To our Babies... in Heaven

Dearest Babies in Heaven,

Angel, it felt like forever, after your brother was born in 2013, that we had waited for you. You came to us  February of 2016.  Your older brother would be turning 3 in just a few short months. From the moment we had known of your existence we were madly in love with you. Everything we thought about was in regards to your life and the life we would share together as a family. We were so beyond excited to tell your older brother about your coming into our lives and sharing with our families that after almost two years ( what seemed like a lifetime) we were finally going to be able to grow in love with an addition to our ever growing family. My dreams of the house being filled with the sound of our children laughing together in our home and growing up together was finally coming into fruition. We took Easter pictures to announce our excitement, never did it cross my mind that we could lose you, and announced to our families the weekend of Easter, when I was 10 weeks along. We were so over joyed with your life that not once did it cross my mind that you could slip away from us so easily. It was not until the following weekend that I knew something was not right. It was then that we found out that our joy and your life were brought to a complete halt. The sorrow I felt for your loss was the most indescribable pain. Your father and I were dragged into the pits of despair and a new form a grieving overcame my very being. A deep depression ensued as your father tried to carry the weight of our pain by doing everything he could to lift my spirits. I cannot say the pain has or will ever fade.

Angel, four months after your passing,  as we begged God to grant us the graces of hope and faith in Him, we cautiously conceived our first rainbow baby, Jude.  

Jude, the joy again was real but the anxiety was also very real. Every morning I felt as if I was waiting for bad news and yet I was so over joyed with your presence. We rejoiced quietly and prayed for you silently. Friend’s of ours were announcing the coming of their little ones yet we kept you our secret. Hiding morning sickness was never easy and those who caught on wanted to share in your presence and announce your existence to world. Your fragile being seemed so unstoppable.  I would read and reread the statistics claim that there is only a 2% chance of a miscarriage twice in a row and hold on to the hope that you would not be apart of that 2%. On the 12th week of pregnancy, in November, it all came crashing down. Again, a loneliness and grief over took my being. I wanted to hide away from the world. I felt that I had let you down.  I would countlessly blame myself for not doing more to avoid your passing. Regrets of things I had done and things I could have done better flooded my head. The grief felt everlasting. The sweet babies being born this May 2017 are a constant reminder of your absence and my empty arms. Not a day goes by that you are not on my mind. We will always be thinking of you Jude and Angel. We promise to keep you alive in our hearts and souls. You will not be forgotten. Your moments here with us were so very special and I am so grateful we were able to share a moment together in this world. Know that we pray for you and hope that you pray for us also. 

We will alway love you, forever and for always, no matter what.

Love Always, 

Mom and Dad

Joyful Mysteries

Please Join me in saying the Joyful Mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary

Morning Smiles

    The last two months have rapidly flown by. Everyday is a new adventure for baby and I.  I cannot believe how much he has developed in just two months. A few weeks ago Tripp did not have the concentration or strength to focus for long periods of time; as a result, he was not amused by the silly faces we would make at him. Now Tripp is concentrating and reacting to facial expressions.

  My newest favorite thing is "Morning Smiles"! Every morning he wakes up with the biggest smile, and for a half hour he finds everything amusing; that is until he realizes he is hungry. He laughs at our silly faces and focuses on our eyes and wants nothing more than to be

Lent - Work out Challenge - It is not what you give up.. it is what you give!

Lent is here already!

Hey mamas of the world,

Instead of just giving something up this year, I would like to purpose giving some of your time to prayer/ exercise with me.

This lent I will be saying the rosary while using my elliptical, hula hoop, or when I lift weights in our basement each morning.

What are some other fun ways to work introduce prayer into your work out routine?

Work out Schedule: The Advent Novena Challenge!

Today marks the beginning of Advent.
 My younger brother, Austin, had recently told me that " Christians used to fast during advent."  In leu of fasting, I would like to offer my presence to Christ this Advent season and if any other friends would like to join me I will be praying an Advent Novena this season.

Here is the Kicker: While praying the novena with each prayer (  there are 15 ), I am also asking you to give not only yourself mentally but also physically.

The goal: is to not only strengthen our mental ability for concentration, but also our body's ability to persevere beyond all pain.


These are the challenge details:
The Advent Novena is said 15 times a day.
Starting on St. Andrew's Feast Day, November, 30.

With each prayer, do the following:

1. Hula Hoop
2. Jumping jacks
3. Hula Hoop while doing Ballet First position
( Pile- squat with your heals touching, make a diamond shape with legs and move up and dow) I found this work ( without the hula hoop) here.

4.Hula hoop (other direction)
5. Jumping Jacks
6. Hula Hoop while doing Ballet Second Position ( Pile- squat with knees facing out on your tippy toes, and move and move an inch up and down.)  ( check link above for details)

7.Hula hoop while triceps kick back I found this work out here.
8. Jumping Jacks
9. Hula hoop while Ballet first position

10. Hula hoop while doing over head triceps extension ( check link above )
11. Jumping Jacks
12. Hula hoop while Ballet Second Position

13. Hula hoop
14. Jumping Jacks
15. Hula hoop

~ Helpful tidbit- Printing or writing out these instructions  makes it easier to keep your workout moving.

~ For those of you not as advanced in hula hooping, feel free to modify the routine.

Also, if you have any fun things you do to prepare yourself for Christmas, I would love to read about your traditions.

Here is the prayer:

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment
In which the Son of God was born
Of the most pure Virgin Mary,
at midnight, in Bethlehem,
in the piercing cold.
In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee,
O my God,
to hear my prayer and grant my desires,
[hear mention your request]
through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ,
and of His Blessed Mother.

Amen.

For more information about the Novena Please check out The Catholic News agency.   And, if you haven't already, please subscribe to my blog for more updates!!

Pax tecum ! 

~ Christine 

The pants brigade

 

     Dressing my 7 month old son is like a brain teaser,  in which no matter how hard I try somehow I am stumped.

The situation starts as follows:

First, he stares innocently at me with his big eyes and bats his eyelashes.

Second, he smiles and tries to roll over.

Then the situation escalades, as I get one leg in the pants he secretly wiggles the other one out.

This brings it to its finalization, in which I pick him up and he shake his pants off.

 He is like a slippery little piglet. Being a mama is the best, I have never been challenged by something cuter!

I have Joined the Gang.. of mothers

Three weeks ago I felt a love I have never experienced before.

I was automatically enamored with my baby's every move from the moment he was placed upon my chest. The love I now  have for my husband and son is over flowing and I cannot believe that I have more love to give and receive.

But on the real, I look like a freshmen after their first week of exams; baggy eyed, hazed out, and constantly concerned (except now it is for my son and not my future as a college student).

A close friend of mine had her first baby three months prior to me; I thought it was funny when she had said to me, " I always wondered why mothers are so busy, but now I realize it is because babies eat and poo all day", now that I have joined the gang of mothers I too understand why we mothers are constantly busy.

Speaking of gangs, joining the band of mothers is way more intense than joining any other gang.

• For one, most gangs initiations don't take over your body for nine months. 
• Two, Gangs tend to haze as part of the initiation, which at most lasts only a few hours, but labour (my labour to be exact) can take as long as 24 hours. I have read that a women even had a 75 day labour. Story of woman's amazing 75 day labour (aka Super Mama)
• Three, gangs tend to take people 'out', but becoming a mother is way more difficult for we bring people in. 
• Lastly, gangs often take people under their wings and teach them their ways, most of which are bad, but we mothers take the long and hard route by giving our children our very best with the hope that they seek the right ways.  

 Intense, yes joining the gang of motherhood is, and it is the most amazing kind of intensity. 

Things in life will be intense, that is inevitable.
It is up to you to decide if the intense experience you are being faced with is good or bad. Your experience's 'goodness' is determined by its intent.  For instance, joining a gang is extremely bad if the gang's 'intent' is to destroy lives for self gain; on the other hand, joining the gang of mothers is extremely great because our 'intent' is to create lives and to give of ourselves. 

We have all heard the cliche phrase: no pain no gain, and here it truly applies. Three weeks post-partum and I am not writing this to flatter the world with lies about the ease of parenting, but I am here to revel with others about the joys of beholding the fruits of our labour. Nothing has given me a greater respect for my parents and every generation that has come before me. Love is the intent of parenthood: thats what makes this 'gang' so great.