"It's a little bit funny... this feeling inside..."

I felt the baby move last night!! There was NO DENYING IT! CT was playing the guitar and I was sitting on the couch looking at pics of my niece and nephews and I felt it- 2 kicks to the left. I grabbed my belly and said "Chris, I think I just felt the baby move." He sat there paralyzed smiling at me. "Well, try to feel it again!" I said "I'm trying" so I unbuttoned my tight jeans to give him/her a little more room. There it was again several flutters more to the right. :) Definitely NOT gas.

SUCH A COOL FEELING!!

I told Chris that now I want to feel it ALL the time. But today I have a dodgy stomach so he/she is being quiet as a little mouse, trying not to disturb Mama. Must be a girl...

Proud Pet Owners...

(If you haven't checked out the ministry blog- you should. k?)

Just a few shots from our crazy Christmas with 20 kids and 6 adults. :)

We were so proud of our pets they did not bite or scratch any child. They didn't mind one bit that their ears were pulled 24/7, that they were flipped upside down and inside out, or that they were hugged, squeezed, and kissed non stop. GOOD dogs, GOOD kitty!

Carter reading to Lana- I actually think she was interrested...

Katie carrying around the "Tiddy Tat"- it was hilarious...
Megan was found constantly with Wallace and the cat. They were always arm in arm... or... paw in arm. Whatever. Becky took this of them laying in the doorway to the kitchen (Wallace's favorite place)
Here she is again- the animal whisperer. I laughed so much at Megan and these animals. They were all inseparable.

I wish I had gotten the first part of this on video, but I wasn't fast enough. Kate is saying "Wallace- bite my fingers" over and over. Before the I got the camera she was on top of him like she was going to kiss him in the face, but he was pushing her with his paws. Sorry I missed it. TOO FUNNY!

Boys, Carols, Baby and Tree

Soooooo

Needing to post some new pics of our boys.

This week the International Criminal Court released the 6 names of individuals involved in the post election violence in Dec 2008/Jan 2009. It was a big deal. No one knew if the "followers" of some of these individuals (some wanted to run for president and some were Members of parliament) were going to break out into more violence b/c of their names being released. I'm happy to say that all is well. Even up country in the home areas of some of these individuals no fighting broke out that we know of.

Everyone huddled around the radio to find out the names...

Well... all except this silly boys who went to fetch a pale of water

Those boys make me wet myself. They are so funny!

Want to know something so sweet? Wednesday CT and I went to spend some much needed time with the boys. We played soccer for a while until Chris needed to go have a meeting with Meshack. Since we were loosing a key member of the game we switched games to something like "monkey in the middle"- we make a circle and one person is in the middle. The middle man has to do a lot of running trying to get the ball from those passing it on the outside. The boys were so sweet. They absolutely would NOT let me be in the middle. They didn't want me running around or possibly getting hit. They are so protective of me! Isn't that tender? I surely thought so. Mama always cooks extra beans to send home with me. She says they will make the baby "strong". Well, I dunno about the baby, but they'll make something strong. ;)

This was our carols by candlelight at the Karen Blixen Museum. It was another outreach opportunity through our church. It was a huge hit and it REALLY felt like Christmas. Everyone brought a picnic dinner and we sang carols. It was so fun!! Can you see the Ngong Hills in the background? Gorgeous Huh? Yea... we live here. :)

The cute Kenyan girl with the blondish hair is my friend Peace and that is her bald husband. She's pregnant too. But she's way ahead of me. Due in Feb... but our babies still kiss. teheh!! We LOVE them- they're also in our home group... till they have their baby- then I bet they'll be drop outs.

I told Chris he should start taking a pic of Wallace and I every 2 weeks. Since we are growing together. This is us at almost 4 months. He's just a week or so over and I'm less than 1 week under. I think he's already gained a good 15 or so since we got him. I surely cannot pick him up any more. (Can I just say, once again, that my bump is not nearly as HUGE as it looks in this pic.)

Baby like chocolate! I promise I've not been eating like this. I've been a good girl craving veggies like mad. I've actually not had much of a taste for chocolate.... until yesterday. Some new people in our home group are from Holland and they brought me some chocolate. It was amazing. And CT has been saving these M&M's Jess sent for "just the right time".

He thought it was funny that we were sitting around eating chocolate and my belly was popping out of my shirt. He found it a photo opportunity.

Our little African Christmas Tree. It's cute here, but wait till you see it's makeover the boys gave it... when it's finished.

14 Weeks, Ultrasound and Vacation!

Here is your 14 week shot. It was only appropriate to do it at the coast in my swim suit!

I wanted to update with the US pics, but I just ran out of time. I had a sick dog Friday who had tick fever and we were trying hard to tie up loose ends and pack so I just didn't get it done. So here you are! Our Lil' bug actually looks like a baby rather than a dot or a blob! We were like chester cats the entire time. It was just so cool seeing him/her moving around kicking me and stuff. It seemed so surreal that I could see this baby on the screen and he was pointing the device at MY tummy so therefore it really was OUR baby!! Sometimes I think to myself "Am I really pregnant?" But then I say to myself "Self, if you weren't pregnant you've been missing a key part of womanhood for the past 4 months." Any way- I just felt like since I could see this baby moving around and kicking me, that I should be able to feel it, but I guess I have a few more weeks. I can't wait to feel it. I just wish CT and I could BOTH feel it for the first time together. Once I feel it, I have to wait several more weeks before he can :(

So here are your pics, this first one is for Ma, she would have wanted to be there so this is our attempt.

Sorry but those look like some chicken legs on the left!

OUR BABY HAS A BRAIN!! YAY!! Now, I know they MUST take after their Father!
This is my favorite. Us Rollins/Chandlers have a problem of no butt and/or no hips so sometimes our pants come down. I love this b/c this baby has a proper Rollins/Chandler crack showing. It just makes me laugh every time I look at it!

Now for the vacation pics. As I said before we didn't end up in Zanzibar due to the crazy cost of the flights. They were $600 more per person than we had originally found. Who knows why, but we did NOT care. Watamu near Malindi was AMAZING! We went snorkeling, Kayaking, swimming and we ate... a lot. We ate LOTS of seafood which you just don't get in Nairobi.

We played volleyball, water polo, we read, napped in the sun, walked on the beach, CT and I worked out together one morning and went running on the beach. Then jumped in the pool. I mean how often does one get to jump in a nice cool pool after working out and getting sweaty? Bottom line, we had a blast. We figured out that we hadn't been on a week long vacation in 3 years. Last one was to Florida with Matt and Beth when she was pregnant with Levi.

Despite all our car issues we finally made it to Watamu after 13 hours of driving. We had to pull over every 10-20 minutes when the car started to overheat and put more water in it. Su and I had to make use of these stop and climb into the bushes for our potty breaks. Somehow I managed to get a thorn bush stuck UP my dress. Yea- ouch. These stops made for some good laughter amid our frustrations with the car. We stopped 1/2 way at Voi Wildlife lodge in order to split up the trip. Gooooood choice!

At Voi

Mark and Su at Voi checking out thr hippo.

we saw a ton of eels

This coral is a brownish color but as soon as you touch it, it turns a whitish-gray.

This is a "sea cucumber" and a baby crab.

The "cucumber" did not feel or look anything like a cucumber. It felt more like... well you just look at it and figure it out yourself!

Sea urchins!!

I just think my man is the CUTEST!

Hims with Hims GIGANTIC prawn. This coast-raised boy was in seafood heaven!!

We found this sign on the side of a building to be quite funny.

Mark and Su, also happy about their seafood

So glad we went with friends!

on our island where we saw our first african kill. An octopus came up and ate a crab. It was awesome!

This is where we ate dinner every night:)

CT bought a delicious Tuna! It's massive, huh?

We went to a snake show and learned so much. This lady is "milking" a puff adder!

okay- thats all i've got in me. i'm starting to fall asleep typing...

HAPPY 12 weeks of THANKSGIVING!

I love how my friends and family are all writing us and saying things like "Isn't this the best (blank) ever?" Now, they are cursing. Instead fill in the blank with any of the following: Halloween, Birthday, or Thanksgiving- beacuse they have said them all.

I am sooooo thankful for my amazing Mom who was willing to take the risk involved with mailing something over here to me. She was sneaky about it and very clever. Know what she sent me? A BELLY BAND!!! I LOVE IT! I've worn it since the moment I opened the card up. It's not that my pants won't button, it's that they are very uncomfortable if I do. So now I can just choose not to. I feel like I'm in that awkward stage right now. My belly is poking out, but it just looks like a have a beer belly or something. I try not to wear tight clothes and shirts anyway, but that is getting harder. I don't know, I just feel like my cotton short sleeve shirts are just CLINGING for dear life to my belly. I'm ready for this to be a little more obvious to someone who might not know me. :) My friends mom is in town from Wales and she told me the other day "Wow- you're poking out even further than you were the other day when I saw you." It's true. There's no denying it. It looks much bigger than it did 2 weeks ago.

I'm not so ravenous any more either. I probably could have skipped right over lunch today, but the left over broccoli casserole was just too enticing. And I wasn't even all that into breakfast. To be honest, I'm really glad. I tried to explain my hunger to Chris. As soon as hunger struck it was this all consuming constant drive "MUST EAT EVERYTHING RIGHT NOW." If I didn't have food on me, it was all I could think about. I could not even concentrate on something someone was telling me if I was hungry. I don't think Chris knew what to do with me.

So no real cravings other than a cheeseburger from Mcdonalds. Hopefully our precious Welsh friends will bring me one back after Christmas. I REALLY want one. :) I feel good... no... i feel great. Still been a tiny bit tired, but I just get up around 7 or 7:30 then go back to sleep reading my bible at about 8. I know.... loser, right? This morning I did without my nap. Mainly b/c I didn't have time. I was helping with Christmas party and food distribution for some really poor children in the Dageretti area. It was so fun. I hope to blog on it if I can get some pics from a lady at church this week.

Next week, probably Wednesday-ish, we will go for another Ultrasound. :) I'm so ready. So is Chris. He said "So we'll get to find out the sex?" "No babe, not yet." "He said "oh yea. Not until 22 weeks?" Isn't he precious. You guys, he is SO excited about this baby. He came to me this week and said he's extra thankful for me and that he can't wait to be a family. Just to sit around the house with HIS family.

What else? Oh- Zanzibar is a "no-go." Our plane tickets we thought were going to be $100 ended up being over $700. Instead we will just drive to Malindi ourselves. It's quite the drive. It's actually only about 7-8 hours, but the driving here is... well.... stressful for the fellas. So will stop at a wildlife lodge on the way there to spend one night. We will stay in a nifty tent that has a pool just in front of it. Sounds cool anyway. I don't even care where we go! I just want to get away with my man!! We leave December 5th.

Okay- now for the big-o-beer-belly pic:

brace yourselves kids...

I only wish I could make this picture smaller! Its bigger than you thought huh? Yea- go compare it to last weeks... okay- I'll make it easier for you:

I mean it looks likes I'm sucking in compared to the picture above! I think I did take this picture after I had vomited, but still.

Sorry, I just can't get over this change. Can you tell? I just didn't think I would "show". I'm not exactly the skinnest thing ever ya know.

Alright- Hope you enjoyed week 12. Stay tuned for pics of baby at 13 weeks. :) As soon as I get the report and pics I will post them. They don't just hand them to you like they do in the states. You have to wait a few days. :(

10 Weeks and the immense importance of a hair tie...

I read something about being able to sigh a bit of relief on week 10. I know it’s no week 12, but hey- it’s pretty close.

This week I’ve been feeling well, but have not run… at all…not it 1 week. NOT even exercised inside. I’m feeling guilty about that. It’s not like I can blame it on feeling weak or b/c I was hovering the commode. But I can blame it a tinsy bit on the rain… the running that is. Ultimately, it comes down to laziness. I’ve been really lazy and slack. But I’m going to at least go walking today. I’m not going to run b/c I had an interesting night last night.

I got up out of bed b/c my stomach was really hurting about 2am. I headed to the bathroom and after some really bad some pains I quickly realize I’m going to need a hair tie b/c I’m going to throw up. So I get up and walk to the dresser in our room but get REALLY light headed. At first grab I didn’t feel a hair tie so I just remember saying “Chris”. By that time I had turned and headed back to the bathroom. It’s not uncommon for me to have a syncopal episode when I have this middle of the night stomach issues. I remember thinking “Lindy, you don’t want to pass out from 5’7”.” So I remember crouching and made it just to the tile floor and that was it. I woke up cold and clammy probably not even 10 seconds later b/c I still needed to barf. By that time my panicked husband is just behind me watching me crawl to the toilet. Not sure what he said to me but I just kept saying “Hair tie! Hair tie!” Bless his little heart he went and found one and came and tied my nasty wet hair back. Between my heaving I realize I’m going to need a switch up and a plastic bag b/c ALL of our trashcans have holes in them… don’t ask me why. So I call for Chris. No answer. Bless him, I knew where he went- downstairs to get water. He always gets me water as if maybe one day I'll actually take a sip. He just doesn’t know what to do, but wants so bad to help. So I told him afterwards “cold-wet washcloth, hair tie, trashcan without holes”. I think that’s why at 28 I still want my Mom when I’m sick. She just knows exactly what I want. And she always used to say “Bless your heart, sweetie.” I think that was my favorite part. But I have every confidence in my hubby now that he will be able to get me those 3 things next time… and probably even add a glass of water.

He told me that I really freaked him out b/c I said his name and then didn’t respond and he couldn’t see me anywhere. Golly- it makes me laugh now, but I’m sure gave him a scare.

I’ve passed out before (on a few occasions) and darn it if I didn’t hit my head on the tub every single time. Not this time though! Why is it that people feel the need to put the tub RIGHT next to the toilet every place I’ve lived? College apartment, House in T-ville, even in Kenya! If we ever build I’m putting the tub across the bathroom and putting in a soft palate just next to the commode. J

Sorry if that was far too graphic. My sister-in-law and brothers’ family just had a really nasty stomach bug. I bet Beth is going “Lindy, was it really necessary that you tell us all that? Get over it!” Nah- she’s too sweet for that. She had a 2 year old and 7month old throwing up. Mine was no stomach bug. If I eat a bad combo of foods this happens to me. I had a fairly big lebanese lunch yesterday so I wasn't hungry for dinner. Instead Chris suggested we have a "dessert dinner" with Mark and Su. So I had apple crisp, ice cream, a glass of milk, and my first cup of coffee (Nespresso) in 4 weeks. (I had high hopes it would help me with my peristalsis issue! :) Bad combo apparently.

Now, let's talk about hair ties. Not only are they incredibly useful for holding hair back during a barf fest, but they are AMAZING for when your pants are just a bit too tight. Not tight enough to wear maternity pants, but super uncomfortable when you sit down. Ahhhh- hair ties. They are indeed a life saver. Thankfully my friend Su reminded me that I could use one to go through my button hole and wrap around my button. It worked nicely for church Sunday. I was much more comfy. My hair ties are probably going to get awfully stretched out. My maternity clothes Mom bought don't get here until I'm about 18-19 weeks pregnant. That's when our next team comes. I might have to break down and go to woolworths to buy a belly band (2 for $16) before our vacation in a few weeks. Vacation? Oh yea. That's right. We're going on our first ever in Kenya, for real, week long- VACATION!!! Thrilled doesn't even begin to express how excited I am. Some amazing donors to our ministry donated money JUST for the Thompson Trio. So we're going on a baby moon... if thats what you would call it. We were originally going to try and get to Sudan in December before their referendum, but since I'm prego now, we figured it would be a bad idea for me to contract some weirdo disease right now. Maybe next year... or the next. We're going on vaca with our friends Mark and Su from Wales to cut down on the cost. That means amazing vacation to ZANZIBAR AND we still have money left over for baby expenses. I just can't tell you how humbled we are that someone would bless us with such a gift. Chris' Dad also gave us some money so we can almost pay for the delivery now!! (well, I'll find out the cost soon, but I think we are close) We weren't sure what we were going to do at first b/c we spent all our $ on the adoptions, but wouldn't you know God is coming through! WHEN WILL I EVER LEARN!?????

PS- my mom corrected me. I thought I was counting on Sundays, but it's actually Fridays, so I was thrilled to learn that i was 2 days further than I thought! Whoopie!

Oh- and the new puppy is here and i just LOVE HIM. Here are pics you people have asked for!

Snuggletons with CT

I know... at 10 weeks 3 days probably not going to see much except gas...but why are my pants so uncomfortable? oh yea, gas. I see Mr. Pudgy for sure.... er it could be my cheesy bugles. :(

Last but certainly NOT least- a few pics of ZANZIBAR!!

Oh I hope we get to do this!!!!

and stay here:

and ride in one of these!

9 weeks...

Today (Sunday) I am 9 weeks and thrilled about it. Every morning I've thanked God for adding another day to our baby's life.

Just wanted to Journal the happenings of this pregnancy.

Last week I was craving cheese like crazy. Here is a picture of the things I bought at the store last week. I got really excited b/c you can't exactly get ritz cheese crackers and cheesy bugles here all the time. I like to think God put those there just for me and my lil' bug. And- the best part is I didn't have to pay an arm and a leg for them... I think he did that for me as well. :) When the guy at the grocery was packing my bags for me, I wanted to say "Please can you hurry up. I have GOT to get into those Bugles." Fortunately I did not and had enough self control to wait until I got to the car. I asked CT to go back and get 2 more bags for me. :)

I have over 2lbs of Rice crispies too! Those are normally about $9.40, but I found them for $2.80 per box. Talk about excited. I wish I had gotten more!

I've been a very good girl- eating my carrot sticks instead of too much junk food and have been completely off caffeine since the day I found out. That hasn't been hard. I've gone from loving coffee and never missing a single morning to despising it. I have not been able to STAND the smell of coffee. I think this is so bazaar for me to go from loving to hating coffee. I can tell it's getting better though- I can tolerate the smell a bit better, but have no desire to drink it or any other hot drink. My nausea is much better. It's just when my blood sugar gets low (some mornings) I get a bit nauseous, but nothing to write home about.

Without going into detail- the symptom that is probably the most difficult for me is my "system slowing down" and MAJOR bloating. I look 4 months pregnant b/c of the air that fills my belly. My clothes are getting tighter just b/c of this. I'm uncomfortable in my most of my normal jeans. I was in my Weekend Excursion T-shirt the other day and a friend of mine said "I guess you won't be wearing that shirt must longer, huh?" I looked down. Big ol' belly. Nope... guess not. I weighed myself the day I found out and I haven't gained a pound. So why is my belly so massive??! yikes. I'd rather know it was massive b/c the baby is just getting that big. I can't drink a soda to save my life. I know I'll soon pay for it if I choose to. Fine by me, water is my BFF. I'm NOT complaining though. Just want to make that clear. CT will say "Sorry you are so uncomfortable... " I say "Well, I'm not."

Okay, so the best part about this post is that my best buddy over here, Helen Clarke, is PREGNANT! We are within about 3 weeks of one another. She just cried at church this morning telling me how excited she was that we were doing this together for the first time. We're both struggling in this first 12 weeks with trusting God completely. We're just scared about some different things going on with our bodies. She had some very unusual pain before she found out she was pregnant, so when she found out it scared her and she wouldn't let herself get excited. She went to the MD and she is going for a scan on Thursday to check for fetal viability. She's pretty worked up. She hasn't had any symptoms of pregnancy.

This morning I woke up praying that she would be nauseous. I read that it is a GOOD sign in your pregnancy- so that's what I prayed for. I talked to her at church and she said this morning was the first morning she had nausea! She said she barely could choke down a bowl of cereal. :) YAY GOD!! When I told her what I prayed for she sort of thanked me, but asked me not to pray that anymore. hahaa!

I have plans to get together with 2 friends here who recently went through natural childbirth at the same hospital where we'll be delivering. I just want to feel every part of this possible. I've NEVER had a narcotic (that I remember). Only when I had my wisdom teeth out, but that just comes with the package and I don't remember a thing due to the hypnotic. I think I'm a total weenie and I'm kinda scared that I won't be able to handle it, but I'm keeping an open mind and I'm still making myself run. I REALLY don't feel like it some days, but I read about how great it is for you for many reasons, one being labor. Plus there are WAY more woman in this world that do it without drugs than with. So I'm hoping I can do it Eve's way. Plus... I mean it was our punishment after all.

RECAP:

9weeks

Cravings: stewed zucchini, squash and onions. I pretty much just LOVE ALL FOOD! It tastes better than ever right now. Can't eat quite as much though. I prefer several a ton of smaller meals.

Symptoms: fatigue, hunger

Gross stuff: hot drinks. Almost barfed drinking hot water for my "slow system" Friday.

8 weeks

Cravings: cheesy ritz, cheesy bugles, yoghurt (dairy)

Symptoms: Constant hunger, occasional nausea, fatigue

Gross stuff: hot drinks, the dog/cat food

7 weeks

Cravings: nothing

Symptoms: nausea, extreme fatigue and weird vivid dreams (about being a "good" vampire and carrying my naked friends around b/c I had wings to carry them place to place)

Gross stuff: coffee, hot drinks, ANY FOOD!

About lil' bug:

By now, most of the aspects of lil' bug's physical structure, such as head, arms, legs, and torso are in place. If I were to peek in on our little one, you'd find he/she resembles a miniature human being (one with a very large head!). Because lil' bug's organs and limbs are forming, in the next few weeks, he/she will be putting on weight. Right now it is about an inch long, but by next week the baby will be the size of a lime. The little "tail" should have disappeared by now, and it's organs and muscles should be functioning on their own.

This week his/ her eyelids will fuse shut and won't open up again until about 27 weeks along. The face is becoming more distinct every day, with the mouth, nose and nostrils becoming clearly visible. By nine weeks, our lil' bug will even have developed sex organs!!!

Our baby's heart should have divided into four separate chambers now.

This is just so COOL!

"...the riches of God's Grace He lavished upon us"

So by now, maybe you have figured it out. Don’t make me spell it out for you…

Okay… well… I will anyway, just b/c I LOVE SAYING IT.

I A.M. P.R.E.G.N.A.N.T. !!!

We had to wait until November 3rd to really spill the beans b/c we wanted to be able to tell at least ONE family member in person. CHRIS’ DAD is HERE!! And Ms. Jenny too, she’s like family. They arrived last night.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUTCH! J Seriously. His b-day is on the 4^th. But we couldn’t wait that long to hand him the ultrasound pics of his newest grandbaby! CT gave him the “folder” with our pictures in it and asked him if he could help us figure out why I had been so sick. He thought I had a tumor at first, poor guy. I think he looked at the pic of my ovaries first. Then he got SO excited. I think he was also just really glad that there wasn’t anything seriously wrong with me. I think we all hugged like 8 times each. It was SO GREAT getting to tell a family member in person.

So I wanted to tell you the whole story, for those who care. WARNING: THIS IS REALLY REALLY LONG, but I cannot help it. I want to record it all! Here goes:

I went on a church retreat the weekend of the Oct 16^th. It was an awesome time learning more about Nehemiah, however, I brought back with me a stomach “bug” of sorts. Over 22 people got this “bug” which consisted of diarrhea and for me a side of nausea and serious fatigue. I was averaging 2 naps a day. This is a girl who does not allow herself to nap (except on the Sabbath of course). I feel like all I accomplished that whole week was all The Price Is Right episodes got watched along with the episodes of Modern Family Graig and Sara sent over. Finished all of them. This too, comes from a girl who DOES NOT watch TV. We have a TV but I’m not sure why b/c we don’t have cable and IF we watch a movie it’s on the computer or big screen. I was very glad that we sprung and bought The Best of Price is Right for $2 when some friends were leaving.

Okay, back on track- feeling yuck. Right. I thought, “If I could just throw up I would feel better.” But I never did. Friday I told Chris “I wonder if I could be pregnant. He sort of ignored that. He wasn’t interested in entertaining the thought. So I told him to stop in Karen and I would go by the Chemist (aka Pharmacy). CT went to check the mail. I got my 2 tests for 40ksh (yea- 2 tests for 50¢!) I went into the nearby restaurant to use their bathroom. Well, I guess in my zeal I TOTALLY over-dipped my stick. So, of course, it was invalid… just a big blur. Darn. Wasted a quarter! I was disappointed, and apparently thought nothing of it. B/c I didn’t take the 2^nd one. I thought, “I’ll just wait and take this other one in a few days” rather than wasting another quarter. Haha. I really DIDN’T think it would ever actually be positive.

Friday night we had a storm and our power went out so some friends that live close by called and said “We’re coming to get you since we can’t make dinner.” We gladly took them up on the offer. So here we were 3 couples sitting around shooting the breeze at my favorite pizza place; girls at one end, boys at the other. They ask about my “stomach bug” so of course I go into the whole thing…with details…again. What? I’m a nurse. My friend Sandra said “You said you were a few days late, so how many days is that?” I said “20”. She yells out “WHAT??” It felt like the whole restaurant heard her and got quiet- I KNOW I turned 3 shades of red. All our men stopped in mid convo and were looking at us. I begged them to carry on and NOT ask questions. She told me to take the other one in the morning and she would call me. “Oh Sandra, don’t be so silly.”

The next morning I woke up and rolled around a bit then went to take my test. I thought, “let me just get this over with, have another good cry and move on with life.” I dipped according to the directions this time and immediately it was 2 stripes! What?? I’ve never had 2 stripes!!!! NEVER, NEVER, NEVER! So I went and basically waved my urine in Chris’ face waking him up saying “I’ve never had 2 stripes. Does it REALLY have 2 stripes?” I think I starred at it forever. Chris just said “ hmmm, well lets wait to get excited until we go to the doctor at 9:30. Fooey. Could I wait an hour and a half? And why do you have to be a stick in the mud? BUT IT’s 2 STRIPES!! (Oh right… b/c you can’t take any more disappointment. Poor fella. He’s so precious. I think he was trying to guard both our hearts. But it was a bit late. I was already making banana, walnut, cinnamon pancakes dancing around the kitchen listening to Jack Johnson sing about Banana Pancakes)

That morning while I was still in bed I rolled over and grabbed my bible in hopes for just a quick encouragement of some sort. I went back to an old routine I once had. Read Old Testiment and New Testiment. So I read a chapter of something I had been reading in OT. Then I flipped to the NT not knowing what I wanted to read. Well I flipped right to Luke 1:37. I had some of my favorite words of Mary’s underlined so my eyes went to that corner of the page. The words carried over from the previous page and this is EXACTLY what it read on the page "who was called barren. ³⁷For nothing will be impossible with God." ³⁸And Mary said, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

Tell me that isn’t straight from the Holy Spirit! I just REALLY LOVE JESUS."

After having a delicious breakfast we left for the doctor just down the road at Karen Surgery. They drew blood and did a test for my “tummy issue”. The French MD seemed quite excited about the 2 little lines. But what she thought would be a 2-hour blood test was actually going to be Monday! CT and I decided we COULD NOT wait that long. So we asked where we could go and know something within 2 hours. The lab MD from the tropical med. place showed up to collect specimens and was very helpful. She called the lab at NBO hospital. She gave me directions, and even told me how much it would be. We drove downtown to turn in our specimen. Then, in order to kill time, we went to see a movie: “Wallstreet” was the only thing playing. I knew we would get a call during the movie so I held the phone in my hand the whole time. Finally, the doctor called and I ran out of the theatre barefooted. She said, “You are very pregnant. Your HCG levels were nice and high!” I tried to contain my excitement and wipe the joy off my face, but it was IMPOSSIBLE. I wanted to go back in with a calm stoic face until I got up right next to Chris. Yea right! I came in grinning and CT was searching for my facial expression in the dark. It was all we could do during this serious part of the movie not to squeal like little school girls. We just held hands looking at each other crying and squeezing our hands tighter and tighter. OH MERCY!! It was SUCH AN AMAZING FEELING!!

That night we were invited to a Bri (aka cookout) at Sandra and Jonathan’s house with Su and Mark. So, same couples as the night before but we swore ourselves to secrecy until we told family. I kept telling Chris “Don’t leave me alone with them. PLEASE. I’m a terrible lyer”. Fortunately they asked very casually b/c they knew our history and were trying to be sensitive to it. So I just said I wouldn’t get all my blood work and stuff back until Monday or Tuesday, which wasn’t a lie at all! After an amazing meal we were just chatting and getting ready to pray. My brother calls CT’s phone! CT answers “Why are you calling me right now?” Which our friends thought was a hilarious way to answer the phone. Well apparently Matt was just thinking about us and praying for us so he called. J Love him. Shortly after that we headed home to skype my parents and everyone at the Rollins’ Reunion at my parents house. The internet was not at it’s best that night so it was difficult. Plus there was a lot of background noise so we were getting quite frustrated. Finally, I said “I don’t mean to be rude, but Mom and Dad please take the computer downstairs and shut the door.” They knew something was up so they obeyed immediately. We told them and of course they FLIPPED. Cry fest again.

Next stop, skype Matt and Beth; Apryle and Felix; Luke and Jessica- More cry fests! I think CT cried every time we told someone… as for me… I just got a terrible headache from smiling SO MUCH!

Sunday Morning.

We were beaming to say the least. We told a select few before the service. I went straight for 2 ladies that had prayed for me a few weeks ago after I expressed my passionate desire to have quality quiet times after such a disappointment. Sandra had prayed over me and for me many times. I still struggled. I wanted that quiet time I used to have. Before August 27th I would get up and “do” my quiet time, but my eyes wandered over the words and my prayers were half hearted at best. I would say “You are more than enough” but I wanted to MEAN it again. So I knew I needed more prayer b/c I was still struggling. I just told them a bit about what was going on and simply said “I don’t know how NOT to be sad.” I KNOW the Spirit was there that day. I at least felt my load was a little lighter. So I had to go back to these 2 ladies and tell them. They both began crying and one of them said through her tears “I had a vision! I had a vision of someone cutting an umbilical cord! But I just couldn’t tell you that.” I’m kinda glad she didn’t. AMAZING huh?!! WOW- GOD IS AMAZING! Okay- so we bawled ALL through worship. I was doing the shacking cry. Maybe people thought we had some serious spiritual warfare going on or something. We did not care. Can you blame us? We were singing “It is well with my soul” which I can remember making myself sing my first Sunday after finding out about Rwanda closing. This is a very special song to me any way. I can also remember singing it at my Paw Paw’s funeral. Then we sang, “How Great is our God.” At which point I just buried my head in my husbands chest who’s hand was up with tears just streaming. Oh… I’m getting emotional all over again. You guys… this is just SUCH A MIRACLE!

Our pastor has been teaching out of Luke. This day he was in Luke 5- where the faith of 4 friends heals a paralytic man. They were interceding for this man. We don’t know whether the paralytic man had faith or not, but it was his friends’ faith that healed him. We truly believe that it was the faith of our friends that healed my womb along with God’s incredible mercy, grace, and perfect timing. It was our precious friends who interceded for us when I struggled utter simple prayers. It was their faith that shown when ours was barely visible. Trust us, we feel like the least deserving people of this gift, b/c of the way we stomped our feet and pouted.

Monday.

Went back to Karen Surgery so she could order me a Ultrasound at MP Shah Hosp. She wanted this since we had never gotten pregnant and it took us SO long. She smiled at me in her office and said “Nature is a funny thing, huh?” I told her to “take a hike” in French! Nature my tail! God is just Good and merciful and his timing is perfect, lady! There is No denying it!

I waited around the house twiddling my thumbs until CT was done with his meeting so we could go. My mom was flooding my inbox with “call me as soon as you finish with your scan!” Cute little Grammy. I locked myself in my room trying hard not to smell Zippy cooking the dog food b/c it was making me gag. Finally CT called and I was on my way to meet him and poor Justin who has just been going with the flow. We’ve been dragging him all over NBO to hospitals and labs and ultrasounds. Hahaha. I was told to go with a full bladder and boy did i. I was about the pop when I went in the room. I was SOOOOOO FLIPPIN’ ANXIOUS TOO!!! They lubed up my belly and looked around. I didn’t see anything at first and neither did she. I think my heart skipped 10 beats. Then… there it was!! That little stomach bug!! I’ve never been so thrilled in all my life to see a dot in a circle! SO AMAZING. I looked over at CT and he’s looking hard for it something. Then she says “This is the baby and it looks good. It’s size is good!” Beginning to cry at this point. So is CT. THEN she changed the screen. Some waves appear and a lub dub. “This is the baby’s heartbeat and it’s good”. SOBBING so hard at this point trying to keep my belly from shaking. We.. okay I could even see the valves of the heart moving in the little dot!!! The lady said “Have you been feeling okay? Have you been having any pain or problems”.

“No, Mam. We’ve just waited a really long time for this.”

The doctor came in a minute later and said everything looks really good and there is just one baby. That’s fine with me. That’s one more than we’ve had the past 6 years.

Oh mercy- I am still on cloud 9. Every time I think of that ultrasound I just can’t help but cry. It’s just such a miracle.

Some of you may think we are silly for telling people so early on, but we have to share this and rejoice in this blessing! However long we have this baby- it’s no less an amazing miracle! People need to know that God is still in the business of miracles! He opened my womb after over 5 years!

So- heres to my new blog: About our little “bug” that we have prayed for for over 5 years. We cannot wait to meet you around June 10th!!