Hi Everyone! I hope everyone checks their photo status and finds my posts, because that means that I actually pressed the right buttons to post it.
I really want to update everyone!! Because I miss you all alot and know that if I write this blog, I'll feel closer to you. Well: things are super busy. As you all know, I hope, I was given the lead role from the first-ever-full-length producting of a Shakespearean play at Ave Maria. Guess what the role is?! The biggest female role in Shakespearean drama and the equal to Hamlet: Rosalind from As You Like It. I was just sitting down analyzing the characters of speech and typing in my emotions, gesticulations and some thoughts that I plan to be thinking as I'm acting. It's alot of work and a bit exhausting. The show is in three weeks and I haven't finished analyzing yet. I really need to get it done ASAP. If you all could pray for perseverance, temperance, and fortitude on my behalf that'd be great. (Jeepers, that's basically all the cardinal virtues lacking!! Oh dear, I don't want to know where justice is...if I don't have these three, I'm sure I don't have justice with me.)
Dr. McDonnell got a call from Senator Bennett last weekend, asking for a singer to sing the National Anthem for his ceremonial luncheon in Bonita Springs at some rich diner/hotel (the name of which name I don't remember and didn't care to notice). Dr. McD asked me. Wednesday, I sang and, unbelievably, had great responses! Senator Bennet cried (BIG tears rolling down his nose haha) during the Star Spangled Banner! And, after they suprise-attacked me with a request for Ave Maria, the entire assembly gave me a standing ovation. A newspaper co. supposedly wants to write an article about me; the assistant for Congressman Rooney has asked me to sing at his re-election campaign this Wednesday; and Senator Bennett has asked me record two CDs, one for him and one as an audition type CD for entrance to sing at the Florida Legislature. He offered to fly me there for the ceremonies. :) So, good news.
Keep me in your prayers! I'll pray for you too.
I love you all! And I can't wait for Sanibel Island! And I WON"T be doing any work at all!! Strict vacationing. After this semester, I'll need it and already want it!

CONGRATS!!

CONGRATS David!!!!!!!!! i'm soooooooooooooooooooo!!! PROUD OF YOU!!:)) i'm very happy you got the job:))!! thank the Lord! i hope everything goes well:)) i love you, praying for you. and God bless......xoxoxoxoxoxo. teresa

Here SHE is!

We had our 20 week sonogram today, and it turns out that our suspicions were correct, we are having a girl!:

February & March in Naples

Hello family!!!

We check the blog every few days and have enjoyed the latest posts! Here in Naples, we've had a busy February and March with quite a few happenings. In February, we celebrated our first St. Valentine's Day as a married couple, went on a mini "babymoon", and had a wonderful visit for a few days in Tampa to celebrate Mom and Dad's 30th Anniversary. March brought two weeks of Posch family visits and we even got to see Teresa Suarez when she came to town. Joe and I have attended classes to prepare for Tiny's arrival: an 8-hour birthing class and a 2-hour newborn care class. Joe is one of the lead scorers on his soccer team and has recently had a huge weight lifted: he found a summer job! He will be a research assistant for one of his Ave Maria Law professors here in Naples and is extremely excited. Not only will Joe get to research a topic he loves (the separation of Church and state), but this position will boost his resume immensely and help him when he applies to the Blackstone Fellowship internship next summer. Right now Joe is trying to write a 30 page paper while sick with a fever - please remember him in your prayers! He is trying to make it through the last tough weeks of this draining semester and then we will be catching up with you all in Sanibel!

No doubt I am in "nesting mode" because I realize that we've been adding more craigslist furniture to our cozy apartment: Joe's digital piano, Tiny's crib & dresser, and patio furniture. It's so satisfying to check off these things from the "before the baby comes" list! I've also been picking up extra nannying hours so we will have some savings for when I stop working sometime in mid-April. Tiny is now 33 weeks along and, in addition to the constant moving and pushing on his/her poor mother, we've been noticing long spurts of hiccups. Also, Joe and I went to our first ultrasound last week and were finally able to get some pictures of Tiny! I hadn't been to the doctor since December, but the doctor assured us that our baby is "perfect, perfect, perfect!" and we're hoping that means Tiny will arrive "perfectly" on schedule... which is probably wishful thinking. :)

Here is Joe sitting down to our St. Valentine's Day supper. This was my first attempt at filet mignon and I must say that it came out perfectly. Delicious!

Newlyweds on St. Valentine's Day!

Extremely happy with his second love, "Roland"! After we got the piano, Joe kept saying over and over "Can you believe this is real? We have a PIANO!" It is so nice to hear beautiful music being played and Tiny enjoys it too!

It was recommended that we take a "babymoon", which is a special vacation taken before the baby arrives. We were only able to take a day-long vacation due to law school but it was a wonderful time! We began the day with mass, then I-Hop for breakfast, then naps in the afternoon, then to the beach for the sunset, and then out to dinner at a restaurant near the beach called The Lighthouse. This is a picture with Joe and his third love: the beach. He stood there for at least an hour and said that he felt the stress of law school washing away with the waves. :)

I enjoyed the beach as much as a pregnant lady can... I was looking forward to supper time haha.

29 weeks

32 weeks

(And you can see the new patio furniture in the background)

Two pictures of Tiny! The first photo shows the head and face. The second is Tiny's profile picture.

What do you think? Boy or girl? Posch or Tompkins?

Well, we love you all very much and are counting down the days to when we will see everyone in Sanibel!!

March/St. Patrick's Day photos

Happy Spring, Tompkins family! I just thought I'd share our pictures from this month so far. March has been a busy month for us, full of spring cleaning, field trips, lunch dates with Daddy, play dates, playground visits, pediatrician/dentist/OB appointments, and haircuts for all of us (except Cecilia). In our last field trip, we went to Heaven Scent Farm in Gainesville, VA. We were lured there with the promise of seeing cute and fuzzy animals, but found ourselves trapped in an Evangelical Christian indocrtination session. So, in addition to learning how to plant a potato and sew grass seeds, our kids learned that you don't have to go to church every Sunday, but instead have to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, and you will go to Heaven! They even had a poster with a diagram of the "free ticket" with an arrow to "heaven." It ended up alright in the end when we finally got to see and pet the animals. Cecilia was thrilled and loved each animal, until we met the pig. She approached the pig, keeping a safe distance, and said "Look Mommy, a pig!" to which the pig responded in the affirmative with a loud, snorting "OINK!". This startled Cecilia and caused her to immediately burst into tears and scream at the top of her lungs, which as you may recall is very high pitched. Needless to say, our viewing time with the animals ended rather abruptly and I'm pretty sure we are not welcome back to Heaven Scent Farms ever again.
 We had fun this weekend celebrating St. Patrick's Day, starting with the St. Patrick's Day parade in Old Town Manassas. We had a restful afternoon before going to the Saturday evening Mass and playground afterwards. For dinner we cheated and had a Cuban meal of picadillo, rice and plantains (we don't really like corn beef or cabbage!), but enjoyed some green desserts as well as a Chocolate Guiness cake. To finish the day off Ryan and I watched The Quiet Man, which has to be one of my favorite movies ever. The celebration continued into Sunday as well, with lots of Guiness drinking (by Ryan) and chocolate eating by me. Since it was Ryan's turn to pick the movie, we watched Braveheart because, as he rightfully argued, there is an Irish guy in there.

Oh and in other news, our 20 week sonogram is only 6 days away, so it's time to place your bets: what do you think, boy or girl?

Guess Who's Rubbing Shoulders w/ the Big Dawgs?

Go to this link, check out the video about Mike Dee, the CEO of the Miami Dolphins, and let me know who you see at the minute mark. haha - you'll get a kick out of it.

http://www.fox4now.com/news/local/142385035.html

"Miami Dolphins, Miami Dolphins, Miami Dolphins #ONNNNEEEE!" *gun shot*

February pictures

Can you tell the difference?

Between these two pregnant lady pictures from today?

P.S.: Only positive comments allowed--my self-esteem is very fragile right now! :p

Veronica's 1st trip to the ER

Our family had an exciting start to the weekend. Last night, Jack came home while I was in the process of bathing the girls. He took Veronica and started the dressing routine on the bathroom carpet while I dressed Isabella near the tub. We're not quite sure how it happened, but I believe Isabella grabbed something off of the counter which caused the A&D ointment tub to fall off the counter and land on Veronica's forehead. It was one of those slow motion moments. I saw it land and what looked like a black hole when it gashed open. Jack immediately picked her up and I grabbed toilet paper to stop the bleeding (the head bleeds so fast!). Jack makes fun of me because my initial reaction was "Call 911!" because I was thinking of immediate help. Obviously, I quickly realized that was unnecessary :). It didn't take too long before the bleeding stopped and we put on a butterfly band-aid to help keep it together. It was definitely traumatic, all three of us were covered in blood. And poor Isabella, she was screaming and so scared! Even after Veronica stopped crying, Isabella was so upset. Jack looked down at his shirt and saw that it was covered with blood, so after changing his shirt Isabella seemed to calm down. Poor girl! I took Veronica to the ER and the doctor recommended stitches (it was a little over 1/4 inch long) because it went through several layers of skin and muscle, so the glue form is not strong enough to keep it together. Veronica did not like being held down while they stitched her, broke Mommy's heart! Two stitches later, she's good as new! We were out of there at midnight. Here are a few pictures. Love you all!

Waiting for the doc to stitch her up.

Right after stitching... she worked up a sweat with her screams :(

Her battle wound the next morning.

Isabella hearing for the first time

Dear Jack and Christina,
Your mom showed me your family blog yesterday and I forgot to close it out which is a good thing actually! I've played the video of Isabella no less than a dozen times and each time it brings tears to my eyes. It's without a doubt the most heartwarming video I've ever experienced. What a beautiful and sweet child you have. (of course Veronica is too)!!! God Bless all of you. Love, Aunt Carolyn