Nine Months Old

It's hard to believe that Tommy is nine months old! He continues to be the light in our lives and he brings so much joy to our world.

Tommy is the sweetest little guy. He is naturally happy, hardly ever cries and has the biggest gummy smile you'll ever see. It's so much fun to watch him grow and learn about the world around him. He loves to laugh and has many tickle spots - I can't resist getting a giggle out of him!
Lately he has been "talking" up a storm. He happily plays by himself and will babble away saying "mama," "dada," "baba," and "gaga." I don't think he understands what any of it means yet, but he loves to explore his vocal range. :) He usually talks to himself before he falls asleep and again when he wakes up in his crib. It's adorable to listen to him through the monitor!

He sleeps like a champ - about 12-13 hours every night. His nap schedule is all over the place, but that's mostly my fault - going to school three afternoons a week. Still no teeth yet and no crawling for him. I'm excited for him to reach these milestones, but I'm sure he will get there in his own time. He seems to be so close to crawling - he's been rocking back and forth on his hands/knees since Christmas. But apparently he's content to sit and play for now. In a way, I don't mind that he's not mobile yet!


Tommy absolutely loves bath time! I'm so excited for warmer weather when we can play outside and find a pool to play in. Does anyone else find that their kid loves to suck on their washcloth during bathtime?




He loves to clap and pretty much bangs anything together.


Tommy is a great eater - he loves almost anything and everything we give him. He's getting good at putting puffs into his mouth and loves to drink from a sippy cup and even a regular cup. (Everytime he sees us taking a drink he opens his mouth really wide and begs for a sip!) He recently has discovered that balls roll and loves to roll them around in the kitchen. (Of course this means Mommy has to chase them and roll them back.)

My favorite things about this stage is how playful he has become. Tommy loves to give us big, wet kisses. Sometimes he will bounce while we're holding him as if he wants to dance. And lately he's been burying his head into my chest and doing lots of nuzzling. I eat it up every time.

These pictures are from the snowstorm a couple of weeks ago when we lost power (and heat!) He didn't seem to mind staying bundled up inside the house.




This is Tommy's Valentine message to our friends and family. (Thank you Grace in My Heart for your fabulous idea!)

Happy Valentine's Day! xoxo

Our Lady of Lourdes

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.
(in this picture, our candle is the one at the very top!!)

I still can't believe that our Lourdes miracle was almost one year ago. My how time flies. Last year I was on the ball and remembered to start a novena leading up to her feast day - which is today, February 11. The preparation for our pilgrimage last year was such a beautiful and fruitful time for me and my husband.

I still can't believe all the details from that amazing trip... how we left on March 25, spent an amazing couple of days in Lourdes and ended with Holy Week in Rome. Did that really happen? And of course you know, just three weeks after we returned we got the call about Tommy's adoption. (If you want to read more about our trip, you can follow the link on my sidebar.) I am seriously excited about celebrating all of these anniversaries during the next couple of months. What a year it has been.

Our Lady is such a powerful intercessor! I am hoping to get to Mass today and will offer up prayers for all of you and your intentions.

Surgery Scheduled

I finally heard from the scheduler at Dr. S's office with my surgery date - Tuesday, March 29. I had hoped for sooner (I know, I am so impatient!) But in addition to being impatient, the show I'm directing at school is in May, and I really don't want to miss many rehearsals. Dr. S plans the surgery based on my cycle, so his office had to find a date in my cycle that worked with his schedule.

Thanks to E at Finding Joy in Every Journey, I have gotten back on track with my charting! I really hope that it will help figure out what the heck is going on with my body.

I haven't been to Dr. S's office since last March. I will have my pre-op appointment on March 21 (it sounds like an all day affair with labwork and an ultrasound.) If I remember correctly, the plan was to do a selective HSG to check on my tubes and a laparoscopy to see if the endo has returned. Is it weird to be excited about another surgery? I'm so ready to make progress on restoring my fertility!

Two Cute Books

A very sweet blogger sent Tommy the CUTEST book in the mail! It's one of the Little Golden Books called "Baby's Book" and it's all about a little boy named Tommy. She thought the baby on the cover also looked a bit like him with the big, blue eyes. Thank you A! You are so thoughtful. :)

I also wanted to share this very cute book with you. When we were visiting my husband's family at Christmas he decided to go through some of his old belongings and found this book. It was given to him by his Godparents on his First Communion. (They wrote a note inside the cover.) It is such a sweet little book and I've been reading it to Tommy.


I also want to thank another very sweet blogger who recently sent me the most thoughtful gift. She found a beautiful wooden box with my Jeremiah passage on it. Thank you B for your thoughtful gift and your prayers! I will be praying for you and your upcoming surgery. Seriously, is there anything better than our wonderful blogging community??

Bird Feet