Saturday, June 21, 2008

So many people to tell...

Running into lots of loved ones here at G.A. most of whom do not know any of my exciting news.

I saw a seminary colleague today. I saw her for the first time last summer since she graduated oh... eight years ago maybe. We shared fertility pain then. So I asked "do you know any of my news?" She put her hands on my shoulders and said "I don't think so, but I'm eager to hear whatever it is from you." "I'm pregnant!" She hugged me. "How far along?" "Second trimester, 16 weeks." She got all excited and pointed to her belly "December 6th!" she declared. I pointed to my belly "December 4th!" We hugged again. She thanked me for my patience and perseverance. I told her it happened when we gave up. We laughed.

I have a picture I have to post when I have more energy of the moment I told an elderly couple from the Methodist Church in town who came to my goodbye barbeque to say goodbye. My sister captured the moment beautifully.

It is so fabulous to share this news.

Quick Update on the Latest Prenatal Visit

Up two more pounds- total of 6- in 16 weeks... not too terrible. No wonder my jeans still fit. Not sure how this is possible given my recent affinity for potatoes... especially when fried.

Sugar levels and protein levels and the like all good.

Blood Pressure- lowest it has ever been. 98 over something... 60 something I think. Could it be because my office is packed and I don't have to write a sermon for as far into the future as I can see?

I can take claritin now, ALLELUIA!

Baby's heartbeat- 156. And I could hear it much more clearly this time.

My sister attended the appointment with Kev and me. This was nice.

Next (and last with this practice) appt will be the big ultrasound at 19 weeks... a few days before we pack the truck. A few days after we get back from CA. Kinda think the blood pressure will be a bit higher then.

Too Funny

So I'm in San Jose for the Presbyterian General Assembly. A week or so ago we received a notice that the someone involved in the leadership of the G.A. is receiving treatments for cancer and has some sort of radioactive element implanted inside him which means that pregnant women and young children shouldn't have extended exposure to him. I was actually sent this notice twice. I think it may have been sent especially for me. Now this is not a person on my committee, he is someone I anticipated being near once or twice, perhaps. I wasn't sure how to negotiate that, but... figured we'd work it out.

Last night was our second leadership briefing and we happened to have several open seats at our dinner table. Leadership not connected to committees was reallocated to empty seats. Where did Mr. Radioactive get seated? At our table. At first he sat next to a woman he knew. Then, being very friendly (really, and someone I'd REALLY like to get to know.) he scooted down a few seats to sit next to me. "Nah, I'll sit with you and get to know you!" He declared happily. "Um... actually... I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to scoot down a few seats because I'm pregnant!" "It's you?!" he said. "You won't believe this, but all day I've been asking women if they're pregnant. They have not been amused. The first time I don't ask..." He quickly scooted down. "That's o.k.," I said, "I'd really like to sit next to you." Everybody at the table was laughing. It appears that that e-mail was sent purely for my behalf and then the leadership sat the guy with the one pregnant woman.

He really is a nice guy... I could tell that from a few seats away too.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Dreaming

So I understand that dreaming, as in that which transpires in R.E.M. sleep, can become especially intense during pregnancy, particularly during the second trimester. I have been having more and more dreams that in the midst of them feel especially significant, but all have evaporated upon waking. But in the midst of last night I had a dream, which I now probably only remember in fragments, but every time I woke up after this dream I was still thinking about this dream so I thought I'd write down what I can remember here.

I was in a house that seemed vaguely familiar, but was not immediately identifiable, and it seems that I was staying in this house with several other people, much like I stayed in the home of a church member in my college town last week with all of my intern friends. It appears though that the people staying in the house with me were a mix of college friends and youth from the congregation I've been serving for the past six years and am now leaving. For much of the dream I was sitting at a butcher block island in the kitchen visiting with various folks or alone. And I kept noticing strange things. Mugs that were moving themselves, sometimes dramatically so, or other signs of a spiritual presence, a ghost if you will (not that I particularly believe in ghosts), that was up to something. In particular, it seemed that this ghost was trying to get my attention as no one else was noticing. At one point a mug full of coffee was raised all the way to the top of the high ceiling above us and I thought it would be poured out, but it wasn't. It wasn't like anything that was happening was especially scary. But the sense that I was seeing something that no one else could see was troubling, unsettling. I tried telling other people, but wasn't sure if they believed me. It seemed that the two girls from my congregation who regularly blow me away were the ones who took me the most seriously.

When it came time for bed in the dream I was quite frightened, shaken. We were sleeping not far from the kitchen where all these supernatural occurrences had transpired. I had trouble falling asleep, but did eventually. And I believe there was a dream within the dream, but I don't remember what it was. What I do remember was being awakened by the sense that I was being poked, but there was no one there. I started moaning and shaking and making the distressed sounds of someone having a night terror. Sloane, one of the girls in the dynamic duo from my youth group here in Lowville, the one who's empathy I find to be the most astonishing and moving thing, heard my distress and got in bed with me as a mother would for a child, stroking my hair and saying soothing words of comfort.

These are the elements that are clinging to me upon every waking, that have me blogging when I wish to still be sleeping. Maybe it is just a hodgepodge of things floating about my brain- the ghost bit from the show that we we watching as I fell asleep, the staying in an unknown house bit with lots of other people from my recent travels with the youth group and with my college intern friends (hence the presence of these two groups), but it feels more significant. Why? Any analysts out there want to take a stab at it?

Friday, June 6, 2008

Out With a Bang

So, I've arrived at the second trimester! But boy did the first trimester go out with a bang.

I was at a reunion of my intern group from my college church and Wednesday night, the last night of our reunion, I COULD NOT SLEEP. And it had nothing to do with the adorable four and a half year old who was sharing my bed. It just wasn't happening. Much like the first few weeks I was aware of this pregnancy. And... to boot... I did just that... booted, hurled, TWICE. So... that makes six times in the first trimester, not bad at all, but how strange is it that a third of those times occurred in the last hours of the trimester?

Ah well... I'm on my college campus now and though I'm terribly far away from a women's room and my dorm room is a bit stuffy... I slept quite well last night. And there isn't much on the calendar today so I'm finishing a novel and napping and checking in with Kev regularly as we are getting closer and closer to making an offer on a house. Day of rest today. Alleluia.