The joys of first trimester

It has been a rough past couple of weeks for me here in the great city of Iquitos, Peru. Nothing could have really prepared me for pregnant life. I have had zero energy, and when I get to moving a lot I feel like I´m going to throw-up or have an overall sense of nasea.

Then there is the whole food issue. I feel hungry a lot, but most of my cravings fall under the food of my homeland, hence, it´s not readily available here. It doesn´t really matter though, because the thought of almost any food causes my stomache to turn or produces dry heaving. Then the heat… oh, the heat that took it out of me before pregnancy, now it is slow death. I am thankful for the eveings though that cool down and provide comfortable sleeping conditions.

Plus, on top of all this, my husband has been gone for all of it. The past two weeks he had his trip to the jungle that wasn´t smart for me to go on. I´m thankful I didn´t go, it would be aweful out there under these conditions. Nevertheless, I do miss the jungle greatly and long for the silence, calmness, and peace that it affords. More than that, I MISS MY HUSBAND!!! I can´t wait to see him sometime this weekend! Whenever that launcha gets in.

Due to the way I have been feeling, I have hardly gotten out this past couple of weeks, which makes life difficult for a girl like me. I do love being in for a time and relaxing (some), but I am no homebody.

All that to say, that would be the reason for my lack of posts. More later, when more is known.

Oh, Peru. *Sigh*

So last week we went in to check on the paperwork necessary for me to obtain my residency. It was daunting and depressing to see the pile of work that we have ahead of us just for my residency, and that’s nothing compared to what we have to do for his visa home too.

We just arrived at the end of one project (legal marriage filing) it was a great victory and celebration, but now we turn around to find another task. The thing that makes it so difficult is not that there are so many papers (even though that is challenging), but the simple fact that Peru sends you on scavenger hunts (minus the great fun) to get the paperwork. For example, we needed a copy of our marriage certificate legalized (or something). We thought we had it, so we went to the place to get it legalized, after waiting in line we found out that, well, no we had a proof of the act or something, but not actually the certificate. So we had to go back to the courthouse and get that requested, one line to pay, a ticket brought to this counter, confirmation at that, and then it would be ready the next day. After picking it up we had to go across town to pay for the legalization stamp at the national bank, then bring the receipt back to whatever office to prove we had done it. Then we found out it would be ready in..... fifteen days. hahaha.

It reminds me of college, when you finish one huge project, but don’t have enough time to really enjoy the completion, because you have three more huge papers waiting. Only this time it’s legal stuff. Basically, I can legally be in this country until Dec. 6th.

Oh yeah, failed to mention that this process involves five steps, each step estimated to take at least a month. So I’ll have to do more paperwork and running around just to extend my stay. God bless ‘em. More news soon...

A New Noriega is on the Way

Well, I have been feeling VERY tired since like a week after the wedding. Nelton thought I was pregnant, so we went in for a blood test at the hospital. It came out negative, so we just thought we weren´t prenant.

One week ago, Nelton wanted me to retake a home pregnancy test and I was all like, No´, I just don´t want to get my hopes up again for nothing. I´m perfectly fine with waiting.

It´s one of those things that we had decided to wait on, but when you think you´re pregnant, you can´t help but get excited. So when I found out I wasn´t I was sad.

I told him that I would do it in the morning, since that´s the best time to do it anyway. I was really hoping he would just forget about it.

Well, no. 6 am rolls around and Nelton is poking me like a little kid at Christmas cheering ¨Let´s take the test! Let´s Take the Test!!¨ I tired to tell him to go back to sleep. I was sooo tired. But he wouldn´t quit, so I got up and took it.

Nelton was actually the first to know, because I thought it was negative. The one line was a dark red and the other a lighter, pinker cooler. So I didn´t think it was right. He had his nephew come over who confirmed it (he works in the labs at the hospital). And we took another one, and sure enough, positive, both!!

So we have been in and out of doctor´s visits.

I am doing well. But still very tired. That´s starting to get better too.

We think the due date is June 17th, and we would like to have the baby in the States. However, there is no telling.

Nelton heads back to the jungle on Monday for a short trip. He won´t let me go yet, because malaria is very dangerous for a pregnant woman and her baby. It could kill one or both, or the baby can have major complications. SOOO I´m waiting for a while before I go back. Plus we have paperwork and stuff to do that we have been working on.

Please be in prayer for all this!

We are both very excited!

The Cut

Just a few pics of the hair cut! Enjoy.

MARRIAGE PAPERWORK ACCEPTED!!!

First of all, thank you Alli McV for encouraging me to keep this up by letting me know you read it!

The next big news is that Nelton and I got married today!!! I know, weird, but I´ll explain. We had a slight holdup on paperwork and the earliest we could get in for our civil marriage was today (it´s been processing since I got here in June, Welcome to Peru).

It was really wild because you sit behind this big table in beautiful chairs and the justice of peace (or something like that) basically does the whole wedding ceremony. Only instead of the Word of God, she read to us all the laws of Peru and what we are committing to by getting married, which was really awesome. Basically, the law holds us to be bound to each other. At least that´s what I understood.

She ran us through the vows again and the whole works. BUT I CAN´T BELIEVE THE LEGAL SCAVENGER HUNT IS OVER!!!!

It was funny, because Nelton decided to start remodeling, like two hours before we got the paperwork finalized. I wanted to dress up for the event, because it´s not everyday you get married. LOL.

So I left like an hour before to go to the sister-in-laws to get ready. I came back to a diaster of a room. We went to get married and came back to the same big mess. I´t was rather comical. This random get married in the middle of the day.

I had fun with it too. The man working on our paperwork told us the 11th of Sept we could marry. Then Monday after the wedding, then the next tuesday, then a week later, and so on. Finally, we just ended up doing it ourselves. Anyway... we would be out to eat or in a motorcar or somewhere with other people around and I would casually say ¨SO, we are getting married tomorrow then¨? It was funny just thinking about what they were thinking. And we would just have a cas convo about it. Or today, on the way to 5 am prayer meeting, we stopped to buy coffee for everyone, and when we were checking out, I was just like -OH Yeah... we are getting married today.- He was like -yeah... we are. cool.- it was hilarious.

I´ll have to post pics of that wedding.

Well, time to go help my husband remodel our room. = )

Love you all! (ALLI! You´re amazing! HUG OVER BLOG!!)