Week 27 Update

Hey Everyone! This'll be short, since I've got lots of food in the works. The cooler weather put me in a cooking mood and among the good smells from my oven comes the delicious wafting of Rosemary Olive Oil Bread. Be. Jealous. Or, you could just click the link and make the bread on your own--it's super easy. :-)

The moment/day I've been waiting for has finally come. I look like a "real" pregnant lady now!

Chris took this shot in the parking lot of Luigi's before we totally pigged out on Chicken Parm, Bread, Salad, and Cheesesticks after a long weekend in Dallas!

Also, some minor bragging: Chris has been writing a weekly blog for his company, PCDworks, and now has an article published on a Products Design and Development website. Check it out! If you notice the picture they included, you'll see the awesome haircut I gave him :-) (mama's got to brag a little too!)

**Bread update** just pulled out of the oven and sampled: Perfection!!!

Answers to blog questions!!!+Week 26 Update

****EDIT*** 11/7/12: Was still having problems with the comment box, now fixed!

Hello everyone! I am obviously very new to this blogging thing, because JUST THIS MORNING, I learned some important blog "stuff" and updated the blog with some little gadgets and now I have answers to a lot of the questions I've been getting! Ahh, knowledge is power.

1.       Why can’t I comment on your blog? Well, Rachel is so silly that she only had comments available to those with blogspot accounts. Situation has been remedied…comment away!!!

2.       How can I follow your blog? On the right side of your screen (if you’re on your iPhone, just scroll to the bottom and choose “web version” to see the same thing) a lot of options. Here’s what to do: Under FOLLOWERS, click on “Join this site”. If you’ve got a google, yahoo, etc acct** click on your respective link, and follow the directions. From there, you can add a profile picture, choose how you want to subscribe, etc. Easy as pie, right? (**If you don’t, you can create a google one)

3.       Okay yeah, I get it, but I’m still going to forget to come to the blog and the next time I remember, Gianna may already be 1 year old…Can I get it sent to me by e-mail??? Yes, I understand that. If I don’t have a visual reminder to do something, it’s probably not going to happen. Now, that you’re subscribed, you can do 2 more things.

a.       Follow by e-mail: Also on the right side of your screen--Just type your e-mail into the box under FOLLOW BY EMAIL and BLAM-O, it’ll tell you exactly how to confirm your e-mail subscription.

b.      Follow by RSS: On the right side you’ll also see an option to SUBSCRIBE TO “Posts” or “All Comments”. If you want to use this option, do “Posts”. This feature gives you the option to include our blog on your homepage, etc by RSS Feed.

4.       How do I find a specific blog entry? You can search by month using our BLOG ARCHIVE or using our new SEARCH THIS BLOG search bar on the right side of the page

5.       Anything else? Yeah…there’s some fancy-schmancy stuff at the bottom of each post, like e-mailing to a friend, re-blogging it, sharing on twitter or facebook, or google+, all of which are at your disposal to use,  I’m just not fancy enough to discuss it with any real knowledge/detail ;-)

Let’s all breath a huge sigh of relief now that Rachel has officially joined the 21^st century world of semi-computer-literate-bloggers-club! Please, if any of this is confusing, let me know and I’ll try to help!

With that, here are 3 fun pictures for the week:

Chris and I started going to class at church for the Year of Faith on Monday nights. We are both obviously still 10 years old so we doodle and write/draw stupid things to each other.This one is awesome though :-)

You can see my excitement because I kind of actually look pregnant in this picture! It pretty much happened sometime between Friday/Saturday. (Yes, I stare at my belly that often that I notice minute day by day changes…lol) 

Last, my favorite picture of all! When I lay down my belly has always been a lot more obvious and G does some funny wrap herself into a ball stuff so she pokes out better. Plus, I’m tired all the time, so I’m laying down a lot. Therefore, this is a really realistic image HA HA HA. 

Happy Tuesday Everyone! Have a great week!!!

Week 25 + Being a Registry Drama Queen

 Okay, so I know it's FRIDAY, but Chris took this picture SUNDAY. Oops. We're a little behind...life has been so busy! You will notice I am slowly but surely getting pudgier. Almost, almost, almost a real belly. ALMOST! I can say for sure that Gianna is sitting a little higher up now, as I can feel kicks all over the place and not just below the belly button. She does still favor sitting a little lower though, and when I wake up in the morning, she's nearly always shoved herself all the way down. Hopefully she's cozy. :-)

This next one is a little blurry, but on Saturday last week, Chris and I walked to Barnes and Nobles to get on the internet and stopped at the infamous Racquet and Jog. It's notorious in Tyler (Literally on the "You know from Tyler, TX when....list) and every time you're out, you WILL inevitably see someone wearing one of their bright Racquet and Jog shirts. I figured, since Gianna will be born in Tyler, she should be an "official" resident, so we an R&J onesie :) It's the first thing we've bought her, so it was pretty exciting (for me at least).






 One great thing about living here in Tyler is the accessibility of everything. I've been walking 2-4 miles on most days either on the nearby walking trails or running errands to Walmart/Target/Barnes and Noble to use the internet/Brookshires/Mall/Michael's, etc. The weather's been so nice and I could definitely use the exercise, especially now that I'm without a local 24Hour Fitness! While another perk is not having to use the truck (Chris drives my car to  work because it gets better gas mileage), I'm more happy about being able to multi-task errands and exercise than I am about being "green" :-)
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 And finally the question everyone has been asking....
I'm happy to say that I'm pretty much finished with Gianna's baby registry!!!

I'm not very good at registering, as it really stresses me out (I had horror flashbacks of wedding registry) because accumulating "stuff" really stressed me out. And the thing is, getting married, I pretty much knew what we would need. A baby though? Clue. Less. With very little exception, we use every single thing that we got off our registry, so I hope we're as successful with Gianna's stuff.

One thing I'm still working on is cloth diapers and which ones I want, but my friend Renee is going to help me sort that out next weekend.

We registered in two places, and they serve different purposes:
Target: they've got all the basics, most of which is in store
Amazon: they've got more unique stuff I was interested in, like "mama stuff", religious stuff, cloth diapers and things related to that nature, bedding, etc

I would first like to upfront say how blessed we are to have so many people who have asked what they can buy for Gianna or where we registered--thank you! In all though, the best and most important thing that you can give our little G is your prayer and love! Please pray for her safe arrival and for her to lead a Christian life, whether that's in your daily prayers or by offering a Mass for her. Please also pray for Chris and I to have the grace to parent according to God's principles. Thank you all!!!!

Faith, Fish, and Children

Today’s gospel reading (read here Luke 11:5-13) brought to mind an article I read recently entitled: “Pregnant and Homeless on the doorsteps of a Christian Megachurch”.  It’s a good article, and I suggest reading the entire thing in the link, but to sum it up, there was a very, very pregnant homeless woman who had escaped an abusive relationship to protect her unborn child. The only assistance offered from the “megachurch”(the place she had been standing/sitting for days) was that someone took her to a Target café to talk to her about God. Anyone see the problem?

James says it very well in his letter (2:15-17) “If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,’ but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”

Abby Johnson, the author of this article, sums up perfectly what our reaction should be: “How can we expect to nourish someone spiritually when their physical needs aren’t met? How can we expect someone to be receptive to the Gospel when they go physically hungry during the day? How can we expect someone to believe in the power of Christ when they don’t know if they will be forced to deliver their baby in alley somewhere?...That is not what faith is about. …What is faith if we are not willing to step out of our comfort zone and get our hands dirty in service to Christ? We are called to be the ‘hands and feet of Christ,’ right? That means service to those who need him … not just words … actions"

( A woman from the Austin Coalition for Life ended up speaking with her and helped her to connect with pro-life agencies that would help with housing, healthcare, etc, etc., so the story has a happy ending)

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In Abby Johnson’s story, the problem was that only the woman’s spiritual needs had been met. A problem that all too often occurs in the home is that only the physical needs of children are met. How easy to spoil a child with physical gifts of toys, food, endless TV or friend time, etc? What good do these things do when they are spiritually dead? What good does this do for our souls? The more stuff we have, the more things in our mind, the busier we are with pointless activities, the less space we have for God in our hearts.

I really doubt that ANY Christian parents would actually try to create an environment without room for God in their families. But isn’t that a reality in our society? How do we counter this temptation to provide only the physical needs?

Jesus shows us 3 easy ways: “If you love me, then you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15)

“This is how you are to pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and do not subject us to the final test, but deliver us from the evil one.” (Matthew 6:9-13)

“The centurion said in reply, ‘Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.’” (Matthew 8:8)

To sum up: Keep the commandments, and “drill them into your children” (Deuteronomy 6:7), pray with your children every day (even when we don’t feel like it!) the Our Father (slowly…don’t just rush through it…think about the why Jesus wanted us to pray like this) and ask Jesus for our needs and ask Him how we can please Him better in our actions, and come to Him humbly, depending only on Him to give us peace (not material things).

I know it’s hard for me to do these things on my own right now, so to be entrusted with this responsibility for my children is just plain daunting. I can only pray and  trust that God will give me the grace to parent according to His will.

Our baby has a name!

Our daughter’s name is
GIANNA ELIZABETH

after St. Gianna Beretta Molla and St. Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist. 

GIANNA: Gianna Beretta Molla, born in 1922, was a doctor, a wife, and a mother of 4. She was heavily involved with such charitable organizations as St. Vincent de Paul Society and Catholic Action, with particular concern for the youth and elderly. She also loved the outdoors and hiked and skied often, and had a generally “joie de vivre” that people admired about her. 

If you know only these things about St. Gianna, her life seems fairly ordinary, albeit very busy and filled with service to others and the Church. But St. Gianna’s life was anything but simple and ordinary. 

In the ordinariness of daily life, Gianna personified heroic virtue, the genuine holiness of life, selflessness, and quiet joy. She was a living example of surrendering to God’s will and personal vocation. It was her daily sacrifice of self that prepared her for her 4^th child’s birth in 1962. 

During this pregnancy, doctors found a fibroma in her uterus, a condition that could only be “fully” remedied by a procedure that would end the baby’s life. Gianna continued her pregnancy after having only a minor procedure instead and trusted in God’s Providence. After 7 more months of excruciating pain, when it came time for her to deliver her daughter, she told the doctors “If you must decide between me and the child, do not hesitate: choose the child - I insist on it. Save her”. Despite the doctors’ efforts to save them both, Gianna died a week after her daughter was born at age 39. While in pain and increasing weakness, her last words were “Jesus, I love you. Jesus, I love you. ”

By naming our daughter Gianna, we’re in no way praying that she too will suffer a tragic death like St. Gianna did. Rather, we want her to have St. Gianna as a role model of the joy of Christian life and the epitome of womanhood—she literally did it all—a life of service, a mother, wife, and doctor. We want our Gianna to know that she too can do anything she is called to do, as long as she is following the will of God. We want her to know that heroic sacrifice can be small, like surrendering daily your own will to God’s, or large, like putting another's life before your own. 

Gianna was beatified by Pope John Paul II on April 24, 1994, during the international Year of the Family. St. Gianna’s Feast Day is April 28, a day that we will celebrate with our little Gianna each year to remind her of the heroic woman she is named after.

Here are a few quotes from St. Gianna that I love:

• "Love and sacrifice are closely linked, like the sun and the light. We cannot love without suffering and we cannot suffer without love."
  
• "Let us love the Cross and let us remember that we are not alone in carrying it. God is helping us. And in God who is comforting us, as St. Paul says, we can do anything."
  
• "The stillness of prayer is the most essential condition for fruitful action. Before all else, the disciple kneels down."
  
• "The secret of happiness is to live moment by moment and to thank God for what He is sending us every day in His goodness."

 ELIZABETH: There is no doubt that next to Mary, Elizabeth is one of the most awesome women in the Bible. To begin with, her name means “worshiper of God”. She’s also the mother of St. John the Baptist. She was incredibly faithful and lived a holy life with her husband Zechariah, but despite fervent prayers, she had never born children. 

In her old age, one day when Zechariah was serving in the temple, the Angel Gabriel appeared and told him that they would have a son. In her 6^th months of pregnancy, the Virgin Mary (her relative) came to visit her and Elizabeth, “filled with the holy Spirit”, with humility proclaimed “Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And how have I deserved that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, the moment that the sound of thy greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who has believed, because the things promised her by the Lord shall be accomplished."

Elizabeth is a wonderful example to all of us. She was patient and submitted herself to the will of God, most importantly, had great faith. She was the first person to know of Jesus in Mary’s womb and let the Holy Spirit use her as an instrument to speak truth. We will pray that Gianna Elizabeth, too, will live by this example. 

 

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Saints Gianna and Elizabeth, pray for us!

Week 23 update: Pics and We’ve moved!!!

Here are two pictures of me sporting my new prego pants that I scored on the cheap from Ross, one from Sunday, one from Monday. Notice that my belly looks different in each. Depending on baby’s position, my belly changes shape/size and it’s so funny!

We’re so excited to finally be (mostly) moved into our new apartment in Tyler. Since Chris started his new job, we’ve only “lived” together on weekends, and we’re so happy to be under one roof again!

Moving was looooooooooooonggggggggg and tiring, and we were very lucky to have a few people to help us with the “heavy” stuff. One day involved going to sleep at midnight and waking up (because we couldn’t sleep) at 2 am, cleaning until 5 am, and driving to Tyler with the moving van. 

In other news, our septic issue was magically fixed. It. Was. A. Clump. Of. Hair. No. Joke. This giant hair plug was in the guest bathroom tub and once we got it out, everything worked like magic. Weird, right? I’m not blaming anyone in particular for this hairplug, but my sister Breana DID come and stay with me for like 4 days over the summer, and if you know Breana, you know her hair….hmmmmmm…..LOL 

We spent our first weekend in Tyler together doing a lot of unpacking, doing laundry, and cleaning (with our new fancy Dyson!!!). I know it’s a crazy idea. But truthfully, Chris and I enjoy our time spent cleaning up together. It really is “quality time”…because we’re together. We’re really simple people, to be honest. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with elaborate dates, weekend getaways (speaking of….I could use one…hehe), or grand romantic gestures. These are all awesome. But they have their time and place…and the time is infrequently and the place is somewhere in your family’s budget, which may be rare. The real meat of a marriage is in the day to day humdrum—the boring stuff that no one thinks about. I pray this week, that my friends and family will think about all mundane-ness of laundry, or vacuuming, or whatever as a blessing of time. A time for cooperation, conversation, and ultimately, love. It sure beats thinking of these things as a horrible chore, I promise. 

We’re also very blessed to have a large patio with table and chairs. We’ve been eating a lot of meals outside and it’s sooooooooooo nice, especially since the weather has cooled down! Speaking of meals, I am happy to be cooking for 2 again. Below are some pictures of fun meals we’ve had since we moved in.

 PB Sandwich with Honey, Banana, and Bacon (Elvis style). Yes, Chris has a double stack :-)

 Made from scratch (love the dough cycle on the bread machine!) Pepperoni rolls with dippin’ sauces

This one is a salad from Chick-fil-a, obviously not homemade, but Chris thinks it looks like a chicken with a tiny beak…anyone else see it? LOL

My Daughter

 I’m really excited to have a daughter. I knew that I would happy with either a boy or girl, but something in me clicked when I heard the sonographer say it was a girl. I guess it was a desire I barely knew I had. There’s just something about the innocence of young girls that warms your heart. That is why daughters have such a grip on their father’s heart. I can only imagine how much that will be true for me since she already has a grip on mine and we’ve never “officially” met.

I look forward to coming home and being with her after work and hearing about all the things she did while I was gone. As she gets older I know she will be a good helper for Rachel (I’ve learned that boys are just not super helpful for things around the house) which I know Rachel will appreciate. I hope that she can sing well like Rachel can so I can listen to the two of them together, possibly fulfilling our dream of a family choir (not even joking—think The Sound of Music).

I am truly fulfilled and my cup overflows (Psalm 23:5). I thank God for such a gift because every good and perfect gift comes from above (James 1:17).