Monday, June 3, 2013

Being Pregnant and Life in General

To start out with, I'd like to say, I wasn't pregnant when I wrote my last post. Not that I knew of anyway. But I must have been mighty close. I actually thought that the messy house post was a bit older than it was. Funny. Sorry, Naomi. I guess I lied to you. :(

The truth is that when my house looks like that when I'm pregnant, I generally go into panic mode. Depression hits, etc. Because there is no end in sight. Life is extremely hard to catch up on again, between bouts of morning sickness. 

Having said that, I am so thankful for a much healthier pregnancy this time around. I learned something after being pregnant with Havilah. I made the decision to prepare for baby #3. So I did. I got on a good vitamin and started taking yellow dock religiously. Yellow dock I take for iron. I was healthy and had the energy I needed to live normal life well. Then I got pregnant and worried for a while that something was wrong. I worried because I didn't feel sick enough to be pregnant. Since then, I've been having more nausea, and the fears have been put to rest. But still, it's manageable. I am so thankful. So incredibly thankful. 

It's important to me to stay healthy, and I feel like I learned this the hard way when I was pregnant with Havilah. I realized that when I wasn't taking care of myself, then Dru became my help meet, not the other way around. I decided that that really wasn't what I wanted. Sure, there are sacrifices on both Dru and my part that come with having children. But if I am hindering Dru's ministry, and what the Lord has called him to do here in Thailand--then that is shame. 

Instead of being depressed and sad all the time, I find I'm happy. I'm proud of my children. Both of them are well on their way to being potty trained. The long nightmare of potty training Jube seems to finally be coming to an end. Havilah is quickly getting the hang of it and will soon be over the hump. So so thankful for that.

Jube was playing on the floor yesterday and talking to himself. I overheard him say something we don't say at our house. I asked him what he'd said and he immediately dissolved into tears. I hadn't scolded or anything. We'd talked about taking the Lord's name in vain before and it just slipped out. Honestly, I can't pin point where he heard it but think it must have come off of something we'd watched lately. He was heartbroken that it had happened. We prayed about it, and he felt better. After that was all over I realized that I'd rather have a child with a tender conscience about God's name, yet can't seem to figure out how to use the toilet very fast, then the other way around.

I've been enjoying watching his awareness of God grow. Today he was eating lunch and he asked, "We 'orship Jesus and not idols, right?" When I was young I had no clue what idol or spirit worship looked like. Idol worship was a very foreign concept to me. Jube knows though, he's seen it. 

Havilah threw a royal fit the other night when we stopped at DQ. Prices there have gone up a bit so Dru got ice cream to share that evening. Havilah had a conniption when she realized she would not be getting her very own cone. And now we are watching her very close in an effort to nip her little temper in the bud. 

She's talking more and more. Only words mostly, but she'll say, "There you go!" when she's solved something in her play. She likes to go "bye bye." Her word for Jube and shoe are very similar. The other day I peaked in at her napping. Her eyes were closed, but she was very insistently calling Jube. Occasionally she'll say, "I love you." I've told her not to tell me "no" a couple of times now. 

Last weekend, right when it seemed our family vacation was going to fall smack on its face, Dru found a resort with in our budget. We got out of the city for 2 nights and just did lots of playing and relaxing. We swam, used the complimentary paddle boat--only it was a swan shaped boat so it was special--and drove about the mountains and found a lovely little restaurant that served yummy food at exorbitant prices. It was all very lovely and relaxing. So glad we did it. But we didn't take one single picture--now how's that for lame?

Today Dru's back in school. He was happy to be back. I'm happy for him. 

The only fly in the ointment is the cantankerous fridge. But I told Dru I'd rather make due with ice and a cooler until we could get it fixed--even if it took till this weekend--then stress out about it and wreck his first week of school.

We're still not sure if he'll be able to finish in just this and one more semester. First he thought he could if he could test out of a couple courses--but he couldn't get the permission for those particular courses, so we thought it had fallen through. But upon looking over it again, it seems like it might be possible after all. So we don't know. As much as we'd love to finish in a years time, we just don't know if it's feasible or not. 

Dru just walked in the door, done with classes for today. He's a bit unimpressed because his teacher didn't show up for his last class. In fact, the teacher he thought was going to teach the class, isn't teaching it after all. At the very last minute they changed the teacher for that course from Adjarn Ozzie, to someone else...and she didn't show up. So A.Ozzie finally came in and said, "I'm sorry, I'm not teaching this class, can't remember who is, but since she's not here yet, wait for five more minutes and if she doesn't show up, you're free to leave." It's going to be an interesting semester by the sounds of it.  Dru's concerned that if they changed the instructor for the course at the last minute, the course may not be as good as it should be because of a lack of preparation time for instructor. 

We're doing lots of thinking right now about what lays around the bend. With Dru out of school, possibly in a year--if not, then a year and a half or so, we're thinking about the next steps. Will it be time to leave Chiang Mai for another location? We're asking questions about what my personal ministry should look like as I serve beside Dru. So many things to think and pray about right now.

That's our life. We're busy and happy. God is good.....And I need to go eat before I'm sick again... :) 



8 comments:

  1. Congratulations on the pregnancy. I learned that eating beans, just a little every meal made a big difference for me in not feeling nausea. Anyway, I'm so glad you have been feeling as well as you do!...Lily

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  2. SO exciting to hear this, Lisl!! Congratulations! I wish that I could just fly over there and give you a hug and clean your house for you. =)
    I just met your cousin today. (dear me, I forgot her name!...her mom is your Mom's cousin...Anyways, maybe if she reads this she will remind me of her name) We met in Windsor, CO at Ellerslie.

    Love you and thinking of you!
    rachelois

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  3. Hi Rachel, Wow! You must be talking about Deanne Harshbarger or Dea for short. She is my daughter. =) Sounds like you all had a wonderful time in Colorado. Dea and Josie are driving home as we speak! Dawn (Arla's cousin)

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  4. Hi Dawn... It was great meeting your daughter...and Thanks so much! It was really bugging me that I couldn't remember her name. I'll have to get her email or something. She said that she was going to be driving home... I trust that she had a safe trip!
    Yes, It was a very wonderful time!
    Rachelois

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  5. Glad you all got that figured out. Small world. Rachel you can come on over any day you like.

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  6. Congratulations! And glad you are feeling better this time! God bless you all in the decisions you need to make!

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  7. So nice that I had time to read this! Daddy brings the newsletters home, but I don't often have time online to read your blog. It's so nice to hear some of your everyday life! Glad that you're not feeling as bad this time! May the Lord be ever near you, and grant you grace and wisdom as you daily train your children! Love always, Gillian

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  8. congratualtions! i can understand what you talked about being healthy so Due can focas on ministry so to speak.. May God cont. to give you grace and peace ~ Holly Martin Benjs wife :)

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