7 Quick Takes {no. 38}New Mom edition & a GIVEAWAY!

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Well, friends, it's my first seven quick takes as a new momma. You can count on some updates, some pictures of my sweet boy, and a little giveaway of this print at the end.

Thank you so much for being here as I try to get back into the swing of blogging a bit more regularly. I really miss this community!

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First of all: I am soooo far behind on all my blog reading. What are the best posts you've read lately? What have I missed from you? Fill me in!

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In case you missed it, I shared Peter's birth story on the blog earlier this week. Though it admittedly took me several days and many nap times to finish, I really enjoyed writing it all out to commemorate this most momentous occasion in our lives.

For those of you who read about and are praying for our boy's ASD - thank you. We received good news at his checkup yesterday! The hole is now half the size it was at birth, and the doctor anticipates it may close completely on its own. Either way, he should be able to live a healthy life. So many answered prayers! Please join us in praising God for his goodness and in praying for his heart's complete healing. We appreciate it more than I can say.

{4}

Life as a mom is...well...so hard to put into words. It's truly something that no one can prepare you to experience. All at once it is the hardest thing I've ever done and the most wonderful. Those first few weeks were brutal. Especially the sleep deprivation combined with postpartum hormones combined with the steep learning curve of first-time parenthood. YIKES. Eight weeks in I feel like things are finally starting to even out a little bit. The warm spring weather is a welcome change, too. I find it's always nice to get outside, even just for a bit.

I can hardly believe just how fast Peter is growing and changing. Case in point:

4 days old.

1 month old.

Just shy of 2 months old.

Ahh! It's already going by too quickly. My prayer is that I am able to be really present and savor every second. Goodness, do I love that boy.

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Amidst all the craziness of life as a new mom, I did manage to put together a little celebration for the feast day of one of my favorite saints, St. Gianna Beretta Molla. You may have seen on instagram that we celebrated with an Italian dinner & dessert, which included bruschetta, spaghetti & meatballs, the best cannolis, and gelato. Yum! 

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And speaking of liturgical celebrations - happy Easter! So glad the Easter season is still going strong so I can say that to you all without being completely belated. Peter's first Easter was a special day. We dressed him up in his Sunday best, and he slept like a little angel through the Easter Mass. 

Once we got home from Mass he was ready to eat (as pictured below), and also promptly had a blowout and spit up all over his Easter outfit. At least he waited for us to take some pictures!

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Last, but certainly not least - a little Mother's Day giveaway for you!

I am giving away a "Blessed is she who believed" downloadable printable in the color of your choosing {available in pink, eggplant, crimson or black} from my etsy shop, {with joy calligraphy}. This 8x10" printable would make a lovely gift for the special mother(s) in your life {think: mom, grandma, mother-in-law, godmother, one for you, etc.!}. Download may be printed up to three times. This giveaway is open through the end of Thursday, May 7, 2015 and the winner will be announced and receive their prize on Friday, May 8, 2015. Good luck, dear readers!!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Linking up my takes with many more lovely bloggers! Thanks for hosting us, Kelly.

And thanks again for being here. Wishing you a beautiful May weekend!

{bloglovin} {instagram} {twitter} {pinterest} {etsy}

St. Gianna Novena {Day 1}& What I Wore Easter Sunday

Happy Easter! I hope this finds you filled with the joy of our risen Lord.

As you may have read, for the next nine days {April 20-28}, we will be praying a novena to ask St. Gianna Beretta Molla, patron saint of mothers, unborn children, and physicians, to pray for us. We will finish the novena on St. Gianna's feast day, Monday, April 28th. {As I mentioned in Thursday's post: For any non-Catholic readers out there, as Catholics we believe in the Communion of Saints. We ask the saints to pray for us and with us, just as you might ask your mom or your brother to pray for you and with you. For a more in-depth understanding, you could read this great post.}

Tomorrow and each day this week I'll share a little about the life of St. Gianna Beretta Molla. But today I wanted to share a little about novenas. While I have prayed novenas before (though only in recent years), I realized that I didn't know the history of them until I looked it up for this post!

First of all, what is a novena? Here's a good answer I found:

Either as a public or personal observance, a novena involves nine days of hopeful anticipation of an answer for the petition or intention for which prayers are being offered. Often a sense of urgency and earnestness accompanies these times. They are also a wonderful witness to a belief in the power of prayer and the dynamic role of genuine faith.When we pray a Novena, we either pray the same prayer for all nine days or follow a list of prayers to be prayed for each day. Every novena is a bit different in the intention, formation of prayers and practice. {source}

And why nine days? This comes from the nine days Mary and the Apostles waited after the ascension before the descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, in which God's promise to his people was fulfilled.

The heart of any Novena is the same as the first one, called by our Lord Himself. "He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father." (Acts 1:4)

[...] Whenever we undertake a novena of prayer, we are declaring that same supreme desire to wait for the promise, persevering with confidence until the end. {source}

Pretty cool!

I invite you to share any personal intentions you have for this novena in the comments. In addition to your intentions, today I'd like to pray for all the men, women & children who joined our Church last night at the Easter Vigil...that they - and all of us - would be inspired by the saints to live lives of great virtue.

Please pray with me:

God, our Father, You have granted to Your church the gift of Gianna Beretta Molla. In her youth she lovingly sought You and drew other young people to You, involving them, through apostolic witness and Catholic Action, in the care of the sick and aged, to help and comfort them.

We thank You for the gift of this young woman, so deeply committed to You. Through her example grant us the grace to consecrate our lives to Your service, for the joy of our brothers and sisters. 

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. 

Jesus, Redeemer of mankind, You called Saint Gianna to exercise the medical profession as a mission for the comfort of bodies and souls. In her suffering fellow men and in the little ones, deprived of all support, she saw You. 

We thank You for having revealed Yourself to this servant as “one who serves” and who soothes the sufferings of men. Treasuring her example may we become generous Christians at the service of our brothers and sisters, especially those with whom You deign to share Your Cross.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. 

God, Sanctifying Spirit, who love the Church as Your Bride, You poured into the heart of Saint Gianna a share of Your Love so that she could radiate it in her family, and thus cooperate with You in the wonderful plan of creation, and give life to new children who could know and love You.
We thank You for this model wife and, through her encouraging witness, we beg You to grant to our families the serene and Christian presence of mothers committed to transform their homes into cenacles of faith and love, rich with generous activity and sanctifying service.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. 

O God, Creator and lover of mankind, You were close to Saint Gianna when, affected by illness, she was in the painful dilemma of choosing between her own life and the life of the child whom she was carrying in herself, a gift long-awaited. Trusting You alone, and aware of Your Commandment to respect human life, Gianna found the courage to do her duty as a mother and to say “yes” to the new life of her baby, generously sacrificing her own. Through the intercession of Mary, Mother of Jesus, and after the example of Gianna, inspire all mothers to welcome with love the sparkle of new life. Grant us the grace we are praying for {say your intentions} and the joy to find an inspiration in Saint Gianna who, as a model spouse and mother, after the example of Christ, gave up her life for the life of others. 

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

{novena source}

•     •     •

Thanks so much for joining me in prayer.

And! Linking up with the lovely ladies at Fine Linen & Purple for What I Wore Easter Sunday.

{the most full-length picture we had taken today}

Me:

{cardigan} loft 

{camisole} loft 

{skirt - not really pictured} sara benjamin's (a shop in my hometown)

{shoes - not pictured} the toms i wore on my wedding day

{earrings} pearls, a wedding gift from my parents

{necklace} purchased at the Vatican when studying abroad

Michael:

{suit} men's wearhouse

{shirt} eddie bauer

{tie} banana republic outlet

The picture was taken after we enjoyed a beautiful morning Mass with my parents and some dear family friends who were in town. What a blessing it was to have them here this weekend! 

One more picture...our church this morning. I just love all the Easter flowers.

Alleluia! 

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He is Risen! Alleluia!

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!

By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope

through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,

who are being protected by the power of God through faith

for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials,

so that the genuineness of your faith -

being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire -

may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now,

you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy,

for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

{1 Peter 1:3-9}

After a challenging Lenten season which included carrying my own cross, I am so thankful for the resurrection of our Lord Jesus! This beautiful scripture from 1 Peter really touched my heart. There can be no resurrection without suffering...it is the way to salvation...and when we believe in Jesus, our Messiah, we can experience that "indescribable and glorious joy." Oh, how I long to experience that joy more fully each day. How I pray for each of us to experience the gift of His joy...

Wishing you and yours a blessed Easter season -

Alleluia!

{psalm 1 series}

Stop back later day to join me in praying a novena! You can sign up to receive {in endless song} blog posts via e-mail (see the sidebar), subscribe via bloglovin', or follow me on twitter or instagram.

{p,h,f,r}, holy week & an invitation

This week I have taken note of the pretty, happy, funny & real goings on in my life.

Linking up at Like Mother, Like Daughter.

{pretty}

Isn't this tulip beautiful? These vibrant purple tulips I received were a welcome sight to my eyes as I spent time inside resting. They are just so joyful!

{happy}

There's something so friendly about daffodils, don't you think? We had a few mornings filled with sunshine this week (before a dusting of snow, but let's not talk about that). Being outside with the warmth of the sun on my back...breathing the fresh air...blessings.

{funny}

{These snapdragons have nothing to do with my funny story. But I like them.}

Michael and I went to confession at our church on Monday evening. After praying for a while, I went into the confessional (the door was open & the light was on inside). I closed the door behind me, knelt down in front of the screen and went through my entire confession. After I confessed my sins, I waited for the priest to say something...but...silence. Maybe he was thinking about what I said? More silence. "Hello?" I said. Nope. Nothing. I had just confessed to an empty room! Oh goodness, it was funny. A little practice round for me! Ha!

May I just say something, though: I am so grateful for the gift of this sacrament. I never went to confession very often growing up, but Michael helped encourage me to go again in recent years, and while I'm always a little nervous beforehand, nothing compares with the peace of God's mercy and forgiveness. I found this blog post on Confession to be accessible and helpful.

{real}

And just like that it's Holy Thursday. In some ways this Lent seems to have been difficult and long, and in some ways it seems to have quickly passed. The past month has been quite a blur. I am thankful for these upcoming holy days, and in a special way today, for the great gift of the Eucharist. There is nothing like the healing power of Jesus. I was especially grateful to receive on Palm Sunday after being physically unable for a few weeks. Thank you so much for your prayers!

And now, I have an invitation for you!

I wanted to invite each of you to pray with me. From April 20-28, I will be praying a novena to ask St. Gianna, patron saint of mothers and unborn children, to pray for us. For any non-Catholic readers out there, as Catholics we believe in the Communion of Saints. We ask the saints to pray for us and with us, just as you might ask your mom or your brother to pray for you and with you. Whether you are Catholic or not, for a more in-depth understanding, I recommend reading this great post.

While I have gotten to know more about St. Gianna's beautiful witness since my miscarriage, I think we can all relate to her and learn from her life. I'll be posting the novena prayers here daily along with some other posts. I hope you'll join me in prayer, and please invite your friends to join us, too! We will start the novena on Sunday so we can finish on St. Gianna's feast day, Monday, April 28.

As always, thanks for being here. Have a blessed weekend!

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{Wedding Mass picture in Holy Thursday graphic by A Thousand Words Photography. Graphic design by me.}