Blest With This Life: On the Night You Were Born

My little Sylvia Kateri, you blessed us with your arrival at 9:15 pm on Saturday, Feb 9th. I was hoping you would come on the 9th since that was your due date, but also it was your Grandpa Dave's 64th birthday and would have been your Great-Grandpa Mark's 100th birthday. You tricked me. All day I kept thinking to myself, "it's not going to happen" and was getting discouraged. I wasn't feeling any signs of labor. So I spent the day shopping for tile for our kitchen backsplash, then got a babysitter for the boys and your dad and I went to Saturday night mass. Our church was having a "Celebration of Marriage" event that we were planning to go to, however, you decided tonight was the night to make your arrival! All through mass I was feeling contractions, so when it was over, we headed to the hospital. We were all checked in by 7:30 and at 9:15 pm you were born!

Thank you for coming so quick. I had only two hours of bad labor pains. Everything was moving so fast that I almost didn't have time for an epidural. Looking back, I should have been brave and done it without the drugs because fifteen minutes after it was in, you were born.

We chose your name very carefully. Sylvia was the name of your great-grandmother (your dad's mom's mom). I never met her but wish I had. Her children and grandchildren have such fond memories. The stories I have heard about her makes me think it wasn't really what she did that made her saintly, but how she loved...a great example for you to follow.

Kateri was chosen for Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, a native american woman who was just canonized a few months ago. Her life's motto was "Who can tell me what is pleasing to God that I might do it?" People always wanted to be around her because they could feel the presence of God. They said when she prayed her face would change and become full of beauty and peace, as if she were looking at God's face...another great example to follow.