Ash Wednesday

Today is the first day of Lent, and as has become our tradition, I will meet MJ downtown for Mass at lunchtime.  Today also happens to be March 9, which is exactly one month before our due date.  I can't believe we're in the final countdown!  I really had thought that the second half of my pregnancy would go very slowly, but I don't know where the time has gone.  Between our travels, the holidays, and getting the nursery ready, time has really flown by.

Normally I make our baby-themed recipes on Wednesday nights, but since it is a dessert this week and Ash Wednesday calls for fasting and abstinence, I will make it tomorrow instead.  As for dinner tonight, I suspect MJ and I will have cheese pizza (our Lenten staple).

Although Otto will be born during Lent this year -- a time of mourning and reflection -- I still think April is a wonderful time for a birth.  His or her birthday will not always fall during Lent, and every once in a while it will even be on Easter Sunday.  The weather is starting to improve; flowers and trees are blooming; and it's the perfect time to celebrate a new life.  An extra bonus is that we will be able to bring our brand-new son or daughter to Easter Mass with us this year -- what a blessing!