Sweetness in waiting.

(I found this un-posted post and so am adding it in 
along with a picture from my last (38.4) week of pregnancy.)
The growing excitement of friends, promises of prayers, baby gifts from kind souls, the purchasing of baby items, and especially the energetic stirrings within (even as I type, my right arm is bouncing off my tummy due to kicking), are causing a growing impatience for baby boy to be here yesterday. However, I am reminded of the beauty of waiting. What do we learn from waiting? We learn there is a time for everthing, according to a master plan, one which we did not design nor have control of. We learn to submit to His timing, His will, His perfect plan...through waiting He draws us to Himself, squirming, restless, until we fall (usually exhausted ;) into line within His hand. This process reminds me of Jeremiah 18:6; "...Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand..."  Just like clay cannot bounce off the potter's wheel as a fully functional item whenever it chooses (if it had rational thought, of course), neither can we decide for ourselves when we are ready and where we shall go, for only the Divine Potter knows the full potential of our make. It is only when we humbly and meekly allow Him to fashion and polish to the perfect finish our hearts and minds, that we are truly ready for the next step. I pray that this 9-month period of waiting has provided me with some understanding of patience and humility which I may utilize within motherhood, and an even deeper desire to submit myself fully to Him.

Prayer of an Expecting Mother

Lord Jesus, I lovingly pray for this sweet hope

that I keep within my womb. You have granted me the

immense gift of a tiny little life, living in my own life,

and I humbly thank you for choosing me as an

instrument of your love. In this sweet waiting, help me

to live in a constant attitude of self-surrender to your will.

Grant me a motherly heart that is pure, steadfast and generous.

I hand over to you my concerns; any anxious fears that may

come, my own wishes for the little person that I still have no

knowledge of. Grant that it may be born healthy in body;

keep far from it every peril to its soul.

Mary, you have known the ineffable joy of a holy motherhood;

give me a heart that can transmit an ardent, living faith.

Sanctify my waiting, bless this joyful hope that is in me,

grant that the fruit of my womb may open out in virtue and

in holiness through your working with that of your divine Son. Amen.



30 weeks.

Well here we are at 30 weeks and counting!  And getting bigger.  I have been feeling pretty well as of late, despite some nausea creeping back into my days.  I feel very energetic and motivated to finish organizing the house and preparing for baby's arrival.  Little boy moves a lot every day and apparently he will be growing to 3 lbs, 17 inches this week!  We get more and more excited for his arrival every day.  Seems such a miracle to me that he is still there and thriving and so alive.  Praise God for His blessings! 

We love you, little one!

A time of waiting.

Although this has been a busy Advent season for me thus far, with my tutoring job, helping with our church's childrens' Christmas play, and getting my choir ready for Christmas Masses, I have been fortunate to remember to reflect on the correlation between Advent and pregnancy. Advent is a time of waiting and preparing for the Lord to enter anew into our lives and hearts. It is a time of much anticipation and wonder at the saving gift from God the Father that descends to earth in the form of a tiny, helpless babe. It has been a blessing to also reflect this year on the Blessed Virgin as a pregnant woman; her possible joys, discomforts, uncertainties...but her never-failing trust in God and perfect obedience to His will for her life. What an example to all women and especially mothers-to-be! This for me, so far, has been one of the most challenging experiences in my life, with emotional ups and downs, doubting myself, physical changes, etc.; and to realize that Mary experienced some of the same things with such trust and grace has been an encouragement. Of course, being free from original sin, I'm sure she handled things MUCH better than I, but knowing that she underwent this same journey into motherhood, enables me that much more to turn to her for her prayers and guidance during this time. It has been a beautiful blessing to be pregnant during Advent, and I am thankful for the promptings to contemplate these things at this time, instead of focusing on my tiredness or discomfort. I have tried to remember to humbly say with Mary, "I am the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to Thy word." Knowing, as witnessed time and time again, that He has designed the perfect plan for us and for this little boy, provides me with a huge amount of peace despite the looming unknowns of parenthood. :)

25 weeks.

Finally starting to feel a little more like myself, except getting used to a certain protrusion. Andrew loves seeing my tummy grow...that's a good thing, as it only gets bigger from here on out! Time to start catching up on all I didn't do during my period of nausea...a bit of organization needs to occur around the home.

Friendship, baby bellies, and smiles.

This past week, I stopped by to visit my dear friend Christine who is also pregnant (with a girl!) due in about a week. We were determined to capture both of our pregnant bellies together and were happy to get these photos. We've spent many an hour conversing about mothering and babies, and have been blessed to share in this experience at the same time. Enjoy the happiness and fun! Got a few shots with hubby too.

A friend should be one in whose understanding and virtue we can equally confide, and whose opinion we can value at once for its justness and its sincerity. ~ Robert Hall

When did all this happen?!?

It's been a wild ride up to this point!

"When we consider the blessings of God—the gifts that add beauty and joy to our lives, that enable us to keep going through stretches of boredom and even suffering - friendship is very near the top." Donald W. McCullough

Almost 22 weeks...

...and falling in love with our little boy.

20 weeks.

Hard to believe we are halfway there!

The bump is coming along!

We love you, little boy; keep on growing.



16 weeks.

I started to really pop out just around 16 weeks. Heard the babe's heartbeat for the first time yesterday! Remembering that sound helps me survive the nausea and visits to the porcelain bowl. :) Also have been feeling movements, especially during this week's midwife appointment - she prodded my tummy thoroughly.

(Note: Further tummy pictures will be fully clothed. Andrew snapped this one today - our only one so far, as I have been feeling so miserable, that picture taking is not on my mind.)

Almost 14 weeks.

The infrequency of my posts, despite this most exciting and important time in our lives, will attest to the fact of my extreme morning 24/7 hr. sickness. At times, it is so intense that I forget I am pregnant!! But these crazy hormones are such a good sign, so I am thankful throughout the struggle. Hubby has been SO wonderful, taking care of me and the housework...I don't know what I would do without him!

This morning was one of those rare mornings I could eat, carbs nonetheless -
thanks hubby for the French toast! I'm not lookin' too hot.

Yesterday, I had such a great ultrasound of you, little one. I felt bad Daddy couldn't be there to see you. The tech pointed out all your important features and body parts to me. Strong heartbeat, great bone structure, limbs...everything where it should be. And you're quite the mover; your little arms were all over the place. Everything progressing well! I, on the other hand, have a cyst on each ovary that my midwife and Dr. are monitoring. No unsual pain stemming from that area, so we are suspecting them to be endometrial cysts....further diagnosis and decision on what to do with them will be discussed in the near future, but for now, I'm so happy that YOU are well and growing!! Deo gratias! We love you.

You're pretty cute, hmm, boy or girl....?

And there's some of the action.

8-ish weeks.

Daddy snapped this picture of me terribly naseous and exahusted. This is how mama spends most of her time these days...plus lots of prayer for strength to make it through - but you are worth it all! First ultrasound in 2 days...hope to see that heart beating strong.

6 weeks.

Well, little one, you are in there, as we found out the morning of July 13. You were quite a surprise, because mama has been gone a lot this summer, leaving poor papa very lonely. But God has blessed our hard work and self-sacrifice with YOU!  So far you've been making mama pretty warm, extremely exhausted (I didn't know it was possible to be this tired all the time!), and slightly sick just starting this weekend. Blood tests will be run this week and we are praying for strong results, and as always, to whole-heartedly embrace the will of our Lord. For now, know that we love you very much and dedicate you to the precious Sacred Heart of Jesus.

There you are at 4.5 weeks.

We discovered I was pregnant while in St. Louis, MO vacationing a few days prior to our good friends' wedding. I had a suspicion, due to being 4 days late and also having a spiked temperature so had brought along a pregnancy test on our trip. Sure enough, the test was positive Wednesday morning! We were fortunate to be able to attend Mass at the beautiful Cathdedral Basilica of Saint Louis that afternoon and gave thanks for the gift of another life. We also saw items used during the visit of Pope John Paul II and were able to touch the chair he sat in (as it's a relic now!) He will be one of our special patrons during this pregnancy.

Mama saying a prayer for you.

Mama and Papa on the day we found out.

"I create for My Kingdom"

"You see, the child lives. Instead of the wind he hears the sound of angels singing before My throne. Instead of the beauty that passes he sees everlasting Beauty—he sees My face. He was created and lived a short time so the image of his parents imprinted on his face may stand before Me as their personal intercessor. He knows secrets of heaven unknown to men on earth. He laughs with a special joy that only the innocent possess. My ways are not the ways of man. I create for My Kingdom and each creature fills a place in that Kingdom that could not be filled by another. He was created for My joy and his parents’ merits. He has never seen pain or sin. He has never felt hunger or pain. I breathed a soul into a seed, made it grow and called it forth.”

I am humbled before you, my Lord, for questioning Your wisdom, goodness, and love. I speak as a fool—forgive me. I acknowledge Your sovereign rights over life and death. I thank You for the life that began for so short a time to enjoy so long an Eternity. – Mother M. Angelica

 <3 Little Hope <3

There are 3 of us!!!

Thursday morning, November 5, 2009, we discovered that we have been blessed with a new life and are 3 weeks along!!! We are SO excited and overwhelmed at God's goodness and perfect timing, as it will be an early July baby. We went out to breakfast to celebrate, stopped at Whole Foods for prenatal vitamins, then at Barnes and Nobles to browse the pregnancy section. Thursday afternoon, relics of St. Gianna Molla (pro-life witness and patroness of safe pregnancies) were actually being displayed in our parish church - what a beautiful coincidence! We were able to hold the gloves she wore, and I held one to my tummy and asked for her prayers for a safe and healthy pregnancy.
We will of course, keep you updated with notes and pictures, and the gender when we know! I am feeling great so far, no nausea, but have felt unusual twinges and tingling inside, and so begins the transformation of the uterus! Thank you for all of your prayers for this occasion! I will close with the words of St. Gianna- "Love is the most beautiful sentiment the Lord has put into the soul of men and women," and we are overjoyed to announce the fruit of our love in the Lord!

The next day, I came home from class to this...I think hubby is excited, what do you think? The only baby balloon the particular store had was this one, so he added a "maybe" on it. :)

Nothing substantial yet, but we had to take the first "tummy picture."