Yay it was cooperating, so here's the video I tried to post the other day! Here's our baby's heartbeat! It was so amazing! We wanted to share with everyone. I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We love and miss you all!
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
Baby says hi!
Quick update! Jack and I had our first doctor's appointment on November 19th. We saw our little baby and heard his/her precious (fast) heartbeat! It was such an amazing and beautiful experience. I tried to post a video, but it wouldn't load. Our due date is June 27th. Please continue to keep the three of us in your prayers!
Here are a couple pictures; Baby Tompkins and me at 8 weeks (which I don't like... but since I'm not 8 weeks anymore I can't retake :) ). I am currently in my 10th week and praying for this morning sickness to pass!! Yuck!
I hope you guys are doing well. Can't wait for everyone to be together. We love you guys! And since I won't post anything before the day... Happy Thanksgiving! God bless!
Here are a couple pictures; Baby Tompkins and me at 8 weeks (which I don't like... but since I'm not 8 weeks anymore I can't retake :) ). I am currently in my 10th week and praying for this morning sickness to pass!! Yuck!
I hope you guys are doing well. Can't wait for everyone to be together. We love you guys! And since I won't post anything before the day... Happy Thanksgiving! God bless!
Saturday, November 22, 2008
The latest :)
Hi everyone! It seems like forever since we last posted an update...but we have been having a little trouble with our internet lately, so it's not entirely our fault. But here are some pictures to illustrate what we have been up to. Ryan, believe it or not, continues to enjoy playing Medal Gear Solid to unwind sometimes after work, and I find it very amusing. He assures me he loves me more than the game, but sometimes I do wonder. During the more intense moments, Ryan often stands upright when he plays, as you can see here...I think it helps with his vision and the aerodynamics. He makes me so proud.
In my continual attempt to fatten Ryan up, I have been branching out with my cooking and trying new recipes. I had a craving for lemon chicken with capers one night, and found an easy recipe online. I made asparagus and garlic and herb rice to go with it, and it was a huge success. I just had to get a picture to remember the delicious meal. Unfortunately, I asked Ryan to model it for me.
Ryan and I went on a Scrabble kick for a couple of weeks, until he decided he had had enough since I won every time. We were a little weirded out when I noticed one night that the cover of the game had my initials on it: Mary Elaine Bernadette Suarez Tompkins. Pretty crazy, huh?
On another note, I am finally done getting my blood drawn each week in order to monitor the level of my pregnancy hormone, which is now down to zero. Unfortunately, I was told that I needed to get a Rhogam injection at the hospital, due to the different blood types that Ryan and I have. For propriety's sake, I won't mention where the shot is given because I don't want to become, ahem, the "butt" of jokes. It was a rather tramautic experience for me, as you can see by the pained look in my face here:
So much so that I just had to go to the mall near the hospital and buy myself something as a reward for my bravery. I ended up getting a great deal on a Nine West handbag from Macy's, and let me tell you it really helped with the pain.
Here is Ryan's reaction to my purchase.
On Thursday we went to my sister's house to celebrate Catherine's 2nd birthday, it was quite the party! Here is Ryan with Teresa and Mary:
And here is the birthday girl:
Here we are at the party:
This is a cute picture of my nephew Tommy being silly as usual. I continue to tutor him a few hours a week, and it has been very rewarding working with him.
Ryan and I spent today Christmas shopping, and Ryan was very excited to see the man himself, Santa Claus!
It was a very successful trip in terms of gift-getting, so you can all expect to get a little somethin' somethin' from us when the Christmas season comes around :) It's hard to believe that Advent starts in only a week! We really can't wait to see everyone and spend Christmas with you, it is going to be a blast. We love you guys and we'll see you soon!
In my continual attempt to fatten Ryan up, I have been branching out with my cooking and trying new recipes. I had a craving for lemon chicken with capers one night, and found an easy recipe online. I made asparagus and garlic and herb rice to go with it, and it was a huge success. I just had to get a picture to remember the delicious meal. Unfortunately, I asked Ryan to model it for me.
Ryan and I went on a Scrabble kick for a couple of weeks, until he decided he had had enough since I won every time. We were a little weirded out when I noticed one night that the cover of the game had my initials on it: Mary Elaine Bernadette Suarez Tompkins. Pretty crazy, huh?
On another note, I am finally done getting my blood drawn each week in order to monitor the level of my pregnancy hormone, which is now down to zero. Unfortunately, I was told that I needed to get a Rhogam injection at the hospital, due to the different blood types that Ryan and I have. For propriety's sake, I won't mention where the shot is given because I don't want to become, ahem, the "butt" of jokes. It was a rather tramautic experience for me, as you can see by the pained look in my face here:
So much so that I just had to go to the mall near the hospital and buy myself something as a reward for my bravery. I ended up getting a great deal on a Nine West handbag from Macy's, and let me tell you it really helped with the pain.
Here is Ryan's reaction to my purchase.
On Thursday we went to my sister's house to celebrate Catherine's 2nd birthday, it was quite the party! Here is Ryan with Teresa and Mary:
And here is the birthday girl:
Here we are at the party:
This is a cute picture of my nephew Tommy being silly as usual. I continue to tutor him a few hours a week, and it has been very rewarding working with him.
Ryan and I spent today Christmas shopping, and Ryan was very excited to see the man himself, Santa Claus!
It was a very successful trip in terms of gift-getting, so you can all expect to get a little somethin' somethin' from us when the Christmas season comes around :) It's hard to believe that Advent starts in only a week! We really can't wait to see everyone and spend Christmas with you, it is going to be a blast. We love you guys and we'll see you soon! Monday, November 17, 2008
Winter Update in South Bend
Just wanted to let you all know that by tomorrow we will have 12 inches of snow on the ground!!!
It is absolutely gorgeous outside right now. Soo beautiful! I will take pictures and post later. It's scandalous, I know, but I am already listening to Christmas music. The weather just puts me in the holiday mood. :)
I hope this lasts for all you in Florida when you come up for Thanksgiving!
Oh, and one last thing...I forgot to put a picture from David and I's Halloween. I will post that later.
Love you all!
Marisa and David
It is absolutely gorgeous outside right now. Soo beautiful! I will take pictures and post later. It's scandalous, I know, but I am already listening to Christmas music. The weather just puts me in the holiday mood. :)
I hope this lasts for all you in Florida when you come up for Thanksgiving!
Oh, and one last thing...I forgot to put a picture from David and I's Halloween. I will post that later.
Love you all!
Marisa and David
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Fall in South Bend
It is only appropriate that as I begin this long overdue post revealing the beauty of fall in South Bend that I should look out my window to see the barren trees and snow-covered rooftops, the remains of our second snowfall this winter season. Yes, winter is a beautiful and romantic season, but here in South Bend, the beauty and romance are appreciated only so long. By April, when everyone else throughout the U.S. is enjoying Easter in their sun-dresses and running around merrily in the green grass searching for Easter eggs full of fresh candy, the people of South Bend are still in their long underwear and snow suits, and the children have to fight for the few thawed eggs that have not completely frozen to the snow covered ground.
Anyways, enough of my winter banterings!
I am sorry I have not posted anything in a while, but please know, especially Ryan and Mary, that all of you have been in our thoughts and prayers always! What a beautiful gift from God Baby Bella will always be in our lives.
While it was still warm enough to walk outside without coats, David and I went for a walk in the neighborhood next to our apartments. It was full of so many trees and bushes whose leaves had already turned from green to gorgeous shades of yellow, orange, and red. This is a little taste of the gorgeous colors we saw.
Playing in the leaves.
The burning bush.
In October, a priest from Africa that David had met here at Notre Dame came into town for a few weeks. We were thankful that he was able to enjoy dinner with us at our apartment and then bless it and our baby. It's funny beause he was the first man besides David to touch my belly. lol. I had no idea actually that he was going to bless our baby, but while he was blessing our home and saying the final prayers, he came to me and made the sign of the cross over my belly and said a special prayer for the baby. It was a beautiful experience. He was such a jolly, loving man; and although it was my first time meeting him and only David's second, we felt like we had known him for years. This is Father Stephen with David and I.
Because Fall here truly is a season, it is full of so many seasonal traditions such as hay rides, pumpkin farms, and corn mazes. Being so festive and lovers of tradition, a group of us from Notre Dame decided to partake in the annual festivites. We went to a pumpkin farm just outside of South Bend called Thistleberry Farm. We had a great time working our way through the "Lost in Space" Adventure Corn Maze which we conquered! We were the first people ever to find all the space-related pictures throughout the corn maze! We came across pictures of Marvin the Martian, Obi-wan, Darth Vader, Wall-e, and many others. Here are some pictures from our adventures!
David and his "other woman". Sorry, Ryan, you are not just competing with me anymore.
Don't I look like such a sweet scare-crow? It's okay, birds, you can play in the crops.....yay, that's right, nothing to be afraid of, just my pitchfork!! HAHA!
Our victory picture outside the exit of the maze!
The pumpkin patch. People come and pick their own pumpkins for carving.
David and I on the hay ride. It was actually pretty lameo-nameo. We were on a tractor will hay stacks on it, and the tractor only took us around in a circle around the farm. The man driving the tractor who I thought might be a tour guide of some sort said nothing, but then again there was not too much that he could tell us about besides, "Here are some pumpkins"......"These are the boundaries of our property." Oh well.
As you all know, another fall tradition is carving pumpkins! The week before Halloween my office went out and bought pumpkins for everyone to carve there at work. Spouses and children were invited so David and I carved our very first pumpkin! It was a very good lesson in team-work.
Can you tell what it is?
Yep, it is the man in the moon.
And last, but not least, more pregnant lady pictures! These are my most recent pictures at 16 weeks. The second picture is for all to see and believe that oh yes, my belly button has already popped!
I am feeling so much better now that I am well into the second trimester. My energy has come back, and I can actually eat normal foods. No more weird cravings like hot dogs and fried chicken! I can tell the baby is growing more and more each week because each week I try to put on an article of clothing that fit last week, but, nope, not fitting this week! Fortunately, I am still in my pants although they are now completely unbuttoned all the time and only stay up with the help of the Bella Band.
David is still as cute as ever with the baby, especially since he knows that the baby can now hear our voices. He regularly talks to the baby, identifying himself as "Daddy", and telling him or her how much he loves him or her. He especially loves to rub my belly when we are laying down in bed because we can feel the baby move! David describes the movement as "dancing". We have been able to feel the baby move for a few weeks now if we put our hands on my belly when I lie down on my left side, but I had not been able to feel anything from the inside until....
Today!! Today I have been feeling the baby move! It is ever so slight, and feels like little popcorn popping! I am actually feeling it now, so I believe that means Baby Lantigua would like me to tell all of you Hello! and he or she cannot wait to meet all of you!
Besides preparing to be a wonderful father, David has been very busy with his studies, and still excelling in all that he does. He actually told his teacher a couple of weeks ago what he was thinking of doing for his dissertation and she started jumping up and down clapping her hands. If you ever meet her, you will realize that this is very out of the ordinary for her. I guess she really liked it!
Well, I think that is all the fall news from the Lantigua's in South Bend for now. We are super excited for Thanksgiving and Christmas!!! We love you all so much and can't wait to hug all of you again! If being away has taught us anything, it's how precious family is. God bless all of you and you are always in our prayers.
Anyways, enough of my winter banterings!
I am sorry I have not posted anything in a while, but please know, especially Ryan and Mary, that all of you have been in our thoughts and prayers always! What a beautiful gift from God Baby Bella will always be in our lives.
While it was still warm enough to walk outside without coats, David and I went for a walk in the neighborhood next to our apartments. It was full of so many trees and bushes whose leaves had already turned from green to gorgeous shades of yellow, orange, and red. This is a little taste of the gorgeous colors we saw.
Playing in the leaves.
The burning bush.
In October, a priest from Africa that David had met here at Notre Dame came into town for a few weeks. We were thankful that he was able to enjoy dinner with us at our apartment and then bless it and our baby. It's funny beause he was the first man besides David to touch my belly. lol. I had no idea actually that he was going to bless our baby, but while he was blessing our home and saying the final prayers, he came to me and made the sign of the cross over my belly and said a special prayer for the baby. It was a beautiful experience. He was such a jolly, loving man; and although it was my first time meeting him and only David's second, we felt like we had known him for years. This is Father Stephen with David and I.
Because Fall here truly is a season, it is full of so many seasonal traditions such as hay rides, pumpkin farms, and corn mazes. Being so festive and lovers of tradition, a group of us from Notre Dame decided to partake in the annual festivites. We went to a pumpkin farm just outside of South Bend called Thistleberry Farm. We had a great time working our way through the "Lost in Space" Adventure Corn Maze which we conquered! We were the first people ever to find all the space-related pictures throughout the corn maze! We came across pictures of Marvin the Martian, Obi-wan, Darth Vader, Wall-e, and many others. Here are some pictures from our adventures!
David and his "other woman". Sorry, Ryan, you are not just competing with me anymore.
Don't I look like such a sweet scare-crow? It's okay, birds, you can play in the crops.....yay, that's right, nothing to be afraid of, just my pitchfork!! HAHA!
Our victory picture outside the exit of the maze!
The pumpkin patch. People come and pick their own pumpkins for carving.
David and I on the hay ride. It was actually pretty lameo-nameo. We were on a tractor will hay stacks on it, and the tractor only took us around in a circle around the farm. The man driving the tractor who I thought might be a tour guide of some sort said nothing, but then again there was not too much that he could tell us about besides, "Here are some pumpkins"......"These are the boundaries of our property." Oh well.
As you all know, another fall tradition is carving pumpkins! The week before Halloween my office went out and bought pumpkins for everyone to carve there at work. Spouses and children were invited so David and I carved our very first pumpkin! It was a very good lesson in team-work.
Can you tell what it is?
Yep, it is the man in the moon.
And last, but not least, more pregnant lady pictures! These are my most recent pictures at 16 weeks. The second picture is for all to see and believe that oh yes, my belly button has already popped!
I am feeling so much better now that I am well into the second trimester. My energy has come back, and I can actually eat normal foods. No more weird cravings like hot dogs and fried chicken! I can tell the baby is growing more and more each week because each week I try to put on an article of clothing that fit last week, but, nope, not fitting this week! Fortunately, I am still in my pants although they are now completely unbuttoned all the time and only stay up with the help of the Bella Band.
David is still as cute as ever with the baby, especially since he knows that the baby can now hear our voices. He regularly talks to the baby, identifying himself as "Daddy", and telling him or her how much he loves him or her. He especially loves to rub my belly when we are laying down in bed because we can feel the baby move! David describes the movement as "dancing". We have been able to feel the baby move for a few weeks now if we put our hands on my belly when I lie down on my left side, but I had not been able to feel anything from the inside until....
Today!! Today I have been feeling the baby move! It is ever so slight, and feels like little popcorn popping! I am actually feeling it now, so I believe that means Baby Lantigua would like me to tell all of you Hello! and he or she cannot wait to meet all of you!
Besides preparing to be a wonderful father, David has been very busy with his studies, and still excelling in all that he does. He actually told his teacher a couple of weeks ago what he was thinking of doing for his dissertation and she started jumping up and down clapping her hands. If you ever meet her, you will realize that this is very out of the ordinary for her. I guess she really liked it!
Well, I think that is all the fall news from the Lantigua's in South Bend for now. We are super excited for Thanksgiving and Christmas!!! We love you all so much and can't wait to hug all of you again! If being away has taught us anything, it's how precious family is. God bless all of you and you are always in our prayers.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
My Senior Year
Well, I don't really have anything that exciting to say, but I do have something exciting to show....*drum rolls*....*more drum rolls please*...............*a little more please*.....ahem, "Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, moms and dads, bros and sisters, please put your hands together for theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee - Legion of Heroes Trailer Season 4!!" Our season is not going so hot right now but we're hanging in there and have made the playoffs. So, we'll see how we fare.
I've tried to post this flipping thing already and it just doesn't want to work for me. So, here's the youtube link that you can watch it on -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCrj4BWQyaY
Also, I've tried to upload some of my pics from Halloween, but they refuse to upload. So since I cannot upload them, here's a summary of my halloween: While Ryan and Mary were dressing up as John McCain and Sarah Palin, I was dressing up as their mortal enemy: OPEC. I was the OPEC Representative of Saudi Arabia, Rabib Abudallah. Every hour, my fellow OPEC partners (Brendan Ford and Phil Buckley) would say the Muslim Liturgy of the Hours. It would start with us putting our carpets down, kneeling on them, facing east, and singing the famous Muslim song, "I heard the Voice of Allah say" in our wonderful Fr. Bob voices. However, as many people were laughing hysterically at our worship time, little did we know there were two Muslims on campus watching us. One was visiting and the other was a student. Bummer, eh? Oh well, at least we had a good time. Despite the knowledge that there were muslims on campus, we followed our dream and continued our worship for the rest of the night, and almost won best costume. Alas, political correctness!
Another update for you all is that I am dating someone......just kidding...it's not that juicy. haha...Anyways, I finished my soccer season and it was the first winning season in Ave history. My second last game was a loss, but the last game of the season was a win for me. In my second last game, I was elbowed in the back of the head as I charged the forward on a fast break and suffered a concussion towards the end of the first half. I was temporarily taken out, but I told Coach that I was feeling better (even though I was feeling really light headed) and put myself back in for the start of the second half. Needless to say, the doctor was not very happy that I went back in. However, I finished with 25 saves and finished the season with the best save percentage of all the goalies. I'm really glad I stuck with it and I thank you all for your support in pushing me forward. I couldn't have done it without you guys. I really believe that I have become a better person because of this season. It's been a great season with many highlights and times I will never forget. Perhaps, one day, they'll make a movie about me: "Joey" = Rudy. The first person to be carried off the field in Ave History. :) So, those are my highlights for the start of my Senior Year. I Love you guys!! God bless you all!
I've tried to post this flipping thing already and it just doesn't want to work for me. So, here's the youtube link that you can watch it on -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCrj4BWQyaY
Also, I've tried to upload some of my pics from Halloween, but they refuse to upload. So since I cannot upload them, here's a summary of my halloween: While Ryan and Mary were dressing up as John McCain and Sarah Palin, I was dressing up as their mortal enemy: OPEC. I was the OPEC Representative of Saudi Arabia, Rabib Abudallah. Every hour, my fellow OPEC partners (Brendan Ford and Phil Buckley) would say the Muslim Liturgy of the Hours. It would start with us putting our carpets down, kneeling on them, facing east, and singing the famous Muslim song, "I heard the Voice of Allah say" in our wonderful Fr. Bob voices. However, as many people were laughing hysterically at our worship time, little did we know there were two Muslims on campus watching us. One was visiting and the other was a student. Bummer, eh? Oh well, at least we had a good time. Despite the knowledge that there were muslims on campus, we followed our dream and continued our worship for the rest of the night, and almost won best costume. Alas, political correctness!
Another update for you all is that I am dating someone......just kidding...it's not that juicy. haha...Anyways, I finished my soccer season and it was the first winning season in Ave history. My second last game was a loss, but the last game of the season was a win for me. In my second last game, I was elbowed in the back of the head as I charged the forward on a fast break and suffered a concussion towards the end of the first half. I was temporarily taken out, but I told Coach that I was feeling better (even though I was feeling really light headed) and put myself back in for the start of the second half. Needless to say, the doctor was not very happy that I went back in. However, I finished with 25 saves and finished the season with the best save percentage of all the goalies. I'm really glad I stuck with it and I thank you all for your support in pushing me forward. I couldn't have done it without you guys. I really believe that I have become a better person because of this season. It's been a great season with many highlights and times I will never forget. Perhaps, one day, they'll make a movie about me: "Joey" = Rudy. The first person to be carried off the field in Ave History. :) So, those are my highlights for the start of my Senior Year. I Love you guys!! God bless you all!
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
VA Tompkins Update
While Christina's posting is a hard act to follow, Ryan and I would like to update you all on the exciting events of our lives up here in VA. Here is a picture update... I'll try to keep it short but I make no guarantees! :) As you all know, we always enjoy being creative with our costumes on Halloween, and this year I have to give the credit to Ryan; it was his idea to be McCain and Palin, and I think it was our best yet. Too bad we lost the election :(
I don't have many pictures from Ryan's wild and crazy birthday bash, but I will post a video instead after this post. I told the birthday boy that the sky was the limit, and we could do whatever he wanted to do on his big day. His only request: to stay at home and relax with me. And of course, that I make him pork, black beans, and yellow rice for dinner. So that's exactly what we did, and it was a wonderful day!
November 5th was our 4 month wedding anniversary. This is what Ryan surprised me with when he arrived home from work. Isn't he romantic?
This past weekend we made a trip to North Carolina for our nephew Simon's Baptism, which Tabitha and Babu decided to have at their old parish in Camp LeJeune, since they were vacationing at the beach there. We stayed with Christian and Michelle, who live in Wilmington, which is only an hour away from the Marine base. On Saturday, before we left for the Baptism, Ryan helped my brother Christian work on the room addition he is building onto his house. I thought they looked legit.
I really enjoyed visiting with Michelle and my niece Natalie. On the drive to the Baptism, Ryan and I rode along with Christian and Michelle, and it was a good time. Usually Natalie hates long car rides, but she liked getting a lot of attention from me, and having Ryan's hand rubbing her toes. I tried to get a picture, because it was really cute how she rested her hand on his when he did that, but as you can see she got excited when I took out my camera and tried to grab it.
Here's Simon with his parents and Godparents. Although he was very good during the ceremony, he was not very happy during the photo shoot afterwards.
Now with just the Godparents. I thought Ryan did a superb job carrying the Light of Christ.
With my hubby.
The Godfather!
This is Natalie and I making a crazy face at eachother, on the way to the Kaza's beachhouse for the after party.
Ryan was really impressed with the many sea shells the kids had collected over the week, especially the shark teeth, which you can see here.
And here I am with a sleeping Simon, who was exhausted after his big day. 
So there you have it :) As you can see we are back to business as usual, and are enjoying life and all God's blessings. I have been trying to take it easy so that my body can get back to its pre-pregnancy state, and it is proving to be more difficult than I thought. Since my hormones are in flux, I am more susceptible to germs and viruses, and it does not help that I work with 3-6 year olds all day! This week I picked up a nasty stomach virus, which was not very fun. But otherwise, I am doing well. Things have been more difficult emotionally than physically after the miscarriage, but every day gets better. Today at work, I had a cute moment with one of the kids in my class, Isabel. She is an adorable little girl who is rather attached to me, and she found out weeks ago that I was expecting and every so often she would touch my tummy and ask after the baby. Since the miscarriage, she has done it a few times and I could not bring myself to tell her that the baby was in Heaven now instead of my tummy. So finally today, when she did it, I pulled her aside and told her quietly. She looked sad for a second, but then said with a smile, "Don't be sad about it, Mrs. Tompkins. The baby is safe now with Jesus." That was a great comfort to me :)
As for Ryan, he is continuing to work hard for FedSources, and is almost done with his first 3 months. He is a hard worker and he definitely outshines the other analysts. His most recent accomplishment was when he was asked to join a team working on the Bailout. They needed economics-trained people on the team, and Ryan was the youngest guy to be asked. While it means more work for Ryan (and for me, since I'll be helping to edit his reports), it will definitely look good on his resume, so it's well worth it! Hehe :) He is also working on starting a company flag-football team, which would be a lot of fun. Say a prayer that the company agrees to fund it so he can play. So I am very proud of Ryan, for many reasons. Not only for his aforementioned hard work to provide for us, but also his diligence and perseverence with the most difficult level of his beloved video game, Medal Gear Solid. The devotion and focus that he displays when he plays that game is truly inspiring. I am a lucky girl.
I don't have many pictures from Ryan's wild and crazy birthday bash, but I will post a video instead after this post. I told the birthday boy that the sky was the limit, and we could do whatever he wanted to do on his big day. His only request: to stay at home and relax with me. And of course, that I make him pork, black beans, and yellow rice for dinner. So that's exactly what we did, and it was a wonderful day!
November 5th was our 4 month wedding anniversary. This is what Ryan surprised me with when he arrived home from work. Isn't he romantic?
This past weekend we made a trip to North Carolina for our nephew Simon's Baptism, which Tabitha and Babu decided to have at their old parish in Camp LeJeune, since they were vacationing at the beach there. We stayed with Christian and Michelle, who live in Wilmington, which is only an hour away from the Marine base. On Saturday, before we left for the Baptism, Ryan helped my brother Christian work on the room addition he is building onto his house. I thought they looked legit.
I really enjoyed visiting with Michelle and my niece Natalie. On the drive to the Baptism, Ryan and I rode along with Christian and Michelle, and it was a good time. Usually Natalie hates long car rides, but she liked getting a lot of attention from me, and having Ryan's hand rubbing her toes. I tried to get a picture, because it was really cute how she rested her hand on his when he did that, but as you can see she got excited when I took out my camera and tried to grab it.
Here's Simon with his parents and Godparents. Although he was very good during the ceremony, he was not very happy during the photo shoot afterwards.
Now with just the Godparents. I thought Ryan did a superb job carrying the Light of Christ.
With my hubby.
The Godfather!
This is Natalie and I making a crazy face at eachother, on the way to the Kaza's beachhouse for the after party.
Ryan was really impressed with the many sea shells the kids had collected over the week, especially the shark teeth, which you can see here.
And here I am with a sleeping Simon, who was exhausted after his big day. So there you have it :) As you can see we are back to business as usual, and are enjoying life and all God's blessings. I have been trying to take it easy so that my body can get back to its pre-pregnancy state, and it is proving to be more difficult than I thought. Since my hormones are in flux, I am more susceptible to germs and viruses, and it does not help that I work with 3-6 year olds all day! This week I picked up a nasty stomach virus, which was not very fun. But otherwise, I am doing well. Things have been more difficult emotionally than physically after the miscarriage, but every day gets better. Today at work, I had a cute moment with one of the kids in my class, Isabel. She is an adorable little girl who is rather attached to me, and she found out weeks ago that I was expecting and every so often she would touch my tummy and ask after the baby. Since the miscarriage, she has done it a few times and I could not bring myself to tell her that the baby was in Heaven now instead of my tummy. So finally today, when she did it, I pulled her aside and told her quietly. She looked sad for a second, but then said with a smile, "Don't be sad about it, Mrs. Tompkins. The baby is safe now with Jesus." That was a great comfort to me :)As for Ryan, he is continuing to work hard for FedSources, and is almost done with his first 3 months. He is a hard worker and he definitely outshines the other analysts. His most recent accomplishment was when he was asked to join a team working on the Bailout. They needed economics-trained people on the team, and Ryan was the youngest guy to be asked. While it means more work for Ryan (and for me, since I'll be helping to edit his reports), it will definitely look good on his resume, so it's well worth it! Hehe :) He is also working on starting a company flag-football team, which would be a lot of fun. Say a prayer that the company agrees to fund it so he can play. So I am very proud of Ryan, for many reasons. Not only for his aforementioned hard work to provide for us, but also his diligence and perseverence with the most difficult level of his beloved video game, Medal Gear Solid. The devotion and focus that he displays when he plays that game is truly inspiring. I am a lucky girl.
Anyways, sorry that I could not limit myself to a shorter post. We are really excited for Christmas, which is just around the corner! Can't wait to see you all then!! Lots of love, Mary and Ryan :)
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Birthday, Baby, & More
Hey everyone! In an effort to be considerate of the difficult time Ryan and Mary just went through, this post is catching up on what Jack and I have been up to over the past couple weeks. Ryan and Mary, we hope you are doing well; you have been in our prayers.
Jack and I decided to celebrate my birthday on the 25th (yes it was a busy day). We went to Saturday evening Mass and out to dinner. Our evening was full of celebrations since we found out we were expecting earlier in the week. We had a great time! Sunday we spent the day relaxing, which is exactly what I wanted for my birthday :)
Just a silly picture of me - so much to be excited about!
Since I work for OSI (and we had $100 gift card), we decided to splurge and eat at Flemings. It's sad to say the service wasn't what we were hoping for. We still had a nice time. They gave me chocolate covered strawberries "for my birthday and the baby". Yum! I just realized I only ate one of them and the rest are still in the fridge... they go bad after 2 weeks?! Oh boy...
My cute husband and daddy to be!
And last, but not least, birthday presents! I thought I would take a picture of my first maternity/pregnancy items. Marisa (and David) gave me a belly band for the moment I can't button my pants! I told her it's nice that I'll think of her whenever I can't fit into my clothes. Brianna and Elizabeth bought me The Pregnancy Journal. It tells us information for each day of my pregnancy; the baby's growth, food facts, health, and then has a section for my notes... like how I'm feeling - mood, appetite, sickness, etc. It's really neat! I have a lot of catching up to do. Also, Dad and Mom Tompkins gave me a picture frame for when our baby arrives, my parents gave me cash to buy maternity clothes, and my brothers gave me gift cards. We had a great day - can't wait to go shopping ;)!
So that's what we've been up to! It's been a fun couple weeks... except for the past week. The "morning" sickness arrived right when I completed my 6th week. BARF! It's been pretty bad, I feel sick all day... and all night. I wake up (and poor Jack does too) every few hours feeling like throwing up, so I munch on my new best friend... CRACKERS! I have to force myself to eat because nothing looks or smells good! I hope this passes sooner rather than later, but I'm hanging in there. It's easier to put up with since I know it's for our little baby.
Jack and I are very excited - we can't believe there's a little baby, OUR baby, growing inside of me. We feel so blessed and can't believe we are going to be parents. Every now and then I'll walk near Jack, rub my belly, and say "baby says hi". lol! Jack has been so sweet. He rubs my belly, talks to baby, kisses baby, and is already talking about cuddling and smelling our baby when he/she is born! He is also taking great care of me while I'm struggling through this time. He is a wonderful husband and will be a wonderful daddy!
Please keep the three of us in your prayers! We love and miss you all very much. We can't wait for the holiday's to arrive!
Love,
Jack, Christina, and Baby
October 25th was the 3 mile breast cancer walk. A group of us from work decided to go and support the cause. The walk starts at the St. Pete Times Forum and travels about a mile and a half down Bayshore and then back. The weather was really nice, so we had a great time.
Jack and I decided to celebrate my birthday on the 25th (yes it was a busy day). We went to Saturday evening Mass and out to dinner. Our evening was full of celebrations since we found out we were expecting earlier in the week. We had a great time! Sunday we spent the day relaxing, which is exactly what I wanted for my birthday :)
Just a silly picture of me - so much to be excited about!
Since I work for OSI (and we had $100 gift card), we decided to splurge and eat at Flemings. It's sad to say the service wasn't what we were hoping for. We still had a nice time. They gave me chocolate covered strawberries "for my birthday and the baby". Yum! I just realized I only ate one of them and the rest are still in the fridge... they go bad after 2 weeks?! Oh boy...
My cute husband and daddy to be!
This picture is for Marisa... yes she begged me to take this. I admit I'm glad I did because it'll be fun to see the progression every four weeks. Here I am at 4 weeks.
I was going to keep the news of being pregnant from my work except for one co-worker. However, Alicia was constantly complaining because "she can't keep this kind of news in". So I just said what the heck and told everyone. Funny thing is 2 other co-workers are also expecting, we're all due in May and June. Since my birthday was Sunday, I had a surprise waiting for me on Monday. They decorated my cube with baby items! It was so great!
The following Sunday, there was a surprise birthday party for Uncle Mark (big 5-0!). Aunt Jackie requested we dress tacky. Soooo here we are looking our best! Don't mind me... not a very flattering picture :\
Since my family was out of town for my birthday and Uncle Mark's birthday party was the weekend after, we celebrated my (and my mom's, we share the same birthday) the following weekend. The day we celebrated was also Stephen's 3rd birthday, so we had lots to celebrate! Here's a picture of Stephen and I in front of our cake. The oldest and the youngest of the family, 21 years apart!
And last, but not least, birthday presents! I thought I would take a picture of my first maternity/pregnancy items. Marisa (and David) gave me a belly band for the moment I can't button my pants! I told her it's nice that I'll think of her whenever I can't fit into my clothes. Brianna and Elizabeth bought me The Pregnancy Journal. It tells us information for each day of my pregnancy; the baby's growth, food facts, health, and then has a section for my notes... like how I'm feeling - mood, appetite, sickness, etc. It's really neat! I have a lot of catching up to do. Also, Dad and Mom Tompkins gave me a picture frame for when our baby arrives, my parents gave me cash to buy maternity clothes, and my brothers gave me gift cards. We had a great day - can't wait to go shopping ;)!
So that's what we've been up to! It's been a fun couple weeks... except for the past week. The "morning" sickness arrived right when I completed my 6th week. BARF! It's been pretty bad, I feel sick all day... and all night. I wake up (and poor Jack does too) every few hours feeling like throwing up, so I munch on my new best friend... CRACKERS! I have to force myself to eat because nothing looks or smells good! I hope this passes sooner rather than later, but I'm hanging in there. It's easier to put up with since I know it's for our little baby.
Jack and I are very excited - we can't believe there's a little baby, OUR baby, growing inside of me. We feel so blessed and can't believe we are going to be parents. Every now and then I'll walk near Jack, rub my belly, and say "baby says hi". lol! Jack has been so sweet. He rubs my belly, talks to baby, kisses baby, and is already talking about cuddling and smelling our baby when he/she is born! He is also taking great care of me while I'm struggling through this time. He is a wonderful husband and will be a wonderful daddy!
Please keep the three of us in your prayers! We love and miss you all very much. We can't wait for the holiday's to arrive!
Love,
Jack, Christina, and Baby
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