diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index b37e14b..33e4984 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -2,4 +2,5 @@ lib_LTLIBRARIES=libwsclient.la
 libwsclient_la_SOURCES = wsclient.c base64.c sha1.c
 library_includedir=$(includedir)/wsclient
 library_include_HEADERS = wsclient.h
+AM_LDFLAGS = -lpthread
 ACLOCAL_AMFLAGS = -I m4
diff --git a/config.h.in b/config.h.in
index bac670e..6529273 100644
--- a/config.h.in
+++ b/config.h.in
@@ -6,6 +6,9 @@
 /* Define to 1 if you have the <inttypes.h> header file. */
 #undef HAVE_INTTYPES_H
 
+/* Define to 1 if you have the `pthread' library (-lpthread). */
+#undef HAVE_LIBPTHREAD
+
 /* Define to 1 if your system has a GNU libc compatible `malloc' function, and
    to 0 otherwise. */
 #undef HAVE_MALLOC
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index e2bbf1d..c7968ae 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -23,6 +23,9 @@ AC_TYPE_SIZE_T
 AC_FUNC_MALLOC
 AC_FUNC_REALLOC
 AC_CHECK_FUNCS([memset socket strstr strchr])
-
+AC_CHECK_LIB(pthread, pthread_create, [], [
+				       echo "This library requires pthread"
+				       exit -1
+				       ])
 AC_CONFIG_FILES([Makefile])
 AC_OUTPUT
diff --git a/test.c b/test.c
index ec3011f..b705d36 100644
--- a/test.c
+++ b/test.c
@@ -20,9 +20,8 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
 		fprintf(stderr, "Unable to initialize new WS client.\n");
 		exit(1);
 	}
-	client->onopen = &onopen;
-	client->onmessage = &onmessage;
-	libwsclient_send(client, "Testing");
+	libwsclient_onopen(client, &onopen);
+	libwsclient_onmessage(client, &onmessage);
 	libwsclient_run(client);
 	return 0;
 }
diff --git a/wsclient.c b/wsclient.c
index c5c81bf..c25a44e 100644
--- a/wsclient.c
+++ b/wsclient.c
@@ -17,6 +17,16 @@
 void libwsclient_run(wsclient *c) {
 	char buf[1024];
 	int n, i;
+	pthread_mutex_lock(&c->lock);
+	if(c->flags & CLIENT_CONNECTING) {
+		pthread_mutex_unlock(&c->lock);
+		pthread_join(c->handshake_thread, NULL);
+		pthread_mutex_lock(&c->lock);
+		c->flags &= ~CLIENT_CONNECTING;
+		free(c->URI);
+		c->URI = NULL;
+	}
+	pthread_mutex_unlock(&c->lock);
 	do {
 		memset(buf, 0, 1024);
 		n = recv(c->sockfd, buf, 1023, 0);
@@ -31,6 +41,18 @@ void libwsclient_run(wsclient *c) {
 	free(c);
 }
 
+void libwsclient_onopen(wsclient *client, int (*cb)(void)) {
+	pthread_mutex_lock(&client->lock);
+	client->onopen = cb;
+	pthread_mutex_unlock(&client->lock);
+}
+
+void libwsclient_onmessage(wsclient *client, int (*cb)(libwsclient_message *msg)) {
+	pthread_mutex_lock(&client->lock);
+	client->onmessage = cb;
+	pthread_mutex_unlock(&client->lock);
+}
+
 void libwsclient_in_data(wsclient *c, char in) {
 	libwsclient_frame *current = NULL, *new = NULL;
 	unsigned char payload_len_short;
@@ -201,6 +223,38 @@ int libwsclient_open_connection(const char *host, const char *port) {
 }
 
 wsclient *libwsclient_new(const char *URI) {
+	wsclient *client = NULL;
+
+	client = (wsclient *)malloc(sizeof(wsclient));
+	if(!client) {
+		fprintf(stderr, "Unable to allocate memory in libwsclient_new.\n");
+		exit(1);
+	}
+	memset(client, 0, sizeof(wsclient));
+	if(pthread_mutex_init(&client->lock, NULL) != 0) {
+		fprintf(stderr, "Unable to init mutex in libwsclient_new.\n");
+		exit(5);
+	}
+	pthread_mutex_lock(&client->lock);
+	client->URI = (char *)malloc(strlen(URI)+1);
+	if(!client->URI) {
+		fprintf(stderr, "Unable to allocate memory in libwsclient_new.\n");
+		exit(3);
+	}
+	memset(client->URI, 0, strlen(URI)+1);
+	strncpy(client->URI, URI, strlen(URI));
+	client->flags |= CLIENT_CONNECTING;
+	pthread_mutex_unlock(&client->lock);
+
+	if(pthread_create(&(client->handshake_thread), NULL, libwsclient_handshake_thread, (void *)client)) {
+		perror("pthread");
+		exit(4);
+	}
+	return client;
+}
+void *libwsclient_handshake_thread(void *ptr) {
+	wsclient *client = (wsclient *)ptr;
+	const char *URI = client->URI;
 	SHA1Context shactx;
 	const char *UUID = "258EAFA5-E914-47DA-95CA-C5AB0DC85B11";
 	char pre_encode[256];
@@ -217,12 +271,6 @@ wsclient *libwsclient_new(const char *URI) {
 	char recv_buf[1024];
 	char *URI_copy = NULL, *p = NULL, *rcv = NULL, *tok = NULL;
 	int i, z, sockfd, n, flags = 0, headers_space = 1024;
-	wsclient *client = (wsclient *)malloc(sizeof(wsclient));
-	if(!client) {
-		fprintf(stderr, "Unable to allocate memory in libwsclient_new.\n");
-		exit(1);
-	}
-	memset(client, 0, sizeof(wsclient));
 	URI_copy = (char *)malloc(strlen(URI)+1);
 	if(!URI_copy) {
 		fprintf(stderr, "Unable to allocate memory in libwsclient_new.\n");
@@ -254,11 +302,15 @@ wsclient *libwsclient_new(const char *URI) {
 				strncpy(port, "80", 9);
 			} else {
 				strncpy(port, "443", 9);
+				pthread_mutex_lock(&client->lock);
 				client->flags |= CLIENT_IS_SSL;
+				pthread_mutex_unlock(&client->lock);
 			}
 		} else {
 			i++;
 			p = strchr(URI_copy+i, '/');
+			if(!p)
+				p = strchr(URI_copy+i, '\0');
 			strncpy(port, URI_copy+i, (p - (URI_copy+i)));
 			port[p-(URI_copy+i)] = '\0';
 			i += p-(URI_copy+i);
@@ -271,7 +323,9 @@ wsclient *libwsclient_new(const char *URI) {
 		fprintf(stderr, "Error opening socket.\n");
 		exit(5);
 	}
+	pthread_mutex_lock(&client->lock);
 	client->sockfd = sockfd;
+	pthread_mutex_unlock(&client->lock);
 
 	//perform handshake
 	//generate nonce
@@ -358,7 +412,13 @@ wsclient *libwsclient_new(const char *URI) {
 	}
 
 
-	return client;
+	pthread_mutex_lock(&client->lock);
+	client->flags &= ~CLIENT_CONNECTING;
+	if(client->onopen != NULL) {
+		client->onopen();
+	}
+	pthread_mutex_unlock(&client->lock);
+	return NULL;
 }
 
 //somewhat hackish stricmp
@@ -375,11 +435,22 @@ int stricmp(const char *s1, const char *s2) {
 }
 
 int libwsclient_send(wsclient *client, char *strdata)  {
+	pthread_mutex_lock(&client->lock);
+	if(client->flags & CLIENT_CONNECTING) {
+		pthread_mutex_unlock(&client->lock);
+		pthread_join(client->handshake_thread, NULL);
+		pthread_mutex_lock(&client->lock);
+		client->flags &= ~CLIENT_CONNECTING;
+		free(client->URI);
+		client->URI = NULL;
+	}
+	int sockfd = client->sockfd;
+	pthread_mutex_unlock(&client->lock);
 	if(strdata == NULL) {
 		fprintf(stderr, "NULL pointer psased to libwsclient_send\n");
 		return -1;
 	}
-	int sockfd = client->sockfd;
+
 	struct timeval tv;
 	unsigned char mask[4];
 	unsigned int mask_int;
diff --git a/wsclient.h b/wsclient.h
index 2c8bc9d..97fb99e 100644
--- a/wsclient.h
+++ b/wsclient.h
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 #include <stdint.h>
+#include <pthread.h>
 
 #ifndef WSCLIENT_H_
 #define WSCLIENT_H_
@@ -6,6 +7,8 @@
 #define FRAME_CHUNK_LENGTH 1024
 
 #define CLIENT_IS_SSL (1 << 0)
+#define CLIENT_CONNECTING (1 << 1)
+
 
 #define REQUEST_HAS_CONNECTION (1 << 0)
 #define REQUEST_HAS_UPGRADE (1 << 1)
@@ -33,6 +36,9 @@ typedef struct _libwsclient_message {
 } libwsclient_message;
 
 typedef struct _wsclient {
+	pthread_t handshake_thread;
+	pthread_mutex_t lock;
+	char *URI;
 	int sockfd;
 	int flags;
 	int (*onopen)(void);
@@ -43,13 +49,14 @@ typedef struct _wsclient {
 
 } wsclient;
 
+
 //Function defs
 
 wsclient *libwsclient_new(const char *URI);
 int libwsclient_open_connection(const char *host, const char *port);
 int stricmp(const char *s1, const char *s2);
 void libwsclient_run(wsclient *c);
-void *libwsclient_run_thread(void *ptr);
+void *libwsclient_handshake_thread(void *ptr);
 void libwsclient_cleanup_frames(libwsclient_frame *first);
 void libwsclient_in_data(wsclient *c, char in);
 int libwsclient_complete_frame(libwsclient_frame *frame);