motherhood... again

yes, we are pregnant again! (well, i am...). at 16 weeks, we are excited at the prospect of welcoming our second child into the world somewhere around december 4th, 2011! although this pregnancy doesn't hold the "newness" that my pregnancy with anna held, i find myself still amazed at the fact that God allows us to carry a life that He created inside of us for 10 months, even enjoying the fact that my belly has started to make room for and show signs of the little one within (despite the rising numbers on the scale!) however, if i had forgotten how exhausting first trimester pregnancy can be, i was reminded these past few months full force with a toddler in tow... hence, my current excuse for the long stretch in between posts :)

life over the past few months has been ever-moving as usual. in april, anna, i, duane, leslie, rach, grace and abi all took a few days in costa rica with hannah and matt while aaron, dave and joe headed to the states. it was great to see hannah and matt, catch up, and hang out on the beach a little. it was quite the experience for anna with an ocean on one side of the condo and an outdoor pool on the other side! i quickly learned how much trust and how little fear she has as she would quickly abandon the shallow "kiddie pool" section of the pool for the deeper end, even after a few dips with her head under... she would come up sputtering, but laughing and wanting more. we were a little more conservative with our time in the ocean as i quickly learned the equation that one 1 year old child + big waves + no fear = disaster :)

as mentioned, the guys took turns heading up to st louis to work on getting stuff together for the load, which finally arrived safe and sound (after many obstacles) in early june. (for the full story on all of those workings, please visit the ministry blog at www.adonaiinternationalministries.blogspot.com or the ministry facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Adonai-International-Ministries/152761264756336.) aaron was gone for two weeks, at the end of which i found myself with a new found respect for military wives with husbands gone all the time and a new found appreciation for god's grace over me that this is not a life that i have been called to! the load came down with a few pieces of equipment that have already proven to be quite invaluable in keeping the runway and local roads in working order during the rainy season, as well as construction work which always seems to find itself a part of daily life here. it also brought down various personal items (like furniture, motorcycles, dishes, etc.) for each member of the family, and in that way was almost like a little hint of christmas in june :)

with a new baby coming, we have also realized the need to expand our current living quarters. our little three room house (one kitchen, one bedroom, and one bathroom and alcove area for anna's room), which has worked fine for us and one baby, is somewhat resistant to another addition (even a little one), and so the remodeling has begun! our porch has been bricked in to create a living room/dining room with four large windows to still allow the light, breeze and gorgeous surrounding view in each day while still providing the homey-private feel as well as safety that walls and a door can provide with young children. this will then lead by hallway past an entryway into a new bedroom and bathroom that will become ours while the kids will take our old bedroom. all of my "inability to see things that are not actually in front of me/lack of decorating skills" have been put to the test, although with the help of those around me who can see things in their heads and some better home and garden guides and pictures, i have gone from overwhelmed to enjoying helping to plan and watch our house turn into a home a little more with each step. we still have a ways to go, and with the obstacles that often face us in our lives here, as well as the laid-back guatemalan mentality, it will be a few to several more months until we move rooms around, although the living room is steadily plugging along and will hopefully be finished shortly. pictures of all this can be seen on my facebook page (katie eleiott ficker).... please feel free to check out our home pics as well as some general life and anna pictures there.

our two jerseys have now become one, as one of them took a tumble over the side of a mountain shortly before she was due to calf. i did not realize how much of myself i had invested in little paloma (dove), whom i fondly called oma, until she and her promise of 3-5 gallons of milk a day were no longer visible from outside our kitchen window. aaron and ryan jumped into action immediately after she tumbled and passed away, even using their leathermans to perform a c-section (pretty good for two men who will not even come into the clinic on days when cconsults are in session), but the little heifer calf came out not breathing. so, after a long process of learning how to butcher (you can also see pics of this on facebook), the whole family has been enjoying her for her meat instead of her milk. i realized how much i have changed since my "coffee shop suburban college life" as i watched our dreams of a small form of income as well as the introduction and availablity of certain dairy products in our area be chopped up and placed in the freezer. however, it was also in that moment that i was reminded that God holds all life and death in His hands, and that His plans and thoughts are higher than ours...

and i have said it many times before in my life, but God continues to remain faithful and bless us beyond what we could ever deserve in all areas of life. throughout a few early pregnancy complications and some serious family health issues these past few months, God has continued to provide us with the comfort, love, grace, and peace that only a relationship with Him can bring, holding our hands and healing our hearts as He has walked through the ups and downs right by our side. i cannot imagine a life without His presence "to guide and to cheer" (to borrow some lyrics from one of my favorite hymns) each step of the way.