Babywearing, Awkward Moments, & Prayer Intentions-7 Quick Takes!

Things have been quiet here on the blog as of late, so I figured I'd pop on with some quick takes to give y'all a glimpse into life. Visit Kelly for more exciting news in the blogosphere!


Based on recent experiences, I'm beginning to wonder if we have a little introverted baby.

Last weekend, I took Peter with me to a party that-aside from the two small children of one couple-was entirely comprised of young adults. When we first got there early in the evening, he was such a happy camper. He snuggled with a couple different people, slept a bit, and nothing too dramatic happened. But once more people started showing up, he started getting pretty fussy even after I nursed him several times, changed him, and tried bouncing him to sleep. A few days later, at around the same time in the evening, I took Peter with me to a pub downtown, where we met up with a couple other friends. The entire evening-with this small group of friends at the pub and then at a burger place nearby-he slept or looked around peacefully. Ergo, I'm wondering if we have a little introvert, who likes small gatherings with friends but not big parties. Or maybe not liking big parties is just a baby thing? Thoughts? I'm interested to see how his personality continues to develop over time!

I guess I'm starting a tradition of walking up to the parked cars of fellow Franciscan alumni to awkwardly introduce myself? 
Last August, I was walking across a parking lot in Kansas when the following happened:
My younger brother exclaimed, "Hey, I think that's ________ from Franciscan!"
Me: "Really? He's dating my household sister! I must meet him!" [begins walking over to the parked car]
Younger Brother: "Annie, don't...please no..."
[I proceed to walk up to this parked car, where a man is sitting inside with the window rolled up. I then knock on the window and wave. He cautiously cracks open the car door and I introduce myself and legitimately creep him out.]

Just one year later, on our way into Mass, my husband noticed that the car parked next to ours has a Franciscan University parking sticker on it. As we walked across the parking lot to our car, we saw this car idling in the lot, waiting to drive out.
Me: "Should I run over and introduce myself? Yes? Okay, I'm doing it.
[I proceed to walk up to this car-which conveniently had an unrolled window, and introduce myself to the driver. She, apparently, was not an FUS student, but had a sister who was. Based on the "I'm so creeped out!" looks she was giving me, and the rate at which she drove away, I think I was just a little too weird for her Sunday morning.]

This week, I realized that I am really, really good at forgetting the lyrics to Disney songs.
Quite frequently, Peter and I dance around the apartment and sing together in the later afternoon (more on this soon with a post on our daily schedule), and some of our songs of choice happen to be of the Disney variety. So many times, I've started belting out a song only to forget the majority of the lyrics. I then discovered that lyric videos exist on Youtube for all of the songs in our selection so far-Praise the Lord!

I have gotten so many compliments on my makeshift K'tan carrier this week, I figured I'd talk about it.
Y'all, I am frugal. While I may not get any awards for Miss Frugal USA, I like to save money, and if I can have a really cool item that's expensive for a teensy fraction of the cost, I get excited. When I was pregnant, I knew I wanted to try babywearing to get some hands-free time. Thing is, most baby carriers that work well are a pretty penny. The original K'tan carrier sells for nearly $50 on Amazon! Thankfully, Robynn created an awesome tutorial for a no-sew K'tan-style carrier made from t-shirts.  I spent a little time in Goodwill scouting out the cheapest t-shirts in the colors I wanted, and then I made my own carrier for $4.57 (after tax). Such a win! 

This is National Breastfeeding Week, so I think it's ironic that this is the week I figured out how to nurse Peter while wearing him.
Seriously, it has made life so convenient! When my friends and I were walking downtown the other day, he started getting upset and I knew he was really hungry (he hadn't eaten in about 3 hours, and he rarely goes that long in the daytime without food). Instead of having to take him out of the carrier to hold him sideways while he nursed, or having to wait until we found a bench or got to the car, I just popped open my nursing tank, positioned his head, and he nursed happily while we walked along. It's fantastic :)  

Please pray for the Bergkamp family in Kansas!
A month ago, seminarian Brian Bergkamp (I didn't know him well, but we were acquainted. And lots of my friends were friends of his) was kayaking in Wichita, Kansas with four other people. They lost control, and three of the people made it to shore safely. Bergkamp went back for the fourth person and got her to safety, and in the process disappeared in the river. This tragedy has rocked the community in Wichita, for Catholics and non-Catholics alike. For weeks, people have been praying and searching for his body, and over the weekend-praise God!-his body was found and identified in the river. I am so grateful that his family now has closure with the discovery of his body! Please pray for the Bergkamps and the whole community, that they experience God's consolation and peace in this time.

Please pray for the community in Oklahoma City-and come join us in prayer, if you're nearby!
In the past couple years, OKC has made news in a rather sad way. First, a local Satanist decided to host a black mass (which blasphemes the Catholic Mass) downtown as a ticketed, public event. Then, on Christmas Eve this past year, he publicly mocked a statue of Mary outside one of our local Catholic churches, while Mass was being celebrated. On August 15 (which, for Catholics, is a pretty big feast day-the Assumption of Mary) the Satanist is hosting a public, ticketed black mass and blasphemous display with a statue of Mary, which also involved burned-up pages of the Koran (so not only is he mocking the Christian faith, but the Muslim faith, too!). I ask that you please pray for the conversion and healing of all those who are supporting these Satanic events. Also, if any of you are in the neighborhood on August 15, there is an ecumenical Prayer Walk and Prayer Service being held in downtown Oklahoma City! I think it's awesome that Christians of many denominations are coming together in prayer and solidarity in response to the Satanic events and acts of violence worldwide. I love prayer, and I love praying in unity with others. In fact, St. John Vianney-whose feast we celebrated yesterday-said this ultra awesome quotation, which I'll finish off this post with:

“Private prayer is like straw scattered here and there: If you set it on fire it makes a lot of little flames. But gather these straws into a bundle and light them, and you get a mighty fire, rising like a column into the sky; public prayer is like that.”~St. John Vianney