An Adventure with Little P and a Prayer Request

Adventure with Little P: Artoklassia and Wine (A Russian Tale). So, we spent last Friday evening in Yakima, WA with some friends. We went to Annunciation services at their church (Holy Cross Antiochian Orthodox Church) in the evening (it was a vesperal Liturgy). At the end of the service, there was an artoklassia (five loaves of bread as an offering) service (usually done on feast days or name days). In the Russian practice, when you receive your artoklassia at the end of the service, you dip it in a cup of wine. Well, this was all new to Little P (and a little new for mommy, since I have not spent much time outside of Greek churches). Little P, whose favorite line of the day currently is “My Can Do It” wanted to dip his own bread in the wine. Now, the deacon, who was holding the cup of wine, was fine with that. Until Little P decided to not just dip his bread, but dunk his bread. I rescued the wine-soaked bread from the cup (and set it on top of my own piece of bread and, thus, did not have to dip my bread in the wine). We proceeded to the back of the church to eat our wine soaked bread. Little P seemed to like it. But, in this whole process, I forgot to get my little cup of wine (hmmm, I kind of like these Russian wine practices). What an adventure!

Please pray for us… no, not for our homebuying (that seems to be going well), but for our fertility (our spritual father suggested that we ask people to pray for us). I went in to the doctor because my cycle seems to be getting all out of whack (sorry, guys, if this is too personal for you). We began to talk about the miscarriages that I have had and how long we have been trying to have a baby, etc. I walked out of that appointment with a referral for a reproductive endocrinologist (and they have discovered a cyst on my left ovary). Because I have lupus, she felt that I already had things going against me being able to conceive (normally, you have to wait at least one year from when you begin to “try” for a baby to get a referral… we have been trying for about 1 ½ years, but I did get pregnant last summer and lost that baby). Anyway, I have a blessing to at least go and hear what this other doctor has to say. We have also been praying to St. Nektarios and St. Anna (mother of the Theotokos) and anointing me with oil from both Saints. Through every hardship, there is some good… All of this has led me, though, to be very thankful for my Little P. I had a miscarriage right before I became pregnant with him. Then his pregnancy was fairly smooth (why his middle name is Nektarios). And now I have the privilege of being his mommy (well, I have been his mommy for almost three years now). And that is truly a blessing!