The Third Prayer

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On top of having eczema and a slight case of rosacea, I now have a skin condition called seborrhea.  That’s why my eyelids and eyebrows were peeling and itching so bad around Christmas.  Which eventually spread to my mouth, chin and neck.  Although a lot of people thought the rash on my neck was a hickey (who has time to get one of those?)  I was itching like no other!  Luckily the cream works quick and most of my rash is gone.  I pray that Mary Rene gets Frank’s smooth, soft, disease-free skin.  Have I ever mentioned that my hubby has the softest hands I have ever felt?  They are soft as baby skin.

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There was a good deal going on at Babies R Us so we went ahead and purchased Mary Rene’s convertible car seat.  She still has plenty of time in her current car seat (5 more pounds) but there were savings we couldn’t pass up.  After the 15% discount, in store $10 coupon and our $75 gift certificate we got the car seat for $25.  Not bad. 

I’m so glad the weather is getting warmer and I don’t have to carry her in that car seat all the time.  It is getting heavier and heavier everyday.  With the warmer weather we can keep it in the car and just carry her to the car.  Hello spring!

-3-

So much for not nursing Mary Rene to sleep anymore.  Sure the first night we took a go at it but every time since then we went back to our old ways.  She has a second tooth about to cut through and it is really bothering her.  She is so tired, rubbing her eyes and nose, for a nap but can’t get comfortable.  So all day yesterday (and so far today) I had to nurse her to nap.  And I eventually did it to get her to sleep at night. 

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Mary Rene wrote her first letter on the computer.  Here it is:

  N  nnnn V

 NBBBBBB                        

T MMMMMMMMMMMMM////////                                 NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNCCCCCCCCCKL BMB NNNB   //BBB V                      

You’ll notice that she hit Caps Lock twice!  She didn’t press “Enter” or “Return” to get to the next line though.  Her hand was stuck on the space bar.

-5-

My mom bought Mary Rene a walker for an early Easter present.  I spent about 30 minutes putting it together yesterday.  I was so excited to get Mary Rene in it to see what she would do.  I set her in it and

she is too short.  She needs to grow at least another inch before she will be able to walk in it.  I don’t want her learning to walk on her tip toes so we won’t be using it for awhile.  So the present might actually become an “on-time” Easter present!

Baby girl loves to practice walking though.  When I hold her hands while she is standing she actually moves her feet forward.  And she loves to stand against the couch.  She can do it without me holding on to her but she falls back quick.  I think she might be walking before crawling.

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Three weeks ago, we were on our way home from a sporting event downtown and we drove by the local Planned Parenthood.  I pointed it out to Frank and told him about the time I was running with my friends and we ran by it when we got lost.  There was a group of protesters outside with very disturbing signs.  Those images never left my head.  I told him how our church does prayer vigils outside the clinic occasionally and I wish I could participate sometime.  Well the next day in the bulletin they had an announcement that for the 40 Days for Life campaign our church would be praying the rosary outside of the clinic today.  So I took it as a sign from God that he wanted me to participate.  Later this afternoon, my mother-in-law, Mary Rene and myself will be praying the rosary outside of the clinic.  This is completely out of my comfort level but I feel called to do this.  So please pray for us as we pray for them!

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I call this last thought-Adventures with the Sippy Cup.  My mother-in-law had some extra milk that Mary Rene didn’t drink while I was at work so she gave it to me.  No way was I going to let it go to waste (although most of it did.)  Instead I  let Mary Rene play with the milk in the sippy cup.

Today is the 36th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade being passed.  Take time out of your day to say a prayer for these little babies.  Also pray for pregnant women who are thinking about abortion.  Let the Lord open their hearts and minds.  May they realize there are other options out there.  There are groups to support them during this difficult time.  They can give their child life.  A gift we all deserve.

President-elect Barack Obama has already stated that one of the first things he will do if elected president is get the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) passed.  I know I have already stated what FOCA is but I am going to do it again just to bring this issue to light:

1. FOCA will make abortion a “right” throughout the nine months of pregnancy
2. No government body can deny the right to abortion
3. Women would NOT need to be told the risk of abortion
4. Parents would NOT need to be informed of their minor’s abortion
5. Conscience protection laws would end
6. Abortions would NOT have to be performed by a licensed physician
7. Partial-birth abortion would be legal again
8. We, as taxpayers, would have to pay for abortions
9. Licensed physicians would have to perform an abortion if requested
10. Faith-based hospitals would have to perform abortions (1 in 9 hospitals in the US is faith based.)

That sums it up.  But read #7 again.  All the points are wrong but #7 is the worst.  We just can’t allow this to be legal again.

And really doesn’t this so called “Freedom of Choice Act” strip us of our choice?  We would HAVE to pay for abortions regardless if we are pro-life or pro-choice.  A doctor would HAVE to perform an abortion regardless of his/her religious beliefs.  Who’s ‘choice’ is this bill referring to anyways?

If you oppose FOCA then you really need to consider signing the Fight FOCA petition.  If you are an Obama supporter but are pro-life you still should sign the petition.  We all have our flaws and as much as you may love our president-elect, FOCA would be a huge mistake for this country.  Please think hard about this and pray about it. 

Here is the Fight FOCA website where you can sign the petition.

Gianna Jessen is living proof that babies are miracles, if they are given the chance.  When Gianna’s birth mother was 7 1/2 months pregnant she tried to abort Gianna.  The doctor chose to abort Gianna with saline.  For 18 hours, saline was swirling around in her mother’s womb in an attempt to kill her.  But Gianna was a fighter.  The doctor suspected that she would be “born” dead around 9 a.m. so he wasn’t in the office when she made her arrival at 6 a.m.  When Gianna was born alive an amazing nurse called the paramedics and Gianna was rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors worked very hard to save her life.  Their attempt worked and Gianna survived.  That was 31 years ago.  In her lifetime she has met 12 other people who have survived abortions. 

It almost is a double negative when you say “survived an abortion.”  When an abortion is meant to kill but you can survive.  I guess that just shows you how cruel and unusual some of the abortion procedures can be.  Even though the Born Alive Infant Protection Act was passed in 2002 there are still clinics that practice this type of abortion.  It was recently noted that a Planned Parenthood Clinic in the east coast was still performing this method.  Some babies who are meant to be aborted actually come out alive.  There is no statistic showing how many survive and are still alive today to talk about it.  And there is no statistic that shows how many survive but die shortly after because they are not cared for properly.

How scary does that sound?

I originally said that I wouldn’t talk about politics again on this website, at least until the next election.  Well, unfortunately I was wrong.  Last week I was getting ready for Bible Study and one of the questions I had to answer was, “How does God want to use you to advance His Kingdom?”  I instantly realized God is using my blog to promote His message.  It seems to be my only outlet and apparently people listen.  And the more I sat and thought about it the more I realized I couldn’t, and shouldn’t, remain silent for four years. 

I think that is the big problem with the pro-life movement.  We only seem to come out with our arms swinging during election time.  If we have a successful election then we go back in hiding until the next election.  If the election is not successful then we sit and wait until something happens that affects the pro-life movement.  By doing this the movement gets lost and slowly fades away.  And eventually abortion won’t be an issue anymore.

With that said, I’ve decided that I need to devote more time to the cause.  Occasionally I need to write on my blog about important issues in the movement.  And even outside the blog I need to be more proactive in my daily life.  I guess that is how God is using me to advance His Kingdom.

 *** *** ***

I was surfing the net this morning and saw that Obama is planning on overturning at least 200 of the Bush administration actions and executive orders.  Does every president come in office and do this?  Just wondering because if that is the case then each election we would be taking steps backwards and then again forward when the next president comes.  I’m sure that doesn’t make sense when you read it but I know what I meant in my head.

Jill Stanek blogged today about the actions & orders that have to do with the pro-life movement.  If you read her post you will get an idea of Obama’s priorities before he is sworn into office.  He complains about all the money we as taxpayers are investing into the war yet he is okay with our tax money paying for abortions in the US and in other countries?  Even though I am against the war I still would rather see my money go there then to funding abortions.  What about you.  Of the two, would you rather fund the war or abortions in the US and other countries?

As was predicted and as expected, Obama will be our next president.  Let’s just pray that he forgets what he told Planned Parenthood last year regarding FOCA.  And if he remembers, let’s just pray that FOCA gets vetoed.  As an American I will support my president, like McCain requested in his concession speech, but I will not support his radical ideas regarding life.  FOCA is too extreme.  None of the Obama supporters have yet to explain to me why partial birth abortion is necessary. 

I remember when Mary Rene was growing inside of me and starting to run out of room.  As it got more crowded in my belly I could feel her constantly moving.  Sometimes she would gab her foot or hand against the wall of my uterus.  I would press against that foot or hand and she would respond by kicking back.  It was a little game I played with her.  So how can someone tell me that a baby can’t feel an abortion doctor squeezing their brains to pieces? 

Please join me in prayer that FOCA will not get passed.

One day until the election.  After today I will go back to talking about the amazingly beautiful Mary Rene (who is having exploding poop today-might be because I ate Mexican last night!)  I’m going to take this opportunity to address a few issues that have come up in the comment section on some of my last post.

1. I never voted for Bush.  He definitely isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed.  And frankly I will be glad when he is out of office.  But honestly, can we blame Bush for all of our problems?  Is it really his fault that the banks are collapsing?  Is it really his fault that the housing market has dropped?  That the price of gas is high?  Do you honestly believe as Americans we have given enough power to one man to bring our country down?  I’m not saying he is perfect but by no means did he create all the messes that we are in today.  I think a lot of it has to do with greed.  Greed on the banks who want more money.  Greed on the Americans who want more and more and more.  Sure Bush hasn’t done much to fix the problem but we haven’t either.  My dad works for Chrysler and they just closed another shift at his plant.  Eventually he might be forced into early retirement.  Because of my dad working there, I have never and will never buy a foreign car.  (One of the guys I dated in high school drove a Honda and he was not allowed to park in front of my parents’ house!)  I refuse to shop at Wal-Mart.  I only buy groceries from the local food chains.  I wish I could say I only buy American when it comes to clothes but that is just plain hard.  But I am trying to do my part.
2. I can only think of two good things that Bush has done while in office:  passed the Born Alive Infant Act and banned partial birth abortion.  To me, those are amazing accomplishments.  Unfortunately partial birth abortion might be overturned.
3. I hate war.  I was angry when we went to war with Iraq years ago.  The war is the biggest reason I don’t support Bush.  I still don’t get the war and why we are there.  But we are there and we can’t leave now.  We have to finish what we started.  We can’t just pick up and leave.  Many people don’t realize that we still have troops in Germany from World War II.  We still have troops in Korea from the Korean War.  Our American troops are stationed voluntarily around the world-protecting our freedom.  My uncle, who is one of my closest friends, is stationed in Afghanistan right now.  He volunteered and trust me his wife is pissed!  He volunteered two years ago to be stationed in Iraq.  He volunteered years ago to be stationed in Kuwait.  He willingly knows he is risking his life but he does this because he loves his country.  He does more then I can say I have ever done for this country.  I applaud him and all the troops for their bravery.  And I thank them with all my heart for what they are doing for us.  But they did volunteer.  They were not drafted.  Which to me is more honorable that they did volunteer.
4. I am not republican.  In fact, tomorrow I will be voting for both democrats and republicans.  I am actually pretty liberal in my thoughts and a lot of my views upset my husband (just like you Lerin!)  Frank and I have fought over some of my liberal views!  Obama would be the perfect candidate for me if he was pro-life.  But that one issue pushes me away from him.
5. Education is important.  That is why I am voting for McCain.  Right now, everyone pays for the public school system in the community they live.  If you decide to send your child to a charter or private school, you still pay for the public school through taxes yet you don’t get any assistance with private education.  McCain wants to make it possible that everyone gets vouchers so they can send their children to any school they want-public, private or charter.  We plan on sending our children to a Catholic private school and if someday I have the luxury of being a stay-at-home mom, the voucher will help.  I don’t think it is fair to be restricted to the local public school because you can’t afford the luxuries of a charter or private school
6. Fixing the economy is important.  Winning the war is important.  But none of this matters without life.  I can’t put the life issue to the side on the account of another issue.  It is innocent life we are talking about.  These babies are not volunteering to be killed.  They have no choice.  They can’t speak for themselves.  That is our job as Christians. 
7. I remember months before Mary Rene was born and I couldn’t sleep because she was moving around so much.  This could easily have been at six months, seven, eight or nine.  She still is a little fireball and I love her with every ounce of my body.  If FOCA is passed, a baby could be aborted up to the ninth month.  That sickens me. 
8. If FOCA is passed partial birth abortion will be legal again.  Can anyone out there give justification for this extreme form of abortion?  Seriously?  Give me one reason that this type of abortion is necessary. 
9. In 16 years, Mary Rene can legally drive.  In 18 years she can legally vote.  In 21 years she can legally drink.  But if FOCA is passed she will be able to legally kill a baby at any age without my parental consent.  That just doesn’t make sense.
10. As a practicing Catholic it is my duty to put life first.  I cannot receive the amazing gift of the Eucharist on Sunday and vote pro-choice.  That would make me a hypocrite to God.  I would much rather be a hypocrite in the eyes of the public then to my Lord and Savior.  When the minister says, “The Body of Christ” I couldn’t be honest and say “Amen” if I voted against Christ.  If I voted pro-choice I couldn’t receive Communion this Sunday and there is no way I am doing that.  Receiving the Eucharist is the most important thing I do during the week and I will not deny myself that amazing gift.

Abortion is my issue and more so now with FOCA coming back into the picture.  The other issues don’t matter to me.  I know many people out there do not agree that I, and many practicing Catholics and Christians, vote on one issue.  But we believe it is our duty to Christ.  He gave me the ultimate sacrifice of His life and I owe Him for that.  He is not asking me to better my country by voting for the candidate who will get us out of the war.  He is not asking me to better my country by voting for the candidate who will improve the economy.  He is not asking me to better my country by improving our schools.  Jesus Christ, the Living Son of God, is asking me to protect His children.  And that is what I intend to do.  As long as I breath the air that God gave me, I will vote pro-life.  I made too many wrong votes in the past because I wasn’t one with my church and someday I will have to answer to God.  I can only hope that God will forgive me for my past mistakes and recognize the changes I have made.

Since the campaign ads on tv are one-sided (and truthfully make no sense!) I have dug up some interesting videos regarding one of the candidates and his feelings on a very important issue.  Obama is one of the most extreme pro-choice candidates that has ever seeked presidential title.  He doesn’t talk about the issue much but he is pretty darn clear where he stands. 

The Freedom of Choice Act is going to be up again in Congress for another vote.  Basically FOCA makes abortion a “right” throughout the nine months of pregnancy, no government body can deny the right to an abortion, women would NOT need to be told the risk of abortion, parents would NOT need to be informed of the abortion, conscience protection laws would end, abortions would NOT have to be performed by a licensed physician, and the list goes on.

Check out this video on youtube where in 2007 he tells a Planned Parenthood audience that the first bill he will pass as president is FOCA.  You see where his priorities are now?  Not the economy.  Not the war.  Just a horrible bill to make it easier to get an abortion.

Want more evidence?  This video explains where he stood on the Born Alive Infant Act.  These were babies that were meant to die through an abortion but miraculously lived.  But instead of being cared for like any other human being, they were taken to a closet and left to die.  I’m not lying.  This practice was true.  And thankfully to the persistence of Jill Stanek a law was created to stop this practice.  As the video points out, 98% of legislation voted for the Born Alive Infant Act to be passed.  Did Obama?  No.  Three times he voted against it.  Why?

These are only two examples of his views on such an important issue.  The Internet is filled with many more.  Know where your candidate stands before you vote.

Isn’t this little baby the cutest?  This baby reminds me of my little Mary Rene.  When I first held her in my arms I instantly noticed her pudgy little nose, just like this little baby.  That little pudgy nose is thanks to Frank.  I wonder if it is this baby’s mommy or daddy that has the pudgy nose?  

I look at this baby, only 20 weeks in his/her mommy’s womb, and I think back to when I was pregnant with my little Mary Rene.  This is what my little Mary Rene looked like 26 weeks ago.  Absolutely breathtaking.  I remember going in for the ultrasound when Mary Rene was 21 weeks and 2 days and watching her move around.  It was the most amazing thing I had ever seen.  I showed the ultrasound picture to my friend Emily at RCIA and she said the ultrasound looked like a girl.  She was right.  My baby girl.

Did you know that 1.6 million little babies like the one above are legally killed a year?  That is so sad.  They never get to experience life like my little pumpkin Mary Rene.  They never cry and then are quickly whisked in their mother’s arms like my little angel Mary Rene.  They never get to coo and smile as their mother makes goofy faces like my precious darling Mary Rene.  Their mothers and fathers never get to experience the daily joys of seeing the miracle life each and everyday.  I pray for these parents.   

The Archbishop of New York, Edward Cardinal Egan, says it much better in The Holiness of Truth.  Please give it a read.  It is long, it uses big words, he might lose you at times but he makes his point.

Many people may say that abortion isn’t an important issue with the way our economy is today.  Or you might think the war in Iraq is more important then a candidate’s beliefs on life.  But if a candidate is to disregard an innocent life, like the beautiful baby above, then why do you think this candidate cares about your life?  Think about it.

I can’t find the article but a reporter once asked Senator Obama what he would do if one of his young daughters got pregnant.  Obama started off by saying that he hopes he has/is raising his daughters with good morals and ethics to make the right decisions.  However, if one of them did end up pregnant he wouldn’t want his daughter to be punished for the mistake she made.

That makes me think of a few things.

1. My mom.  She is so excited about her first grand baby.  Nearly every time I talk to her she will tell me something one of the ladies told her at work that would be helpful.  We talk about the baby all the time.  If you were at my baby shower, you saw how much work she put into the shower and all the gifts she gave my baby.  Those were only half the gifts.  She brought more to Frank’s family shower and she still has more at the house.  She has been waiting for a grand baby for quite sometime, I am sure.  If I had decided not to continue this pregnancy because I thought it was a mistake it would have broken my mom’s heart.  That’s something that I don’t ever want to do.
2. Two days ago I found out another one of my friends suffered a miscarriage.  Since I have been pregnant, I have had four friends get pregnant and three of them ended up miscarrying.  Three.  I can guarantee you that each one of them wanted that child with all their heart.  They pray that they will be pregnant again soon.  Each month that goes by that they are not pregnant is another reminder of their lose.  They would do anything to be “punished” with morning sickness and sleepless nights.
3. Frank and I got pregnant before he had started his new job.  He was out of work for six months.  It was a really hard six months for our marriage and our financial state.  I’m sure from the outside our marriage looked like a train wreck.  Frank easily could have gone out and gotten any old job to start making money but we decided that we wanted him to find a job that made him happy.  It took six months.  There were numerous people who made comments about our choice and didn’t understand why he wasn’t out working to help me out.  Those comments hurt but we ignored them and stayed focus on finding the perfect job.  When we found out he had a job offer we decided to start a family.  We were pregnant before he even started.  We didn’t even know if he would like the new job.  We didn’t even know if the company would treat him good.  We had no guarantees about his future.  It was a huge career move because he had never worked in a hospital; he only had banking experience.  But we made the choice to start a family and we praise God that it worked.  I’m sure some people might have thought we were making a “mistake” by getting pregnant before he started the job.  I’m sure some people thought we should have waited to make sure that it was going to work out for him.  But I am so thankful we did what we did.  This baby, who is doing the Hokey Pokey in my belly right now, is the best decision Frank and I ever made in our lives.  I don’t care what status our lives were in at the time we made that choice and in the end it all worked out.  We did a lot of praying and God has provided for us.  Frank loves his job and we have never been happier. 

Humans make mistakes but humans are not mistakes.  I believe that Everything Happens For a Reason.  The good, the bad, the ugly.  The mistakes we make are supposed to happen so we can learn from them and become better people.  I personally think I have grown from all the mistakes I have made in life.  I wouldn’t take back any of the mistakes I have made.  Ever.

So the word mistake sticks out in my head during this election.  I don’t think a person should erase the “mistakes” they have made.  Mistakes are apart of life.  And mistakes can fulfill your life in ways you can never imagine.