Not Yet There

(20 weeks)
For anyone wondering what it's like to have a surprise pregnancy, an unexpected fourth baby, here's a little story for you.  It goes something like this...
1.  Your period is a few days late, but you think, “Eh, no big deal. I’m NOT pregnant, but hey, I’ve got this old pregnancy test here in a drawer.  I’ll do this just to make sure.”  Your husband is gone.  You don’t even tell him what you’re doing because...

“So when are you guys leaving? It’s mid-August… Shouldn’t you be gone by now?”
Yeah, about that… Let me try to put into words the crazy journey we’ve been on these last few months.
You may remember that our plan was to move to Thailand this summer.  Notice the word “was.”...

A year ago, I never would have imagined that I’d be writing this.  That I’d be announcing this life change for our family.
Last December we sensed that a change was coming, a change was needed. That sense caused lots of angst in us.  We loved our work in China, and we loved the people we did that work with. So when our family showed signs of needing to leave China, we ached...

I am a “stuff” person.
I get emotionally attached to stuff.  When I look at an item in my home, I see memories.  I see the face of the giver.  I see a need to save it for when I’ll use it again.
This is not a good thing for a person who has had to fit her life into suitcases....