After going to Mass at the Shrine, we went into the Gift Shop. The woman behind the counter greeted us warmly and told us to let her know if we needed any help. After we found some gifts, the same woman rang up our items and said, “Oh, you brought your baby with you.” My husband and I looked at each other. We didn’t know what to make of her comment. In an instant, the woman’s smile vanished and she stammered, “Oh my gosh. I am so sorry. You don’t have a baby with you. I’m so sorry.” Her apology was heart-felt, and we told her that it was okay—that, in fact, we were just, literally, praying for the blessing of a child. Her eyes searched ours, and she asked us to let her know as soon as we were expecting a child. She wrote her contact information on a Post-It note and handed it to me. That Post-it stayed with me throughout our honeymoon.

“I can’t even begin to describe our joy; it was like we were dreaming.”

After we returned home, some time passed before I had the courage to take a pregnancy test. I wanted a baby so badly, I was afraid to see negative results. Even with the comforting words, “You brought your baby with you,” my heart was not ready for a deep disappointed. The day before my birthday, I mustered all of my strength and took the test. To my surprise, the results came back positive. Then I took another one just to be sure. It was positive, as well. I was elated and couldn’t wait to tell Steven. I can’t even begin to describe our joy; it was like we were dreaming.

Immediately, I began looking for the Post-it note. It didn’t take long to discover it, so I texted the woman at the Gift Shop and shared our exciting news. She was jubilant and asked me to stay in touch and let her know once the baby arrived.

Shortly afterwards, we had our first visit with the ObGyn. What we saw on the ultrasound was amazing. It actually looked like the baby was dancing in my womb. As we stared at the screen, our smiles turned to laughter as our baby appeared to wave to us. We could see his head, arms, and feet – and we were able to watch his heart beating. It was a day I’ll never forget.

Timothy Francis was born in June. Steven and I are still overjoyed that, despite the odds, our dream has come true. Every life is a miracle, but the circumstance around Timothy’s birth was a pure gift from our Blessed Mother. Even more, she’s granted our secret prayers, as well.

You see, when we were at the little shrines praying specifically for a baby, Steven prayed for us to have twins. I secretly prayed that we wouldn’t. God answered both of our prayers. In a few months, Timothy is going to have an Irish Twin: a sibling born a year (or less) apart. Yes, I’m pregnant with a little girl! And I believe she is part of that initial prayer for a baby—Steven’s prayer for twins and mine for not birth-twins. Even though my husband’s doctor said it would be difficult for us to conceive a child, Timothy and his sister are proof that with God—and the Intercession of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal—nothing is impossible.