I'm A Big Girl!

Look at me! I'm a big girl now in my Bumbo seat!!

Thank you Rachel for such a nice gift!

Dating My Husband

Thomas and I have had a really fun few months! For his birthday I got him tickets to The Piano Guys concert. We had an absolute blast! The Schutzmans babysat Emma for us, and we spent the evening strolling around Zona Rosa, eating at a nice Italian restaurant, and going to the concert. The Piano Guys put on an awesome concert.... spouting out funny jokes and playing beautiful music in a gorgeous theater! I had a great time getting all dressed up and spending the evening one on one with my husband.

Another weekend, Thomas surprised me and took me to Country Club Plaza. He set up a massage appointment for me that day and then we strolled around the plaza and ate at a really fun Italian restaurant called Buca di Beppo. I don't think I've ever been so relaxed in my life! That massage was heaven and I actually found myself falling to sleep during it. The Italian restaurant was so fun set up family-style and underground with a lot of fun pictures and a cool atmosphere. And their calamari and sangria… To die for! While Ruth watched Emma overnight, we spent our night at the beautiful hotel right next to the plaza. It was such a wonderful break and very relaxing! I loved strolling around the plaza and stopping at Panera Bread for some tea since it was a bit nippy outside. We had a ton of fun! Although I must say, I really really missed Emma! She's my little pumpkin. I did appreciate the break though. LOL 

A couple of Sundays ago, Thomas and I decided to have a fall day and carve pumpkins! We got some apple cider ale and our pumpkins and went to town. It was a blast! Thomas had never carved a pumpkin before but nonetheless decided to carve a very challenging piece. He carved the face of Jesus. Unfortunately because this time of year is supposed to be a haunted and scary time, the piece may look a little ghostly, but it is in fact religious. LOL I think it came out pretty awesome! I carved a fleur-de-lis, which to my dismay didn't come out as good as I would've liked. I accidentally punched out the wrong pieces of the pumpkin. Lol It was a ton of fun though!

I think it's so important to continue on dating your spouse. It's been so special and wonderful for our relationship! It makes us better spouses to each other and parents to our children. I recently heard a talk on marriage and how it always should be kept a priority. The woman used the analogy that, just like on the plane they tell the adults to put on the oxygen mask first before assisting the children because otherwise you would be no help to them if you died, it is the same thing in marriage, that if your marriage gets ruined your children will be ruined by default. I want to always keep this in mind and keep my husband I priority. I want to always reserve time for him and make our relationship special!

Next week is the Christ the King Festival which we're really looking forward to! St. Mary's does an awesome job putting this thing together. They have booths set up themed all different types of countries with that type of food....which is infact FREE. *jaw drop* My favorite last year were the fried Oreos. Sounds disgusting I know, but they were actually delicious! I'm so glad I decided to try them.

Thomas has been working hard trying to qualify for the incentive trip with the Knights of Columbus. We are pretty sure that he's going to make it and only has a few more apps that he has to do in order to qualify. He's doing a fantastic job with the Knights of Columbus and will be the only guy besides one other person who qualifies for the trip this early on in his career. He's hoping to have everything done before Thanksgiving which would be great because that means he can take a break in December from his hard work. The incentive trip is March 2015 and it is to Spain and Portugal. I can't even imagine how awesome that would be! A completely free trip to Europe staying at five-star hotels! I was nervous about traveling with Emma, but Ruth assured me that so many wives bring their children and help each other out and that she would be there for me as well to help out with whatever we needed. Thomas' Aunt (her husband also works for the same agency and is trying to qualify) also assured me the same thing. We'll see how it goes! Might be the best trip of our lives or could be the worst! LOL but at least it's free and will probably never get this opportunity again!

Well that's all for now! I better take advantage of Emma napping and get some stuff done including fixing dinner before my husband gets home.

A Message From Little Miss Em

Hey Everyone!

I haven't been able to post in a while, mommy always hogs the iPad! Life has been pretty good so far, my mommy has finally figured out how to get me to sleep so I definitely feel much more rested! It was getting pretty crazy for a while there, but mommy and I are learning together! Mommy puts me down for about 4 naps a day and I've learned to go right to sleep instead of cry, well....sometimes. ;) After I wake up in the morning, mommy comes and gets me and brings me back into mommy and daddy's bed. The three of us spend some quality time laughing, smiling, cooing and having a great time together. I love this time of day because I get to spend it with daddy! I'm usually asleep when he gets back from work so this is a great time for us to hang out! 

After we all get ready and daddy leaves for work, mommy puts me down for a morning nap so that she can work out. She started a new fitness program for mommies and it's a challenge for them to lose their baby weight. Sometimes I get to watch mommy work out and I can't help but laugh at all her funny exercises.... sometimes I don't think she quite knows what she's doing. After my morning nap, mommy feeds me and then we have playtime together. She puts me down on my play mat and moves all the little toys around to keep me entertained! The little hippopotamus is my favorite!

Sometimes mommy will take me outside to go check the mail! I love this, it gets me out of the house and get some fresh air. Nothing worse than being cooped up in your crib all day! Then mommy puts me down for another nap and we do it all over again! 7 o'clock I'm usually in bed and sleep until 10 or 11, sometimes 12! 

Mommy doesn't really like to take me out too often as I get really fussy and grumpy because I've missed my naps. Because of this, daddy has generously offered to watch me on Saturdays so that mommy can go out and get errands done! Mommy says this is been a huge help to her, but I don't think I'm that much work. Although I must confess, Aldi trips really wiped me out! 

I'm really really really looking forward to this weekend! Sunday is the Christ the King festival in St. Mary's! I've never been to it before, but mommy says it's a blast and I'm really looking forward to seeing all the sights and smelling all the different foods, even though I can't eat them yet!

I'm really starting to get big now! I now interact with toys much more and love looking at the little birdies hanging above me in my bouncer seat! Mommy and daddy say they can't believe how big I've gotten! Definitely a lot more fun when you can start playing with things. Mommy is starting to bring out more toys and try out new things. This is something I didn't do before!.....and she wonders why I was fussy. ;)

All three of us have been doing a lot more now. Last Thursday, mommy and I went over to Ruth's house (Thomas' boss' wife). She has been so sweet and watches me for mommy to be able to go out and do stuff. I even spent the night at her house once! I have so much fun with her and she plays with me a lot. She has a lot of stuff for babies at her house since she has grandchildren. I am able to play in her swing, her bouncy seat, and she even puts on baby movies for me. We met her at hobby lobby last Thursday and got supplies to make our own wreaths for autumn. This was a lot of fun and mommy and Ruth made really pretty wreaths! They plan to make wreaths for every season. Mommy loves having someone that she can get together with and do fun stuff with. They plan on doing a lot of arts and crafts together and Ruth even offered to teach mommy how to sew! Here is the wreath that mommy made... Isn't it pretty!? 

Last Friday we got together with Jesus and Sarah for dinner and had a great time getting to know them better! What a delightful family and great time we had!

Every Wednesday, mommy and I go to Kansas City to a mommy's group with Kitty and Maddie and then for a chiropractor appointment. We have lots of fun spending time with my aunties and cousins! They're pretty awesome! Here's a picture from when we all went out to eat. Everyone has been saying how calm and chill Franz is, so I thought I'd copy him just this once and fall asleep. These Wednesday outings are a great way to get out of the house and socialize. Plus, I finally get to be around someone my own age and size who understand the same language!

Well, I better get going now. I'm starting to get tired and I don't want to get too grumpy for mommy.

Love you all!

Emma

Just one of those days...

                                                                                

 

         

      

     It's just been one of those days! Emma, as usual, has been extremely fussy and crabby today, just constantly wanting to be held and caressed. Thomas kindly and very generously got up with her this morning at 6am and spent the whole morning trying to calm her down and let me sleep in...even though he has work today! He's been an incredible help and support. But, despite his efforts in trying to get her to sleep, she has insisted on remaining fussy and putting up a fight. I find myself saying "it's just one of those days". You know those days when your baby doesn't allow you to shower, clean a very messy house or run errands? Ya, those days. ;) I do find however that saying "it's just one of those days" helps me to accept that fact and remind myself that I can't and won't be able to "do it all". The vacuuming, mopping, laundry, dusting, bathroom, bedroom, grocery shopping...etc. etc. But that's ok! Once I just accept the fact of it being that kind of day, I can more easily roll with the punches instead of resisting it and beating myself up about it. We are meant to have these kinds of days and you know what,  it helps and forces me to stop, take a breath and just spend the quality time with Emma. If she wants to be held all day and screams if I leave her alone for even a second, then thank you God for forcing me to give her that undivided attention and spend this time cuddled up with her...a time which quickly speeds by to when your daughter doesn't always "need" you to hold her and comfort her constantly. So I'm going to just sit back, light a nice smelling candle, drink some calming tea, listen to Paul Cardall on Pandora, relax snuggled up with my baby cakes and not feel guilty about the gazillion chores that need to be done. God has given me the day off from chores today. Today my task is spending quality time with Emma being there for her and comforting her. I do believe God gives you these days to force you to take a step back and relish the moments with a newborn that fly by so quickly.....oh AND to work on your patience. ;) 

So here's to having "just one of those days!"

                               

Welcome to the World Emma Isabelle Rose!

                                  

             

Dear Family and Friends,

     Well, I'm here! Finally! It was getting very snug and crowded in mommy's tummy...so much so that I decided enough was enough and came out early! Phew, is it a lot more roomy out here than it was in there and not having to be poked about inside as mommy and daddy try to guess if it's an arm or leg that they feel. Although, now I'm dealing with the cheek kissing and pinching! And the bows! Mommy wants to make sure I look like a girl, so she puts all these bows in my hair. Some of them are so big I can hardly keep my head up straight. Auntie Kitty says "the bigger the bow the better the momma" and mommy sure took that and ran with it! You just can't win when you're this cute!

     There's so much to take in with this big world and so much to see! I can hardly keep my eyes open, I get so exhausted from it all. I'm definitely growing too and gained 2 more ounces at my doctor's visit, weighing 7lbs 6oz. I've been guzzling down bottles after bottles and Daddy calls me a little drunkard because I make funny noises and drink so much. I don't know what a drunkard is but everyone laughs when he says it, so it must be funny! Daddy sure knows how to crack a good joke. He even makes me smile! I love it when he comes home from work. He lays me down on the bed and plays and chats with me. He totally understands me when I tell him about my rough day and woes. He likes to cheer me up with smiles and tickles! Mommy is thankful that there's another person in the house for daddy to tickle. She says she doesn't like to be tickled...I don't know why! I think it's so much fun! 

     I was a good girl for mommy and only gave her an hour and a half of labor, from start to finish! Mommy didn't know what hit her! And it was a good thing she got to the birthing center when she did, otherwise I would have been a home birth. Everything went very well even though it was intense. I just wanted to meet everybody so badly! 

     It's been so nice having my Nana and Bumpa here helping mommy and taking care of me. I just love them! They get up with me in the morning so that mommy can sleep from being up at night. She says I need to learn how to sleep when the sun goes down, but staying up with the moon is so much fun! I don't know why everyone wants to sleep. Seems kind of silly to me! Plus, if I stay up at night that means I get quality time with Nana and Bumpa in the morning! I love it when Bumpa rocks me in the big black chair and hums while I drool on his shoulder. He doesn't seem to mind! I'm going to really miss them when they leave on Tuesday. I asked mommy and daddy if we could keep them, but sadly that can't happen apparently. Nana has been staying busy cooking and cleaning for us and keeping the house in order. She's like Supernana! Mommy says she doesn't know how she's going to do it all when nana leaves. I'll try to be on my best behavior for mommy so she can get things done.....try. It's just so hard when you want to be held and fed all the time! Babies sure have it rough. Grown-ups have no idea. 

Well, I'm starting to get tired writing all this but I'll see if I can take time out of my busy baby life to write again soon.

Love to all!

Emma

Approaching the Finish Line

      

Well, here we are at 9 months being pregnant! In fact, just a couple of weeks away from the due date! How quickly it flew by! I can't believe our little Emma could be here any day now. To think that all those little movements I feel inside will soon be revealed. I really am cherishing this time right now with her. I will never be as close to her as I am now and to think that I have been holding her for 9 months everywhere I go and with everything I do...it's almost bitter sweet letting that aspect of it go. I must admit, I will not miss the restless legs, frequent bathroom breaks and feeling handicapped in every situation. Lol But I try to remind myself to cherish each moment I have with her in this way before birth. My wonderful parents will be coming out next week to help me prepare and take care of Emma! I am entirely grateful to them....there are no words to express my gratitude! I hope Emma will be on her best behavior for her Nana and Bumpa and hold off her royal highness' arrival until they get here. Last night I thought I was entering into labor. I kept getting contractions for the majority of the night until this morning when they stopped. I haven't had anymore since but it definitely was a wake up call to make sure I have everything ready! Thanks to my family, I had a beautiful baby shower! I literally was showered with gifts and well wishes which was truly humbling. I am so thankful for them! While in NH, my own family surprised me with a shower and when I came back, my in-laws threw a shower for me too. I'm so blessed! I believe now I am all set for Emma! What an accomplished feeling. ;) The nursery is finished (except a few things that need to be hung on the walls) and I believe this girly will be quite the fashionista with all these outfits she has! She has much more of a wardrobe than I do! I can't wait to see her in those dresses!

I don't think my stomach could get any larger! I think if it does, I'll have to get one of those hospital beds with the railings on the side. Getting out of bed in the morning is a 15min ordeal!

Well, on we go! Week 38...let's do this!

Please keep us in your prayers as we approach Emma's birth...that she may be a healthy baby, for a safe delivery and for our salvation as a family. Thank you!

Stay tuned....

Cruising in Style!

                                           

Emma has a new ride! I think she's going to be stylin in her new buggy. ;) Mommy is rather happy with the purple color choice. If mommy can't have a purple car, than at least she has a purple stroller to push around. ;) Almost to 30 weeks, which means just a couple of months to go!! Woohoo!

The Month of Mary, Mother of All!

                                

                                      

Happy Mother's Day all you mothers! This is my first one and I have to say, I feel so very privileged to be given this title. A mother means so many things and I only hope and pray that I will live up to such a special role. To think that I have received a title in which Our Lady herself was given is such a special gift and blessing. How undeserving and little I feel when I think about sharing such a name with her, who is the Mother of all and most importantly the Mother of Our Lord. I believe May is my favorite month...a month dedicated to Our Lady. What a great opportunity to live each day during this month consecrating ourselves to her and reminding ourselves to place all our concerns and desires in her hands to present them to her Son. What a loving mother! Just as she agonized with her Son during the Passion, walking with Him each step and sharing in His sufferings, so too does she walk with us each step and accompanies us in our journey here on Earth. Just as she hastened to the cross of Our Lord and offered consolation to Him, so too does she run up to us as we carry our crosses and offers her help and motherly affection. Everytime we struggle, she sees it as her child who has fallen down, cut and bruised, hurting and having trouble getting back up. She runs to our aid and offers consolation and her help. Her love is unlimited and though so many times we offend and disobey, she forgives and loves tenderly. How often do we act like little children, nagging her for things she knows is not good for us and putting up a fuss when we don't get what we want. How often she does so many things for us and yet we neglect to thank her and show appreciation or do something in return. We are like spoiled little children and yet she still loves us and cares for us. She is the very essence of a mother. She sets the standards for that role and we must strive to reach that standard ourselves. I must admit, sometimes I have thought, "but she had it so easy with having the perfect child! She didn't have to deal with cranky misbehaving children...she had the perfect son!" But then I thought, are we perfect? No. Do we disobey, misbehave and not listen? Yes. Is she not the mother of all? Indeed she is. Does she have to deal and parent us here on Earth? She sure does. What a difficult job! We may have 8, 10, 13 children we have to deal with, but she deals with every single person here on Earth. Yet, despite having children who often times sin and offend her, she is perfect and fulfills the role of motherhood perfectly. She teaches us patience, charity, selflessness, humility and so many other virtues. What better person to model ourselves after? What other person than she truly deserves this title and role of motherhood? That's why we must strive to be like her in every way, so that we can honor this role which is hers and bring our children up to recognize us as models of the Ultimate Mother, Our Lady. May we never hesitate to run to her with childlike confidence and sincere hearts which yearn for her comfort, assistance and love. If she journeyed through The Passion with Our Lord for our salvation, there is nothing she wouldn't do to help us. Happy Mother's Day, Mary!

My husband was so good to me this Mother's Day. He treated me out to a lovely Italian restaurant, surprised me with balloons, a card and the most beautiful set of pearls! It was truly special. I look forward to the next one when our little Emma is with us on the outside! ;) We can't wait for her arrival!

April Showers Brings...Third Trimester!

          

April showers bring May flowers! We're finally in the month of May which means the temperature is rising and the sun is shining! It's been so lovely here seeing things develop into a vibrant green and flowers blossoming. May has also brought another wonderful thing...3rd trimester! Woohoo! It's so nice to finally be in the last stage. I can't believe there are only 3 months left!! Emma seems to be really excited as she's busy kicking and moving around. I'm constantly reminded of her presence with how active she is! I think she likes that fact. ;) Doesn't look like her pattern of sleep involves night time either. ;) I read a great chapter in "Your Labor of Love" book yesterday about sleeplessness. The authoress, Agnes Perry, talked about some religious orders that get up in the middle of the night to say prayers to Our Lord so that He is kept company at all hours. They also use this time to pray for poor sinners who may be committing sins during the hours of the night. She then compared this to expectant mothers saying that our sleeplessness, whether it be from restlessness, discomfort or frequent trips to the restroom ;), that we have the perfect opportunity to use this time wisely the same way these religious orders do. If we are going to be up and wide awake anyway, why not take the time to keep Our Lord company, remind Him we love Him and pray and offer up the discomfort in reparation for the the sins being committed at that time? I just love this idea! I often lay wide awake with nothing to do and getting myself all aggravated for not being able to fall asleep. Why not use it for something else? That's the beautiful thing about being a Catholic....these sacrifices can be used for a purpose, to grow in love of God and to help our neighbors...if we can do this, why waste a single sacrifice on selfish thoughts and being upset about it? I don't know about you, but I receive so much more consolation by thinking of what my sacrifices can do to help my soul and others get to Heaven rather than by thinking of how ridiculous the sacrifice is and how inconvenient it is.

What I'm looking forward to: Our summer vacation in June!! It's coming up so quickly and Thomas and I can hardly wait to fly out to NH for a week of lounging out at the coast with my family. I'm so excited to be in the area of Cape Cod again...one of my favorite spots! You just can't beat the quaint and beach cottage atmosphere with little shops and peaceful evening strolls along the coast. Isn't the rental house beautiful??? 

Big News in Kansas City: A child has been born! Maddie and Maarten's daughter, Marie Godelieve, a precious and sweet newborn. And now we also have a new member of the Catholic Church! May she always stay close to Our Lady and strive for holiness. Congratulations Maddie and Maarten, we love you!

Days to Remember: Last Saturday Thomas and I decided to have a fun day. We were in Kansas City and took advantage of the nice weather together with mini golfing, Sheridans for ice cream, arcade and then finished with a nice Italian restaurant for dinner and a movie at the drive-in theater. We had such a great time and felt like we were courting again! It's so nice to do that every once in a while!

I hope everyone is having a happy and beautiful Spring. :) Today sure is the perfect time to get out and enjoy the weather...

Looks like Thomas and I are off to the park to play some croquet! Enjoy your day. :)