A tidbit

It has been interesting trying to keep my mind on work today. I keep getting these little pokes in the stomach. :) Whats that? Oh, right, baby is trying out the newly calcified bones.

A little scare and why I love my Midwife

Yesterday I was feeling crummy and very weak, almost faint. So, I decided to stay home from work. It was my first sick day of the whole pregnancy and I even worked from home a little. I was kind of nervous about how I was feeling since everything feels a bit new right now. It was something like having really low blood sugar, but I had been eating just fine, so that didn't seem right.

I called my midwife's office at 9:10am, and they were ready to see me at 10am. Very quick. Since they handle so few patients at a time, I was able to be seen right away. She checked me out in all sorts of ways, for anemia, low blood pressure, adn a couple of other things that I can't remember. She talked with me for about 20 minutes at least (nice to have someone actually take the time). In the end it was determined that I just had a blood pressure that was a bit low (98/60). I am usually on the low side to begin with, so she wasn't too worried. She said to call if the symptons persisted.

I was just so pleased with the service. They do not pack people in like at some doctor's offices and I see one of the two midwives each time. How can we get this kind of health care for other areas? They don't even charge as much as regular doctors/hospitals.

Long Overdue....Pictures

Well folks, there is still not a whole lot to see. I can tell that I am changing, but it doesn't look like much. People still can't tell at work. At church I usually wear a dress, which shows more. The view from just about 19 weeks:

Nathan says that the picture that I took looking down at my belly looks like a bunny, with my feet being the ears.

The Annunciation

For those of us still in Lent, the Annunciation is an especially bright feast day. Besides being one of the great Twelve Feasts of the church, it is the world's first message of hope. Until this day, no one knew exactly how God would bring salvation to the world. I am making salmon, couscous and asparagus tonight for dinner in celebration (good baby food :) ). Have a blessed feast day!

"Today marks the crowning of our salvation and the revelation of the mystery before all ages. For the Son of God becomes the son of the Virgin, and Gabriel proclaims the grace. Wherefore, we also cry out with him, 'Hail, O full of grace, the Lord is with you.' "

Annunciation of the Theotokos

The Reading is from Luke 1:24-38
In those days, Elizabeth the wife of Zacharias conceived and for five months she hid herself, saying, "Thus the Lord had done to me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men." In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you! But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end." And Mary said to the angel, "How shall this be, since I have no husband?" And the angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible." And Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

Little Kicks?

For the last couple of days, I have been feeling little taps coming from where baby is sitting. They are very small so its hard to tell if I am feeling actual little kicks or if it is something else. I think that they are kicks now that it has been a while.

I can also definitely feel where baby is now, especially when I do my morning excercises. This is fun!

Oh, and for those interested parties, we are having our ultrasound on Monday April 7. Hopefully Nathan can get a video again like last time. This one should be a bit more interesting though... :)

Reflections During Lent #1

I have been directed to a wonderful book, so this lent I am going to post a little of what I am reading. Part of my lenten discipline will be to read "Children in the Church Today," which was recommended to me by Fr. Stephen our priest. It is a collection of talks given at a monastery in England that were so popular that people begged the nuns to publish them. I am glad they did. If anyone is interested, it is published by St. Vladamir's Seminary Press, or is available on Amazon.com. My slightly used copy was all of $.60.

From Ch. 1- Marriage and the Christian Family
"All you learn about marriage, all of your work for your marriage, is work for the salvation of your children, and this is not something small, but something which is of eternal value. "

This is a beautiful and sobering thought. Children are brought into a family. They are conceived in love and born into the love of their parents. That love serves as an anchor and a guide for them in all future relationships. Children need love to survive, that everyone knows. If they do not receive it, they not only struggle on earth, but their soul becomes fragmented and all things spritual are harder for them.

Since being pregnant, an awareness of all the broken people in this world has become to me more acute. People I meet at work, or just around town. I am more and more grateful for the family that I had and the the family that nurtured Nathan.

Katie and Baby go on an Adventure!

I had to go out to the Catalina Island for work (lucky me!). I had to go out and collect some audit samples from the Santa Catalina Island Conservancy.

Our day began at 4:30 am. We took the 6:15am Catalina Express boat out to the city of Avalon on the Island from the Long Beach harbor. Baby decided early on during the trip that it did not enjoy the open water, and consequently, we spent the trip in the handicapped restroom. Ugh. At the very end however, I was able to come out and saw some dolphins playing in the waves.

We arrived in Avalon at 7:30am and immediately felt better. As the ship was pulling into the Harbor, the island looked dreamlike. It was absolutely beautiful and largely untouched, except for the little houses and businesses that covered the harbor area. It was kind of like stepping back in time also. There were no chain restaurants (except one KFC/Taco Bell), and most people were out and about walking instead of driving.

Aftr a quick bagel and cream cheese breakfast (to replace the one lost on the journey), we walked all over Avalon, up and down the little streets and down by the beach. The island was originally purchased by The Wrigley Family (think Gum) and is still maintained in part by their descendants.

I got into work at 8:30, and worked pretty quickly. For lunch the client wanted to take me out to lunch and we spent most of the time talking about life on the Island. It was fascinating. If you needed food, there was one Vons on the island, if you needed clothes, you could go t the boutiques or just wear a lot of Santa Catalina tourist shirts. They also had one school (K-12) for all the children on the island and one Catholic Church, and a couple of protestant/community churches.

All in all the day was very enjoyable. Maybe we can go back again, once the pregnancy is over. :)

Prego-Jeans

This weekend I bought my first (and hopefully only) pair of pregnancy jeans. The little one is growing and my jeans aren't cutting it any more. So, here is a picture of them and of the belly at about 16 weeks! What you can't see is taht the top of these are made up of a spandex type material that will expand with baby. They should last until I am due.

I am impressed by the quality and selection of maternity clothes, and the prices. These jeans were less than my last regular pair!

Delightfully tagged

1) One book that changed your life. Well, it is a book of poetry, but I think that it should still count: George Herbert's Complete English Poems. Herbert's poems open up so much beauty in traditional Western Spirituality. His poems are easy to understand and I began writing poems and very moving.

2) One book that you have read more than once. Lewis's Mere Christianity



3) One book you would want on a desert island. St. Ephraim the Syrian's collection of spiritual psalters. These prayers are soul cleansing.



4) Two books that made you laugh. The Harry Potter series. The best light reading in a very long time.

5) One book that made you cry. I don't cry very easily... hmm. Mostly I cry when I listen to Dr. Laura tell a story about some heroic act or a happy marriage. (I know I cheated.. its not a book.)

6) One book you wish you'd written. A Jane Austen novel. I wish that I had her insight into human affairs and acute observation skills.

7) One book you wish had never been written. Most books by Virginia Woolf. Very depressing and has kind of a fondness for suicide that is dangerous.



8) Two books you are currently reading. The Mill and the Floss by George Eliot, and St. Ephraim the Syrian's collection of spiritual psalters.



9) One book you've been meaning to read. Any of Bethany's recommendations.

I can't do the Meme as I am at work. If I wrote down anyhting from our reports, I could get fired. :)



Now: Tag five people. Tagged: Bethany Jean

Everyone else that I know has already been tagged.

In love :)

Yes, I am very much in love with the second trimester! I feel like I am five years old. I have energy! I want to do things and go places! I get giddy about eating yummy foods (strawberries, frozen yogurt, Trader Joe's sharp cheeses) and beautiful, sunny California days. If this is what the next couple of months will be like, I would like more of them! In about two weeks, I have gone from feeling sick, tired and generally blah, to happy and feeling like I have more energy than I can manage. Well, I will enjoy it while it lasts, and take the opportunity to get some things done before it goes away.

One of my favorite things lately has been to plan trips. In April (after Pascha- the Orthodox Easter on April 27th- read the Wikipedia article for more info on why it is different from the Western March 23rd date if you want), I will drive up to Northern CA to see my family for a few days. I have made it a tradition of taking off the week after Pascha for vacation.

Next, for Memorial Day Weekend, Nathan and I took off an extra day and will stay in a B&B up in Julian, CA. Julian is a little mountain town famous for apples and local arts. It is very quaint in the best sort of way and Nathan spent a lot of time there when he was growing up.

I also like thinking about fun day trips for the weekends. If anyone has any suggestions for the LA/Orange Co. area, let me know. Preferably something outdoors. :)

Lesson Learned

Nathan should not do our taxes. Things fly out of his mouth that probably shouldn't and he begins to talk about forming a country of our own. :)