I'm Back!

As many have noticed, I have been on a bit of a blogging hiatus. A couple of months ago we found out that we are expecting our second child! We are very excited to meet our new little one in June. With this exciting news came the wonderful joys of the first trimester. It was at this point that I decided taking a few months away from blogging was probably for the best. Now that I am in my second trimester and feeling a bit better, it's time to get back to the blog!

Seeing as though Christmas is only 5 days away, it'll be baking central in this household. Be on the lookout for all of the delicious things to come!!

A Typical Morning

"Good Morning Mommy, Good Morning Daddy, HELLO Reflection!!!"

Peter's Piano Concerto No. 1

Singing With Peter

Just this past week, we have discovered Peter's love of music (not that we don't encourage it). Whenever I sit down at the piano and start singing, he sings along. At first we thought it was just a coincidence but he has done it every time! I used my cell phone to record the video, so it isn't too clear.

Back to Normal?

What a whirlwind these last few months have been! Now that things have settled down, as per my mother's request, it's back to blogging!!

Since my last post, we have welcomed a little boy, Peter James, into the world and have been falling in love with him ever since. I have also quit my job and have been adjusting to the world of being a mom. All of a sudden, my marriage vocation has become so clear and I am finally able to begin seeing what my life will entail!

I'm sure there will be plenty of recipes (I cook/bake ALOT now), funny stories about Peter, and random ramblings to follow. Here's to life as a wife and mother!

Nesting?? Already!?!

Over the last several months I have been absolutely amazed with the crazy things my body has gone through. Now, with only 9 weeks to go, I'm starting to experience the nesting phase. Who would have thought my life could become so comical! I can't stop cleaning and the slightest mess makes me nuts. I became annoyed with the bathtub while I was showering and insisted that Nathan find me some papertowels before I could complete my shower. I have even thought about cleaning it several more times and it's already sparkling! Yesterday I had the urge to wash all of the windows. Granted we don't have many, but I went outside in 30 degree weather and cleaned the outside of them as well! Note: windex freezes, so it won't be as sparkling clean as you'd like. My table and coffee table get scrubbed atleast once a day, even if no one's been near them. I wouldn't believe these cleaning urges were possible if I wasn't experiencing them for myself!

Nathan's thoughts: "This is my favorite part of the pregnancy so far!"

Our Valentine's Day

There were high hopes set for us newlyweds this year as everyone asked how we would spend our first Valentine's Day together. Sorry to disappoint, but we opted out of the typical day. We spent a few evenings throwing around different ideas, but everything fell short of what we thought the day should be about.

When Nathan arrived home (around 2:45pm) from work we immediately decided we absolutely had to tackle the pile of dishes that had formed. Our work schedules have been really crazy lately with him waking me up for five minutes after arriving home at 9:45pm to say "Hi" and me getting up and leaving for work at 7:45am. Needless to say, dishes had not been on our immediate agenda. He washed the dishes while I scrubbed the refrigerator. We joked about how entertaining this scenario looked and had a chance to discuss our day and just enjoyed being together.

After really reflecting on this, we realized that we don't need the commercial aspects of Valentine's Day. This day should merely reflect the love you have for one another all year long. The flowers, the dinners, and the chocolate (this one might be debatable) may be a wonderful gesture, but it's the memories that will last. How did we spend our first Valentine's Day?? We washed dishes and cleaned out the refrigerator and it couldn't have been more perfect!

What Should Not Be Said

Since it has become public that I am pregnant, I have heard a variety of things that need quoting. There are of course some positive things that are said, but how do people come up with half the stuff they say?? Here are few that are the most memorable.

During the first trimester and dealing with morning sickness (this has been said by far too many):
Person 1: "How have you been feeling?"
Me: "Awful."
Person 1: "Have you tried (insert crazy remedy here) for the nausea?"
Me: "I've tried everything."
Person 1: "Well I vomited once, but after trying it I never did again!"
Note: How is that supposed to make someone feel better? Only once would be a miracle! Even if it was only once a day! I've tried all the remedies, they don't work.

Person 2: "Are you expecting a big baby?"
Me: "Umm, I don't think so. Why?"
Person 2: "Cause you've really popped!"
Note: Isn't that what's supposed to happen? Plus, how would I know if the baby's going to big?

Person 3: "How are you feeling?"
Me: "Exhausted, but I'll be ok."
Person 3: "It's just training for what's to come."
Note: Is this supposed to make me feel better?

Other than these, it's amazing how many people instantly discuss their own pregnancies. How much weight they gained, how awful the labor was, and any complications they may have had. It took me awhile, but I'm beginning to see the humor in these comments. Atleast at the end of it all I'll have a few good stories.

Boy or Girl??

Over the last few months I have found it entertaining how people love to guess whether the baby is a boy or a girl. So here's your chance to voice your thoughts! I have even included a picture for those of you who would like to see how I'm carrying.

The poll is on the right side of the page. Enjoy!

The First Sounds

For Christmas, my mother gave us a BebeSounds Prenatal Heart Listener. It's basically a high powered microphone that you can use to hear the heartbeat and movement. Unfortunately, it only works in the third trimester. After a few weeks of trying it out and hoping to hear something, we were finally able to hear the heartbeat last night! We connected it to the computer and recorded it.

Unfortunately, I was unable to get the file directly into the blog as I had hoped. Feel free to click on the following link. You do not have to save the file, but can instead run it off of a temporary file. Enjoy!

Heartbeat

The Last Six Months

For the last several months I have thought of my blog as something "I'll get to." Recently however, I've decided that it needs to be more than just that. I truly enjoyed writing and have missed it. So here it is, the happenings of the last six months (in two short paragraphs!).

On July 26, 2008 Nathan and I happily entered the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony. We could not have asked for a better day. In a month where we had seen rain almost everyday, there wasn't a drop in site. It was warm and humid, but happily welcomed by all. The mass was by far the most beautiful I have ever participated in and we were surprised when someone later told us it lasted an hour and a half! It is a day that we will forever remember and cherish.

Soon after our return from a relaxing and wonderful honeymoon in the Caribbean, we discovered the most beautiful gift of all; God had blessed us with a child. Just days into our marriage, He generously gave us the most perfect gift. Our little one is due to arrive at the end of April when we will finally be able to hold him/her in our arms.

Dear Mom and Dad,

Twenty-Two years ago, you gave me life. Although I do not remember this day, your fond memories have helped me to understand and cherish my first hours in this world. Through the good times and the bad, there is no one that I could thank more than you. Without you, I would not be here. You welcomed me into this world with open and loving arms and I would not be who I am today without that.

As I venture into my twenty-second year, I am amazed with what I have accomplished in my life and who I have become. This however, will be a year that is quite different, as I prepare for adulthood and marriage. Thank you for all the love and guidance you have shown me over the years, but most of all, thank you for bringing me into this world.

Love,

Your Darling Daughter Danielle (DDD for short)

Engagement Blessing

After mass this evening, Nathan and I decided to ask Fr. Lariviere to bless our engagement and my ring. We have been meaning to do this, but with both of our busy schedules we kept putting it off. Finally, after being engaged for a month we decided we could not wait any longer. We spoke with Father after mass and he offered to get his Book of Blessings and do a formal engagement blessing.

We stood in front of the statue of the Blessed Mother and I handed my ring to Nathan. Fr. Lariviere blessed it and then Nathan placed the ring back on my finger. It was a beautiful moment and such a wonderful thing to do. After receiving my newly blessed ring, he blessed our engagement.

After leaving the church, I had an amazing feeling. It was so beautiful to know that our engagement had officially been blessed and that our love will continue to grow with God in the center of our lives and that the Blessed Mother will continue to guide us.

The Proposal

On May 16, 2007 around noon, Nathan asked me to marry him. The answer was obviously a huge "yes," but for those who have been extremely curious and can no longer contain their excitement, here are the details and the story that goes along with it.

We have been on a pilgrimage in Canada for a week now and are heading home today. Nathan and I have been planning this trip for the majority of the last year for USM's Catholic Newman Club. It has been a huge task for the both of us, but a great thing for us to do together. Thankfully, he took care of all of the actual arrangements like hotels and I was in charge of the money portion. We began in Quebec City where we went to visit St. Anne de Beaupre. After spending two days there, we moved on to Trois Rivieres to stay at Notre Dame du Cap. It was a beautiful place to be and I had never previously heard of it before. Upon walking into the basilica (as seen in the picture), I was amazed at how large the church was. It was much more modern than the majority of churches I have seen, but I found it to be beautiful.

I am a huge creature of habit and Nathan definitely knows that. Whenever walking into a church, the first thing I do is find Jesus. I genuflect and then begin looking around. I quickly spot the statue of Mary and make my way over. I walked around for a bit and like I always do, I knelt in front of Mary. It is here that I always pray for her guidance; that I may become more like her. At this point, Nathan knelt next to me. This is completely typical of us, so I had yet to expect anything. When we pray together, whether in front of the Blessed Mother or the tabernacle, we always pray individually first about our own intentions and then we hold hands and pray with each other. At this point, he started talking to me. We have this cute little game that I'm sure others find to be completely obnoxious if they ever hear us where we ask the other to "guess what." He proceeded to ask me to "guess what" and he said that he loved me. After another guessing, he said that he was going to marry me. He then moved his arm, which I expected would be placed around me, but instead it went for his pocket. The next thing I knew, he was off the little ledge that we were kneeling on, was on one knee, and had a ring in his hand. He then asked if I would be his wife. At this point, we aren't actually sure if I said yes or not. I was in complete shock, had a huge smile on my face, and hugged him as fast as possible. I barely remember the ring being slipped on my finger since I was floating so high in the sky.

We then turned back to prayer, obviously with a completely new intention. All the while, I keep turning my gaze between him, my hand, and the Blessed Mother. I don't know if I have ever been so happy, excited, content, and had so many other feelings at the same time before. We then got up and lit a candle together in front of the Blessed Mother (obviously a blue one). Finally, we went to kneel once again and Nathan wrote a prayer intention that we left there (I was still in too much shock to think straight). He asked for Our Lady's intercession in our relationship. That I may continue to grow closer to her and model my own life after her.

It was a beautiful time for both of us and I wouldn't change any of it. For those who are curious, I know it was one of my mother's first questions, we are planning to take part in the Sacrament of Marriage next summer. We are praying that we can be married on July 26, 2008 which is the feast of Sts. Anne and Joachim (Mary's parents) and also my late grandfather's birthday. Please keep us in your prayers as we continue along our path.

Sts. Anne and Joachim, pray for us. Our Lady of the Cape, pray for us. St. Joseph, pray for us.