Message of November 25, 2009

"Dear children! In this time of grace I call you all to renew prayer in your families. Prepare yourselves with joy for the coming of Jesus. Little children, may your hearts be pure and pleasing, so that love and warmth may flow through you into every heart that is far from His love. Little children, be my extended hands, hands of love for all those who have become lost, who have no more faith and hope. Thank you for having responded to my call."

On the topic of baby's gender...

I came across these words, written by the mother of St. Therese - The Little Flower, when she was expecting a child:

"...But little boy or girl, we must gratefully accept what God sends us, for he knows better than we what we need most."

The book is called The Mother of the Little Flower, written by the sister of St. Therese.

picture taken from Society of the Little Flower

Kitchen Help

We have a professional masher in our home. She specializes in potatoes and bananas. She also lines muffin pans in a very meticulous manner in addition to peeling onions with great efficiency. Fees are negotiable. Phone tele-Bella if interested.

Movin Out

Shortly after Bella turned two, we set up a room for her and she took to it immediately. Everyone warned us that she would never leave our bed after co-sleeping through her initial two years. However, we remained hopeful, after reading Dr. Sears who explains that many toddlers are ready and willing to have their own sleep space at about two years of age. It is certainly nice to have a small home because the bedrooms are only separated by a very short hallway. I'm sure this contributes to feeling safe and secure on both of our parts. Bella seems to enjoy her own space for sleeping and playing, during the day and night. Some nights she wakes up needing mom, but I am ok with that and it seems to be pretty normal. Dave, especially, enjoys when Bella comes in for a morning snuggle on weeekend mornings when he gets to sleep in.

Her little desk is simply a snack table and child sized chair. The personalized quilt hanging over her bed was a gift from her Aunt Pat when Bella was just a baby. And the bookshelf was a yard sale purchase from Grandma. The comforter was mine from my days at Fordham - yes, I loved pink flowers in grad school. The only item we bought for the room was the princess carpet at Home Goods for $12. Just trying to make the point, that children's rooms can be cute, comfortable, and economical. If you noticed, she is enjoying a queen sized bed, only because that is what we happened to have. In a couple more years, she may find herself pressed for space when baby White moves in:)

Yes, that's a bare bottom on Bella if you looked closely. The picture was taken in the warmer weather:)

Maryland Visit

Isabella was happy to receive lots of affection from her Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop this past weekend. She was sad to leave and even asked if they could come home with us. She even got to spend some time with her cute older cousin Crystal whom Isabella resembles in looks and sass. (I will get a picture of the two girls together up as soon as Dave comes home - he has the pics on his phone). Crystal gave her a very special baby bath doll which Isabella is enjoying caring for. Mommy liked it too until the doll "peed" all over the floor when Mommy took it out of the bath tub. Daddy got the doll set up for Isabella and conveniently forgot to mention the pee hole!

College Bound

Isabella is hard at work at her little desk wearing her University of Scranton sweatshirt. She seems to be highly motivated at such a young age. Her Papa must have given her the "work hard so you can get a scholarship" speech when no one was around.