Three Weeks
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| June 29, 2017 – 3 WEEKS ♥ |
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| Moses Basket • Sheepskin Baby Blanket • Milestone Blocks • Decade of Roses Sleeper |
Painted Petals Life Planner & More
It ended up being perfect timing since apparently the Erin Condren LifePlanner begins today!
Due Date Daybook
I am thankful…
We made it! Happy due date, little one! P.S. Don’t let this picture fool you… It took running the vacuum cleaner to get her to calm down long enough for a few pictures of her awake! She still prefers Mama to hold her nearly 24/7. 💕
I am thinking…
We need to figure out how we are going to get this cute little baby baptized! Usually one of my husband’s brothers comes out to baptize our babies in the Extraordinary Form. However, with the recent death and funeral of my father-in-law, none of them will be able to take any more time away from their parishes. I wish I was up to traveling… It looks like our best and quickest option might be one of the priests coming to town for the Sacred Liturgy Conference in a couple weeks.
Outside my window…
it is HOT! The baby and I have been spending the day inside, but the rest of the kids headed over to my brother and sister-in-law’s home to swim with their cousins after going to confession this afternoon. It got up to around 107 degrees today, and will still be in the 100s tomorrow with thunderstorms too, but should drop back down on Monday.
Learning all the time…
With all the pregnancy challenges, the school year didn’t go quite as I originally envisioned for our youngest two students who still need a lot of one-on-one time with mom… We will pick up where we left off soon. In the meantime we’ve had a couple little review lessons while updating the letter board.
Celebrating the liturgical year…
There is so much to celebrate today! It’s the solemnity of the nativity of St. John the Baptist, it’s the day I was due (once again) to deliver a sweet baby (so glad she is already safely here in my arms), and it’s also the birthday of one of my dearest friends. Happy birthday, Charlotte! I haven’t been able to get down to the post office to mail your gift, but here is a little peek! Wish I could deliver it in person, but it will be on its way soon.
From the kitchen…
With help from the older girls, I was somehow able to pull together a baseball themed party, including (a very simple) dinner for twenty-five, this past Wednesday as we celebrated a 10th birthday. I didn’t plan to have that many people over, it just sort of happened at the last minute, but the birthday boy had a ball. I’m hoping to have a chance to share the pictures soon! #whatnottodo #twoweekspostpartum
I am working…
We had a really great day last Tuesday and we even managed to get down to the office to catch up on some billing and other paperwork… It had me thinking (for half a day) that I might be able to keep up with everything after all! She didn’t stay in her car seat for long, but was content while being worn in the Moby wrap while I worked. She made up for it that night though and I was a mess when I saw the pediatrician the next morning for her two week check-up. He was happy to see her weight climbing back up (6 lbs 8 oz) but concerned about me as I sat there in tears. He wanted to know if I needed him to intervene and make sure I’m getting the rest I need to recover, especially with all the stress from this past month. Who should he talk to? Umm… That would be me. I’m the one who always seems to set unrealistic goals and expectations for myself, including the birthday party later that day! This upcoming week I’ll be working from home again resting as much as possible.
I am creating…
thank you notes for all the thoughtful and generous gifts our baby girl has been given.
I am going…
to buy a baby bath soon. In the meantime she is still so tiny that she fits in our little bathroom sink!
I am hoping…
Facebook and Instagram keep blocking all the links to my blog posts, deleting any posts or pictures that include the url, whether they were posted by me or shared by someone else… I spent some time updating the blog settings and making a few changes, hoping that would solve the problem. We’ll see!
I am praying…
for the soul of my dear father-in-law. Maybe it is because I wasn’t able to go to his funeral, but it just doesn’t seem real to me that he is gone… He will be missed so very much!
Pondering these words…
from St. Rose of Lima:
I am listening…
to My Kind of Girl from Michael Buble’s Nobody But Me CD. Our oldest son sent me the link to the song after I sent him a couple pictures of his brand new baby sister while they were down in Arizona.
Around the house…
A NEW BABY! My husband and I are still kind of in shock that we have another little one. It was such a hard pregnancy and recovery is going to take a little while, but we are so grateful for this unexpected blessing. We truly thought our 5 year old would be our last, especially after miscarrying again 3 years ago, but God had this beautiful little surprise in store for us!
One of my favorite things…
I had a moses basket with our last two babies that I loved and used all the time so I knew I really wanted another one for this baby. This basket from Plum+Sparrow was a splurge for sure, but my husband let me order it for Mother’s Day and I love it! We also ordered a sheepskin baby blanket to line the inside. It fits perfectly and looks so cozy!
This week’s plans…
The baby and I will continue spending as much time as possible at home recovering and enjoying this special time together. The rest of the kids will be volunteering (older kids) and attending (younger kids) another week of golf camp!
A little peek at my day…
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
Father’s Day
One Week
Instagram Recap & Other Special Moments
Grandpa and Grandma stopped by with our other little ones to say hello after the baby and I got back home, then they kept Rose & Bud at their home for one more night.
Instagram: Between outfits, but we wanted to make sure and pray the holy rosary right at 7:00 PM tonight, for the soul of their grandfather, even though we couldn’t be at his wake down in Arizona with the rest of the family. 🌹🙏🏻❤️ #babysfirstrosary #prayersforgrandpa #requiescatinpace
Instagram: Processing payroll with my new little helper… So glad that I was able to get set up to work part-time from home, instead of always at the office, especially since I never got around to training a temporary replacement for once baby arrived. 💕#workingfromhome #corporatesecretaryandbookkeeper
Instagram: This morning I did the best I could to hide my exhaustion with my first shower since being discharged from the hospital and some makeup… Didn’t last long though, since I was in tears once again shortly after making the drive and arriving at the pediatrician’s with my three little ones. Baby’s bilirubin levels were high enough to require a trip back to the hospital for additional blood work (thankfully the numbers came back a little lower and we didn’t need to be admitted) and her weight has continued to drop despite having plenty of milk and nursing 27-29 times every 24 hours… (Haven’t slept more than an hour at a time since her birth…) She is now weighing just 6 lbs 1 oz. She’s so tiny! The goal for the rest of today is to get her back into some filtered sunlight and to try my best to rest and reduce my stress levels in the hopes of a better milk supply. We head back to the pediatrician’s tomorrow. Say a prayer that her weight starts to climb back up!
Instagram: It started out hard, but today ended up being such a better day than yesterday. Thank you all so very much for the prayers, encouragement and support! ❤️ I met with a lactation consultant for an hour and a half and we have a plan to help with all the nursing challenges. Baby’s jaundice is continuing to improve, she weighed 6 lbs 2 oz (up an ounce from yesterday, then up another ounce after nursing), and we won’t need to go back until her 2 week check up next Wednesday. SUCH a relief! My dad stopped by around lunch time and caught up all our dishes from the week, I got a heavenly little nap, and then my mom came over to watch the other two while baby and I went to the appointments. I’m not very good at asking for or accepting help, but my mom keeps insisting (despite her own busy schedule – there always seems to be at least one of us 12 kids that needs something!) and I really don’t know how I would have survived without it the past month – before I delivered (taking kids to baseball games and practices and me to appointments when I was unable to drive myself, co-hosting a gorgeous baby shower and gifting us with the infant car seat needed to bring baby home), during labor (she drove me to the hospital since Sean was working in the forest and out of cell range when it was time to go – so glad he made it for the delivery and that she got to be there for the birth too), and now post-partum (watching the little ones until the day after I was discharged and then again today, catching up laundry and feeding them dinner which will make this evening so much easier). After getting a flat tire repaired today, Sean and the older kids will begin the long drive back tomorrow and will arrive late Friday night. After spending just 12 of the past 42 days all together I am so looking forward to having everyone home again!
Instagram: Little luxuries like hot showers, naps, and not needing to leave the house have quickly moved towards the top of my list of favorites lately, right after snuggling this sweet baby of course. ❤️ After getting rid of nearly all the baby gear last summer, we didn’t plan to replace very much of it this time around. How hard could it be to live without a swing/crib/etc with so many extra sets of hands around all the time?! With most of them out of town this past week, this little soft and soothing removable napper which came as part of the new Pack ‘n Play we were given has been so incredibly helpful especially when it comes to finally getting to shower! Thank you, Charlotte and family! 😘
On the Day You Were Born
Grace upon Grace
I know it was all the prayers and extra graces from God that got me through the past nine months and this challenging pregnancy… It’s so fitting that she was born on June 8th, on the traditional feast of Mary, Mediatrix of all Graces. I think we’ll nickname her “Grace” here on the blog.
With her birth just two days after the death of my father-in-law, my husband’s brother (Father D. Gordon) pointed out that the name we choose happens to mean Resurrection. A friend also shared the morning prayer (Divine Office) for June 8th with us, which is also so beautifully fitting:
Congratulations to her oldest brother, who not only was the person who told me that I was pregnant before I had even considered it a possibility – (“Mom, are you sure you aren’t pregnant? This is not your usual sick… this is your pregnant sick!”) – but was also the person to win the baby hunch online pool for guessing the closest (date, time, length, coloring, etc) before she was born! (Charlotte and my sister-in-law Meagan were so close to winning too!)
I’m enjoying having another baby girl so very much! Before we were discharged from the hospital this afternoon, I had a little fun dressing her up to bring home, in her new rose covered gown, and taking a few pictures with the letter board the girls and I had started filling out before her birth (just needed a couple changes) and the cute little bunny her cousin gave her at the hospital yesterday!
My sister-in-law picked us up from the hospital and brought us home. It’s so quite here at home with just the baby, while most of the family on their way to Arizona for my father-in-law’s funeral and our other two little ones are staying one more night with my parents. Last night was the first time they had ever spent the night at their grandparent’s home and they are enjoying the treat! Please continue to keep our family in your prayers.
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| I’ll probably take down this picture after a little while (or update with her blog name), but wanted to share her name with all my dear visitors here at Shower of Roses. Her patron saints tie in to her pregnancy in little ways. All her siblings found out she was going to be a girl on Christmas Eve… There is also a little nod to St. Therese who I’m sure had something to do with her unlikely conception at the beginning of October. God is good! |
Prayer for a Happy Delivery
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| Mother Love Prayer Book • Watercolor Rose Swaddle Blanket |
Instagram Update: Thank you all for the prayers! Our beautiful little girl is here! Everything went really well and she arrived at 1:56 AM this morning, June 8, 2017, weighing in at 6 pounds 15 ounces and measuring 19.5 inches. God is good!
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One of my favorite captured moments from today  💕She prefers to be held all the time, but I don’t mind. #whoneedssleep #twodaysold |
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