So... We're having a baby!

I have decided to slowly update everyone on our pregnancy journey. Many of you haven't heard the story of when/how we found out our first time seeing our baby and so on and so forth. So here goes...

Saturday 8/30/08
Rick's parents were in town bringing Melissa to New York to start her first semester at Nyack College. I (Rosie) tumbled sleepily out of bed to the bathroom. I decided "hmmm let me take a Home Pregnancy Test... just in case." As I was leaving the restroom I took a peak at the digital home pregnancy test and it said "PREGNANT". My mouth dropped. I thought I was seeing things and blinked a few more times to "help" my eyes focus on the test. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO WAAAAAYYYYYYY!!!!!" There it was staring at me straight in the face, the word "PREGNANT."

I fumbled out of the restroom still half asleep looking for a camera to take a picture of the result. No one is gonna believe this!!! So I had to take a picture just in case the result disappears from the result window.

Meanwhile, Rick heard a door open, a drawer slam followed by a door closing. I can't even imagine what he thought i was doing. I had wanted to tell Rick in a creative way that we were having a baby, so I had been planning for when that day would come. But instead, I came in the bedroom woke him up and said, "Guess what?" So much for creativity and plans!

We sat in our bed that morning in shock, but with huge smiles on our faces. All we kept saying to each other was... "Can you believe it?!"

We decided not to tell anyone yet because it was still early. But boy was it hard. We ended up telling our families the very next day....

We are excited, elated, overjoyed, scared, worried and just giddy with the thought of growing our family. I'm just beginning to come to terms with the fact that in a few months we will have a child to love and care for. And even in this early stage I have felt a new and strong sense of love for my child. I wanted to make sure that my baby new how much I love him/her even before we met. So I began writing letters to my baby which I plan on giving to him/her to read when he/she is old enough. They are letters of love, acceptance and just the many thoughts that run through my head as I think about holding him/her in my arms. My prayer is that those letters will not only be a wrtitten demonstration of my love, but that it will ultimately be but a small reflection of God's unconditional love and acceptance.

My prayer for my child, myself, my husband and you is that we would cultivate a life of prayer in solitude, in that secret place where only you and God meet. Where he reveals to us that we are His Beloved!

And so I leave you with a quote from an article written by Henri Nouwen:

“Prayer, then, is listening to that voice—to the One who calls you the Beloved. It is to constantly go back to the truth of who we are and claim it for ourselves. I’m not what I do. I’m not what people say about me. I’m not what I have. Although there is nothing wrong with success, there is nothing wrong with being powerful, finally my spiritual identity is not rooted in the world, the things the world gives me. My life is rooted in my spiritual identity. Whatever we do, we have to go back regularlty to that place of core identity. –“Parting Words”

~Rosie

P.S. In a few days I will update you with the story and pics of our first and second Ultrasound. Stay tuned!

Marriage and Listening

Marriage holds together the paradox of being the context for relational bliss, while also being the tool for personal character formation. Paradoxical because on one end of the spectrum the intimacy and care that is enjoyed in marriage speaks to the deepest places in our beings. On the other end of the spectrum, living in close proximity to another human being forces one to look deeper into how life is lived out. In short, marriage is beautiful and difficult.

Rosie and I have recently been attending a small group at our new church (New Life Fellowship in Queens). The small group course is entitled PAIRS (Practical Application of Intimate Relationship Skills). The skills that we are learning coincide with emotionally healthy spirituality as developed by Pete and Geri Scazzero (our pastors). So, we are learning, unlearning, and relearning so much about doing life together.

Specifically, we are learning skills to help us effectively manage the pressures that come from being a resident of planet Earth. One of our sessions gave us skills on listening attentively and empathetically to each other. This was refreshing and so very difficult! One of the greatest gifts we can give to other people is the gift of listening. People long to be seen and heard. However our culture creates barriers to truly listening to people.

I think we can start listening better if we realize that we are not called to fix the problems that are communicated to us. Overcoming this hurdle releases us from the anxiety that we have to brainstorm and strategerize (one of my favorite Bushisms) to answer everything. Sometimes, people just want to vent! Sometimes they just want someone to be there.

One of my new favorite passages is Mark 10:46-52 (see below). So many times I feel like the crowd when I hear the cry of those in my family or church. I want people to be quiet! I don’t want to hear the screams! I think this is the case because I recognize that I don’t have the power to make anyone see. As a result it speaks to my limits and inadequacies. Perhaps my job is simply to begin to let people vent and to be a quiet presence before them. Only then can I lead them to Jesus where they can find true healing.

To be incarnational in marriage or any other relational context is to begin by listening.

Mark 10:46

Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (that is, the Son of Timaeus), was sitting by the roadside begging. 47When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

48Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"

49Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called to the blind man, "Cheer up! On your feet! He's calling you." 50Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.

51"What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked him.
The blind man said, "Rabbi, I want to see."

52"Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

~Rick

Virgin Bloggers

So this is our very first time blogging... or attempting to blog.

We decided to create a blog to share our experiences, thoughts, opinions, and other musings on life. We'll probably be talking about our new adventure of expecting our first child, sharing pictures of people and places we love, and even posting our thoughts on theological issues as they relate to today's world and our lives.

We wanted to be able to connect with you our family and friends new and old. We hope you enjoy our little blog and invite you to comment on our postings as you wish.

Happy Blogging!!!

About

Rosie Villodas is a wife, a mother, a sister, a daughter and a follower of Jesus Christ. She decided to start this blog to share her journey and all of its interesting twists and turns and some things just for fun.