Could Someone Pass Me A Wet Vac?

Flooded basement, leaky roof and moldy windows, all in preparation for the big day I guess. The house was feeling left out. "Hey," said the garage, "don't even think you can not pay attention to me and not have to pay."

"Yeah," said the roof. "You can't just focus on your baby's room like it's all that matters. We have needs too. I'll seep rain in your house while you are sleeping until your paint starts to peel and you have a major project on your hands." The outside drain adds in, "Look. If you don't routinely clear me out, you never know when the water will just come back out and into your warm, dry home. Yup, when that sprinkler breaks, you'll see."

The wasps and bees must be also gathering for the big day. They've invited all of their family and friends from near and far to set up their nests and move in our slide, basketball standard, under the roof, and in our ball box and coordinated their family reunion to coincide with Kate's arrival.

It's a party over here. At least everyone is back home today. I have my teen driver and babysitters back, my hard-working-husband-who-doesn't-stop-until-it-is-done back, and I am working! Putting all of those dashes in there was fun.

This is about the time when I realize for the first time-- oh man. I really have to go through with this labor thing. No matter what. There is no turning back. Luckily, it is usually the best day. I am pain free and just amazed at what a miracle it is to have a baby and then wonder how you already love it more than anything in the world after 5 minutes. It's so weird how that instantly happens. BUT, you really have no control over what happens during labor or what might go wrong. You just have to get yourself to the hospital and the rest will just happen. That's it.

It is amazing to me, though, that even when we go through these rougher times in our life, that life is still somehow really really good. You can still laugh. You can be totally exhausted and still be glad that you are surrounded by the people you are surrounded by. You know it will peak back up, because you've been through it before. You just endure and you stay happy. I'm grateful for my family for being happy people. Even when Spence and Brett were hauling out wet carpet pad and sanding mud getting white with dust, etc. they weren't grumbling or yelling at each other....or me.

I was at my friends' home the other day and it reeked. I mean, it was so awful. They thought it might be a sewer leak or a dead animal. They finally found that the father, who will remain nameless (E. Belnap or Eric B.) had left out a big bag of chicken in the storage room. I never knew chicken could smell so bad. While this was happening, it was just funny. No stress or blaming. Just funny. I love that. Life's too short to snip at your spouse--or your kids.

OK. Back to it. It's only 7.p.m. on a Sat. night. We've got plenty of time to put it all back together before the sabbath day. Right?