The Old Ball Game
My wonderful father had two tickets to a MN Twins’ game last Thursday and couldn’t go. Poor Dad… lucky us! He offered the tickets to me, and since I had the afternoon free and Anna had yet to be to Target Field, we jumped at the chance. John had to work, so I asked my friend Karen to go with us because she’s one of the biggest Twins’ fans I know.
After Karen found us a great parking spot, we walked to the stadium (signal chorus of angels to start singing) and got to our padded Legends’ Club seats just in time to see my favorite player, Michael Cuddyer, up at bat. Anna sure is a good luck charm for her parents’ favorite team, because the first pitch she saw just happened to be a home run!
- Karen and Anna enjoying the game
- “I’m so happy to be at a game with Mommy and Miss Karen!”
The day was gorgeous, the seats were amazing, and the game was perfect (not literally, but it was an entertaining and short 2 hours and 8 minutes). Anna did really well and happily waved at anyone around us who would pay attention and cheered the team on to a 1-0 win against the White Sox. Apparently going to a Twins’ game suits her fancy, which is just fine with me. She even had her first taste of Cherry Coke, which was probably a bad idea on my part; she only wanted more!
- “Yummy!”
The great afternoon was made complete by picking up a “first game” certificate for Anna’s baby book, taking a walk around the beautiful stadium, and of course enjoying some tasty stadium food.
Thank you, Dad/Grandpa Jim, for the tickets – we had a blast and I have no doubts Anna will grow up a Twins’ fan.
Karen: Thank you for going with us to the game and helping me with a 9 month old. We are SO glad you were able to join us!!!
GO TWINS!
Lions, Tigers, and Bears, Oh My! (Well, almost…)
On Monday a bunch of friends, their kids, and Anna and I went to the Minnesota Zoo. It. Was. AWESOME.
I love the zoo, so I was 100% okay with using my child as an excuse to go see a bunch of fun animals and exhibits, not to mention spend a Monday morning with some of my closest friends. And yes, Anna was an excuse; 7 month olds are not exactly jumping up and down to see birdies and monkeys, although she did seem to enjoy herself, which of course made it all the more enjoyable for me. And… surprise! She stayed awake for the vast majority of our time there! So of course I needed to capture that fact on camera.
Here is Anna on her first trip to the zoo, much more interested in the camera than the animals everyone else is looking at.
And here she is again, much more interested in her toys…
…and here she is much more interested in her bottle (yes, she can hold it pretty well on her own now)…
…and finally, here are Addy and Luci, much more interested in the baby in the stroller!
Here is my favorite picture. Anna loved sitting in front of the glass (6 inches thick!) and watching the fishies and sharkies swim by.
Both Torin and Anna were trying to touch the glass to see if they could reach the colorful animals swimming around in front of them. Apparently I need to take her to an aquarium next!
I said I went with a few friends; 4, to be exact. So 5 adults and 10 children. I was the only one without a double stroller! Here we all are, lined up, while the kids play on the steps. After that, we had lunch, which we somehow managed to do crammed around two small tables.
And finally… I wasn’t even going to try to get Anna in one of these for a picture, but I did catch Lucia and Addy, who are cute as can be.
Even though I didn’t see any lions or tigers (although I did see a few bears), we had a great day at the zoo. Anna was most impressed by the fish, and she also watched some otters chase each other for a bit, but most animals move too slowly to keep her attention. I got some fresh air and a free trip to the zoo (thanks, Emily!) with my friends, and I am ready to do it again. Feel free to give me a call whenever you want to go!
Fort Myers: Days 5-8
The final installment of our time in sunny southern Florida begins with the Twins’ slugger, Jim Thome. We love you, Jimmers! Such a nice guy. Even though he wouldn’t sign our stuff, he did sign for a bunch of kids.
On Thursday we got to the beach on Sanibel Island nice and early, with good parking spots and plenty of sandy square footage for our large group of 13 adults and two babies. Most of us went swimming in the gulf and enjoyed the cool water and waves.
Anna was actually awake most of the day, but unfortunately her cold was getting a little worse and she wasn’t too happy. Here are a few pictures of her “playing” in the sand. She was happy for a few minutes, but of course we didn’t have the camera on her at that point. After she got sand in her mouth she had had it with beach time.
We just had to post this happy picture of Tim, who scraped his nose up on the bottom of our pool earlier in the week. He and Laurie were the snorkeling and shelling king and queen of the week.
We ate lunch that day at the Island Cow, which was delicious. We had a pitcher or two of green beer for St. Patty’s Day, and as you can see, also enjoyed fried pickles and (my family’s favorite) hushpuppies. Yuuuuummmy. (John had a very large pot of steamed clams, oysters, mussels, and shrimp swimming in broth. I will pretend to forget about that!)
Anna in the Island Cow.
The next morning a few people went back to the stadium for a few more shots at autographs and to try to get in another game. Unfortunately the scalpers bumped prices up quite a bit: one guy was asking $80 a ticket! The group said no thanks and went back to the house for some more swimming and eating and drinking, but not before getting a few more items signed. Anna now has a onesie with Scott Baker and Jason Kubel’s autographs on it!
A rare picture: all Minnesota players, major and minor leaguers.
My sister is marrying a kleptomaniac. Yep, that banner is going up in his house. Awesome!
Mauer and (sigh) Nishioka. It may be awhile before we see him again, unfortunately. His translator is on the far right of the picture.
The last morning, my family decided to play some mini golf before heading to the airport. We had a good time, and Anna slept through the whole thing. Why break the habit?
There are many things that happened that are not documented here, whether on purpose or not. One thing I’d like to mention to give you an idea of how much these two families can drink: we went through 89 beers, 2 liters of vodka, 1 liter of Kahlua, 1.75 liters of margaritas, 750ml of whiskey and… 6.5 liters of rum! Not to mention that this is just what was purchased for drinking at home… who knows how much we really had if you add in the Twins game and eating out. We had a good time!
The mid-March get-away was money very well spent. Thank you to our whole family, including those we’re not related to by blood; we had such a fantastic time spending the week with you! Thank you to everyone who helped out with Anna and made the trip much more relaxing than it could have been. Most especially, a BIG thank you to my parents, because we wouldn’t have been able to go if it weren’t for them. We love you all and wish we could go to Fort Myers every year!
Fruits of Our Labor
This was a big baby-making year for our women’s book club. This group includes most of my closest friends, and we gather every other week to discuss a book. Yes, we do read the books, and yes, we discuss them; however it must be admitted that our conversations do stray quite a bit. Some husbands of the group members jokingly call it the “Wine and Chocolate Club.” And it may not be THAT far from the truth…
Of the 10 to 12 book club “regulars,” 7 had babies born in 2010. Lucian Paul was born in January, Augustine John Paul was born in April, and Peter James was the most recent addition in November. The other four were born this summer, including Anna – and yes, she was the only girl. We took a picture of the four summer baby mamas in early May, and were finally able to take an updated picture in early November of the four of us again, this time with our babies in our arms.
I so thankful for this beautiful group of women who have become like family to me over the past four years since the group began. I am lucky to be able to share the bond of motherhood with some of them. And I am blessed to have such a sweet and supportive group of women around me to help me grow in my faith, all while enjoying good books, good wine, and good chocolate!
- BEFORE: Early May 2010. From L to R: Me (due late Sept.), Angela (due early Sept.), Jess (due mid-July), and Sara (due mid-June).
- AFTER: Early November Update! From L to R, same as above pictures, but with (respectively) Anna, Torin, Will, and Weston.
- The four summer babies, with eyes open and everything! From left, counterclockwise (in birth order): Weston Thomas (born June 10), William Garrick (born July 9), Anna Kateri (born Aug. 29), and Torin Jerome (born Sept. 4).
- I just had to put this up because I love how Will is trying to eat Anna’s shirt!
Giving Thanks
I want to take a moment to express how thankful we are at this point in our lives, and also to explain our journey over the past few years. Thanksgiving has never had a more profound meaning for us than it does this year, although every year there are more reasons to thank our Creator.
When John and I got married three years ago, we had no idea what God had in store for us. We were believing Catholics, had a fun group of friends we saw consistently, and enjoyed spending time with both of our wonderful families. For some reason, we were also fairly naive in thinking that because we were generally “good” people, good things would happen to us. In fact, a lot of circumstances came together perfectly around our wedding, including both of us finding and starting new jobs, and finding a cheap apartment almost exactly halfway between those jobs. We felt so blessed and grateful. We never really thought there might be any trouble when we’d want to start growing our family.
About a year after we were married, John and I began to grow our family. Using the natural method of family planning (which I teach) we managed to get pregnant right away and did not have to deal with the heartache of infertility. My heart truly goes out to those people who have that cross to bear. I teach many couples who have struggled with infertility, and it is a long and hard road to travel.
Although we conceived right away, the happiness was short-lived; after visiting the doctor I began to miscarry almost immediately, only a few days after confirming we were pregnant. Our hearts were broken. For those of you who have gone through this horrible ordeal, you know the emptiness that it can cause; it can consume you. John was my stronghold; he kept me talking so that I didn’t close off myself. I still believed that God was there, that He had a plan, but I was so angry at Him!
A few months later we conceived again. Although there were many scary moments (once you have miscarried, you are absolutely terrified that it will happen during any consecutive pregnancies), we began telling people and believing that this would be the first of our children to make it out to the world. But that was also not to be. I will never forget the bleeding, and the ER trip that landed us in front of an ultrasound monitor showing no heartbeat. The funny thing is, although I remember everything that happened that night, my clearest memory is of the ultrasound technician giving me a hug when we realized what everything meant; it was so incredibly sweet of her, and I thank God that she was there and willing to be so kind.
Of course, this was still not the end of our second child’s story. Three weeks later, my doctor called (you know something is wrong when the doctor calls you out of the blue!). We had had a partial molar pregnancy. Because of this, we were told we needed to wait one year before trying to conceive again.
This was a hard blow. I was almost in shock. I trusted that God had a plan, but this was my darkest hour; I just could not understand why this should happen. I had felt called to be a mother, and yet my babies were being taken from me!
Again, God worked through my husband to reach me. He made me talk, made me go to Mass, to Adoration, and to reconciliation. We both began to see how something so sad could also be beautiful; God had given us these two lives, and although we wanted them, they were truly gifts that were not “ours” to keep. The most beautiful thing about it all is that our two children are WITH GOD! They are engulfed in so much more joy than they ever would have experienced here.
As Christians, we believe that these children deserved recognition as complete human beings, and after hearing of the idea from a friend, we decided to name them both. We also had a memorial mass said for them at our home, which really helped bring some closure for us, and we plan to continue going to a mass (or having a mass said) for them every year.
Anyway, one year later, we were able to conceive our third child. Only a few weeks later we were told we would lose this one as well. We were devastated, but a bit more prepared emotionally this time around. However, God had a HUGE surprise in store for us; five weeks later, on March 3rd, we had an ultrasound which showed our little Anna Kateri to be healthy and right on her dates! We were ECSTATIC, to say the least, and cried for joy multiple times. (In fact, I still do!) On August 29th, we welcomed her into the world, and she is filling our lives with smiles.
We are thankful for so many things; for our health, our friends, our family, and so much more. For our parents who raised us, and especially my mom today, who gave birth to me 27 years ago. And although we have had to deal with a lot of heartache, we are SO thankful that God has blessed us with three children: Anthony John, Julia Dolores, and Anna Kateri. They have each taught us so much about our faith and have helped us grow closer to each other and closer to God. I am so incredibly thankful for my husband, the sweetest, most caring, and selfless person I have ever met – John, I love you! And finally, I am thankful for the faith and the LIFE God has given us. May we be humble and faithful enough to finally enter His Kingdom one day.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
The North Shore
Since I was in 3rd grade my family has taken a yearly trip up to Lake Superior’s North Shore, where we rent a cabin for the long MEA weekend every October. (Yes, I still call it “MEA”, although I’m pretty sure it’s called something different, and John is now the only member of the family who actually gets the extra two days off!) I look forward to this weekend all year long, as it is always fun, refreshing and relaxing!
This year was Anna’s first trip; our friends’ younger son’s first trip (he was born 6 days after Anna); and Traci’s first trip in three years – finally, the whole family was together again! Our friends Angela and Luke and we were a little apprehensive about sharing the cabin we have this year, as there would be three kids under the age of 2, and we didn’t know how it would go, but it ended up working out really well – only a few screams during the night! Anna did have some screaming fits (2 1/2 hours of inconsolable crying) due to her new acid reflux medicine (which we have now stopped), but she tired herself out so much that she ended up sleeping really well at night.
Other than that, it was the usual relaxing fun. We took a trip to Gooseberry Falls, where Beth and Jeff took some beautiful engagement pictures, thanks to Mom and Angela. John and Luke walked around with the babies in their front carriers, since Anna was finally over the “minimum 8 lbs.” weight limit. We also all enjoyed walking down to the shore from our cabins (it’s about 20 feet away), looking out at the sun and moon shining on the lake, and viewing the passing ships through Dad’s scope.
There were a lot of cribbage games played, as well as two games of Bowls. Everyone there will dread being my partner next year: I got last place both times! Late Saturday night brought a competitive and cutting game of Spoons (in which I also placed last!), leaving Luke the champion, although there has been some talk that Jeff was also worthy of that title, and Angela also came close.
- Family Photo at Gooseberry Falls
- John and Anna
- Sara and Anna
- The happily engaged couple
- Mommy buddies 🙂
And last but oh-so-definitely not least, there was the food and drink. The dinners were all delicious as usual, and the Halloween sugar cookies were the typical hit, but the snacks are always the highlight. We all had (quite a bit more than) our share of caramel corn and puppy chow (mmmmmm…… puppy chow…), and to top it off, Saturday afternoon was spent on a new tradition: beer tasting! We each had brought 3 bottles of a brew, and although An and I couldn’t drink as much as we’d like (we’re both breastfeeding and/or pumping), we all had a great time trying and rating 9 different beers. (The “winner” of the beers was Magic Hat #9, in case you’re curious.) We also had some pretty sleepy – and tipsy – people at Mass that evening!
- The beer we tasted
- Beer tasting!
- More beer tasting!
We had a fantastic time up on the shore again this year, and already are looking forward to next year!
- Car Seat buddies
- Blanket buddies (it was a little chilly the morning we left)
- Sara’s Family
Hailey Rose′s Baptism
A few months ago John and I were honored to be asked to be godparents to our good friends Brian and Briana’s daughter. Hailey was born two and a half weeks before Anna – we are so excited to have another baby girl in the “family” so close to her age.
On October 10 we participated in (and celebrated!) Hailey’s baptism with her parents and their families. We had a great time and are so happy for her. Welcome to the Catholic Church, little one!
Baby shower and Baptism
The first weekend in October was a big (and busy) weekend for us. Saturday afternoon was the last baby shower for me and Anna, and it was wonderful, thanks to hosts Kay and Hallie. We had a great time seeing friends and family, ate some delicious food (well… Anna had milk), and were given many beautiful gifts.
- Anna at her baby shower
- Traci & Beth smelling baby food for a shower game
- Grandma Kay gave Anna a beautiful cross-stitched blanket she made
That evening was spent with both sides of our families eating pizza and relaxing with each other, while of course fawning over the baby. It’s always nice to spend time with both sides of our family; we love them all!
Any free time I had that weekend was all spent preparing for the baptism celebration on Sunday afternoon, and there was no way I could have possibly pulled it off without our family helping out – they were all lifesavers (especially Traci, who helped all three days and never complained!). After a late Saturday night and an early Sunday morning, everything was finally ready, and we were off to the church for mass (where Anna was passed from family member to family member all hour long) and, finally, the baptism itself.
The ceremony was beautiful; she was awake for most of it but didn’t cry (lucky us!), and it was officiated by a priest who is a friend of the John’s family and had been praying for Anna throughout the pregnancy. We were so happy he got to be the one to baptize her! Anna’s Godparents are Mike and Hallie, and we have no doubt that they will be excellent examples and leaders in the faith for their niece. Thank you for agreeing to be her sponsors!
Finally, our daughter was freed from Original Sin! As John likes to say, “Now she can only commit unoriginal sins.” 🙂
- John holding Anna before the baptism. Anna was wearing the dress I wore at my baptism, the bonnet that Grandma Sherry made out of her own wedding dress, and a wrap made from a baptismal gown that has been passed down through many generations of John’s family.
After the baptism we had a gathering at our house for lunch, cake, and a celebration of Anna’s life (both spiritual and physical) with family and friends. It was also intended to be a thanksgiving of sorts for our loved ones. We are so lucky to have our “miracle” baby and feel so blessed to have all of these wonderful people in our lives who took the time to support us and pray for us over the past few years. You have all helped us reach this happy point in our lives and we will be forever thankful for you all. God is so good!
- Anna with her godfather
- Anna and her BFF Hailey (who came all the way from Alexandria to help us celebrate!)
Anna’s Travels
In only 11 short days, Anna has managed to travel quite a few places! There have been two trips to the hospital (one for a lab test and the other to see a lactation consultant) and two trips to see her doctor in White Bear Lake. Those aren’t as exciting to talk about, though.
Everywhere we go, people (mainly women and children) seem to adore her (as most newborns everywhere are adored), always asking how old she is and commenting on how tiny she looks. Our first “big” trip was to Target last week when Anna was only 4 days old. Mommy and Daddy enjoyed taking her out in public and managed to fit the car seat in the shopping cart on the first try. Mommy especially enjoyed the trip, as she hasn’t been to Target (or any store) for over 2 months!
Saturday was Anna’s first camping “trip”. Mommy’s family goes to Lake Elmo every Labor Day weekend, and our little family was able to join Mommy’s family for a good part of the day. Anna was held by everybody and enjoyed the little bit of sunshine she got. We were even able to spend some time with Great Uncle Joe & Great Aunt Kari and their three girls, who drove up from Eyota to meet their new tiny relation. It was so good to see everyone! Thank you so much for the cute clothes Anna got!
Sunday morning we made our way to church, where everyone around us asked us questions and made comments about our little Anna Kateri. She even had an adoring crowd of three young girls afterward who wanted to see her. Anna also got to meet Fr. Creagan, who has followed our “miscarriage” story and been praying for us throughout the pregnancy.
The most recent fun outing was last night (Wednesday), when Mommy took Anna to her book club, which was meeting for drinks at Dixie’s in St. Paul. There were quite a few people there, so hopefully everyone got a chance to hold her if they wanted to; it was baby mania! (For those of you who don’t know, in Mommy’s book club there have been 6 babies born this year!) Anna got to meet Torin Cahill, born just 6 days after her, and tried to impress him with her cute pink sleeper. Of course, both babies were sleeping pretty much the entire time. 🙂
Mommy, Daddy, and Anna also went for a short walk last night to try out the stroller. It was a beautiful evening and we are hoping to get some good use out of the stroller before the winter comes!
- Grandma Sherry with Anna (and Auntie Traci) at the campground
- Auntie Beth holding Anna (while soon-to-be-Uncle Jeff blocks the sun)
- Cousin Kaylee holding Anna
- Cousin Jayda holding Anna
The House on Winslow 