps it was cyncism about politicians in general or doubts about my ability to make a real difference. Maybe I've been just plain lazy, satisfied to opine from the sidelines rather than actualy get involved. This year I'd like for that to change. Unfortunately, it's too late for me to register to vote in the November elections both here in Saipan and in the U.S. Mainland, but I've resolved to register, inform myself on the issues and the candidates and vote in the next election after this one. One vote may not make a difference but a lot of individual votes together can. There's no reason why I can't be one of those individuals who adds my voice to the chorus of democracy.

In the meantime, I'll exercise my civic duty by trying to convince one of my buddies who is an undecided Ohio voter to vote Obama!


Work on becoming a published author
This has been a long time goal of mine--a dream, that like most dreams has been deferred in favor of more mundane realities like work, sleep, and TV. But I've finished a draft of my first novel and I'm ready to start lookng for an agent. But that's not enough. Chances are it will take a long time for my manuscript to find a publisher--if it ever does. So I need to keep writing, and keep looking for venues to publish my work. God's given me a talent and I haven't done much with it until now. It's time to start using my gift and letting God multiply the results.


Worship as a family
Babs and I have long talked about having regular worship together. We've made a few half-hearted tries, but nothing has ever really stuck. Now that Elijah has joined our family I feel it's more important than ever to put a priority on spending time with God as a family. At the very least I want to have sundown worship together every Friday evening and prayer together daily.

There are so many things I want for my boy, but the thing I want most for him is to know Jesus and to trust and love Him completely. I don't want him to be saddled with all the issues and baggage I've had to deal with in my spiritual journey. I feel like one of the best ways for me to help him have a strong and rewarding relationship with Jesus is through family worship.

Take better care of my teeth
Okay this is one wagon I've fallen off of many times (forgive me, Lori and Bev). But once again I want to renew my commitment to dental health. I will floss regularly. I will put aside the time and money for a visit to our favorite dentists!

What About Last Year's Resolutions?
Everyone knows resolutions are made to be broken, right? Well maybe not. I took a look at least year's list and I was pleased to find that I kept my resolutions. An update:

I resolved to be less busy, and I believe I was successful. Last year was certainly one of the least stressful years of my time in Saipan.
I reoslved to stop worrying about things I can't control. I really believe I've mastered this. I can't remember the last time I grew anxious over the school or church. I've finally come to really accept that God is in control of the things I have no power over.
I resolved to be more active and I kept that resolution. Last year I added diving, running, swimming, hiking, and even rock climbing to my lifestyle. It felt good!
I resolved to go to bed early and I was so successful it extended even to my summer vacation. I've found the rested feeling that comes from a good nights sleep easily outweighs the momentary pleasures of staying up late.
I resolved to save money and our savings account, after a few dips here and there, is once again growing steadily. We're far from perfect but I think we've got a better handle on our finances than at any time since we got married. This past month we haven't charged a single thing to our credit card!
I resolved to spray our house for roaches. This one took awhile but Elijah's birth and the arrival of our moms finally prompted us to get professional help. The good folks at Pest-Ex have started spraying our house once a month.

The Meeting of the Mothers

Our family at Suicide Cliff Lookout, Sabbath, September 27, 2008. From L to R, my mom Rosalind; Barbara's mom, Carol; Me, Elijah, and Babs.

It took them ten years and the birth of their first grandchild, but our mothers finally made the epic journey across the vast Pacific to our little tropical outpost. They arrived here on Thursday night, September 18 and since then Babs, Elijah, and I have been living in the lap of luxury! They've been treating us like royalty--cooking for us, cleaning for us, changing and burping Elijah. We're so grateful for their help, but even more than that we're enjoying just being with them. It had been more than a year since we'd last seen our moms, and no matter how old you get there's just something reassuring about having mom around.

It's been fun to share our island life with our moms too--all our favorite restaurants, the most spectacular views, and the charms and rewards of working with our lovable students at the school. I think having seen it for themselves, they have a better understanding of why we've stayed here all these years.


Barbara's mom, Carol; Me; and my mom, Rosalind at the airport on the night of their arrival, September 18, 2008. They look pretty good for having been traveling for more than 24 hours!

The Mothers-turned-Grandmothers meet the Little Fella for the first time.


Three Generations: On the couch, me, Babs and Elijah, Carol and behind the couch, Rose.

Life with Elijah
Elijah is growing like a weed--he's up to almost 9 lbs already. He's a strong Little Fella--he can already turn himself over from his tummy to his back and he lifts his head a lot. This past week he's finally begun to show signs of developing a nighttime routine which makes things a little easier for the four of us. He typically goes three to four hours (and sometimes longer)between mealtimes at night but feeds more often during the day.

Elijah, being held by Grandma Carol "on the phone" with Aunt Dawn: "What's that you say? Shocking!"


Hanging out with Mommy


His shirt reads "Already Breaking Hearts." So true!

I love being a dad!

I love this expression. It's all about the eyes!


The Little Fella being held by Nona Rose.

Elijah Visits the School
On Friday, September 26 Babs returned to the school for the first time since before Elijah was born. This time she carried him in her arms and the kids were thrilled to get their first look at the long-awaited baby Maycock.

Elijah makes his debut at the end of our Friday joint worship program.


The fifth and sixth graders check out Elijah

The Little Fella is so popular!


A brief video of Elijah visiting with the third and fourth grade students.

Baby Dedication.

This past Sabbath, September 27, 2008 we had Elijah dedicated to the Lord. We figured it's never too soon to dedicate our precious little guy to the One who made him and Who cares for him even more than we do. Two other familes dedicated their boys at the same time as we did. Rhonda and Nicole videotaped the dedication and I will post it once I can edit down to a manageable size

Baby Dedication


All three families with their babies.

At church. So far Elijah has proved to be a very well-behaved churchgoer, though he does sleep through everything!


Dedication Day Portrait: From L to R, Pastor Eliki, Barbara's mom Carol, Elijah, Babs, my mom Rosalind, and me.

Seeing Saipan with the Moms
A few pics of our moms on their adventures around Saipan
A
Coffee Care for my mom's birthday. Sunday morning, September 21, 2008. We couldn't think of a better way to celebrate than to take her to our favorite restaurant in the whole world!

Nona and her grandson. Happy Birthday Mom! It's so nice to have you here.


The two intrepid travelers at the Last Command Post, Saipan. Sabbath, September 27, 2008.

Checking out Banzai Cliff.


Babs and her mom at Bird Island. (Note the rainbow in the background).

Babs with mom and mother-in-law at the Grotto.

The Auntie Brigade
The Plan was that our mothers would arrive in Saipan just a few days before Elijah was born. They would help us survive those exhausting, challenging first three weeks of his life. But God and Elijah had other plans. Our boy showed up three weeks early and Babs and I were left to fend for ourselves. Well, not entirely. I'm a big believer in the "It takes a village to raise a child" philosophy and we asked a few friends and colleagues to help us out. They became Elijah's "Auntie Brigade"--six women without whom we would never have made it through those first three weeks until the moms arrived! Amy, Jaimie, Rhonda, Andrea, and Carol came over on a rotating basis every evening so that Babs could rest and I could do non-baby work for a few hours. Gloria Pierson was our Breastfeeding Guru, who helped us navigate the tricky waters of Elijah's feeding via phone and e-mail. We deeply appreciate all these women did for us and for Elijah. Though busy with their own lives and responsibilities they took time to help us as we took our first tentative steps as parents. I'd also like to express my appreciation to all of our school and church family as well as friends in the community who have been so loving and supportive towards us and Elijah. The thoughtful gifts and offers of assistance have been meant so much to us. Together, you have added to our joy. Thank you!


Auntie Jaimie and Auntie Rhonda with Elijah. Jaimie's mom warned in a comment on this blog that Jaimie LOVED babies! So I took her at her word and asked Jaimie if she wouldn't mind coming over once a week to help with Elijah for a few hours. She readily agreed and Rhonda tagged along for the ride. Both women are true baby-lovers, and despite dealing with frantic crying jags and messy diaper changes, their enthusiasm for babies seems undimmed. Thanks you two for all your help!


Auntie Amy and Elijah Amy is our preschool and daycare director so her entire career is built around caring for little ones. Naturally she is absolutely crazy about babies and she has a lot of experience working with them. It only made sense to ask her to join the Auntie Brigade. Amy took more shifts than any of the aunties--Saturday nights as well as Wednesdays and Thursdays. It wasn't our intention to overwork her--she wanted to come that much, and probaly would have come every day, all day, if we'd let her. In fact, she tacked on a few bonus visits on Sundays during the day as well. It was thanks to Amy that Babs and I were able to have our first "date"--brunch at Coffee Care--since Elijah was born. Amy, as well as several of our other teachers also helped Carol clean up and organize our house on when Elijah was born and in the days immediately following. While Elijah was busy being born, she even purchased, delivered, and set up the crib for him. Thanks for everything, Amy!

Auntie Andrea with Elijah, working the "late shift". Andrea Stafford--unflappable, gentle, encouraging, and exceedingly patient-- was an indispensable auntie! She's been through this before (three times!) and has the cool, collected air of an expert. Every time she came over she soothed our rattled nerves and calmed our fears with her even-keeled, peaceful spirit. In addition to several hospital and home visits during Elijah's first week, Andrea came over the first Thursday night of Elijah's life, again the following day and then on each Tuesday after that until our moms arrived. She was also instrumental in helping Babs with learning to breastfeed. I was always amazed that with three young children of her own, Andrea still had the time, energy, and interest in coming over to help us with Elijah. The gift of her time and wisdom as a veteran mother meant so much to us. And a big thanks to Dr. Mike for holding down the fort at the Stafford home so that Andrea could come over.

Auntie Gloria, pictured here with her husband Ken. Though she's yet to see him in person or hold the Little Fella in her arms, Gloria Pierson was definitely an integral part of the Auntie Brigade. Her son Ken Junior is our good friend and the director of our dental clinic here on Saipan. In those foggy first days after Elijah's birth I can't remember whether it was he or his wife Crystal who gave us Gloria's contact information and told us to call her if we needed help. We were on the phone with her in the first week. You see, Gloria is a professional lactation consultant. Or as we put it, more informally, she is a Breastfeeding Guru! And her deep knowledge of the mysteries of nursing was exactly what we needed in those early days. Despite being on vacation at the time, Gloria was happy to talk to us on the phone at length and correspond via e-mail, answering our many questions, providing timely advice, and giving us unstinting encouragement. She even had a colleague express-mail some vital nursing equipment to us. Her professional knowledge and personal passion were invaluable to us as we struggled to learn how to feed Elijah. Thank you so much, Gloria. I'm sure the day will come when Elijah can can thank you himself with hugs and kisses!

Auntie Carol and Elijah. And then there's Carol Paez. Where do I begin? Barbara's closest friend in Saipan has been helping us with Elijah from the very beginning--literally. While they were both relaxing at the Mandi Spa one Saturday night in January, Barbara told her that she thought she might be pregnant. The next day Carol provided us with the pregnancy test that confirmed Elijah's existence. Carol spearheaded the clean up and organization of our house when Barbara went into labor three weeks earlier than expected. And she was in the delivery room with Barbara on the day he was born, helping her work through the contractions--Barbara says she could not have done it without Carol's reassuring presence and constant help. Carol was one of the first to hold Elijah, the first person outside the hospital staff to care for him. Since then she's been a lifeline to our new family. She came over many times in addition to her regular Sunday and Monday evening visits. She was there for, and helped facilitate what has become known as "The Breakthrough", when Elijah finally started feeding regularly. She gave him his first bath. Carol, with her years of experience as a nurse and as a mother, did so much to soothe our fears during the early days of Elijah's life when we feared disaster at every little change in our precious one. These few words of appreciation can't begin to cover the debt of gratitude we feel towards Carol for her generous help and heartfelt friendship. Something tells me that, whether near or far, Carol Paez is going to be an integral part of our son's life for many years to come. Thank you, Carol!

Carol is the key! Elijah with the two women who did the most to bring him into the world.