BAM: the story of a wise heart

My son, if your heart is wise, then my heart will be glad.

- Proverb 23:15 - 

meet baby beckett, otherwise known by his super hero name - BAM. 

little BAM is only two months old but already has the wisest heart of anyone i know and is loved by a family with the strongest hearts around.

beckett is loved by two 15 month old twin brothers, cronin & hudson - who will be making their very own appearance on the blog soon.  when the twins arrived last year, their parents found out that hudson had a valve defect and would need heart surgery. imagine the flood of emotions that comes with having a new baby...times two!...and then add to that a new twist of having to take care of a baby with a heart problem and plan for his major surgery.

flash forward a few months and the story takes yet another turn, surprise...baby number three is on the way!! my oh my! what a whirlwind year 2012 was for the mcshea family! but the craziness, and unfortunately the heartache, doesn't stop there.

while chris & elissa went to their ultrasound to reveal the gender of their newest babe, an unthinkable complication was revealed too. baby boy number three had a life-threatening heart condition - Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome.

it was unreal, unimaginable and downright unfair.

but they refused to let their faith or hearts waiver for a second. they focused on taking care of the twins and preparing for surgery for huddy and baby boy to be. they surrounded themselves with extraordinary family and friends (who continue to provide an incredible support system) and they did what they could...they found the positive. the silver lining. the glimmer of hope.

and on july 25th, Beckett Aloysius was born...as healthy as could be for a boy with an underdeveloped heart! he has had not one, but two, operations.  he has seen more doctors than most children will in their lifetime, has had more shots and more medication, but despite the odds, he got to come home from CHOP earlier than expected!

BAM has received so many prayers, hugs and an outpouring of love in just two tiny months and it is incredible to see what that positive energy can do!  his little heart is keeping him strong as he's growing and smiling and trying to figure out how best to fit in with his wild twin brothers!

but there is still a long journey ahead for this beautiful babe and everyday is a balancing act to keep all of the boys happy. the hospital bills don't slow down just because beckett's settling in at home and additional surgeries and doctor's visits on the horizon mean more expenses will pile up. so to help out beckett's family, an event is being held for them next friday (October 4th)!!

please take a moment to check out the event details here and stop by if you're in the area!

so much more of this lovely little guy, as well as the rest of the family, will be hitting the blog later in the week, so keep an eye out!

*updated with event details for non-facebook friends:
On Friday, October 4th, Chris's and Elissa's families will be hosting a Beef & Beer to help cover the medical costs that they have already paid and will continue to pay in the future as they prepare for Beckett's future surgeries and Hud receives his follow-up care. The event will be held from 7-11pm at St. Katherine of Siena Parish McBride Hall (9700 Frankford Ave, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19114-2815). Tickets are $30 and include food, wine and draft beer, and you can also BYOB. DJ, 50/50 and Chinese Auction will also be happening!

Lara Casey has this wonderful section on her beautiful website called 'what do you need today'....and this just happened to fit the bill.

That is all.

inner peace: tara yoga photo shoot

when the world is going crazy and things just don't make sense, it's important to remember to take a deep, cleansing breath and find some inner peace. being able to grab hold of that silent space is so helpful for keeping you balanced and moving through the things that bog us down on a daily basis. 

as we keep our thoughts and prayers with those in boston, texas and those around the world facing tragedy, i leave you with these images from a recent tAraYoga workshop to remind you to take a moment to center yourself before we kick off another week. sometimes inner peace is all we can control, so do some yoga, take a walk, hug your family members, whatever helps you regain that little piece of sanity.

namaste! 

Julia's Baptism

Is there anything more precious that a little babe in a big frilly dress? how about when that dress was made by her grammie out of her mom's first communion dress? just melts your heart, doesn't it?!

last weekend we welcomed my little niece into the church on a beautiful spring day.  everything was still in it's easter glory and made the day extra special.

julia was a doll and, other than trying to eat all of the little pearls off the front of her dress, she barely made a peep...even when she was abruptly awakened from her nap with a bit of holy water streaming down her head!!

such a proud day for her parents, godparents and all of the family that came from near and far to bear witness to this wonderful celebration!

 afterwards, julia changed into another one of her lovely little outfits...a girl simply cannot show up to the after party in the same dress! ;-) She thought her great-grandfather's christening gown was the perfect fit for cake testing but didn't quite understand why she couldn't eat all that delicious frosting!

god bless you, julia!! xo!

{click here for more pictures}

Hope & Faith: RCIA Mass

growing up, i went to church every weekend with my family, typically meeting up with my grandparents in 'our' pew. waking up for early (7:30 or 8) mass was rewarded with a big stack of french toast or pancakes - that nana would cut for us even into our teens. being part of our family meant being part of the catholic family and i'm so thankful for that connection. some of my strongest memories revolve around times spent in church, singing hymns and opening our souls to something greater.

going to mass was our most consistent family ritual and it's something i carried with me when i went off to Villanova. my husband and i met during my first year of college; he was a junior and i had just left the nest of my family, friends and everything familiar.  i found comfort in the sunday night student masses that kept me close to my family traditions, even when we were 250 miles away. michael had officially joined the catholic church, as part of the Villanova RCIA program and together we made sure to integrate our faith into our relationship and weekly routines.

then we got busy with life.  we graduated, found jobs, got married a few years later, moved to a tiny town with lots of churches, but ancient parishioners, and homilies that i could barely sit through.  we tried going back to student masses a few times, but we didn't quite fit in there (no matter how amazing the choir is!) and our connection to the church was, sadly, frayed for a little while. and ya know what? the rest of our life felt the strain.

in the past year, we decided enough was enough and did some church shopping in order to find the perfect parish.  we found a beauty in St. Helena's of Blue Bell and i truly feel that being an active church-goer again has reinvigorated my spirit.  just having dedicated time each week to shut off our phone, calm our brains from the distractions of life, and be together in the presence of God makes me feel like i can take on all of the garbage that's been coming our way lately.  it helps that our parish is incredibly community oriented and we are blessed with priests who really hit home with their delivery of the word.

this weekend we had five RCIA candidates receive their first communion and they were confirmed into the church.  it was great to have so many people praying and cheering them on as they took this big leap.  i volunteered to take pictures and i hope that i created some images that remind the candidates of this joyous experience.

i felt fairly awkward snapping photos during such a holy time, but the deacon read an emily dickinson poem that started with:

"Hope" is the thing with feathers—

That perches in the soul—

and i thought, hmm, 'perch', like 'perch sisters'...he must be giving me the okay to snap away! ;-)

just a couple of the church and the Monsignor since the people pics haven't been released yet. the flowers were gorgeous and just as vibrant as the smiles of the RCIA candidates.

most of the pieces in the church have been reclaimed from churches around the world that were closing their doors...pretty impressive, huh?