Baby Mary Frances

The Miracle of Mary Frances…

In early spring of 2012, we learned that God had blessed us, yet again, with His generosity; baby #7; a very biblical number in our Christian faith and I knew this one would be special.  I had no idea the life lessons this little one would bring and the impact she would make.

The first trimester looked very similar to my first trimester for Libby, our only girl thus far.  I was extremely nauseated and thought we might be having a little girl.  After talking with other moms, I learned that nausea is not only for little girl pregnancies and that there really is no way of really knowing until baby is born.  As usual, my body continued to change (and grow) and I tried to remember to thank God for allowing me to help Him in a miracle, in lieu of complaining as the numbers on the scale continued to get bigger.

This was the first time in six pregnancies we agreed that we would not find out gender in the ultrasound.  I had no idea how this simple decision would change a pregnancy.  I always figured, “How could pregnancy be improved with a surprise, the whole process is such a miracle, filled with joy?"  I was mistaken.  Even on the day of her birth, I had no idea which we were going to welcome into our lives, and I loved it.  It brought even more magic into an already magical time.

Being in my 40’s, there is inherent risk in choosing to have children and as a result, I was lucky enough to have an ultrasound with each of the final appointments, in order to keep track of baby (growth, amniotic fluid levels, heart function, breathing practice, activity level, etc). 

The baby had not shown much growth in the last couple of weeks and when I went in for a checkup and ultrasound on January 2nd (38 weeks and 5 days gestation), the baby’s weight was 6 pounds, amniotic fluid level was low, and I had progressed from 80% effaced, dilated to 1.8 to 90% and 3.  The amniotic fluid levels were not at the critical level (5 or below), but significantly below normal.  Our Doctor, being I was v-bac, did not want to take any risks and said ”Let’s have a baby today.”  I was overjoyed… and ready!   This decision saved Mary Frances’ life (and possibly mine too).

They broke my water at noon, and I did not make much progress and thus, pitocin, delivered intravenously, was added to the picture to help increase strength and frequency of contractions.  Then things, as usual, began to pick up.  I was in true labor by 1PM and they were getting stronger and closer together, slowly.  By 5:00, the contractions were substantial and both Nate and I were getting excited.  I figured baby would be here before 6:00 PM. 

Before this pregnancy, I had delivered all of our children, with the exception of 1 cesarean, without the benefits of pain intervention, also called a natural birth.   I know it is painful, but the recovery is fantastic and the labor and delivery, though painful, had traditionally been fast, with few pushes, and zero stitches. 

Just before 6:00PM, the final stage of labor had commenced and I was progressing very quickly.  I had one contraction that was more painful than I had ever felt, ever.  I could not breathe and fainted.  When I woke, both Nate and the nurse were looking at me, concerned.  The look of joyful anticipation had gone from Nate's face, as it was not easy for them to help me regain consciousness. 

During that painful contraction, the baby’s vitals dropped off and when I regained consciousness, the contractions were different than I had ever experienced.  As it turns out, my placenta (baby’s source for life through food and oxygen) had detached from my uterus…  thus severing baby’s source for life (a placental abruption). The pain was in a different location than in past labor, the contractions were more acute, and the pain was constant. 

In the meantime, they could not attach a monitor to baby’s head and were unable to find my cervix to ascertain the progress of my labor.  Three different members of the staff attempted to attach the monitor and assess progress, to no avail.  The pain was so acute, such that, though I was present, physically, I was also quite absent…  I called out the Holy Name of Jesus a couple of times, asked them to deliver cesarean, and mentioned that I was in a lot of pain.  

I could feel, externally with my hands, that the baby had shifted such that he/she no longer protruded out from my belly, but seemed to actually be resting low, within my organs, hard to explain, but the baby did not stick “out” any more.

When they were unable to find my cervix and monitor baby, the doctor called an emergency cesarean section (c-section).  From the time they chose to proceed with a c-section, until the time our baby was born, 2 ½ minutes had elapsed.  Nate watched, in disbelief, unable to join me in the OR, as the capable surgical, nurse, OB, NICU,  and anesthesia teams assembled.   He later lauded the entire staff for the herculean effort.

When our baby was born, her vitals were at 60 (130 – 180 is normal), she was blue, and unresponsive.  The nurses gave her oxygen and, by the grace of God, regained her color and she reanimated… a miracle, on top of miracles.

When I regained consciousness in the OR, the first thing I asked was how Nate was doing, then baby.  Nate was with our baby and it was then that I learned God gave us a baby girl, and she was doing just fine.  Joy Joy Joy.

The goal of this post is to remind us all to be grateful for each gift God gives us and to take nothing for granted.  Little Mary Frances helped us all to take a step back and just be grateful that day, and those that followed.

My friend, and nurse that assisted in the "stat" nature of my labor/delivery, Jodi, just cared.  She knew how worried Nate was and went out of her way to ensure he was doing okay, as did the other 2 nurses; everybody throughout the entire process gave 100% of themselves, for the lives of others.  Thus, we are abundantly grateful... to God, to each other, and to the staff that allowed God to work through them to bring our baby safely into this world and care for me as well.

We firmly believe that God guided the decisions and hands throughout the day on January 2nd.  What if Dr. Cooley had sent me home?  What if I labored at home and endured a placental abruption 20 minutes from the hospital?   What if Dr. Cooley had not directed for c-section when she did? What if, what if, what if?   The outcome would have been altogether different.  The right information was given from above, and the right people were in place to act.  God is so good!

Thank you God, thank you Ridgeview Medical Center, Waconia OB, nursing, anesthesia, the NICU (Newborn Infant Care Unit) staff, and surgical staff; Dr. Cooley, Jodi Zellman, Charge Nurse Shelby, Karen Paul, Pat Wanchena, and Jon, the student Doctor who shadowed Cooley for the day, and the rest of the Ridgeview team.   Though I always admired and respected the gifts you give to the world, through your vocations, we have experienced, first-hand, your true life-saving contributions and love.

We are also firm believers in prayer.  When I spoke with a nurse who helped deliver Mary Frances, she said "Your husband was very calm, as though he was in prayer or contemplation."  He had been praying, along with many of our home school, Mother's Group, Church, family and friends, as well as many of our Facebook friends.  Your prayers stormed heaven, and heaven, with infinite love and faithfulness, answered you.  Thank you!

Nathan & Kristen Soley
Andrew, William, Libby, Charlie, Thomas, Patrick, and of course Baby Mary Frances

Our Lady of Guadalupe

In June, the Our Lady of Grace Mother's Group was truly blessed by Dennis Gaetano's presentation on Our Lady of Guadalupe.  Dennis is the President and Tour Director for Twin Cities Pilgrims.  Below is a summary of what we were able to learn from his informative and captivating presentation.

Our Lady of Guadalupe

In the late 1400’s and early 1500’s, the Aztecs, living in Mexico worshiped a cruel and angry god whom they believe could be satisfied by periodic human sacrifice.  In 1487, 80,000 people were sacrificed in 4 days when their new temple was dedicated.  The sacrifices were done by pulling out the human heart while the victim was still alive and put into a cauldron to be eaten.   1 

In 1521, lead by Cortez, the Spanish (conquistadores) won a landmark victory over the Aztecs.  Montezuma lead the Aztecs.  After this victory, 12 Franciscans came to evangelize in Mexico.  Singing Eagle was baptized a Christian and took the Christian name Juan Diego.   1 & 2

On December 9th, 1531, walking to Mass at the Church of Santiago (St. James), something extraordinary happened to Juan Diego.  As he approached the hill of Tepyac, Juan was visited by Mary, the Mother of God.  She was dressed as glorious Aztec maiden.  She spoke to Juan “Juan, I am Mary, the Mother of God.  I have come to ask you to go to the bishop of Mexico.  Tell him that I wish a church to be erected on this very spot.”  Juan, falling to his knees responded, “Dear Lady, I promise… I will do as you have asked.” 1

Juan proceeded the many miles on foot to Bishop Juan de Zumarraga's home.  The bishop was grateful for Juan’s story, and invited him back to share such stories with him in the future, then politely excused him.  1

On his way back from his visit with the bishop, he returned Tepyac hill where he met Our Lady again and explained that the bishop did not believe him.  Juan implored our Lady to enlist somebody for this work; somebody who is perhaps more important than he.  Our Lady responded “My son, you are the one I have chosen.  Return tomorrow to the bishop.  Repeat my request.  I wish a church to be built on this very spot."  Juan, reluctantly agreed to do so. 1

The next day, after Mass, he returned to see the bishop.  Bishop Zumarraga listened, questioned Juan several times and then said to Juan, "ask Mary, the Queen of Heaven, to give you a sign so that I can know that you have truly seen her.”  Juan, excitedly agreed to make this request of Our Lady.  Juan promptly returned to Mary on Tepyac Hill and repeated the Bishop’s request.  Mary replied “come back tomorrow at daybreak.  I will give you a sign then.  You have gone through so much trouble for me.  I will reward you for it."   1

Rather than return to Tepyac hill as Our Lady requested, Juan found his uncle Juan Bernardino deathly ill and in need of a priest.  He went to Tlaltelolco to call a priest.  On his way, he tried to avoid the side of Tepyac Hill where Mary appeared to him and walked on the opposite side of the hill.  Mary stepped down the slope and blocked his path.  “Juan Diego, what is the matter?  Where are you going?” she asked kindly.  Juan confessed his dilemma.  “Juan Diego, am I not your Mother?”.  She affirmed Juan that his uncle at this very moment is well.  She instructed him to climb the hill and he would find flowers growing on the frozen hill.  To his amazement, he found beautiful, fragrant Castilian roses everywhere, in the middle of winter!  Castilian roses are native to Spain and at the time could not be found in Mexico .3   Juan picked these beautiful roses and brought them back to Our Lady where she arranged them and Juan wrapped them in his Tilma to present to the Bishop. 1

When Juan was given an audience with the Bishop, there were servants in the room as well.  When Juan revealed the roses to the bishop by dropping them from his tilma, the bishop fell to his knees; the servants did the same.  Juan thought to himself, but why are they staring at me?  Upon Juan Diego’s Tilma was found an image of Our Lady, dressed as a beautiful Aztec Maiden.  The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  1

The Image of Our Lady of GuadalupeBefore reading the symbolisms below it's important to understand that the tilma or ayate was made of rough maguey (a form of Cactus) fibers. Artists who were asked to investigate the image noted the supernatural character of the techniques and colors, thus confirming that Our Lady of Guadalupe's Image was put on Juan Diego's tilma by something or someone not of this world. 4

The Blessed Virgin Mary of Guadalupe spoke to the native Mexica Indians through her sacred image. She used symbols, colors and other significant details known to this indigenous culture in order to deliver the message she gave to Juan Diego - that she was the ever Virgin Mother of the true God and all mankind. Each aspect of Our Lady's miraculous image was easily understood by the natives. Thus, a huge number was baptized into the Catholic Faith marking the end of the Aztecs' barbaric rituals of human sacrifice to please their sun god who they believed gave them life. 4

SYMBOLS ON THE SACRED TILMA & THEIR SIGNIFICANCE

SUN'S RAYS- The rays give the sacred image an aura of light. They appear as though they are emitted from her, based on the direction of the arrows - indicating that she's giving birth to the sun. Since the Aztecs worshipped the sun as the god that gives them life, the image portrays the Virgin Mary as giving birth to God. This is further reinforced by the four-petalled flower on Our Lady's womb as described below. 4

FOUR-PETALLED FLOWER- The Aztecs closely observed the movement of the sun, moon, and stars, and based their religious beliefs and way of life on these. This four-petalled flower is the only flower of its kind found on Our Lady's robe. It is considered to be one of the highest symbols of the Aztecs as it depicts the four movements of the sun united by a fifth element that gives balance and equilibrium. Its central location on the Image represents the motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This symbol tells the Aztecs that she is the mother of the 'sun child' that's in her womb - the author and giver of life. 4

HER FACE- Our Blessed Mother's face is bowed down, looking at everyone tenderly and with compassion. She is gazing slightly to one side as a sign of reverence and respect as native Indians considered it improper to look directly at anyone's face. The face of Our Lady is that of a young girl who is considered mestizo, meaning a blend of races - in this case, Aztec and Spanish. This was the term used by the Spaniards to identify the children of Spanish conquistadores and Aztec women. The portrayal of the Blessed Virgin Mary as mestizo symbolized the birth of a new race.

HER EYES- Looking closely into Our Lady's eyes, ophthalmologists have tested this sacred image and affirmed that there are human forms reflected in her eyes, which measure between 8-9mm. It would be impossible to paint this detail within such a tiny space and on such rough material. 4

Further examination by a certain Dr Jose Aste Tonsman revealed 13 persons reflected in the corneas of her eyes. Magnified photos show the larger images as reflections of Juan Diego and Bishop Juan de Zumarraga. The rest could be images of those present when Juan Diego opened his tilma to show the Bishop the sign he had asked for. 4

HER MOUTH- Amazingly, Our Lady's thin lips fell on a knot on Juan Diego's tilma - giving the appearance of a gracious smile. 4

HER HAIR- On the sacred image, our Blessed Mother's hair is loose, indicating that she's a maiden - married indigenous women braided their hair. 4

BLACK RIBBON- This signifies that she is a noblewoman with child - noble indigenous women tied a black ribbon just above their waist to show they were pregnant. This symbol, together with the symbolism of Our Lady's hair, portrays her message - 'I am the Always Holy VIRGIN Mary, MOTHER of the true God. 4

HER HANDS- Her hands are joined together in prayer, just as Europeans do, confirming her request that the Bishop build a chapel on Tepeyac Hill where she appeared. The Blessed Virgin's hands show her right hand as being more delicate and lighter in color than the left which is fuller and darker - depicting her message for unity of the Indian and Spanish cultures and the birth of a new race. 4

THE BROOCH ON HER NECK- The indigenous people had idols with a jade oval which they believed gave life. In Nahuatl, the central position and the shape of this brooch with a cross signifies how important Christ is to Our Lady. This brooch also portrays the joining of two cultures, the Spanish - symbolized by the cross (the symbol of Christianity) and the Indians, represented by the joint symbolism of the oval shape and the four-petalled flower on her womb, as explained above. 4

HER TUNIC- Our Blessed Mother's tunic is pink with shades of crimson, representing the earth. It is covered with nine types of golden flowers representing the nine tribes from Atzlan that made up Tenochtitlan.

At the bottom of her tunic, the edge is trimmed in gold similar to her mantle. The pointed ends of the tunic and the mantle are being held by an angel on each hand, symbolizing the union of heaven and earth.

HER MANTLE- Her beautiful turquoise mantle covers her whole body from her head down to her feet and is edged in gold. The indigenous people considered her an Empress since only their Emperor wore this color. Her mantle is covered with 46 stars which are the stars of the exact constellation on December 12th 1531. 4

FLOWERS- Among others also present are eight flowers with eight petals apparently representing the alignment of the Sun and Venus, the Morning Star. Their calculation of the number of solar years vis-a-vis the Venusian years coincided with the apparition of the Holy Virgin Mary of Guadalupe. To the natives the 12th of December 1531 marked the beginning of a new era for man and the universe under a new sun.4

THE CRESCENT- Our Lady rests her feet on a new moon crescent - a symbol that depicts her Immaculate Conception, a Catholic dogma that the Blessed Virgin Mary was conceived without the stain of original sin which everyone else is born with. Through the Sacrament of Baptism into the Catholic faith one is freed from this sin and becomes a child of God through sanctifying grace. God preserved her from this sin and filled her with sanctifying grace - very fitting for someone who is the vessel that brought forth Jesus, the Son of God into our world.

There is another symbolism for this section of the miraculous Image - it appears that she's stepping on the moon with her left knee bent. To the natives, this movement shows them that the Blessed Virgin is dancing and clapping her hands to the rhythm of the maracas, their musical instrument - this was how the Aztecs prayed. 4

THE ANGEL- The angel under Our Lady's feet looks like a native Indian, with its dark complexion. Its representation is not of a child, but that of a young Eagle warrior belonging to the Aztec army known as soldiers of the Sun. He holds Our Lady up signifying that she is above the Angels being the Mother of God.4

Digital technology is giving new leads for understanding the mysterious eyes of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The image led millions of indigenous Indians in Mexico to convert to the Catholic faith. Results of research showed that the iris and the pupils of the image's eyes have imprinted on them a highly detailed picture of at least 13 people. The same people are present in both the left and right eyes, in different proportions, as would happen when human eyes reflect the objects before them. The reflection in the eyes of the Virgin of Guadalupe is believed to be the scene on Dec. 9, 1531, during which Juan Diego showed his tilma, with the image, to Bishop Zumárraga and others.  4

The basic image could not have been painted by human hand. As early as the 18th century, scientists showed that it was impossible to paint such an image in a fabric of that texture. The "ayate" fibers used by the Indians, in fact, deteriorate after 20 years. Yet, the image and the fabric on which it is imprinted have lasted nearly 480 years.

Richard Kuhn, the 1938 Nobel Prize winner in chemistry, found that the image did not have natural animal or mineral colorings. Given that there were no synthetic colorings in 1531, the image is inexplicable. 4

In 1979, Americans Philip Callahan and Jody B. Smith studied the image with infrared rays and discovered to their surprise that there was no trace of paint and that the fabric had not been treated with any kind of technique.

How is it possible to explain this image and its consistency ... on a fabric that has not been treated? How is it possible that, despite the fact there is no paint, the colors maintain their luminosity and brilliance? 4

The image also changes in color slightly according to the angle of viewing, a phenomenon known as iridescence, a technique that cannot be reproduced with human hands. Magnifications of the iris of the Virgin's eyes 2,500 times and, through mathematical and optical procedures, scientists were able to identify all the people imprinted in the eyes.

The eyes reflect the witnesses of the Guadalupan miracle the moment Juan Diego unfurled his tilma before the bishop.  In the eyes, it is possible to discern a seated Indian, who is looking up to the heavens; the profile of a balding, elderly man with a white beard, much like the portrait of Bishop Zumárraga painted by Miguel Cabrera to depict the miracle; and a younger man, in all probability interpreter Juan González. Also present is an Indian, likely Juan Diego, of striking features with a beard and mustache, who unfolds his own tilma before the bishop; a woman of dark complexion, possibly a Negro slave who was in the bishop's service; and a man with Spanish features who looks on pensively, stroking his beard with his hand. 4

In summary, the Virgin's eyes bear a kind of instant picture of what occurred at the moment the image was unveiled in front of the bishop.  Moreover, in the center of the pupils, on a much more reduced scale, another scene can be perceived, independent of the first. It is that of an Indian family made up of a woman, a man and several children. In the right eye, other people who are standing appear behind the woman.  It is believed to be a message kept hidden until modern technology was able to discover it just when it is needed. "This could be the case of the picture of the family in the center of the Virgin's eye," the scientist said, "at a time when the family is under serious attack in our modern world." 4

Sources1. Journeys with Mary, by Zerlina De Santis, Daughters of St. Paul, 2001

2. http://www.thenagain.info/WebChron/Americas/Cortes.CP.html, Edited by: Sara Bussema, Researched by: Erika Witowski
Written by: Turid Tangen, February 27, 1997
3. http://chuck.hubpages.com/hub/St-Juan-Diego-Cuauhtlatoatzin, by Chuck
4. Dennis Gaetano, President - Tour Director, Twin City Pilgrims