Yesterday I participated in a study on Catholic women's experience with infertility. The PhD student working on this research found me through my blog and sent me the following email last week:
I am a doctoral student at the University of Michigan researching Catholic women's experience with infertility. I am looking for Catholic infertile (or infertile in the past) women to interview and hope that you will contact me if you would like to share your experience- of course, your identity will remain confidential. I would be happy to conduct interviews over the phone/skype if you are not in the Michigan area. You will be compensated for your time.
This study has been reviewed and approved by The Health Sciences and Behavioral Sciences Institutional Review Boards (IRB-HSBS)
Signed,
PhD student
Dept. of Sociology, University of Michigan
Please let me know if you are interested in participating. I was happy to support her research and I'm always glad to spread the word about dealing with infertility while remaining faithful to the Church's teachings. She is looking for more women to interview and it only takes about an hour of your time.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Corn on the Cob
Tommy has been enjoying corn all summer long. Usually I cut it off the cob for him, but he's always grabbing for it. I gave it to him tonight and he loved chewing on it!
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Two Parks
The weather on Saturday was beautiful - mid-80s with no humidity, which is rare for the summer here - and I'm happy to say we spent most of the day outside. We told Tommy we were going to two parks - the train park and the wine park (aka: a winery!) We are lucky that both are near our house, so we were able to work around Tommy's naps. It was a lovely summer day!
The Train Park
The Wine Park :)
The Train Park
The Wine Park :)
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Summer Fun
We've been having fun trying to stay cool this summer. We've been swimming in Dot-Dot's pool every week.
At the splash park...
Fro-yo!
At the splash park...
Fro-yo!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Prayer Intentions
Recently we have heard a lot of sad news from family and friends. I have so many special intentions and would really appreciate your prayers for these people:
*My husband's cousin Nikki was killed in a motorcycle accident. She was just 29 years old and had a really adventurous spirit. It's very sad for her family, especially since her father passed away from cancer just a few years ago. Please pray for her mother and siblings, that the Lord would give them grace during this incredibly difficult time.
Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon her. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
*A family friend's little girl Molly - one year old - was just diagnosed with congenital glaucoma in both eyes. She is having surgery next week and at this point the doctors don't know what her prognosis will be. At this point they aren't sure what her vision has been or how much can be restored. Please pray for her health and for strength for her parents.
*A friend's friend has been missing for almost three weeks. His name is Tom, he's 37 years old and an English teacher at a local Catholic high school. He is a consecrated layman in a community dedicated to spreading the faith to young people. Please pray for his safe return.
*My husband's uncle was recently diagnosed with lymphoma and his wife was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor. Please pray that they find good treatment and that the Lord will restore their health.
I strongly believe in the power of prayer. Please help me storm heaven with these special intentions.
*My husband's cousin Nikki was killed in a motorcycle accident. She was just 29 years old and had a really adventurous spirit. It's very sad for her family, especially since her father passed away from cancer just a few years ago. Please pray for her mother and siblings, that the Lord would give them grace during this incredibly difficult time.
Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon her. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
*A family friend's little girl Molly - one year old - was just diagnosed with congenital glaucoma in both eyes. She is having surgery next week and at this point the doctors don't know what her prognosis will be. At this point they aren't sure what her vision has been or how much can be restored. Please pray for her health and for strength for her parents.
*A friend's friend has been missing for almost three weeks. His name is Tom, he's 37 years old and an English teacher at a local Catholic high school. He is a consecrated layman in a community dedicated to spreading the faith to young people. Please pray for his safe return.
*My husband's uncle was recently diagnosed with lymphoma and his wife was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor. Please pray that they find good treatment and that the Lord will restore their health.
I strongly believe in the power of prayer. Please help me storm heaven with these special intentions.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Friday, July 1, 2011
Homestudy #2
Last week we FINALLY turned in the monster stack of paperwork for our Homestudy #2. Our agency's rule is that you can get back on the waiting list once your child is nine months old. Let me clarify, you can begin the Homestudy process when your child is nine months old. I forgot how much work this was. Is that like how women forget labor pains?? Ha ha...
I thought we would move much faster than this - Tommy is now 13 months old! - but that's ok. We were able to skip a few steps, but not many, and we have our first social worker visit next week. It's the same SW as last time, so I hope that will help move things along. First time around we had three visits from her, but it sounds like we will have just two this time. I'm not sure if she will separate us again and interview us individually, although my guess is that she probably will. Obviously our life is very different now that we are parents, so I'm sure that will be the focus of her time with us. I'm hoping she doesn't need to interview one of our references again, but either way we will get it all done.
I'm really frustrated that we have to take a parenting class again! It was less than two years ago we completed the first one, and I honestly didn't get much out of it. I emailed the agency to see if we could at least supplement a different class instead of taking the same exact one; thankfully they said yes.
It's exciting to be moving forward towards building our family again. As always, only the Lord knows what the future holds. Will we conceive? Will we adopt again? Or both?
I just started my third cycle using HCG injections. The last two months I have experienced a little glimmer of hope since my cycles were much longer than usual - 31 and 34 days. Previously my longest cycle was 29 days. For the first time in a really long time the thought crossed my mind, "Could I be pregnant?" Now that I am a few months post-surgery and confident in Dr. S's treatment plan, I feel like it's my best shot to conceive. I feel hopeful. But each time that a new cycle arrives I get the same old feeling that my body will never work properly, that I will never be pregnant. I just don't know how to feel.
In a way, it's easier to surrender to His will this time around. The Lord has been so faithful to us and blessed us abundantly with Tommy. That being said, I realize that our adoption was not the norm. Things moved so quickly and I truly believe it was Our Lady's intercession. As my husband says, maybe we need to make another trip to Lourdes. :) I know that I need to be prepared for a longer wait. I need to pray for grace during this time. Otherwise I might have to take back my words about surrendering being "easier."
I was struck by this reflection this morning in the Magnificat:
"Even our shortcomings, our limitations, and our weakness must lead us back to the Heart of Jesus. His divine Heart calls to our hearts, inviting us to come out of ourselves, to abandon our human certainties to trust in him and, following his example, to making of ourselves a gift of love without reserve."
(Pope Benedict XVI)
Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.
I thought we would move much faster than this - Tommy is now 13 months old! - but that's ok. We were able to skip a few steps, but not many, and we have our first social worker visit next week. It's the same SW as last time, so I hope that will help move things along. First time around we had three visits from her, but it sounds like we will have just two this time. I'm not sure if she will separate us again and interview us individually, although my guess is that she probably will. Obviously our life is very different now that we are parents, so I'm sure that will be the focus of her time with us. I'm hoping she doesn't need to interview one of our references again, but either way we will get it all done.
I'm really frustrated that we have to take a parenting class again! It was less than two years ago we completed the first one, and I honestly didn't get much out of it. I emailed the agency to see if we could at least supplement a different class instead of taking the same exact one; thankfully they said yes.
It's exciting to be moving forward towards building our family again. As always, only the Lord knows what the future holds. Will we conceive? Will we adopt again? Or both?
I just started my third cycle using HCG injections. The last two months I have experienced a little glimmer of hope since my cycles were much longer than usual - 31 and 34 days. Previously my longest cycle was 29 days. For the first time in a really long time the thought crossed my mind, "Could I be pregnant?" Now that I am a few months post-surgery and confident in Dr. S's treatment plan, I feel like it's my best shot to conceive. I feel hopeful. But each time that a new cycle arrives I get the same old feeling that my body will never work properly, that I will never be pregnant. I just don't know how to feel.
In a way, it's easier to surrender to His will this time around. The Lord has been so faithful to us and blessed us abundantly with Tommy. That being said, I realize that our adoption was not the norm. Things moved so quickly and I truly believe it was Our Lady's intercession. As my husband says, maybe we need to make another trip to Lourdes. :) I know that I need to be prepared for a longer wait. I need to pray for grace during this time. Otherwise I might have to take back my words about surrendering being "easier."
I was struck by this reflection this morning in the Magnificat:
"Even our shortcomings, our limitations, and our weakness must lead us back to the Heart of Jesus. His divine Heart calls to our hearts, inviting us to come out of ourselves, to abandon our human certainties to trust in him and, following his example, to making of ourselves a gift of love without reserve."
(Pope Benedict XVI)
Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.
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