She dosen't care if I sing off-key

How amazing to have someone that loves you SO unconditionally! I have found out, by accident, that H is TOTALLY and completely amused by my singing. She just smiles and smiles like I am the best thing in the world! I love being a mommy!

Here is an updated video clip so you can see our lovely H-bean.

The Newest Member of the Catholic Church!

Our H-bean is a Catholic! At 2 months and 6 days old, on my grandmothers birthday, Hannah was baptized by water into the Mystical Body of Christ. Her uncle Keith conferred the sacrament and did a most excellent job with his homily. H's uncle David also participated by reading the story of Hannah from 1st Samuel (and as you can see in one of the pictures, was also our video guy). She had SO many people come from far and wide to celebrate her initiation and meet her for the first time.
It was a wonderful baptism, followed by two wonderful parties. We are grateful for everyone that traveled to be with us and for all those locally who helped in so many ways. This is another moment that we have so long awaited. If you inhale deep enough, you can still smell the faint aroma of the chrism oils. We are so excited to pass on the gift of our faith to our daughter.

H-Bug

Thanks to Aunt Kathy who turned our H into a ladybug for Halloween. We will not be going trick or treat this year...but H is dressed up and looking cute tonight. We also carved pumpkins (papa, momma and baby pumpkin) and made carmel apples (yum). We will post more pictures later.

Happy Halloween and a Blessed All Saints Day!!

The Sleeping Saga

The newborn honeymoon (of sleep) has worn off. When we brought her home, H slept quite a bit. She would easily fall asleep while nursing or in our arms and sleep pretty much any where we put her. That was then. :) I have been trying to establish some sort of bedtime routine...and at least, trying to put her down around 8pm. Occasionally, miraculously, it will work. Oftentimes, 8pm becomes 9pm and then 10, 11 and wah-lah, she is asleep by midnight.

In addition to the many parenting books I have received, I now have two solely dedicated to the topic of sleep. Right now I am reading the "No Cry Sleep Solution." It is pretty good...but I haven't gotten to the solution part yet. I am too tired (j/k)! :) One of the things that I read was that oftentimes a good nap means an easier bedtime routine.

So yesterday, H had an awesome nap so I was all geared up for an easy night. I decided it would be a good night to try to get her to sleep in her crib. 8pm we were upstairs, nursing, rocking and she fell asleep. "Yes!" 8:15 I handed her off to Paul to put her in the crib. 8:17 - crying. Settle her down, 8:20 crying. After several such attempts, she was out of the crib. An hour and a half later, she was peacefully asleep again. Crib attempt Take 2. After a few minutes, crying again. So I tried the "lay hands on the baby to let her know you are there" attempt. After 30 minutes and numb fingers, I slllloooowwwllly moved my hands and crept out of the room. By the time I was in the hallway, she was awake! (was she ever really asleep??) However, she was groggy. "Great" I thought "I just need something to make the crib seem more familiar to her." I thought about leaving my shirt, but I kinda needed that. I decided her favorite mobile would be just the thing to make her feel comfortable. So I moved the mobile up to her crib. Her mobile plays classical music...."just the thing to settle her and put her into a deep sleep." Five minutes later I went to check on her....

She was waving her arms and kicking her legs in utter delight! Smiling, cooing...talking to her mobile, lol. She loves this thing too much! "So much for that idea!"

And now, tonight after pathetic napping, she was asleep by 7pm. She fell asleep in our bed and I am too afraid to move her yet! We will keep you posted.

Visiting Pittsburgh

This weekend was our first official trip. We drove out to Pittsburgh for a long weekend, then hopped over to our favorite place...Steubenville. H did great! She is such a wonderful baby! We are counting the days now until her Christening and can't wait for everyone to meet her. The latest feat...laughing. It doesn't happen too often, but she laughed for (AT?) both of us today. Occasionally she cracks herself up. Earlier she must have been having a conversation with her guardian angel - she was talking and cooing to the air (and cracking me up). She is a wonderful, precious gift!!

Our Pumpkin!

We took H to the Pumpkin patch the other day and had so much fun picking out pumpkins! Daddy is responsible for propping her up like this and giving her red knees! And as you can see we are getting smiles now! At the bottom is the first one captured on film courtesy of grandma!

H is 1 month old!

It is hard to believe that already a month has passed since we met our daughter for the first time. She is awesome! It is a gift that I am able to stay home with her. It is amazing how fast each day flies.

H is talking to us, cooing and every so often we get a smile. We are amazed at her strength. Yesterday she held her weight on her legs. When we put her on her stomach, it is almost as if she is ready to crawl! We are incredibly grateful and blessed to be parents to our beautiful baby girl.

This Weekend's Pictures

Hanging out with the new Busia















Papa in his new gear (thanks Joe :)




















Proving to Grandma that H roots for the Red Sox




















And H showing that "Waking up is hard to do!"

Meeting Grandma & a video

SOOOOO in love!!!!

Oh my goodness. I don't think we could have ever imagined the utter joy and overwhelming love that a gift of new life could bring. Our Hannah is our "Gift from God" (that is the meaning of her name). Some people have asked us why we choose the name, Hannah Rose. Well, aside from the meaning of Hannah...over the years of struggling with infertility, I have been inspired by the story of Hannah in the bible. I remember telling Paul, I know this is the name God has for our child. So, that sold him on Hannah. Since I chose the first name, he decided Rose was the perfect middle name, after St. Rose of Lima. Coincidentally, she was born on the feast of another St. Rose. Her story is pretty cool too!

So the last several days have been a series of adventures. While everyone talks about the lack of sleep...no one told me it would be because I can't bear to close my eyes around her! She is so incredibly precious and I adore watching her face as she sleeps. Paul has been amazing. I get midnight snacks, breakfast and sometimes even lunch in bed. Just a little while ago he was mopping...then vacuuming. In addition to all his help with the house, he is an awesome Papa! He loves holding her and is diaper changers extraordinaire...which is wonderful since she has peed on him several times. :)

Yesterday, we went to Mass and got a few more family pictures. You can see the slide show here. Thank you for all your emails, prayers and well wishes. We are truly TRULY BLESSED.

SHE IS HERE

shes here
my 1st daughter and she is very beautiful like her mother
she coos and cries but not for long when the food train comes rolling along
i am so proud to be a father and God has been so gracious to allow us to raise one of His children
she was 8lbs 4 oz, 19 inches long and delivered at 2:21 am on the 4th of September 2007
i was the first to hold her as i caught her in delivery
as of this post she is 17 hrs old and i have changesd 5 diapers and been through three outfits.
elisabeth is also doing well and recuperating thanks for all your prayers

Am I Nesting....Finally????

Due to the Whopping Cough, I have not had ANY motivation, energy....anything for the last month. Finally, I think I am starting to get a little energy back. And I think, finally, today, for the first time....I may actually be nesting!! Wohooo! I have done the laundry, the dishes, straighted several rooms, helped Paul on his job site. For the first time I am having minor indicators (nesting and others) that labor may be on it's way. It still could be several weeks away, but it should be coming before TOO long! Though Paul asked the baby to stay put 3 more weeks so he can get to a good place on his addition....I am telling the baby "whenever you are ready!" We will keep you posted!

Our DIY Maternity Pictures

Two Pics from the PA Shower

The Latest

First - thank you everyone for your prayers for my health. The verdict is Whopping Cough, aka Pertussis. This was a surprising diagnosis. The scary part about this is it is aka the "100 day cough." I am still very much struggling with coughing/breathing/sleeping. Paul has been wonderful throughout and has eased all my fears about his ability to be a good labor support. He has proved he is up for anything! Continued prayers are very much appreciated.

Next, I had my 36 week appointment yesterday. We are awaiting the results from the Group B Strep test. I had my first cervix check and learned that I am 1cm dialated and the baby IS head down!! Wohoooo!! The check was a little painful b/c baby is still way up high. The heart beat has been lower than before (130s) - but still in normal range. Also, this baby continues to let me know (s)he is okay despite my sufferings. This morning I feel like a punching bag as a matter of fact. After our appointment, we had a "Early Home Care" class. The nurse went over with us the variety of things we can encounter postpartum and with a newborn. It was helpful to understand what is normal vs. when we should worry.

Tonight is week 3 of our Childbirth class. The first two weeks have focused on how to know you are in labor, the stages of labor, as well as breathing and positions for relaxation. Hopefully, Paul has payed close attention. Between my coughing fits and discomfort, practicing deep breeathing and relaxation techniques has been quite challenging. Tonight our class is focused on breastfeeding.

Finally, my belly is still growing. Manuevering around myself is much tricker than ever before. I have gained 35 lbs so far (eeek, a little much)...but all is well. I am just amazed that the baby now weighs approx 6lbs and that a whole little person is still swimming around inside of me. Even now as I type, my bladder is being head butted, while I am being kicked in the ribs (at the same time). We are so excited to meet and hold our little miracle.

Only a few more weeks to go!!!

Prayer Request

I have not updated because I have been struggling with bronchitis for the last two weeks. Instead of improving, things seem to be getting worse. This morning, due to my coughing, I popped something (a muscle) in my already very sore back. I have been in contact with doctors almost daily and am currently waiting for the birth center to open to see what to do for today. Prayers are greatly appreciated and I will resume regular updates when I get back up to speed.

33 week update

I just got back from another midwife appointment. I am still on track and the exciting thing is the baby is currently head down. (S)He could still be planning on a few more turns, but they do an internal exam around 36 weeks to confirm the position. If Maluski decides to turn and stay that way, then the game plan is to work with a chiropractor first (in a manuever that allows for a little more room in the pelvis), then the next effort would be the external version done in a hospital. The midwife said they have about a 60% success rate in turning the baby successfully with those efforts. Sadly, because of the threat of litigation, neither the midwife nor local doctors will do a breach delivery. What that means is - please send up prayers that Maluski stays happily nestled where s(he) is right now!

While examining me, the midwife showed me how to feel for the head, rolled my fingers over the neck, and pointed out where the back is (right side) and said that I am likely to be getting kicked in the upper left side. I have just felt so many random movements (and we watch them now too) it has been hard to figure out exactly what is going on in there.

A fun side note to the baby, there is a new ob/gyn doctor who just moved to town to do her residency at Reading Hospital. She has gone through the program at Omaha and is trained to be a medical consultant for NaPro Technology. We got together with her last night and hit it off! She is very cool and we have so many things in common. Her husband is still looking for a job to move to Reading - and it sounds like he and Paul will hit it off when he comes out too. I have been praying for a MC (Medical Consultant) to come to the area, so she is an answer to prayers. AND, our meeting last night opened up an opportunity to tell my midwife about this extra training of hers (and what I do on the side). It is exciting and I have been trying to get that conversation started as well. So, if you get a chance, send up a few extra prayers that we can convert Reading to NaPro technology!! :)

Upcoming Updates:
Baby Shower scheduled for Monday
Birth Classes start next Thursday
Interviews with prospective Pediatricians
Baptism tentatively scheduled for Novemember

Sharing Pictures

Hopefully when the baby comes I will be much more efficient at sharing pictures!! Here are a few from our activities in the past month.

Paul's 30th Birthday Party and then July in Steubenville (a special spot where Paul proposed 5+ years ago)

Nursing in Public by Christopher West

As we contemplate the challenges that come with nursing a child, I just found this link to an awesome article by Christopher West about nursing. He is such a blessing to the Catholic church...I just thought I would share. :)

I also have some awesome experiences to share regarding the Steubenville youth conference. Since we are off to Steuby again tomorrow for 5 days, I will have to save those for another post when I return. Prayers for all our friends and family!!

Whenever I rest my arm on my belly...

...baby pushes it out of the way!! It seems like (s)he is always saying "move momma, i need this room!" The last two days I swear there is a "fight" going on in there. Heavens forbid I lean on/lay on my side/belly. It seems that wherever I rest, there is pushing against me! It cracks me up to imagine this little personality developing inside of me already! I have to say...that is not unlike something his momma would do. :)