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!

Welcome to the Church, Felicity Jane!

Last Sunday, the 1st of the year and on the feast of Mary, I was very honored and blessed to participate in another soul's entry into the Church! Felicity Jane Huber was baptized at the Ave Maria Oratory and I was (quite surprised) and thrilled to be her godmother! I have prayed so much for this little one throughout her time in utero, on the day of her birth, and during her time spent in the hospital afterwards, and it brought us all much joy to see her be marked by the waters of Baptism as His own. May our Lord always protect and guide you, Felicity. We are here to pray you on towards heaven.

She is so sweet to "talk" to

Love this happiness

There's no place like home for the holidays.

After a busy weekend of providing music for 4 Masses, including a beautiful midnight mass, Andrew and I flew to Dallas, TX on Christmas Day. There is nothing like being at your parents' house for any holiday, really, but Christmas is extra special, especially when it has been 3 years since we've celebrated it as an entire family. The girls had decorated the rooms beautifully and even included Christmas treasures in the guestrooms, the fire was alight, candles were lit, white Christmas lights were twinkling in the corners, and the traditional dinner of Swedish meatballs with all the trimmings was warming in the kitchen. Hugs were lovingly exchanged, the nephews and niece were squeezed and kissed, and the girls oo-ed and ah-ed over my belly. This is what Christmas-tide is about; worshiping our Savior, joyfully celebrating His birth together, giving and receiving love and joy. We were all very happy and content to be together. Mom had worked so hard to make sure the house was warm and inviting and that everyone's needs were met. After dinner, we sat down to exchange a few gifts...and so began a delightful and family-filled week.

A few highlights.....

A day out to the historic Ft. Worth stockyards.

Mom treated her girls to high tea at the Dallas Arboretum - so lovely.

So fun to be with my sisters...and 28.5 weeks!

(Many more pictures can be found on Facebook...)

Making a bit of Christmas.

We aren't doing too much this year in the way of decorting or gifting, as we are pregnant and leaving for my parents' house on Christmas Day, but we did get an oh-so-sweet-smelling tree and feeling a burst of energy, I managed to make 7 kinds of Christmas cookies over the span of two days to give to a few friends. Hubby has had this week prior to Christmas off work and school, and I wasn't tutoring. It was lovely and peaceful to spend that time together cooking, cleaning, playing board games and doing a bit of baby-planning.

I think I was wondering how to balance myself while hanging the lights...

I really enjoyed getting back to baking and creating these delicious, holiday family-favorites.

We wish you all a very blessed and joyful Christmas season. May the Savior's birth fill your hearts with an abundance of peace and love.

3 years.

3 years...this past year has been one of much growth for us as we continue to learn, pray, communicate and forgive in this vocation of marriage, while also enjoying so much fun and laughter. We celebrated last night with dinner out, and then shared dessert and coffee under the moon and stars at the beach. We realized that this would be our last anniversary as merely a couple, as we approach the date when we will be a family. We talked about the changes that will take place to ourselves as individuals and as a couple, resolving to make time to nourish and listen to each other amidst the expected distractions of a little one. Although I am a million x a million times excited for, and ready for this baby, this anniversary was slightly bittersweet for me. We have had so many wonderful, uninhibited, carefree, wrapped-up-in-each other times these past 3 years with just the two of us, times that we will not have in quite the same way in the future. More than anything, I am so grateful for the time we did have alone; God in His wisdom knew it was needed to provide a strong, trusting, loving foundation for us both to lean on during the upcoming years. Now, bring on the baby(ies)!

Love you, hubby.

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.