Baby's first (or is it second?) Pascha

We have now come full circle, liturgically speaking from last year. At the beginning of Holy Week, we found out our little baby was a boy. We were also cautioned that I was showing a small amount of cervical funneling. I was asked to take it easy and to come back for a follow-up ultrasound the next week. About halfway through the week, I figured out that those funny tummy feelings were not hunger, but the baby kicking. He was doing just fine in there. Last year's Pascha, I felt not-great, but didn't realize I was in the beginning stages of labor. Bright Monday, we went for the follow-up ultrasound and discovered I was three centimeters dilated, and those cramps I was feeling were contractions, not GI upset. And so began our five month relationship with Swedish Hospital.

This year is completely different. Instead of realizing that was baby kicking I was feeling, we were holding Gabriel all through the services. He was very much present, and being able to feel him and hold him made last year's memories seem much more distant. This year was probably the easiest year for us to bring him to Holy Week and Pascha services. He's young enough to hang out pretty happily in his carseat or being held by one of us. Since he is g-tube fed, we could quietly feed him during services as needed as well.

Gabriel and Thomas during the Holy Friday procession.

Pascha night, Gabriel was asleep for the Nocturn service, but I put him in his carrier in preparation for the procession, and he started to wake up.

 Come and receive the light!

"Thy Resurrection O Christ our Savior, the angels in heaven sing, enable us on earth, to glorify Thee in purity of heart."

He was very quiet and attentive during the procession and when we came back inside, I put him back in his car carrier where he listened to the service for most of Matins before falling asleep again. At Communion, we woke him up and handed him over to his godfather. He was still pretty groggy, but the priest did manage to give him Communion.

 

Gabriel and James getting ready for Communion. Sleepy baby!

He wound up the night by flirting with the younger members of the choir. Shameless.

We attended Agape Vespers on Pascha afternoon which was a beautiful sunny day. And having a happy baby boy in the middle of it all made it wonderful. Those memories from last year have been replaced.

My new outlook is that Gabriel was so excited at his first Holy Week and Pascha last year, that he decided he had to be born right then. The Paschal season was too good to miss waiting around inside the womb.