Tuesday morning, my OB noticed that my blood pressure was elevated. Rather than the logical assumption that driving 5 kids to the appointment in the October SNOW might be stressing me out, he was concerned that I was one of the less that 10% of women with re-occuring pre-eclampsia. Since I am only 34 weeks, this was a scary notion, and I was told to return the next day for another check up. In the 24 hours in between, I... Read more
1) Am I the first nursing mother to indefinitely delay the introduction of solids because I like the effect that exclusive nursing has on my figure? Angelina is 6 months old and shows some interest in our food. She has proven that she can swallow cereal and mashed foods but doesn’t seem hungry as long as I nurse her often enough. I’m finally comfortably back into clothes that have been stored since our wedding. As I see it, this is... Read more
The Pumpkin Prayer This prayer illustrates that in order for us to live like the saints did, we need to let God change us so that His light can shine through us. Preparation for the Pumpkin PrayerCarve a pumpkin and keep the pieces intact. Cut eyes, ears, mouth, nose and cut a circle around the stem. Remove the seeds and pumpkin pulp, put it in a plastic bag and return it to the inside of the pumpkin. Put the eyes,... Read more
A tad drastic? Maybe, but my intention in this post is to explain and then give thanks for a revelation I have experienced over the past 18 months of my life. It was May 2007 – my, reluctant, four-year active duty Army service was completed and Husband and I had decided that someone needed to be the rock at home. No more two parents at work for insane hours. No more two parents fearing deployments to hostile lands, one is... Read more
Today I have received several emails reminding me that there are nine days left until the presidential election — and, though they are a bit lost in the shuffle this year, we will also be voting for our Congress and local leadership. Will you please join in a minute of prayer for our country every night at 9 pm, beginning tonight and continuing through election day? Whoever becomes our next president is going to need our prayers, as he will... Read more
Somewhere in the archives, TexasMommy wrote about the upsides of the third trimester of pregnancy. I am at 33 weeks now, so I want to share my thoughts on the subject. Be prepared, they will get whinier as the weeks progress: 1) I am now so visibly pregnant that many strangers comment. I am really glad to be pregnant and excited to meet my baby, so I am finding that it is actually fun to talk to strangers about when... Read more
Dear Building Cathedrals, My 4-mos-old son, Sean, is suffering from a flat head due to all the time spent on his back. I know pediatricians have just started recommending back sleeping in the last few years and we all slept on our fronts and had nice round heads to show for it. All the mothers in my life who had front-sleeping babies can’t stand Sean’s head! And this is a C-Section head! Do your babies have flat heads like this... Read more
On this Friday morning, here are the things that I am thinking about, in no particular order: 1) I can’t wait to see Texas Mommy and her boys this weekend for Baby J’s baptism! Yay, Baby J! Hmmm, I’d better make sure that we all have appropriate attire that fits the kids (and me!)… 2) How am I going to keep 4 kids, ages 12 months through 4 1/2 years, happy on the playground this morning? (Another mom and I... Read more
I have come to realize in the last week what my two most formidable opponents will be in this 8K race: Not the 8K distance or the time. I’m running 8Ks outside and doing 45 minute cardio workouts with no problem. Not Red and B-mama. I will handily beat them without question. Not the city smog or car fumes that I will be inhaling while I run. I have strong lungs–never been a smoker, always been an athlete. The two... Read more
Building Cathedrals
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In