Four newborns were welcomed into the Xavier community over the past eight months. Brayden Averbuck was born on February 2, Iris Grace Long and Eloise Marie Long on September 24 and Elizabeth Marie-Therese Pennington was born on October 12.
Dan and Olivia Long and their two oldest children, Florence and James, recently welcomed two twins to their family, Iris Grace and Eloise Marie.
The addition of twins is a wonderful blessing, but can be a lot. “It’s definitely a familiar experience since we’ve had Florence and James,” said Dan Long, history teacher at Xavier, “but our friends, who also have twins, put it best: Instead of asking your partner, ‘Can you hold the baby,’ it becomes, ‘Do you want to swap babies?’”
Diving into parenthood may sound like a big leap, but there are many surprises and what comes after is more than expected. “Other than your own family experience, you really don’t have a frame of reference as to what to expect until you are a parent. The experience pushes you to be your best self every minute, and although there are moments where we fall short, patience is the goal that we strive for every day,” said Olivia Long, psychology teacher at Xavier.
When being a parent, things can shift quickly, from deciding how many babies to baby names to care.
“We had our sights set on two, then three, then ended up with four. We knew we would be outnumbered, we just didn’t know by how many,” said Dan Long.
For baby names, both parents were searching for a name “that sounded classic.” They would use the litmus test by “saying the names out loud to see if they sounded good.”
Juggling life, family, work and other factors can seem like a lot but the Longs “strive to support each other no matter what.” They have a mantra that they try to instill in their kids: “We are a team. There’s no problem that we cannot solve together.” They find many positives in shared experiences. “Crafts, something humorous, baking, playing with a favorite toy, reading, all are such an important part of our family culture,” said Dan Long. “It reminds us, as parents, about the joy of play, and how it can change the entire course of the day for the better.”
Being a mother is a life-changing experience, and has a great impact on one’s routine.
“I feel so blessed that God has given us our daughter,” said Brianne Pennington. “I used to go to bed around 10 p.m. and wake up early, and my days were filled with doing whatever I wanted or needed to do. Now, it is harder to get little tasks done. My days look different because my schedule is now based on whatever my daughter needs.”
Even with lifestyle changes, becoming a mother is a blessing in every way possible says Pennington. “We have an overwhelming amount of love for our baby Elizabeth, and every day we experience more of how God loves us and looks at us by how much we love her.”
Brianne Pennington often takes inspiration and aid from Mary who is an important guide to her. “There are so many beautiful examples of good motherhood around me and I hope to continue to learn how to be a good and loving mother, especially with the help from Mother Mary.”
Pennington finds the positives and the good in parenthood which makes the experience all the more wonderful, and the guidance and support from others have definitely helped as well. “Look to Mary and the Holy Family for strength when you don’t feel prepared or are worried about how things are going to work out,” she adds.
Pennington also described her experience in choosing a name. “Elizabeth means House of God. She is named after Elizabeth of the Visitation, Mary’s cousin who is the mother of John the Baptist.” The Penningtons also loved the nickname Ellie.
Motherhood is great in unexpected ways says Julianne Averbuck. “As a parent, there is something surprising and new to learn all of the time. Being a mother is drastically different from non-parent life and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Julianne Averbuck says she loves getting to see the personalities of her children develop, grow and change. Julianne and Kenneth Averbuck “went back and forth saying which names sounded friendly, strong and timeless.”
When it comes to parenting Julianne Averbuck commented, “Be present and take into account the advice of others, but truthfully you will always know what is best for you and your own child.”
