Sorry for the absence of posts but family life has been all consuming! I’ll catch you up to date using….

Tiny Treasures Tuesday is dedicated to celebrating the lives of your children.

Happy Birthday, Bella!! It’s hard to believe that my baby girl is now eight years old. I can still remember the day I found out she was growing in me. We spent a year trying to get pregnant but with no luck. Then at the end of December/early January we went on a pilgrimage to Rome. I remember at one cathedral we lit a candle and said a special prayer asking God to bless us with a baby. Two months later, on Valentine’s morning, I finally had a positive pregnancy test. I went into the kitchen and told Brian to close his eyes and I would give him his Valentine’s gift. He did and I placed his hands on my stomach and told him to open his eyes. It took a minute for it to register but he understood what I was telling him. Tears of joy flowed from both of us. And we’re still thanking God for his miracle of life.

I’ve been the most worried about Andrew and how he would adjust to not being the baby of the family anymore. It was a little rough for him the first few days but I think he has adjusted well. We have been making sure he is given lots of love and attention and extra playtime when we can. He loves to “help” me in the kitchen so today we made some banana-carrot bread together. It was a bit messier than I would have liked but he loved it! And my reward was when he rubbed my arm and laid his head upon me. His silent “thanks, mom” was worth the mess. 🙂

What can I say, I am in love with my little guy. Granted it has taken some time to get a routine down and I have to accept that I cannot get on the computer or take a shower until Brian comes home and the late nights will sometimes leaving me crying because I am so exhausted… but in the end, I love my little guy. And taking care of him, and the kids, is just what I need to work on my selfishness and impatience and pride and whatever other vice you want to name. Right now my role as mom (and wife) is the greatest tool God can use to form me into the person he desires me to be. And just when the forming gets tough, God sends some encouragement, such as John-Paul’s first smiles. So cute!