Laughing with Sarah

" The Virgin with Child - 1(copyright 2009) " by Catherine Clarke, on Flickr I'm a pastor and therefore surrounded by church people all the time. People who flow along with the liturgical seasons as we move from church festival to church festival in the cycle of each year. December marks the season of Advent, a season of watching and waiting for Christmas. There are distinct themes of pregnancy during Advent, and themes of waiting. We count down the days until Christ's birth. We picture pregnant Mary visiting with pregnant Elizabeth. Which, of course, means that I am surrounded by thoughtful, insightful people who make the connection between the season and my current very-pregnant status. It is lovely. They all want to know what it is like to be pregnant during Advent, and they want to hear about what it is like for me, spiritually. And let me tell you. I want to find some deep meaning and connection between my pregnancy and the Advent/Christmas season. I want

Two doctor's appointments have taken place since my last entry. The first one was quick and unsettling. It was a busy day and the clinic was running late, which wasn't a big deal for me, but seemed to up the anxiety of everybody around me. Weight was up a small but normal amount. Blood pressure still hovering in the 130s/80s. It was one of those half-naked appointments (fun times), to do the Group B strep swabs and a quick check for any progress whatsoever. Turns out this baby is hanging high, and there are absolutely no markers that (s)he is going anywhere anytime soon. Dr. Locke and I had another quick blood pressure chat, and even though I could tell that neither of us liked my numbers, he also said that, rationally, there was no reason to be worried. He said that, as a doctor, if he hadn't known my history, my BP numbers wouldn't cause him any concern. And so to be fair and reasoned with me as a professional, there was no sense in getting anxious. He also said tha

After Wednesday's flurry of blood-pressure activity, I was scheduled for a blood pressure check and biophysical profile ultrasound for Thursday, and then another blood pressure check for Friday. For yesterday's BP check, they decided to go ahead and hook me up to the fancy machine that takes my blood pressure every two minutes over a span of fifteen minutes. I grabbed a book, settled into the chair, planted my feet flat on the floor, and watched my blood pressure settle lower and lower with each reading. My top number was back to normal - ranging from 122 at the highest to 118 or so at the lowest. My bottom number was still high - 80 to 83ish, but overall, things looked good. Then off to ultrasound for the biophysical profile, which is basically a very specific ultrasound that looks for specific markers of baby's health: amniotic fluid levels, general movement, fine movements, and thirty seconds straight of baby's practice breathing. The deal is that you have half a