SORRY ABOUT THAT GUYS!
It was just the whole moving across the country thing, trying to get settled in during the week I had before flying to PA for Grandma Cutrara's bday party, then flying down to FL to have a little "before baby" vacation with John, then flying back to try and make sense of this crazy jumble of a house during my "good hours" of every day...and then Joanna came!
(Big breath in....and out...)

So....
We are alive and well, most of the time :)
John is actually almost done filling out an application/resume for an insurance company that an IHOPPer is reccomending him for. We're actually pretty excited about it. (I know John is!) He'd be working in claims being the guy who double checks your account of an accident in order to make sure it's all straight...so, it involves minute details about cars and money...two of the subjects that John knows the most about! We figure, hey, he might be able to do this and not be bored out of his mind doing it! So please be praying as the whole interviewing process starts.
It would be good pay and good insurance to cover this little hungry beasty growing in me. And John would finally be able to breathe a sigh of relief...that the long wait to actually have a JOB would be over...so we'll see...to just have a regular rhythm for a few years. (And once he has work hours, he'd be able to figure out his committment to the prayer-room, which he's been waiting quite a while to do.)

I am doing a lot better physically. My mornings are still sketchy and sometimes random parts of the afternoon, but I haven't thrown up in about a week, so that's a good sign. I'm still eating massive quantities of food, though about one less meal a day. We heard our baby's heart beat five weeks ago and it was amazing...so incredibly strong. I kept half laughing/crying so we'd only get to hear it for about 15 second intervals before my wobbling abdomen would cause the midwife to lose the spot. John kept saying, "Do you hear that? Huh. How about that," in a very funny 'exclamatory' voice.
I think we'll have our first ultrasound in the next two weeks, so we'll let everybody know how that goes, of course! I CAN'T WAIT to know if it's a boy or a girl...and to see their little scrunchy face...
So far (at 18 weeks) I've gained about 17 pounds, but because they claimed I was "underweight" to start, nobody seems worried yet. I don't really feel that large...so I guess, who cares? I've started working out at Curves and I already feel stronger and more confident about having this kid.

Joanna arrived safely about a week ago. We've VERY MUCH enjoying having her here! It's wonderful to have her cheerful little self about the house and wow, she's been a freaking enormous help! She's already finished painting the top of the hallway, the top of the work room, and all the workroom trim. (John also finished the rest of the front room baseboard/toeboard just this morning....so now to find someone to do the crown molding!) It feels awesome to be wrapping up a lot of the little projects around here. Also, Jo has been a huge help in keeping up with the dishes and helping with meals...a life saver! And I had the brilliant idea of having Jo and Hannah (and Tricia - whenever she comes to visit!) paint on the walls in the spare room/nursery. It's that funky grey color John picked out last fall and well, it's just not great for a baby's room! So I'm going to have Jo do her crazy Jo art all over a wall and Hannah do Hannah art and Tricia do Tricia art and...well...you get the idea :)

I think we've all been savering the stillness of the house and the beauty of the neighborhood emerging into spring. Everything is blooming, new greens, pinks, and purples are everywhere. My backyard is like a yellow and lavender rainbow, what with all the dandelions and little unidentified flowers dotting the grass. We've had three days of fantastic thunderstorms, so everything just went GREEN overnight. The leaves on the trees are literally growing about 1/2-1" everyday. It's been delightful to fall asleep to pouring rain and thunder. We have this crazy fan in the attic that works like magic; if you open the windows, it's like a whirlwind comes funneling in...we've left it on for days, keeping the house cool...the sound of the fan thrumming is so comforting, like a heartbeat or the in and out of breathing.

It's very strange to be back at IHOP. John and I are so out of practice...praying, fasting, worshipping, even just living with stillnes inside, with desire and joy. We've had to slowly dip back into EGS and prayer room time. I think I've had the most trouble, but that's because my heart has gone so deaf and cold the past months. I know what I need...and that is to recover from the spiritual boredom that kills...but sometimes the process seems daunting and othertimes I just rest in the stillness of the house and enjoy the breeze moving up and down the hallways.

The Dells are well...Mikey is HUGE and somehow this past week he's decided he's a rough and tumble big boy. Hannah and I shaved his head for a summer look and, my god, he's so darn cute...he ran around last Sunday without his shirt on and it made me laugh so hard and think of a little 1950's toddler...for some reason...must be the crewcut.
Prayers would be appreciated for the Dells, too...complications from Hannah's miscarriage haven't ended and she's been on some very un-fun hormone stints. Major surgery may be coming up and the possibility of being unable to have a healthy working uterus, so we are crying out to God for a miracle. We'd love for you to join us in that :)

Well. I'll post some pictures, too...just 'cause. But for now, I hope that's enough of an update! Tell us about your lives! We miss you all very very much, but not Chapel Hill ;)

we love you guys,
Kristianna, John, The BFB, Joanna, Brae Leigh and Delanie,