Spiritual Productivity

We had an incredibly busy weekend!  On Sunday night I was exhausted and yet I couldn't remember what we had done or whether anything had been accomplished.  I was so tired I couldn't think straight.  Yet, as I layed in bed trying to shut my brain off so I could finally sleep, I was able to start reflecting on what the weekend had consisted of.  It was fairly productive afterall, though maybe not in the way we normally think of productivity.

Or maybe just not in the way I think of being productive.

I like to physically see something accomplished.  An empty hamper because the laundry has been washed, dried, folded, and put away.  An email inbox with very few unread messages.  A full recylcing bin because we've read the paper, magazines, and other publications we get.  A clean kitchen counter because the dishes are all washed and put away.  I could go on ... but you get the picture.

I like to see something.  Check it off the to-do list and see the empty/clean/whatever space around me.

This weekend, although I did do a little laundry and a few other things, most of the weekend's productivity was not visible in any material sense.

Saturday we went to a public rosary event.  Our bishop was leading the praying of the rosary that afternoon on a busy street (one of the busiest in town) near the only abortion clinic here.  We stood on a strip of median between the busy street and the access road, about twenty people or so.  Not a large crowd, but we represented all ages: small children (including our two 4 month olds), some older people, and all ages in between. 

It was wonderful to stand with so many like-minded people to pray.  A couple of men were also holding a big sign that faced the road.  Later I saw a picture of Our Lady of Fatima on it, but I never did get a chance to read what it said.  There were also several passers-by who honked their horns in support (I presume it was in support, they didn;t sound like angry honks).  The babies were both really good as well.  Peter was alert and staring at me the whole time.  Ethan got fussy at one point and I had to pick him up, but he was great after that.

Following the rosary we ran a couple errands.  It's funny walking through stores pushing a double carriage with two infant carriers attached.  People are always stopping to look, pointing the babies out to their children, or doing a double-take when they realize there is not just one baby, but two in the stroller. Some people even stop us to talk and ask questions.  It's something I'm slowly getting used to, but I'm not sure I'll ever be 100% comfortable with it.

Saturday evening I pulled out four candles for the Wave of Light for Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day.  All four candles came from my church, two from the All Souls Day Mass the years that we lost Zachary and Brigit.  I don't remember how I acquired the other two.  They make the perfect candles for this event.  I really should have taken a picture of them.  Maybe next year.

Sunday was Mass, of course.  But later in the day I took both boys with me and went to the cemetery.  It had been a long, long time since I had been there.  I made sure to bring the grass clippers with me and it was a good thing too.  I couldn't even see Zachary's stone and Brigit's was barely visible.  The boys watched me as I cut away the grass and cleared the dampened, flattened grass clippings from the stones.  It had been a LONG time since I had visited.  I need to go more often.  The cemetery had also added a sign to the baby section, so now it is clear that the section is called "Gabriel's Tears."  I also walked around to visit the other babies.  I cleared some leaves off one of the stones and stood the two little plastic statues back up that were left there.  It is always so sad to see new stones; there were two new stones since the last time I visited.  Before leaving I said some prayers over Zachary and Brigit's graves while Ethan looked on (Peter was asleep by then).

Even though I did get some "productive" things done over the weekend, most of my productivity had more to do with more spiritual things.  A rosary for an end to abortion and the conversion of hearts through Our Lady of Fatima, lighting candles in memory of my children and the children other friends and family have lost, time spent caring for the gravesites of two of my children, and the care and feeding of the two children I have the priviledge of caring for in this life. 

Spiritual productivity may not have the same kind of satisfaction you can get from seeing things checked off a to-do list or seeing a clean space that once was messy, but it is so much better. 

And apparently even more exhausting!

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day

Today is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day.  For those of us who have lost children during pregnancy or as infants, we never forget.  This day is set aside for all of us to remember those babies.  So I hope you'll take the time time to participate in the Wave of Light today for all those babies lost too soon. 

The Wave of Light happens today at 7:00pm in all timezones.  Light a candle (or two or three) for one hour in remembrance of all the babies who have been lost to miscarriage, stillbirth, or early infant death.  I encourage you, too, if you know someone who has lost a baby, to send them a quick note to just let them know that you are thinking of them and their children waiting for them in Heaven.

Also, today, the Catholic Sistas are sharing stories of loss.  Some are anonymous, others are not.  Go visit and check out the many stories being shared over there today.

7 Quick Takes Friday, vol. 29

~1~

Last Friday at work, we said farewell to one of my staff members.  She decided to take a big leap of faith and change career paths.  I think the cake illustrates well her career change:

"From Books to Crooks"

~2~

I promised a picture of the Mary statue that I talked about in my post from Wednesday.  My camera's battery failed me Thursday when I tried to take a picture.  But a wonderful co-worker walked over and took a few pictures for me with his phone.  I really need a phone or new iPod Touch that has a camera on it.  One day!  In the meantime, here is the new Mary statue on campus:

~3~

The Blessed Mother at the University's Newman Center
Photo coutesy of Daniel N.

~4~

Thursday morning I poked my head into the boys room to make sure they were still sleeping before heading downstairs to grab some breakfast.  I found Peter like this:

I can't believe he had rolled over on his own!!  He doesn't like being on his tummy and usually struggles and eventually screams during tummy-time, so I was waiting for him to wake up and be very upset.  Sure enough he was!  I still haven't seen him roll over yet, but I now know he can do it.

~5~

If everything works well with the boys' schedules on Saturday, we'll be taking them to their first public square Rosary.  Our Bishop is leading a Divine Mercy Chaplet and Rosary starting at 3pm across the street from the abortion clinic in town.  I'm not really able to participate in the 40 Days for Life campaign, but I can do this.  So that's where we'll be on Saturday.

~6~

We had a second showing on our house this week, same people from the week before.  Unfortunately, they are not making an offer.  They liked the downstairs and the yard, but felt that the bedrooms were on the small side.  I have to agree.  Why do you think we're moving?

~7~

I hope everyone has a nice weekend!  Fall is finally starting to feel like it is here to stay!  I love it!!

Head over to Conversion Diary to check out more Quick Takes.

Nice Surprises on Campus

My office at the university is not too far from the Catholic Newman Center on campus.  As a matter of fact, I usually park in one of the lots either right next to or just across the street from the Newman Center.  So I walk by it pretty much every day, twice.

Monday when I left work I couldn't help but smile as I walked through the Newman Center parking lot.  Right there in the courtyard area of the Center, right next to the parking lot, was a nice size statue of Mary. 

It must be about 5 feet tall and she faces out to the parking lot.  I loved seeing her there!!  What a wonderful addition to our campus and to the Newman Center.

Tuesday morning as I headed into the office I couldn't help but look for her as I walked by the Newman Center again.  Almost like I thought I had dreamed it the day before. 

But there she was.  And this time she had company.

Just as I was walking by, a group of students came out of the Newman Center and walked right over to Mary.  As I took one last look over my shoulder I noticed them all bowing their heads in prayer.

Almost brings tears to my eyes!  How awesome to see this on a college campus.  There is hope for the future of our Church!

And Mary is leading them!!

7 Quick Takes, vol. 28

~1~

So I just checked my blog and realized that I haven't posted anything since last Friday, also a Quick Takes post.  I apologize for being so slack with the blog.  I have lots of things in my head, but little time.  I'm sure you can guess why!

~2~

One of those ideas in my head is a post for my Parenting after Pregnancy Loss series.  Actually, I have several topics listed, but the first one is proving difficult.  It is started, so hopefully you'll be seeing it soon.

~3~

We had a nice weekend with my parents visiting.  They hadn't seen the boys since their baptism in July.  Obviously the boys have changed a lot.  While they were here, they took some pictures of the boys that my father then shared with his brothers once they got back home.  He sent me an email with a picture that one of his brothers put together from two pictures of each of the boys and a picture of my dad from sometime in the mid-50s (he looks like he's maybe 5 or 6 years old, I think).  What do you think?  Do the boys look like their Papa?

Ethan on left, my dad as a kid in the center, Peter on right.



~4~

We had a showing of the house!!  It was Tuesday, early evening.  We didn't get any feedback the next day, so we thought that was it.  But then I got an email Thursday with a brief comment.  Apparently it was a woman that came to take a look and she liked what she saw, especially the kitchen counters!  Her husband is coming into town early next week and they hope to see it again. That sounds promising!!  I'm afraid to get my hopes up, this was just our first showing, but it really sounds good.

~5~

Wednesday evening I got home from work before my husband.  The babies both needed to eat, but I was alone.  I was hoping that Hubby wasn't far behind.  So I got both diapers changed, the two leftover bottles from daycare in some hot water to warm up, and placed one of the boys in his rocker by my feet.  I've tried to feed them both at the same time and have not been able to do it successfully.  However, before I could sit down to start feeding one of them, the doorbell rang.  I had a leaky bottle I was trying to clean up and fix and one screaming child.  But I went to the door anyway.  A lady was there wondering if we had any brochures of the house.  So I went and grabbed one for her.  She asked if we had a dining room and when I replied yes she seemed very excited.  Then she asked if she could just take a quick peak at it.  Um, Lady, can you not hear the screaming child in the other room???  I said no in a very polite way and she left.  I was then able to start feeding the screaming child, which then meant that the non-screaming child had to pick up where the first left off.  ::sigh::

~6~

I was encouraged by this and let my realtor know that we had another potential interest she might be hearing from.  Then on Thursday I get home from work and Hubby informs me that the same lady came back again.  She pulled into the driveway just behind him when he got home from work, told him she had been here the day before, and asked if he had a brochure on the house.  He asked her, "Didn't my wife give you one yesterday?"  She said yes, but she lost it.  Already??  Hubby is convinced she's just crazy.  Maybe I shouldn't count on her yet.  Oh well!

~7~

My work life is about to change quite a bit.  I have a staff member who's last day is today.  ::sad::  I've been lucky over the years and have always had good people in that position.  Each time I have to refill that position I worry that I won't find someone as good as any of the previous people.  The person I'm losing is no exception.  She'll definitely be missed.  I'll be taking on several of her job responsibilities in addition to my own as well as asking other staff members to handle some things.  The tricky part is that I probably won't get to replace this position right away and then I'm also going on sabbatical for six months beginning in January.  That means my unit will be down two people out of five for six months.  Yep, I'm a little nervous about how things are going to go.  I do trust my unit, but still, three people doing the work of five is not easy.  First and more important, we're going to celebrate the time we did have with the person who is leaving and wish her luck on her new job and new career.  I'll post a picture of the cake next week!!

For more Quick Takes, check out Jen's awesome blog Conversion Diary.

7 Quick Takes Friday, vol. 27

~1~

My boys are 4 months old today!!  Here they are, aren't they cute!

Peter and Ethan

~2~

My parents are coming to visit this weekend.  Nanny and Papa haven't seen their grandsons since their baptism in July.  They have grown a lot!  I'm looking forward to the weekend because there will be many more extra hands to help out.

~3~

My next post on the Catholic Sistas blog went up this morning.  You can find it by clicking here.  I hope you'll like it.

~4~

I went by my church yesterday to check out the construction and possibly take some pictures.  No one was in the sanctuary at all, so I was able to walk around and take the pictures I wanted.  I got one of the new tabernacle:

Tabernacle construction on 9/29/2011

I also got a picture looking at the whole sanctuary.  You can't see the tabernacle in this picture because of the wall that currently separates the altar from the construction area.  But there is plastic sheeting all over the place.  You can definitely tell that construction is going on in this picture:

Cathedral of Christ the King, construction 9/29/2011

~5~

Before leaving I drove by the new rectory.  Windows are in and the walls all look like they are up.  No pictures of the rectory since it is at the corner of the church property and I just drove by it.  But I moved my car to the front of the church and got out to check out the Perpetual Adoration Chapel.  As a reminder, here's a picture from the groundbreaking:

Groundbreaking on frozen ground in January with ceremonial dirt brought in.

Now here is the same spot, from a bit further back:

Cathedral of Christ the King, St. Kevin Perpetual Adoration Chapel
9/29/2011

I wish I could show you pictures of the new Baptistry, but I wasn't able to get into that area.  Actually, I didn't really want to attempt to get into where the Baptistry is since there were workers in that area.

~6~

Things at my job are going to be getting tough very soon.  One of my staff members is leaving, she's decided to change career paths.  I'm excited for her because she's excited, and I'm proud of her for making such a big change.  I wish her luck.  I've been down this road before: I'll have to make a case for filling the position, I'll have to fold some of that position's responsibilities into my work, and eventually I'll have to go through the whole advertising the job, reviewing applications, interviewing, and hiring.  Oh, and I'm going to be out of the office for six months beginning in January.  I can already feel the stress building!  But, I've been here before and survived.  We'll survive again.

~7~

Speaking of being out for six months ... I am referring to my sabbatical, which I have previously mentioned in this space.  I need some input from some creative people.  As part of my sabbatical, I want to keep a blog as a way to easily journal the work I'm doing in addition to having a place to link up relevant info or surveys I create or whatever else I think might be good to have a link to.  But I'm stuck on a title/name for the blog.  The project includes: working on a database of all the recital recordings from the university (cleaning it up, mostly), creating records from that database, creating templates for cataloging future recordings, some research on recital program requirements at other Schools of Music, and looking at some digital possibilities.  I want a professional sounding title, probably using Kentucky or University of Kentucky in the title (or subtitle) in some way, but also catchy.  Any creative ideas out there??

Check out more Quick Takes over at Conversion Diary where Jen hosts Quick Takes each week.

A Blog Giveaway

Are you a fan of Catholic Sistas yet???  If not, you need to get over there and start checking it out!

And while you're there check out the first Catholic Sistas giveaway.  A $35 gift certificate to a Catholic Bookstore that can be redeemed online if you don't live in the area where this store is located. 

(And since I live in KY and many of my readers live in KY, you may be interested to know that this particular store is located in Owensboro, KY.  So if you happen to live near Owensboro or have family there, what a great giveaway to enter!  Right??)

Who doesn't like free stuff??  Go on over and enter!!

7 Quick Takes Friday, vol. 26

~1~

I've been sick the past week and very out of the loop.  Luckily, Hubby and Ethan seem to have escaped the sickness.  Peter had a congested cough over the weekend, but no fever and was always in a good mood.  I got a call Monday afternoon from the daycare that he had a low fever.  Despite that, he was still a smiley baby.  Both went back to daycare on Wednesday, by which time I was totally sick.  Still am.  Ugh!

~2~

Due to the sickness in the house this week, I have no new pictures.  But I still laugh at these pictures everytime I see them.  Just way too cute!!

~3~

Being home most of the week and sick, means I've had no energy to do much of anything.  Thus I've been vegging in my recliner watching crap sitcom reruns on TV.  I'm finding it very disturbing how sex and pregnancy is portrayed on TV.  Pregnancy especially.  When did pregnancy become something to be feared and depressed about all. the. time???  I need to go back to watching HGTV and the Food Network.

~4~

My husband showed me this video this week.  If this was popular on Facebook this week and everyone has already seen it, I apologize.  I did mention I've been out of the loop all week.  This is for all the Star Wars fans out there:

So I couldn't figure out how to embed the video here like I have done in the past.  Sorry.  Use this link to go check it out:  http://youtu.be/NtgtMQwr3Ko.  It's very funny!!

~5~

Tuesday we had a well-visit for both boys.  Luckily no one had a fever so both were able to get their shots.  Both boys are growing well.  Peter was 12 pounds, 14 ounces and 23 1/8 inches long.  Ethan was 12 pounds, 12 ounces and 23 inches long.  Pretty identical, wouldn't you say?  I didn't find out what their percentiles were, but found the growth charts in the back of one of the preemie books I had at home.  From what I can tell they are roughly in the 20th-25th percentile for weight and less than 5th percentile for length.  This is for actual age.  My husband was looking at it for their adjusted age (3 months old instead of 4 months old) and they are slightly higher on the chart, but not by a lot.  They really aren't behind by much.

~6~

My next post over at Catholic Sistas is supposed to go up next Friday.  I haven't written anything yet.  I have several ideas that I can't seem to develop into anything worthwhile.  Hopefully something will come together soon.  Like VERY soon.

~7~

It's Friday and it's noon!!  I'm late for a Rosary I'm supposed to be doing ... right. now!  Please pray for a sweet little baby girl who is being born right now with a serious condition of fluid on the brain.  She is facing surgery sometime shortly after her birth and possibly many more procedures.  She comes into a loving family with two wonderful parents, four older sisters and a brother in heaven to pray for her.  Thanks!!

For more quick takes, check out Conversion Diary where Jen hosts Quick Takes each Friday.

Twin Talk at 15 weeks

Peter: Then Mommy takes the bottle ....
Ethan: What are you talking about??

Peter: What?  I tell funny stories!
Ethan: Whatever, dude.

Peter: What's Dad doing?
Ethan: Now, that's funny!!

Check out Friday's Quick Takes post to learn the story behind the bibs the boys are wearing.

7 Quick Takes Friday, vol. 25

~1~

The boys are 15 weeks old now and we're starting to find our groove.  They sleep great!!  I kind of hate telling people that because so many lament how their kids never slept so much at such a young age.  Wish I could tell you what we did, but I honestly have no idea.  Sorry! 

~2~

Speaking of the boys, Peter is now able to get over on his side.  He does not seem anywhere close to actually being able to roll over, but does seem to like lying on his side.  I walked into his bedroom one morning and he was awake and on his side.  I thought he had seen me, but apparently not.  I looked down at him and said something and he suddenly splayed out on his back, all limbs extended as far as they would go.  I couldn't help but laugh.  I know it was at my child's expense, but it really was funny!!

~3~

Our house is officially on the market.  Know anyone moving to Lexington, KY?  Anyone in Lexington looking for a new place?  Let me know!  We'd love to sell our house to you.

~4~

We got something cool in the mail this week!!  A note from one of the School Board members for the Catholic School attached to our church congratulating us on the baptism of our boys.  Included was two letters from some 5th graders at the school also congratulating us on the boys' baptism and welcoming them to the Church.  The letters were very cute.  I had no idea they did this, but I love it!!  Oh, and there was a gift included as well ...

~5~

Peter and Ethan in their new Christ the King School bibs.
How cute!!

~6~

Speaking of Christ the King I had written a post back in January about construction beginning at my church.  Last night I attended a meeting to get an update on how things were going.  I was pleasantly surprised when I got there and discovered that it was less of a meeting and more of a tour.  This was good for two reasons: one, I had both boys with me (no "divide and conquer" that night), so moving around and being able to chat with people along the way was way better than trying to keep them quiet and happy during a meeting; and two, I actually got to see the progress rather than just hear about it.  I also meant to bring my camera, but forgot it in the chaos of trying to get out the door (Hubby had Bible Study at the same time, so it was a crazy evening all around).  Luckily, my good friend and our church organist told me he had been taking pictures and would send me some!  Yay!!

 ~7~

And he did!!  Since the pictures I took for the January post about the beginnings of construction were all of the ground breaking for the Adoration Chapel, for comparison sake here is one of the Chapel under construction:

Photo courtesy of Brian Hunt, Christ the King organist and friend.

Thursday night I actually got to walk into this chapel.  The walls are much higher now, I believe they said they are about ready for the roof to go on, and you can see the shape of the chapel and the spot where Jesus' in the Eucharist will be exposed, plus the new baptistry font is in front of it (not shown).  The chapel is expected to be completed by mid-March.  Still a ways to go, but it's all really coming together and that was obvious when I was there last night.  I could write more, but these are supposed to be "quick" takes, so I'll save it for another time ... when I have more pictures too.

Check out Conversion Diary for more Quick Takes.

Alert: Catholic Sistas has moved!!

If you haven't been following the Catholic Sistas Blog [and I'm sure that is no one here, right???] then you may have missed the announcement that it moved to a new web address.  Don't miss anything, change your RSS or blog reader links to the new address: www.catholicsistas.com.

Did you notice how much easier the address is??  We kind of figured we would eventually go this direction, just didn't expect it within the first couple weeks.  But hey, the Holy Spirit leads and we follow!!

I will be going through my posts and sidebar shortly (if I haven't already by the time this post publishes) to redirect all links to the new blog. 

Also, I have a request.  If you have been following Catholic Sistas and enjoying it, we would love to hear your feedback.  Check out the page under "Accollare" (on the left side of the page) for the Readers' Scoop: http://www.catholicsistas.com/2011/09/09/what-readers-are-saying/.  Have a comment to add?  There is a place there to add comments, or let me know either here or in a private email (see sidebar, About Me) and I will share it with our fearless leader.  If you share something with me, you're also giving me permission to use your words.  We won't publish your last name, just first and last initial, or even just first if you prefer.  Really, we'll put you up however you want.  If you want to brag about the Catholic Sistas in a blog post of your own, please share the link with me and we'll be happy to add the link to your post under that same "Accollare" menu.  Just let me know!!

Don't forget to change your RSS links and bookmarks to the new and improved Catholic Sistas blog.  Go check it out!!

Parenting after Pregnancy Loss: Initial Thoughts

I've written about miscarriage and pregnancy loss quite a bit on this blog.  Because it is such a part of my life now, it will always be on my heart and thus something I will still write about.

But now my life is in a different place, a new place, and I'm still working out my thoughts on it.  I think I'll be working out these thoughts for a very long time, so I have a lot of fodder for blog posts.  As a result, this post is probably the first of several.

It is estimated that about 25% of all pregnancies end in miscarriage.  I'd venture to guess that this is a low estimate, especially when you consider how the pill works in addition to the possibility of very early miscarriages that often go undetected (we even wonder if we had one of those once, but we'll never know for sure).  So miscarriage, and pregnancy loss overall, is much more common than most people realize. 

And yet, with all the people who have been through the pain of miscarriage, everyone has different experiences.  Everyone's experiences before they became a member of the Miscarriage Club are different and shaped how they were able to deal with their loss.

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that I have dealt with my losses in a variety of ways.  Writing here has been one of my ways to get my thoughts and emotions out.  I also felt better being open about my losses and sharing my story whenever and wherever I can.  This is not for everyone, I know this.  But if my story can help someone else, then I will continue telling it.

Now I find myself in a new place: the mom of two sweet boys.  I'm loving my cutie pies both during the fun times and the fussy times.  I'm loving that after so long I am finally getting the chance to be a mom.  My heart melts with each little smile and bursts with pride with those rare little laughs. 

Mixed in with all these wonderful emotions is still some sadness as I wonder what each of my other children would have been like.  And so many more questions, too.  Would I have these two sweet boys if we had Zachary?  Do I appreciate my babies more because of what we went through?  But then ... more than what?  And what about future children?  How long do we wait?  What if we wait too long and we experience loss again?  How will a possible future loss feel different now that I have living children?  Or will it?

These are just some of my initial thoughts and questions on this topic of "Parenting after Pregnancy Loss."  It will be interesting to explore more of my thoughts on this topic and I look forward to hearing your comments too, especially from those who have been there themselves. 

I think the first idea I want to write about will be on "appreciation."  Stay tuned to find out what I mean by this.  I hope you'll stick around as I explore these various thoughts and feelings.

Divide and Conquer

I don't know why it took us this long to figure this one out, but we finally did this weekend.  We are in the process of putting our house on the market.  Have been for a while, but we are finally at the point where we must get things put away, the house cleaned, and the papers finally signed ... hopefully this week!!

All of the above is difficult to do with two three-month olds.  It would be hard, I'm sure, with one let alone two.

Hubby and I both had errands to run this weekend.  We finally decided on the divide and conquer method.

Saturday he took Ethan with him and went to the credit union, stopped in at his office to pick something up, went to Lowes, and finally Kroger before heading home.  While they were gone I was able to shower and get ready and then start the process of putting away all our pictures and other personal items.  It was so much easier to do all that with just one baby.

Saturday night Hubby took the boys for a walk and gave me an hour to get more stuff done.  It's amazing what you can accomplish in one hour: two loads of laundry folded, a third one started and a fourth waiting to go, the bedroom completely cleared of all personal things, dusted, and vaccumed, and the living room decluttered some as well.

I felt so accomplished!!

Today after church and breakfast, we did it again.  I took Peter with me to run more errands while Hubby and Ethan went around the house taking down pictures, hanging different ones in their place, and repurposing others.  Again, so much easier to do all those things with one small child!

We need to divide and conquer more often.  I would find it much easier to run into the grocery store with one baby than with two.  I know it'll get easier as they get older, but right now those infant car seat carriers are heavy!!

Divide and conquer it is!!  At least when it is possible.  Hubby can't take one of the boys with him to Bible Study, so I'm on my own then. 

But that's okay, I get some time away too and Hubby gets to be in charge then!

New Vacation Day Concept

Tuesday I took a "vacation" day from work.  Ha!!  It was a totally exhausting day.
I had made an appointment to have the boys pictures taken that morning.  The appointment was at 9:00am.  For some reason, 9am on a "vacation" day didn't seem as early as it usually feels on a regular work day.  That is until I woke up at 7:15am and realized that I needed to leave at 8:30 in order to make it while also showering, dressing, changing the babies, restocking the diaper bag (because we had been out most of Monday), and feeding all of us.  Amazingly it all got done, with the exception of feeding myself, and we were pulling out of the driveway at 8:40.

Phew!

And I made it on time, pulling up to the studio at exactly 9am.  Again ... phew!

Pictures went well.  And I had help.  Oh thank goodness for that!!  What a wonderful friend I had to come spend the morning with me.  She helped me change the boys, hold them, switch them out ... everything.  I couldn't have juggled it all on my own, so I was extremely grateful to have her there.

And when we were done, she offered to stay at the studio with them while I ran across the street on a quick errand.  Truly amazing friend!!  And thankfully the boys had fallen asleep by then.  It was an exhausting morning for them as well.

The pictures were done when I returned.  We then packed everyone and everything back into my car and my wonderful friend met me over at another store so I could run my last errand.  She pushed the stroller through the store so I could pick up what I needed.  I know having help in the store made that trip take half the time than it would have otherwise.

Peter had had enough by the time we were checking out.  I don't blame him, I was hungry too.  Everyone and everything back in the car and I took the interstate to get back home as quickly as possible.

It amazes me how much longer it takes to do things now.  I do plan for it, of course, and I just laugh at it all. 

Home by noon, boys changed and fed, and I finally got to sit down by 1:00pm and eat for the first time.  Just in time for the next thing on the agenda ...

an interview for our local Catholic paper.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from that.  I was being interviewed by someone I know.  She had taken the newborn pictures of the boys as well as pictures at their Baptism.  In talking to one of the deacons in the area who works with the Paper about Peter and Ethan's Baptism, they started thinking about how my story would be a nice one to write up.  So I agreed.

I wasn't quite sure of the angle, but with the March for Life coming up in January and October being a Pro-Life month, they are looking to do a bunch of pro-life stories.  So this fits in well.

As for the interview itself: she was here at the house for about two and a half hours!!  But we had a good time.  We sat on the floor to talk so I could easily attend to the boys while we chatted.  I basically went through everything from our first miscarriage through the birth of Peter and Ethan.  She asked some questions along the way and then had several questions at the end.  She has a few questions for Hubby and then she'll be able to write something up.

By the time the interview ended it was after 5pm and I was amazed at how fast the day had gone by.  I was exhausted ... to say the least.  More exhausted than days when I have to get us all ready for daycare and work in the morning, go to work all day, and then have my hands full all evening as well.  Those days seem like the easy days now.

The vacation days, on the other hand ... well, those are now a bit more exhausting!!  Haha!!

Yep, definitely a new concept to the "vacation" day.  ::smile::  Even so, I really did enjoy every bit of it!

7 Quick Takes Friday, vol. 24

~1~

My boys are three months old now!!  They are growing up so fast!  ::sniff sniff::  They smile a lot more now, which has been fun.  It still takes some work on our part to make it happen, but the reward is finally there!  So cute!!

What do you remember from when your child(ren) were this age?  Or were you too sleep deprived to remember anything?

~2~



We are starting to see a routine with the boys. We now feed them 6 bottles a day (occasionally 5) and they sleep a good length of time at night. Those first several weeks you just have no idea how many bottles they take a day. At least I don't, not with two of them. It was all written down, but nothing was consistant. Now, however, I can predict things. Oh what a difference that makes!! First bottle is somewhere between 5 and 6 am (give or take an hour or two), last bottle is around 10pm (give or take an hour), and they sleep well in between. I'm simply feeling lucky right now!

Don't tell me that this will change. Just don't, let me live in a fantasy world for just a tad bit longer.

~3~

During my pregnancy I know I mentioned a desire to use cloth diapers. It is still very much on my mind, but we're unable to completely convert to it. The daycare won't use them, so I'm left with just weekends. I thought about evenings and nights during the week, but that wouldn't produce enough dirties to bother with a wash every couple days; there is no way I'm leaving dirty diapers sitting in the diaper pail for a week before I can wash them. So for the moment, it's just weekends. Then we had some issues with leaks and I decided I really didn't like the flushable liners I was using (the possible culprit of the leaks). So I bought a diaper sprayer [Yay!!] and Hubby hooked it up this week. Now my plan is to use cloth fully this coming weekend! It's actually a four day weekend for me and the boys (I'm taking a vacation day next Tuesday) so we should get plenty of use out of my fluff and see just how many more diapers I need to truly make it work for several days at a time. I'm hoping that by December, when I start being home full time, we'll know what we're doing and we'll be able to forgo sposies completely for the next 6 months. 

For the most part, we're using one-size, pockets (seem to be the easiest things for us with working and busy schedules).  I'm completely open to hearing tips, stories, and recommendations as well as words of encouragement for Hubby who is still doubting the wisdom of this endeavor. Leave comments below ... please!

~4~

I had professional head shots done this week.  They were taken for an upcoming promotion and tenure celebration but I'll also get the digital copies to use however I want.  So you know, if I ever, like ... publish a book or something, I'll have a nice picture for the back cover.  Ha!!  Maybe I'll just use it for my profile picture on this blog.

Have you ever had professional head shots done?  If so, what for?

~5~



Promotion and tenure celebration??  Oh, did I forget to mention ... yes, I was promoted this year.  Went into effect on July 1.  Yes, I know, I wasn't even at work then, hadn't been there in several months.  So how did I manage that?  Well, as a faculty member the promotion process starts very early.  I started putting together my file and contacting potential outside references (colleagues from other institutions) in May/June of 2010.  The process takes about a year.  I found out around March or April that my case had been approved at all levels except the Board of Trustees.  So I've known since then, but it wasn't really official until the B of T met in May.  Let's just say that I've been a little busy since it was made official in May.  ::smile::

Any guesses on why I was so busy?  [You can just taste the sarcasm, can't you.]

~6~

Have you been following the Catholic Sistas blog??  I am so impressed day after day with the amazing posts my sista friends are writing!!  If you haven't been there yet, please go check it out, "like" us on Facebook, add us to your blog reader or RSS feed, and if you have a blog grab the "Friends of the Sistas" image from the blog and add is as a linked image on your blog (and we thank you for the free advertising!).  [And my first post went up this week, too.]

Is there anything you'd like to see this blog do?  Maybe something you wish was on the internet for Catholic women but haven't been able to find anywhere else?  We're still new enough that we're throwing around a lot of ideas.

~7~

I signed myself up for a date for my next post over at the Catholic Sistas blog.  I chose the feast day of St. Jerome.  It was completely unintentional, I was looking at the end of September and saw his feast day listed and thought, "what the heck."  He's the patron saint of my profession.  So now I'm contemplating writing something about work and still putting a Catholic spin on it.  It just may take me a month to figure that one out. 

Any ideas?

For more Quick Takes head on over to Jen's blog!

Talking about Prayer

Today I am talking about prayer.  But not here!  You have to go over to the Catholic Sistas blog to see what I have to say.  My first post there, Prayer on Autopilot?, went live today.  Come check it out and while you're there check out all the other wonderful posts.
Come on over and join the fun!!

Fun Weekend

Yes, there was one of these at the party.

A party is not complete without an inflatable slide/"rock" wall.  We went to a party on Friday night that some friends of mine were having at their house.  I hadn't seen these friends or many of the people at the party in years!!  In that time, people had gotten married, had kids, and those that already had kids now had much older kids.  It was great to see so many people and catch up, even if it was brief.  We didn't stay long because of our two little ones and the fact that we walked to the party.  Walking to the party was a GREAT idea!!  The boys fell asleep on the way there and then again on the way home.

The best part?  They easily fell asleep that night too!!

Decluttering and cleaning MUST go hand-in-hand.  My husband does not get this concept.  We are "this close" to getting our house finally ready for that big For Sale sign in the front yard.  This close!  He spent Saturday cleaning the siding and putting down mulch.  I spent part of it inside trying to clean. He kept telling me to forget about cleaning, just to declutter everything.  But how can you NOT clean while you're decluttering?  That's what I want to know.  I ignored him and went about my cleaning AND decluttering.  As I tried to explain, I declutter things better when I am also cleaning.  When I have to move things to clean, that's when I start thinking more about whether that item needs to be out or not. 

The rooms I did get to on Saturday look great, both clean and decluttered!!  My ability to get a lot down is now hampered by the fact that the two little men in my life get bored watching me clean after a while and want to be awake a lot more these days.

So close!!!  {sigh}

The stroller needs a van.  Seriously.  I love our stroller.  We take it for walks in the neighborhood and we've even taken it on the trail that circles the huge city park near our neighborhood.  It streers easily and is very smooth.  Our Sunday outing was to our church's annual parish picnic.  Because it was on a farm and there would be Mass outside followed by the picnic, I wanted to bring the stroller rather than using the Double Snap and Go stroller that the carseats fit in.  I knew the babies would be way too hot if they had to sit in their carseats that whole time.  The challenge was getting the stroller into my husband's Camry.  I have a Honda Fit, so that was totally out of the question.  He had to pretty much take the whole thing apart to fit it in the trunk of the car.  But we managed to get it in along with the cooler while the back seat of the car held the two babies, the diaper bag, our two chairs, and one other bag containing a blanket, sunscreen, and bug spray.

We're going to Atlanta for Christmas this year.  We NEED a van before then or we may have to bring two cars.  Seriously!

Never thought I'd find myself sitting on a hay bale during Mass feeding a baby.  So Sunday's picnic was preceeded by Mass.  The picnic and Mass were at a horse farm just outside the city (but still in the county).  They had hay bales set up in rows for people to sit on as well as chairs for the seniors and others who needed something more sturdy (not to mention more comfortable).  Ethan had not eaten his full bottle at the meal previous to leaving for the farm.  As I suspected he needed the next one right in the middle of Mass.  We had gotten there late so left everything in the car and just took the boys in their car seats.  Why I didn't at least grab the diaper bag, I don't know.  So halfway through Mass hubby had to run back to the car to grab the diaper bag so I could feed Ethan.  Once Mass was over, Hubby went back to the car again, taking both car seats with him (a friend of ours and I held the babies), assembled the stroller, grabbed the rest of our stuff, and made his way back to us once again.  I think he got his exercise for the day.

In the future the picnic will be a lot more fun for the boys.  There was a mini petting "zoo," pony rides, a clown, and, of course, ... an inflatable bouncy house kind of thing.

No party is complete without some sort of inflatable ride.

7 Quick Takes Friday, vol. 23

Wow, I haven't done a Quick Takes post since mid-April!!  Hope I'm not too rusty; here goes nothing ...

~1~

It's been over a month now, but we did have the boys baptised in July.  I do have plans to write up a blog post and include some pictures of the day.  I'm sure some readers are interested in how things went and want to see pictures!!  I can tell you that there was much wailing but thankfully little gnashing of teeth.  More to come ... eventually.

~2~

I finally finished writing thank you cards out for all gifts that we have received for the babies.  That has been a constant task of mine for the last 12 weeks.  It takes a long time when you can only do a couple a night and then some nights just get way too busy and none get done.  And I really wanted to write nice thank you notes, really let people know how much we appreciate their generosity.  So it takes time.  And now that this is done, I've turned my attention to birth announcements.  Yes, the boys are 12 weeks old, going to officially be 3 months next week, but I still wanted to do this.  Besides, there are people who are not online that haven't seen any pictures (the great-grandmothers, other relatives) so I figured they would be delighted to get an announcement, even one that arrives 3 months late ... or maybe 4 months.

~3~

I have to say it ... I'm tired.  Ahhh, I feel better.  That is all.

~4~

Many months ago in #3 of this previous quick takes I mentioned that I had received some good news from work, but couldn't yet share the details.  I can now!!  Actually, I could have a while ago, but I never got around to it.  That's just my world these days.  The announcement: I have been approved for a sabbatical leave starting in January of 2012.  I'm very excited about this!  I will be home (working from home) for six months and the boys will be able to stay home with me.  That's very exciting!!  I will be working on a project that has been haunting me for years.  With this sabbatical I'll be able to concentrate on just that and not have to worry about my other job tasks, meetings, supervising people, etc., etc.

You might wonder what it is exactly that I'll be doing.  Well, it may not sound that exciting.  I will be working on massaging a database that is currently a jumble of information to make it worthy of converting into another format.  Along with this I have an idea for a survey, some digitizing possibilities, and a blog.  All of which will hopefully lead to some presentation opportunities in the future and maybe an article or two.  Oh, and about that blog: I plan on keeping a blog of my progress, thoughts and ideas along the way.  It could come in handy down the road.

The best part of all: working from home on my own schedule and having the boys with me.  I'll have to be a master organizer or it could be a waste of 6 months!!

~5~

Even though I am excited about being home for six months with my little guys, I really do like the daycare they are currently with.  We were extremely lucky to get in considering that they originally told us they had no openings.  Once they realized I was going to be short-term, they were able to fit us in.  It is really close to work.  Classes at the University started this week and as a result my parking situation had to change. I am now parking closer to the daycare than my office!  The people there are great and you can really tell that they enjoy the children and really get to know them.  Most likely we'll find a new daycare for them to go to starting next July, which is kind of sad since I really do like where they currently are.  But for a variety of reasons it makes sense to place them elsewhere at that point.

~6~

Have you checked out the new blog I am a contributing author for?  You must check it out if you haven't yet.  I am so impressed with the quality of writing so far.  I have a post waiting in the wings that will go up on Monday, but do check it out for the other authors!  You can also "like" the Catholic Sistas blog on Facebook and links to the blog posts will show up in your newsfeed.  And while it is a Catholic blog, if you are not Catholic it is still a good blog with faith-filled posts.  Any Christian will find some uplifting, inspiring, and thought-provoking posts to enjoy.

~7~

Have I mentioned that I'm tired? 

Check out Jen's blog for more Quick Takes!

What did Mary see?

One afternoon I was sitting in our family room with one of the boys in my arms.  He was stretched out in front of me with his head in my hands and his feet against my chest.  Perfect for making eye contact.

As I sat there looking at him and trying to get him to look back at me and potentially smile (oh, how I love to see those smiles that are still so few and far between!!), I wondered what it was like for Mary to look into her baby's face.  Her baby ... Jesus; her child ... the Son of God.

What an amazing responsibility.  What did she see in those eyes?  In that face?  What were her thoughts as she looked at this helpless little baby who was also her God?

I can't even imagine!!  Wow, what a thought!

I feel overwhelmed at times when I think of the awesome responsibility I have in raising my two boys as faithful Catholics and servants of God the Father.  The sense of responsibility Mary must have felt had to have been enormous ... totally unfathomable to me.  She was raising a son who WAS God.

So as I looked into my baby's face and watched his jerky arm movements and the eyes that wouldn't quite look at me, I wondered about the baby Jesus.  Was He the same way? 

However, I wondered most about His mother.  What did she see when she looked into that face and those eyes?  Did He have those same jerky arm movements that little babies all have?  Or was He different?  Did He cry for her in the pitiful way infants sometimes do?  Did He keep her up at night?  Or was He different?

So many questions going through my head.

Mary pondered much in her heart and I bet she had many thoughts about what would become of her son when she looked into those little infant eyes of His.  Did those thoughts fill her with joy or sorrow?   Did she fully realize the sorrow and suffering that was in store for her?

Suffering is a part of motherhood and the Blessed Mother knows this better than anyone.  I find comfort in knowing that I am not alone as I begin this journey of motherhood.  As I look at my little one, cuddled in my arms, I like to think that Mary once did the same thing.  She is a mother and she is my mother.  With her by my side I know I can raise my boys well.

Blessed Mother, give me the strength needed to raise my boys in this crazy world, to share with them a devotion to you, and to lead them, through you, to your divine Son.  Mother Mary, pray for us.

Who is this?

Having identical twins comes with its challenges ... and I'm sure I don't even know the half of it yet!!

This morning the boys awoke a little before 7am.  I had just finished getting ready so went in to start getting them ready.  Hubby came in just as I finished changing and dressing Peter.  He told me two bottles were ready to go and then wisked Peter away.  I got Ethan up and went through the changing routine with him and then brought him downstairs to join Daddy and brother for breakfast.

Settling myself into the recliner with baby and bottle, my husband asks me, "Who is this?"

It took a moment for me to realize what he was asking me.  He didn't know which child I had changed first and he was now feeding.

I had to laugh!!  And do a double-take myself to make sure that yes, it was Peter he was holding and Ethan that I was holding.

This is only the beginning!!  We have lots of fun in store for us as these two boys get bigger and look more and more alike every day.  We're in BIG trouble!!

A New Adventure!!

Life is a journey so with each new thing we take on it is like embarking on a new adventure.  That is exactly what I and several friends of mine are doing.  And we want to invite you to come check us out.

We are starting a new blog called Catholic Sistas.  It is all things Catholic from a group of Catholic "sistas" who like to talk ... a lot!!  I hope my readers here will come over and check us out.  We're just getting started and there are just a few posts up, but the writing talent is easy to see.  I'm already feeling humbled by my fellow sistas writing abilities!

Nothing should change here.  I'll still be posting as infrequently as always and always with a desire to post more frequently.  I'll be sure to link up my posts over at Catholic Sistas when I do post there.  But do check it out for the other writers, we have some really good ones in the group!!

Wordless Wednesday ...

... with a few words.

About 8 weeks old (I think).  Peter on left, Ethan on right.

Cheering for our favorite baseball teams!!
Go Red Sox!!
Go Gamecocks!!
(Peter on left, Ethan on right)

Peter is already hogging the remote ... and falling asleep in front of the TV.
Such a boy!

Peter sticking his tongue out at Mommy.

Ethan cozying up to Daddy.  So cute!

The Wipes are Screaming??

The middle of the night is NOT my finest hour.  Case in point:

It is 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning, just after a feeding.  As we get settled back into bed:
Me to Hubby: I hear the babies' screams in my dreams and it makes me think they're right here, like I forgot to put them back to bed after we fed them.

Hubby: In the bed?

Me: Yes, I start looking for them and wondering what happened to them.  Then I realize that I'm hearing the wipes.

Hubby: The wipes are screaming?

Me: Yes ... wait, no ... wipes?  Did I say the wipes?  [Insert hysterical laughing]

Hubby: What is screaming?

Me: [more hysterical laughing]

Hubby just looks at me confused.  Finally I'm able to compose myself enough to tell him that what I was trying to say was that it was the babies' cries through the baby monitor that I was hearing in my dreams.

The wipes!! Ha ha ha!  Cracks me up every time I think about it.  And this happened about two weeks ago!!  The wipes are screaming!!

What silly things have you said or done in the middle of the night when caring for an infant (or two)?

Coming out of the fog ...

... just long enough to finally post something here again.  It has been way too long, I know.  I promised pictures a while back and then I disappeared.  I also realized that I had a horrid misspelling in the title of my last post (ado? how about adieu, much better!); we'll just chalk that one up to "mommy brain."

I promised pictures!!  So here is one from when we first got home from the hospital.  They are so tiny here!!


Peter (left) and Ethan, home for the first time

We also had some newborn pictures done by a friend who is starting to build up her experience to start doing more photography gigs in the near future.  (If you're in the Lexington area and looking for a photographer for something (kids pictures, senior pictures, etc.) consider calling her.)  She posted some of the shots on her blog site (where you can also find her contact info) and there are some really cute pictures of the boys there.  She did an amazing job.  Check out the pictures here: Newborn Twins, Peter and Ethan.

Overall we are doing well.  Peter and Ethan are now just over 7 weeks old.  They had their two month appointment yesterday (a little early because their doctor wanted to see them one more time before her maternity leave).  They got a couple shots and had all their measurements taken.  Peter is now 9 lbs, 8 oz (5th percentile) and 21 inches long (2nd percentile) with a head circumference of 38 cm (25th percentile).  Ethan is now 8 lbs, 15 oz (2nd percentile) and 20 inches long (less than 2nd percentile) with a head circumference of 37 cm (5th percentile).  I have tiny little boys!!

We're doing well here at home too.  I have actually managed to get out a few times.  The boys and I made a quick stop in Kroger one day and another day we went to Babies 'R' Us.  Pushing the double stroller and trying to do a bit of shopping is tricky.  At Kroger I tried pulling a small cart behind me with one hand while pushing the stroller in front of me with the other.  Unfortunately the stroller I'm currently using (a double frame for snapping car seats in) doesn't stear well with one hand.  At the baby store, I just used a basket, but that was also tricky.  I'm thinking in the future (at least at the grocery store) that I will bring the reusable grocery bags with me and use those to carry the items I am buying since the bags will fit on my shoulders.  Then I can unload them at the register and once they are rung up the bags can be filled again.  Seems rather efficient, doesn't it?  I'll let you know if it works.  Obviously I can't be doing a large shopping trip or buying anything too heavy, but at least I can run in for a few things when I need to.

Feeding has been interesting.  I tried breastfeeding, but it proved way too difficult.  There were issues with the babies being so small at the beginning and then we were doing so many crazy things to try and get them to suckle that it took two of us to feed just one baby at a time.  If both were hungry it was even more stressful as we struggled to feed 10 ml of formula to one through a tiny tube while they were at the breast and the other baby sat screaming nearby.  Then the babies lost about 10% of their birth weight (too much) and we had to supplement with actual bottles of formula.  Plus, I knew there was no way I was going to be able to coordinate the feeding tube and trying to get them to breastfeed at the same time once Hubby went back to work.  So breastfeeding eventually went by the wayside.  I have continued to pump (though that too has slowly been diminishing) and giving them each a bottle of breast milk when we have enough, or close to enough.  I was disappointed that breastfeeding didn't work, but things are much less stressful now that we are primarily bottle feeding.  The more I talk to people with twins or people who know people who had twins, the more I'm finding out that it is rare that someone is successful at fully breastfeeding twins.  We can always try again the next time (if there is a next time).

Peter and Ethan are now enrolled in "school" as well.  I found a day care I liked and got them enrolled.  Location-wise it was not very convenient and some construction in that area was going to make it difficult for me to get there and get to work, etc.  But I liked the place a lot, so we went with it.  But then another place I had talked to called me to see if I had found something or not.  Turns out they had openings after all AND they are in walking distance of my work!  I liked them a lot too and I couldn't ask for a better location.  So we made the switch.  Only issue is the boys have to start a week later than I had planned.  For my first week back at work we'll be working something out to have friends and/or family watch the boys at home and then they'll go to day care starting the next week. 

All of this starts next week!!  I can't believe I am going back to work already!  I'm a little sad, but I know we'll all be good once we get into a routine.

Speaking of routine, we're starting to have one!!  Yipee!!  The boys are starting to sleep more at night.  Our last feeding is now somewhere between 9 and 10pm, then we transition to nighttime clothes, low lights, and soft voices and we get them in their cribs sometimes between 10 and 11pm.  We usually have one feeding around 3-4am and then not again until around 7:30 or so.  During the day I'm feeding them about every 3 hours, so I plan my day around that.  We probably have another 3-4 weeks of this and then they should start to be able to make it longer overnight, have fewer feedings during the day, but take more formula at a time than they are currently.  We'll slowly transition to that, but I'm estimating that we'll be there by the time they are 3 months old or so.

Finally, Peter and Ethan are being baptized on Saturday.  I'm so excited to be able to have this celebration of welcoming them into our Catholic faith after we have had to bury and say good-bye to three previous babies that we never got to do this for.  Our children are definitely gifts from God and one thing I have learned is that we are not promised children.  We are lucky to have the two we have and to have the three in heaven interceding for us.  But I know there is no promise that we will have more.  So I kind of went all out with the Baptism.  We have invited several people and we are doing a lunch reception afterwards.  It's a celebration and a very special sacrament, so I wanted to make it that way.  We may never get the opportunity to do this again.  More on the Baptism (hopefully with pictures) later.

Sorry for taking so long to post an update!  I hope my readers hadn't given up on me!  I promise I am not abandoning the blog!!

And without further ado ...

I would like to finally announce the arrival of our precious twins.  Sorry for the delay ... it's already been a crazy ride!!

Peter Xavier and Ethan Alexander arrived on Monday May 30, 2011 both at 10:31pm after a Cesarean section delivery.  (I have a picture to post, but apparently I caught blogger during a maintenance period.  Picture to come soon.)

Peter Xavier was 5 lbs. 11 oz. and Ethan Alexander was 5 lbs. 6 oz.  There is no doubt that they are identical!  They both had a nice head of dark hair and they resemble their father quite a bit.  Both were also very healthy and after a quick check of them in the nursery they came straight to my room.  No NICU time at all!!

All three of us came home on Thursday together.  They have been a joy so far!!  Some pictures and more on how things are going to come soon.  For now, I'm just trying to take things one step at a time.

Thank you to all who have been praying for us!!