Wednesday morning started out fairly normal for us.  We got up, ate breakfast, did some chores and the kids started on some school work.  I remembered that we had to go get new books for band before the next day so we drove off to Marysville.  We picked up three of the books but the music store didn't have the fourth so I figured we'd stop by another music store I knew of and see if we could find it there.

     As we drove down the road I wasn't thinking of anything inparticular, just what needed to be accomplished to get through the day.  We stopped at a red light behind several other cars and waited for the light to change.  Suddenly my whole day took on a new twist.  A man in a pick up slammed into the back of our van.  I didn't hear the tires squeal to signal he was trying to slow down or anything, just the sound of his truck smashing into our van.  I verbally asked the kids if they were ok and they said they were.  Jubilee, amazinly enough, didn't cry but she was okay too.  I called the police department to get someone to come see what needed to be done and then moved the van out of the road. 

     It only took a few minutes for the police to arrive and things became a whirlwind of activity.  The paramedics showed up and took my vitals.  They said I looked ok but wanted me to get checked out after Mike arrived.  The reports were written, the man was written a ticket, we found someone to watch the kids (thanks Spurling family!), and headed to the hosptial.

     When we got to the ER they took me right in (I think the fact that I am 36 weeks pregnant had a lot to do with that).  They were so full they put us in what we termed the "special room."  Really it's the room they use for criminals or people that are not stable mentally.  I didn't realize 'til much later in our stay that my bed also was equiped with restraints! 

     They X-rayed my neck to see if I had broken anything and fit me with a phildelphia collar.  The collar was one of the most uncomfortable things I think I've ever needed to wear.  I don't think it helped much the nurse didn't put it on right but...  I was already hot and the collar made me even more so.  The nurse brought me one of those lovely hosptial gowns and a couple of prewarmed blankets - I was on the verge of over heating.  Mike kept a good watch on the door to make sure it didn't close because there was no way for us to get out if it did.

     They checked my vitals again and got ready to draw some blood when somebody who actually needed the "special room" arrived.  They didn't have a palce for me so I was set in the hallway.  The nurse drew blood there.  I don't know if it's because of the hallway or if the nurse was having a bad day but I'm still sporting a pretty nice bruise on my arm from the draw. 

     We finally got put into a regular room (complete with TV) and had just turned it on when another nurse walked in and said she'd take me to MRI.  We had talked to the doctor and she said because of the baby the MRI would be a last resort so we told the nurse maybe she was supposed to take me for an ultrasound instead.  Yes, she found that that was the answer.  So we headed off though the hospital.  The ultrasound was like no other ultrasound I've ever had before.  The baby was first and it was okay (ear and all :))  Then they started on me and because my orgeons are all squished from being pregnant they looked clear up to nearly under my arm pits.  I was totally covered in gel by the time it was all done and only wanted to shower but at least everything was okay.

     I was taken back to the ER and set back in the hallway because somebody had snagged my room.  I asked if there was anyway we could get something to eat since it was 3pm and both Mike and I hadn't eaten since breakfast.  We shared a turkey sandwich and some apple juce that at least took the rumbling away in our stomachs. 

     Finally we were cleared from the ER and taken up to Labor and Delivery so they could monitor the baby more.  It was much more quiet up there :).  We listened to the baby's heart beat for a while and discussed if I needed rhogahm again.  Finally that was ruled out and I was sent on my way.

     I was glad to see the kids and glad for the supper Mrs. Spurling made for us.  We stayed to fellowship for a while, it was just nice to unwind.  At the end of the night we still had to head back to Marysville to pick up Mike's car and then it was off to bed.

     I think I'll be several weeks (months?) fighting with the insurance company (his).  Life will go on but I'm hoping a lot more uneventfully for a while.

     I think now that I'm only 6 weeks and 3 days away from my due date (not that I'm counting) I can officially say I'm nesting.  Really I've been hard at it for weeks now.  There is just nothing like a new baby on the way to make you want to do all those things you should have done long ago.  Some things are things that I let go out of laziness and now I'm regretting that decision, big time.  Other things are home improvement projects that I just needed a good excuse to get started and finished (yes, I'm good about the starting but now so good about the finishing).  And yet other things are those things you only do when you have a sweet little one on the way; washing, folding, and putting away the tiny little clothes the baby will wear, cleaning the car seat, the baby bathtub, finding the sling that works best  with a newborn and researching the best diaper yet again.

     As I look forward to the weekend I am starting to formulate a plan for what needs to get done.  I want to finish the laundry room completely.  I am loving the new look, freshly painted white walls with burgundy cupboards and a lovely border that shows the wash being hug out on the line to dry.  I need to fix a couple of places I missed painting, pull couple of more pieces of trim off and hang the rest of the border.  I also need to go buy new trim because many of the old pieces didn't come off well and were broken.  They need to be painted and hung.  I need to clean the whole room and really mop the floor (we use the laundry room as our entry way and the floor is almost always dirty) ,

     I would also like to finish our bathroom, the one that was supposed to be finished before Jubilee was born.  I need to put up the trim, paint the cupboard doors and a few other places because I ran out of paint.  I am so glad our floor is in though and it looks amazing!  I'm glad for a new (white!) toilette too.  I need to ask Mike to repair the shower floor because it's cracked and I would like to have a shower in our bathroom.

     I had grand plans of having our room painted before the baby arrived but now that time is running out I doubt that will happen.  I don't really want to plaster all the walls and mostly I don't want all the dust that I will end up with when I sand them back down.  I don't want to have to rewash the baby clothes and dust our room for the next two weeks just so I can feel okay birthing a baby in there.  I don't think we have enough money to buy the paint for our room right now anyway so this may be a hidden blessing even though I still cringe at the idea of having paneled walls.

     The weather is starting to cool off here and the rains are starting to return, perfect weather for birthing my little one.  Just last night I lay in bed listening to the soft pitter patter of the refreshing drops on the house.  It was so refreshing and it felt so right.  I used the time to pray and thank the Lord for all the pervious blessings he has given me.  I prayed about the upcoming labor and the transition time, I will have seven people to be responsible for now and that's huge.  As I lay there I enjoyed the little one kicking the hiccoughing inside, it was just perfect.  I could hear Jubilee and Mike breathing and the rain falling, I couldn't have asked for anything better.

     I was looking though pictures of my other babies and their births on Monday night so I will leave you with a picture of my other October baby, Hosanna.  She is going to be attending this baby's birth and is super excited.  She is a great sister and so eager to help with the new baby.

Letter From Secretary Arne Duncan to School Principals
August 26, 2009

		Classroom Activities Grades preK-6  PDF (64K) | MS Word (32K) Grades 7-12  PDF (108K) | MS Word (80K)

Please note that the time of this speech has changed to 12:00 noon eastern standard time.

Dear Principal:

In a recent interview with student reporter, Damon Weaver, President Obama announced that on September 8 -- the first day of school for many children across America -- he will deliver a national address directly to students on the importance of education. The President will challenge students to work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for their learning. He will also call for a shared responsibility and commitment on the part of students, parents and educators to ensure that every child in every school receives the best education possible so they can compete in the global economy for good jobs and live rewarding and productive lives as American citizens.

Since taking office, the President has repeatedly focused on education, even as the country faces two wars, the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression and major challenges on issues like energy and health care. The President believes that education is a critical part of building a new foundation for the American economy. Educated people are more active civically and better informed on issues affecting their lives, their families and their futures.

This is the first time an American president has spoken directly to the nation's school children about persisting and succeeding in school. We encourage you to use this historic moment to help your students get focused and begin the school year strong. I encourage you, your teachers, and students to join me in watching the President deliver this address on Tuesday, September 8, 2009. It will be broadcast live on the White House website www.whitehouse.gov 12:00 noon eastern standard time.

In advance of this address, we would like to share the following resources: a menu of classroom activities for students in grades preK-6 and for students in grades 7-12. These are ideas developed by and for teachers to help engage students and stimulate discussion on the importance of education in their lives. We are also staging a student video contest on education. Details of the video contest will be available on our website www.ed.gov in the coming weeks.

On behalf of all Americans, I want to thank our educators who do society's most important work by preparing our children for work and for life. No other task is more critical to our economic future and our social progress. I look forward to working with you in the months and years ahead to continue improving the quality of public education we provide all of our children.

Sincerely,

  Arne Duncan

…but I would happily settle for this dog.

My kinda dog

I want to be a good blogger, really I do.  I often think of things to write in my head but then they never seem good enough or I simply put off actually blogging it long enough that I forget.  Anyway, I am going to try to do better at this so bear with me people.