The first 2 weeks

Thanks be to God for this journey into parenthood and the miracle of new life! We are doing well here. Life seems to be returning to “normal” and we are begrudging this normalcy as all we really want to do is continue to stare at baby, take naps with baby and ponder what these next 30 years (yep, it is a running joke around here that parenthood goes into the 30s in Greece) will be like.

Pregnancy was nine months of preparing for a new baby.

Now that the baby is here, the reality that this little one will grow into an adult became a reality. Lord have mercy on us!

The first week I was tired and my mother was a great help as I tried to sleep when the baby was sleeping during the day. I was pretty protective of the new little one and refused to let mom “babysit” in the middle of the night, even though I was exhausted.

Week two I finally felt all the adrenaline from labor was out of my body and strength was rapidly being regained.

On the labor note…yes, I would chose natural childbirth again. Overall, everything progressed great. We got stuck at 9.5cm for about 4 hours, but at the point of complete despair (I seriously was hoping for a long time that the doctor would walk into the room and say we had to do an emergency C-section) they said I could push 3 times. The rest is history. We could blame the on-call doctor for not letting us push earlier, and the nurse who wasn’t nearly as good as the first nurse we had, but in the end all the travail is so worth it and when we are helpless, then we realize where our true strength and help is coming from!

This week (week 3) I feel even better and am determined to get an hour walk every day and possibly even sneak off to Curves a few times. I could probably even start running, but we have decided not to invest in a baby jogger and I am still getting used to being so attached to baby…. can’t go very far when you never know when he may be hungry. So, who knows if I’ll ever get back into running again. Baby usually eats every 3-4 hours, but has gone 7 hours without eating (that was a great night!) and as frequently as every hour to two (though these seem to becoming mostly late evening events).

Baby is doing great, thanks be to God. He is gaining an average of 2 ounces a day, and at his 5 day lactation consult visit, had gained 3 ounces instead of losing the average 5-7% that baby’s usually do the first week. He weighed in at 10.2 yesterday at the pediatrician! No, except before my milk came in, I am not waking him up to eat! He is just a big guy…being 22.5 inches at birth. He did get a bad heat rash, which made me cry, but I felt better after the pediatrician reassured me that newborns can get this even if they are not too hot due to their sweat glands not being completely open yet. It has been pretty muggy here lately though, and we only take him outside in the early morning due to terror of baby getting a mosquito bite in the evenings.

It looks like we are going to get some visitors from Greece (hooray) in a month or so, and my Greek has taken backseat in priority lately. So, besides loving baby and adjusting to this new phase of life, I do hope to dust off the Greek books. Language learning is NOT my strength, and I am going to be humbled someday when my toddler or school-age son speaks better than me. Mr. S. is talking Greek to the baby, and so it is nice to be hearing the language a bit more around the house.

We still don’t have internet at home, and we don’t feel comfortable putting up pictures of baby to an unsecured blog…just an idiosyncrasy we have. We hope in the future to make a secure blog and will update baby pictures and our ever changing contact information there.

So, this IS the last post of Elisa’s Wanderings. If you find yourself missing hearing updates, please do call. I love when the phone rings and it is a friend from far away (206-359-5968).

I think baby is waiting for Pentecost...

New theory: no baby until after Pentecost (this year Sunday, June 7th). Baby shouldn't usurp the coming of the Holy Spirit, right?

Cool fact: Pentecost is the actual due date. Not a bad due date, I must admit.

Well as every day passes I feel more and more ready, and there are less things on the possible "to-do" list giving more time to potentially do what is most important and simply wait for God's perfect time and commit our lives to Him. My mom suggested horseback riding and strawberry picking...but neither seem very feasible to me, though I told her maybe I would go imaginary strawberry picking due to it being May and it being Minnesota. For now, I will simply try to walk home from the doctor's clinic.

Things have seemed to slow down. These contractions are either less than before or I've just ceased to pay such close attention to them. Today the doctor reported I'm still 2 cm. dilated and the baby is at -2 station.

So...we wait. Not a bad thing to be doing the week before Pentecost :).

Last post before baby?

Excitement has set in. Baby should be here realatively "soon." I have had some contractions though nothing very regular and today the doctor confirmed my suspician that the baby had dropped and that I am 2 cm. dilated. I am even getting used to this new sensation of pressure in my pelvic cavity.

Ok, soon could be a day to a month, but hey for now I still feel on top of the world and as my husband said "May the next 8 cm be as easy as the first!"

We looked into getting internet at home for when the baby come home but we like taking our time in life and have found a reason to put it off again! So, sorry there won't be regular updates, pics, etc.

Putting the birth story on here isn't our personal style anyhow so if you want all the juicy details you'll just have to call or email :). For you St. Michael friends, per Katie's request I will give her or Jen a call when labor begins in order to spread the word as your prayers will be much appreciated. For those of you further away (like Africa) who I would like to call but haven't had time of late, thanks for your prayers and hopefully we will talk soon.

My carpel tunnel has gotten pretty bad, so I probably shouldn't type anymore. Thanks for your prayers!

Hooray for NOT moving this year

You always hear that you need to live in a place for a year before you decide if you like it. I just want to ditto this!

With near certaintly we will be in Mankato for another year, and who knows possibly until we move to Greece. We are both happy not to have to move and resettle somewhere new and Mankato, Minnesota is growing rapidly in my estimation these days.

Most likely it is the abundant flowers all around, but I have been blessed with some recent new and fun discoveries....a fabulous woods near to the university, a sewing guild and an arts guild (I was trying to find a place to learn more about sewing when we first came here and it didn't result in anything..apparently these ladies are amazing and have crazy things like home weaving machings but beginners are welcome), realization that Somalie and Sudanese refugees live all around me and I having a baby may help get to know some of these ladies and their stories, a new friend who took me to a new healthy cafe for lunch in North Mankato today, and a lady at the baby boutique who came over last week to teach me how to make diaper covers.

Anyway, I look forward to another year here, and am even looking forward to buying or making a carseat fleece covering to keep the baby bundled up inside this coming winter :)!

Hey if Laura Ingalls Wilder lived only 80 miles or so from here in the "Big Woods" this can't be too bad of a place :).

finding a pediatrician

I just got back from "interviewing" a family practice doctor so that the face that shows up at the hospital to do the first pediatric exam will be a familiar one. The receptionist told me when I made the appointment that it was a "free, five-minute meet and greet." When I checked in today, I was asked if I wanted to pay the $20 copay now or later. Hmmmm....why do doctor's offices and health insurance always cause so much frustration?

This got me to thinking if I should keep my other "free" meet and greet appointment next week and if we chose to immuninize our children on an alternative schedule than the CDC recommendations, how much extra we will end up paying in co-fees.

Now, probably I am just being stingy. After meeting a SAHM who is tryinig to get her electric bill down to $10 a month, I easily passed into the obsessive thoughts about how to spend less money.

We have fabulous health insurance coverage, due to my husband working for a state university and these co-pays even have the potential of being covered via his benefits if we don't have too many other healthcare costs (I think). I am thankful, but nonetheless, I just don't like being told two different things at the same clinic.

As far as chosing a family practice doctor or a pediatrician, today, I traveled about 20 minutes to the next town, where they have a nice, small-town clinic. You call and they get you in immediately. You show up for your appointment, and before you have a chance to barely sit down, a nurse calls your name. nice! There weren't lots of sick kids sitting around contaminating other kids while waiting an hour to see the doctor. I have also heard great things about the pediatrician here as being very breastfeeding friendly and respectful of parental decisions in regards to their child's health. Disadvantage: I felt stressed getting there on time because of the drive.

The other option is the clinic a mile walk from my house. Advantages: we can walk there and save money on gas. Disadvantages: It probably isn't any quicker of a trip by the time you have to wait to see a doctor and it is often very difficult to be seen quickly. You risk getting sick just by waiting in the waiting room.

36 week picture

Here is a 36 week shot.












Here is a shot of life in Minnesota in May.















Ok...I think this is what Jen Marie and Katie really meant when they asked for another pregnancy picture.

Forgive my battered clothes. These sweatpants have seen a lot of wear these past months and should probably be burned soon. I did buy a pregnancy jean skirt and black shorter skirt than have also been old-faithful wardrobe items these past months, but when out on a walk...it is usually in these battered sweats. I feel so much more comfortable in the sweats, but so much more beautiful when wearing a skirt, thus the daily dilemma of what to wear! I usually end up switching back and forth between the two depending on what I am doing throughout the day!

Bitter sweet Spring

I don’t know if I’ve ever been in such a beautiful place for spring. When I was young perhaps Kansas was as beautiful. Taiwan and Seattle were too tropical in climate to have a spring bursting forth from the dark night of winter. And in Southern California, though I was surrounded by flowers most of the year long, in their contained pots and beds, I didn’t seem to give them the attention they deserve.

Going from a bleak, long winter to rose and white blossoms budding in the trees, varied greens shouting forth life all around,leaves dancing in the wind like waves in the sea, and little yellow ducklings in the pond all make me want to take these days and somehow immortalize them.

I look at the beauty and my soul is lifted up; yet deep down I fear the hot summer rays that will make some of this freshness go away and I am counting how many months before the cold north winds come again.

I am not a poet, though I would like to be. Confession – I haven’t written a poem since literature classes in high school (albeit a few pathetic romance verses). I feel like I no longer know how and have given over to much to my pragmatic tendencies. I think living in a place with seasons will help this secret desire. I want to find words to describe everything I see around me this spring. At first I wanted to grab my camera, and just go around photographing all this beauty, but words seem more able to help capture this beauty.

But, I realized this week, before I relearn some basic rules of poetry I have to allow my soul to be resensitized to the world around me. Elder Porphyrios says, “For a person to become a Christian he must have a poetic soul. He must become a poet. Christ does not wish insensitive souls in His company. A Christian, albeit only when he loves, is a poet and lives amid poetry. Poetic hearts embrace love and sense it deeply.”

And I think reading more poetry will help. From Christina Rossetti:

Another Spring

If I might see another Spring
I’d not plant summer flowers and wait:
I’d have my crocuses at once,
My leafless pink mezereons,
My chill-veined snowdrops, choicer yet
My white or azure violet,
Left-nested primrose; anything
To blow at once, not late.

If I might see another Spring
I’d listen to the daylight birds
That build their nests and pair and sing,
Nor wait for mateless nightingale;
I’d listen to the lusty herds,
The ewes with lambs as white as snow,
I’d find out music in the hail
And all the winds that blow.

If I might see another Spring-
Oh stinging comment on my past
That all my past results in ‘if’
If I might see another Spring
I’d laugh today, today is brief;
I would not wait for anything:
I’d use today that cannot last,
Be glad today and sing.

On life at 35 weeks

How did my mother ever have four children in five years? I am asking myself this question today as I am finding that every week my energy level is decreasing and small little things are becoming more overwhelming.

This morning I went to the gym, Target, the post office and the grocery store. I am feeling too tired to put the groceries away, clean up, and get a shower...much less to study Greek, plant the few annuals and basil we bought yesterday or get some laundry done.

What if I had to do all this with three little tots running around? Phew!

But then again, I am "late" in having children. My SIL said her 4th pregnancy which was in her early 30s was much more difficult than her other 3 in her early to mid twenties. So, let that be my excuse for being overwhelmed jst thinking about the little things that I should be doing.

I think if I ever do have four little ones like my mother, I'll ask my mom to come 3 weeks before the due date to help, and not as long afterwards. A friend from church who is expecting her third in three years just had her mom fly over from Lebanon and she is still in her 2nd trimester. She said she always feels more tired in her last trimester than after the baby....we will see.

Nursery Pic

I made a half gallon of yogurt last week. It didn't last the whole week. This week we are expected company. Hooray! My grandparents and great aunt from Kansas are visiting. So, I am making a gallon of yogurt today. The milk is taking forever to cool down and in my impatience to buy time I am posting a "nursery" pic.

The port-n-crib is compliments of my aunt in Indiana, The cute blanket my sister-in-law in Idaho, the lovely icon from Father John and Kh. Kristina (graduation present) and the cute bear from my mother. The changing table/dresser was found on craigslist and I really like it. I had been keeping my eye open for one for months. On Sunday, we were also given a real size crib from friends at church. It is yet to be assembled, and I'm not sure if we'll use it or not. And the candle votives were a wedding present from Maram. Anyway...all that to say we are very thankful for all our friends and it is so nice when material things help remind you of their love.

And yes, these are in our bedroom for now. We'll see how it goes :).

Naming and Churching Traditions

If anyone guesses the name we have chosen for a baby boy...I'll send you a present. You can have up to two choices, and the victor will not be announced until after we name the baby.

I am eager to see people's response to the name we chose. I really like it but most names I really like most people think are weird. Yes, we are pretty much planning on a boy based on my husband's sixth sense. We have to clarify over and over again, that it is NOT that we prefer a boy, this is just what we feel it is.

We are going to wait 7 days after the birth to announce the name.

No complaining...please :).

In Greece, this is traditionally when the priest will come to the home to bless the baby, and then the churching happens at 40 days. However, many people wait to name to baby until many months later at the baptism. So be glad we aren't waiting until then :).

I decided to look up in Scripture where these traditions come from today. The seventh day naming comes from Luke 1:57-60 and 2:21.

"Now the time came for Elizabeth to be delivered, and she gave birth to a son. And her neighbors and kinsfolk heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. And on the eighth day they cam to circumcise the child; and they would have named him Zechariah after his father, but his mother said, "Not so; he shall be called John."

Luke 2:21 "And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb."

An angel had already told Zacharius and Mary and Joseph respectively what to name their babies, but it wasn't until the eighth day that they announced it to the neighbors and kinsfolk. (I'm not sure why we do seven days, not eight?)

The Antiochian Orthodox Church in America doesn't require that you wait 40 days to church the baby. The reasoning behind this is that it is better for a mother to take her baby to church first to be blessed, than to be out an about shopping. I don't think I'll wait the 40 days but want to do a little more research on this tradition before I decide. Plus, maybe it will be a good excuse for me to avoid shopping for 40 days!

Luke 2:22-23 "And when the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him to the Lord (as it is writtn in the law of the Lord, "Every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord") and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord")...

Hmmm...more questions this passage raises! I am thankful the Church helps us in determining how to fulfill the Law of Moses when we no longer follow so many of the details of the Mosaic law. According to the Mosaic law was it 40 days before the child was brought to the temple for purification?

One more thing...my husband received a "Welcome to the US" letter last week. He has an official green card now so we don't have to worry about employment sponsoring work visas for him. Horray! With immigration beign so difficult in the US these days, this is something to be very thankful for. The interview went great and personally, I think the fact that we are expecting a baby helped the whole process speed along very quickly.

A peaceful and happy tired

I was a bit anxious for Holy Week as the plan was for me to stay with an elderly lady from Church for the entire week, and for my husband to commute up every evening after work to attend the services with me, spend the night, and leave early in the morning to drive the 80 miles back for his daily 8:00 class.

My husband has taught me there is much to do during Holy Week. Besides the daily and sometimes multiple services per day there is the cleaning the house, the church, dying Red eggs on Thursday, baking Easter cookies and bread, and preparing for the Pascha feast. How was all this to get done if I wasn’t home all week and also how in the world would I get the 80 grams of required pregnancy protein per day when everyone around me would be strictly fasting?

Letting go and letting others help you can be more difficult than being in control but needless to say, I had a great week. It was fun just getting to know the lady I stayed with and helping her prepare for Pascha. I learned how to make Arabic cookies (kaak) and a new kind of Greek Easter Bread as well as many other useful kitchen and household information. Plus, she is a native to St. Paul and she showed me around parts of this grand city, budding with springtime, that we had yet to explore. There is nothing like spending a large chunk of time, day in and day out, with someone to help forge a relationship.

I love celebrating Pascha with my dear husband.

2006 (dating in Los Angeles): Greek dancing, music and friends at his apartment followed by a trip to the ocean and me informing him that I wanted to take him up on his offer and visit him in Greece that summer.
2007 (Melbourne, Australia): Early morning Pascha feast with Greek friends followed by another Pascha feast with other Greek friends with lamb roasting on the spit.
2008 (Los Angeles): Early morning Greek feast with friends followed the next day by St. Michael’s unbeatable luncheon, St. Sophia’s Pascha picnic and dancing, and an evening of ice cream and cheese at the home of the nearby OCA parish Priest with good friends.
2009 (St. Paul Minnesota): Early morning coffee hour at church followed the next day with a feast of lamb, etc. with a lovely group of about 30 people. We skipped the second Sunday party. A lady from our parish invited the whole church over to her home. She rented a tent and was going to roast 2 lambs and a goat. We stuck to the “smaller” party :).

The Sunday party was a really nice mix of cultures. It was the kind of thing you hope will happen more in Orthodox-American homes across this country. We sang Christ is Risen in English, Greek and Arabic as we had all three together.

And now we can enjoy the Greek (tsoureki) and Cypriot bread (flionas) I made the week before Holy Week! How fun.

Posting frenzy

I just made a posting frenzy. This is my fourth post in one day.

Explanation: We don't have internet at home, and so I only post when either at the library or at my husband's office. Though I usually go the the library every week, after renewing "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding" today I don't think I'll be back until after Pascha. There are currently several books sitting next to the rocking chair and I will be happy if I make it through those by Pascha.

Disclaimer: I feel sometimes that I make myself out to be super-spiritual due to often posting about either the Church year or spiritual issues. I am in no way an authority on these issues.

Random blog tidbits:
1. Though spring is officially here according to the calander, Minnesota has yet to welcome her. It seems like winter and spring are daily battling and last week spring won, but this week winter has resurged yet again. March could be summurized with this pattern. Sun...snow....sun...icy rain...sun...below freezing temperatures

2. I started going to a BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) due to many friends in California having enjoyed this Bible Study. I will only be a part of it for a few months as it ends in May, and they don't have childcare until the child is 2 years old. My emotions rage high every week as I sit through the lecture and discussion and I am not completely at peace about joining. But, I don't really want to go into that. Reading the Bible is good and I am thankful for the structure to help me read it more.

3. Regarding the Kindle I did a little research. I realized the latest Kindle model won't let you download books if you aren't in the U.S. and secondly it will only let you download books in English. The first point is a major drawback for the future, so I am less motivated to save for this device at the moment.

4. The hospital pregancy classes have begun. They have made my husband even more wary of the hospital and I keep joking that I seriously think we will probably have the baby in the car en route. He is in charge of informing me when he thinks it is time to go, and I really do want to trust him with this. Yes, I have reminded him that we won't be able to monitor the baby's well-being at home and thus it really is best to go to the hospital at some point. If there are any midwifes reading this, Mankato, Minnesota would be a great place to set up shop!

Oh...and the Bradley method seems to measure the length of the contractions twice as long as every other source I've read. Meaning they say to measure only from the beginning to the peak and that they aren't good and strong until this lenght is 60-90seconds. So, that makes the entire contraction two to three minutes??????? Any advice here????

Wounded by Love

Lent is to be approached with joy. (See Thomas Hopko's first chapter of Lenten Spring for a great explanation of this.)

And how can we not have joy as we anticipate our Lord’s Resurrection and try with our feeble little efforts to prepare our hearts?

But this week especially, the Church, seems to be filled with joy. The third Sunday of Great Lent, The Adoration of the Precious and Life Giving Cross always fills my soul with wonder. The Cross is beautifully adorned, usually with roses and basil, and processed around the Church. We sing, “Before Thy cross we bow down in worship O Sovereign Master, and Thy holy resurrection we glorify.” We make prostrations and our soul is lifted up in rejoicing as it beholds our Saviors’ arms outstretched upon the Life-Giving Cross. I always feel during this service that we are doing what we were created for – worship. Not that we aren't doing that every time we are in church.



And this year, due to the Feast of the Annunciation falling during the same week as the Adoration of the Cross the joy that the Church gives to us seems almost too much for the season of Lent. The Virgin Mary says “Be it done to me according to Thy will” and our Savior becomes incarnate. Wonder of wonders incomprehensible even to the angels! The hymns last night at church were beautiful! And it was good to be reminded that her “Yes” was given though in her understanding this meant she would be stoned to death according to the Jewish law for being unmarried and with child.

But as Lent continues these two celebrations also give us somber reminders. First, the cross reminds us that we have to deny ourselves and take up our own cross and secondly the Annunciation reminds us that like the Theotokos we need to prepare for Christ’s coming so that we may have the strength to somehow do as she did and say yes to our Lord though His ways seem strange and will cost us our lives.

But these somber reminders are mystically made possible through the Sacraments and our hearts being wounded by Love. Thanks be to God.

*Roses were a gift from my husband this past Saturday thus I am being attacked by love from all sides!
**Book in picture in entitled "Wounded by Love" and is the life of Father Porphyrios. Though I am still slowly working my way through the spiritual advice section of this book (the bibliography section was gobbled up quickly), I highly recommend this book.

What are you looking forward to?

Alexander Schmemann makes a great point in his book "Liturgy and Life" when talking about how to sanctify time. He says, “We always have those little “ends” which help us to forget about the ultimate end.” Why? He goes on to say that all the great men of the ages ultimately come to the discovery that life is meaningless. He writes “Whether I die tomorrow or in thirty years, all I am trying to do, all that I am trying to be is void of meaning because I will disappear. So, the time of human existence is meaningless.” We are always trying to forget this by filling our lives with pleasant distractions.

The Feast of Feasts, Christ’s Resurrection overcame this meaninglessness. Thus, to sanctify time we need to view it always in relation to the Resurrection of Christ. Schmemann writes, “We are always living after Pascha, and we are always going toward Pascha.”

Lately I have been looking forward to April. I am looking forward to more sunshine, more flowers, more time outside, Pascha, and the near completion of the academic semester. I am looking forward to our interview with the immigration department and hoping my husband gets granted permanent residency in the not too distant future. I am hoping with April comes a decision from the math department if they will offer my husband another contract for next year (Yep, all Minnesota Universities have to cut their budgets by about 10% for the upcoming year making his fixed-term position open to slashing). I am looking forward to being closer to the delivery of baby.

These things occupy my mind. This is where my heart is often fixed.

These are not bad things and they need some degree of my attention. However, all these things are good only if they help me prepare for the ultimate fulfillment of Christ’s coming again.

And honestly, learning patience while waiting for these things is more valuable than all these things combined. I don’t really know what I am trying to say. But somehow, I think I would like to focus more on the mundane tasks of life and less on my little hopes for the future. These things aren’t ultimately going to satisfy me but somehow giving my heart to Christ throughout the little chores of life will.

“Stay warm, fed and rested

As I drop my husband off at school in the mornings I often get simple instructions like this, “Stay warm and fed.”

Yep, that is it. That is all he expects me to accomplish for the day. Sometimes I laugh, while thinking of the things in my head that I really have my attention focused on, and sometimes when I feel exhausted I have to acknowledge that following those simple instructions really are enough for the day at hand.

I have come to cherish these simple instructions. I don’t need to climb a mountain, run a marathon, become intelligent, or be the most amazing Martha Stewart to have value.

I must admit after not working as a nurse since July I am still getting used to this staying at home thing. The most amazing thing to me is how time still goes by so quickly. I still want to use the age old excuse of “not now, later.” I’ll work on that particular issue or sin or temptation, tomorrow. Yet, the days race by. Oh Lord, teach me to number my days.

And honestly I feel like a whole new person now that I’m pregnant; nothing seems to be the same anymore. All questions now have to be viewed through the lens of having a little baby in my womb that already needs love, nutrition and a peaceful mommy. When I am feeling content these days and at peace, I am happy the baby also feels this way, and when I am upset I am even more grieved as I know my lack of serenity affects the baby.

Life has changed and the baby hasn’t even breathed his/her first breath on his/her own yet! Life is going to keep changing.

So, do I miss nursing and wish I was working right now? Yes, some days for various reasons I do. Having free time on my hands isn’t always the most comfortable thing to do; I want to go run and fill up my days with activities just so that I am accomplishing something.

However, ultimately I am so very thankful for these days and months. Never again in my life will I have this time for reflection, reading, lots of naps and just being able to try to love little baby without distraction. So, what am I doing these days? Trying to remind myself that working on obeying my husband’s simple words is really all I need to be doing.

Kindle?

I am currently saving my spending money towards a Kindle. Does anyone care to talk me out of this large purchase? I am still several months away from saving enough money.

Main Motive: Hauling lots of books overseas will be expensive and difficult.
Secondary Motive: It seems digital books are less expensive. Am I mistaken here?

Third trimester here we come!

I am feeling thankful these days.

After seriously believing I had gestational diabetes and reading up on all the potential complications, I was thankful when my result came back negative this week.

I am thankful I have made it thus far in the pregnancy without any compications. Thank you for your prayers.

Η Μιτι μου τρεχει πολλα

We received a nice winter storm last week with a fresh 1/2 foot of snow, and along with it I got a pretty nasty cold. On Tuesday I slept for 4 hours in the afternoon and on Wednesday for 3 hours. Phew!

I hope to get back to a normal routine sometime soon, but this cold has been lingering for about a week and I am a bit afraid it has moved into sinusitis. Yuck. However, it did make me realize again how against a lot of medicine my dear husband is and in particular his aversion to antibiotics. Hmmm...I guess that means time to start researching alternate therapies for childhood illnesses as I know bouts with things like ear infections and respiratory infections are pretty inevitable. Either that or somehow convince him regarding the benefits of occasional and appropriate antibiotic use.

The weather is tempting us again with spring with the snow melting this week, but I am afraid to get my hopes too high. Anyway, I don't think I'll be posting much in the coming weeks due to Lent. Just FYI. Also, next week we will be again traveling to St. John Chrysostom monastery in Wisconsin.

Interesting, I didn't realize blogger would let me write in Greek. Now, I just have to learn how to make the stress marks. (translation: my nose runs a lot).

More shower pics

For those of you who have been asking for a profile pic. This is the only one I could find that shows more of the growing belly. Sorry, it isn't zoomed in more.

I was a stranger and they took me in

This weekend was really, really nice.

Friday morning my mom called and said she was driving the 7 hours to our place, because she really wanted to go to the baby shower they were having for me and another lady at church. She said I'd understand some day...

Saturday morning we were able to attend liturgy at church, and then we were adopted by one of the families to come over and rest until the shower. Mr. S enjoyed lots of hot tea and a warm bed while, four other ladies and two girls hopped in a van and drove across town to downtown Minneapolis.

The shower was simply overwhelming, as both of us ladies are fairly new to the church, and we were opening presents from ladies with embarrassment as we couldn't even pronounce some of the names. I thought of Mrs. J as they had so much food there, and the ladies were laughing and saying, "Yep, we like to feed people." Just to give you a taste, they roasted a whole turkey! On a side note, these ladies seriously know how to run bake sales and church dinners. They make hundreds of loaves of bread and thousands of dollars.



Then, our whole family was adopted again, as we were whisked off to another families' home for dinner, warm conversation, and flannel sheets so as not to have to drive back and forth for church on Sunday.

Needless, to say we are feeling very loved and the hospitality we received was truly amazing! We were practically strangers, and we were taken in.

Weather, pregnancy, baby names and Native Americans.

1. Cold, sunny, days are much preferable to warmer, rainy, days. Though the bright northern sunlight still tricks me, and I end up freezing when I go outside my mood is magically 100% better when the sun is out. Thankfully, we haven’t had too many cloudy days.

2. Don’t read “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” on a cloudy, sunless day. This was a very, bad way to start off last week!

3. My doctor quickly fell from my esteem, but what to do? I still have confidence that he will grant us “few medical interventions” during the birth, but overall, I don’t think I would go with him again. Being trained as a nurse practitioner, I know what a prenatal exam potentially could include, and when he just does the bare minimal questioning and examining each month, I am a bit disappointed. Plus, I dread having him look at my weight as I am going to gain more than the average 25-35 pounds which he recommends. Every month, I get signs of disapproval as he tells me how much I have gained. Like I don’t know already!

Next month, I am going to try to schedule the prenatal appointment for Spring Break, so Mr. S can go with me. Perhaps, then I’ll have courage to start discussing our birth preferences some more.

I am going to Curves 30 minute workout every morning, but I do think I could be doing some more walking as it doesn’t provide a ton of cardio. I stopped swimming, because I decided I wasn’t a polar bear and couldn’t handle the cold water, plus my swimming suit no longer fit. So, my new goal is to go the University in the evenings when Mr. S is working out, and it I can’t sneak onto the track, there are plenty of indoor tunnels to keep me busy walking for as long as I desire. It is still too cold to walk outside much most days mostly due to the strong winds we are getting.

4. When discussing names for the baby:
Mrs. S: I thought we had agreed on __________ if it is a girl?
Mr. S: _________ is a nice name, though it is an older Greek name.
Mrs. S: So, you don’t like it?
Mr. S: No, but it would be like using Shakespearean English, so to speak.
Mrs. S: Ok.
Mr. S: Like naming a child “Hamlet” (with his cute Greek accent that I usually understand)
Mrs. S: What?! Like naming our child Omelett?
Mr. S. Hamlet
Mrs. S. Omelett?
Mr. S. Hamlet
Mrs. S. Ohhhh….Haamlllet (can’t control myself from laughing, as I truly was perplexed at the name of Omelett).
Mr. S. Thank goodness, you weren’t the priest baptizing our child!

5. We went to a local museum on Valentine’s Day where the Treaty de Sioux was signed in 1851 between different Native American tribes and us White people granting most of current day Minnesota to the White people. It was fascinating, and a museum presented the Dakota tribe as a peaceful, trusting, communal, and generous people who were badly taken advantage of by the traders. For example, though in their culture they had no understanding of debt, it not being in their ethics to hoard things or to take more from the earth than you need, the fur traders would “sell” them things, and then they would rank up huge debts, which in the long run they would have to pay off my selling off their land – of which they had no understanding of personal ownership in the first place.

The Dakota art was beautiful, and their simple way of life so in contrast with the modern world. It is very sad that all that is now destroyed.

Moral lesson from the day: we have to be humble for what we Americans possess, as we can’t be very proud of the way in which we got it to start with.

Daily thoughts

How many times a day do I think “I wish that I owned…..” such and such? Believe me, this is at least a daily thought. Often it is a particular book (see last post), or a particular learning devise to magically instill Modern Greek into my head.

I own Rosetta Stone, two good Greek textbooks one which comes with a nice learning CD, other Greek language workbooks, Greek music, and a nice children’s Greek Bible. Plus, I have a husband to practice with. Believe me, I have the resources to learn Greek if I really chose to.

So, why do more Greek children’s books, Greek cartoons on DVD, Greek radio on the internet and so forth tempt me? Because I am looking for the easy solution to somehow plop this language into my head. It is easier to blame the lack of some desired object on my failures, than my lack of industry, perseverance and patience.

Or why am I waiting for my next trip to a monastery for the next religious book to buy, before I make time daily to do a little religious reading. Yes, I want to buy “The Lives of the Saints” but does this mean I should never meditate on the Psalter?

Thus far this post isn’t very cheery.

But really, I am happy that I have to put off owning these things! I am happy that I have a budget and don’t have the freedom and accessibility to quickly search on the internet for every passing fling that springs into my head.

And I am happy to be living on one income.

One of the things I most disliked about being single was having a good job and yet not knowing what to do with my income. Of course, I tried to save, but without a clear goal of saving up for something, it took the pleasure out of having money to spend. Suddenly, my thrifty college days (in retrospect) were lovely; it was nice to know that I shouldn’t spend money on such and such because I really needed the money for next semester’s tuition. Why was this nice? Is it nice to simply be frugal? No, but I was developing self-control which I later learned to be far nicer than having money.

St. John Chrysostom teaches that we should teach our children to despise wealth. In his 21st homily on Ephesian 6:1-4 (another pearl of great parenting advice) he writes, “Therefore, wealth is a hindrance, because it leaves us unprepared for the hardships of life. So, let us raise our children in such a way that they can face any trouble, and not be surprised when difficulties come; let us bring them up in the disciple and instruction of the Lord.” And earlier in the essay, “If from the beginning we teach them (our children) to love true wisdom, they will have greater wealth and glory than riches can provide. If a child learns a trade, or is highly educated for a lucrative profession, all this is nothing compared to the art of detachment from riches; if you want to make your child rich, teach him this. He is truly rich who does not desire great possessions, or surround himself with wealth, but who requires nothing.”

I didn’t intent this post to be about parenting, but the hard truth is that whatever is in my heart will be passed down to my children. This passage helps stir me up to trying to detach myself more from these daily thoughts of needing more.

No, what I need is more virtue, and may I daily be plagued with more thoughts pertaining to acquiring true wisdom.

Tidbits from Minnesota Life

While at the grocery store I often realize something to be thankful for about southern California.

The cilantro today was pathetic looking. Really, though I usually make do with a drooping bunch, and find they taste the same anyhow, today, I just couldn't make myself buy the wiltering stalk of semi-green labeled "cilantro". On the positive side, we had a house blessing last week, and the priest was rather overcome by the wonderful taste of cilantro on the chicken that apparently is a rarity here in Minnesota.

Yes, our priest drove 70 so miles to our home! Does anyone else get especially nervous when cooking for clergy? Especially when the Gospel lesson the Sunday prior was on Zachius?

And I have already forgotten how cheap fruits and veggies used to be Southern California. That is nice, so I don't have to compare prices any longer.

We had a nice "January thaw" over the weekend with temperatures above freezing. Hooray! However, today life is back to normal, reminding us even in the weather that life is back to normal on Monday.

The Three Great Hierarchs

I am sad I don't own the copy of this book, as I would like to read it today. Any one else have any good reading suggestiongs/links for The Three Hierarchs whose memory we celebrate today?

In Greece it is a national holiday, as I think these are the patrons of education. Thus, no school, folks. I should have tried to convince my husband to call in sick today :).

On Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy

“It takes so little to make a child happy, that it is a pity is a world full of sunshine and pleasant things, that there should be any wistful faces, empty hands or lonely little hearts.” --Louisa May Alcott in “Little Men”

Perhaps it is the hormones from pregnancy, but I delighting in Louisa May Alcott these days. I realized that I had never read her (except in a vain attempt to read chapter books when I was too little), and as my mother semi-named me after the character “Beth” I thought I had rather dig into the old, worn copy at my parent’s house this Christmas.

Now this week it was onto the Jr. Section at the local library to get “Little Men” and “Jo’s Boys.” And I am finding there is quite a bit of excellent parenting and education jewels tucked away in these children’s chapters. Her writing is so full of blatant moral lessons and she doesn’t try in the least to be conspicuous in the lessons she is giving the readers. I am finding this refreshing and today felt like I was taking a bath in good old-fashioned morals; maybe it was just the shower of tears that I often find wandering down my sentimental face.

I keep teasing my husband that I’m ditching the Greek plan, and we are going to start a boy’s home in Kansas instead. My parent’s house really should be turned into an orphanage type place as it is very spacious and has lots of land in which things like horses and gardens could be invested in, and of course my husband could teach them mathematics and Greek! Two foundational aspects of a child’s education, right?

Well, I didn't write about the title of this post, but perhaps later :).

Baby questions

Why do they make baby things "cute?" Obviously, the baby could care less, and does it help the parents love the child anymore?

This question comes after putting away new baby gifts, and my husband looking a bit perturbed and asking "what is the purpose of this?" to many of the items. Like why do they embroider "elephant" above a picture of an elephant?

For the most part, for some reason I like the cuteness, and definately, wouldn't have thought twice about it, without my philosophical husband by my side. But, it has made me a bit unhappy with the new "construction" crib bumper I just bought. Why do we want trucks on the pattern of the sheets, anyway? Hmmmm....

We received a port-a-crib (1970s crib) from some relatives, which is about the size of a pack-n-play. How long before a baby outgrows one of these things? And is the crib bumper thing really necessary? I found one on clearance at Target, but upon bringing it home, I think I like the crib better without the extra patterns. But, then again, aparently these things are supposed to be for crib safety.

Are Bradley classes really necessary? There are none in our area. I guess I could buy the Bradly book that I just took back to the library, could go with Annie's midwifery advice to do whatever comes naturally to me in terms of childbirth positions and breathing, or just hope the classes the hospital offers are good enough.

Can husbands and wives meet all the needs of the other?

Continuation of thoughts from previous "friends" post.

The psychology books tell you no, and premarital books tell the couple not to expect your spouse to meet all your needs. The principle that supports this idea seems to be that as humans we are imperfect and therefore cannot satisfy all the needs of another (If there are other principles grounding this idea, do enlighten me).

I think it is true that usually married couples cannot meet all of each others "needs" for the above reason. Our needy self cannot meet all the needs of another needy person. Fundamentally, as we are one with our spouse, this teaches us that we need others outside of ourselves to meet our needs. Sounds pretty basic, right? Fundamentally Christian? Yes! We need Christ! We need others!

However, there are two things I think should be kept in mind before one dwells too much on the fact that one’s spouse can’t meet all his/her needs.

First, before looking elsewhere for a need to be filled, we need to prayerfully consider if this is a need that should be gratified or should be restrained. The spouse is an ideal person to help you determine what your proper needs should be. We need to be talking with our spouse about our perceived needs, so that we can evaluate them together.

Secondly, is the ideal of meeting all the “true needs” of your spouse something too far out of our human reach? Or is this complete dependency something that the couple should strive toward? Does the maturing of the spousal love allow our “true needs” to be completely satisfied by the other? I think this dependency is a goal every couple should have, just like it should be the goal of every Christian to become a saint. St. Paul tells us that the groom is to the bride as Christ is to the Church. If we take this literally, then yes, the marriage couple can receive all their nourishment so to speak, from the other, through the grace of Christ. The mystery of this process is beyond us, but we have to choose to engage in the struggle. We have to desire this dependency.

On a personal level, maybe I am just using being isolated in the cold state of Minnesota, and this transitional period in our lives, as an excuse to become a recluse (and not seek out a lot of other friends), but I see it as an opportunity for me to draw closer to my husband, so that someday we can achieve what Christ has called us to be for one another. This is what we are striving toward. And, if I find myself needing comfort, compassion, gentleness, patience, etc. then I want to first look to my husband for these things.

The idea that only Christ can meet all of our needs is too distant and “spiritual” for me. Though this is true, Christ gives us himself through others. To me my husband is my little Christ. When I fall (which is very often), it is because I fail to trust my husband and to open up my heart to him. Should I ever say, no, I shouldn’t reveal this particular thing to my husband because being empathetic in this area isn’t his particular strength? I’ll call a friend instead? Absolutely not!

The danger of idolatry, by reverencing our husbands too much, say to the neglect of Christ, is a danger not likely to be attained. We can’t love God who we don’t see, if we don’t love those whom we do to paraphrase St. John.

That is all for now. Any thoughts? I would delight in feedback....and sorry this post is a bit dull (My husband read it and even labeled it on the too analytical side of life :)).

Pre-Christmas Reflections

The best Christmas present ever...

Today (December 23rd) I had my 4 month prenatal appointment, and hearing the baby’s heartbeat was the best Christmas present EVER!

So, reassuring! So, thankful! What a miracle!

Another wonderful Christmas present was the new book, “Wounded by Love: The Life and Wisdom of Elder Porphyrios” that I am currently devouring. I had the honor of visiting the monastery this Spiritual Father founded near Athens, and who is especially dear to my heart for other personal reasons. This elder, who fell asleep in the Lord in 1991, was also one of the spiritual fathers of the abbess of this monastery. This morning, after the doctor’s appointment I skipped to the chapter entitled, “On the Upbringing of Children” and it is by far the best parenting advice I have read yet! Here is an excerpt:

“The embryo hears and feels in the mother’s womb. Yes, it hears and it sees with its mother’s eyes. It is aware of her movements and her emotions, even though its mind has not developed. If the mother’s face darkens, it darkens too. If the mother is irritated, then it becomes irritated, also. Whatever the mother experiences – sorrow, pain, fear, anxiety, etc. – is also experienced by the embryo.
If the mother doesn’t want the child, if she doesn’t love it, then the embryo senses this and traumas are created in its little soul that accompany it all its life. The opposite occurs through the mother’s holy emotions. When she is filled with joy, peace, and love for the embryo, she transmits these things to it mystically, just as happens to children that have been born.

For this reason a mother must pray a lot during her pregnancy and love the child growing within her, caressing her abdomen, reading psalms, singing hymns and living a holy life. This is also for her own benefit. But she makes sacrifices for the sake of the embryo so that the child will become more holy and will acquire from the very outset holy foundations.”

Ok…and one final gift we received from our most loving Heavenly Father was to get us to and from the monastery safely. We arrived right before a bad winter storm, and had to drive back in bad weather for about 4 exhausting hours. We spent the night in St. Paul, hoping to be closer for church in the morning, but we learned that cars don’t do so well starting in the morning when they have been in -40 degree wind-chill conditions overnight. We are slowly learning…

On Epiphany Eve: A not too late wish for our friends

To our friends and family,

We would like to wish to everyone Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, to those who started celebrating on December 25th, to those who will start on January 6th and even to those who do not celebrate Christmas (or celebrate their own way). May you have a Good New Year 2009 that will bring you closer to what you desire, work and wish for. May our hearts grow warmer in this new year and may we love other people more, especially those who we "classify" as non-lovable. We pray that all the good desires of your heart will be fulfilled in this new year. Pray for us too.


As a small Christmas gift here are a few pictures from Minnesota. Hope you enjoy.
Yiannis & Elisabeth