pier's first easter

Happy Easter friends! Today is full of JOY!  Easter is one of my favorite days of the year, and much like Christmas, there's a certain giddiness that takes over when sharing holidays with little ones.  Especially when that holiday is so central to our faith! It's days like today that we miss our friends and family the most, but we had the best day celebrating as our little family of three.

We began the day by dressing Pier in his Easter best and giving him his first Easter basket! 

I think he liked the basket more than the toys ;)

Then we headed to mass to celebrate one of the most sacred liturgies we get to experience as Catholics.  And it's exciting to say Alleluia for the first time in weeks!!!

We were graced with the most BEEEAUTIFUL weather today -- which was much appreciated after an Indiana winter!  It was a perfect 75 degree spring day filled with birds chirping and flowers blooming.  These are just a few flowers in my yard right now!

We planned it so in between nap times we could eat at our favorite place for a nice Easter dinner.  Brad and I actually ate there last year for Easter as well, so we think it will be an Indiana tradition from here on out.  This year we had a very active boy who loved eating the menu and walking around the farm looking at the cows!  I mean, they even had baby chicks you could pet. 

I hope you had a peaceful day celebrating with those you hold dear.  Thanks be to God for giving us this gift!

month 9

9 MONTHS!!!!! My little man is 9 months old today!  Look at that blonde hair! Those rubber band wrists! The squishy tummy!  I could eat him up. It's been a crayyyzay few weeks, so let's begin....

First off, we survived his first illness! It was just a cold and a double ear infection, but it was enough sicky-ness to put us out of commission for a solid two weeks.  Let's just say it was a lot of this: 

And he absolutely refused to take his antibiotics until I figured out I could sneakily mix it in his food (first time mom remember) so our evenings looked a lot like this:

Crazy sicky psycho child of mine.

Because he was sick half the month, I'm a little limited on the number of cute smiley photos but here's an update anyway for those missing this little monkey!

Well maybe I got more smiley photos than I thought ha!

Pier is pretty much obsessed with our cat.  He giggles every time she comes next to him!  It's the sweetest thing.  I thinkkkk Gertie actually is warming up to him because she tries to snuggle despite his fumble attempts to eat her tail.  She sneaks into his room when I'm not looking, and she jumps in his crib when I come get him from his naps!  The best of buds these two...
 

I think we have a crawler now!  I say "think" because I'm not entirely certain how he gets from one end of the room to another....He's not rocking or getting up on his hands, but for some strange reason lifts up one side of his body (kinda like a whale) and rolls a bit until he's where he wants to be.  In typical boy fashion, he has decided that I can no longer hold him because it's much more fun to play on the ground and show off new tricks.  He can pull up on things and stand up!  Look how proud he is :)

His new talent is dumping the toy basket out and not being satisfied with ANY of it.  He's literally the most challenging kid to entertain because he gets bored within seconds (not exaggerating).  He whimpers and grunts and refuses to play with the toys we do have.  Not even the wipes work anymore!

He's definitely developing his own personality...

A few things I want to remember about this month:

• He wants to read books!  When I read to him, he tries to talk with me and looks up at me like we are having a literary discussion about the text.  His favorite is the Baby Lit Pride & Prejudice...Really.  Did I mention I love this boy?!
• He could be fussy and angry one second and then if you start singing itsy bitsy spider he'll give you the biggest smile.  I don't understand, but it works (sometimes)!
• He must sit in my lap to play.  I have to be within arms reach or he will freak out.  When I leave the room he starts to cry, even if he's playing with Brad! 
• He smiles at Pope Francis...he's been doing this for a while now and it's impossible to get on video but I don't want to forget it.  There's this large Pope Francis photo in our church and when we walk by it he just BEAMS and giggles at Papa!  Sweet innocence.

Well that's all I have this month! Glad we survived you Month 9 ;)  Oh and we're ready for spring. Not sure how much cold weather this boy can take, ya know?

40 day fashion fast | lenten lessons

Hi, remember me? The girl addicted to shopping? Well, I'm back, and I'm here to tell you I have almost survived 40 days of wearing 10 pieces of clothing.  Now with Holy Week approaching, I thought this would be a great opportunity to give those interested a little update on how my fashion fast is going.  If you have no idea what I'm talking about you can read about my Lenten fast here.

So, here's how it went:

Equipped with the enthusiasm that accompanies a new challenge, the first two weeks of my fast were -- dare I say it -- FUN.  I began to think that this was going to be way too easy and I needed to give up something else quick if this was going to be fruitful. 

But then week 3 hit.  The newness of it all wore off, and I realized that this decision is a true sacrifice for me. The night my husband surprised me with a fancy date night, I couldn't wait to wear one of my favorite pre-pregnancy dresses. But that didn't get to happen. And when the weather warmed up, I wanted to immediately break out all my spring worthy outfits in celebration that I survived another Indiana winter but nopppppppe that couldn't happen either.

I also started to get bored and frustrated with my limited options, and was tempted to go to the banned side of my closet to cure my fashion boredom. That's when I realized that by eliminating the excess and fasting from the convenience of an endless wardrobe was HARD.  It may seem like a silly or small sacrifice to some, but it was (and still is) a real challenge for someone as attached to clothes as I am. 

That being said, my 10 piece wardrobe has challenged me to be creative with the pieces I already own.  I wanted to document some of the ways I've done this but I'm a lazy pseudo-blogger and don't know how to do a self-timer thing on my camera... There IS still a week left of Lent so maybe there's hope that it'll happen! But probably not... 

Oh and when I said I planned to give up shopping, I meant all shopping (even the online variety).  I tried to limit my online shopping as much as I could.  I'm going to be honest though, the online shopping habit way is way harder to break than I thought it would be. I do love to window shop through my computer screen... When I'm tired, sick, or just bored it's so easy to turn on my computer and start browsing for an outfit for an upcoming event. 

I tried to keep one of my favorite prayers by St. Therese in my heart during these moments and on the days the hard things felt really hard:

“Jesus, help me to simplify my life by learning what you want me to be and becoming that person.” - St. Therese of Lisieux

I still catch myself online shopping...but when I realize what I'm doing I try to walk away from my computer and say a quick prayer.  Shopping in general stirs up feelings of discontentment and I would much rather spend my time doing something more fulfilling like exercising, praying, or reading. 

One last thing:

How do fashion bloggers look so cool in pictures?! For real!!! My mom took these pictures when she was in town (thanks mom!) and I could barely keep a straight face. For every 1 normal picture there were probably like 20 of these:

Guess that's why I'm not a fashion blogger.  Anywayyy, this has been super fruitful for me so far, so much so that I'm considering adapting this post-Lent. Crazy right.

month 8

As of yesterday, I have an 8 MONTH OLD! Since when did that happen?  He's my best bud and can make me laugh like no one else can!  These days are going by fast, and I keep reminding myself to cherish each milestone and change.  Sometimes when I'm nursing him before I put him down for the night, I catch myself tearing up just staring at this sweet baby.  I am in awe of how the Lord loves me...especially knowing that He created this little person for Brad and I to help form for His kingdom.  What a gift!

He's been so snugly this month and I'm not complaining!  We'll just sit on the couch and he will grab my face and give me love bites (he thinks they're kisses) all afternoon.  He's starting to get to the point where if I'm not in view he will begin to fuss.  He's definitely a mamas boy.

He's starting to do this thing where his arms swim in the air when he's in distress.  Even if he's not talking yet, he definitely makes it known to us when he doesn't like something. It's like a squid or something and it's hilarious to watch!  Kinda hard to explain but, trust me, it's funny.

Pier also has a really intense head whip -- when you're holding him, he just cannot sit still and is constantly whipping his head back and forth all Willow Smith like.  You have to be careful because I've been in the line of fire once or twice and that head bumping is painful.

Grocery shopping is getting a little easier now that he can confidently sit in the cart.  The only thing I need to be careful of is my grocery list because if I'm not paying attention he will grab that thing and chew it to oblivion.  Then half my list is gone//bled all over and I can't read a thing.  What's that word right there... bell peppers? neon shoe tires? I'm going to go with bell peppers just to be safe.

Another weird thing -- he loves eating wipes.  Really, Pier??

Oh and we celebrated Pier's first Valentine's Day in style!  To him, it was just another day, but mama had fun! Growing up, my mom always made sure we had a sweet Valentine's Day and I definitely want to do that with my own kids, but he's still too young to do anything too celebratory right now.

In case you were wondering, he's still not sleeping through the night.  Even on a good night that boy still wakes up once or twice.  Lately he's been going through a growth spurt so the sleeping situation is pretty shaky.

Luckily, we have the cavalry in town! My mom and mother-in-law are visiting for the week and it's such a joy to see them with Pier.  They are spoiling us rotten and we are getting to spend some nice quality time together.  Indiana even graced us with a 70 degree weather day last weekend, so I got to show them around town and Pier got to go for a nice walk outdoors! 

Pier Francis we are loving these days with you!  I'm discovering that each month is bittersweet... I can't wait to watch you grow up, but at the same time, want you to stay as my sweet baby Pier forever.  That being said, bring it on, month 9!

establishing a morning routine

About a year ago, I decided my New Years resolution would be to wake up early for an hour of prayer time before I began my day.  And I (for the most part) stuck with it…pretty sure that has never happened before!!!  I am a morning person by nature, but I also really really like to sleep. My mornings used to look like a rush of coffee, quick 5-minute prayer, and, if it was a good day, I maybe fixed my hair.

But I realized that my 20ish minute morning routine just wasn’t working for me.  I felt restless and unprepared and guilty that I didn’t spend more time starting my day off with the Lord. 

When I decided to implement this hour of prayer, I noticed a peace about my day that was obviously lacking beforehand.  Of course, there were a few months that I didn’t wake up early to pray (because, you know, having a baby tends to change things a little), but once I got into my mama groove I started making prayer a priority before I did anything else. 

I try to make it work for whatever season I’m in, because I realize that without my morning time, my day is just off.  It’s not worth it anymore to sleep an extra hour and have my day be chaos.  It results in a frazzled wife and mama, and that just ain’t gonna fly when I know I can do better. 

***I also will note that if I do sleep later, I try to make prayer time happen during Pier’s first morning nap, but it’s just sooo much better if I do it before he wakes up.

My Ideal Morning:

I wake up at 5:30 and get my coffee brewing (a very important step).  As my coffee brews, I open my daily planner and ask God how He wants me to spend my time today.  It could be anything from “unload the dishwasher” to “remember to shower” to something a little more ambitious like “go for a run” or “make it to daily mass”.  I notice that this small act allows me to be more present to my day and helps me become intentional about how I spend my time.  It’s also oh so satisfying to scratch things off my to-do list. 

It’s the little things in life, you know?

When my coffee is finished, I grab my rosary and sit down in my prayer corner to start praying. If I don’t pray my rosary right away I have lingering anxiety that lasts until I find time to pray it! I find that it’s easier for me to meditate when I pray an audio scriptural rosary (you can find it anywhere online…I've used this one for years). 

Next, I pray a chapter from scripture or spiritual reading.  I narrowed down my spiritual reading books to these four: The Diary of St. Faustina, The Apostolate of Holy Motherhood, Consoling the Heart of Jesus, and They Way by St. Josemaria Escriva.  After reading scripture and/or one of these books, I reflect on what Christ is trying to speak to me through these words.  I then pick out a phrase or verse to write in my journal and carry those words with me throughout my day to meditate on.

This is usually all I have time for, but it's been especially fruitful when I have an opportunity to do it all!

it's Scriptural:

Why pray first thing in the morning?  Why can't you pray throughout your day or once the kids go to bed?  Well, of course you can...there are no rules about when you pray.  But I think it's not very difficult to understand why mornings are the best time to do this:  quite simply,  mornings offer us a time for quiet preparation before we begins the business of our day.  Our minds are refreshed, and we are much less distracted when we start our days off in quiet solitude with the Lord.

In fact, Jesus (and the saints!) found going off for long periods of time before dawn was the perfect time to pray.  Mark 1:35 shows us this:

In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.

Tips & Tricks:

You may be thinking, ok that’s easy for you to say, but HOW in the world do you make getting up at 5:30 bearable?! Well my friends, here are a few tips for you in case you perhaps feel called to this crazy morning method.

1.)  Comfort is key – Maybe it’s because I live in Indiana and am perpetually cold, but I noticed that having a comfy robe and slippers allows the transition from bed to out-of-bed to happen smoothly.  If I keep my robe right next to my nightstand, I know that I won’t have to suffer from the lack of warmth for very long. 

2.)  Establish your Motivation – you have to have something that will motivate you to get out of bed.  For me, this is a nice warm cup of coffee and Jesus.  I also realize that doing this will never be an easy thing. It's a sacrifice. So when my feet hit the floor, I briefly pray this prayer: “Jesus this is for love of you.  I know it’s small, but please use this sacrifice as reparation for the offenses committed against you and for the conversion of poor sinners”. When I pray something like this, that hard thing I'm doing becomes a bit easier because I'm doing it for the sake of someone else. 

3.)  Treat yo’self – Pretty things make me happy.  I find that an aesthetically pleasing journal or coffee mug gets me excited to be productive.  Is that weird? Probably. But it works for me.   Here's my favorite coffee mug, the journal I use, and my day planner. 

4.)  Be gentle – if you’re sick, or if you have a big life altering change going on (like a newborn) just go with it and wait until you feel ready to adopt something like this again.  For example, I was so sick my first trimester of pregnancy that I rarely devoted the time I needed to prayer.  I was in such a fog, a little bit depressed, and became extremely frustrated with feeling like I just couldn’t get life right.  Slowly but surely the fog began to clear, and I felt the Lord nudge my heart to come back to Him.  He is so patient…He understands our little struggles and just waits, gently, until we are ready to come back.  That’s how this morning method began because I knew I needed to change!  My point is – don’t be harsh on yourself.  If something like this happens to you, just be patient and when you feel ready to come back take the leap and go all in.      

5.)  But be faithful – All the Lord wants from me is to try my best.  My best isn't making excuses, it's recognizing that even when things get hard, I am faithful to the resolutions I make.  I hold on to the hope that if I remain faithful to these little things I do out of love for Him, then one day (by the grace of God) I will be a saint!

6.) Be intentional - Make the most of the time you have.  I've found that if I have designated a place in my house to pray, then I'm less likely to be distracted by all the things.  We recently made a prayer table in the corner of our living room with a crucifix, bible, statues, and spiritual reading books (pictured above). It's been such a gift to have a place I can go to throughout my day to pray, read, or regain my inner peace. 

Have I convinced you to become a morning person yet?!  Maybe you’re not ready to adopt this practice into your lives at this moment, but I hope it inspires you to make prayer your ultimate priority before you begin your day!