SO MUCH HAS HAPPENED!

There is no way in the world that I have the brain capacity or time to go over everything that's happened since my last entry on May 30 (!!!). That was a long time ago, ya'll. So, I'll hit the highlights...

June 5 - hit the ground in the US of A. I had a stomach bug for the first full week, but thankfully, I recovered.

June was spent going to the beach with one side of my family, going to MS with Brad's family, and doing a lot of fun things with the other side of my family.

Then July 1. Oh goodness. July 1 was a big day.

I'd been sick for a while. Brad insisted I go see my ENT (I'm quite the faithful patient, much to my chagrin.) I'd had a few suspicions that things in my female parts might not be exactly normal. So I told the ENT that there was the tiniest chance that I might be pregnant because, I mean, really, it was tiny. Miniscule. He diagnosed me with a severe sinus infection that ended up needing 2 rounds of 10-day antibiotics. On the way home, I stopped at the dollar general to buy me a $1 pregnancy test because THERE'S NO WAY I'm pregnant.

((Side note: Remember all the infertility I did to get pregnant with Lucy and Will??? Well, we hadn't done ANY of it this time around. I mean, nothing. So see why I'm convinced that there's NO WAY I'm pregnant?!?!))

I was laid up on the couch sick to my stomach and doped up on antibiotics all afternoon. My BFF/former nurse says, "if you're so sick and from it's pregnancy hormones, it would definitely show up on a home test by now." AGHH.

Here's the scene: Brad is napping in the chair. Kids are...I don't even remember where they were...but they weren't downstairs with us. I peel myself up off the couch and head into the bathroom. I very reluctantly pee on the little stick. Before I even put said stick down on the counter it's positive. YA'LL! How is this possible?!?!?! I couldn't believe it. I cried. I stood in the hall bathroom of the house I grew up in and cried like a baby. (Just keeping it real - we were DONE with babies. We brought 3 suitcases of baby stuff back to the USA to SELL!)

Eventually, I stopped crying and walked out of the bathroom and over to Brad. Somehow I woke him up and showed him the test. And honestly, it's all a blur after that. I know I called everyone - my mom, my dad, my 3 BFFs. We waited to tell Brad's family the next day when we drove up to TN.

I'm happy to tell you that now - at this current moment - I'm very excited about this baby boy that's growing so wonderfully in my stomach. I'm 16 weeks along now. (Wow, that whole thing was 10 weeks ago?!?!) This baby boy is keeping me sick and again, I have more random infections that I didn't even realize I had. Ahhh...the joys of pregnancy.

July passed in a "morning" sickness haze. (It should be called ALL DAY SICKNESS.) We spent the month in TN/North AL with my in-laws and my MIL cooked such amazing food that I'm certain I gained 10 pounds - despite my sickness.

In August, we headed back down to central AL and stayed at my mom and step-dad's house on Lay Lake. I think I'm made for lake living. Seriously.

We did a genetic test to make sure everything with baby was okay. (It's a blood test now and doesn't affect baby at all!) Praise God, everything came back normal and we found out - for the first time ever before the delivery day - that we're having a BOY! Honestly, my mind settled a lot after finding out it's a boy, since Baby Boy and Will will be only 3 years apart in age, they can share a room! Yay! We don't have to find a new house!

August was good. Busy. Spending time with as many people as possible, eating copious amounts of Chick-Fil-A and pork, speaking at a lot of churches, singing at a lot of churches, meeting our new nephew Colton, and the inevitable good-byes.

Now, we're back "home." Kids have started school. Brad is in full swing with business start-up. I'm still sick a lot, but happy that it's now in my own home. I sure do miss my mom and dad, though! And I know the kiddos do, too. Living half-way around the world can be hard sometimes.

Baby Boy is set to join us in mid-February. I'm thankful again that the Lord has made me pregnant over the winter time. It's so dang hot here right now that I cannot imagine being biggo, gigantic pregnant in 100+ degree heat for months on end! I'd have to hibernate! All my local friends are super pumped and I know this will be quite a cultural experience much different from St. Vincent's this go-around. I just keep telling myself that people have babies here every day. And God is in control.

At 6 weeks.

At 16 weeks.

The heart of man plans his way,
but the Lord establishes his steps. (Proverbs 16:9)