It has been a long week. I have been in the hospital since Tuesday.   Fr. and the baby were able to stay with me and I was able to keep nursing the baby which has been a blessing. I just wanted to let you all know that I am okay. I had a slew of doctors and received very good care. I feel pretty good for just having had surgery yesterday. Love you all thank you for your prayers. Cross post from the thread on Orthodox Chat.

Thank you Jenny for your post on orthodox chat.

Maria~Angelica Zoe’ did indeed deliver HERSELF  at  3:05 a.m. Wednesday morning (her due date) October 19th 2005. That is a story I am not sure just how to put into words, but I will try. It  was really quite something! I just sat up and there she was! The room was dark, I was laying on my side with my eyes closed.  Fr. was asleep and I heard a coo. I asked Fr. if he had just made that sound. We heard a quiet  cry, Fr. jumped up and I reached for the controls to  lift the bed forward so I could see and there she was! A perfect little pink baby girl!  The best way to describe it is I felt a wave of a contraction  and she washed  ashore! The nurses and doctor (who was also sleeping) were AMAZED!! They came running down the hall. They knew from the heart monitor at the nurses’ station  that something had happened. They could hear her little cry as they came closer to  the room and they could not believe their eyes. All of the nurses  said nothing like that had ever happened in all their years of nursing. The funny thing is at 2:00 am the head nurse came in to check on me and I said I felt some good pressure. The nurse said to me “don’t worry babies just don’t pop out!” When she came in at 3:05 we had a good laugh about that one!

 I think I had a “silent birth” ! LOL!

I will never forget the mental picture I have of Maria~Angelica there on the bed so sweet and perfect. The nurse quickly grabbed a blanket and handed her to me. The baby was so warm her body just radiated heat and she smelled sooooooo good (she still smells good)! We were able to have skin to skin contact for about an hour before Fr.  cut the cord. Maria~Angelica sucked her 2 middle fingers just minutes after being born. She latched on right away too. Glory be to God she is nursing beautifully. I am so grateful for  everything about her. A year ago I was crying in the parking lot of the endocrinologist office because she had just bluntly told me I would never have anymore children.  I never went back to that doctor. She was just one of 3 to tell me the same thing. I have never been back to any of those doctors. I was very grateful to have the 3 children I did have. I just wanted to confirm that all was well with my health. Then they day I came home from baptizing and Chrismating Alana’s family I found out I was expecting! That was certainly NO coincidence! With God there are no coincidences! That was truly a miracle! For those of you that have been told the same thing I was, don’t ever give up hope.  Miracles DO happen! They have happened to me 4 times!   Just trust the will of God and be willing to accept the will of God.  Following my cancer treatment there was no guarantee I would have any children. They were  all the will of God and they all came in God’s perfect timing.

 Maria~Angelica’s  birth weight was  8lbs 9oz and  she is 20 inches long. she is now 8lbs 5 oz . 

Throughout the pregnancy the  boys would   wonder if their sister would have hazel eyes and brown hair like Basil or blue eyes and blonde hair  like Nicholas or brown  hair and brown eyes like Jonah. Her eyes look blue and  her hair is light like Nicholas.   

We have given Maria~Angelica her name in honor of  the Mother Of God and all the angels in heaven.  Maria~Angelica’s grandmothers have also been named in honor of the Mother of God and the Holy Angels.  Maria is the name of Fr. Christos’  mother and Angeliki is the name of my mother.  We will call her both names as her first name.

Thank you all for your love, prayers and concern.  We are all very excited and look forward to sharing more pictures in the days to come!

Jonah , a big brother at last!

Nicholas who just loves Maria~Angelica’s soft head. Basil my trusted helper and very proud big brother! I just love her bow and little dress here. She looks like a little baby doll. Yiayia Angie (Angeliki) and Papou Nicholas with their first granddaughter. Uncle Michael (my brother) with his first neice.   Niki, Jenny’s daughter , who loves babies and is very good with them too! My friend  Jenny , Niki, Basil , Jonah, baby and me. Thank you  for visiting  us in the hospital. It was so great to see you both and it really meant a lot to me.   My friends Stephanie, Connie and Vivian , who brought me dinner, gourmet chocolate and ice cream and  were very good company for me while Fr. was at a parish council meeting. Thank you all so much! You were great company and Maria~Angelica is so blessed to have so many wonderful Theas (aunts) and  wonderful children to grow up with! The beautiful flowers Chyrsa, David and children sent (Chrysa and  David live in London, England and will be visiting us for Christmas!! We can’t wait!) Thank you Chyrsa for the lovely flowers I am enjoying them so much and they were a fantastic surprise!   Jonah right at home in his role as “big brother!”

Basil and Jonah enjoying their little sister.   Nicholas and Yiayia Angie (Angeliki) enjoying her namesake.  My mother’s maiden name is Zoe’ , hence her middle name. Zoe’ (life in Greek) pronounced with the accent on the e’. And just for Alana….Basil reading to Yiayia at the hospital.

We had  these pictures taken a few weeks ago to remember this precious time and all the changes that are taking place. The boys are so excited to be having a baby join our family. On the eve of the birth, God willing,  of Maria~Angelica Zoe’ , I thought I would share them with you. Jonah is thrilled about becoming a big brother and he thinks I have to have the baby in the bathtub because we once saw a water birth on TV. Basil is hoping to be in the delivery room but not Nicholas because we once saw a woman on TV screaming while she was giving birth. Jonah is just hoping to be at the hospital because they have vending machines there! What Nicholas is  most  looking forward to about  having a sister is he thinks she is going to clean up after him!!!!

Please pray to God for us!

I just returned from the doctor and I am 3 cm. I have been having lots of contractions for weeks now.  If nothing happens on its own then Tuesday October 18th is the day! It just happens to be my yia yia Marina’s birthday (my mother’s mother). She passed away 2 years before I was born so I never knew her, however all my life our friends and relatives  have told me  how much alike we are. She was very much loved by many people and although I never knew her I very much can identify with her and her personality through photos and other people’s fond memories of her. I also just discovered that  October 18th is the feast day of St. Marinos the martyr. My yia yia was one of 8 children. She was born in Agros, Greece and immigrated to the U.S. in 1929 with my papou. I imagine she was named Marina because she was born on the feast day of Martyr Marinos  the Elder at Anazarbos  and being from such a large family they had named the children before her for the grandparents on both side. Which is the Greek Orthodox tradition so they took the name Marinos and made it into the feminine version, Marina.   There is also a  Great Martyr St. Marina . Her feast day is July 17th.

So I am just hanging in there waiting for Fr. to return tomorrow and the next couple days will give us a chance to get all the last minute things done before the birth on Tuesday. I also very much like the Dr. on call on Sunday night so if God has other plans for the birth, Sunday night would be fine with me.

It is amazing how music can change your mood. I was in the most miserable of moods  this morning  when I had to drag my  very tired ,  very pregnant, aching self into the shower and get ready to go  get  Nicholas from kindergarten.  The minute I popped the latest Green Day cd in I felt 100% better.  My lousy attitude change immediately. It isn’t often I get to rock out in the car by myself. I actually can’t even remember the last time I was in the car alone. Just getting in the car kills my leg let alone driving the car.  It isn’t exactly like when I was 19 and  driving a really cool burnt orange 1983 528i BMW with black leather seats and a sunroof around campus.  But my 1996 racing green  Town and Country mini van does have an awesome stereo and for a half hour there I visited my younger years. Thank you Billie Joe and co. for cheering me up!  Rock on!

Thank you all for your prayers during the last several weeks.  Your prayers have been heard and the evil one will not win! The Holy Spirit continues to work and  we feel a great sense a peace about everything at Church following a long meeting yesterday where Fr. was able to speak to his parish council and receive confirmation about the work he is doing and that they have confidence in him.  Please continue to pray for eyes to be opened and for hearts to be softened.  We love all the people so much and we hope to go forward and continue to serve Christ and His church with peace and love for all.

Please continue to pray for baby and me. It is a funny thing to think that she could have been born by now. We have decided to wait until Fr. returns from his conference. Pray for his safe travels and for a fruitful and blessed conference.

May God Grant Many Years to the Newly Illumined Christian Chloe Ellena  who was baptized in Christ today! Xronia Polla’! “As many of you as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ. Alleluia.”

For more information about  infant baptism in the Orthodox Church   here is a helpful article.

“If Christ is not the center of your life and the center of your parish something else will be.”

~ Fr. Alexander Schmemann