Jet Lag

We made it safely to India! We had a 2 hour flight from Charlotte to Newark, which was delayed for about an hour, and then a 15 hour flight from Newark to Delhi, which was also delayed for more than an hour. The kids did really well considering such long waits and long flying times. Hannah Beth got motion sick on the airplane (quite a bit) but was such a trooper and did not whine or complain. They both slept a good bit on the plane, although it took them a while to give in to sleep! Nathaniel was getting tired of being in his seat toward the end of the flight, but we all were, and he did great.

Right now we are in a temporary place for the first two weeks, and then we will move into our home for the next 3 months. Where we are right now we don't have internet, so I haven't been able to post before now. In another week after we move into our new place we'll have internet more consistently and I can post more and add pictures.

We have been here a week and our bodies are still getting used to the time change. We are sleeping at night, but sometimes we have stretches still where we are awake for a while. It is getting better, but it has been a slow process for us. We only have one room in our current place with air conditioning, so we lately we have all been sleeping in there. It is the hot time of year in India! We skipped right over spring this year and have gone straight to summer!

I knew there was no way to really describe India to our kids before we got here, and that they just needed to experience it. They have done SO well with all the changes and with everything that is different here. In fact, Nathaniel tells us that he wants to stay in India! Hannah Beth told me that she wasn't so sure about things at first, but now she likes it.

BIG NEWS on TWO FRONTS!!

I really need to start blogging again! Life is changing and twisting and turning, and you may want to hear more about it!

First off, we are heading to INDIA in less than a week!! Most of you who follow this blog (although I don't know who all of you are!) probably have received our updates and know a bit about this venture. For those who want more information than I can give on the blog, feel free to email me or send me a comment (that I will keep private) with your email and/or snail mail address. In a nutshell, Thomas is taking on a short term work assignment there, and the rest of us are joining him for the adventure! The kids and I will be there for 3 1/2 months, and Thomas will be there for an additional two weeks to work with a short term team that will be heading over. We are really excited about this opportunity and are eager to see what God wants from us and for us during this time. We have our Indian visas in hand, we are working on tying up loose ends here and beginning to get our suitcases filled! The kids are also excited about this trip, and have been mostly positive about it from the beginning. They are almost as fascinated about what the airplane ride will be like as they are about India itself!

We are taking Hannah Beth out of school for her last nine weeks of Kindergarten, and I will do some homeschooling while we are there. Hannah Beth is doing great in school, and knows most of what she needs for first grade already, so it should be pretty low stress for us. Her great teacher gave me a list of things for her to keep working on and the things that they haven't covered yet. Thankfully with Kindergarten you can use manipulatives that are around the house and easy to find, so I won't have to take too much stuff over there. We will have access to internet and email while we are there, so we can use the internet for schooling as well. I told Nathaniel that he will be homeschooled, too, since it will be easiest if he sits down when Hannah Beth does and works on his level. We don't have him in any preschool, but he is a smart little boy already! I think he will enjoy that time as well.

Our big news on the SECOND front is that the Lord has blessed us, and we are expecting our third child! We were a bit surprised at this, but also extremely thrilled! The timing really seems to be good, if I am going to go overseas while pregnant. I am 11 weeks pregnant, so I will basically be over there during my second trimester. This SHOULD be the easiest part of pregnancy, and I am praying that will be so. I have had an extreme lack of energy, which has been frustrating while trying to get ready to go. I have also had a decent amount of nausea (and a bit of sickness). One of the hardest things for me lately is dinnertime. It is SO hard to cook for my family when nothing sounds good to me. Added to this problem is the fact that we are trying to only buy staples and fresh produce so that we can eat what is in the fridge and pantry before we leave, and I am not always excited about the options that are left. However, this should all pass soon, and hopefully I will be able to eat and cook while we are in India. All my doctors have cleared me to go, and they have great medical care in India. The kids are very excited about having a baby brother or sister, and they occasionally ask how much longer it will be until the baby is born (I wonder how many more times I will hear that question!!).

So, I will try to keep you more up to date now about our trip and our pregnancy. I will definitely start taking more pictures to share as well.