My Soul Rejoices In My God

My soul rejoices in my God and my heart sings songs of gratitude to Him, Who Loves me with an everlasting Love and has given me the Gift of everlasting Life! I feel very blessed during this beautiful Christmas season especially, to have just celebrated the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

I also feel especially blessed to feel so close to Our Blessed Mother Mary, during my pregnancy with my second daughter! God has chosen me to be the mother of two, beautiful little girls, His precious children... and this is a great Blessing in deed. I pray with an open heart full of gratitude and Love to our God for the continued Grace to continue to grow closer to Him in this sacred journey through my pregnancy, as I continue to grow closer my daughter in my womb. As I grow closer to my daughter in my womb, I am ever aware of how much closer I grow to my daughter Audrey.

From the moment I found out the Good News that I was with child again, my heart felt immediately blessed by God and opened up even more, overflowing with even more Love for my daughter Audrey and now my second daughter! The miracle of Love creates more miracles of Love!

Life itself, is a beautiful and sacred Gift and Miracle from our God Who Loves us dearly and truly wants us to live joyful, healthy, meaningful and purposeful lives! We find our Joy and health and meaning and purpose for our lives when we find God, (whether it be for the 100th time or the very first), and when we find, discover, that we are His beloved children, Loved deeply by Him, created to Love and serve Him and live our lives for and in Him! I pray that my life and the lives of my precious daughters will continue to become lives that glorify God in all ways!

All praise, glory, honor and thanksgiving be His! For He is my Loving God... and my soul will forever rejoice in Him!

Praying your day is filled with His JOY and blessed in every way! :)

Daughters of My Heart!

My daughter, Audrey, is just so sweet. She is so kind, so helpful, so loving and giving... and Loves her little, Baby Sister, growing in my womb very much! She is always thinking of her, talking about her and even singing to her... "Hush, Lil' Baby... Mama, (and then she finishes the rest of the song in her own, sweet unique language!).

For a while now she has been pointing to my belly when someone says the word, "Baby," although, recently, she has been pointing to my heart! This morning when she did that, while we were talking about the Baby... I realized that God was showing me something very profound, through, her cute, little actions.

My Baby Girl is, "The Daughter of my Heart," as is Audrey! And although, she is nestled and growing safely in my womb, she is also very much a part of my heart... where my Love and prayers dwell for her... and God's Love radiates and glows and keeps her! :)

Just something special that I felt like sharing! I believe that we are also "The Children of God's unconditionally Loving Heart!" I believe that is where we were first conceived, in God's great, big, beautiful Heart of Love... and He continues to hold us there in His great Care always!

Wishing you a special day filled with the awe and wonder of God's great Love for us all! :)

Thank You, God, For Answered Prayers

Once again, with a heart filled with thanksgiving... I lift up my heart to God and give Him all the glory He deserves... and thank Him, endlessly for hearing and answering my prayers and the prayers of so many others, who have keep me and my Baby Girl in my womb uplifted to God.

I underwent my surgery on my cervix yesterday afternoon, at 5:30 PM, to ensure a safer and more secure pregnancy and full term delivery for my precious, little one and it went awesome! We came through with flying colors... thanks be to God! :)

I am very thankful to God also, that out of all days for me to have this surgery to ensure a safer and more secure pregnancy and full term delivery for me precious daughter, in my womb, that of all days, He would choose to have it performed on the blessed Feast of The Immaculate Conception! God's wisdom is divine and He does nothing by chance... and I most especially felt the Loving and protective prayers and Presence of our Blessed Mother with us, through the entire day yesterday!

My precious, daughter, Audrey is so sweet and she loves to put her hands together in prayer position and pray! She let me know yesterday, that she was continuing to pray for "Mama," and "Baby," as she has been all along... and I knew that God would especially listen to her prayers... for He hears all of our prayers, though, I believe, most especially the sweet prayers of His precious, little ones! :)

She was so happy to see me last night, when I returned from my surgery. She was sleeping, though, then woke up... and praised and thanked God with me, also thanking our Blessed Mother for Her special prayers! She jumped up and down in her crib for Joy and smiled and clapped her hands. :)


I really did believe that everything was going to work out great for me and my Baby girl with my surgery yesterday. I prayed very much to God about it, and this special prayer from Sacred Scripture gave me great confidence and Hope in God's unfailing Love for His children and His desire to hear and answer our prayers that align with His Good and perfect will for our lives... and bless us with Goodness and Love! The Sacred Scripture verse that I continued to pray, hoping to have a sucsessful outcome with my surgery was this:


"Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the Peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus!" Philippians 4:6-7

Though, I did not only pray for my own needs and the needs of my Baby and family, but especially for my doctor performing my surgery and all he nurses helping out with it, that The Holy Spirit would assist and guide him to do a successful surgery and that God would bless each and every one of them and their families, with His true Presence of Love... and that He would truly make Himself known to them and their families this Christmas in a very powerful and real way. And that He would bless them for choosing such nobel and needed professions, to help God's people and help save lives... when people are most in need! That was my prayer as I drifted off to surgery, having to go under full anesthesia, (though, still light enough, that they felt it wouldn't harm my Baby in any way).

My doctor had originally had wanted me to only be put to sleep part way, receiving a spinal injection, though, we discovered just before my surgery that I had a fever of 100 degrees, (that I had been unaware of), and they did not want to risk the possible infection I might get in my spine because of that, (including possibly getting spinal meningitis). I believe that my heart most likely kept praying while I was under the and the anesthesia, surgery was being performed... and then, in what seemed like only a matter of moments... I was awake` again. I opened my eyes, with my doctor right by my side, leaning over me... as he smiled and said, "Thank God, everything went great!" :) I continued to thank God, in deed... and will continue to endlessly for hearing my prayers and the prayers of so many kind others! :)

This whole process of finding out that I have a very high risk pregnancy and also the fact that was doctor was very concerned that if he didn't intervene with performing this surgery, that also their were risks involved with it, that my Baby might not survive. Having to go through a relatively minor, surgery, (though, with any surgery there are always risks involved and can be complications), and having to be on bed rest for the rest of my pregnancy is really not even a sacrifice, (as some might see it), but, rather, an an action and gift of unconditional Love that I gladly give my daughter, (with no if's ands's or but's about it!). For this is such a small thing, when I think about the miracle of her life that with God's Grace, I am helping to save... and all the endless Blessings that I know she is going to bring into this world and will continue to throughout her entire life time! She already is such a precious, Blessing to me and my family... and I just know she will only continue to bring us so many more when she is finally born! Again, I praise and thank God for His endless Love and for hearing and answering all of our prayers!!! :)

I would like to thank everyone one who has been keeping me, my sweet Baby Girl and my family uplifted in your prayers to God and I continue to pray that God will continue to bless you and your family in abundant ways, especially through this beautiful Advent Season, and most especially at Christmas!

Jesus Christ is with us... and Loves us all, more than we may ever know!

Wishing you all a very blessed day! :)

The Immaculate Conception

Today is the special Feast of The Immaculate Conception of our Blessed Mother Mary, (one of my most favorite Feast days!). It's also the day that I am scheduled to have my surgery performed on my cervix to hopefully ensure a healthier and safer pregnancy and full term delivery for my sweet, Baby Girl. Although, it was the doctor that picked to have my surgery on this day, I truly believe that God intervened.

I find great comfort in knowing that Our Blessed Mother will be praying for me and my Baby Girl, especially on this day and as I undergo my surgery... as I unite myself with Her Immaculate Heart, I feel the safety and comfort of Her Mantle of Motherly Love and Protection around me and my Little One! And I am, also very grateful for all the many prayers people have lifted up for us and are continuing to.

I look forward with great Hope of all the Joyful Blessings and Miracles to come this Christmas for us all! :) Our Blessed Mother is praying for us all, with a Heart full of Love!

Thanking God For A Miracle of HOPE!

With a heart of thanksgiving, I give all glory to God for the most beautiful miracle of HOPE at today's doctor visit with my specialist. I had several long, ultra-sounds both, regular and 3-D and it was just amazing... as they always are. The deep connection that I felt with my precious daughter, ever so gracefully moving about in my womb was out of this world, truly divine... (to say the least). My heart was touched and blessed so deeply, I was moved to tears... and I felt such HOPE, even though, we found out that my cervix has unfortunately continued to open prematurely, (funneled), more and so I have chosen to take my doctor's advice and have a surgery done on my cervix on Thursday where he will put a stitch in it to hopefully prevent it from opening any more. There is risk that comes along with having this surgery, though the benefit of it outweighs the risk.

Just now, joyful Audrey, all smiles... walked through the door with her, "Papa," with the biggest smile on her face and a beautiful bouquet of fresh flowers that she just handed me! What a double blessing of Hope and Love! I praise God for His Goodness... and continue to give Him ALL the glory He so deserves! :)

I cannot begin to say enough, what a true miracle it was today to see my beautiful daughter in my womb, doing so well and with such a strong, healthy heart beat! At one point she even waved at me with her little hand and opened her beautiful eye. She is so precious... and all I wanted to do was just hold her in my arms! I'll have to wait another four and a half months for that, though, for now, the Gift of Love and Hope that I received today is enough to give me that extra shot of HOPE I needed to know that as high risk as my pregnancy is... that still I know and believe and trust in God... that my sweet daughter is going to be OK, much more than just OK... but is being protected safely in my womb, with God's Presence of Love and Grace!

I remember now... more than ever... "Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the Peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus!" Philippians 4:6-7

Thank you, very much, for your prayers for me, my little Baby Girl and my family and please be assured of mine for you and your family!

God is truly with us... He LOVES us dearly, and there are so many more, special blessings to come to us all throughout this Advent and Christmas season of Light, Love, Hope & Peace! :)

She's Like A Rose Blooming In My Womb

When I was pregnant with my daughter, Audrey, one of the ways I liked to think of her and describe her was like, "a beautiful rose growing and blooming in my womb." That image is so beautiful to me, when thinking of my precious, little daughter, God's daughter too... so pure and lovely, untouched and unstained by anything other than God's pure Love & Grace, Joy & Peace! She's a real princess, already, a daughter of Our Heavenly Father and King... and like I have told my daughter, Audrey, since she was growing in my womb, I tell this sweet child of mine, now growing in my womb the same... for I always want her to know her true identity, her true worth, and from the glorious place from which she comes... God and Heaven and true Love!

I have a great dream in my heart to raise my precious daughters to grow up to truly become the most beautiful, blessed and grace-filled women that God has created them to be. I want them to always, always, always to remember... no matter what age they might be or what their circumstances are in life... that they are beyond a shadow of a doubt, Loved with an everlasting Love by God, our Heavenly Father and that there is nothing that they could ever do in this world that can take that very awesome Gift of Love that He has given them away... nor is there anything in this entire world that they could ever do to separate them from God's great, unfailing Love for them! This is one of the most priceless Gifts that my dear mother gave to me, as a young girl and that is why I am so grateful to be able to pass this Gift along to my own daughters as well, as I always dreamed I would do! :)

We are living in a world, that, although, has come a long way as to how women are treated with more dignity and respect, still, as I see it has a long way to go... to get to a place where we as parents can feel completely comfortable raising our children, and especially our daughters in a world and society where we need worry little, if not at all about our daughters becoming prey of the media especially that is so saturated with impurity, immorality, that most especially is one of the biggest culprits and attackers of a woman's self worth and dignity.

A parent can feel helpless in the sea of all of this... feeling like how will I ever be able to prevent and save my daughter from not being led astray, or even worse, "to the slaughter," if you will by MTV, and pop music stars who's impure and anti-Christian messages and personalities seem to carry so much weight, especially with our youth.

I admit that I even felt a bit overwhelmed by this while I was pregnant with Audrey, asking God, "How will I ever protect her from all the impurity in this world and keep this beautiful, little, pure rose and daughter of yours and mine safe and pure and on your path of holiness and truth?"

God answered my prayers, and gave me Hope and let me know that with my prayers and Love for my daughter, as I raised her to Love God with all her heart, soul and mind and Love her neighbor as herself... that I would do this! And not only that, but to teach by my own example... and show her that there is a better, more beautiful, more dignified, more glorious, more gracious, and more honorable way to live your life than what much of the media and our society are offering.

God also let me know, the very moment my daughter Audrey was born, when I looked into her big, beautiful eyes of pure and unconditional Love and held her lovingly in my arms how much she already Loved God and how much He loved her. He let me know how much a part of her He already was... and how much a part of Him she already was... as she was a part of me and I her and God too! I felt such Love and Peace, holding my sweet, little, innocent daughter in my arms... and believe I even heard God whisper deep in my soul... "Fear not, new mother... for your daughter is with me, and I with her and I am with you too! I am here to keep her safe and protected and pure. And so are you! Continue to have deep Faith, pray for her everyday... and know that your prayers reach my ears and my heart and will be answered. I give you My Grace to be the very best mother you can be and dream of becoming. And my Grace is sufficient for you and will overflow in your heart and your daughter's."

I truly felt that Graceful message from God then, and I feel it again, now, while pregnant with my second daughter! I dream about the day that I will too give birth to her and look into her beautiful, pure eyes of unconditional Love and hold her so lovingly in my arms... and I look forward too, to the special moments I will spend with God during that time, as I did with my daughter, Audrey, for those special moments after a woman gives birth are so powerful, so holy and sacred and so breathed with God's Presence of Love that it is truly experiencing a bit of Heaven on Earth! And I truly look forward to listening to all God has to say to me in those precious moments and miracle of new Life!

So today, I continue to pray for my two beautiful daughters, God's and my little, blooming roses, pure princesses.... and for all little girls and (not so little girls), all around the world. May they know, truly, how very much they are Loved and cherished by God, our Heavenly Father... how very much they are worth, more than diamonds, more than rubies, more than all the money in the world. I pray that they know their great dignity as a daughter of God and of His Grace... and that they will always listen to their own hearts and those that speak only Truth to them of who they are as God's daughters and all that they are destined to become through, with, and in Him! For they are made and bound for the Glory of God!

Blessings of God's Grace be with you! :)

Breath of Heaven... (Mary's Song)

Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)
Written By Amy Grant

I have traveled
Many moonless night
Cold and Weary
With a babe inside
And I wonder
What I've done
Holy Father
You have come
Chosen me now
To carry your Son

I am waiting
in a silent prayer
I am frightened
by the load I bear
In a world as cold as stone
Must I walk this path alone
Be with me now
Be with me now

[chorus:]
-----------------------------------
Breath of Heaven
Hold me together
Be forever near me
Breath of Heaven

Breath of Heaven
Lighten my darkness
Pour over me, your holyness
For your holy Breath of Heaven
-----------------------------------

Do you wonder
As you watch my face
If a wiser one, should of had my place
But I offer-all I am
For the mercy-of your plan
Help me be strong
Help me be
Help me

A friend of mine let me know about this beautiful Advent/Christmas song several years ago. She told me how much she knew I was going to love it and I did, though, now even more so, as a mother, and an expectant mother, once again, this Advent season... this time with a high risk pregnancy.

I can really relate this song at this time in my life... and it has become one of my heart's prayers to God for me and my precious, little one growing my womb. When I think about the journey that Mary and Joseph took to Bethlehem to escape the evil plan that King Harod was carrying out, killing all of the infant boys, I think of the fear and danger she must of felt... as she continually prayed to God to keep her and Joseph and the precious babe in Her womb safe.

I feel the same as I now realize more fully the true risk of my pregnancy. Last night, the nurse came to my parents home to give me my first progesterone shot and to also teach me how to make it through the remainder of my pregnancy, as safely as possible, to hopefully ensure a very safe and healthy pregnancy and full term delivery for my new daughter.

I was very glad that the nurse was here with me last night to give me this first shot of progesterone which should help greatly in preventing my uterus from having anymore premature contractions, which would then bring on premature labor and cause me cervix to open even more. What I was very surprised to hear, however, though, not upset by is the fact that my nurse told me that in order to ensure the safest and healthiest pregnancy possible that I will have to remain on bed rest for the remainder of my pregnancy... that's another 4 and 1/2 months. I was not entirely upset by this news, a little disappointed I admit though, that I will have to miss singing with our choir at church during the Advent,Christmas, and Easter season every Sunday, as well as singing in our Christmas concert and another special Mass that I was to cantor... though, I feel overall... if this is what I have to do to save the live of my helpless baby in my womb...then I will do it gladly, joyfully, gratefully, no ifs, ands, buts about it!

And so, here I am on the couch, and it's where I will be pretty much spending the remainder of my pregnancy and I consider this a true Gift and blessing from God. It's a Gift to bond with my daughter in my womb, in an even greater way and to also bond with my daughter, Audrey and she with her sister... and even though I cannot take her to our Mommy & Me classes like I was before this happened and I may not be able to walk around and dance with her and run after her for the time being and will certainly again, soon, after my daughter is born... I can still read to her, color with her, sing with her, pray with her and talk to her about God and about her little, baby sister on the way... (and so much more!).

I can also devote much more time to my prayer life than I was able to before, once again, finding the time to do more contemplative prayer, (which I love), and also intercessory prayer... to pray for the needs of others. I believe that God has a special plan for my life and that me having to be on bed rest for the remainder of my pregnancy is a great part of it, (as strange as that might seem). My heart is now open, more than ever before to listen to God's gentle and Loving voice and hear the Good News of Hope that I know He has for my life and the lives of us all! :)

And lastly, for now... the best news about last night's visit with my nurse is that my little baby girl seems to be doing very well! One of the things my nurse will be doing each week when she comes to visit me is checking my vitals and also my baby's heartbeat. So here I was last night, lying on my back on the couch, with my parents and Audrey and my nurse gathered around me. She had the ultra-sound device rolling around on my tummy so as to try and detect my baby's heartbeat. Everyone was very quiet and listening intently to hear it. At first, there was a lot of other noise that the device was picking up, but not my Baby's heartbeat. Then... some more noise, and Mama's heart beat, but not yet Baby's... and finally... there was my daughter's strong heartbeat, beating so beautifully and rhythmically, and Audrey immediately began to dance to it with the greatest, biggest smile on her face and light in her eyes. It was the sweetest and cutest thing I think I've ever seen! :) It blessed all of our hearts and even brought tears to my eyes! It was a great sign of HOPE... and with great HOPE I move forward into the next part of my pregnancy journey... and look forward to all the many, special blessings that God has in store for me.

Please be assured that I am keeping you and your families in my daily prayers... and as always I greatly appreciate and welcome yours for me, my new baby and family!

Many Advent Blessings of JOY be upon us all! :)

Dreaming of You... Surrendering To The Mystery

Today is my fourth day of bed rest, that was ordered by my doctor when I saw him this past Tuesday to get my ultra-sound. I am needing to see a specialist due to me having a high risk pregnancy. As I mentioned in a previous blog, at my last visit my doctor discovered that my cervix had prematurely opened and that I had even been having small contractions, and so he put me on a week's bed rest to see if my cervix would close naturally on its own and if it hasn't by the time I go to see him this coming Tuesday, he will have to put a stitch in my cervix to prevent it from opening any further, before I am ready to give birth to my daughter near the end of April. In the meantime, to prevent me from having any more contractions until it's time for me to actually go into labor, a nurse will be coming to see me once a week to give me a progesterone shot to prevent that from happening, which would only cause my cervix to open more... which is what we don't want. I spoke with the nurse on the phone and she will be here later this afternoon to give me my shot as well as stay for about two hours to teach me how to take care of myself and my precious little one, growing in my womb, so as to prevent early labor... and ensure a safe pregnancy and delivery. I am looking forward to her visit and am feeling Hopeful about the outcome.

With all this free time on my hands, I've had a lot of time to think about things, pray and imagine what my future might look like once my sweet, baby daughter is born. Pregnancy is truly such a mystery... it really is! To think that here, in my own very womb, just below my skin, lives and grows a beautiful, new human being, never been seen before by this world, (though, only a few through some ultra-sound pictures!). And not only a human being, but to clarify, even more profoundly... a beautiful child and daughter of God, our Heavenly Father and Creator. Amazing! Truly Amazing, when you take some time to really think about it.

And I realize even more how amazing this all truly is for me. I am very well aware as I was during my pregnancy with my daughter, Audrey... that this child I am carrying and caring for in my womb is not only a child of God, but also my own child... a special gift, blessing and miracle that God has chosen to give to me. She is just as much a part of me, as I am of her... as she is of God... as God is of me and her... as we are of God! Truly amazing... and so deep a mystery that only pure silence and stillness in Gratitude and Love can I even begin to comprehend this most awesome gift, blessing and miracle from God.

I dream of my daughter... who is right here with me, and so much a part of me as I am her! I wonder what she will look like, and how wonderful it will be to finally see her and hold her in my arms for the very first time. I dream about her meeting her older sister, Audrey, for the first time and seeing the beautiful connection that I believe already exists between them that can only be shared between two siblings and even more special, between two sisters. I am the oldest of three children, with two brothers, one in Heaven and one still living. As much as I love my brothers, I have to say, I always wished I would have had a sister as well. I always thought what a special blessing it was for a girl to have a sister. A special blessing it really is... and so I am happy that my two, little girls will have each other to she a lifetime of friendship, love and support as we build beautiful memories that we will keep and cherish in our hearts our whole life through.

It's just an amazing time and a blessed, holy, sacred time. It's a true Mystery... and I just want to continue to surrender myself to this Mystery, (The Ultimate Mystery of all... Whom is God), and fall gracefully into His reassuring arms of Love, Hope, and Peace. I surrender all of my fears that I might have about my future, unknown and continue to place all my trust in our Loving God, our Heavenly Father, Who wants Good for our lives and not evil, and truly prepares "a future full of Hope," for all His children who love Him and call upon Him with Faith.

During this Advent season of waiting, longing and hoping to see our Lord and Savior, come to us again at Christmas... there is great JOY in knowing, that although, we wait to celebrate the beautiful mystery of His incarnation at Christmas, the reality is... is that He was already born for us over 2,000 years ago... and is here with us now in our very hearts and midst. And yet, still we wait for Him in Joyful Hope and anticipate His coming once again, at Christmas, to experience His real Presence in an even deeper and fuller way. For we await the special miracles that can truly be received at the blessed time of Christmas... when we open up our heart to believe and receive the very special gifts that God truly longs to give us. This is truly a time of great Joy... and the more we realize this Joy... the more Joy abounds in our hearts and the more we have to share with the world!

Your prayers for me, my little growing baby girl and my family are very much appreciated and I continue to keep all of you uplifted in mine as well!

Many Blessings of JOY to you and your family! :)

Audrey's Picture of Her Baby Sister

Pregnancy is such a wonderful time for a woman and a beautiful journey! As much as I loved being pregnant with Audrey and truly enjoyed every bit of my journey, I believe I have to say I love this pregnancy journey even more, because Audrey is now here to share it with me... and her joy and enthusiasm about being a "big sister," and knowing that her "little, baby sister," is growing inside Mama's womb is just so endearing! :)

Earlier today, Audrey was lying on the` floor with her crayons and her drawing board, (like her Mama and Dada both being artists), she too is very artistic, and loves to draw. She drew a beautiful picture of "Baby" and I was so touched, once again, that I had to take a picture and share it! :)

Rejoicing With Child-Like Joy

Here's a blog that I was inspired to write about 6 months ago, that for one reason or another I never ended up posting. After re-reading it, I'd like to now share it, and find it especially fitting for this beautiful Joy-filled Season of Advent! Many Blessings of God's Joy be with you! :)

We are told in Sacred Scripture to "Rejoice in the Lord, always!" (Philippians 4:4).  It's something that children do naturally and without any hesitation. My daughter, Audrey, is always happy and always beaming such Joy from her heart. At her little age of 14 months it is very apparent to me, and to others, as it has been from the very day of her birth that she Loves God very much... and it truly shows in all she does!

I love learning from little children, how to be more "child-like" as Jesus tells us to be, for as He says, "You shall not enter the kingdom of Heaven, unless you become like a little child," (Matthew 18:2-3).  He means that we keep about us our child-like innocence, trust, openness to God's will and openness to new experiences where we can encounter God on a deeper level in all ways.

Everyday, my daughter teaches me how to be more child-like and how to love God more. She is so kind hearted, so loving, so thoughtful and so helpful. She is always thinking about how she can bless others and bring a smile to their face... and she does so, all the time with such ease and grace. Children are like that.. and we should learn from them and learn to be more like them... for if we do, we shall live in God's Kingdom, here on earth!

Perhaps, one of the reasons why children always seem to be rejoicing in the Lord is because absolutely secure in their relationship with Him. Without the doubts and fears that can often plague us as adults and prevent us from having a deeper and closer relationship with God, our Heavenly Father, they are free from those burdens and thus live in simple and pure trust, knowing always His Unconditional Love and care for them, and in return they continue to show Him theirs for Him. God is truly the center of their lives and so they always have something to rejoice about!

I am committed in my life to rejoicing more and more for all the good God has done in my life and all the good I trust He will continue to do.  I am also committed to living more and more each day, with child-like innocence and trust! I invite everyone to join me in doing the same... in spreading more Joy to all the world, and learning to live more and more as Jesus teaches us to do!

Expecting A Miracle!

Well, I haven't been to this blog for a while, though, I come back here once again today to say... I have wonderful, Good News to share! God, in his infinite Love, has chosen to bless me with yet, another child... my second, and once again, it's a girl! I am elated, as I just found out yesterday in my ultra-sound that I am having another precious, little girl. I am so happy that I am having another girl, although, I have to say, I was a little bit surprised that it is a girl, since at one of my first ultra-sounds, my obstetrician thought it might be a boy, and although, she did say... "no promises, though," I immediately found myself daydreaming about what it would be like to have a baby boy, and began envisioning the future of my family with a little boy in it. And so, yes, I was a little surprised to hear that I am in fact having a girl, and even asked my doctor several times, "a girl, are you sure?" and he answered each time, "yes, I am quite sure... it's a girl!" It took a few moments to register in my mind, though, it quickly did and then beautiful tears of Grace and Joy streamed down my face from deep within my heart! My mom was there with me, holding my other daughter, Audrey, who had just woken up in time from her nap to see this miraculous 3D ultra sound and hear the good news that she is having a baby sister! She was so very sweet and looked at the ultra-sound screen with big, wide eyes and waved and said, sweetly, "Hello Baby!" :)

All children are a beautiful and amazing Gift from God, as we are told in Sacred Scripture, a true miracle and from the moment that I found out that I was pregnant, just as I had with my daughter, Audrey, I instantly felt that God had blessed me so deeply, by choosing me to become the mother of His precious child, as I learned of this tiny miracle that was growing in my very womb!

I believe that every pregnancy is very special and with it come very special and sacred gifts that are personal and unique to each mother. With my pregnancy with Audrey, God let me know in a very special and profound way that He had blessed me abundantly and that my life would never be the same again, but would be changed for the very best!

When God gave me this beautiful gift of Grace and deep knowing that He had blessed me with the gift of a child, I was riding in a tour van with my husband, Alex, on, "The Road to Hana," on our Hawaiian Honeymoon, in Maui. It was such a glorious, peaceful day with the gorgeous sites that seemed to make us realize all the more how much we loved each other and how blessed we were that God had brought us together, and that we were now joined together, as one in the Holy Sacrament of Marriage. It was a day of true Love that I will always remember and cherish. On the tour van ride on the Road to Hana, (Which means, "Heaven,"), I sat beside my husband, looking outside my window pondering my new life as a newlywed and my future and without flashes of light in the sky or any real warning, God let me know, gently and quietly that I was with child and that my life would change for the very best because of this. Like Mary, I kept quiet about this for a while, pondering this news of great Joy in my heart for almost three weeks, until, God gave me a very special dream one night where I was holding my precious baby girl in my arms... and felt true Love and Peace like never before, and so I felt it was time to tell my husband and take a pregnancy test to confirm this for sure!

With this pregnancy however, I did not know for sure that I was pregnancy until about 13 weeks into my pregnancy. If you can believe it, I had taken 6 home pregnancy tests, suspecting I was pregnant due to my missed period and what seemed to be two weeks of morning sickness and extreme tiredness. But, all 6 tests, proved, (or so it seemed), to be negative. It wasn't until I finally went to my obstetrician at 13 weeks to get a blood test that I found out a few days later that I was in fact, pregnant.

I was very surprised by this news, though, overjoyed...and once again, I felt so blessed by God that He would choose once again to bless me with another child. I have to say that I should have known that I was having another, little girl, because from the moment I found out I was pregnant, although, months before, I was thinking about how nice it would be to have a little boy someday, on that very special day I found out that I was with child again, it just felt like a girl, "my precious Hope," like Audrey is also to me... and the blessing and Love that I felt from God is so much that I don't even have words to describe!

So, yes, I am most definitely expecting another, precious miracle... and I am ever so thankful to say that I have been blessed by God to receive many in my lifetime.. thanks, I believe to the beautiful gift of Faith that God has given me in Him and His Great-Never-Ending Love!!!

Though, more than just the miracle of my daughter that I am expecting, due to be born April 29, 2012... I am also expecting even another miracle of a healthy and safe remainder of my pregnancy and a happy, healthy, Peace and Grace-filled, beautiful birth.

As of yesterday's visit with the specialist I saw for my ultra-sound, I was immediately put on 1 week's bed rest by him, because I am already considered to have a high-risk pregnancy, due to my age, (being over 35), and some other reasons, though, he put me on bed rest because in yesterday's ultra-sound, he discovered that my cervix is opening, (when it should be completely closed). And so he is hoping that a week of bed rest and progesterone shots will help it to close, otherwise, I will have to have him put a stitch in my cervix next week when I see him again.

So, here I am, retreating at my parent's home, nestled up on their couch, with my Bible, journal and computer... praying my way through this next week, while my parents so lovingly are caring for me, cooking my meals, bringing me hot tea and juice mixed with water, and also helping to care for my daughter, Audrey.... (Who continues to be my shining Light and Ray of Hope!). When she returned from a walk and playtime at the park with here "Papa" earlier, she brought me a beautiful, yellow flower she picked and gave it to me and said, "Here Mama," with the most loving smile! When I stood up for a moment to try to send a text message from a place in the house where I get better reception, she sternly, though, lovingly wagged her little, pointer finger at me, and said, "No, No, No Mama... rest!" And so, I immediately took her advice, and was back on the couch. And she just came up and handed me her little baby doll and a cough drop! Such LOVE... such LOVE... such a blessing she is to me, and also is my precious, baby girl on the way! :)

So, today, I ask that you will join me and my family and friends in praying for me and my baby girl, growing in my womb... that God will bless me with a healthy pregnancy that will come to full term, with a happy, healthy, Grace and Peace-filled delivery. Your prayers are very much appreciated... and I know that God will hear them, and bless you abundantly for offering them up for me and my sweet, little baby girl.

May God continue to bless you and your family this Advent Season, as we all await together, the true Miracle and coming of our sweet Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ... Prince of Peace... Child of Hope... Savior of Love Who comes to save and Love us all! Amen!

Behold, Children Are A Gift From The Lord

             "Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward." ~ Psalm 127:3

This morning, my daughter Audrey came walking out of our bedroom in her little, pink pajamas with a big, bright, pink bow on her head that she must of found in there left over from her 1st birthday this past March! She had, as she almost always does, the most beautiful, shining, big smile on her face... as if to say, "Look at me, Mama... I am your Little Gift sent from Heaven above!"  I couldn't help but praise God for the sheer joy, wonderment and sweetness of her! I love this verse above, found in Sacred Scripture in Psalm 127:3 and felt that this special moment spoke the truth of it to me... so very clearly, more than ever before! I will cherish that moment for all time!

Children truly are a precious gift of the Lord... and even though, I consider my husband to also be a gift, sent to me by God into my life... children, even more so I find, are His gift to us as parents, and an even more precious gift to bless our marriage and family in the most amazing ways.

There is not a day that goes by that I don't thank God deeply, for blessing me as graciously and abundantly as He has with my daughter, Audrey... nor is there I day that goes by that I don't forget to let her know in numerous and different kinds of ways how very precious she is to me and our family, how beloved she is by us all and most of all by God and how very thankful I am to be her mother and she my beautiful child.

With Mother's Day coming up tomorrow, I am overjoyed and delighted to be celebrating my 2nd Mother's Day with my daughter and my family.  The bond between mother and child is so incredibly strong; it's eternal and ever growing... and it continues to grow stronger and more beautiful each day with the help of God's Grace.  I look forward to tomorrow and each day celebrating, honoring and cherishing all the countless blessings and joys and gifts of motherhood and my new journey that God and my daughter have brought me to!

Wishing a very Happy and Blessed Mother's Day to all mothers... you are blessed and beautiful and full of God's Grace.  May we continue our journey as mothers with God at our side and may it be filled with God's Grace our whole lives through!

Motherhood: A Journey of Grace

Motherhood is a sacred Gift given by God.  It's also a journey to be celebrated and lived to the fullest... with all the blessings of God's Love, Joy, Laughter, Gentleness, Peace, Hope, Compassion, Understanding, Patience and Grace.

Everyday with my beautiful daughter, Audrey Maria, is a blessed Gift from God which I so cherish, and the continuation of the most amazing, life-long Journey.  I feel very inspired to create this blog to have a special place of my own where I can come and share and celebrate all the Joy and Blessings of my Journey as a new mother. I am inspired to call it, "Full of Grace... A Mother's Journey With God By Her Side," because, that's exactly what my experience of motherhood has been... "full of God's Grace..." and truly, now more than ever, I feel His holy Presence with me, as I feel Him walking by my side in all I do!

 Motherhood is a journey indeed, and one that like Mary, the Mother of God's was... I believe is "full of God's Grace" in every way!

My Journey through Motherhood began in Hawaii, in the Summer of 2009, while on my honeymoon with my sweetheart and husband, Alex. We had only been married for about a month when God chose to bless us in this most beautiful way by giving us the child of our dreams, a beautiful, little girl that we named Audrey Maria who was born a little over a year ago on March 16, 2010.  She has touched and graced our lives in every way imaginable with God's Love, Grace, Light, Joy, Laughter, Beauty and Sweetness.  Every day, I thank and praise God for calling me to be her mother and I just look forward with such JOY to our journey ahead.

Motherhood, I am learning, is a true journey of God's Grace and sanctification. We are called as mothers to call upon God's heavenly aide 24 hours a day, 7 days, a week, 365 days a year. We are always called to humbly approach the Throne of Grace and pray for God's beautiful Grace to see us through in all ways. And I praise Him, for always coming through for me, 100 fold with Grace upon Grace to help me day after day... and with His Grace, I know that I will continue become the very best mother that I know I was born to be!

I look forward with joyful Hope to coming back here often and regularly to share and celebrate the blessings and Joys of my journey through motherhood.

Thank you, very much, for stopping by and taking the time to celebrate and share my journey with me. Please feel free to visit again... and may our God of Love, Grace and endless Blessing continue to bless you and your family in the most special of ways!