3 Months Old

Time is flying by! At times I want time to slow down, and at other times- speed up. Mostly, I just want to hold my little guy and enjoy his 'smallness' before he gets too big. Matthew is doing great. He is still a really happy baby and is enjoying all the madness around here. He loves to watch Michael and Claire run in and out of the room and enjoys listening to them talk and scream. In fact, he 's fussier during the day when it is totally quiet.

He is very alert and loves holding his head up when you hold him. I realized the other day that Matthew spends a great deal of time on my left shoulder, looking out to his right. When I tried to switch him to the other shoulder, he would only look into my neck. I think he didn't realize that you can look in both directions since his point of view is always looking to the right. I am going to have to work a little bit to break this habit- since I gave it to him!

Matthew has started to lengthen the frequency of his feeds to 3 hours. While I haven't totally figured out his schedule, life seems to be getting smoother by the day. My approach to raising my children has always been to go with the flow- not try and schedule things too much. Night time has gotten a little better, although he can't seem to shake this stuffy nose which starts to really bother him around 4:00 a.m. (really fun!). He has totally found his hands and has them in his mouth often. While I keep reminding the kids to wash their hands, I think they get to him with their 'preschool germs' from time to time- hence the stuffy nose. Matthew is great and naps on the go. He loves the motion of the car which rocks him to sleep in no time.

One of the best changes Matthew's made now that he is 3 months is that he is happy in his bouncy seat! I can actually get things done around the house! He will sit in there, with the vibration on, for up to 30 minutes. It is amazing what I can get done when he just sits and observes. He will watch us eat dinner, watch me fold laundry, and sit content while I take a shower. Baby steps, I know- but at least I am getting some relief these days!

Matthew loves to engage with people. He smiles, laughs, coos, and kicks his legs and waves his arms when he is excited. He is really starting to recognize us and loves Michael and Claire. When I laugh at Matthew, he knows to smile and giggle back. You can see parts of his personality coming through and I am certain he will be something else (just like his brother and sister)! Matthew has started drooling this month- which was a bit of a surprise to me. He is opening his hands more, rather than keeping them in a closed fists, and has started batting at toys. We still don't know what color hair he will have and his eyes are still a pretty blue. I love how big his eyes are and how they make my heart dance when he looks at me for no reason other than to just look at his Mommy.

He loves when I sing Na Na Na (a song my Nana made up) and loves his pluggie (pacifier). He went to Disneyland for the first time this month and did great! His first ride ever was Peter Pan and he slept through most of it. Matthew is doing so well and we are really enjoying every little thing about him because we know these 'little baby' days go by so fast!

Hoop Dreams

"Right, left, right." my Dad would tell me. This was the foot sequence for a left-handed layup. I heard what he said, but it took a long long time for my brain to make my feet do what he was saying. Lucky for me, I had a small court in my backyard and I could practice these types of fundamentals over and over until I got them right.

My cousins lived down the hill from me and we had spent countless hours in their driveway shooting hoops with my Uncle Denny. Sometimes we would play bump or HORSE, other times, we would try and shoot over a 6 foot tall wooden creation my Uncle liked to call, "Juanita". While I enjoyed playing with them, my Dad and I realized how useful and fun it would be to have a hoop of our own. Our front driveway was on an awkward slope, so that negated the possibility of having a hoop in our front yard- so it would have to be in the backyard. Once we committed to the idea of doing this, my Dad and I started pulling up the lawn and leveling out the dirt in the backyard to make our own little 'mini court'. Once this court was in, I was in heaven. I had a place where I could work off some of my overflowing energy while also practicing the game I loved so much. I would spend hours shooting. I spent such wonderful time with my sisters and Dad out there. I am sure they would say the same. My favorite time of the day to shoot was once the sun went down. My dad had some bright lights installed so that it was never too dark to go out and shoot. And shoot I did. Retiring many nights out there after shooting with my Dad, my favorite coach and rebounder.

My love for this court was shared by many. There aren't too many of my family or friends who have not shot around, played games, or watched the hysteria from the top of the deck. I can recall so many barbeques, birthday parties, special events, even the night before my wedding- when there was a big group of us on that court. We laughed, lived, learned, and had so much fun out there.

All of this leads me to the bittersweet news that the court is now gone. Concrete broken apart, hoop dismantled, and many memories driven away to make room for new memories. Don't get me wrong- I am so thrilled about the remodel, but sometimes change is hard. I must admit that when I laid eyes on the backyard for the first time and saw the absence of the court, my heart snuck up into my throat. I had so many wonderful times out there, learned so much, and even grew up out there. And while life is full of changes and we must grow and move on- I will never forget what that court meant to me.

Disneyland

The Happiest Place On Earth. I hoped that this well known statement would hold true as we planned to bring our new family of 5 to Disneyland. This trip to Disneyland would be Michael and Claire's 4th time to Disneyland (3-Disneyland, CA, 1-Disneyland Paris), and Matthew's 1st trip. When Lani proposed the family trip back in October, I laughed at the idea of bringing a new baby to Disneyland. Big and pregnant at the time, I couldn't imagine how we could manage all three kids there and keep the new baby happy and comfortable. Yet after I had Matthew, and he showed me that he just might be able to tolerate the trip, Damien and I agreed to join the big group. So on Sunday, April 22nd, we all piled into our Toyota Sienna and headed south. I was nervous that Matthew would scream the whole way or that the 6 hour drive would turn into an 11 hour drive, but much to my surprise- it wasn't that way at all! It took us 6 hours to drive there, we only stopped twice to feed Matthew and he only cried about 5 total minutes of the drive. Michael and Claire were content with their snacks, coloring books, and the DVDs they picked to watch on the trip. Damien was a trooper and drove the whole way, while I sat in the back and kept Matthew happy. Seriously, the drive was pleasurable and we arrived at the Disneyland Hotel happy and ready to have fun!

We got a 3-day park hopper and planned to go to the parks on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. We then decided that Wednesday, the day we would drive home, would be spent at the Neverland Pool at the hotel. So as planned, we went to the park on Sunday. Disneyland closed early because of a private party, so we went to California Adventure. It was our first trial run at figuring out how to manage Matthew while letting the kids have fun. The first ride we hit was Monster's Inc. and it was a long wait. While we were waiting in line, Matthew started crying and it hit me- he was hungry. Should I leave the line and feed him? What should I do? I didn't think ahead and here I was- 25 minutes committed to the wait already. So, upon the urging of my sister-in-laws, I fed him as I walked through the lines to front. At first I was intimidated by this, but then I realized that while I was on this trip, this was the way it was probably going to go. Once we had finished the ride, the sky grew darker and grayer and before you knew it- it was sprinkling. We tried to get some food, but while we were waiting, the sky opened and dumped on us. I got a pit in my stomach thinking of how this kind of weather would really ruin the trip. We split from the group, caught the Bug's Life ride, and then ran back to the hotel in the rain. Matthew was screaming, we were all wet and cold, and I felt bad that the kid's first exposure to the park was so gloomy. To make things a little more sweet for them, we stopped and bought them some ice cream on the way home. I was ready to get some sleep and start a new day!

We woke up early to a beautiful sunny sky the next morning which instantly brightened my mood. Because we were staying at the Disneyland Hotel, we got early entry to Disneyland so we met up with Damien's family at the monorail. Our plan was to hit the rides in Fantasyland as they are rides you must go on, but by the late morning take forever to get on! Michael asked if we could go on the Matterhorn (which was the one ride he was really dying to go on) and the group agreed. Claire opted out, even though I tried and tried to persuade her. It was a great ride to start the day and Michael loved it! Next we hit Dumbo, Peter Pan, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride before heading over to Frontier Land for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Here is where the day took a turn for little Claire. Matthew was crying and needed to eat, so as we passed Big Thunder and realized all the kids were tall enough to ride, Damien guided them all on the ride. Usually my role for Claire is explaining the ride to her and making sure she is comfortable, but because I was feeding Matthew, she just followed the group onto the ride- thinking it was a kid ride. As the roller coaster began to whip her around corners and up and down hills, she melted down and by the time she got off the ride, she told me, "I am not riding any more rides today. I want to go back to the hotel!" I felt bad because while I was on a bench feeding Matthew, no one bothered to take her needs into consideration and now she was fearful of the rest of the rides. We headed over to Pirates of the Caribbean and she put her heels down. I explained to her that this wasn't a roller coaster or anything too scary; it was just the life of pirates. But she lost it. Kicking and screaming, snotting and limbs flailing, I carried her onto the ride because I knew that if she went on it, she would like it. It took a few minutes before she peeked her little head from beneath my arms, but she warmed up to it and by the end of the day, she was pleading for us to take her back to 'Pirates'.

One of the major highlights of the trip is when the kids went to watch the 'Jedi Training Academy' with Uncle Eric and Uncle Ryan. To our knowledge, it was just going to be a Star Wars show so Damien and I stayed and finished our lunch with Lani, Megan, Heavenly, Heather, and Ali. When we finished and headed over to the outdoor show, we were shocked to see Michael and Claire dressed in brown Jedi robes. They were out there with a bunch of other kids that were hand selected from the crown- waving light sabers around and learning how to fight the 'Dark Side'. After learning so defensive moves, the kids were asked to move the side. The stage began to rise up and smoke filtered out from the platform. I could see Michael, who thought that this was all 100% real, staring intently at the stage. Out from the smoke came Darth Vader and Darth Maul. He couldn't believe it. Claire started crying and they moved her to the back of the group. Then one by one, the little Jedis got to fight Darth Vader or Darth Maul. Michael was eating it up! He was so focused and it was hard to take pictures because we were laughing so much! Michael was great and successfully fought off Darth Maul. As if Michael needed his love for Star Wars to intensify, he couldn't stop talking about it for the rest of the day! Damien said it was one of the coolest things he had ever seen! Another highlight for us is when Michael went on Space Mountain (Claire opted out of this one, too. But who could blame her!). I was a bit worried that he would freak out on the ride because it is quite an experience once you are in there! But he remained cool during the wait and then on the ride surprised Damien and I. With wide eyes, our little adrenaline junkie went the whole roller coaster ride with this hands in the air- fist pumping. I held onto him for dear life hoping that he wouldn't fly out! He couldn't have cared less about his safety and you can see in the picture that he was living it up to the fullest! We finished the day off in Disneyland and then went to Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen for a 9pm dinner in Downtown Disney. We had a group of 22 for dinner and it was a lot of fun.

Tuesday morning we again woke up for Early Admission to Disneyland and had the same game plan as the day before. We toddled around the park and then met the entire Swendsen clan at Goofy's kitchen in the Disneyland Hotel for brunch. It's all you can eat with great food, but the kids and parents alike love the characters that come visit your table. We went to Disneyland last May with my family and Michael fell in love with Wendy from Peter Pan. He was really hoping to see her but she wasn't there. What was interesting was that Alice, from Alice in Wonderland, was there and she looked eerily like Wendy (wink wink). Lucky for us, he didn't notice that it was the same girl and he flushed when she told him he looked just like Peter Pan. We spent the rest of the day in California Adventure and met up with the big group to end the night in Disneyland.

Our last day was spent relaxing at the pool until we hopped in the car for a short (not!) 7 hour drive home. A lot of traffic in LA caused our trek home to be longer than expected! We had such a wonderful time and we can't wait to go back once Matthew can enjoy it, too.

6 Years Ago Today

I can still remember the way I felt after Michael was born. Within thirty minutes of birthing him, I remember lying on a bed in a dark room, a nurse had just laid a warm blanket over me, closed the shades over the windows and had told me in her best broken English to try and sleep. Sleep! How could I sleep? I gave birth to Michael at 5:31 in the morning after a scary and trauma filled night of no sleep. Between dealing with the pain of contractions and listening to the doctors tell me all night that 'things are not good, the baby is not good', I was as confused as I had ever been in my entire life.

In a short period of time, I had gone from feeling the movements and life of my baby in my belly to lying in a dark room alone. I had told Damien to go with the doctors and to be with Michael. He was worried about me and all I had been through, but I assured him that I would be fine and that it was more important to be with Michael. Yet as the nurse left the room, with my body now warm and relaxed, with reality settling in, I wasn't so sure I was fine.

I saw Michael for a brief few seconds before they took him away to the NICU. They told me that he wouldn't cry when he was born but as he came out, he kicked his left leg once and let out one little cry that sounded like a kitten's meow. This is how I knew Michael had survived the birth. 'Good sign', I thought. As I lay in the recovery room, waiting to hear word on how my son was doing, I experienced such terrible loneliness. This moment, full of anxiety about Michael's fate, feeling the impact of being so far away from family, missing out on the true expectations of a first time mother, and being in a room where I couldn't communicate my needs to the nurses was so difficult. I prayed to God that he would spare Michael's life. That somehow- someway, Michael would get to live the life I had hoped and dreamed he would have. I prayed that the priest had gotten the call that Michael was born and that he was able to baptize him in case things took a turn for the worse. I prayed that any moment, someone would come and report to me that things were fine and that Michael was stable. But and hour went by with no word. My eyelids wanted to close so badly, but the aching in my heart held them open. Finally, Damien came in and I felt my chest tighten in fear of what he would tell me. Thankfully, he told me that they were able to stabilize Michael and that for the moment, things were okay. The next 24 hours would be the true test of his vitality. If he could just survive the next 24 hours, there would be some hope.

Writing this makes my stomach hurt. To acknowledge that this scary time is a real part of my life is surreal. Did I really go through this? Am I sure that this isn't some made up dream? Because this all happened in another country, I am able to forget for a moment this painful reality. I don't have to walk the same streets I did back then in Paris. The smells and sights of my daily life in America don't throw me back to this painful experience. However, when Damien, the kids, and I returned to Paris a few short years ago, the feelings of desperation, fear, and disbelief knocked me down and brought me back to these painful times. It wasn't the visit to the hospital where he was born that made me cringe; it was the less obvious things that reminded me of the harder times. For instance, certain streets in Paris made me feel sick all over. Perhaps these were streets we traversed when the times were tough. The smell of the diesel coming from the cars, the sound the Metro (their subway) made when the doors closed and opened, the way my shoes clicked on the floor of the convent where we stayed, the sound of their police car sirens, the smell of fresh baguettes- these more insignificant sounds, sights and smells were what triggered my most painful memories.

6 years ago today, my Michael was born into this world. His fight was much harder than most, but he made it. I know that our experience was more difficult because we were in France, but I must remember that had it happened here in America, it wouldn't have been a walk in the park. A real positive of having this happen in Paris is that I can go weeks or even months without being reminded of one of the most devastating experiences of my life. Instead, I can look into the piercing blue eyes of my son and see hope, happiness, and the gift of life God bestowed upon him. Michael understands his beginnings. He will tell you that he lived in an incubator; he can tell you that he had heart surgery and will even show you the scar on his back. He will share with you that he had two stuffed animal friends, Quacker and Bugs, who lived with him in this incubator. He will explain to you why he went through 3 years of physical, occupational, and speech therapy. He will even show you pictures of him on a therapy ball. He has recently learned that Mom and Dad sang Neil Diamond's, Coming to America, when we finally landed on American soil in July of 2001. In fact, you can hear him listen to it on his CD player in his room. He will tell you that people said, "This boy can't live. He is too small, too sick." Then he will tell you why he can live.

Just as Michael was given the gift of life, my little 6 year old was given the ability to understand what he has been through and look at it with both grace and child-like innocence. I hope that he continues to embrace his difficult journey and maybe he will inspire others to look at their life and choose to fight- rather than give up. Already, Michael's story has given others hope when they have a premature baby or a sick child. By getting up each morning and living life, Michael is living proof that life doesn't always go as planned and that miracles do happen.

Michael, as you turn 6 today, know that I am very proud of you. From the day I first met you, I have loved you. My heart ached when I gave birth to you so early. I felt so bad and thought that it was my fault you were so sick. It has taken years for me to get over my guilt, but through your amazing courage and fight, you have healed the parts of my heart that ached. Because of your journey, I have learned that God only gives us what we can handle. Your birth brought Daddy and I closer. It showed me that no matter what, your Dad and I can get through anything together, even having a baby in a foreign country. Your birth taught me to respect the fragile nature of a baby in utero. You inspired me to sit in a bed for 73 days when pregnant with your sister Claire, because I learned from you how absolutely precious and important each day in a mommy's tummy can be. Because you are so brave, you gave me the strength to endure another pregnancy and helped me to do the best for your little brother Matthew by not taking unnecessary risks while he was in my tummy. You, Michael, have inspired me to be a better Mother. When you were sick, I wanted nothing more than to help you get better. You helped me to be a more patient person, and helped me be a more tolerant and understanding human being. And to think that you have done all of this in 6 years is amazing.

Happy Birthday Michael. We love you and love everything you stand for. You are our miracle and we can never thank you enough for the life lessons you have taught us all.

Easter

As life continues at its fast and furious pace, we somehow find ourselves intact as a family. Life with three children is beginning to feel more normal and we have all adapted to the many changes and challenges a bigger family brings.

This weekend, we ventured up north to Damien's family's house for Easter weekend and were excited for the festivities that lie ahead. One giant change this year was that instead of having the Easter brunch at Damien's parent's house, we were having brunch at the Sonoma Mission Inn Hotel. To you, this might sound like a small change of venue. However, when you consider that Easter brunch is attended by approximately 80-90 people and that having it at her house means cleaning, prepping, and serving the brunch- you might realize how relieved all of us were that instead of preparing for this huge event, we could just show up at a hotel and enjoy it!

Easter morning, the Easter Bunny came as promised and the kids were so thrilled. They were tickled that the bunny even left little Matthew a basket, too. Once the kids were on a pure sugar high, we dressed them in their outfits and went to Mass. It felt so wonderful to be with my husband and three children in church. Jesus gave his life so we could live and to listen to the Gospel and understand the true gravity of his sacrifice while being surrounded by my little family felt amazing. After Mass, we ventured over to the hotel where the room was already set and ready for the guests- 105 to be exact. Slowly, the guests trickled in and before you knew it the event was in full swing. Every year they acknowledge the oldest and youngest Swendsen and this year, Matthew took the 'Youngest' title and received a round of applause.

I love picking out the kid's Easter outfits each year. The boys looked adorable in their matching white pants and blue striped dress shirts and Claire looked beautiful in her coordinating dress. You don't get many opportunities during the year besides Christmas and Easter to put some real thought into your kids outfits so I take advantage of the chance to do so! I knew that buying white pants was kind of silly considering how quickly they can get ruined! The kids were clean and looking nice throughout most of the brunch, that is until the egg hunt when Michael slid on the grass every time he saw an egg. I don't know that got into him, but he just thought doing a baseball slide made sense. I couldn't believe he did it, but I couldn't really get mad at him because deep down I thought it was kind of funny and I admired his intensity. Just don't tell Michael this!

To top off the event, the Easter Bunny came to the brunch. What made this extra special was beneath the bunny's furry coat and fuzzy ears was my husband. So the picture of my kids with the Easter Bunny is even more adorable because they have no idea they are posing with their Dad! Easter was great and we all loved that the event was catered, set up, and cleaned up by someone other than us.

2 Months Old

There are so many things I love about Matthew these days. I love his smile- sometimes straight, other times crooked. I love when he wakes up in my arms, blinking slowly, staring straight at my face. Matthew makes all of us so happy. He has begun to really recognize our voices and our faces. He loves to listen to Claire talk and sing her Princess songs. He is captivated by Michael and his clapping and joking. He's been smiling and laughing with Damien, making their father/son bond stronger by the day. But for the moment, I am Matthew's #1 girl and it's wonderful. He seems to find me wherever I am and I love it! Those HUGE blue eyes peek out from under his teeny tiny eyebrows and dance around the room looking at lights and bright colors. Matthew has started 'talking' and likes to engage with us when we say 'goo' and other baby words/sounds. He really has been expressing himself with his facial expressions. Some of the faces he makes are hilarious! You can see that there is a lot of personality waiting to get out from behind his sweet face and chubby cheeks. If only he could figure out how to access it!

Matthew is drawn to people's hairlines. He will move his eyes back and forth from your hairline to your eyes. He enjoys looking at things that have contrast. When we visited my Mom and Dad, Matthew stared as often as he could at their dark wooden door jams. He has gotten better at riding in the car and only screams every 1 out of 8 rides! Well, I don't really know how often, but it sounded good. His lungs are very strong and he exhibits this when he is hungry (which is still every 2 hours) and when he is overly tired. And for the record, he makes the same sound every time he is hungry and it sounds like, 'ngung'. Laugh if you will, but I think I have cracked his code! I carry him around most of the day and have found ways to do things one-handed (like writing this blog and making pizelle- seriously). We still aren't really sure what color his hair is. He is in the process of losing some of the old hair and growing some new hair, too. So, stay tuned. He still has trouble with his clogged tear ducts (which is very common for new babies), but the doctor told me to keep massaging them and they will open soon.


He had a great 2 month check-up. He weighed 14 lbs. 2 oz. and the doctor said he looked great. He was really fussy after his 4 immunizations and had a tough 24 hrs. following them (even despite Tylenol every 4 hrs). He doesn't see his pediatrician again until he's 4 months. Yahoo!


Michael and Claire love Matthew so much. They love seeing him when Matthew and I pick them up from preschool. They love when he smiles at them, pulls their hair, makes noises, and even when he poops. In fact, they get quite a kick out of seeing him blow through his size 2 diaper and ruin his outfit. They both laugh and scream and run around the room. Claire also witnessed Matthew's first 'bath poop' last week. Apparently it was so momentous an occasion that she shared the news with her class!


One of the most wonderful and rewarding things that has come from Matthew's arrival is that both Michael and Claire, on numerous occasions, have thanked me for giving them a brother. My 5 and 4 year old, who are constantly immersed in their young world, recognize the true gift of a new sibling. It was Damien and my hope, that after the long and difficult pregnancy, Michael and Claire's lives would be richer and more blessed. When I see them laugh with Matthew, when they find his little movements and smiles amazing, and when both of them kiss and hug him, I feel complete. My 3 kids, who all look different and have different little personalities, have the same heart and understanding that there is nothing more important than family. Matthew, you have only blessed our lives for 2 months . . . but you have changed us forever. Thank you.

The Chuckster

Because my parents house is being remodeled, we had to find a new venue for Michael's birthday party. I checked with a lot of places, but either it was ridiculously expensive (I mean ridiculous!) or venues just weren't available. So I called the mouse who is always available . . . Chuck E. Cheese.

Michael and Claire love going to Chuck E. Cheese's. I don't really mind it myself, but having a birthday party there is pure hysteria! First off, the kids/guests are all off playing games, the pizza comes, we have to eat pizza, then open presents, then Chuck E. comes to pay a visit to the birthday boy/girl, then you eat cake. All of this takes place in a 90 minute period and you are done.

Michael's party was great. It was the perfect mix of family and friends and the kids all had a ball. The only down side to the event for me and my family was that I planned the party for Friday and it was during Lent- so that meant no meat! So veggie pizza had to do! Michael had a lot of fun with his friends and the adults had a lot of fun using up the tokens at the end of the party to win some junkie plastic toys. I can't believe Michael is turning 6. Time flies and before you know it- your son needs to use both hands to show you his age.

New Cousins

One of the best parts of being pregnant was being pregnant with my sister. Jill was about 3 1/2 months ahead of me but we called each other daily and commiserated together when the going got tough. She gave birth to her son, Kyle, in October and I lost my pregnant buddy and really missed being a part of Kyle's first days since I was stuck in California. Lucky for me, in January she was able to fly down and introduce me to Kyle (he was 3 1/2 months old) when I was 35 weeks pregnant. She was even here when I had the cerclage removed and even more importantly, she was here when I gave birth to Matthew. Because Matthew went straight to the NICU, Kyle wasn't able to meet him. This is yet another reason why I was so excited to see my family because it meant that finally . . . the new cousins would meet! Kyle is no little baby and the joke before we got up there was that Kyle was going to eat Matthew for a snack. No, Kyle didn't get to nibble on Matthew, but the two babies looked adorable together and did enjoy kicking and flailing around together on my mom's couch. It was such a thrill to finally get the two boys together and my Mom couldn't resist buying them matching outfits. I can't wait to see the boys together in a month when we fly up to visit again. It will be neat to see how they've changed and also see if they interact any differently. Until then, I am going to try and chub Matthew up so that he'll be able to hold his own against Kyle!!

St. Joseph's Day 2007

The last time I visited my family's house was last August, so you can only imagine how wonderful it was to fly up and see them. We were fortunate enough to visit them while the kids had spring break so we were able to spend some really good time with them. It was a lot of fun, but also crazy because with us staying there, there was a total of 13 people under one roof! To complicate things further, they are smack-dab in the middle of remodeling their house. Luckily, we all rolled with the punches and had a wonderful time and made some great memories.




One of the major focuses of the trip was the third Annual Festa di San Giuseppe. For those of you who don't know Italian, we celebrated St. Joseph's Day (the Italian's version of St. Patrick's Day). Back in 2001 when Michael was born, we called my dad from Paris and told him that we had given Michael the middle name of Joseph in my dad's honor (my dad's middle name is also Joseph). This immediately bonded my Dad to Michael and from that day on, St. Joseph's Day held special meaning. He started celebrating with Michael every March 19th by giving him a special present, but St. Joseph's day became something more when my Dad came up with a way for Michael's incredible journey to change lives on the other side of the world.

My parents church has a sister parish in Malawi, Africa called St. Joseph's of Malawi. Malawi is a very impoverished community in Africa that is in dire need of financial assistance and my Dad came up with a way to help them while bringing family and friends together to have a good time. The first St. Joseph's festa was held in 2005 at my parent's house. 35 people attended the party and each brought a flat donation per couple (to be given to the people of Malawi) and brought an Italian dish of food to share with the group. The only other requirement was that you wear red!

The 2nd festa grew even bigger and this year- the 3rd annual St. Joseph's Day grew to 105 people and raised nearly $3000 for the people of Malawi. We all had a lot of fun and the festa was a huge success. The food was amazing, the ambiance was perfect, and the sense of pride I got seeing Michael honored while standing on a chair next to my Dad was indescribable. Our whole family worked hard to make sure the event ran smoothly and we all felt such satisfaction afterwards. I feel so wonderful that Michael's difficult journey has been turned into something so incredibly positive and life changing for the people of Malawi. You can see the happiness written all over the faces of the villagers below. And to think this all started with the birth of Michael . . . simply amazing.