Okay. It's time for me to make an announcement. Some of you know this already and some of you don't, so for those who don't know....Ron and I are expecting baby #1 in February, around the 23rd apparantly. There, I've said it. I don't know why it took me so long to say it, but I guess that I needed time to adjust to the reality of it and I guess too that it is weird to announce it without having any fam or best bud support here. I am more withdrawn since coming here and I think too that this has kind of made me feel more private about stuff. Only a few people know here, like our bishop and Becks and her family. It isn't a secret, I just wanted us to take time to tell people here, you know?

So yes, the little babelet is coming in February. I am 11 weeks along. I haven't really been that sick at all which makes my sister-in-law Sarah really jealous because she was really sick when pregnant with her son Blake. I just threw up a couple of times when I was about 4-5 weeks I think, when I first found out but other than this I've been okay. I mostly feel nauseous if I don't enough during the day and if I don't eat regularly. I find too that I get incredibly thirsty at times! I've had a few funny pains and feeling in the stomach but apparantly they are normal. Mostly I've just been feeling really, really tired.

I've finally found a midwife and the good thing here is that the government funds the cost of seeing the midwife and all. This is nice because as a "visitor" to this country we have to pay for all of the doctor's fees out of our pockets AND pay full price for any medications and it has been costly. (I won't be a resident until I apply for residency which I can't do until I've been here for a year). Andrew has extended medical, but it doesn't cover all costs so yeah, I jumped for joy when I found out that the midwife care is free. Free to wives of residents. Apparantly it is good to be pregnant here.

My midwife's name is Teresa and she is Scottish. She's only lived here for a few years so her accent is really, really strong. I have to listen really carefully to understand what she is saying. She is really nice though and I am glad. So this is the big news.

I start my new job tomorrow with 5 kids. These kids are "just" 5 and I am expecting that I will have some criers...more from the boys I think than the girls because the boys seems a little like mama's boys. We'll see what happens. I am kind of nervous about starting but also excited. These kids are so little that I am going to have to start with the basics with them....some of them don't even know their numbers and letters yet, which I personally find shocking because those are so basic. So yeah, we'll see how it goes. I hope that this job won't be crazy stressful for me and that I will enjoy it. The pay however, is terrible. Beginning teachers here only get about $24,000 a year...which I just found out last week. Terrible eh? Unfourtunately, I am classed as a beginning teacher because I don't have NZ experience. The wage is sickening. Beginning teachers in Canada get AT LEAST $32,000 per annum! What's the deal? Basically, I'll be working for peanuts. I can't believe how bad it is here. I won't get into it anymore, because it will make me even madder, but I am glad that we won't be living here forever and I am even gladder that I won't be teaching here for a long time.

I can't believe that it is August already. I've been here for nearly 7 months, which is surprising. Where does the time go? I still miss home, badly....but being here is feeling better to me than it did when I first got here. New Zealand will never be home to me, but it is okay for now. I can hardly wait until I can come to Canada again though for a visit. When I come I'm going to stay for a month and see everyone and eat the foods that I miss (like Hawkins Cheezies, Riesen, Dairy Queen) go to places that I haven't been for ages. This won't be for awhile...definitely after the little one is born but I'm looking forward to it. I miss my home and native land.