Pregnancy update

It has been a while since I have updated anyone on the status of our pregnancy so I thought I would give a few highlights for those who have been trying to follow our progress.

The first trimester was a little rough. I had a bout with some morning sickness which never happened in the morning. It was always at night when I was getting ready for bed. It made it rough to get try and get to sleep at night. Most mornings I would feel fine but sometimes a car ride would set off nausea and set the pace for the whole day. I was on progesterone for the first 13 weeks to help support the pregnancy and that seemed to cause a few extra problems including very vivid and strange dreams. Certain smells and foods were an issue. The sight or smell of eggs for the first couple of months was just intolerable. Poor hubby missed out on many a big breakfast. Processed meats and cold cuts (I have been avoiding as much as possible this since we learned we were pregnant) also seemed to set off the stomach. I barely made it through preparing for a family brunch before we knew we were pregnant. The smell of hot dogs and bratwursts just made my stomach turn. The only craving that I seem to have was for watermelon which is something I usually crave all summer. Occasionally seeing a restaurant or a picture of food makes me crave it.

The second trimester has been much better than the first. A lot of the unbearable symptoms from the first trimester have pretty much disappeared. For the first few weeks I was getting a knock-me-out-and-drag-me-down kind of headache. I would have to spend most of the day in bed. Thankfully those went away after a couple of weeks. The only symptom that seems to be bothering me is my acid reflux. I find that I have to sleep sitting up most nights to keep myself from choking. It is not always comfortable but it sure beats choking in my sleep and being abruptly awakened. Around 16 weeks I started to feel fluttering, bubbling, thumping, and tapping. They were rather subtle but were not in the same areas where discomfort had typically been felt. After some research online I found out that these were the baby's first movements. The movements have been very subtle and somewhat infrequent but always a pleasure when I can feel them. Around 18 weeks the movement began to feel a little more like hard poking but it was still rather infrequent.

Our first ultrasound was at 8 weeks when Special K appeared to be almost peanut shaped. You could see very clearly the heart beating. You could already see the baby's form even though it was barely an inch long. It was so awesome to see for the first time. We have heard the heartbeat twice already. It was 160+ beats per minute when we heard it for the first time at 13 weeks. We heard it again at our next appointment at 17 weeks. It is such a relief for both of us to hear the fast paced thumping of the little heart.

We are about 19 weeks. We are almost halfway. So far everything is "perfect" as our OB likes to tell us at each appointment. It sure is a comforting word to hear. It gives us much peace to know Special K is growing bigger each day.

We have an appointment scheduled with a maternal-fetal specialist tomorrow for another sonogram. We cannot wait to see the baby's face again. It has been more than 2 months since we first saw the image of the baby. We are looking forward to seeing the tiny hands and feet and the expressions on the little face. We hope to even find out the gender if Special K cooperates.

We are looking forward to the second half of our pregnancy and seeing the progress that Special K makes over the next 20 weeks. It truly has been a miracle to experience life growing inside of me (all the ups and the downs included)

Dear Special K,

Continue to stay safe in your little "womb." I have tried to make it as comfortable as possible. I know pretty soon there will not be much room in there for you. We are getting your room here in the house ready for you. There is still much work to be done so feel free to stay in your "womb" until you are ready to come out and greet us. Grow big and stay strong little one. Mommy and Daddy love you so much already and look forward to the day when we can see your smiling face.

Lots of love,
Mommy and Daddy

Our treasure

"We who are parents see our children as treasures entrusted to our care by God." - St. Jane de Chantal

A couple of weekends ago we joined my mother in St. Petersburg for the national Salesian conference via simulcast from Washington, DC. The theme of the conference was God Desires You. We learned a lot about the spirituality of St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane de Chantal. We learned about the capacity and limitations of the human heart as well as the unbounding love of God's heart. We learned how to make our prayer lives stronger. We could apply a lot of what we learned to our present day lives. It was a spiritually rewarding day. We enjoyed a nice weekend visit with my Mom and Dad.

While we were there I saw 8x10 matted pictures. They had different quotes by either St. Francis de Sales or St. Jane de Chantal. I wanted to find something that we could use in the baby's room. There were two in particular that I liked. One was a quote by St. Francis. The picture was of a mother holding a young child while another one ran through the fields. I loved the picture. It was a great image of where I might see myself in a few years. The other picture we saw was just of a quote by St. Jane de Chantal. It had lots of vibrant colors and the saying fit perfectly how we felt. After showing both of them to Kris, we finally chose the picture with St. Jane's quote.

Dear Special K,

You are most prized treasure. We love you so much already. We are so blessed that God has entrusted you to our care. We cannot wait to finally meet you in person. Stay safe. Grow big. We will see you when you are ready.

Love,
Mommy & Daddy

Saint of the month: St. Maximilian Kolbe

St. Maximilian Kolbe

Icon of St. Maximilian Kolbe

"No one in the world can change the Truth. What we can do and should do is to seek truth and to serve it when we have found it. The real conflict is the inner conflict. Beyond armies of occupation and the hetacombs of extermination camps, there are two irreconcilable enemies in the depth of every soul: good and evil, sin and love. And what use are the victories on the battlefield if we are ourselves are defeated in our innermost personal selves?" ~ St. Maximilian Kolbe

"No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." ~ John 15:13

Feast Day: August 14

Patronage: drug addicts, families, journalists, prisoners, amateur radio operators, pro-life movement

Today in the Catholic Church we celebrate the feast of St. Maximilian Kolbe. I first learned about St. Maximilian when I was in the 7th grade attending Catholic school. His story was written in our religion book. He had been recently canonized a saint by Pope John Paul II. I was immediately taken by his story and became a devotee. prayed often for his intercession. I know since that time he has kept a very watchful eye over me.

Biography

St. Maximilian Kolbe was born Raymond Kolbe on January 8, 1894 in what is now present day Poland. In 1907, along with his elder brother, he entered a Franciscan seminary. In September 1910 he was received as a novice and took the new name of Maximilian. From 1912 to 1915 he studied in Rome and from 1915 to 1919 he studied at Collegio Serafico. He was ordained on April 28, 1918 in Rome.

As a devotee to Our Lady, he founded the Militia of the Immaculate Virgin Mary with 6 other companions. In 1922, he began publishing a monthly review, Knight of the Immaculate. It was first published in Polish and then in other languages. He promoted the devotion of the Blessed Virgin Mary through different forms of media including writing and radio. In 1927, he founded a Franciscan monastery in Niepokalanow. It later became a major publishing center. He continued his movement in Japan in 1930. 

In 1936, he returned to Poland due to ill health. In Septempber 1939 Niepokalanow was occupied by the Germans and most of the inhabitants were sent to Germany. Among them was Fr. Maximilian. He did not stay there long. On December 8, he was released and returned again to Niepokalanow. Soon after, he began a shelter for Polish refugees. The community came under suspicion and was under close watch. In 1941, after publishing the only edition of The Knight of the Immaculate, Fr. Maximilian was arrested. He was first at the infamous Pawiak prison in Warsaw but was later transferred to Auschwitz where he was branded prisoner number 16670.

In July 1941, three prisoners had escaped Auschwitz. Due to the escape, ten prisoners would be picked from the blocks which the fugitives had lived and assigned to the Bunker, the underground starvation cell. Among the ten picked was Francisczek Gajowniczek, a non-commissioned officer. When the sentence had been announced, Gajowniczek cried out that he shall never see his family again. It was then that Fr. Maximilian stepped out and offered himself in his place. They were led to the Bunker where men died slowly without food and water. Fr. Maximilian led the men in daily prayers, Rosary, and singing. Prisoners from neighboring cells would often join them. After nearly two weeks, all the men had died except for Fr. Maximilian. He was often seen kneeling or standing as he looked at the SS men cheerfully in the face. Willingly giving his arm, an injection of carbolic acid was given in order to facilitate Fr. Maximilian's death. When he was found dead, his face appeared calm and radiant.

The process for his beatification began in August 1947. His cause was introduced in March 1960. On October 17, 1971 he was beatified by Pope Paul VI. Like Jesus Christ, his master, he loved man enough to give up his own life for them. "Greater love hath no man than this..." were the opening words at his beatification. His canonization was not long delayed. On October 10, 1982 Pope John Paul II declared Maximilian Kolbe a saint.

Devotion

My devotion to St. Maximilian Kolbe began at the very tender age of 12. His story of sacrifice for another man had truly touched my heart. I wanted to live by his example. I am not always successful at putting the needs of other's before my own but I have learned to follow in St. Maximilian's example in my family and friend relationships. I continue to ask St. Maximilian for his intercession in my daily prayers.

I believe that it is this devotion to St. Maximilian Kolbe that I have found Kris. Throughout the years of my devotion, St. Maximilian has been there to intercede for us and help prepare us both for this journey on which we are now embarking. It was not until much later that I learned that St. Maximilian is the patron saint of journalists the career that Kris has been working since his early days in college. The Lord has prepared us both for the next journey in our marriage and St. Maximilian is there every step of the way as our intercessor.

St. Maximilian Kolbe, pray for us.

Check out these links for more information on St. Maximilian Kolbe:

http://www.catholic-pages.com/saints/st_maximilian.asp
http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=370
http://www.ewtn.com/library/MARY/kolbe.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximilian_Kolbe

Our Special K

No, it is not cereal but we are expecting our first bundle of joy. After suspecting we might be pregnant for a few weeks, we learned of our new bundle of joy on my birthday. What a birthday gift it was!!! We were overjoyed when we saw the EPT.

The best birthday gift

We are now 9 weeks and Special K (which is what we are calling him/her since we do not know the gender) is due on January 21, 2012. We do not really have preference except for a happy, healthy baby. Kris is thinking pink but I am thinking blue so one of us is right.

Say cheese! Baby at 8 weeks and 2 days.

Family photo

The next 7 1/2 months are going to mean BIG changes for us and we cannot wait for our little one to finally get here. We are slowly working on organizing the house to make room for baby. We do not know what lies ahead for us but each new experience fills our hearts with joy.

Dear Special K,

Mommy and Daddy love you so much already. We cannot wait to meet you. We are getting things ready for you here. We cannot wait for you to see what we have prepared for you. Stay safe. Grow big.

Lots of love, Mommy and Daddy

Daybook

 
FOR TODAY

May 3, 2011

After a two week hiatus from blogging, I am back in the swing of things again.

Outside my window... the sun is getting ready to set. According to weather.com, we are expecting slightly cooler temperatures tonight (in the 70s) but it will be back up into the 80s by tomorrow afternoon.

I am thinking... I need a little motivation to get some housework done.

I am thankful for... weekends with family. It was a busy weekend with much to celebrate but we had so much fun. I think I am still recovering. We have more family time planned for the next few weekends. I just cannot get enough.

From the kitchen... deviled eggs are in the making. Yummy!

Post Easter Deviled Eggs

I am wearing... a fresh pair of pajamas.

I am creating... a journal of Eileen-isms – Your everyday cliches with a dash of Eileen’s thoughts and ideas. Maybe someday I will publish it.

I am going... to the dentist. Three dentist appointments in three weeks are NOT fun.

I am reading... nothing even though I have not finished the books I have started earlier this year. There are MANY books on the list but I have only finished a couple. I need to have a week just so I can catch up on reading
 

I am hoping praying... a Rosary every day for the special intentions of my family and friends. I pray around midnight while Kris is driving home from work. He prays in the car while I pray at home. It is like we are praying together. It has helped have restful sleep.

I am hearing... sacred silence. It is a good time to spend some time with God and sort out the thoughts in my head.

Sacred Silence by Tom Booth

Around the house... there are always chores that need to get done. Motivation where have you gone?

One of my favorite things... a hot, relaxing, long shower to ease aches and pains and help get your mind off the worries of today.
 
A few plans for the rest of the week:

Wednesday: Dentist
Thursday: Prayer group
Friday: Family time

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

A boy and his dinosaur

My friend Rhea knitted a dinosaur (a Brachiosaurus) for my nephew Chas.

A dinosaur waits to be united with my nephew Chas.

Chas and his dinosaur are united for the first time.

http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/
The Simple Woman's Daybook is a brief outline for women/mothers who blog to use as a way to compose thoughts, plan the week, and keep a grateful heart. It is typically published once a week on Tuesdays.

The Maestro

Holy Communion Mass
St. Margaret Mary, Winter Park, FL
Homily by Fr. Richard Walsh

Today we attended First Communion Mass for my nephew Dominic. The pastor, Fr. Walsh, gave an excellent homily. I wanted to video tape it but at Fr. Walsh's request I decided to just sit and listen. Now I wish I had a better view and continued to record. His homily was so inspiring not only to the kids making their First Communion today but also to some of the adults who were there. I can only try to retell what I remember from his Homily.

I found the video above to best retell the story that Fr. Walsh used in his Homily today. Various variations of the story can also be found online. The story involves famous pianist Ignacy Jan Paderewski. The part that touched me about his homily was not the story but how he related it to our faith and relationship with Jesus Christ.

In his homily, Fr. Walsh compared each of the Communicants to the little boy on stage. Each one goes up to receive Communion for the first time with very limited knowledge about faith but Jesus reaches around from the left and from the right to embrace them with his love to make them complete. The realization is that Jesus does not just do this for the little ones with little knowledge of the faith but for all of us. Some days we are weak and our faith is lacking. Jesus reaches around each one of us and makes us each complete. He reminds us that we cannot do this alone. We each only play one instrument while He plays the rest to make it sound like a symphony. Some days we are strong and he harmonizes as to complement our piece.

Jesus is the one who completes our faith. We trust that He has already begun a good work in us and with His help we can finish the task we are set out to do.

Age is nothing but a number...

Happy 91st Birthday Lola Rosa!

Me: Please Grandma, tell me your secret. How do you look so young?
Grandma: A diet of chicken, fish, vegetables, and rice.
Me (to Kris): We are changing our diet tomorrow. I want to look like Grandma when I am 91.

Grandma Rosa and I at our wedding.

Grandma Rosa and I celebrating her 90th birthday

We were so blessed to have Grandma Rosa (my maternal Grandmother) living with us since I was just ten years old. I always remembered her as having a very active lifestyle. She was athletic and played volleyball into her 60s before moving to the States. She still gardens, sews, and walks everyday. She is healthy with only a few things that come along with "old age." She worked for public health back home in the Philippines (as told to us by my mother) which required her to walk from house to house giving shots, delivering babies, and providing health care for new mothers. She even went to the far off barrios and often stayed there for an entire week. Sometimes she did more than provide health care. She would clean their house, wash the clothes, and do other any other needed chores. She has been a great example of wife and mother.

We pray that she lives for many more years to come. We will be here to celebrate 100 with you Grandma Rosa. We love you!