I hold that baby

Vianney will be one of my best memories of bringing Damaris home. She loves to hold her. I love that our house is filled with toys, books, and other child delights, but she LOVES to hold the baby.

I thought these pictures captured her sweetness with Damaris. She always says to me, "I hold that baby affer you nurth her?"

Siblings truly are the best gift you can give your children...a little friend for life.

Loving a Newborn

I feel most vulnerable when I have a newborn. I love this new child so intensely that my logic and reason is questionable. When Clairvaux was ten days old, she ran a fever of 104 degrees. We took her to the ER in which they did a spinal tap and all the good things that come with having a newborn with a fever. I am a wounded duck from that experience. I remembered her tiny newborn body curled up on the bed while the doctor's prepared to take a sample of her spinal fluid.

With Damaris, I have felt her head more often then I should because of my experience with Clairvaux. She woke up around 4:30 last night to eat and she felt warm. I nursed her and denied in my head that she really was warm and I was just imagining it. I got out the thermometer and it read 100.5 degrees.

I wouldn't think twice about this temperature if it was my older kids, but for newborn I know it is much different. I know you are to call your doctor right away and then usually head to the ER. Just the day before I was truly marveling at her perfection and feeling on top of the world with my new girl. She is just sweet. I thought of all she was going to have to go through and the air was quickly getting sucked out of our bedroom. NOOOOOO!!!!!!! I don't want to do this. I kept taking her temp. hoping it would go down magically, but of course it didn't so I called my mother and John's mother to pray.

I called our doctor and he said that if it gets over 101 degrees we need to head to the ER. John went to early mass and then I went when he got home so we didn't have to take her out. I was sitting at mass with a hollow heart because of the heaviness I felt at the current situation. I H.A.T.E this part of motherhood. I hate worrying so much about somebody I love so much especially somebody so new. While at mass, I noticed every pew in front of me was somebody I knew. Because of my friendship with each person, I know a few of the crosses they are currently carrying. I watched my friend Lucy and her severely autistic child. I watched my friend Janel carry the heavy cross in her heart of just having two miscarriages. I watched my friend Nikki with a heavy heart of just having an adoption fall through. I was so sad for all these people.

What did I learn today? I learned yet again my faith is weak and I am loving things above God. When I looked at Damaris all day, I was weak. I just wanted her to be fine. I don't want to suffer or to worry. I don't want it to be hard. I want to gain heaven without the cross and I know it is not possible yet I am so weak. We took the kids to pray night prayer at the Pink Sisters tonight. I couldn't leave. I sat in the front pew with all my little girls around me and couldn't move. Why is everything so clear in there? It all makes sense in front of Our Lord especially surrounded by holy nuns. On the way out, I saw my saint friend, Sharon. I know about 3 saints on earth and she is one of them. She's never married.  She spends her days in service of others and making sure others are happy. I told John when we left that since I've known her (12 years) she has had that holy hour every Sunday. I admire her faithfulness even though life has been so disappointing in regards to her hopes and dreams. She comes to see HIM every day. She wanted so much to be married and have children. God had other plans for her good life. She is so faithful. I need to be more faithful and stop riding in such unsteady ship. Damaris is doing well tonight. Her temperature went down. I pray that it stays down, but more I WANT to pray that I just do God's will and accept it like St. Paul did in the scriptures.

At Home With You

Newborns are mysterious. I will always be in awe of them. Every time. Sometimes, I stare so hard at her that I am almost can't see her. Does that make sense? I love nursing her in just her diaper. I look at her fresh body in awe that right now is how she looked inside of me. Her wrinkled head, puffy upper eyes, tiny chicken legs. That is exactly how she was inside of me. The moment I first saw this child, my heart fell crazy in love. I don't know if it was her hard labor and delivery. I don't know if it was that we made eye contact instantly. Whatever it was, I immediately knew her and felt she knew me. I hope she learns to walk before she is five years old because I pretty much spend my day passing her from one child to another after much begging and pleading to constantly "hold her." Vianney probably is my #1 recruit. She asks ALL THE TIME and it started in the hospital from the moment she saw her. "Mama, I hold that baby?" She is really very good with her and knows how to work with her. Adorable.

IT'S A GIRL!!!!! Damaris Catherine Mary Boever

Look who the Good Lord Blessed us with!!!



Damaris Catherine Mary Boever
April 10, 2012
7 lbs. 9 oz.
20 inches long.
9:42 PM

Home for Sale...Thank you St. Joseph

A close friend of mine and her family have been waiting with great patience for their ideal family home to buy to suit their growing family. They were contacted recently regarding their dream home and it is now for sale. First, they must sell their home. So, in order to get the word out and hopefully sell their home as quick as possible so they can move to their new home, I wanted to post a brief description and blog link to their home in Lincoln, Nebraska in hopes of getting the word out and hopefully a buyer very quickly. I kindly ask you to pass this information on to anyone you may know looking for a home in the St. Teresa's Parish. St. Joseph...pray for us.

Here is the description provided by Erin and her husband:



We are selling our 3+1bedroom, 2bath, 1478sqft house. It is the perfect family house, with a large living room/dining room area where all the kids can (are forced to) play together, but still have plenty of room to run around. And if the kids get too wild inside, just send them out the back door into the sunporch or into the spacious, fenced-in backyard (I can watch them out the window as I catch up on dishes or work in the kitchen). During the winter, we use the large unfinished area of the basement for skates, trikes and scooters.

The house also has several positives we had intended to use in the future. The backyard offers the possibility for home expansion for the family that just keeps on growing. And my husband thinks the front porch will be a perfect spot to spend those future evenings waiting impatiently for our daughters to be brought home safely from any dates (shotgun not included with the house).

Depending on your definition of such things, it is within walking distance to St. Teresa's (you can get a rosary in perfectly on the way to Mass or school).

But really, you just have to see it and I think you will love it. Feel free to visit the house blog, 4134BStreet.blogspot.com, or contact me for a tour. And unless you buy it first, we are planning an open house on Sunday, April 22 from noon-2pm.

Easter 2012

Happiness.


The sugar high was intense. They had already eaten 47 pounds of sugar by 7:00 AM. Even though I only put ONE chocolate bunny in their baskets, they some how managed to find other amounts of sugar and consume. Oh well.


Easter is happiness to me. I love the colors, the hope, the joy, and the brightness it brings to all parts of our lives. My mom, Andrew, Maria, and offspring came in from out of town to spend the weekend with us. Maria called Thursday and blamed me for being insane wanting a house full of people the day before I was due. I told her they are the perfect company. They like to sit, eat, laugh, and talk. That is exactly what we did all weekend. We all went for a walk this evening and it was heaven strolling with our mounds of children watching them laugh, run, and roll around like puppies with each other.


The melt-downs by all children were record high, but were so humorous that I think we all looked forward to them. They were so irrational by the evening that it was awesome. So many fun times and good memories they will have!

I have to admit it. I am a good Easter bunny. My baskets every year are filled with such little treasures I look for all year and collect.
I only bought 4 dozen eggs to color and that was over in about 3 seconds. Note to next Easter self, buy more eggs.
Vianney did something crazy to herself Friday night. We were all sitting inside and the kids brought her in crying. The whole bottom part of her face was completely covered in blood and dirt. I still don't know what happened as nobody saw it, but I think she flipped off her swing to her face. I am glad I didn't see it. Her poor little face.


Tomorrow is D-Day! I said only 139 times today "I can't believe I am due tomorrow!" Crazy town. I've had no contractions. I usually start, go to the hospital, and have the new baby about 12 hours later. I have had two babies on their due date, one a week early, one a week late, and the other two were two days late.

Holy Thursday Tradition

In keeping with our Holy Thursday Tradition, we enjoyed a meal of fresh bread, wine (grape juice), raw milk cheese, dates rolled in coconut, and grape. Last year, we had lamb meat, but I didn't have any available this year. John suggested getting gyros next year. I know many who celebrate the Traditional Seder Meal which sounds like an amazing idea that I don't seem to think about doing until the hour before our simple Holy Thursday tradition. The kids love this and look forward to it every year.


John took the older four to Holy Thursday mass. I stayed behind with the Vianney and Clairvaux as bedtime was quickly approaching and the thought of wrestling a tired Clairvaux 67 months pregnant sounded too good to be true. She is still stuck in the sit-and-spin stage at mass so I was glad John was able to take the older ones so they could take everything in. They all wanted to go an hour early so they could sit up front to see the men get their feet washed by Msgr. Nemec. John and I watched the movie "The Passion" tonight. It is such a good movie every time.