Rainy season

It has been raining here for 5 weeks nonstop. So much rain definitely changes things. The roads are bad, the people a little more irritable, and life is just a lot more gray. Our house is full of mildew and mice, and lots of water when the rain is hard. This time of year definitely makes us appreciate the sunshine and we can't wait for this season to end in a few weeks. I think everyone in our area are ready for some sunshine!

Even though rainy season is rough here in the mountains, I can't say enough how thankful I am that we don't have misquitos! Dengue fever is horrible this year in this country and so many are affected by it. I am a magnet for misquitos and I feel so blessed to have one less thing to worry about with this little one.

Dreams

I'm sure this doesn't come as a surprise to most, but I am a HUGE dreamer! I always have some outlandish dream for my life and make plans surrounding this big dream. Since college, my dream was to live overseas. I would find a way to "change the world". Wasn't quite sure how that was going to happen, but I tried to plan my life around this dream. I met a man who shared this dream and married him. I went to school to fulfill this dream.

Now I live the dream. I love what we do. I am passionate about it, fulfilled by it, excited about it! Perhaps I am not "changing the world" but definitely feel that I am making a difference. I do have a fear that when I have children, it will mess up this dream. I fear that my focus will become my kids and I will no longer focus on the world around me. I will be changing the world for my kids, but this dream has always seemed so small. I pray that as the Lord enlarges our family, he will enlarge my dreams. He will continue to use me to make a difference in the lives of others here where I live. I hope that I will not find myself "stuck" at home while Levi gets to go and do all that WE are passionate about.

We have been pushing real hard since I've been pregnant to continue the lifestyle so that I won't find it easy to stay at home. This has been awesome but now the rain and the apple trucks have washed out the roads and 8 hours on really rough roads makes me miserable. Both ways I ended the trip sick as a dog and that is when we knew that I would not be doing this again until after the baby comes. How hard it is to realize that I have no choice but to stop for this time. How afraid I am that I may be home for longer than my heart desires!

Here are some pics from the land that we have come to love:

end of 22 weeks!

I think I look pretty fat in this picture, but I guess I better get used to that! We are feeling the baby move all the time now and it is pretty awesome. My mom in law sent me some great pants, tights and a shirt that is too cute. I'm wearing the jeans here. Thanks so much! We are home now and are in a major battle with the mold (more to come later). So glad to be home! I'll write more later this week, just thought you might want to see this belly as it had a big growth spurt the past few weeks!

Levi is so funny as a future daddy! He loves it and has to mess with my belly almost every night. Pretty fun times!

18 Weeks!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 18 weeks

Total Weight Gain/Loss: not as fat as I look in this picture!

Maternity Clothes: Most clothes I wear these days feel like maternity clothes anyway! wear lots of work out pants under my long shirts

Best Moment this week: seeing the baby in an ultrasound. Awesome!

Gender: No Idea! (but we think it is a boy!)

Movement: None

Food Craving: tomatoes

What I miss:sleeping well

Sleep: struggling with the sleeping on my side idea.

What I am looking forward to: getting the bedrooms painted

Belly Button: In

Symptoms: still get tired, some motion sickness, and I can finally feel this little one move!

2nd Ultrasound

We went to the hospital and got our second ultrasound. Much different than the 1st! We were able to see the little legs and arms move, he turned over again and again, and then he yawned for us! They showed us the whole body and we really think it is a boy. In a few months we will go to Thailand and then we will know for sure. We are now 18 weeks and I can finally feel the baby moving. It is so much fun. Levi just sits and talks to it all the time. He has to tell it that we live in India like every day. I guess he doesn't want the baby to have culture shock!

village stays

Levi and I have this fear that a baby coming will mean that I can no longer travel. So, in order to prevent that, we are committing to traveling when it is hard. I was 17 months pregnant and we headed to the villages.
    To get to the first one we drove 8 hours, then down a road that reminded me of the sandpit by our house. It had huge ruts in the road and was a very rough drive. I had to stick a pillow between the seat belt and my belly! After the drive, we had to walk down the mountain and back up a mountain to this house made of stone and mud. There was no running water and the bathroom was the field outside! The second village was even worse because the room they gave for us (they slept outside) had at least 4 mice in it...(that is because I counted them!) they told us their kids had Jondis (I know, I thought babies only got that too, but their skin was yellow!) and a head full of lice. Their bathroom was in a field and the ladies had to escort me and shine the light on me the whole time I was using it! Oh my!
     Needless to say, by the 4th or 5th day I found myself very irritable and moody. After a shower, I was glad that I went. I do see how difficult it will be. I worried a lot about this little one's health in my belly. I can't imagine how much I will worry when it comes to join us!

    Here are some pics from the village. This is the kitchen. They have a gas stove but only use it for breakfast and chai.

This is the stove they use for all other meals. They put wood in and cook out of both holes.

This is where they store the veggies and rice.

The house

mama and baby goat. Levi loves these

Corn field. Not in rows, just utter chaos. Levi says it is because they don't use any protection against bugs, ect. so lots of the corn dies

15 weeks and first baby gift!

We got our first little baby gift in the mail yesterday! My brother's girlfriend Tara sent us a package with the "essentials". She came to visit us about a month ago and decided she knew what we needed so we got cookie mixes, pasta mixes, a melon carver and the cutest little shoes ever! I can't wait until this little one comes to put them on him/her! I haven't gotten excited about this little one yet. We've been so busy thinking about a name, how our lives are about to change, and how we are going to travel with this new addition to our lives. But, thanks to this little gift, I found myself carrying them around all day and put them in the closet we have emptied for this little one that is about to change our lives! Thanks Tara for being so thoughtful! Little did you know how much it would mean to us!

They are little Ole Miss shoes! I just love them!

One day this sad little closet will be full of happies for this new little baby we are waiting on!



Oh, I'm 15 weeks, went to the doctor last week and it was a waste of time because I didn't bring my passport and they won't do an ultrasound without it because of the law that they can't tell the baby's sex. Apparently it is so intense that you have to have a photo id. Oh Well! I got lots of funny advice and will return in 2 weeks. Making that special 8 hour trip won't be fun, but we will reward ourselves with some good western food and it will be worth it!