Our last busy week has come to an end and today I've been resting to try to reduce some of the swelling that has accumulated. I am thankful Daniel will be home with us for a long weekend. It's looking like it will take all weekend to flush out some of this fluid. I am 28 weeks pregnant with twins and I can definitely feel the difference between a twin pregnancy and a singleton. And I am sure the surge in heat this weekend is only going to heighten my awareness!
Besides the excess fluid in my legs, arms and hands, I am having the hardest time eating. Nothing sounds good nor does it taste all that great. This is a huge difference compared to my other pregnancies and it comes at the worst time because I need all the calories and protein possible to help these2 babies grow and develop. Usually I crave sweets or carbs. While the ice cream tasted good for a while, even that no longer sounds good. Can you imagine? This is sooo bizarre!
Then about a week ago, I started to panic a bit. Well, enough to send my heart beating and my pulse racing when I thought about the end of this pregnancy. The thought of birthing/feeding/raising two babies at the same time, in addition to what was already expected of me as mother to 9 children, was overwhelming. I'm mostly concerned about the feeding part since I've always breastfed my babies. The book that was loaned/recommended to me by a new friend didn't seem to calm my anxiety. Finally, one day I was resting on my side between busy days and decided I would search out blogs talking about raising twins. There were many to choose from, not to mention websites dedicated to raising twins. After reading several, I am calm and more confident in my ability to successfully feed these babies when the time comes. And I can't wait for them to arrive! Ever since I was a little girl, I have always wanted to have twins. I remember telling Daniel once that I thought God would honor that desire and look where we are today. I firmly believe these babies are from Him and I couldn't be more thankful for the blessings He continues to bestow upon us. First, Henry's amazing healing and now these beautiful babies! Thank you, Jesus!!
Friday, May 25, 2012
Friday, May 18, 2012
Summer Break is Here!!
Today is the first day of summer break for our family. We are taking it easy, to say the least. Kids have done nothing but eat, play card games, read books together, put together puzzles with their younger siblings, read, play one hour of Wii and now 6 of them are swimming while the 3 little boys are napping to the sounds of KLOVE. I'm still in my pajamas while washing/drying clothes. There are dishes in the sink and the house is a bit messy. Needless to say, it's a GREAT first day of summer break!
Sure we have projects around the house that need to be done and some summer schoolwork to do, but today we are relishing in not having any demands or deadlines. We'll complete our lazy day with baseball/soccer games this evening and may even stay up late watching our new Netflix family movie with popcorn and candy. After such a stressful summer last year with news of Henry's Leukemia relapse, intense chemo treatment and ultimately his bone marrow transplant last October, we are looking forward to this summer! Thank you, Jesus, for Henry's amazing healing and for the summer months ahead! I hope you all have an amazing summer, too! :)
Sure we have projects around the house that need to be done and some summer schoolwork to do, but today we are relishing in not having any demands or deadlines. We'll complete our lazy day with baseball/soccer games this evening and may even stay up late watching our new Netflix family movie with popcorn and candy. After such a stressful summer last year with news of Henry's Leukemia relapse, intense chemo treatment and ultimately his bone marrow transplant last October, we are looking forward to this summer! Thank you, Jesus, for Henry's amazing healing and for the summer months ahead! I hope you all have an amazing summer, too! :)
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Recognizing Sanctity
My kind and generous mother-in-law has given hubby and I our very own copies of Making God the Joy of Our Soul,
which is a book filled with inspiring homilies by Father McLean
Cummings. I have slowly been reading through them, though not in the
order in which they are organized. I've been picking from the Table of
Contents based on subject matter. I thought I would share about one
that really spoke to me about Recognizing Sanctity in Others.
"There aren't perhaps many great saints among us that we don't realize, but there certainly are many potential saints that perhaps we don't realize. We don't think of them as what they are, truly potential saints in the making. Because we know each other so well, the faults and failings are all around us, we get used to each other, especially in families. One doesn't seem to think of these as truly, truly potential saints because we know their faults. But we have to remember that even sinners, of course, are potential saints. We have to remind them of this too, that God has created you to be holy. In a thousand different way, especially the way we treat them, we have to make this known, that God expects each and every one of us to be truly, truly holy."
I didn't hear anything remotely like this growing up and am so thankful for my Catholic faith as an adult. I've had to rely upon book after book to teach me how to be holy so that I can teach my children. As parents, we are our child's first educators and we must be aware that we will be held accountable to God in what we teach or did not teach our children. Of course, learning holiness can be as easy as opening up the Bible and reading God's Word. What role models we have in the New Testament in Jesus, Peter and Paul, just to name a few. The saints are also my favorite role models because they come from all walks of life and have attained the holiness that God expects. Besides, they are in Heaven! What better people to pray for me than those who are with Jesus in Heaven and can intercede on my behalf! I can't but think what a difference this world would be if we all treated each other as sacred individuals and if all parents taught their children that God has created each one of them holy and that, yes, that can be saints!
"We ourselves too mustn't fall into the same error, getting so used to ourselves and our failings and our habits, that we think that is is more or less about as good as I'll ever be. This would be false humility. We too are called to be saints. When we come into contact with people throughout our day, our only goal should be that that contact, help them along this road towards sanctity. Because it's truly, truly possible. We have to help each other, in particular, to suffer well, that's a way to holiness, and to pray well."
Two things came to mind when I read the paragraph above. One, it is not God that tells us that we are as good as we are going to be. That voice would be from the devil because he is the one who doesn't want us to attain holiness. It is a temptation we must all defeat! St. Michael, pray for us!! Secondly, I am reminded of the end of the Litany of Humility that asks Jesus to grant us that "that others become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should." I love this prayer and actually have it hanging on the back of my bathroom door. It is not easy to be humble because our pride gets in the way in so many ways. Again, if only others could be convinced of their sacred worth and holiness. What a different world we would live in!
I'm sure there is more waiting to be shared by Father Cummings. Stay tuned! :)
"There aren't perhaps many great saints among us that we don't realize, but there certainly are many potential saints that perhaps we don't realize. We don't think of them as what they are, truly potential saints in the making. Because we know each other so well, the faults and failings are all around us, we get used to each other, especially in families. One doesn't seem to think of these as truly, truly potential saints because we know their faults. But we have to remember that even sinners, of course, are potential saints. We have to remind them of this too, that God has created you to be holy. In a thousand different way, especially the way we treat them, we have to make this known, that God expects each and every one of us to be truly, truly holy."
I didn't hear anything remotely like this growing up and am so thankful for my Catholic faith as an adult. I've had to rely upon book after book to teach me how to be holy so that I can teach my children. As parents, we are our child's first educators and we must be aware that we will be held accountable to God in what we teach or did not teach our children. Of course, learning holiness can be as easy as opening up the Bible and reading God's Word. What role models we have in the New Testament in Jesus, Peter and Paul, just to name a few. The saints are also my favorite role models because they come from all walks of life and have attained the holiness that God expects. Besides, they are in Heaven! What better people to pray for me than those who are with Jesus in Heaven and can intercede on my behalf! I can't but think what a difference this world would be if we all treated each other as sacred individuals and if all parents taught their children that God has created each one of them holy and that, yes, that can be saints!
"We ourselves too mustn't fall into the same error, getting so used to ourselves and our failings and our habits, that we think that is is more or less about as good as I'll ever be. This would be false humility. We too are called to be saints. When we come into contact with people throughout our day, our only goal should be that that contact, help them along this road towards sanctity. Because it's truly, truly possible. We have to help each other, in particular, to suffer well, that's a way to holiness, and to pray well."
Two things came to mind when I read the paragraph above. One, it is not God that tells us that we are as good as we are going to be. That voice would be from the devil because he is the one who doesn't want us to attain holiness. It is a temptation we must all defeat! St. Michael, pray for us!! Secondly, I am reminded of the end of the Litany of Humility that asks Jesus to grant us that "that others become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should." I love this prayer and actually have it hanging on the back of my bathroom door. It is not easy to be humble because our pride gets in the way in so many ways. Again, if only others could be convinced of their sacred worth and holiness. What a different world we would live in!
I'm sure there is more waiting to be shared by Father Cummings. Stay tuned! :)
Sunday, May 6, 2012
A Peek in our daily life....
Believe it or not, my house is quiet and it's 4:00pm. Most people assume we operate around a schedule and they are correct. Some years are better than others. I've tried most of the "house schedules" out there in the and have tweaked them over the years. Now we run mostly by routine than a schedule. Kids know we eat breakfast after everyone is awake, dress, chores, and school begins. We eat lunch at noon after picking up the house, on Fridays they are allowed to eat in the living room and watch a movie and during the summer months they always eat outside. They have free time after lunch, then it's nap time at 2pm for the younger kids and quiet reading time for the rest. This is where I surprise people. Our house is actually quiet, minus the music playing in the little boys' room to drown out distractions like a phone ringing. This is how I keep my sanity while raising 9 children. Everyone needs quiet time, not just moms. I have always done this and my kids know no different. The only who balks is the one who thinks they are too big to nap. And let me say, no one is too big to nap. :) After naps are over, then they have free time while I prepare dinner. Before Daddy returns home we pick up the house again, so he comes home to a clean house. We eat with Daddy, kitchens chores are done and they play with Daddy until it's time for bed. House is always picked up again, if needed, before bedtime. On days we go to our homeschooling co-op the next day, co-op clothes are found, backpacks are packed and lunches are packed with non-perishables. On Saturday nights, Sunday outfits are chosen and, if needed, ironed. We do the same during baseball/soccer seasons. All game outfits are found the night before and cups are filled and put in the refrigerator. This helps so much on those mornings we have to be out the door early.
Laundry is a huge issue in our household. Pajamas are worn more than once. Towels are used more than once. I do all the laundry on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Some people do a load or two every day, but I am not that fond of laundry and desire to have days that I do not have to do it. I wash, dry and separate the clothes in piles. Everyone puts their clothes away and the older kids have a buddy's clothes they put away. It's funny to me that they usually end up teaching their little buddy how to put their own clothes away to help ease their load.
I think that just about sums up our busy day to day life. :)
Laundry is a huge issue in our household. Pajamas are worn more than once. Towels are used more than once. I do all the laundry on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Some people do a load or two every day, but I am not that fond of laundry and desire to have days that I do not have to do it. I wash, dry and separate the clothes in piles. Everyone puts their clothes away and the older kids have a buddy's clothes they put away. It's funny to me that they usually end up teaching their little buddy how to put their own clothes away to help ease their load.
I think that just about sums up our busy day to day life. :)
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Adding 2 limbs to the family tree!
Yep, it's true! We are expecting twins, one boy and one girl. As much as I teased Daniel about me carrying twins in the beginning of this pregnancy because my morning sickness was the worst yet, the news still came as quite a shock at our second ultrasound. My OB missed the baby boy when he performed a mini ultrasound at my first visit because little stinker is lying transverse. Now it is time for another ultrasound to get a better view of the babies' hearts and other organs the ultrasound tech couldn't get with the last ultrasound. I can't wait! I LOVE peeks inside the womb and am so excited about these babies! I've wanted twins since I was a little girl and am so thankful God has blessed us with them now. I've even bought them their first silky blankets because I simply couldn't resist.
baby Jack blankets makes the best blankets! Teddy has two of Kelley's Red Sox fleece/minky dot blankets in different sizes and Henry has a twin size Atlanta Braves fleece/minky dot that he took with him to Cincinnati. These silky satin ribbon tab loveys will be our first and should be here by the end of the week.
Life is great within the Gagnon household! Hopefully, I'll have ultrasound pics of these 2 precious babies soon that I can share with you! Until then, take care! May God bless you and Mary keep you.
baby Jack blankets makes the best blankets! Teddy has two of Kelley's Red Sox fleece/minky dot blankets in different sizes and Henry has a twin size Atlanta Braves fleece/minky dot that he took with him to Cincinnati. These silky satin ribbon tab loveys will be our first and should be here by the end of the week.
Life is great within the Gagnon household! Hopefully, I'll have ultrasound pics of these 2 precious babies soon that I can share with you! Until then, take care! May God bless you and Mary keep you.
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