Rainy Saturday

It's been a while.

I think I've started every one of my last 5 or so posts with something like that, followed by some kind of lame excuse. This time though, I think I've got a pretty good reason why blogging has been a far cry from the priority list.

I've been sick. Really sick. The kind of sick where I throw up everything I eat, and if I don't throw it up I sure feel like I will any second. The first thing I do when I go anywhere (which is rarely these days) is scope out the nearest restroom, and the shortest path to it. Eating has become the most difficult, unpleasureable experience - something I thought was impossible for me. Even my favorite foods are repulsive.

It's a viscous cycle - if I don't eat, the hunger brings on extreme nausea. If I do eat, I often throw it up right away. I've figured out that if I eat some sort of carb every hour to hour and a half, that helps.

I've been completely out of commission - unable to cook, clean, do laundry, or pretty much anything else. Only by God's grace do I manage to get through work each day, and once I do I come home and crash for the night.

And on it's gone....for 3 months.

But that's okay. I'm learning to manage. This too shall pass.

And most importantly, when it does, we will have a sweet, sweet BABY.

And for that, we are so very excited. So very grateful.

Being awake late at night with nausea and those frequent trips to the bathroom remind me to pray for our sweet baby. For his or her growth and development, and the life ahead. For this baby to know and love Jesus. To live that proclaims Him to all. I'm also reminded to pray for those who are chronically ill that don't have a baby coming at the end of it. I know that my illness will pass, and that a huge blessing will come from it. What about those that are going through chemo treatments - those who are just as sick but without any end in sight? Or any guarantee that their treatments will cure their illness?

We found out about Baby on the last day of our cruise to Alaska. We couldn't believe it. I was dealing with some pretty intense stomach pain over the summer (very different than the kind I have now!) and, though we wanted a baby, the timing seemed to be not quite right. We were pleasantly surprised to be wrong.

Kyle has been amazing. More than amazing. He's pretty much been running our household while managing a challenging job, commitments at church, friendships, and a very sick and not-so-fun wife. I'm even more thankful for him in this difficult season of life.

It's raining today. If you know me very well, you know how I love this, and I'm so enjoying the sound of it as I write. I've been up since 5:30 listening to it. Somehow God uses the rain to heal my spirit, and to refresh me. To tell me that everything's going to be okay. I'm so thankful for the rain... I needed this one. :-)

Baby Craddock at 13 weeks and 5 days.