The Danze Quartet

Beautiful Progress

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 06:32:00 +0000

Fall has finally hit San Antonio and the weather is beautiful. I've yet to see many changing leaves, but the temperature really drops down in the evening. The continuous rain really saved us after almost 60 days over 100 degrees without rain (the last 2 months of my pregnancy!) We've been spending more time going to different parks around the city and just can't wait to have a free weekend to go out to the hill country for a hike.

Emily surprises me all the time with her fearless attitude on the playground. Last week we met Eli for lunch at the park and she climbed up a huge rock-wall without any help! I love to watch her play. She's totally into building blocks right now, and of course still loves playing mommy. If her attention span is good, she'll pretend to grocery shop, cook, feed her baby doll, change her diaper, sing her songs and rock her, read her books. She radiates with love around Leo, who she still calls "brudda". Whenever he starts to whimper she dashes to give him the pacifier and tries her best not to suffocate him with her hugs. She's really becoming a big girl with a new bed and potty training.

Leo is growing up fast--it's hard to believe he's almost 4 months old. He loves to roll and try to sit up alone and is really reaching for toys now. His intensity is really cool...you can tell he's going to have a lot of drive. He's a fantastic sleeper and is packing on the pounds. I think he could give us some pointers on patience!

Our lives lately have been revolving around trying to get our new house fixed up. Eli and I have been heading over after putting the kids to bed at my parents' house. The biggest project we've accomplished is painting--everything from walls to cabinets to garage doors, outside shutters, bathtub/showers, interior doors, all door frames and baseboards. I think it's safe to say we're kind of tired of painting. We lost track of how many gallons, but it's at least 30 gallons. We got new carpet, which really brightens up the place. We've fixed drywall, faucets, pulled out tree stumps, repaired the roof, took off popcorn ceilings, installed new hardware, and put up blinds. Whew...and we've still got a lot of work to do! If we keep working at this same pace, we hope to be moved in before our trip to Mississippi for Thanksgiving.

Other than that, Eli's still traveling almost every week. I dream about the day when I can sit and read or just be bored for a minute. Life however continues to speed by, and we have to enjoy every moment with the kids! At some point I'll post pictures! Emily and Leo enjoyed Halloween as a caterpillar and butterfly and have enough candy to last them until next Halloween!

Counting my blessings

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 23:32:00 +0000

This past week I took the kids to the doctor for their routine checkups. The cold they've been fighting for the past 2 weeks is finally dwindling, and the normal sleep pattern is beginning to return. Thank goodness!! For awhile there, the nose congestion was preventing them from any long block of sleep, and many tears resulted. Poor little kiddies!

What a different attitude you can have about going to the doctor if you have healthy kids. There was a while when Emily would have 3 or 4 doctors appointments a month, and the wait time (2 hours usually) would just kill us. The kids' pediatrician here in San Antonio is great--close by, little wait time, and very sweet and competent doctors. This time we had a great visit. Here's the news:
Leo, 2 months old. Weighs 13lbs 8 oz., and is in the 90th %. He is 22" long, in the 25%.
Emily, 25 months old. Weighs 22 lbs, and for the first time is on the growth chart!! She's a little below 5%. Her height is 33", which puts her at the 25%.

So basically they even each other out. They do that quite often. Leo sleeps all day, while Emily sleeps all night. Emily talks all day, and Leo barely makes a peep. Emily never stops moving, while Leo never starts to move. Perfect kids.

The other great thing that happened this week is that Emily graduated from therapy! She's been receiving occupational therapy once a week for 2 years, starting with helping her learn how to suck (too long with the tube feeding) and sleep (due to a raw nervous system). The therapy changed into helping her crawl (at 13 months) and then walk (at 18 months) and then talk (22 months?). Looking back, it's crazy to think that all I wanted was for her to be able to talk and climb and play. Just give a kid a little time and they'll catch up! She tested at a 29 month old level...what a big girl!

I'm going to miss some of her cute sayings in her munchkin voice...some of which have already phased out.
"nokay"
"wee wee" (go outside)
"bless you emmy"
"crazy corin" (crazy lauren)
"hii my brudda!"

God gave us some cute little kids!

Subordinating

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 18:36:00 +0000

I've been following this great Catholic-mom-blog for some time now, which is written by a group of young Princeton graduates. The posts range from all sorts of different mom topics, and I had to share this article commenting on Ephesians (5:22-25)...
Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is head of his wife just as Christ is head of the church, he himself the savior of the body. As the church is subordinate to Christ, so wives should be subordinate to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives,even as Christ loved the church...
It addresses a few important tips on how to have a wonderful marriage. In such an anti-family society plagued by divorce, it's crucial that we have our marriages in tip top shape for the benefit of our children. I think we could all add a few onto this list...tithing...practicing NFP...check it out.

http://buildingcathedrals.blogspot.com/2009/09/submission-as-good-as-it-gets.html

Family Updates

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 19:05:00 +0000

I just realized today that I haven't posted any news in almost 2 months. The days go by very slow sometimes, but looking back, the months have gone by super fast.

Emily has acquired a whole new slew of words and finally speaks in full sentences. I am literally shocked everyday at her energy level. Trying to wear her out is just impossible, and she tends to get faster and louder and crazier the more tired she gets. Luckily I was able/forced? to learn to juggle 2 kids alone sooner than I felt comfortable. By the time Leo was 2 weeks old we were out and about and I never had time to be afraid. We are ready for the hot weather to end so our outings will be a little more enjoyable:) Emily turned 2 in August, so now we're trying to potty train her. So far she's scared of the potty and now scared of pooping on the floor. She has had a really hard time getting used to all the changes around here and very often acts like a baby and wants to be carried everywhere. I think we're going to hold off for a few weeks on the potty.

Leo is growing into a little chub. I'd guess that at 8 weeks old, he's about 15lbs. and wears the same size diaper as Emily. He's your typical baby...feed him and hold him all day and he's happy. As soon as we can get to our box in storage, I'm pulling out the baby sling. I think he's started to regulate his sleep a little bit with blocks of 3-4 hours of sleeping or being awake at a time. We've all been sick with a cold for the past week, so he could just be trying to recover. He gave us his first smile around 6 weeks, and this morning he started to laugh at me with a towel wrapped around my head. He's such a cutie!

Eli's doing well and excited that we found a house! It's a 3 bedroom, 2 bath house in a nice little neighborhood about 3 miles away from his work, my parent's house, church, and school. The great thing about the house is the space--it is 2200 sq ft! All 4 of us have been living in my childhood bedroom at my parents house for the past 9 months (which is awesome because we were able to save up our money, but a little cramped:) We got an unbelievable deal on the house because it's a foreclosure. I think we've got our work cut out for us, but are excited for the potential. We close September 22, which is Eli's 26th birthday. We're hoping to move in by the end of October.
The other big changes around here are that my sister Mary Clare left for Rome to study with UD at the end of August. One week later my sister Lauren left for Rome too, taking a job as an au pair. My other sisters Teresa and Annie have started school and my mom went to work teaching a spirituality class at JPII, the new Catholic high school in San Antonio. All of a sudden the house is pretty empty most of the time!
Unfortunately I dont have the time to post pics at the moment since Emily is waking up from her nap, but I just posted a new album to facebook that you should check out!

Leopold Peter Has Arrived!!

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 01:57:00 +0000

We are excited to announce the arrival of Leopold Peter Danze!!

Born July 10th at 12:45 pm, Leo weighed 8 lbs. 7 oz. and measures 21 and 1/4in long. Emily warmed up to him quickly and loves to bring him blankets, pacifiers and diapers.

Leo has been a real treat for many family and friends over the past few days. We cannot get enough of this lil wiggle worms' squeaks and funny faces. So far he is eating and sleeping well.

We are honored to name Leo after his great-grandfather. Here is an email from Great-Grandpa...
I am truly honored at your name choice for your little Prince.
Did you know that Leopold means "Peoples Prince", what name could be lovelier?
Leo means royalty and pold means the people, taken from the Greek, Polis.
So yes your little guy is a Prince even in name.

Congratulations again, he'll be a fine companion to beautiful Emily.

-Gpa Leo - pold

Saint Leo the Great and Saint Peter are great Catholic saints that Leo will look to for guidance.

Thank you all for your love, prayers and support.

4th of July & Grady Wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:40:00 +0000

We had the best 4th of July weekend! Eli had off from work on Friday and we spend a good portion of the weekend just lounging in the pool with the Harkins. This morning I had a dr appt and am 90% effaced and 3 cm dilated. If I don't go into labor before Friday, then I'll be induced at 6am on Friday morning. Today is the feast day of my confirmation saint, St. Maria Goretti, so I'm hoping she'll pull some strings for me:) Also tomorrow is a full moon which changes the barometric pressure, resulting in a lot of deliveries! I'm getting so worn out from contractions all day and night for 7 days straight and my anxiety is building, so I'm ready to meet this little squish:)

Here are the pics from this weekend!

Seana's Bridal Luncheon

Last family portrait of 3?

Bridesmaids vs. Future Husband in Seana Trivia (Jon won!)

Beautiful Grady Ladies

Neighborhood 4th of July bike parade (it was so relaxing that Emily fell asleep in the seat!)

Face painting!

Why, mom? Why would you ever think this would be a fun idea for me????

Dad and Grandaddy napping after racing each other home.

Congratulations Seana and Jon!! What a beautiful wedding and fun reception!

Seana showing off her fireworks shoes

Lots of fun dancing! (Notice glow stick earrings...)

Harkins and Danze girlies

Lauren impressing us with her mad dance skills

38 weeks pregnant, wearing high heels for 8 hours, dancing up a storm...and still no labor.

Bye Bye June!

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:49:00 +0000

June was packed with lots of family events and celebrations. The first weekend was spent in Houston at my cousin Adam's wedding. It was a very interesting ceremony (part Jewish and part Chinese) followed by a beautiful reception at a safari ranch.
The next weekend was spent in Austin with the Danzes for some of Eli's cousins' graduation party. Somehow those pictures I took have gone missing--along with the camera--but we had a really fun time visiting with the extended family.
On the third weekend Eli took me to spend the night in the same hotel on the riverwalk which we stayed in the night of our wedding. We combined celebrations for father's day, my 25th birthday, our 3rd wedding anniversary, and the coming of the new baby. Emily stayed with my parents, so we had a nice relaxing time eating out at restaurants on the riverwalk, taking a long nap during the day, and ordering breakfast in bed. I don't think we'd had that much time to talk uninterrupted in years!
On Father's Day my parents rented a boat on Canyon Lake--all 4 of my sisters were able to come. Emily cracked me up by pretending to sleep in the lake...it was just too bright to open her eyes! Last weekend we invited over some young family friends who we've recently met to swim and BBQ. We had a great time despite the 103 degree weather!
As far as new baby news, on Monday morning I was 80% effaced and 2 cm dialated. The rest of the day I was having lots of contractions, probably caused by the earlier exam. Tuesday and Wednesday brought several contractions as well, these more painful but still very irregular. We took a tour of the hospital and have my bag packed, and i've been working incredibly hard at keeping laundry done, cooking and shopping done, and things clean. It's not easy having everything ready to go to leave your toddler for two days and expect to have clean clothes and food for a few days after a birth that can come whenever!
Since we didn't have the typical newborn experience last time, Eli has decided to stay with me and the baby in the hospital the entire time. It'll be such a change from Emily's birth! I'm so excited to be able to hold the baby right away, rather than a full week later in the NICU.
So say some prayers for us. On Friday we are throwing a bridal luncheon for Lauren's best friend Seana at the house and Saturday is the wedding. The next Thursday my parents are hosting a summer-associate party here for my Dad's company, and Friday is rehearsal dinner and Saturday is my aunt's wedding...so those blackout dates are a little worrysome as far as childcare is concerned. Because of my heath issues, I'll be induced before July 10th if necessary. The best time to have this baby is today, tomorrow, or Sunday-Wednesday. I hope God gets the memo! :) What baby wouldn't want to see fireworks! Keep posted for baby updates and keep us in your prayers for a safe delivery and a healthy baby!!!

Enjoy the new pictures!
Happy groom, mother of groom, and best man
Always great to see my brother Paul!

The Harkins girls plus our adopted sister MaggieEmily sneaking into the sink to make bubbles Teresa heading to camp for a week

Our weekend getaway!
Ready to go to the Lake!
Me, thinking skinny thoughts between my sissies Annie and MaryLoving the wind blowing through the hair!
Daddy of the year:)

What do you mean I can't just eat dip?

Relaxing and pretending to sleep

Love my Nana!

Our newest SA friends Isabel and Mark, and cute baby Jacque

Contagious Sweetness

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 03:15:00 +0000

It's happening. I didn't think it'd come so soon, but it hit me hard this week: it's my energy crisis. As in, when I'm at 9am mass I'm already beyond exhausted. Mommy-guilt is setting in hard...crankiness is spreading quickly. If you don't know Emily, I'll let you in on a little secret. She has just about the sweetest temperament possible. Here are some examples.
1. When she spills her milk, on her own accord she runs to get a towel and cleans up the mess entirely.
2. She puts herself in time-out. She sits in the corner and says "no-no" while wagging her finger, then comes to give me a hug.
3. When Sweetie our dog needs to be taken out, Emily will stand patiently at the driveway, clapping and yelling "wee wee" until she's safely back in the house.
4. Her favorite activities are unloading the dishwasher, doing laundry, and cleaning. And rocking her babydoll while singing "rock a bye baby"
5. She says hi to everyone about a hundred times a day. 9 people live in this house...she's very busy being friendly.

So don't you think she deserves to be taken to the park? I used to take her 3 times a week. Zoo? Every Tuesday. Storytime? Every Wednesday. This week, the only place she's been besides mass is strapped into a shopping cart at Target for 20 minutes. I nearly passed out from heat exhaustion after playing in the backyard for 30 minutes today. Pregnancy is wearing me down! I guess this is God intended training for the sleep deprivation to come in the next few months. Thank you God for sending me the most adorable child in the world.

And a side note...Good news!! Emily has been receiving occupational therapy 5 times a month, and has caught up to speed and will only need it 3 times a month. YAY!!! Also, I had my last dr. appt with the specialist today, so I'll go to only one appt. a week with my OBGYN. Less things for me to do = happier mom.

UD Graduation

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Wed, 27 May 2009 18:20:00 +0000

This is about the last thing in the world I should be doing right now...but I remembered that there are pictures that I wanted to post! This week is flying by, starting off with a VERY relaxing Memorial Day mostly spent lounging in the pool with the fam. Tonight Lauren is moving home from Dallas after graduating from UD last weekend. You have no idea how excited I am!! On Friday my Mamaw is coming to stay along with my Uncle Doug and his 3 kids (Jacob and Clare were my ring bearer and flower girl). It is such a treat to have Harkins come to SA since we usually can only travel to Mississippi once a year at most. I just wish the whole family could come too! Saturday is my mom's huge 50th birthday extravaganza, called a Cinquentaera meaning "party like you've lived half a century". Lots and lots of planning and work to be done for then...but it's going to be a blast!

Baccalaureate Mass...Lauren's in the front row

Graduation on the mall

Lauren called the week before and said she wasn't graduating because her grades were bad. And she got cum laude. I love the "end of senior year freak out" sessions. To take this picture my Dad pretended to chase Emily all the way in front of everyone. Classic scammer dad.

Awww...

Gotta get a pic with the tower!

Rommies

Even my brother came in from the big apple to celebrate!

Random Pregnancy Thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Fri, 22 May 2009 18:35:00 +0000

#1. I feel so round! I've heard tons of complaining preggo ladies saying "there's just no more room for the baby to grow". Now, I didn't think I'd ever make it to 32 weeks, which means less 2 months left. But, that also means 2 months for this child to get bigger. A few weeks ago he measured almost 4 lbs., so basically the little squish is going to be a lot more squishy than Emily ever was in her life! How on earth is this going to fit?? If I can't breathe or sleep now, I guess God is just preparing me for 2 kids under 2.

#2 Eli has been indulging my nesting impulses patiently, which I have zero physical energy to fulfill. The biggest task has been to rearrange clothes and pack them up for the storage unit to make room for a whole other person to be living in our bedroom along with Emily. Millions of things to do, and we're running out of time. Where the heck is the cradle? How do I find that double stroller which a baby carrier snaps into? Where is the newborn box holding hopefully gender neutral blankets and clothes? Which type of sling is most comfortable for a baby who may spend a good amount of the day with me bending down? I need to order tiny cloth diapers! More importantly I need to take this one day at a time and continue to pray for grace.

#3 I'm worried about scamming Emily. I know it'll be good for her not to be the constant center of attention or to be constantly entertained. The problem boils down to the fact that I'm not really sure what kind or attention this baby will need. If you remember back to the newborn days of Emily, her eating pattern was 15 minutes on, 15 minutes off, 24 hours a day. Praise the Lord that didn't last more than a few months. I already know that this baby will be different...but I guess it'll take actually being with both kiddies to know how to help/enjoy/love/teach both on a daily basis.

(baking a cake for Nana's 50th...very sneaky girl!)

#4 My unfinished sewing and knitting projects are nothing but depressing to me! Off I go to try to make a dent while Emily is still napping...

TGIF! Enjoy your weekend:)

Mother's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Thu, 14 May 2009 16:14:00 +0000

Eli has always been the most thoughtful gift-giver. This year he framed my favorite picture of me and Emily alongside this beautiful poem.

The most important person on earth is a mother.

She cannot claim the honor of having built Notre Dame Cathedral.

She need not.

She has built something more magnificent than any cathedral--

a dwelling for an immortal soul,

the tiny perfection of her baby's body.

The angels have not been blessed with such a grace.

They cannot share in God's creative miracle to bring new saints to Heaven.

Only a human mother can.

Mothers are closer to God the Creator than any other creature;

God joins forces with mothers in performing this act of creation.

What on God's good earth is more glorious than this:

to be a mother.

-Joseph Cardinal Mindszenty

Cheers to all you moms out there:)

April Pics

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Fri, 08 May 2009 18:29:00 +0000

Sorry these pictures are a little old and very out of order...

Playing with cousins at Grandma and Papa's house!

Emily's death stare #1

Emily's death stare #2

Don't they look alike?

Climbing into the fountain

Hejjo turned 3 last month!

Easter Sunglasses shot

5 months later and still obsessed with the baby

Easter mass with the Harkins

Harkins girls

Auntie helping to search for eggs

We usually all cram into the staircase for this picture...but it rained the night before

Hey...I found an egg! Notice adorable wings from Nana and Grandaddy

Italian dinner on the balcony. (note...Annie trying to be cool by holding wine glass. also note Teresa holding the rice crispy eggs she decorated)

A bubble popped right on her face...oops! :)

Dying eggs. yes, I married the one drinking the dye...that explains a lot! :)

Bunny ears!

Family photo

Teresa's 11th birthday barge ride down the SA river

Lunch at Rainforest Cafe (that place is awesome!!!)

Grandaddy sharing his birthday ice cream

For her 11th birthday, Teresa donated 11 inches of hair to Locks of Love!

My Godson Charlie's 4th birthday ride on Brackenridge train

It was hot!

Emily loved it...she was very still the whole time

Other party-goers

Emily insisting on eating yogurt by herself.

Our little climber

Annie's 17th birthday present!

Newest addition to the Fagan clan: Theodore Augustine, born March 17th. He slept through his entire baptism day!

Jumping on the bed with Fagan cousins

Fiesta King William Parade

Classic Emily skeptical face

Eli loooved the parade and took a million pictures...

Daddy holding up Em for a better view

Annie's Junior Prom that night

Grandaddy's company picnic at Battle of Flowers Parade

Melty fudgepop:) She had a death grip on my arm

Battle of Flowers Parade

Feeding the ducks with Lucy at Brackenridge Park

Very courageous ducks...thanks to Emily handing them an entire piece of bread...

To Dallas and Back

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 17:03:00 +0000

Our Dallas trip was just too short! We drove in Thursday night for Eli's conference on Friday and basically still don't understand why Emily cries/whines the whole way. I guess that never stops us though and we try to make her as comfortable as possible! On Friday Emily and I snuck off to meet up with our friends Rebecca and Sophia. Rebecca was looking great, despite being 40 weeks pregnant! The girls had a lot of fun and we were able to just kind of sit back and relax while they played. That evening we had dinner with my sisters Mary Clare and Lauren at my favorite BBQ place...yes, the pregnancy cravings definitely crept in that weekend! Emily had a grand ol time running around the whole restaurant like a chicken with his head cut off. God bless Eli for chasing her, and thanks to the wait staff for humoring us. That night I enjoyed some quiet time in the hotel while Eli went out with some of his coworkers who were also there for the conference.

Reading the extended version of Emily's favorite "The Foot Book"

Obsessed with croissants!

Saturday we headed over to Eli's sister Teresa's house for a beautiful breakfast along with Eli's Aunt Joan and her family. Emily really loves her cousin Aidan, who is almost 1 year old and starting to cruise around the house. He's so funny to watch! After Emily napped at Lauren's, we went to confession at UD to take advantage of the plenary indulgences of Devine Mercy Sunday. Lazy Faire and Mallapalooza were going on too, so we hung around as long as Emily let us and then hit the road back home.

Cuddly girl after a nap

The rest of the week so far has been pretty usual. On Monday I saw my OBGYN who says that only now am I 27 weeks, and that the baby is just measuring a week or two bigger than that. I had a bad experience with the glucose test to test for gestational diabetes and have to go back on Thursday again. The test requires you to fast beforehand, and even though I got to the office early, they were too busy to test me in time for the glucose to take effect, so by the time I left at 3pm I thought I was going to faint and die. Looking back, I shouldn't have driven home, but had a huge binge as soon as I hit the front door. Thank goodness my mom could watch Emily...I think I would have lost it!!!

We tried out the pool yesterday and I'm extremely relieved to say that Emily is officially scared of the water. It was pretty cold, and she didnt want to get in, and she was terrified everytime Eli would go under. This was perfect because she's so fast that I thought she would definitely learn to open the door and run out and jump. So today I'm going out there again...just to sit and relax and have some peace of mind! :)

27 weeks and going strong

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 20:12:00 +0000

Sorry...this apparently didn't post last week like I thought it did...

Well we made it! After seeing the Perinatologist yesterday, I'm 27 weeks pregnant and wont be delivering anytime soon! The doctor did an ultrasound to measure the cervix and there are no signs of oncoming labor. Since I have seen her every month, she'll hopefully be able to tell if there are complications early and administer the steroid shots to strengthen the baby's lungs if need be. Eli is still giving me my progesterone shots weekly (God bless him!!!) and apparently they're working...which is great because those suckers hurt all the way up until the next week's shot. It's kind of cool now knowing exactly what my baby looks like inside, since we saw Emily develop on the outside when she was born at 27 weeks. We still don't know the gender and are keeping the names a secret...but I will say that the names we chose are after great saints! This little squirmy wormy should get nice and fat and stay in the oven until mid July.

Emily is keeping very busy and is ready to go swimming in my parents pool. San Antonio heats up really fast in the summer so I'm trying to keep her entertained outdoors while the weather is still nice. Today we went downtown to mass at St. Joseph's, a beautiful old German church, but it was closed because of carpet installation. Disappointed, we walked down to grab some lunch and take it down to the Alamo where tons of people dressed patriotically for the Tea Party! Emily just sat in her stroller watching all the commotion while I ate my lunch (this is an extreme rarity...she is notorious for leaning so far forward in her stroller that it tips over...like every toddler I'm sure). Afterwards we went to the zoo--it's a fabulous 75 degrees and breezy day--for a few hours. I love our membership pass because I can go once a week until I get too tired, and not feel guilty about never seeing the whole zoo at once.

Eli and I are in the swing of San Antonio life. Eli's job is going great and his calendar is pretty stacked with projects and such. It's so nice to have him come home for lunch and have his help after work!!!! I don't know how we did it back then when he left at 7am and wasn't available until 11 each night because of grad school. Poor guy, but now he's getting in his relaxation time before the new baby comes. I'm feeling a lot better physically than I had been the first 5 months of this pregnancy. Even though I'm much more exhausted and rarely get to sit down, I really feel like God is giving me a lot of grace to stay positive and gracious. I'm able to take Emily to mass everyday and I'm trying to grow deeper in my faith life. Eli and I have joined a church ministry called Covenant of Love, a Catholic marriage enrichment program which focuses on ways to strengthen your relationship with each other and allow your marriage to be more Christ centered. Recently we've been working very hard on our budget for the year so that we can hopefully buy a house by December. We follow Dave Ramsey's total money makeover baby steps, and are almost completely out of debt (from medical bills)!!! We are pretty good savers and always try to keep the virtue of temperance in mind. So keep us in your prayers! And pray that we'll find a house close to where we live now!

Easter was great and I'll be posting about that next along with some pictures. We're headed to Dallas tomorrow for Eli's conference so I'm about 5 loads of laundry behind:) Dying easter eggs

Pooped out after Easter mass

Sleeping with her baby

Wearing the bunny ears from Danze grandparents

Rock-a-bye Baby

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 18:25:00 +0000

I think Emily is ready to be a big sister! She still loves carrying around her baby, and now she pretends to rock her side to side and sings "rock-a-bye baby." It's pretty amazing how many cute ideas she has that she comes up with entirely on her own. We spend the majority of our time at home outside (we missed out on that in our apartment!!). Thank goodness there are such things as swings and sand boxes, but Emily mainly likes to tote around as many different types of balls that she can find. I have to admit, it's pretty hilarious seeing a 2 ft child carrying around a basketball all day! She recently has started to like play dough and bubbles more, which is a great activity for the back porch. We really try to keep her as busy as possible so she'll take better naps--we moved her bedtime to 8pm (from 7) and I'm just desperate for her to learn how to take a nap longer than an hour before the baby arrives! :)
All is well with the pregnancy so far. We had yet another scare last week with a possible bacterial infection that leads very quickly to infecting the amniotic sac, which would cause my water to break suddenly. I have to be very aware of every little change, since we never figured out why my water broke early with Emily. Unfortunately with a whole new set of doctors combined with my medical records from 5 different locations still missing (grrr), it's very difficult to be taken seriously rather than taken for just a crazy worried pregnant lady. Nevertheless I continue to feel the baby kick all the time and am growing quite round, and trying to be more restful! I've started new sewing and knitting projects that hopefully can be completed before the end of the decade.
We've been so lucky to have many visitors to San Antonio! After my family was gone for a week and it rained everyday, Emily and I were having extreme cabin fever. And nothing cheers me up more than old friends from Dallas! Also we met some new families at a UD alumni picnic this past weekend and are excited to hang out with them soon.
And the most exciting news is that I have a new cousin! Theodore Augustine Fagan was born on March 17th, weighing 9 lbs. 5 oz., and is the 32nd Fagan grandchild! He looks just like his brother Colman and so far is eating and sleeping great. I wish I took my camera with me when I went to visit!!
This week we've got the usual bible study, story time and zoo planned, but we're also going to Austin! We've been dying to go for so long but haven't been able to make it work, so we can't wait to see the Danze families:)

Crying over spilled milk

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 15:59:00 +0000

We're having a big problem over here. Now you're going to read this and just laugh, but I am seriously at the end of the rope. Emily throws her food and milk on the floor. We're not talking once a day, or even twice a day, but at least 5-10 times a day. Who cares, right? Just clean up the mess and move on. This is what I've been telling myself every day of this year. I've always embraced suffering as a essential part of daily life that brings me closer to Christ. But I've had enough. I feel like I've tried everything. Timeout 20 times a day. Ignoring her. Raising my voice. Letting her choose when she wants her milk and then taking it right back. Disapproving looks. Making her clean up the mess. Pretending to cry (there may have been real tears!). The list goes on and on. Obviously this child needs nutrition, and I wish I could say that she's spoiled rotten and eats cake and soda all day and that's the cause of the refusal of the healthy food. Obviously this child doesn't want to sit in her highchair, and I wish I could ignore the very strict "eat at the table" rule at this house. Obviously this child doesn't understand the meaning of no or whatever we tell her all day in timeout, and I wish her speech therapist who comes once a week could magically make her comprehend and speak. I need help. I have mopped the floor literally 7000 times in 2 months. Every single sippy cup has broken. I'm too pregnant to do this. If you have any ideas, please post a comment!!! If not...just pray for my sanity:) I'm about to board the crazy-train.

The most beautiful time in San Antonio

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 15:55:00 +0000

Life with a toddler is very entertaining to say the least! Emily has really blossomed in San Antonio and is far from the baby she used to be in Dallas. I think she was putting so much effort into learning how to walk that her verbal and comprehension skills were on hold. Today she can understand a lot of basic commands (drink your milk, sit down, etc.) and selectively ignores others (don't eat dog food, don't climb on the table, etc.). Her vocabulary is starting to form, and she learns about one word a week--pretty darn good for a preemie! Our temporary home is tons bigger than our old tiny apartment and is far from baby-proofed, so she has a lot of fun getting into everything all day long. Unfortunately that means that I rarely sit down, but hopefully Emily will begin to learn a little discipline:) We had our 20 week ultrasound with the perinatologist a few weeks ago and I was amazed at how much this baby was moving. We could barely get any measurements (and I couldnt get any good pics) because for the full 30 minutes he flipped frontwards and backwards. I say "he" in the generic term because we are hoping not to find out the gender. When we finally got a headshot from a birdseye view, we could see his little ears sticking out:) I've started to receive weekly shots of progesterone as a preventative measure against preterm labor. The shots are not a guarantee, but we'll do anything we can to go the full 40 weeks. Please keep us in your prayers! More than ever now I'm starting to feel the "ok-i-think-i'm-in-labor" with back pain and contractions, but after seeing my obgyn yesterday, she assured me that for right now, everything looks fine. I'm trying to take it easy but am finding myself a little crazy at the end of the day if I dont get out of the house. This month has really flown by while we made it our goal to enjoy some of the wonderful things about San Antonio while spring has sprung! Emily and I have been to the zoo a few times with family and with our new friends Nicole and Lucy (10 mo.) Downtown at San Fernando cathedral we had a special blessing by Archbishop Gomez for Emily and the new baby. We've been to Austin a few times to see Eli's family, and they came down to the zoo once too! One weekend we visited Dallas, which just made me really sad that I don't have my friends and 2 sisters nearby anymore. Emily had a lot of fun playing with her baby friends Caroline and Sophia. Here in San Antonio we're trying to meet new people, but I've found that it's a lot harder than I thought. I guess it may be because most 24 year olds are not married with a toddler and pregnant with their 2nd baby. But nevertheless we will continue to thank God a million times a day for His blessings! We'll post pics soon...just put a new album up on facebook!

Austin Fun

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 16:23:00 +0000

As I've mentioned before, Eli is working out of Austin twice a week which is where his family lives. This past week my calendar was clear and Emily and I joined him so that we could see our new niece Adelina Joan. We left Wednesday night for a birthday dinner for Fred, who also departed on a two week cruise with Grandpa to Antartica through a UT Alumni group. Can't wait to see those pictures!

On Thursday Sheri and I watched my nephews for the day so Olivia and Marti could rest and spend some quiet time with Adelina. The day was mostly spent outside where Emily discovered the sandbox and was enthralled forever with digging. I have never seen her stand at one place, doing one task for longer than a minute at a time, so this was weird---aka fabulous--for me to be able to just "sit and watch." She's very much in the testing-mommy-all-day-long-to-see-how-much-I-can-get-away-with phase, leaving me beyond exhausted at 7 when she goes to bed. Hejjo (almost 3) and Felix (16 mo.) play together pretty well doing "boy" things--cars, balls, getting filthy, etc:)--and Emily now carries around a ball or a car all day long. That night we went to see the new baby and she is so beautiful!! I think she looks like Felix as a baby, but she has Olivia's eyes, which makes her look very different from her brothers. Adelina loves to nurse all day and pretty much sleep all night...what a sweetie!

On Friday after the boys came over to play in the morning, we took them to their neighborhood park. It is just perfect for kids their age and we had it all to ourselves when we got there, but in a matter of 30 minutes, it was packed with lots of little kids! Eli went out with his old roommate Cliff that night so I could go to bed early. I think the baby is going through a growth spurt right now because I'm worn out!!

(this is Felix hugging and kissing Emily)

Saturday we met Cliff at Zilker Park and rode the train along Barton Creek! Emily looooved it...just sat quietly and watched for turtles, ducks, and of course people waving. The weather was pretty warm so we let Emily run around for awhile on the playground before we went to a late lunch downtown. Eli's cousin Amy's wedding shower followed with some amazing BBQ from her dad. We took off around 9 for San Antonio's UD Alumni groundhog party, which by the end of the night turned out to be mostly family--always fun!

Sunday was such a beautiful day so we ate lunch out on the balcony and then played for hours. Eli and my dad hung a baby swing for Emily next to the sweetheart swing. Emily played basketball with Aunt Teresa and me while Eli tried to put a baby seat on the back of his bike, but we ran out of time. We went to a family Super Bowl party to cap off a very fun weekend.

Family Updates

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 17:02:00 +0000

Eli loves his new job and comes home in such a great mood everyday. His schedule right now includes working in Austin on Thursdays and Fridays, meaning he'll be able to see his parents every week. Also sometimes Emily and I will be able to join him and stay the day in Austin to hang out with Grandma and cousins. (I'm writing this from Austin today!) He really loves spending time with my dad and working on all his home projects...most recently cleaning out the garage and installing shelving. It's nice to have someone to watch football and drink a beer with every now and then too! (that used to be me, but I'm so worn out on football). One cool thing about his new job is that it's about 2 minutes away, meaning he can wake up later and also come home for lunch.

It didn't take long for Emily to get used to her new home, and now she's by far the happiest she's ever been. My parents' house is one big adventure that needs to be explored, and what better way to explore than by WALKING!! That's right...actual walking. One day Emily went from not take a single step alone, to walking 33 steps for the first time. After that, it took only a few days to make the complete transition to fully walking everywhere she goes. I'm going to miss that cute little crawl she had...but am happy she can walk mostly so I can put her down in public places if need be. Right now molars are cutting, which will make 10 teeth (that's a lot since September when she got her first one!) She loves to listen to music and dance, play outside on the trampoline or swing, open and close cabinets and drawers, and is attached to her baby who she pushes around the house. We have met another little baby named Lucy who is just a doll and is fun for Emily to play with on Tuesdays after bible study. Emily's new physical therapist is so sweet, and at the moment is only concerned with her lack of speech. Recently she's finally be able to comprehend what we're saying and is following directives. Her favorite words are baby, dada, eetie (for sweetie the dog). She also can point to Nana, Grandaddy, Aunt Teresa and Auntie Annie.

I'm feeling really great these days and can feel a little rumbly in my tummy everyday. We had a miscarriage scare in early December, with dilation and heavy contractions, and it was suggested that I go on bed rest until July. I was just torn to pieces and emotional for a long time, but the contractions subsided after a few weeks and I've felt pretty good ever since. I'm about 16 weeks along and have a new high risk OBGYN who I feel comfortable with, and I'm going to see a perinatal specialist soon to determine if I need shots to maintain the pregnancy to 40 weeks. I'm so thankful for my mom and dad and sisters who have really helped me out with watching Emily so I could take it easy. At our next appointment we'll be able to tell the gender of the baby, but I really love surprises, so I think we'll wait until the actual birthday (that is if Eli doesn't go crazy with curiosity beforehand).

Emily has a new girl cousin, Adelina Joan, born to Eli's sister Olivia. She favors her older brother Felix with dark curly hair, and weighs just about the same as he did: 9lbs 9oz. Labor was tough and long, and I was just so worried (my hormones are on overdrive right now). We're so excited to meet her today, especially since this is our first niece!

Prayer Requests:
For my brother-in-law Kyle, as his kidney disease has rapidly progressed and dialysis and transplant are in the near future. (also of course for his wife Teresa!!) Eli's brother Fred and Grandpa are leaving on a 2 week cruise to Antarctica tomorrow. My sister Lauren's theology thesis is due very soon, along with comprehensive exams. Eli's parents are awaiting the arrival of a sibling group for adoption very soon.

Christmas Festivities

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 16:51:00 +0000

By Christmas we were settled and anxious to celebrate, and oh did we celebrate!! We kicked off the season with the annual family Christmas party at my parents house, complete with cookie decorating, moon bouncing, and christmas caroling. Highlights included my dad standing on the coffee table to direct 100+ people in singing the 12 days of Christmas, and a very competitive ping pong match between the Flemings and the Mitts.
The next day was my Dad's birthday, so we followed our tradition of going to confession and mass at St. Joseph's downtown, which was so beautifully decorated. That night Will and Jacquie threw a party for Nona (whose birthday was a few days before) and Dad in their beautiful newly remodeled historical house.
Christmas Eve came next as we celebrated mass at Blessed Sacrament with the Pattersons. Our whole family was complete--Paul came in from New York, Lauren and Mary from Dallas. We ate our traditional buffet meal accompanied with games and our annual viewing of the Muppet Christmas Carol. Readings from the Bible and The Night Before Christmas followed by singing under the tree ended the night for a long winter's sleep.
Christmas morning was so fun!! Emily (after having a hard week trying to adjust to her new world) was happy practically the whole day and was thrilled about her new pooh bear bike. Later on in the afternoon my mom's side of the family came over to visit. At the end of the night we had a Wii Fit Tournament going with about 15 people. We were all exhausted by that point and I can remember my mom saying "let's have a wii clean up tournament".
Early the next morning we drove to Austin to be with the Danzes and McConnells and had a really great day with a beautiful brunch. The weather was perfect so the kids could play outside while we sat on the porch to chat. In lieu of a present exchange, we read scripture and exchanged keys with personal reflections of how to maintain Christ's presence in our daily lives. Later on we played a traditional boys vs. girls Taboo game and watched football. The following day Eli and I met his parents out at the Rock (family ranch). Emily really enjoys feeding the donkeys and cows and Eli loves to beat Fred at darts. In the morning we went to mass in Fredricksburg after a mini fiasco with the carseat. We couldn't get the straps assembled correctly since we washed the cover because Emily and I got sick in the car. After we took the family out to breakfast, we headed back to San Antonio.

Our Christmas outing with Nona to the musical The Christmas Carol was that afternoon. The performance was at San Pedro Playhouse, and it was really well done. The costumes and set were fabulous! (as well as the actors!) We went over to Nona's for ice cream with the Brian-Fagans so Emily could play with Caroline and Natalie.
Over New Years I took a trip alone--first time in nearly 2 years not to sleep right next to Emily--to go visit my friend Karen in Chicago. We had such a great time together. On New Year's Eve we went to a really cool jazz bar in the Lincoln Park Zoo area with some friends of hers. The next day we went downtown to the Water Tower for lunch and shopping and John Hancock and saw where she works, which is next door to the Sears Tower. We of course had some Chicago-style deep dish pizza...delicious!! Wicker Park is the area where she lives--the up and coming, trendy and young part of the city with lots of cool shops, restaurants and bars. The weather was pretty chilly with snow on the ground, but no new snow while I was there. I had a short trip and came back to Eli and Emily with a bad case of the flu and just felt horrible about leaving them! (although they were just fine without me! :)

For Epiphany we started a new tradition (in case you haven't noticed, my family loves traditions!). There is an old Irish tradition which honors the women of the family on Epiphany--a mother's day of sorts. So all the females of the family (about 16 in town) were invited to Tia's house for a special dinner and blessing of her house.
Soon afterwards we said good bye to my siblings from out of town and were sad to take down the Christmas tree and decorations. Before it was all over, Eli and I had a nice date on the riverwalk to see the lights downtown.

Our Move to San Antonio

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 16:47:00 +0000

Well it's about time I posted something about the past two months! I've had some technological and camera issues, but so much has happened lately that I have to write now and attach photos later.
The move to San Antonio went great, especially since we had movers to carry out everything downstairs and pack it into the truck. We started at 8am with high energy and a little girl on a sugar high from a poorly made decision by mom to give her donut holes. I think I was pretty overwhelmed at the last moment since we changed the move date a full month ahead of schedule. Plus morning sickness and fatigue took over my ability to think straight and plan ahead to have healthy food ready for Emily! We couldn't have gotten everything packed without the help of our dear friends who we miss so much--Anne, Melanie, Brooke, David and Nichole. Thank goodness Lauren came by the morning of the move to distract Emily, who was confined to the kitchen with me as I deep cleaned the white cabinets and appliances. (I will never ever ever want a white kitchen after cleaning that one!) By 4pm our home filled with 2 years of great memories was empty and sad looking, so we turned in our keys and hit the road. As we drove away Dallas' skyline filled our rear view mirror, and for once it felt just perfect. We had a golden moment that night: the peace of mind that we made a great choice. We have a lot to look forward to in San Antonio, including living close to family, a new career for Eli, a new baby to bring joy to our lives, and a new home in which we will make new memories with our children.

November News

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 14:02:00 +0000

Well I'm back after temporarily falling off the face of the planet. Since Emily's surgery, Eli and I have barely had a chance to stop and catch our breath! There are so many updates in our family...so here we go!

The most exciting news is that we're expecting another baby! After a scary 3 month preterm labor and a difficult 6 month recovery, Eli and I were told that we probably wouldn't be having kids for awhile, which is always disheartening. So by the grace of God I'm carrying a kidney bean sized baby due on July 18th. I have a feeling it's a boy because I am just sick as a dog everyday. We had our first ultrasound and everything looks good...and we're hoping to go past 6 months this time around!

Emily is doing very well as always. The scar on her arm is healing nicely, but her hand is pretty infected. We've been keeping it wrapped and it looks like it's starting to heal. We also had the formal physical therapy assessment to figure out if Emily still needs services each week. A team came out to our house for a few hours and ran a battery of tests to assess her skill levels, and socially, cognitively, and emotionally she's caught up to a 15 month level. Language and motor skills are still delayed, but the possibility of cerebral palsy has been dismissed...yay! She can almost walk and I predict that she may be saving it for a christmas present:) She weighs 17lbs and measures 28" (which puts her on the chart at 5% for height for the first time!!)

Eli graduated with his MBA this past weekend. We are so proud of him! We've spent a lot of time with his family lately--a few days after visiting the Harkins for Thanksgiving, Philip's 50th, and the Lemieux's Christmas Party.

And lastly, we're moving to San Antonio on Saturday. Eli's job is set up, we've got a place to stay, and now we're just trying to get there. As you can imagine, packing has been a lot more difficult with our little helper and her obsession with unpacking. She'll definitely come in handy later on! Also this darn morning--more like evening--sickness has left me pretty much unable to help after 7pm (which is really when it all gets started!), so Eli can take credit for most of the work! We are just about drowning here trying to get everything done in the next 3 days...but it will get done and soon we'll be enjoying the Christmas season without a care in the world!!

Getting Back to Normal

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:24:00 +0000

After a bit of chaos, routines are beginning to fall back into place. Tons of progress has been made and today you'd really never know that Emily had surgery just days ago. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday she just really wanted to be held and loved, and she wasn't her usual cheerful self. On Sunday she started eating like a horse, was sleeping more through the night, and was wrecking havoc on the apartment...the calmness was nice while it lasted! Here are some pictures from the hospital and what her arm looks like today.

Showing off her ankle bracelet

Getting woozy

Being rolled away

In a lot of pain

The wound with dissolvable stitches. It should lay flat in a month.

Saturday was wonderful. This is the first Saturday in what feels like a million years that Eli has been in his pjs at the breakfast table. Let me tell you...this was so weird!! He turned in his final capstone project this week, which made him FINISHED WITH HIS MBA. I admire all those wives out there with children whose husbands are in school full time and work full time. Eli and I have learned to make the most of the 15 minutes a day we spend together. Now we'll have to readjust to being together more often--although Eli's anxious to start a new project now. (we'll see how long that lasts! heehee)

Our friends Katy and Justin had a fall party during the day, which was perfect for Emily (although she was still a little cranky). We were able to see a lot of good friends and their babies, and maybe even for the last time. Our little nephew Aidan was the star of the show with his sitting up and crawling abilities...I love him!

That night we went downtown to a great tapas restaurant for the Capstone Party. I was finally able to meet Eli's client--and new employer in San Antonio!!--and the rest of his class. We had a blast and were exhausted at the end of the night...thanks to Elizabeth for babysitting!

Sunday we met Eli's parents and sister's family for mass and pancakes. Sheri stayed with us until yesterday helping to get things back in order. I have been beyond exhausted lately with Emily waking up 10 times every night and got really behind on laundry, cooking and cleaning. We have 3 weeks left until we move to San Antonio, so Sheri watched Emily while I was on the phone finding new doctors, transferring medical files, interviewing moving companies, etc. etc....Moving is such a pain.

Look at that skinny little arm!

Here are some pictures from earlier last week with Sophia. We went to a great play area with a bunch of foam climbing things...the girls had so much fun!

They loved crawling through the "tree trunk"

And got stuck too. :)

Successful Surgery

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 22:56:00 +0000

I'm happy to report that Emily's surgery went well and she is already recovering quickly. We left the house by 8 and started pre-op by 9. This was a pretty intensive interview of her past heath history, including her 3 month NICU stay and heart surgery information. All of yesterday was spent scrambling to get faxes from her cardiologist and pediatrician to get clearance for surgery (including Eli at Kinkos at 10pm). I was a little nervous because in the past few weeks she has had an ear infection, strep throat, a sinus infection, and an awful stomach bug, thus meaning clearance for surgery was in jeopardy.

We proceeded to pre-surgery to talk to all the doctors, nurses, and anesthesiologists, and sign all the wavers. This was at about 10am and the melt down began (starvation plus missed nap = unhappy baby). Luckily she was given the first round of anesthesia, meaning that within 20 minutes she was groggy and literally falling out of my arms. Eli and I got a kick out of her hospital pjs, because one pant leg alone was about the size of her whole body (see picture above). I really enjoyed spending this time with her because she was calm and let me hold her. Then when she was almost asleep, the nurses wheeled her into surgery, leaving Eli and I behind. (yes, I was an emotional wreck...her eyes just looked so sad and she was trying reach for us and climb out of the rolling crib)

Surgery began around 10:45, and we went out to the waiting room to find Eli's Aunt Joan waiting for us. It was SO sweet of her to come and help us get our mind off of things. We oftentimes feel very alone in Dallas without much family here, and I can't tell you how much it meant to us to know that we had support. Our dear friends Anne and Rebecca, who work at Childrens, came to be with us too. The doctor came out around at 11:45 and told us that things went very well. The large hemangioma on the left arm was fully removed and was stitched up like a drawstring purse. In other words, the skin wont actually lay flat for a month or so, and the middle section of the scar will be red. This is mainly because there wasn't enough skin to cover the lesion without doing a skin graft. The small hemangioma on her right hand was lasered and will eventually loose color and lay flat in about 5 years.

From there I went to Post-Anesthesia Recovery and Eli had to wait outside. As soon as they opened the door I could hear Emily screaming. I was so frantic that I was practically sprinting through the eternally long room, passing at least 15 patients, hoping each one was her. When I finally saw her, she was sitting in a nurse's lap trying to claw her to death. That poor woman!!! She calmed down when we got her some apple juice and took off some of the monitors. Still really groggy and confused, she was lashing and screaming at anyone who tried to touch her. Before we could proceed, we had to call the doctor to re-bandage her arm because she lost circulation in her tiny purple hand.

After about 4 bottles, Emily was moved to Recovery. This was kind of hard for me because Emily was visibly in so much pain, but at least Eli was there with me. We opted out of the intense pain killers because studies have shown that Tylenol creates less side effects and she wouldn't be able to sleep if she took the narcotics. After an hour or so, we realized that she hadn't been given any Tylenol, and soon thereafter she began to feel better. At around 2:00 Emily was discharged and had the biggest smile on her face when we walked out the doors to the main hospital.

At home we spent the rest of the day with more apple juice and changing diapers. The swelling went down in a few hours, and she got her energy back for a little while in order to rip off the bandaids from the IVs and unravel the ace bandage. What did they expect? Toddlers are curious! After a long and stressful day, Emily went to bed early and we haven't heard a peep from her since.

Eli and I would like to send out a warm thank you to everyone who called, texted, emailed, or facebooked us to tell us they were praying for Emily. This surgery was especially taxing on our emotions because it reopened the wounds from her heart surgery a year ago. Back then we were numb to say the least. We were nothing but robots, going in the motions of being new parents in pain and confusion. It is now that we recognize and process the risks and worries of surgery on a small child. We literally could not do it without the constant love, support and prayers of those who truly care about Emily. I have said this many times before, and I will say it many times more: Emily is the best example I know of the virtues fortitude and perseverance, and we all could learn so much from following her lead. She is the most beautiful child of God!!

24 Hours to Go

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 14:00:00 +0000

Tomorrow is surgery day.

I think Emily can tell something is up...she refuses to leave my lap.

I'm so nervous I can barely function. How am I going to be tomorrow morning when Emily is screaming out of starvation?? I just don't know why they make little babies fast. She won't understand, and still very often wakes up in the middle of the night to eat. People who have been around Emily know that her metabolism is insane...I literally spend the entire day trying to figure out what to feed her next. Her breakfast is usually eggs, toast, oatmeal, a piece of fruit, and 6oz of milk. That tides her over for about 2 hours. This kid should be obese...not 16 lbs!!

When she had heart surgery, it took her an entire week to come out of the anesthesia. Granted she was 2 lbs, but still. What if she reacts to the medicines like the tons of others she has been given in the past? I know she will be well cared for, but I don't like the thought of her in any more pain than necessary.

Why am I so stressed about this?! This is a minor, 30 minute surgery at one of the best hospitals in the nation. Was I acting like a lunatic when Emily needed her heart operated on to actually save her life? No. At least I don't think so.

This is one of those times when things are out of my control and I need to let God take over. Easier said than done! Please say some extra prayers for us today and tomorrow, especially at 11am. We'll post updates soon.

As for now...we're off to mass.