Spring is here!

About this time last year we were here (New Zealand) with some wonderful friends. We actually just found out that these wonderful friends are pregnant too and just a week or two behind us! It's so funny how things work out because many of my gal friends here are pregnant for the first time and we are all due about the same time. Our first year here we joked about all getting pregnant together... and now we are (except a few special ladies who got a head start... which is good b/c when I visit them in the hospital and see their bundles of joy I am given fresh perspective about what is really going on... it is truly amazing). Well, before we ever moved here to go to Seminary we had some wonderful friends back in Texas... a little group of us all got married in the same year and I became good friends with those ladies and WE joked about getting preggers together and now two of us are as well! I couldn't be more thrilled... we will have lots of options when betrothing our child! =)
Speaking of babies, two very special ladies in my blog roll just delivered... "my mentor" Courtney pushed out her fourth (third daughter and fourth under 4) in the hospital bathroom in 2 pushes on Sunday (Happy Easter) and then my dear friend Maggie had her first born Sheph. just yesterday morning. Both are extremely cute and you can probably get a peek of them on their respective blogs. It seriously makes me giddy to see these new children come into the world. Especially holding Maggie's baby yesterday it was amazing to me to think that just that morning her life was completely different. It's amazing how in the womb mothers (via God's amazing hand) are able to make organs and fat rolls and tongues and all that... it is simply amazing to be there the day of the birth... it's so real that all that was in her tummy... AMAZING. I can't get over it. I probably over stayed my welcome b/c I just wanted to hold that baby forever and take in all the wonder. Plus, both of these ladies looked beautiful and NOT like they had just had a baby!
On to the update. The past two weeks have been sort of a blur of stress and activity. I continued my affair with the coffee shop and passion fruit tea to finish up my research project and I am happy to say I finished it on time and still got to bed by 11pm the night before. It wasn't my best piece of work but I was glad to just have it over with.
I actually got right down to the wire because my dear friend and mentor Courtney started having contractions on Friday, so I stuck around her house to see if anything would happen (negative), then I threw her a shower on Saturday and then she was kind enough to give me her stomach bug and so then I spent all day Sunday throwing my guts up (Happy Easter again!).
If you know me very well you will know that I am passionate about NOT throwing up. I would rather have the runs for weeks on end than throw up one time. I am not one of those people who thinks you will feel better after throwing up... it is just not ever worth it to me. So at 4am Sunday when I felt the urge I just laid very still in bed hoping it would go away. Then at 6 I got up to see if a bathroom break would help and before I could take a step it was over. Our room was pitch black and luckily I had the trash can close by. Upon further inspection it was simply my dinner back for a visit... it didn't look at all like throw up... just tomatoes, spinach and black beans from my taco salad the night before. lovely.
I thought that would be the end of it, but oh no. For the next 8ish hours I threw up every hour plus a few other pleasant things that happened. I got to experience what a variety of things taste like coming back up and by far the winner is blue gatorade. In fact, it tasted just like gatorade even the second time around and still had a nice blue color. lovely.
We finally broke down and called my ob, who is a friend from church, and she let me take some phennergen (no clue how to spell this!). For all of you who hate throwing up as much as me... this stuff is AMAZING. I kept it down for 20 minutes and then threw it right back up and yet it still worked. It knocked me out within 30 minutes and I didn't throw up the rest of the day. I slept from about 1pm until 7 or so the next morning with only a few wake up calls. The next day I was still a little woozy but was able to go see baby Bell and eat some McAlisters... did you know they serve Mac and Cheese now.. umm... that is fantastic! I had a greek salad pita with mac and cheese... great combo.
Then next 24 hours after that are a blur of paper mania but I got it all done. Wednesday we had church, Thursday we had friends for dinner (taco salad stayed down this time...whew) and needless to say, I am so thankful for this Friday where I can catch up on my "to do" list, eat lunch with the hubby, go for a walk and visit all the beautiful babies! Then tonight is our CG girl's night! woo hoo.
So, that's the update. I go to the doctor again a week from today for a routine check and then the next visit in May we get to find out the gender! Between here and there are wedding, a beloved sister's graduation, another wedding and many house repairs! Stay tuned!