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Bella and John are truly 2 peas in a pod, closely resembling each other during their baby days!

Morning Snuggles

Baptism of John Cornelius

John was baptized this past Sunday in a quiet ceremony at our home with his family and godmother present. Our pastor was nice enough to come out to us since John is homebound until he builds up a healthy immune system. Since my last blog post, John was hospitalized for a week due to rspiratory illness. It was a very difficult time, especially, for John who was very sick and Bella, who had never been separated from mom before and was just getting over suspected H1N1. Thankfully, most of the days fell over Dave's Christmas break, so he was able to care for Bella and travel back and forth to the hospital while I roomed in with John.

We really wanted to have John baptized so our pastor offered to travel to our home so that John could receive the sacrament. Interestingly, January 10th celebrated the Baptism of the Lord, by John the Baptist, our John's patron saint. And the reading for Mass centered on the baptism of Cornelius, our John's other patron saint. What a fitting and meaningful day for our little man. John wore Dave's baptismal garment from 1968 and how cute did he look!

Home Sweet Home

John Cornelius White, named after both of our fathers, is home at last. His patron saints are St. John the Baptist, the voice crying out in the dessert to prepare the way of the Lord, and St. Cornelius of Acts Chapter 10, the Gentile baptized by St. Peter to illustrate that God's plan for salvation applies to all people.

Thank you to those who offered prayer support for our family this week. As soon as we requested prayers, John had an immediate turn around. Within hours, his tubes were out and he was breathing completely on his own. We were allowed to start nursing and there was no turning back. Dave navigated the hospital system for our family and advocated for nursing and skin to skin care. My parents were tremendously helpful in caring for Isabella and ensuring that she got to see Mommy as much as possible. My midwife spent a great deal of time with us at the hospital. My friend, Beth, a lactation consultant and RN, talked us through many concerns and kept cheering us on to spend as much time talking and touching John as possible. Our good friend, Regina, offered transportation. Many people were sending us constant text messages to check in. Others called frequently to offer phone support. Thanks to everyone who prayed on our behalf. We know that many, many people were storming heaven with prayers.

People continue to voice concern about the way that we chose to birth our baby. To be clear, what happened with John would have happened if he was born at home or in the hospital. The doctors in the NICU explained to us that 10percent of babies have some kind of difficulty at birth due to a variety of factors that are not always easy to pinpoint. My body went into labor all of its own accord. John's heartbeat was strong and steady throughout. It was not until he was birthed that he had difficulty receiving oxygen. We continue to believe that birth is a completely natural physiological practice. And of course, we are so grateful that the technology our baby ended up needing was available to us when we needed it to be. I am grateful for the strength of my husband who accompanied John on his transport and never left his side until I could get there to be with him.

Here are some pictures we are excited to share from the past few days. We are now at home just enjoying our life together as a family of four. Isabella has been doing great with John, giving him lots of affection. Dave has taken some time off of work and we are just focused on enjoying each other and being there for John and Isabella, as both were put through a great deal this past week. Truly, "...the Lord is kind and merciful..."

Prayer Requests for our Newborn Son

Please pray for our adorable little John Cornelius who was born at home on Monday night. He had to be airlifted to the Morristown NICU as he is having difficulty breathing. Born at just a few days over 37 weeks, it seems his little lungs are not yet fully developed. We just want to bring him home as soon as possible. Dave will post a picture shortly.

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