Baby #2: 30 Weeks

How far along: 30 weeks

Weight gain/loss: Only up 11 pounds.

Sleep: Still sleeping pretty well. Some positions are beginning to get more comfortable than others, but I can't complain.

Rings: On.

Showing: Yes!

Cravings: I can't really think of anything I've been craving in particular this week. I do know I'm getting my sweets fix in!

Gender: Still a girl!
 
Best Moment this Week: Well it was our last week of school till January, so it's been nice being able to sleep in and get caught up on things around the house. Thursday I had another doctor's appointment and Madison's heart is beating strong at 145-150's. I start going every two weeks from here on out, only ten weeks to go! Friday morning I got to eat breakfast with two of my best friends (we missed you Kendra!). I can never spend enough time with those ladies. Then Friday evening we had Christmas at my mom and dad's house. Mom finally got to feel Madison kick! I never want to forget the way her eyes lit up when she realized what she was feeling was her granddaughter's kicks (and rolls). Then on Saturday she was moving like crazy and Eric got to feel her move for a good continuous thirty seconds. He had that same look in his eyes as my mom did- pure amazement that a tiny baby was actually growing inside my belly. Maybe I need to catch people's reactions to feeling her kick next!

We also got the most precious gift from the mom of one of my best friends from college. She teaches at a Catholic school and ever since her daughter Emily told her about our story, she has said that her classes pray for Eric and I at school, and that she knows some of them pray for us at home as well. She sent us a beautiful card with a rosary inside. A guest speaker had come to their school and brought relics of 6 saints with her that she had inherited from her grandmother. Her principal had received a rosary in the mail, and she gave it to Emily's mom to give to us. She touched the rosary to each of the six relics. So we now are in possession of a second hand relic, which is really cool! What I thought was even cooler was that one of the relics was from Saint Gerard Majella, who is the patron saint of expectant mothers, and also the saint on the necklace that a coworker had given me months ago that I wear almost every day. That couldn't be a coincidence- God sure works in mysterious ways. 

I did break down again this week, during Christmas Eve mass of all places. I don't remember crying during that mass last year, but I know I definitely did in 2014, the year we lost Ian. I know it was a combination of a few different things. Thinking about how next Christmas we should have our daughter at church with us, but we won't. Thinking about how lots of other people will get to share next Christmas with their new babies. Thinking about Jesus being born- especially all the songs that get sung about that. It just all set me over the edge. I was able to compose myself before church actually started and made it through the service OK, but my heart was definitely hurting. It's a rough time of year for people like us who have lost a loved one, for people who want so badly to add someone to their family but are struggling. Be kind to yourself, know that it is OK to cry, and know that if you need someone to talk (or vent) to, that I will listen with open ears and an open heart.

Looking Forward To: Finishing the rest of our Christmas celebrations. We have had a fabulous Christmas so far, I can't wait to celebrate with the rest of our family these next few days. And then at the end of this week we finally get to see miss Madison again! We go on Friday for a 3D ultrasound in Evansville with our families and I absolutely can't wait!!

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and enjoy spending this special time with the ones you love <3

Confirmation

This Sunday was an important one for me- I was confirmed Catholic! Now I know if you're Catholic and you know anything about when new members join the church, it's usually at Easter. But, since all four of us had already been baptized, Father Al let us take an "accelerated" option. We all decided that we wanted to be confirmed as quickly as possible, and the date of January 10th was set.

The four candidates, Carol, Beth, Calvin, and myself, with Father Al after mass on Sunday. Say a big hello to the newest Catholics in Newton!

We got to choose a confirmation name, which is the name of a saint that means something special to us. Father Al told us it could be someone who is the patron saint of our profession, a name that is in our family, or one we just like the meaning behind. I chose Saint Catherine of Sweden, who is the patron saint of those who have suffered a miscarriage. She spent time counseling and helping those who had lost babies to miscarriage, which resonates with what I have been trying to do through this blog. 

After mass, Theresa cooked up some breakfast casseroles. Eric's grandma Flood and some aunts and cousins were planning on coming to eat with us, but Nichole wasn't feeling the best, so they congratulated me at the church and went home. Grandma Flood gave me a few gifts that I will cherish forever. One of them being the rosary below, which she brought back from when she had visited Rome. The other gift was a brooch with a flower made from the flowers from Julie's funeral. It is absolutely beautiful and I already have it pinned to my coat to wear every day. Such thoughtful gifts! Dan and Theresa also got me a rosary, but after getting the one from Grandma Flood, they decided to take it back and pick something else out for me.

I'm so excited to begin this new journey as a Catholic. I think I'm most excited that I don't have to awkwardly sit in my seat while everyone else goes up to get communion haha! Continue to pray that the four of us are strengthened in our faith and relationships with God as we continue to grow in the Catholic religion.