The Third Prayer

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I took a two week break from these 7 Quick Takes because I was just overwhelmed with work and life.  And well, I’ve had an exhausting week, thanks to pregnancy, and I really wasn’t planning on being here again this week.  So these will be…quick.

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God reads my blog and Mary Rene had an amazing three hour nap on Wednesday so we were able to attend the Ash Wednesday Mass.  Mary Rene usually only naps for an hour or an hour and a half.  Occasionally we’ll get a two hour or 2.5 hour nap but I have never had a three hour nap.  So that was my sign from God.  Unfortunately she was very high maintenance during Mass and would not sit still.  But we are very glad we went.

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Yesterday our church was on duty for the 40 Days for Life at the local abortion clinic.  On Valentine’s Day they had the rally to kick off the event and we planned on going but the snow held us back.  I was so bummed out because I was looking forward to it for weeks.  So I wanted to badly to make our church’s peaceful protest day.  But when I got home from work I was exhausted.  Frank called and I planned on telling him that we could go another day but he sweetly talked me into it, without even being pushy.  And I’m so glad we went.  We didn’t stay entirely too long because it started to get cold and we didn’t want Mary Rene to get sick.  But it was very nice to be there and support the cause.  Mary Rene was having fun standing against the fence and looking in the, thankfully, empty parking lot.  We met a lovely family, mother with her four young children.  They were all praying the rosary and standing so peacefully as a family that it just melted my heart.

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I am looking forward to Fish Fry Fridays again!  Are you?

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Awhile back I did a guest post on loyal reader Rae’s blog.  If you are interested check out her blog sometime.  She is a great reader and has very interesting things to say.  I love to read a post that really “gets you thinking” and that’s what she does a lot.

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I haven’t sewn in two weeks!  I’ve been so busy with work and life ya know.  So today I am going over my parent’s house so they can hang out with Mary Rene and I can sew.  I am in the middle of making a shopping cart cover for a baby shower in two weeks, three bibs and two baby slings.  I really need to get moving.

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Mary Rene adores her papa.  She likes for him to carry her around, maybe because he is so tall and she can see more, and she likes to sit on his lap.  On Wednesday, the two of them sat in front of the computer for a good 15-20 minutes listening to music and watching Barney short videos.  I love this picture because she is just so relaxed on his lap and clearly let’s him know that she owns the place.

This morning I pulled off “pregnant women” from the Advent chain.  And what a fitting day to pray for pregnant women.  An hour later I found myself at Mass and the Gospel was Luke 1:39-45, the story of Mary visiting Elizabeth. 

And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. (Luke 1:41.)

Father Jay Harrington, the priest who baptized Beatrice last weekend, went on to give one of the best homilies I have ever heard.  He talked about pregnant women feeling their unborn baby kick and poke them throughout the pregnancy.  He talked about fathers who said they would put their face against their wife’s belly and the baby would bump them.  As I listened to him talk, I looked down at my little Mary Rene and instantly was taken back to when I was pregnant with her.  I remembered feeling her first little poke when I was sitting in the lobby at the dentist.  I remembered as the weeks went on, the pokes became kicks and head butts.  Soon, Frank was able to feel her too.  I remembered the countless nights that I would lift my shirt while I was laying on the couch and I would watch her move from one side to the other.  I remembered those last couple months when she would be squirming all over the place while I was trying to sleep (oh how things haven’t changed.)  And eventually all that kicking and head butting stopped because she was born.

My mind was filled with all those pregnancy moments until Father Jay said, “Elizabeth was far enough along in her pregnancy that she knew what her baby’s movements were…and when John the Baptist lept she knew she had never felt anything like that.”  And at that moment it really hit me…

John lept for joy.  They say that at a certain point in the pregnancy, an unborn baby can hear his/her mother’s voice and those that she is speaking to.  John the Baptist heard the mother of Our Lord, and he lept for joy.

So my thoughts shifted away from my pregnancy with Mary Rene to the birth of Christ.  We will be celebrating the birth of Our Savior, the tiny baby Jesus on Friday.  I’ve been so consumed with getting shopping done, taking care of Mary Rene, other little things, that I am wondering, is my heart ready to leap for joy?

I’ve been thinking about this a lot today and in order to prepare my heart, I will be taking a blog break.  Out of routine, I will write my Mary’s World Tuesday post and I’m sure I will be back on Christmas.  But for now I am going to prepare my heart so I can leap for joy.

Darling Beatrice-

Today is the start of Advent which is the beginning of the new liturgical year where we will be primarily reading from the Gospel of Luke.  But more importantly, during the Advent Season we are preparing our hearts for the birth of Christ.  By far, this is my favorite religious season of the year. 

Three years ago I wouldn’t have said that.  Three years ago I could have cared less about the Advent Season.  I was too busy shopping for the perfect Christmas gifts to give to my family and friends.  But nearly two years ago I was pregnant with my beautiful baby girl, Mary Rene.  And that right there opened my eyes and changed the way I look at this season.

Two thousand plus years ago at this time, Mother Mary was eight months pregnant.  Baby Jesus was growing bigger and bigger each day inside of her.  As He grew, He would kick and elbow Mary throughout the day.  She would feel the kicks, maybe put Joseph’s hand on her belly and they would just sit in awe as Baby Jesus would kick away.  Sometimes, maybe Baby Jesus would get the hiccups and Mary would be able to feel them as her belly vibrated and bounced.

Mary was probably having trouble sleeping during this last month (especially because she didn’t have a pillowtop bed and a full-size pillow to lean against!)  Each day she grew more and more uncomfortable as Baby Jesus grew and grew.  But no matter how uncomfortable she got, she didn’t care.  No amount of discomfort can compare to the anticipation on the arrival of a new baby.  She was probably counting down the days and wondering, when would she finally have her precious baby boy?  Each day she woke up, she wondered, could it be today?  She was filled with so much excitement and joy on the arrival of her precious baby.

And that right there is why I love the Advent Season.  I remember the month before my Mary Rene was born and how excited I was as I anticipated her arrival.  I remember how uncomfortable I would get and the lack of sleep from all the kicking.  My back hurt and I was exhausted from the extra weight.  But none of that mattered.  I would have gone through months and months more of uncomfortable moments to get the end result-a beautiful, healthy baby girl.

And I can guarantee you, your mommy felt the same way about you. 

For nine months, we do our best to keep our babies safe while they are growing inside of us.  If we feel like the slightest thing is going wrong we call our husbands and our doctors.  We breath again when we know everything is okay.  For nine months, we anticipate the arrival of our precious baby.  And the day arrives and…wow.  You see a glimpse of God.

But Mary saw more than a glimpse of God when Baby Jesus was born on Christmas day.  Mary held God in her arms.  Mary cradled Our Savior and held Him close in her arms.  She probably nursed Him just like your mommy does for you.  She rocked Him to sleep and sang Him lullabies, just like your mommy does for you.  She swaddled Him and kept Him warm and safe, just like your mommy does for your.  Mary, filled with joy of being a new mother, loved Our Savior, no different than your mommy loves you.

But the big difference, Mary also felt great sadness.  As she held her precious newborn baby, she knew that one day, her baby would sacrifice His life for mankind.  For me.  For your mommy.  For you.  For all of us.  This tiny little Baby Jesus was born to save us from our sins.

And that is why during the Advent Season, we prepare our hearts for His arrival.  We have less than a month to get ready before He arrives.  We become more prayerful and give God thanks and gratitude for all the blessings He has bestowed upon us.  We pray for the less fortunate and ask God to shine His love on them.  We do everything we can to be right with God so when He arrives, in the form of a tiny baby, we are ready.

I hope your first Advent season is filled with all the love you can get from your mommy and daddy.

Love your Godmommy,

Trena

The pregnancy hormones are starting to fade out and so is my hair.  I am losing gobs of it every morning when I shower and then again when I brush my hair.  The drain is starting to get clogged again-gross.  Gosh I miss that wonderful pregnancy symptom where you don’t shed hair.  That was one of those perks that you didn’t really realize you had until…oh now. 

But I still don’t have my period so that’s nice.

One year ago today I found out I was pregnant.  I always imagined that when I saw the positive sign I would scream in joy and cry with my husband.  But that wasn’t the case at all. 

I woke up around 5:30 a.m. and went for a morning run at Forest Park with some friends.  They were the first to know that I even thought I was pregnant and was going to take a test when I was done.  Around five miles they went to the left for a longer run and I finished the final few miles alone.  I spent those miles thinking about the test and praying that it was positive.  It was a really peaceful run as I talked to the Lord about this maybe baby.

When I got home Frank was still sleeping but he heard me walk in the door.  I had the test sitting in the bathroom ready to use.  I did my thing and then went to the kitchen and set the timer for five minutes.

Tic toc tic toc.

The timer went off and I slowly walked to the bathroom.  I’m not really sure what I felt at that moment.  I was anxious to see the results but also nervous.  I knew that it would be a life changing moment and I wasn’t really sure what to feel.

Frank heard the timer go off and he knew what it was for but he stayed in bed.  The bedroom door was open and he saw me walk into the bathroom.

I slowly picked up the test and it was positive.  I stood there for a few minutes as my heart raced.  I walked into the bedroom and sat next to Frank and told him the good news.  We both were just shocked.  We didn’t expect to get pregnant the first time.  We didn’t cry or have any type of emotion like that because we were so shocked.

We got showered and dressed and drove to Babies R Us.  We bought two baby bibs that said, “I love going to grandma’s house.”  Later that day we gave the bibs to our parents.  I think that was the moment that it finally hit us that we were pregnant.  We spent the rest of the weekend telling our close friends and each time the excitement grew more and more.

That day changed my life forever and it is a day I will never forget.  I am so thankful for that positive test and everything it has brought.  Mary Rene is such a blessing and I thank God daily for her life.

By far the best year of my life.  But I know each year after will only get better.  This year has flown by but when it started I was very anxious for it to end because that meant my baby would be here.

Frank and I rang in 2008 with our friends Jim & Nicole in Chicago.  I remember when we left the club that night the streets were packed with party-goers.  Instead of waiting for a taxi we started to walk a few blocks, IN THE SNOW, to a quieter street where there would be more free taxis. The plan worked but gosh were my feet cold!

The next few days I had the worse hangover of my life.  I remember Nicole telling me it wasn’t a hangover that I was pregnant.  She was right but I didn’t find out for another week.

Frank started his new job at St. Louis University Hospital on Jan. 7th.  His job was the “Second Prayer.”  He loves his job at SLU and we are beyond happy with the answer to the prayer.

The morning of Jan. 12th I went for an eight mile run with Joanne and some of her running buddies at Forest Park.  I remember telling her that when I was done running I was going home to take a pregnancy test.  The test was positive!  I woke Frank up and showed him the test.  We were so shocked that it didn’t really hit us until we started announcing it to our families. 

The following week my brother proposed to his girlfriend.  They plan to wed May 9, 2009. 

At the Easter Vigil I was there to witness my friend Emily come in full communion with the Catholic Church.  It was such a beautiful Mass and I was honored to stand by her side as her sponsor.  Frank is currently in the program as a sponsor to a young man coming into the church in 2009.

Over the summer my sister got engaged as well.  They plan to wed on Oct. 10, 2009.

On Aug. 20th, our friends Matt & Katie gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Natalie. 

Three weeks later, my life changed forever when Mary Rene was finally born on Sept. 16th.  I’ll never forget Dr. Gosser telling me, “one more push and we’ll find out if it is Mary or Luke.”  I gave him that one more push but Baby P was being stubborn and had her legs crossed.  When Dr. Gosser pulled those legs apart I finally started breathing again.  Frank looked at me with tears in his eyes, kissed me and said, “I knew it was Mary Rene.”  I am so happy he was right.

Two months later Mary Rene became a child of God on Nov. 16th when she was baptized into the Catholic Church.  She looked like a little angel.

A few weeks later I went back to work on a part-time status, such an amazing gift from my company.  As I sit here right now my baby girl is playing on her jungle gym, I am checking email from work and blogging at the same time.  Life is good.

I’m looking forward to what 2009 will bring.  I know we will face new challenges as our baby gets older but I am ready to embrace these challenges head on.  2009 here we come.

The wait is over. 

As of today, September 16, 2008, at 3:42 a.m., Trena and Frank’s lives and their families and friends’ lives were changed forever.  We now all have one more person to love, hold, take care of, and pray for: Mary Rene. 

Here’s a timeline after Trena got home from her doctor’s appointment on September 15th:

• 4:45 p.m. - Trena is walking with her mother-in-law to try to alleviate cramping.
• 5:30 p.m. - Trena begins having contractions five minutes apart.
• 6:30 p.m. - Because Trena is still having contractions five minutes apart, and has been having them continuously this way for the last hour, her and Frank head to the hospital.
• 7:00 p.m. - Trena and Frank arrive at the hospital.
• 9:15 p.m. - Dr. Gosser breaks Trena’s water to expedite labor.
• 10:00 p.m. - Trena decides to get an epidural.  After the first epidural is administered, Trena still feels pain on one side of her body.  A second epidural is administered, which works successfully.   
• 12:00 a.m. - It’s now September 16th.
• 2:25 a.m. - Trena starts pushing.
• 3:42 a.m. - Trena gives birth to Mary Rene, formerly known as “Baby P.”  She is healthy, beautiful, weighs 7 lbs. 9 oz., and is 20 ¼ inches long. 

 Welcome to the world Mary Rene. 

 Posted by:  Jenny K.

I’m back home but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.  Dr. Gosser said I am 2 centimeters dilated and my cervix is very soft.  He said I could easily be 4 centimeters or more by the end of the day.  He just isn’t sure.  When he checked to see if I was dilated he said my water sac was bulging which he thinks is because I was having a contraction while he was checking.  He said I am in the early stages of labor and this could turn into “real” labor today or might even take a day or two.  My problem is that the cramps are not consistent and they are not very intense yet.  He mentioned getting induced but I wanted labor to happen naturally (he agreed.)  I guess if we would have opted to be induced I would still be there.  Instead I’m at home just fighting through the occasional cramps.  I keep thinking about that bottle of Midol and how a pill would be so nice right now.  But hey, no pain no gain.

Today I have my 10th and hopefully last prenatal appointment.  That is, if I make it to the appointment.  I woke up at 5:37 a.m. with the feeling that I needed to puke.  I went to the bathroom and started getting cramping, among other things.  I had cramping on Friday and Saturday but these cramps were different.  These feel like menstrual cramps.  Gosh I haven’t had those in a long time.  When I used to get those I would take a Midol and all was good.  But of course I can’t do that now. 

This has been going on for two hours.  I think they are coming about every 20-22 minutes apart but it is hard to judge since I was sleeping during the first hour and a half.  But I find myself sitting here, tapping my toes, like I used to when I was on my period.  For some reason tapping my toes seemed to ease the cramps.

My appointment is in two hours.  I’m going to take a bubble bath for now to relax.  Say a prayer that I don’t come home from my appointment!

As of 5 p.m. today, I will be on maternity leave for 12 weeks!  I can hardly wait.  I actually got a pretty easy day today and I won’t be in the office until lunch time.  I originally planned to work up until labor started but the more I thought about it I decided to have sometime to myself.  I figured this will be the last time in my life that I will be alone (although Sophie will be with me.)  Next week Frank still has to work so I just plan on hanging out around the house, enjoying these last few days/weeks.  I just hope I’m not sitting at home for two or three weeks before the baby gets here!

We went to La Fuentes last night for dinner.  Apparently the food wasn’t spicy enough.  We’ll be trying other home remedies to start labor this weekend. 

I told Frank’s mom that there were three days I would like to have the baby (although any day will be acceptable!) and they are:

1. The 12th (our anniversary date)
2. The 16th (Feast day of St. Cornelius)
3. The 17th (date we started dating-but in Jan.)

For now, it looks like the 12th is out of the question.  But then again, it is only 7 a.m.  There is a lot of day left.