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Patience: My Late-Pregnancy Virtue

3/18/2019

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As I have been reaching the end of the pregnancy with our second child, a sweet baby girl, many have asked or have assumed that I “can’t wait for the delivery day.”  It is understandable given the fact that pregnancy is especially difficult in the last few weeks and a women’s body is pushed to the limit: swelling, insomnia, back pain, joint pain, pelvic pain, heartburn, contractions and cramping, to name a few. ​
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However, this 38-week pregnant mama is not ready and certainly not rushing to the delivery room.   
I actually love being pregnant.  Even through all of the symptoms that I had and currently have.    I am enjoying each and every moment of this pregnancy.  The good, the difficult and the painful.  
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Plus, babies don’t keep.  It seems as though it was just yesterday that I was pregnant with our son and now he is already three years old. ​ The saying "the days are long, but the years are short" is one I have continued to remind myself and one that can be applied to pregnancy as well.  The days are long, but the months are short.  Soon we will be holding our sweet girl in our arms.
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Being pregnant with a girl has been especially special knowing that I am carrying potential grandchildren.  "Every female fetus develops all the eggs she will ever have while that baby is still inside of her own mom."  So, we all technically started out our lives inside our maternal grandmother's womb.*
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My husband and I are especially enjoying the one-on-one time with our son before his sister is born and our worlds are changed forever.  I think there are many other mothers, especially mothers who have more than one child, who feel this way.   While we are overjoyed at welcoming our daughter into our family, we will miss this chapter of our lives and look fondly back at the memories we shared just the three of us.   

So, for these last days as a family of three (with a blessing in my womb) we are savoring each, precious moment and remembering that the fruits of the Spirit are "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness.” (Galatians 5:22)
There is no need to rush, baby girl.  Take your time.  Finish developing those lungs and keep practicing your reflexes.  We love you so much and pray that your entry into this world is just as amazing as you are.

Please keep us all in your prayers and you can be assured that you will be in ours as well.   Please do like and share our Facebook page.   Facebook.com/CatholicMomRI  God bless you!

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​Fasting and Abstinence For Lent When You are Pregnant or Nursing

3/5/2019

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Guess what fellow pregnant or nursing ladies? The Catholic Church states that we are excused from fasting or abstinence for Lent.*

Personally, I try to abstain from eating meat on Fridays all year, even when I am pregnant or nursing.  Sometimes I am unable to, but I especially try to abstain from meat during Lent on the penitential days.

While you can certainly abstain from meat if you’d like to and you have discussed and gotten approval from your doctor, you should not fast, at all, period.     Pregnancy and nursing are hard enough on a woman’s body and the Catholic Church recognizes that.  We should listen to Her.

Just because we are completely, 100% excused from fasting or abstaining from meat does not mean that we can’t have a meaningful Lent.   Since I am very pregnant (third trimester), will most likely give birth and nurse our daughter before Lent is over, I am sharing some ideas for myself to make Lent more meaningful:

  1.  Don’t flavor your food.  (E.g. Eat the cheeseburger but omit the barbecue sauce.)
  2.  Skip dessert on penitential days and enjoy fruit instead (Much better for health, too!)
  3.  Eat one more vegetable per day (Bonus if it is one you don’t like, mine would be Brussel sprouts.)
  4.  Abstain from social media or at least reduce the time you spend on social media.
  5.  Pray the Rosary each day.  (Consider the Running Rosary program to combine it with exercise.)
  6.  Donate your favorite treat food to a local food bank. (Mine would be salt and vinegar chips!)
  7.  Watch less television and/or movies each day.  (I'm saying farewell (for now!) to HGTV!)
  8.  Give up drive-through treats/coffee/tea/etc.. for the entire period of Lent and at the end donate that money to local crisis pregnancy center (E.g. Mother of Life Center in Providence, RI)
  9.   Pray for those who are homeless, in crisis pregnancy, those called to religious vocation, etc…
  10.  Read the Gospel each day and practice Lectio Divina, a slow, contemplative praying of Scripture.  For more information on Lectino Divina, click here

Do you have any other ideas on how to have a meaningful Lent while pregnant and/or nursing?  Share with us on Facebook.   Please don’t forget to like and share our Facebook page: Facebook.com/CatholicMomRI
 God bless you!
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A Dream Come True

3/2/2019

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“Whatever God wants.” ~St. Gianna Beretta Molla
 
I’ve been saying this quote a lot lately. I am officially in the ninth month of pregnancy with our sweet baby girl and for some reason I’ve been saying and thinking this quote a lot lately.  Perhaps it’s my way of surrendering to the upcoming changes that our family will go through as we lovingly welcome our newest member. 

There is so much unexplainable joy and excitement about having another child, another miracle, another gift from God that we are somehow worthy of receiving. But there are also fears and trepidation that come along. Such as many other occurrences in life. 
 
Many mothers and fathers feel the same joys and fears as the family grows and another cherished member is added.  Instead of succumbing to those fears, which I all too often do, I am instead acknowledging the fears, thanking myself for being aware of them and trusting God that, in the end. whatever He wants is what is best.
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The steadfast commitment to our Faith and to our family has gotten us through both.  God is with us through both trial and triumph.  While it is completely normal to feel fearful and anxious, reminding myself that “God has our back, and we, as a family, have each other’s backs,” keeps me at peace.
 
He has blessed my life beyond what I could have planned for myself.  When in college, I planned that once I graduated, my goal would be to eventually move to and live in San Francisco as a newspaper reporter.  God, marriage and children were the furthest things from my mind.  If you would have told me then, that in present-time I would instead: come back home to Catholicism, live in my home state, be married, work from home, have two children (one of which on the way) and home-school; I would have laughed in your face.  
 
Now, I couldn't have imagined any other life than this.  I have my dream come true. I realized this today as I looked out our window at our toddler and my husband playing in the snow.  As I watched them play, I was preparing some meals for a “30 day meal stock up” for when baby girl arrives, praying the Rosary and listening to Benediction chant music.  This dream realized is one I never knew I wanted to come true. Thank you God, for giving me this dream and knowing what was best for me all along.
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