Articles from March 2009

While I absolutely love the highs and lows of the NCAA basketball championship, I prefer our family life to be a little less dramatic. Unfortunately, my preferences matter little in the grand scheme of things, and this past month was full of drama, joy, sorrow, suffering, and every other emotion in between. In the past, I have mentioned that March has always been a difficult month for our family, and this year was no different.

It all began with severe morning sickness–yes that’s right, we are expecting another little one in October! The all-day nausea was far more severe than my previous pregnancies. Couple this with a pregnancy-related, very itchy rash covering my entire body, and I was pretty miserable. Eating very little, I soon experienced some fainting episodes, followed by some severe back pain. Other pregnancy complications led to an u/s, which showed a beautiful heartbeat–praise God!–and a very large cyst. I was put on bedrest until the 12 week mark for fear that the cyst could rupture and disturb the pregnancy. I have now passed that mark, and the nausea has improved a bit.

In addition to the crazy thought of a mother of 3 young children on bedrest, last week our entire family came down with a stomach bug. The baby ran a high fever, had a seizure, and I removed myself from bed-rest to take him to the ER. We were released in the middle of the night. After about 5 hours of sleep, I awoke to stomach pains. 24 hours later, I was severely dehydrated and heading to the ER. After 4 bags of fluid and some anti-nausea medication, I was feeling much better. I returned home to another vomiting child, and Mr. Red with stomach pains. It was quite a week!

Back in February, I was feeling pretty miserable and wondered how I would make it through the 1st trimester of this pregnancy. MaryAlice suggested that I just need to survive until St. Patty’s day. And while she was off by about 1-week (I was in the hospital on St. Patty’s day), we have turned the corner and things are better. The weather is improving by the day, Easter will be here in only 2 shorts weeks, and this past Monday I heard the baby’s heartbeat!

March is almost over and April brings great hope. I am praying for an easier 2nd -trimester, less anxiety about the health of this baby, and improved overall health for our family. This is my 6th pregnancy, and I only have 3 healthy children, so I worry excessively while pregnant. Now that I’m able to eat, worries about the health of the baby are at the forefront of my concerns. I would greatly appreciate your prayers!

We love it! I opted for this instead of the wooden holder MaryAlice suggested because it can hold many different types of writing implements, and takes up very little space. We have had constant problems organizing our art/school supplies and this has completely solved the problem. The kids know exactly where all their supplies go, and they put them away when finished. I purchased this at The Lakeshore Learning Store, and it was a little pricey–$30–but totally worth it! I’m actually thinking of purchasing another more shallow holder for our crayons.

****Update****
So it has been brought to my attention that the links are not working. The Link for Lakeshore Learning Store does work, so click on that, then type “marker holder” in the search box. To find the crayon holder, type “crayon holder” in the search box. I hope this helps! I have removed the two links so that there isn’t any more confusion.

Some dear Princetonian friends are contemplating starting an on-line business “centered around having kids write and illustrate their own books on-line.”

I think everyone on the blog is a self-proclaimed bibliophile. So, while none of us would ever put away our paper and colored pencils, it is an interesting idea.

They have set up a survey on-line to gauge interest and gather input. It can be found here.

If you have any thoughts or ideas, please click through and check it out (there is a gift card raffle for filling it out)!

Okay ladies, I’m looking for some helpful hints here My little girl is 17 months old and it is time to wean her – her nursing sessions have become briefer and more active, she’s waking up super-early to nurse, and I can’t get her to drink cow’s milk. I think that as long as she can get breastmilk, she’s not going to go for any other kind of milk The other part of the equation is that my husband and I are going away (on our own!) for a weekend at the end of April, and I was hoping to have her weaned for at least 3 or 4 weeks before our trip. So, I would love some advice on:

…you arrive for an appointment and sit down to wait, only to look down and notice that your blouse is halfway open and the baby nursed over two hours ago!

Oh, the embarrassment!
I think I turned about four shades of red…

…because when I asked him what he thought his guardian angel’s name is, he responded quite confidently, “Gabriel.” Made me smile

Here is what our kitchen table looks like for this Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Angel Gabriel to Our Lady:

Recently it was confirmed that President Obama has accepted an invitation to speak at Notre Dame’s commencement ceremony this spring. Understandably, this has elicited a stream of criticism of the University President’s decision to invite a public figure whose views and policy positions stand in direct opposition to some of the core tenants of the Catholic faith. He has responded to the criticism by claiming that President Obama’s visit to the school could be one of the first steps in his conversion of heart. Yet, there is nothing on the itinerary like a debate or round table discussion on life and death issues. Instead, the President will have a national soapbox from which to speak at one of the, supposed, pinnacles of Catholic Education. Then the school will further confuse American Catholics by awarding President Obama an honorary degree, then he will leave on Air Force One.

I don’t know about you, but this seriously bothers me. I am in deep agreement with the Bishop of South Bend, who has been quoted as saying that Notre Dame University must seriously consider whether it is choosing prestige over truth in their decision to honor President Obama in such a way. Life Site News provides greater detail on this developing story, as well as information about how you can make your opinion known on this matter here. I know we have a Builder Husband who is a Notre Dame grad, what it is the buzz on the inside, B-Mama?

In these difficult economic times, adding another child to your family can seem overwhelming. And apparently, the economic recession is increasing the number of abortions and sterilizations. Planned Parenthood of Illinois performed a record number of abortions in January, and clinics in the St. Louis area reported a 7% increase in the number of abortions. According to this associated press piece, the number of married women and women who already have children seeking abortions are on the rise.

“This was a desired pregnancy — she’d been getting prenatal care — but they re-evaluated expenses and decided not to continue,” said Dr. Pratima Gupta. “When I was doing the options counseling, she interrupted me halfway through, crying, and said, `Dr. Gupta, I just walked here for an hour. I’m sure of my decision.’”

..Dr. J. Stephen Jones, a urologist at the Cleveland Clinic, said he has seen a surge of men seeking vasectomies, with his monthly caseload rising from about 45 to more than 70 since November. He said most of the men were married, had kids, decided they couldn’t afford more and opted to get a vasectomy while they still had job-related health insurance. “Several articulated very forcefully that the economy was the motive,” Jones said.

…Dr. Anne Davis of New York City, medical director of Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health, said one of her married patients recently became pregnant with what would have been her third child. Because the husband was self-employed, the couple could afford only a low-cost family health policy without maternity benefits, Davis said. They estimated the birth would cost at least $30,000 and reluctantly opted for abortion.

What strikes me most about this article is that there is no mention of “other choices” available when finances are tight and a baby seems like an overwhelming financial responsibility. Abortion is presented as a sad, but absolutely necessary choice for couples in very difficult financial straights. The article even mentions the serious doubts of one married woman who chooses not to get an abortion after seeing a sonogram at the clinic.

I’m sure the widespread societal acceptance and financial assistance available for abortion services helps perpetuate these attitudes. And this brings to mind a couple at my parish who recently adopted two children from Poland. Poland, a nation with strong Catholic roots, has very strict abortion regulations, making it very difficult to have an abortion.

This couple from my Parish adopted their first child from Poland and were told he was the youngest of 7 children, and his parents lived in such dire poverty that they just couldn’t afford to raise him. His birth parents loved him and wanted him to have a better life, so they placed their son in a loving home, with wonderful parents, parents who had been waiting a long time to raise a child. Shortly after their arrival home, the adoption agency informed them that the birth parents were expecting another baby, and they were asked if they would be willing to raise the new baby as well. They were overjoyed, and returned to Poland a year later to adopt their son’s baby sister.

I’m sure the Polish birth parents of these children suffered terribly in their very hard decision to allow someone else to raise their children. They knew the joys and struggles of parenthood, and they knew their current circumstances were not conducive to raising another child. But instead of choosing to end the life of their children, they gave them life–and a life of love. It wasn’t a natural choice, as in the right order of things no parent would have to part from their child because of financial difficulties, but it was a choice made in love. The adoptive parents informed me that their adoption story wasn’t that unique. This happens often in Poland. I have to believe the strict abortion laws in Poland were partly responsible for the very life of their two beautiful children.

Not surprisingly, Planned Parenthood is using the current economic crisis, and the stories of the couples in the article, to increase their funding base.

If there is an upside to the current sobering trends, say family-planning advocates, it may be that federal and state policymakers will boost public funding of contraception. “We’re seeing a receptivity among our legislators to hear about prevention policies,” said Lori Lamerand, CEO of Planned Parenthood of Mid and South Michigan. “Folks who wouldn’t have opened the doors to a Planned Parenthood representative are now willing to talk to us.”

And so now, more than ever, it is important to support pro-life and specifically adoption ministries. Let us not forget that even in these difficult economic times, there are plenty of couples out there praying and waiting for a baby. And if a woman finds herself in a dire financial situation, I hope and pray she will put her baby into the loving arms of a couple like this, rather than into the knife of an abortion doctor.

I teach CCD to 3 year-olds at our church, and one of the best parts of teaching has been the music class that occupies the first 20 minutes of class each week. Our music teacher has an amazing gift with the children, and the songs that she teaches – complete with hand movements to keep everyone engaged – are full of wonderful, substantive messages for the little ones to soak up. Each week the kids sing songs like “My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit,” “Mary loves me this I know, because Jesus told me so,” and “You’re a great big God, a very busy God, but you take time for me.” The children sing with such enthusiasm and vigor, it’s really heart-warming to watch!