Life Lately March

On February 13th, we found out we were expecting. It was kind of whirlwind day and we literally didn’t even have to think about it. I wasn’t surprised, but I wasn’t jumping-up-and-down thrilled. I just literally didn’t have time to think about it. We took this picture the next day and emailed it to my parents.

The following weekend, we got together with all the Hines for the winter retreat. It was a whole lot of fun and I literally had almost no pregnancy symptoms, to the point that I wasn’t allowing myself to be excited because I assumed something was wrong. We drove back on Sunday evening and stayed with Daniel and Kelly, who we also told. I still wasn’t feeling too sick or too tired or anything. I was only 5 weeks, and I felt like it was so early to be spreading the news, but we had really wanted to tell everyone in person when everyone was together.

We got home on Monday (February 22), and when I woke up on Tuesday, I was sick. So sick. Sick, sick, sick. I have been sick pretty much 24/7 since then. I remember finally doing a load of laundry and it had clothes in it from the winter retreat…3 weeks before. When I say I’m sick, I don’t mean I wake up in the morning and feel slightly ill. I mean that I am absolutely incapable of doing mundane daily tasks (like walking down the steps, doing the dishes, changing a diaper), without feeling the need to vomit.

By God’s grace, Theo and I have made it thus far. Both of our children are still alive, and neither of them have been reported as neglected. I am learning to let go of my need to always be in control, to always be successful, to always have a clean home, to always have my blog posts scheduled to go live at the right time. My kids have gone at least a week between baths, and they are still fine. I have been challenged time and again by friends and family to not complain in this time but to use it as a time of rest and refuge in the Lord.

I will admit that I have not been doing that as I should. I have not been using my “suffering” to draw closer to God and the lessons that He is wanting to teach me and the character that He is wanting to build in me through this pregnancy. In fact, I had one “prayer time” that involved me saying something along the lines of, “ok! Enough with the character building already! Just give me a break!”

Which is just a clear picture into how much character building I really have to do.

The following week we told our church Discipleship Group, and they stepped up and have been helping us out whenever they can. It’s been such a blessing, and I find it even more humbling after that little prayer episode I had with the Lord.

I started taking some prescription meds, and those have helped curb the nausea quite well. The only problem is that they make me SO. DROWSY. Drowsy isn’t the word. I should say “drugged”. They make me so drugged. I would physically have to pry my eyeballs open to counteract the effect of those little buggers! But, each morning I take one…because I would rather be exhausted than nauseas any day.

On Friday morning, I woke up and actually felt a little bit hungry. I ate an egg. For the first time in weeks. I then felt almost “normal” all day until the evening, when it really hit me hard. Repeat the same on Saturday. And Sunday.

Today we woke up to the sound of Little Miss puking. And puking. And puking. It was bad. At first we thought maybe she had just choked or it was a fluke, but after feeding her a few more ounces and repeating the same scenario, we realized that the stomach bug had come upon our home. For the first time…ever. Poor Little Miss has been miserable all day, and is barely keeping down anything. We are watching her like a hawk and so far she is just miserable, not in need of fluids. She’s slept about 6 hours today…which is UNHEARD of with this child. We quarantined her and kept Tera away from her, but a few hours later Tera also succumbed and we now have two pukers who don’t know that puke is coming…lovely, I know. I’m 6 loads of laundry in, and just hoping and praying that it’s a quick little bug.

Anyways, I just wanted to update this old blog and give you a heads up on our life lately. It’s not very exciting, and I frankly don’t have the energy to do anything more than survive at the moment. I’d like to get back to blogging, and I’d also really like to step back and re-evaluate when and what I’m going to be posting on this blog. I’d like to mainly post things that I enjoy writing about, and step back from having so many scheduled posts. That being said, I will be continuing with  the shop features and the outside the frame link-up. I will also be starting up some sort of pregnancy updates, and I’ve really enjoyed doing the monthly book review. Other than that, I really hope to have more posts coming straight from the heart. I will slowwwwwly be easing back into blogging, so don’t expect much from me in the next few days/weeks.

We would so appreciate your prayers that I would be able to feel much better soon, and also that this stomach bug would pass through really quickly. I’d appreciate your prayers for a renewed heart of contentment and the wisdom to know where to put my very lacking energy. I’d appreciate that you pray for my sweet girls and husband who have had so much patience and who have done so much in the past few weeks to make up for my inability to! I am thankful for them, and I am thankful for this healthy baby.