"Europa!"

I've mentioned before that I have a little know-it-all five-year old son. He's full of knowledge, that one, and he's always seeking to learn more. Reading chapter books and doing algebra rank high on his "fun" list. He's a funny kid.

Knowing all that, it should come as no surprise that he adores non-fiction and memorizing facts. Recently, he chose a book at his school library all about the planet Jupiter.

Sitting at dinner (as a family, of course, because that's one of the finest things of all), my husband casually asked him if he could remember the four largest moons of Jupiter.

He perked right up. He LOVES this sort of challenge...

"Io... Callisto... Ganymede... and..."

(Long pause.)

And then a tiny feminine voice popped up:

"Europa!"

Having a know-it-all, super-bright son is a fantastic and wonderful thing. Having his little sister- who we were once told may never talk, walk, hear, or see- help him arrive at the answer?

Well, that's one of the finest things I can think of.

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This post is linked to Finer Things Friday.

Lazy Snow Day? No Way!

I got the call at 6:15 am. No school. I was already up... the kids' breakfast was already cooking on the stove. I suppose I could go back to sleep... I mean, all three children were still snoozing away...

Forget that! This was a golden opportunity! Time to get moving in the kitchen.

I cooked up some chicken breasts and put the bones and some veggie scraps on to simmer for stock..

I got some granola going while I mixed up the dough for burger buns...

While the dough rose and the granola cooled, I chopped up some of the chicken and veggies and mixed up a fabulously delicious chicken salad...

And then I baked those buns...

And then it was about 8:30 and the kids were done with their breakfast. :)

Capitalizing on "found time"?

That works for me.

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This post is linked to Works For Me Wednesday.

Garlicky Clams Linguine

Lent is upon us, my friends, and that means coming up with some tasty meatless meals to fill our Fridays. We tend to do "Pizza And A Movie Nights" on Fridays and that makes it easy. We throw a bunch of veggies on the pizza and call it good! But on those nights when we prefer to have a nice, sit-down meal, it pays to have a few good meatless recipes up my sleeve. Since I'm Catholic but my husband is not, I like to have some meals planned that comply with my abstinence from beast and fowl but don't seem like too much sacrifice for him. ;) One such recipe is my mom's Garlicky Clams Linguine. My husband and my children all love it and the children have eaten it since they were two. This recipe has a real Linguine with White Clam Sauce feel to it, with a rich, yummy garlicky-ness! Made from basic ingredients-- many of them pantry staples-- it's an easy and frugal meal to get on the table but still feels special. I hope some of you will try it!

Garlicky Clams Linguine

• 12 oz linguine pasta
• 3 T butter
• 5 T olive oil
• 6 large garlic cloves, minced
• 3 10-oz cans chopped or minced clams, drained, with all juices reserved
• 1/3 cup dry white wine (you can substitute chicken or veggie stock here if you don't do wine even in cooking)
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 1 1/2 t dry oregano
• parsley, salt, and pepper to taste

Cook linguine in large pot of salted water until tender.

Melt butter with oil in large heavy skillet over low heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add juice from clams, wine, carrot, and oregano. Increase heat to high and boil until reduced to about 1 1/2 cups (about 10-12 minutes). Stir in clams and parsley. Simmer until just heated through. Season with salt and pepper. Drain linguine well; add to skillet of hot clam sauce. Gently toss to blend. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 generous servings.

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This post is linked to:

$5 Dinner Challenge

Tasty Tuesday

My Story Monday... Getting Pregnant After A Preemie- Pondering #3

My little girl had just turned one. My son was about to turn two. I was in no way feeling "baby crazy" (and I was still taking an antidepressant- I was told not to go off of it during the winter months), but I was starting to think I might not be done having children.

By then, my body was fully healed. I had long since gotten into the routine of caring for two very small children and C. was thriving- she was no longer on oxygen, no longer on an apnea monitor, and no longer needed an NG-tube to eat. As you can see from her birthday shot- she had no trouble eating whipped cream!

I think a lot of people assumed I would be done having children for one of two reasons-- my last baby had been born so, so very early and, probably just as significant for many, I already had a boy and a girl... so wasn't my family complete? I wasn't so sure.

I was also very scared. The cause of my premature labor had never been determined. There wasn't anything specific to monitor or any preventative steps to take. I had carried one eight pound baby to 41 weeks and delivered a one pounder at barely 24. MY health had never faltered. I had absolutely no clue what a third pregnancy might bring.

One thing I DID know was that, should we decide to have another baby, I would have no choice but to have another c-section. The classic c-section I had needed to ensure C's safety meant that I could never, ever, ever attempt a vaginal delivery again. The risk of rupture is just too high. (Somewhat random side-note: One of the hardest things for me has been the number of women who try to tell me I could have done a VBAC- or scoff at the c-section I had in the first place. I appreciate what you're all trying to say- truly. Please trust me when I tell you that I had excellent doctors who knew what they were doing.) I wasn't scared of having another c-section. I would have SO preferred a vaginal birth, but I knew I could handle a c-section and the thought of a planned one versus a wild, middle-of-the-night Christmas Eve surgery sounded very do-able.

I started doing research, even though I knew I wasn't really quite ready to be pregnant again. I learned about perinatology and went on some prematurity boards to ask other women about their experiences with perinatologists. I even went so far as to get a recommendation for a good one from our beloved pediatrician. I filed all this information away and carried on with parenting my two-under-two.

If I'm honest, I'll admit to you that I didn't do the very best job taking care of myself during this point. I put on some weight... not enough to ever make me "overweight" by those charts or the doctor's standards, but enough that I felt out-of-shape. I wasn't exercising regularly. I was grabbing whatever I could to eat whenever I could with little thought to its nutritional value. I felt like I was so busy juggling my two babies that I didn't have time... in reality, I should have just planned better and made it a priority. Hind-sight is 20-20 and all that...

The point is-- it wasn't really a good time for me to be having another baby just yet. And I didn't But in my mind, the seed was planted...

It would be another year before I felt "ready".

A Parent's Worst Nightmare

"It's every parent's worst nightmare."

I heard the T.V. promotion for the upcoming special on teen pregnancy and, as always, it didn't sit quite right with me.

And then my husband spoke aloud what had been in my heart:

"That's not my worst fear."

It's not mine either. It's not even close, to tell you the truth.

Let me be perfectly clear. Of all the dreams and aspirations I have for my two daughters, getting pregnant as a teenager is nowhere on the list. I pray that we will instill in them the morals and judgment to make better choices. I fervently hope that we will provide the right support and communication to help them grow into adulthood before becoming mommies themselves.

But... my "worst fear"?

Nope.

Off the top of my head, here are several things that I think would be worse:

• Losing a child.
• Having a child be kidnapped/injured/raped.
• Having a terminally ill child.
• Having a child who commits a violent act against another.
• Having a child addicted to drugs.
• Having a daughter run off to abort a baby.
• etc. etc. etc.
  

Every parent's worst nightmare? Not these parents. It may have something to do with the fact that we stood over our first daughter's NICU bed as they told us she wasn't going to make it. (She did.) Had they told us then that our little girl would make it but she would later become a teenage mother, trust me, we would have happily agreed to it. And I'm guessing we're not alone in that feeling.

I don't like that ad. I don't agree with it, and I just don't like it. I don't like the idea that there may be young girls out there struggling with having just found out they were pregnant who see this promo and feel like even greater failures. Who wants to be told you're your "parent's worst nightmare"? How is this going to help the situation? It is too easy for me to envision a fifteen-year old girl who thinks killing her baby is her only option...

Teenage pregnancy shouldn't be our worst nightmare. It shouldn't be something we silently fear as we send our daughters off into the dark. We need to prepare our girls as they head out into the world. We need to arm them with the support and tools they need to make good decisions.

And, at the end of the day, we need to be their soft place to fall.

I want my daughters to know that they will never be a nightmare to me, no matter what they do. And I want them to know that, while we want them to wait, a baby is never a nightmare. A baby is a blessing, a tiny human whose life is full of promise. I want my daughters to know that I would help them find a way to best fulfill that promise...


How about you? As you raise your children, is teenage pregnancy one of your greatest fears? Do you think a fear tactic is a good one? I'd love to know what my readers think.

Homemade Baby Food

This is my third baby, but I've learned something new this time around:

I've learned how to make baby food.

I am ashamed (literally- my cheeks are flaming as I type this) to admit that I once purchased banana baby food in a jar. Seriously? Did I not think I could mash a ripe banana with a fork? I guess I just never even considered it. I know, I know...

But I'm not afraid to tackle all sorts of fun foods for little Baby G. Our freezer currently contains cubes of sweet potato, squash (both butternut and acorn), peas, chicken, ham, avocado, blueberries, pears, apricots, apples, mango, and banana. I have to admit that I have WAY too much fun coming up with different combinations of food for my little girl to try.

Two sites that have been incredibly helpful to me are Once A Month Mom's baby food section and Wholesome Baby Food. These web sites give me the instructions I need to feel confident tackling whatever sounds tasty! They also help provide guidelines for appropriate ages to introduce specific foods- Wholesome Baby Foods does a wonderful job of outlining allergen risks.

Making baby food has been a delight for me- I adore learning how to do something new. It has also saved our family a whole lot of money. I haven't calculated it all out, but I can say that we have not had to budge an inch from our $200/month grocery budget, even with another little mouth eating solids now. What a win-win!

How about you? Do you make baby food at home? What's your favorite thing to prepare? (By the way, can anyone guess what G's been eating in the above shot?)

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This post is linked to Finer Things Friday, hosted at The Finer Things In Life and Frugal Friday, hosted at Life As MOM.

My Pastry Bag

I am SO low-tech in the kitchen. I'm just not very gadget-y. I don't even own a box grater- I just make do with a single plane grater that fits easily in a drawer. I cook and bake all the time and it never fails to amaze me how many different "tools" some women have in their kitchens!

I'm not a fancy, schmancy cake baker. I've seen some of the amazing creations floating around here in the blogosphere and I don't mind admitting that I am just not in that league. But I do make hand-decorated cakes and treats for special occasions that require some piping detail.

I do not own a pastry bag.

I don't want a pastry bag.

I use this:


Here's why I love the Ziploc (or similar type) bag:

• It's inexpensive.
• If I feel I can't get it clean, I don't feel that bad tossing it.
• I can custom-adjust the piping line without adding tips.
• I can have different colors going at once without any real investment.
• It's less "stuff" to store- especially "stuff" that only gets used a few times a year.

It is true that I cannot make stars or flower petals with this. Truth? I can't make them anyway ;) - I have zero in the way of cake decorating training.

Keeping it simple works for me!

(Just for you, Ally (see the comments), here are the decorated Teddy Grahams! They graced my 5-year old son's football birthday cake.)

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This post is linked to Works For Me Wednesday, hosted at We Are THAT Family.

Croup, Colds, the ER, and a Snowstorm

Well, the past few days have been rocky around here.

It started mid-week last week when my middle child, our former micropreemie, came down with a nasty cold. Irritating, but not a big deal...

Late Thursday night, my 5-year old son woke up with a barking cough, struggling to breathe. Croup. A Friday doctor's visit confirmed it and, when it got even worse that afternoon, oral steroids were prescribed.

By the weekend, we were dealing with two children with colds, but nothing major.

Yesterday, the baby caught it. Interrupted sleep, mucus-y spit-up, and fussiness are the name of the game. Nursing is hard for her, so I've had to resort to the (uncomfortable) hand pump so I don't explode. Or lose my supply. Either one would be bad.

At 9:15 this morning, my son turned white and passed out, falling straight back onto our hardwood living room floor. I called the doctor and was told to get him to the ER-- in the middle of a snowstorm. Two hours and three vials of blood later, we were released.

But we're all good. My middle child's cold seems on the way out- just a lot of goopiness remains. The baby is in pretty good spirits, despite this icky cold that caught up with her. And my son? He seems to be okay. We just need to watch him.

I am thankful that I do not panic in crisis situations. I am thankful that my parents live close by and that my dad is a great driver in the snow. I am thankful that my mom could keep my sick girlies at home so they didn't have to get dragged along to the hospital. And I am thankful that the blood work was all clean.

Most of all? I'm thankful to be home, snuggled in with my three littles, able to call Daddy when it's all already over just to report, "We're all fine, but we had an eventful morning!"

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This post is linked to Gratituesday,hosted at Heavenly Homemakers.

My Story Monday... Getting Pregnant After A Preemie- Not Just Yet

I mentioned last week that we brought C. home with a whole variety of tubes and wires going on. It was a challenge to manage her care, but no where near as challenging as it had been to have her in the hospital. I'm not sure if caring for a preemie with all these special needs was easier for me because I'd already been through all the "typical" baby worries before or if it was more difficult because I had a fourteen month old to care for as well. It hardly matters how it compared to someone else's situation- it was mine.

Anyway, suffice it say, I was in no position to have another baby right away. My hands were extremely full. Added to that, my body was still in need of recovery. I had had a classic c-section which involved being cut both vertically and horizontally. It was done as a speedy means to provide C. with the safest possible delivery- my health and healing were not the primary concerns at the time. I've had a vaginal birth and the more usual transverse (just horizontal) c-section. Please trust me when I tell you that neither of those recoveries was anywhere NEAR as difficult as my recovery from the classic.

Finally, I was also in a delicate state emotionally. I've talked candidly about dealing with post-partum depression before. It is not something to take lightly. When I realized that my thoughts had taken a scary turn, I sought help and I agreed to take an anti-depressant. I was on Zoloft for about a year and a half. While they assured me that it was still safe for me to pump breast milk for my preemie daughter while taking the medication, I did not feel that I wanted to get pregnant while on an anti-depressant drug regimen.

For all these reasons, I knew that, should I ever have a third baby, the spacing between two and three would be greater than the less-than-eleven month gap between one and two. I still wasn't even sure a third baby would be in our future, but I wasn't ruling it out.

I had a lot of healing and thinking to do. A lot of "weighing the odds." A lot of caring for two babies.

It was shortly after C's first birthday that I was able to start thinking about it.

Five Steps To A Pared-Down Playroom

If you're anything like us- and I have a feeling many of you are- you have tons of STUFF in your playroom. The toys just multiply, don't they? Add in the games, puzzles, blocks, balls, books, and, oh yeah, did we mention the stuffed animals? It gets kind of crazy. And overwhelming. Before you know it, the playroom can become so cluttered with "things" that YOU don't even want to go in there and your kids are so over-stimulated they don't even know where to start.

It's time to end the madness. At least that's what I decided. If you're ready to make your playroom a haven where your children can learn, explore, make-believe, grow, and, well, PLAY, here are five steps to help you get there:

1. Figure out what's been holding you back. Are you afraid it'll be too much work? Better to just dive in- it's only going to get worse. That sounds harsh, but it's the truth. Are you afraid your kids will freak out? They will likely be just fine. They may really enjoy it. And, realistically, if they get all upset about "things", this is a good time for a life lesson... who wants to raise children who are already hoarding and coveting? Finally, and be honest with yourself here, are you afraid that, without all the "things", you're going to have to work harder to entertain them All. Day. Long.? It's a legitimate fear, but I think you'll be surprised. Children's creativity blooms with LESS. They discover new things to do. A child left in a room chock-full of "stuff" may not know where to start. A child given some paper and crayons has direction, purpose, and the tools to feel accomplished.
2. Take it for a trial run. Select a dozen or less toys/activities and make those the only play things available for two weeks or so. I cannot emphasize enough just how valuable this step will prove to be. It will give you confidence and also help you determine what you want to keep. For us, this "trial" occurred when we moved from Indiana to Connecticut and stayed with my parents until we found a home. By necessity, we didn't have much stuff. It was inspiring to see how content and imaginative my children were with: a bucket of play food, a bag of Little People animals, a drum full of musical instruments, some blocks, a few puzzles, a few games, and books. I could write another whole post on some of the games and activities they came up with...
3. Determine what you're going to do with all the "stuff" once it's out of your house. Are you going to have a garage sale? Right away? Or do you need to find a corner of your garage or basement to store it all in the meantime? Do you have a friend or neighbor who could use it? Does your school or church need some of the things you're getting rid of? Do you want to donate it? If so, do your homework. Find out who takes what. Goodwill, for example, is one of the few places that will take stuffed animals (and most of us have way too many of those suckers cluttering up our homes and harboring dust). Schools and libraries tend to love your extra books, while hospitals can't use them. Check with your local Ronald McDonald House. They are a charity near and dear to ourhearts and they can always use new playthings. Whatever you choose to do, figure it out ahead of time so you don't get everything organized and then have nothing to do with it.
4. Get your materials all set. This includes both materials for organizing your final playroom project and also boxes and bags for gathering up the cast-offs. Have everything in place so you don't wind up with piles and nowhere to put it all.
   
5. Clear out and reap the rewards. Dig in. It doesn't matter where you start, just get in there. I like to start with stuffed animals because they take up so much room- we cleared out a large area just by paring down to a few buddies and bagging up the rest for Goodwill. I truly recommend you let your kids get involved in the process. Some parents favor the "let it disappear while they sleep" approach and that's fine too. But if you want your child to learn valuable lessons of sacrifice, giving, and making tough decisions, let them take part. My children loved helping decide what to donate and, in fact, they got SO into it, we had to stop them from giving away the house!

Far and away, my children's favorite place to play- the art table.

Paring down our playroom is one of the best things we've ever done for our family. It looks better. It feels better. My children can find what they need. Clean-up is easier. We know what we have. Don't be afraid to take the leap! I think you'll be delighted with the peace and joy you will find at the bottom of the toy pile...

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How have you minimized "kid clutter" in your home? What questions do you have about paring down? Let's talk about it!

Blessed Vision

We went to see the ophthalmologist last week.

This is not exactly a rare occurance around here. My husband wears glasses and I wear contacts- we're each supposed to get checked out every couple years. But C? She needs to see the eye doctor at least every six months.

The verdict?

Her eyes got worse- significantly worse. These numbers will mean nothing to you unless you've dealt with a vision prescription before, but her eyes are -14.5 and -17.5 diopters. Yikes. The only chart I could find online that would attempt to approximate what that would be in terms of "20/?" guessed that her eyes are at about 20/8000. That's right- a person with healthy vision can see at EIGHT THOUSAND feet what my little girl sees at twenty. I can't even fathom (and my eyes are FAR from perfect...)

We are so lucky.

She is so blessed.

Almost four years ago, on March 22, 2006, I received the phone call that she needed to be transported to Chicago to undergo surgery with one of the top retinal surgeons in the country- and one of only a handful who operate on babies not yet at term. At the time, there was an 85% chance she would go blind- her retinas were steadily detaching and, well, you can't see without an intact retina.

The surgery was successful.

Some people may not walk away from an ophthalmology appointment that yields that kind of script with a smile. I did.

Because, after all is said and done, our new pediatric ophthalmologist sat back and told me:

"Her retinas look perfect. Dr. Shapiro did an amazing job. I see no gaps or tears. It's some of the best work I've ever seen."

I am so grateful.

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This post is linked to Gratituesday, hosted at Heavenly Homemakers.

My Story Monday... Getting Pregnant After A Preemie: Deciding To Have Another Baby

Over the next several weeks, I want to focus on our decision to have another baby- on the fears, the risks, the uncertainty, the pros, the cons, and the decision-making. Ask most women who have given birth to a preemie-- particularly those who had their babies extremely early or who suffered severe medical complications-- and they'll tell you that deciding to have another baby is a scary decision. As someone who has made that decision and, happily, gone on to have a healthy, full-term pregnancy, I'd like to talk about it...

**********************

When you have a baby, one of the questions they ask you is:

Did you want to have your tubes tied?

Now, with my first baby, I didn't see this coming and it completely floored me. Unsure what our family size would end up being but confident we weren't planning on an "only child", I shook my head vehemently and declared, "Absolutely not!"

My "tubes", if you will, remained intact and I went on to get pregnant again just a few short months later. This second baby is the one who arrived so very early.

I wasn't as surprised to hear them ask me if I wanted a tubal ligation with this second child, but, at the same time, it seemed somewhat bizarre and cruel that- in the same breath- the doctors told me my baby wasn't likely to live and would I like to make sure I had no more babies after this one? I declined the procedure- again- and gave birth to my micropreemie who defied the odds and is now a happy, thriving four-year old.

We had always talked about having "two or three " kids. I can remember, vividly, thinking as they whisked me off to the OR...

"Well, I guess I'll be having two kids. Because- if this baby makes it- he or she will probably have such significant special needs that we won't be able to manage caring for three kids. And, if this baby doesn't make it, I'm not sure I can handle more than one more pregnancy..."

Three and a half months later, we both were out of the hospital and at home-- me, with my ability to have more children still intact and her, with a feeding tube, supplemental oxygen, and an apnea monitor...

This time, I wasn't quite so eager to do it all again.

to be cont...

Green Frosting... Hike!

My son has a January birthday. So when he wanted me to make a "football cake" for the occasion, I was completely okay with that. Super Bowl season is the best time to get football decorations!

I figured out pretty early on what kind of cake I was baking:



What I loved most about this cake was that it's just a simple 9x13" pan. No cutting, no stacking, no expensive form cake pans. Just a plain ol' 9x13". What I wasn't keen on? Shelling out the money to buy green paste color to get the field just right. I don't make a lot of "vivid" frostings and, thus, do not need a lot of intense colors cluttering up my cabinet. But, really, food coloring is NOT going to get you a grass green.

During our big monthly trek to Aldi, I happened to glance at a shelf of random stuff on my way to the check-out. Right in the middle of it?

For 69 cents.

People, I cannot MAKE frosting for that cheap. Did it taste as good as my homemade buttercream? Um, no. Did it mimic turf green and delight the kids? Yes, ma'am.

Keep your eyes open for holiday leftovers that can meet other needs! I'm kicking myself for not picking up a can of the red for Valentine's treats...

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This post is linked to Frugal Friday, hosted at Life As MOM.

Also linked up to FishMama's Birthday Cake Round-Up!

A Little Size Perspective

We brought our sweet baby C. home in April of '06, just shy of her due date; she was 3 1/2 months old.

This is the size diaper she was wearing:



That is not a preemie size diaper. No ma'am. That is a special even TINIER size available only to the hospital market. They had to send us home with several packages. From there, she graduated to "preemie size" and then, finally (at around 6 months old), to newborn size.

For another perspective, here is that same diaper up against another of the same brand (Pampers) that my son was wearing at the same age- a size 3. (For the record, my son was a big baby-- it is more typical for a 3 1/2 month old baby to be in a size 2 than a size 3...)


This is why I laughed, my friends, when people thought my 5 lb 8 oz third child was "so little"!

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Final note: This post was written and scheduled DAYS ago, but in that time I stumbled upon Quatro Mama's post about her quads and their preemie diapers here. Check out their site- another Indianapolis commercial-worthy miracle story.

Chocolate Cut Out Cookies

My son had his first "friend birthday party" this past Saturday-- he turned 5 and wanted a "football party". No problem! This is the perfect time of year to find football themed things. I baked up this cake...




...and put together 8 treat bags with little football doo-dads in them. I wanted to buy and add some of these...




...to fill up the bags. When an unexpected snow squall left our driveway/road a mess and kept my kids home from school, my errand running plans were shot. What to do?

I mixed up these cookies:


Ingredients

* 1 cup butter
* 2 cups white sugar
* 2 eggs
* 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* heaping 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions

1. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy; add eggs, one at a time, beating well. Mix in the vanilla. Combine flour, cocoa powder and baking powder; add and mix well. Wrap dough in waxed paper and chill for 2 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. Divide dough in half. Roll out each half to 1/4 inch thick. (I recommend rolling your dough between layers of waxed paper to avoid having to use flour which can leave your cookies with a "dusty" look.) Cut with desired shaped cookie cutters. Place on lightly greased cookie sheets and bake for 8-12 minutes, depending on cookie size.

I don't own a football-shaped cookie cutter so I used a small glass bowl and overlapped my circles to form the outline of a football. I piped simple white icing laces and, voila!



Wrapped in saran wrap and tucked in the bags, they were perfect.

It's always a good thing when you can improvise with what's on hand! The party? It went off without a hitch. The cookies? They were a hit. My pocketbook? Untouched, since I used all ingredients from my pantry. Most importantly...

The birthday boy?

I think he was pretty excited about the whole affair.

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This post is linked to:
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, hosted at Blessed with Grace.
Tasty Tuesday, hosted at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
Works For Me Wednesday, hosted at We Are THAT Family
Ultimate Recipe Swap, hosted at Life as MOM.

There Was A Heartbeat

If you have just a minute, I must ask you that you watch the below clip:




Even if you're not as vehemently pro-life as me, I think you'll be moved by this beautiful song...

For more information about the song's writer, please go here.

(Did anyone else need to run for a tissue?)