Lourdes, France

"How was Lourdes?" everyone wants to know.  It was amazing and brought me closer to Our Lady on many levels.  Everything from the Grotto where St. Bernadette met Our Lady to the frigid, unwet water of Lourdes to the bells chiming the beginning of the Ave Maria on the half hour just pointed your soul toward Mary who in turn always points us toward her son, Our Lord.

The Basilica of the Immaculate Conception appears to rise out of the rocks of the Grotto.

First, we started with Mass in St. Joseph's chapel, followed by a tour of the Domain by the Knight's off Columbus.  I particularly like the Lourdes Medical Bureau where you can see the 69 proven miracles and all about the process in which they sift through all of the of cases submitted.  You can read more about it here.

You can see how the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception was built on top of the Grotto.

The Grotto has Mass nonstop in rotating languages.

Inside the Underground Basilica, AKA Basilica of Pope Pius X, it can hold 25,000 worshipers, but it doesn't actually have that many seats.  I'm not sure if they bring in what they think they need at the time.  When we went to Mass there on Sunday morning, we had to sit on the ground or stand.

The next day we went to the baths first thing in the morning.  I was very on the fence about whether or not to do the baths after reading a couple of things about it on the internet.  I was mostly nervous about the whole being naked in public thing, but I was assured by many that it was done very modestly and tastefully.  Brian and I thought that we would have to switch off and take turns because of Bobby and Judah, but they insisted that the kids could go with us.  We split up the way we usually do.  The girls went with me and Bobby, and the other boys went with Brian in the men's line.  Turns out having the kids go with us was the best thing because you get to go in a separate line specifically for women and children or men and children.  We were the first ones in that line so it wasn't a long wait at all.

When it turned nine o'clock, they opened with a prayer.  Then we were taken into a small room with a curtain to pull and divide it off in the middle.  The curtain was open and we could see the baths, one was a small child sized stone bath and one was a long shallow stone bath that had steps going down into it.  There were at least six ladies (maybe more) in there waiting to help us.  The girls and I put our things down.  I undressed Bobby, and while a helper watched him on the changing table another helper helped me get undressed by holding a cape out as a curtain.  The girls each had separate helpers too.  Once we were undressed, they put the capes around us and one around Bobby.  We were led closer to the baths and they puled the curtains.  The lady helpers led us in a Hail Mary in front of the statue of Our Lady of Lourdes.  Genevieve was the very first person of the day into the bath.  One helper removed the cape as another helper immediately wrapped a small, white, DRY! sheet around her and securely rolled it.  Then the two helpers, on either side of the narrow stone bath, each took a hand and walked her down the steps, all the way to the end of the bath, sat her down quickly, pulled her back up, and helped her walk back out.  The helpers repeated the process in reverse to leave Genevieve covered in the cape again.  They do not give you a towel because the water is considered unwet.

Hannah went next.  There was some sucking in of breath when the now freezing white sheet was tightly wrapped around her and again when she sat down in the freezing unwet water.

Next up was the Bobster.  I just had them pour water on his hands and feet.  That was enough for my little guy.  He did great and only cried when one of the helpers took him to dress him for me when it was my turn.

The lines at the baths

My turn came and I never felt naked or embarrassed.  It was very well done.  It was very, very cold.  I've never experienced anything so cold.  It literally took my breath away when they sat me down in the water.  I was very glad for the ladies there to pull me back up because I would've had trouble getting back up because it was so oppressively cold.  When I got out, I thought I was going to be freezing for a while, but really by the time I got dressed I felt warm and dry.  It was quite the experience.  Such a peaceful feeling followed.  We had to wait on the boys to finish.  While we waited the Ave Maria bells tolled and it was so peaceful.  When the boys returned, I was informed that Drew and Judah went in the baths and neither of them cried about the freezing water.  The original plan was to have Isaac and Brian go, but they changed the plan and it all went fine.  Daddy makes them tougher.  If I'd had them they'd have cried for sure.

Fresh out of the healing waters

Then we went with the Knights of Columbus up the hill above the Grotto and Basilica to do the Stations of the Cross.  That was a perfect time to do the Stations and it was on of my favorite parts of the trip.  The whole process of walking up a hill while meditating and praying the Stations in front of such impressive statues was beautiful.  It was like we were walking up with Jesus, but instead of carrying a cross I was carrying just about the sweetest bundle of joy there ever was.

Another (less sunny) picture of the girls and Bobby after the baths

The Beginning of the Stations of the Cross

The First Station has Scala Santa, Holy steps that you can go up on your knees if you are able and wish to do so.

All the Stations were life size statues and very moving.

Here's a couple of kids that were not affected by the serious nature of the Stations.

Breathtaking view from the top of the hill that the Stations are on: The Pyrenees Mountains.

Our Family at the End of the Stations of the Cross

Later that day, we had an opening ceremony in the Underground Basilica.  I had to walk the kids home without Brian and stop to get them pizza at a place across the street from our apartment.  The lady spoke no English or German and I only know enough food words in French to know what to order.  I needed to convey to her that I wanted to came back at 8pm to pick up the pizza.  It wasn't going so well until I drew a picture of a clock to explain when I wanted to come back.  Nothing like traveling in foreign countries to hone your problem solving skills.

Opening Ceremony in the Underground Basilica

Watching the Opening Ceremony

Opening Ceremony

The next day we had an English Mass at the Grotto bright and early in the morning.  Brian served in the color guard during the Mass, so I was on my own with the kids and it was standing room only.  I had to walk with the kids by myself from the apartment which in theory wasn't far, but, due to a large number of steps, I had to go the long way since I was wearing Bobby and pushing Judah in the stroller.  During the Mass I switched the three little ones around between the stroller, the ground, and in the Ergo to keep them all happy.  I'm sure it was fun to watch.  At this point, all the traveling was really starting to get to them.  The entire month of May was nonstop, go go go.  But we made it through.

Saturday Morning English Mass in the Grotto

Brian served as part of the color guard for the USA during the Mass

After Mass, Brian was busy for a little bit longer so I had promised the children that I would let them fill up the jugs full of Lourdes water.  They had been begging me the whole trip, but the timing hadn't been good for it.  It's a heavy jug we'd have to lug back.  Brian met us in a while after a lovely chat with a French gentlemen and his wife who had 10 kids, all grown.  Then we went in search of  good Mary statue for our living room grotto.

Finally, the kids were able to fill their jugs with Lourdes water.

Brian was busy the rest of the day with ceremonies and such.  We went back to the apartment for naptime, and then I took the children for gelato.  That killed some time and got some energy out.  I made dinner in the apartment that night.

Sunny Shot

The next day was a Sunday Mass in the Underground Basilica with all the country's military and a million priests and bishops and an archbishop.  It was a very long Mass with all the processions.  They rotated through different languages, although Latin seems like the easy solution there.  There was plenty of floor space for everyone, but many had to stand or sit on the floor, including ourselves.

Bummed that Drew's shadow got cut off! The tip of his head is visible.  This keeps happening.  He was the one cut off of our family selfie too.

We packed up and left late-ish in the day and headed to Nevers, 6 hours away.

Tours, France

Our visitors leave and the next morning bright and early we headed out on our pilgrimage to Lourdes.  We broke the 12.5 hour drive up into two days by stopping in Tours, France.  We found an apartment to rent overnight outside of the city.  It was extremely spacious, to say the least.

We dropped our stuff off at the cottage in the pouring rain and drove into Tours.  We parked at St. Gatien's Cathedral and went in there first.  They have a relic of St. Martin of Tours there.  This was a particularly stunning church, inside and out.  The stained glass windows were my favorite.  The church was burned and rebuilt several times, but the last time was built over three centuries (13th-16th) and, therefore, has Romanesque, Gothic, and Renaissance styles in it exterior.  

Amazing Stained Glass Windows

Weird altar, but amazing windows.

See what I  mean?  Stunning!

Tours Cathedral...wish we could have gotten Bobby in there.

Found a store named Genevieve LETHU

Then we walked a short way to the Basilica of St. Martin of Tours, discovering a shop next to it that has my Genevieve's name.  Inside we found the tomb of St. Martin in a crypt.  There was a place to write prayers.  We all wrote prayers down and slipped them in.  We didn't do as much prep work for this part of our trip and we weren't sure going in what all these two churches had to offer.  We stopped at a information desk on the way out where you also buy prayer cards and rosaries.  Brian asked if the lady spoke English, but she said, "No, Deutsch?"  So we then told her we spoke a little German (a heck of a lot more than French anyway.  She had a thick French accent when speaking German so the first two things she said to us were hard to glean anything from.  Brian caught a few words and repeated them to me.  Once we were able to orient ourselves to her accent, we had a nice long conversation and she told us a lot about the church.  Brian asked if St. Martin's cloak was at this church and she said it wasn't anymore.  We asked for a restaurant recommendation for families, but she didn't have a specific one.  So we left with some free prayer cards that she gave to the children and walked back toward our van , finding a bakery on the way that had quiches, sandwiches, and pizzas.  Did I mention that it rained a lot?

This church was under some pretty heavy construction

In the crypt

Tomb of St Martin of Tours, in the bottom the prayers are slipped in

Where the prayers are collecting

10 Months Old: Bobby's Catch Up Week

Bobby had a lot going on this month.  He was doing this eye flutter/blinky thing at seemingly random times for the last two months.  I went back and forth in my mind about whether it was a strange behavior or something more serious.  I said to Brian one day, very offhandedly, "I hope somethings not wrong with him."  When Brian responded with, "I know what you mean," alarm bells started going off in my head.  Brian usually doesn't worry about much.  I'm the worrier, so I then allowed myself to start really worrying.  I made a list of all my concerns first.

Blinky/fluttery eye movements (possible seizures?)

Eating issues (gagging to the point of throwing up everything on slightest thickness to food or finger foods appropriate for his age)

Physical development delay (rolled at 8 months, scooting/not crawling at 9.5 months, no pincher grasper, no clapping/peekaboo)

Verbal delay (even Drew my slowest talker was saying, Mama, Dada, Up, and Uh Oh.  Bobby only says Mama and Dada at 9.5 months)

None of these things on their own would have made me concerned.  Babies are all so different and develop at different paces.  However, the combination of it all with the first two being the most worrysome was what brought me to the doctor's office.  I took him in right before our trip to Italy at 9.5 months.  They had me fill out a developmental form in which he scored below normal in several categories and borderline in the rest.  My children have always been almost exclusively in the normal/above average range.  This is a first, and I started to feel that I had done the right thing bringing him in.

I should point out that his social and personal skills are great.  He is shy right now, and definitely experiencing separation anxiety, but he smiles, laughs, and engages with us.  He responds to his name, even in the middle of one of his weird blinky/fluttery things.  And that is why they don't think he is having seizures.  I was certainly relieved to hear that.

EDIS came out to evaluate him right when we returned from our trip to Italy.  The lady said that on paper he looks like he is delayed and qualifies for services, but she said, "I'm not buying it."  He looks healthy and happy.  Maybe it's a matter of him being the sixth kid and being very laid back.  The more I thought about this possibility, the more likely it seemed.  His life has been one change after another, moving from house to apartment to a new house, and that is not even mentioning all the trips all over the place since we've been here.   He just chilled out on the blanket on the floor and watched it all unfold.  I've been setting up a new life for us here and have admittedly not paid as much attention to him because he was just so happy on the blanket or in the exersaucer.  The feeding is still a concern, but the rest seemed very manageable now that we know he just needs more encouragement and attention.  He did the eye behavior many times for the EDIS lady and she thought it might be a way of communicating he is uncomfortable or doesn't like something.  I am not 100% convinced of that, but I have noticed since then that the times he does it are with new people who are talking to him, sometimes during a meal, and when he is very tired.  So maybe she is right.

Another evaluation was set up for the next week just before our next trip.  (I know!  Too many trips!)  where another lady who specializes in eating issues would come.  The following week he made tremendous leaps in development.  He started waving.  He said "Ba" a couple of times after I said it while showing him a ball.  He pulled up to standing all on his own one time.  He even got into crawling position a couple of times and made forward progress.  (He had been only scooting with one leg behind and one tucked under.)  Here is his scoot...

Long story short, the second lady will be his occupational therapist while he catches up, but both evaluators said they wouldn't be surprised if he was all caught up by the time I am back from these trips.  I have my doubts about that, but we'll see.

Since the last evaluation, he also learned to play peek-a-boo.  We are pretty sure he is saying Hannah and Genna too.  He says them like "Nana" and "Genna" with a hard "g" sound.  He's crawling a lot more often normally without as much scooting.  The pulling up is still a rarity, but he will pull up while holding my fingers.

And now for "Who's that baby?"

This is not a picture of Bobby.  This is a picture of Isaac at 9 months.  Now compare to the next picture of Bobby!

This picture shows how he still looks like Isaac.  It's harder to tell now because he is just not nearly as chubby as Isaac was.  This picture makes him look chubbier in the face and you can see Isaac shining through.