A hell of a day... May 7, 2013

It has been one hell of a day... It started out poorly - my husband turned off his alarm and fell back to sleep. OK fine. My alarm would have gotten him up late except my 15 year old switched out his dead cell phone battery for my charged battery (he broke the recharge port) and did not let me know my phone was off so my alarms did not go off (yes alarms - there are 4 in total as I am an admitted control freak - but I guess that showed me!). We awoke to bright skies and birds chirping until the realization of the hour and panic ensued. I am not a morning person to begin with and to have to spring from bed, awaken a dead to the world 15 year old and let the entire neighborhood umm I mean house know IT"S LATE!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was about 1 1/2 hours after my hubbies normal wake-up time yet he still moved in an unfazed manner oblivious to the loud rantings outside the bathroom door as others professed the need to get in the shower (we only have one full bath for a house of 6 soon to be 7). I quickly made lunches, yelled to the 15 yo it would be OK this just once to have a pop tart for breakfast instead of a nutritious meal if he would please empty the dishwasher before sprinting to make the bus three blocks away (priorities right?), boiled the water for tea so I did not kill anyone and said good-bye to my 9 mos. unshowered, pregnant daughter - handing her a packet of instant oatmeal and lunch as she left for her job as a nanny for 4 boys ages 8,6,4, and 18 mos. My husband left to catch his train and I took my tea back to my bed with the intention of getting on my laptop for a productive morning of school. Click...nothing, click click...nothing. power cord in: yes, power cord in wall outlet: yes, the damn thing is dead - no forewarning just up and died overnight with my paper and group project that I had not yet saved to the external hard-drive. *$%^&*&^(#&@@*^$. Yell to my oldest-still asleep as he has a shorter commute and doesn't need to be in until 9:30 and he is unable to resuscitate the stupid thing. A request to the next child also still asleep but on vacation yields the same result but he also goes and sets up an account for me on his laptop. OK. New cup of tea, computer on and I am certain the day will now get better. The dog snuggles in next to me, #1 son leaves for work, #2 son leaves on a short overnight trip to Atlantic city with friends and I am working away. Ouch my arm is suddenly sharply itchy and upon examination find a dog tick burrowed in.and freak out as I do not like to share my blood with alien visitors. OK tick removed, take a well deserved nap until youngest son arrives home from school. The usual weekly fighting over getting the trash and recyclables done begins. He eventually finishes and goes out to join the rest of the teen aged group assembled in front of our house playing basketball. My exhausted daughter arrives home with swollen ankles, aching back and the determination to wash a bit more of the clothes for the baby. She is totally care label obsessed and arrives in front of me almost in tears lamenting as to why it is necessary to wash some clothes in warm and some in cold as she has enough for one small load if she combines but not enough if separate and will have to hand wash everything.............. I tell her to just do one cold wash and she wishes to know my credentials for such a ludicrous statement. I tried to explain for the first everything must be done exactly as written but by the fourth you throw it all in with your stuff and wash with Tide, I said that's how I did her youngest brother's clothes and he turned out just fine...probably not the best example! At 6:15 the proclaimed just fine child bursts into the house sweating and smelling as only a 15 yo can and announces he has a concert tonight and must be there at 6:45. Panic erupts as a white shirt and black pants are needed and nowhere to be found and when they are finally uncovered bunched in a ball in a drawer they are beyond wrinkled. He jumps in shower to decontaminate and puts on the now partially unwrinkled clothes. My daughter offers to bring him and I do not wrestle or challenge her to a duel for the dubious honor. Now this day would be totally complete if she at 38 6/7 weeks pregnant were to go to the concert, rupture membranes and go into labor...no, no lol God is not that cruel!!! Nite all-off to check every alarm in the house.
                                                      

The time draws near... May 4, 2013

"It's not soon, I have at least a couple of weeks yet"...said my 38 plus week pregnant daughter in her la-la- land state of denial. She says it is her body and she will know. I smile thinking of the multitudes of pregnant women who show up at the hospital sure they are in full labor and are not even contracting - usually just a very active large baby making mommy uncomfortable. She started working full time this week - huh you say, did you not just write she is about to give birth?-yup that's correct and as a nanny no less to four young boys ages 8, 6, 4, and 18mos. Talk about a quick initiation into motherhood! The first two weeks are full time then she will only work from 9-1 each day. That's how she knows the baby will wait until one of her BFF's is home from college to fill in for her. If only we could plan our lives so easily...

The day will arrive soon enough and I am sure some chaos will ensue since she is insistent that the father of the baby bring her to the hospital instead of meeting us there adding 40 minutes to his already greater than 2 1/2 hour ride here. She is a bit astounded I think that although she has told us he will be staying with her in the hospital until discharge I will also be there. I feel he should take a nap a few hours post delivery and then head home to his wife and three beautiful daughters. Yes it is his baby honey we keep telling her but you are not a family. For someone so smart she is incredibly dumb when it comes to understanding this concept. her delivering this weekend would be nice for me also as I am good friends with the staff working - this used to be my scheduled weekend of work - it would be like old times. Their support of us would make for a beautiful birth if there are no complications, She is beginning to dilate and if 50% effaced with the head down very low so it would not be unrealistic for labor to occur - especially with her dad and younger brother being out of touch deep sea fishing with the scouts, her oldest brother away on a cruise and my other son finishing up his work week. It will just be the two of us tomorrow. I need to write an Economics paper - anyone have thoughts for a topic? It's due Monday...