Happy Name Day
to our sweet little muffin! (Today’s the feast of St. Gianna.)
Category: Faith, Family
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Archive for » April, 2008 «
Trip to the Winery
Today we finally cashed in on a tour of the Fall Creek Vineyard we won a few years back at the Texas Alliance for Life silent auction. Sharon and Thérèse were both a bit under the weather as Fulton’s virus is making its way through the household, but we didn’t want to reschedule the trip for the third time. The camera’s batteries had died earlier so I apologize for not having photos. I wish I could tell you it was a memorable experience, but we did have some fun doing our best Gary Vaynerchuck impressions. My best review (and Sharon agreed with my assessment) was for the 2005 Caché: “I’m getting a taste of fancy hotel soap.”
Category: Family, Fun
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April 23, 2008, 14:30 CST
A miracle occurs in the Gretencord home…all the kids are napping.
My beloved says, “moms around the world would pay THOUSANDS for this opportunity.” And what am I doing? Taking pictures of them and blogging it! 
Yes, I do have better things to do with my time, but they are just so cute!
Category: Family
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A long challenging month
I’ve not posted much lately because it’s been a long challenging month for me.
At Gianna’s 6 month well check last month we discovered that she fell in her percentile of weight down to the 5th percentile. She had only gained 4 lbs since she was born. Comments of her being “tiny” and “petite” were sweet up until this point. At the appointment an x-ray was taken of Gianna’s stomach to rule out Hirschbrung’s disease, and it was ruled out. Then I was asked to meet with a lactation consultant (LC) investigate the quality and volume of milk I am producing. And it turns out that I wasn’t producing enough milk for Gianna to gain a substantial amount of weight. It was a relief to know that there’s nothing wrong with her, but humbling and sad for me to find out that I can’t give her everything she needs to grow. The LC and my pediatrician’s nurse think it was probably due to stress (since I’m certainly not pregnant). And in hindsight, I can say the last 6 months were full of its share of stressful situations. So I toned down our hectic life after Easter, started taking herbs to promote lactation, and pumping milk to try to re-establish my milk supply. We also started supplementing with formula that our nurse and a friend graciously gave us A LOT of so we don’t have to buy any for quite a while. It really meant a lot to have the support of my mom, my friends (Liz, Misty, and Thuy), my LC and our pediatrician’s nurse during this time. They really got us through this and thankfully Gianna was up a pound and a half in three weeks. I suppose, even though this is not the “best case scenario”, I’ve learned that it’s not uncommon and supplementing with formula is not the end of the world or a “scandalous” thing that some might think.
Even though it was month to cut back on activity, some aspects still must go on. I made mention to our Thursday morning homeschooling co-op, Totus Tuus. It is well underway. Each week a different mom leads an hour or so of learning and then the kids play. It has worked out very well, I think. I’m sure as we continue to meet, Totus Tuus will continue to evolve. And speaking of homeschooling, we have most of our materials to begin Kindergarten! Thanks to Teresa and Misty and The Well Trained Mind, I finalized the Kindergarten curriculum and my goal is to plan out the school year by the end of May. I didn’t choose one set curriculum (such as Seton, Kolbe, or MODG) for all subjects, but pieced together things I liked from different places including things I knew about from my college days teaching in an elementary school. I’m very happy with my selections and super excited to get started.
Category: Family
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Sister at the Papal Mass
One thing is for certain about my sister, Sister Maria Kolbe – ever since she entered the religious life she has experienced the world in many new ways. This flies right into the face of what many people seem to think happens when someone enters the convent.
You can read my mom’s testimony in her local paper on how Sister’s superior scored tickets at the last minute for the entire community, which is an amazing story in itself.
If it wasn’t enough that Sister actually made it out to the papal mass at Yankee Stadium, she was caught on camera at least twice.
You can see the video here. Towards the bottom you’ll see HOLY MASS AT YANKEE STADIUM, NYC. This shot was captured at around 1:42:19.
Have a safe trip home Sister and Papa!
Category: Faith, Family
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My Brother the Broker
My brother Marc just passed the Series 7 exam and is now a licensed broker. He’s been studying hard for the last few months and he’s come a long way. He beat the odds the other week by passing the Greenlight exam (only 1/3 of past participants have passed) in order to take the Series 7. Needless to say, I’m very happy for him.
Say a prayer for Marc as he has one more exam this coming week to get his Series 63 license.
Category: Family
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Novena Prayer of St. Gianna Beretta Molla
…begins today….
God, our Father, you have granted to your church the gift of Gianna Beretta Molla. In her youth she loveingly sought you and drew other 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 life to your service, for the joy of our brothers and sisters. May we become generous Christians at the service of our brothers and sisters, especially those with whom you design to share your Cross. We beg you to grant to our families the serene and Christian presence of mothers committed to transform them into cenacles of faith and love, rich with generous activity and sanctifying service.
Grant us the grace we seek… and the joy to find an inspiration in Saint Gianna who, as model spouse and mother, after the example of Christ, gave up her life for the life of others.
We offer this Novena for the sanctity of all life and for the intentions of all those who are praying with us.
Glory Be…
Hail Mary…
Category: Faith
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Piano Lessons
I’ve started giving Thérèse piano lessons the other week. She’s very excited that she has mastered the “Mud Games in May” exercise:
The assistant at Strait Music said 4 is the perfect age to start. I found the Bastiens’ Invitation to Music series to be just that – very inviting. Level A starts with differentiating left from right, finger numbering, distinguishing low from high sounds and where to find them on the keyboard. The books contain various coloring, matching, and writing activities. Some of the exercises require the teacher to play a few simple pieces and ask the student about them, so if you as a parent have even just a few basic keyboarding skills, I recommend taking a look at these books. Adults can learn too, just ask Sharon!
Category: Family, Fun
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Going to see the Pope?
We’re not, but the Tavarez family is. So please pray for a blessed trip for this wonderful family of nine!
Category: Faith
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A New One…
While at my friend Thuy’s house yesterday, we were playing outside with the kids–her 3 and my 3 (6 kids under the age of 4). The fence to her backyard is not a privacy wooden fence that we often have or see in our own backyards but instead a metal fencing that others can see quite well through. Anyway, we’re all outside and a women comes walking over from the small lake overlooking their backyard and says, “Is this a daycare?” A stern and loud, “No,” answered Thuy (and Thuy’s not usually a stern and loud person). I couldn’t help but laugh rather loudly to the woman’s question simply because that was a new one to me! And I thought it was kind of funny.
Of course, today, my friend Teresa and I took our kids to the Austin Children’s Museum (again 5 kids under the age of 4), and simply going up the elevator a young man asked, “Are all these yours?”
Blessed be God, we’re not running a daycare and yes, they are all ours…and rather, to echo John Paul the Great and our new Homeschooling group name, Totus Tuus! Lord, they are totally yours and our Blessed Mother’s. Thank You, Lord, for letting us care for them!
Category: Friends
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