Place Your Bets! Is Baby on Team Pink or Team Blue?

One of my favorite things about our pregnancies is being on "Team Green" (not knowing whether we're having a boy or girl).  Now that I'm about a month away from my due date, I thought I'd wash all of the baby clothes--pink and blue.   

With each pregnancy, we pick out a brand new outfit for a boy and a girl to bring to the hospital.  The kids got to come along to pick them out this time.  They settled on a floral/butterfly sleeper for a girl and a blue striped monster sleeper for a boy.

 
Folding all of those sweet little sleepers, onesies, hats, socks, and swaddling blankets gave me some serious I-Gotta-Meet-You-Baby-Fever!  Folding each item made me think about Jane and Walt wearing them and breathing in that intoxicating baby smell.  It's getting harder and harder to wait for you, Baby!  

For a fun little distraction, I thought it'd be fun for everyone to place their bets on what "team" Baby will be on.


Will Baby be on Team Pink (girl) or Team Blue (boy)? 

Here are some side by side by side belly pics if you believe the shape of my belly reveals Baby's gender:

From left to right: 23 weeks with Jane, 27 weeks with Walt, and 25 weeks with Baby due in August

Left to Right: 32 weeks with Jane, 33 weeks with Walt, and 33 weeks with Baby due in August

Family Guesses:
Philip has thought that Baby was a girl all along.  Jane and Walt both think Baby is a girl.  I change my mind every hour!  More often than not, I think Baby is a girl.
 
Perhaps sharing Jane's and Walt's "stats" will help you to make an educated guess.

JANE
Jane was born 5 days before her due date (2/16/10) on 2/11/10 at 11:58 p.m.
Weight:  8 lbs., 7.5 oz.
Length:  21 in.

WALT
Walt was born 1 day before his due date (5/20/11) on 5/19/11 at 11:28 p.m.
Weight:  8 lbs., 13 oz.
Length:  21 in.

Now, try filling in Baby's stats!

BABY
Team Pink or Team Blue?
Due Date:  8/17/13
Birthday/Time:  ? / ?
Weight:  ?
Length:  ?

Want to Become Catholic? Jump On In!

So, you or someone you know is thinking about becoming Catholic?  Maybe you're still unsure, but you want to start investigating.  Well, now's the perfect time to jump on in!  The water's warm!  

St. Peter's Square in Rome

Thousands of men and women are received into the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil Mass on Holy Saturday each year.  These new members of the Church go through a process called RCIA, the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults.  

Most Catholic churches around the country begin their RCIA classes in the fall.  My parish, for example, starts their classes in September.  RCIA is an opportunity for those that want to present themselves as candidates for baptism to learn the ins and outs of the Catholic Faith.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops explains (via their RCIA site) that RCIA:

outlines the steps for the formation of catechumens, bringing their conversion to the faith to a greater maturity. It helps them respond more deeply to God's gracious initiative in their lives and prepares them for union with the Church community. This process is meant to form them into the fullness of the Christian life and to become disciples of Jesus, their teacher. This includes an initiation into the mystery of salvation, the practice of faith, hope, and love, and other virtues in a succession of liturgical rites.

Persons baptized into another Christian church and now seeking full communion with the Catholic Church are also welcomed to participate along with catechumens in the RCIA in the process of learning about the Catholic faith and being formed in that faith. They bring to the process of preparation their prior experience of Christian life and prayer. For a baptized Christian, reception into full communion with the Catholic Church involves reception of the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation and then a Profession of Faith followed by the celebration of Confirmation and the Eucharist.

Each candidate's journey will look different dependent on their previous spiritual formation, but the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has a helpful Q&A site about the RCIA process. 

Once you know the basics of the RCIA process, the next step is finding a Catholic church near you where you can begin your journey.  Search online for your Catholic diocese's (or archdiocese's) website.  With any luck, it will be up-to-date and list all of the Catholic parishes within the diocesan boundaries.  Contact the nearest parish by calling the parish office and inquiring about starting RCIA classes in the fall. 

From here, each parish will vary in how they go about the process.  Regardless of where you are, you will be offered literature, resources, and meetings with various parish personnel to equip you on your journey with the information and prayers that you need before classes begin.  

Once you begin your RCIA classes, you will be paired with a "sponsor" who will attend classes with you and serve as your mentor during the RCIA process.  A sponsor is "called to show the candidates good example of the Christian life, sustain the candidates in moments of hesitancy and anxiety, bear witness, and guide the candidate's progress in the baptismal life."

So, whaddya think?  Still on the fence?  Keep asking questions!  Now's the time to tackle your biggest hang-ups with the Catholic Church.  Enlist a well-catechized Catholic to help you find the answers to your questions.  If you don't have a friend that can serve in that capacity, or if it's the wee hours of the morning and you have a question you need answered, check out Catholic Answers' site Catholic.com.  Second to the Vatican website, this is the second most frequented site related to the Catholic Church.  This site has it all--tracts on sticky issues, discussion forums, a blog, an online library, archived episodes of the 2-hour daily radio show Catholic Answers, etc.  (The Catholic Answers daily radio show is a phenomenal, unintimidating resource for those exploring the Faith.  All of the shows are rich in content, but I highly recommend that those skeptical of the Catholic Church listen to a Q&A Open Forum for Non-Catholics episode.) 

Another fantastic resource is Catholics Come Home.  Whether you are non-Catholic, a non-practicing Catholic, or you're a Catholic hoping to learn more about your faith, this site has plenty of information to help you along your journey!  

Please use the comment box below to pose any questions or offer additional resources for those investigating the Catholic Church.  Feel free to e-mail me at cboucher08@gmail.com as well!