katie telschow

First account of my pregnancy

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 21:59:03 -0500

As I’ve told friends that I am pregnant - one piece of advice I’ve received from my mom friends is to write everything down. Details of pregnancy will elude me at some point, so I am going to heed that advice and keep some blog posts to reference in pregnancy # 2 and beyond. So here goes…

Finding out

I knew I was pregnant before a test ever confirmed it. I had a feeling of course, but it wasn’t the first time I had told Mark, “I really think I’m pregnant this time.” So, I kept it to myself a little more than usual. Also, Mark was in his last week of preparing for the CFA Level 2 exam so I wanted to wait to take a test until that was behind us.

On the day when Mark was taking his exam, I went to a birthday party for my friend’s daughter. When I saw my friend that morning, she immediately told me that she’d had a dream that I was pregnant! Shocked, I told her that I thought I was. :)

Two days later, on a Tuesday night, I took a test. For the first time the results were positive! We had roommates living with us at the time, so I remember calling Mark into our bathroom to show him the test. I had a distinct emotion of wanting validation that I wasn’t going crazy - that the test indeed said that we were pregnant. While I knew it to be true, I don’t think I 100% accepted it until we saw the heartbeat on the screen two weeks later. I completely believed I was pregnant, but it’s such a surreal life change that I almost expected the doctor to tell me that I was mistaken. Thankfully, we were not mistaken!!

Telling our family

We found out on June 6th that we were pregnant, and later that month on Father’s Day we decided to announce it to our family. I hope to always remember those phone calls. To both sets of parents we introduced it by saying Happy Father’s Day, you are going to be a Grandfather!! With both of our parents, there was a mixture of tears and silence (good silence). Lots of tears and joy. This will be the first grandchild on both sides of the family.

We talked to my sister, Mark’s sister, and skyped with my brother in Austria. Each call was filled with so much joy! Aunts and Uncles for the first time!!

First trimester

From what I’ve heard from friends, I have had a relatively easy first trimester. Here’s what I’ve experienced:

First few weeks I didn’t want to eat anything green (veggies), so I stuck to mostly tan/white colored food like chicken, potatoes, crackers, cookies, and some fruits.
Beef and pork were off-limits for those first weeks also
I had a couple of instances of really upset stomach when I hadn’t eaten in a few hours, but I learned quickly that I needed to snack (healthy snacks!) every 3 hours or so. Doing that curbed almost all nausea.
Cooking was pretty unappealing until at least week 9 or so
Tired at work! Especially around 2:00-3:00, I struggled to not fall asleep at my desk. I took to doing almost no work in that twilight hour and instead walking around, eating my post-lunch snack, and talking with coworkers.
Tired at night! Same thing at night. I think I stayed awake more than my body really wanted because every time I’d go to bed, I would fall asleep immediately.
Pregnancy brain. My doctor confirmed it’s true, and Mark confirmed long before. I started forgetting things, and I am usually so darn good at medium to short-term memory. :)

All in all though, it has been a great first 13 weeks. Being tired was a reminder that my body was working hard to nourish our little one. Every symptom and change has been more confirmation that this is really happening! Now I’m slowly but surely seeing my “bump” become more defined, and I am soaking in the joys of carrying God’s great gift to us. We are looking forward to February 2012 with great anticipation!

This is my favorite photo from our Colorado vacation. We hiked...

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 20:58:02 -0500

This is my favorite photo from our Colorado vacation. We hiked up a difficult trail with a slope of about 20% the entire way. At the top of the almost 2 hour climb, we enjoyed this serene lake and waterfall. It was such a beautiful reward for a strenuous hike.

"Talent is God-given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful."

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 22:13:21 -0500

“Talent is God-given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful.”

- John Wooden

"Religion closed his mind with a darkness"

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 08:03:00 -0500

Last night I finished chapter 89 and page 401 of Ahab’s Wife, my book club month for June. This book has enthralled me from the beginning, and I am still eager to read the remaining 300 or so pages. I like the book primarily because the author has a splendid gift for writing and an uncanny ability to describe human emotions and character traits in a way that opens the eyes of the reader.

One character, Una’s father, is a man driving to taking his own life after an empty lifetime of life-sucking religious pursuit. ”Religion closed his mind with a darkness,” is how his wife remembered him years after he died. His religion forges a great gaping divide in the father/daughter relationship. Una is even forced to leave home and live with her aunt because her father could not bear her religious rebellion any longer. He would quote Scriptures that were plucked out of context just to wield power over his daughter. All of the religious things he held so high ended up leading him to death.

The author really spoke to a subject that has been invading my heart lately - namely, that religion leads to death. When you think of religion, what comes to mind? Laws, rules, good works, church attendance, devoutness, etc. With those associations coming to mind, I can understand why less and less people are walking into churches these days.

I used to call myself a “religious person” but I no longer claim that title. The faith that I have in Jesus is not founded on laws, rule-following, church-attending, or my own good works. I used to be religious. I know what that’s like. It’s a never-ending cycle. You try and try but fail. When you fail, there’s guilt or shame. Then you pick yourself up to try and try again. Not before long, you’ve left that mountain top and fallen in the pit again. It’s tiring. Without an escape, it leads to despair and spiritual deadness.

I thank God every day for saving me from that deadening cycle and giving me freedom and a full life through Jesus. I now experience a deep joy, a path that is filled with hope, and a genuine love that compels me to bless others. Jesus cancelled all debt that I owed to God now and forevermore by living a perfect life and sacrificing Himself on our behalf. My debt has been paid; now I walk with a song of joy that I have been forgiven and I am free to live fully!

After a 3.5 mile hike on the greenbelt, this was indeed a good...

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 00:27:23 -0500

After a 3.5 mile hike on the greenbelt, this was indeed a good pop! The coffee flavor hit the spot.

Photo

Sat, 05 Jun 2010 17:35:17 -0500

Surely not everyone

Sat, 05 Jun 2010 16:11:17 -0500

Surely not everyone:

After watching Invictus last night, this post is yet another reminder that the humble can achieve extraordinary influence and meaningful leadership in society.

Pictures of the Day: Oil Spill in the Gulf, and Elsewhere

Sat, 01 May 2010 20:45:36 -0500

Pictures of the Day: Oil Spill in the Gulf, and Elsewhere:

It’s hard to believe that China would spend more on any single event than they did for the Olympics. Check out the 5th picture in this NY Times slideshow to see the fruit of the $45 billion budget they had for this Shanghai Expo.

A Collection of Iceland Volcano Photography

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 07:35:38 -0500

A Collection of Iceland Volcano Photography

This Easter I celebrate the new life that I’ve received...

Sun, 04 Apr 2010 14:18:09 -0500

This Easter I celebrate the new life that I’ve received through Jesus Christ. By His grace alone and not because of my own works, I was buried with Him into death and risen to walk in the newness of life!

This photo collage is just a glimmer of the abundant life that He breathes into me daily. Thanks be to God for His glorious love and mercy on me!

...and all their glory is like the flowers of the field

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 18:51:29 -0500

...and all their glory is like the flowers of the field:

This post from a dear friend Anne is strikingly inspirational. She has such a gift of wrapping words around deep and personal emotions. Thanks, anne, for stirring me towards deeper faith and honesty with God.

To my brilliant and amazing husband, have a wonderful birthday!...

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 09:30:00 -0500

To my brilliant and amazing husband, have a wonderful birthday! You are absolutely my favorite earthly blessing.

What an amazing combination of creativity and technical...

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 22:12:04 -0500

What an amazing combination of creativity and technical precision! Check out this article for more high-speed photography.

I must be very in sync with Hollywood this year… my...

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 21:10:24 -0600

I must be very in sync with Hollywood this year… my pre-Oscar ballot is surprisingly spot on! We’ll see about sound mixing vs. sound editing…

Photo

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 18:48:47 -0600

One of my “tourist” shots from today’s Austin...

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 18:36:00 -0600

One of my “tourist” shots from today’s Austin Duck Tour.

I love how my sister warmly welcomes this father-daughter...

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 19:59:20 -0600

I love how my sister warmly welcomes this father-daughter embrace despite her post-race exhaustion. Congrats on an amazing half marathon, Kim!

There is great gain in godliness with contentment.

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 17:06:00 -0600

“Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.” – 1 Timothy 6:6-7

1 Timothy 6 and Luke 12 offer a comprehensive look on the Christians responsibility as it relates to possessions and money. After studying both of these passages, I rest on the single phrase “there is great gain in godliness with contentment.” Godliness with contentment, not just one or the other. Here are my thoughts:

OUR CONTENTMENT IS SENSIBLE AND REASONABLE.

Like it says in 1 Tim 6: 7 – we brought nothing into this world and will take nothing out of it. We will leave this world without care, so why spend our time in this world with anxiety? God promises not only to provide our daily bread but He blesses us with “everything to enjoy” and “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.”

SO WHAT IS GODLINESS WITHOUT CONTENTMENT?

Void? Perhaps. Certainly it may be hypocrisy, idolatry, and folly. It is to be like a Pharisee following the letter of the Law but not the heart of it. It is like the rich young man that comes to Jesus as a follower of all of the commandments but is unable to give away his possessions to obtain eternal life. It is to be like those who have no faith in Christ and concern themselves daily about tomorrow. (Luke 12:29-31) In Christ, we are not to be conformed to this world but transformed by the renewal of our minds. We should think differently and treat earthly possessions differently because of the wisdom of God in us. (Romans 12:1-2)

AND WHAT IS CONTENTMENT WITHOUT GODLINESS?

Complacency. It is not enough to abstain from setting our hopes on the uncertainty of riches. As Christians, we are to redirect our strivings, our time, and our earthly possessions towards a certain hope – namely the promises found in God through Christ. As Paul says to Timothy, we are “to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that [we] may take hold of that which is truly life.” (1 Timothy 6:18-19)

OUR CONTENTMENT IS A VESSEL OF GOD’S LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS

I believe that today God uses our contentment coupled with godliness as a distinctive light among the darkness of anxiety, riches, self-propelled “security,” and materialism. I believe that a Christian displaying God in word and deed (godliness) and satisfied in his lot whether abundant or sparse (contentment) could compel unbelievers to faith in God.

As we strive towards godliness with deeper faith in God and understanding of the Gospel, contentment should rule in our hearts. And, as our lives are governed by the King of kings, the Gospel will be displayed marvelously both as an encouragement to believers and a compelling story of our redemption among unbelievers.

What does a cat in the desert have to do with Christmas?

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 15:24:47 -0600

Laffy Taffy: What does a cat in the desert have to do with Christmas?
Me (and Laffy Taffy's under-side): They both have Sandy Claws!!

Photo

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 15:22:03 -0600