McGrath Street Pumpkin Patch 2012

I thought I would share photos from Noah's first trip to the pumpkin patch.  We had so much fun watching him crawl through the pumpkins and play in the dirt.  I think it's safe to say that even Daddy really enjoyed himself.  I really wish we could have more days like our trip to the pumpkin patch.  We were able to experience so much joy and wonder as a family... it was just so lovely!

Promise Walk 2012

Today we (Jonathan, Noah, Peter, Rachel, Will, Kaitlin and Dan) walked in the Promise Walk for Preeclampsia.  It felt so good to walk to support a cause that is so near and dear to my heart.  We walked in memory of my beloved son, Mason and so many mommies and babies that perished from enduring the very complicated and unpredictable condition that is preeclampsia. We also celebrated those who are survivors and are walking around here today.  I am amazed that I am actually one of those survivors.

On October 11, 2010, I could have died.  I still get freaked out just thinking about it and then it's even more strange and depressing to realize that our own baby actually experienced it.  This condition that I could do nothing to prevent and doctors could basically do nothing to fix overtook our lives and wreaked havoc.  But thankfully I am still here.

In all honesty, I really just wanted to express how blessed I feel to of made it through that extremely difficult and scary time in my life.  I am so glad that I am able to share my story with others and hopefully make a difference to someone whether it be to help them seek medical attention or for emotional support. I am so happy that we were able to conceive and carry to term our precious boy, Noah.  Today I feel blessed and gracious and sad all around, but mostly hopeful that there will someday  be an answer for this miserable condition that has affected so many wonderful people I know.

Until that day, I will keep spreading the word and keep walking.

Support the Promise Walk for Preeclampsia

Many of you know that we lost our firstborn baby, Mason. Many of you know that I had him very early. Many of you may even know that I had a very serious hypertensive illness known as preeclampsia, which can be deadly for both mother and baby. What's sad is that many people don't actually know anything about preeclampsia. I know I didn't. I am one of those women who likes to know what's going on and I had NO clue.

After losing Mason, I poured over the internet looking for answers as to how I could have gotten sick and how I could have lost our precious son. The closest to an answer I got was from the Preeclampsia Foundation. This organization is doing all it can to help spread the word about this disease to both doctors and patients. Because of the support from this organization and other baby-loss parents on their forum helped us to become more informed about maternal healthcare which in the end helped us to feel more comfortable about trying for another baby.

We are very excited that we will be participating in the Promise Walk for Preeclampsia this year since it is fundraising for something that catastrophically affected our family.

Please consider walking in your local promise walk or supporting someone who is walking!
Support the Promise Walk for Preeclampsia

Feeling so blessed

To have our little Noah with us this Easter.  I cannot believe how much I took for granted before having children.  I can't imagine giving up your ONLY son to take on the the sins of the entire world so that we might have a hope of life after death with our perfect creator.  It is the most terrible thing I could ever imagine, that choice of sacrifice, but I am thankful for a God who loved us enough to make it for us.

1 Peter 1:3 

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead...

St. Patty's Day

Hello from the youngest of the young McCaffreys.  And yep... he's really Irish!

Special thanks to my sister, Stephanie, for the cute outfit!

Valentines Day 2012

Happy Valentine's Day!

I was hoping that Noah would be a little fatter by now and could pull off the chunky cherub look for Valentine's day, but I guess even his teeny, little self is still pretty cheesy and cute! It took about 50 tries to get a photo where Noah wasn't screaming or incredibly red/grunty or covered in Gus. I am definitely having fun using Noah in my day-to-day photo projects. I guess I should be sleeping instead of playing around on photoshop, but usually I am breastfeeding while I am editing stuff and so it's not too big of a deal or a huge waste of time.

I am still in sheer disbelief that Noah is here with us on Valentine's day.  I am feeling so overwhelmingly loved and blessed.

Here we go again

"Be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead!" - I Peter 1:6

Jonathan and I have wonderful news. We will be having a little HeMac or SheMac sometime in January/February 2012. The due date is February 18th, but because of how complicated our pregnancy with Mason was, the doctors do not want me going the full 40 weeks. So hopefully, we will be able to hold out until the last week in January or even the first week of February and the baby and I can share a birthday!

We are beginning this pregnancy with both caution and elation. We both feel strongly that God wants us to be parents, but we realize that this journey will be more difficult for us than most and that is why I feel it important to share this news with all of you so that our family can have your support and prayers.

Much Love,

Christa and Jonathan