Yesterday, my mother went missing.
She was driving from her home to ours.
She left Maryland around 1:30pm... and nobody heard from her the rest of the day.
All afternoon and evening, the girls were waiting for her, so excited to see their Yoma, hyper, jumping all around, asking me hundreds of times when she'd get here. They couldn't wait to play with my mom.
It usually takes five hours to make the drive. She should have arrived around 6:30pm.
At 8:30 I called my dad to let him know she wasn't here yet. He hadn't heard from her either.
We called her, texted her, left messages. Her phone would ring 6 times then go to voicemail.
Her phone was on, it was fully charged, and she had a full tank of gas when she left home.
What happened? Where could she be?!?
Mom always calls or texts me when she gets to North Carolina, or when she is about an hour away. I had the feeling that she hadn't gotten that far, that she was somewhere in Virginia. By 10pm I was imagining her laying in a ditch somewhere. At 10:30pm I called her cell phone one more time. No answer, just voicemail. I tried my best not to worry, and had some quiet Bible-reading time.
We tried thinking of ways to track Mom. Her cell phone is too old and outdated to track by GPS.
I
suggested looking at cell phone records to see if she'd made any
outgoing calls today after 1:30pm. She hadn't. I asked dad to check
their bank record to see if any transactions had shown up. The account
showed that she'd stopped at a grocery store on her way out of town,
about 10 minutes south of my parents house. Nothing else.
Mike suggested going for a drive to look for her, but I vetoed the idea. It was too dark and too late. There was no way one of us would be able to cover 250 miles of highway single-handedly.
Dad asked a police friend for advice. The friend told him to start calling each state police barracks location between southern Maryland and Raleigh. I said "OK Dad, where do we start? Give me a list, I'll make some calls." He said no, he would do it. Again I said "I'll help! Tell me what I can do" but he wouldn't let me. He felt it was his responsibility to find her. I reluctantly went to bed and fell asleep a little after midnight. Meanwhile, Dad continued calling police stations.
At 1am Dad called again. I don't remember hearing the phone ring, or picking it up, all I know is that I heard his voice on the other end: "Well, I found her. She is safe." I was confused, disoriented from sleep. Where is she, Dad? How did you find her? "She's safe all right... locked up. She's in jail."
My mind was still fuzzy. What?!?
I asked a string of questions, to which I got no answer.
How did you find out? Do you know where she is?
Where is she? What happened???
"South Hill, Virginia. That's where she is.... South Hills. She didn't quite make it to North Carolina, but she almost did. She's staying in jail overnight. I don't know any other details." I told him to get some sleep. Then I tossed and turned all night.
I slept horribly. I got out of bed at 5am and have been trying to distract my mind with other things, but it hasn't been working very well. Dad said something about trying to "bail her out" later today. I still have absolutely no idea what happened. Speeding tickets, moving violation, previous record? Traffic stop gone wrong? Drinking and driving? Reckless endangerment?
Don't you get to make a phone call when you are arrested?
Why wasn't anyone contacted?!?
Showing posts with label Maryland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Maryland. Show all posts
Monday, June 11, 2012
Monday, March 22, 2010
family drama
Got home from Maryland tonight. It was a good trip.
Hannah and Aliah had so much fun playing with my family.
Family drama: 22 yo brother has a new gf. Not surprised. The interesting thing is that she comes with some baggage. She is divorced and has two kids, ages 3 and 2. The story is that she got married straight out of high school, at age 17, to her long-time bf (who was a friend of my brother's), who was enlisted in the military. She immediately got "accidentally" pregnant. The second child was born 12 months later (ok, that was most certainly an accident). Soon after that, the husband kind of floated out of the picture.... cheating? abuse? Not sure about that part. But she is a 20-year-old divorced, single mom. Wow. And my completely self-centered, irresponsible, perpetually unemployed brother is totally head-over-heels for her. This is major stuff, people! Maybe it will do both of them some good. Who knows. Although I REALLY cannot see my brother as a father-figure kind of role model for her kids right now.... He definitely has learned some manners in the last year or two, but he is still unemployed, mooching off mommy and daddy, and seems to have absolutely no ambition to get a job or move out on his own. I wonder where New GF lives? With her parents? Im not sure.
Now it is 9:45 and I am so exhausted that Im going to crawl into bed and try to stay there for a very, very long time. Mike is working the night shift this week, so we wont get much time with him until Saturday :(
Hannah and Aliah had so much fun playing with my family.
Family drama: 22 yo brother has a new gf. Not surprised. The interesting thing is that she comes with some baggage. She is divorced and has two kids, ages 3 and 2. The story is that she got married straight out of high school, at age 17, to her long-time bf (who was a friend of my brother's), who was enlisted in the military. She immediately got "accidentally" pregnant. The second child was born 12 months later (ok, that was most certainly an accident). Soon after that, the husband kind of floated out of the picture.... cheating? abuse? Not sure about that part. But she is a 20-year-old divorced, single mom. Wow. And my completely self-centered, irresponsible, perpetually unemployed brother is totally head-over-heels for her. This is major stuff, people! Maybe it will do both of them some good. Who knows. Although I REALLY cannot see my brother as a father-figure kind of role model for her kids right now.... He definitely has learned some manners in the last year or two, but he is still unemployed, mooching off mommy and daddy, and seems to have absolutely no ambition to get a job or move out on his own. I wonder where New GF lives? With her parents? Im not sure.
Now it is 9:45 and I am so exhausted that Im going to crawl into bed and try to stay there for a very, very long time. Mike is working the night shift this week, so we wont get much time with him until Saturday :(
Friday, September 25, 2009
Almost Party Time
Aliah just fell asleep in her highchair during lunchtime. She had cereal and applesauce smeared all over her face, yet she slept on. Can you imagine it? I love those kids of baby pictures!
My youngest brother's birthday was yesterday. He just turned nineteen.... oh, that makes me feel so old! He was so little when Mike first met him. He was only 11 years old when we got married!
The big birthday party for my Dad/family reunion is tomorrow.
Relatives are flying into DC & Baltimore tonight. Almost party time!
Unfortuneately, Mike will miss the party. He had to drive home last night, so that he could make it to work today. He's had over 2 weeks off, and although I know he enjoys his time away from work, I think he was gettng restless and bored just sitting around. I think working hard for the next 3 weeks will be good for him. After this roration, we'll get to take another family trip to PA! I can't wait for this college reunion, I just know that camping with all our favorite Cal U friends will be so much fun!
My youngest brother's birthday was yesterday. He just turned nineteen.... oh, that makes me feel so old! He was so little when Mike first met him. He was only 11 years old when we got married!
The big birthday party for my Dad/family reunion is tomorrow.
Relatives are flying into DC & Baltimore tonight. Almost party time!
Unfortuneately, Mike will miss the party. He had to drive home last night, so that he could make it to work today. He's had over 2 weeks off, and although I know he enjoys his time away from work, I think he was gettng restless and bored just sitting around. I think working hard for the next 3 weeks will be good for him. After this roration, we'll get to take another family trip to PA! I can't wait for this college reunion, I just know that camping with all our favorite Cal U friends will be so much fun!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Diaper stories
Two days ago, when I woke up on Monday morning, I heard some muffled noises coming from Aliah's room, so I went to check on her. I found her laying in her crib with her legs sticking straight up in the air (typical), and she was COMPLETELY NAKED! I had changed her in the middle of the night, and not bothered to her pants back on. BAD IDEA! She had somehow managed to get her shirt off too, and she was actually CHEWING ON HER DIAPER! Needless to say, she will not be wearing velcro-close diapers at nighttime anymore!!!
Mike's reaction: "You have got to write that one in her baby book!"
Speaking of nighttime and diapers: it's been one month since Hannah started wearing underwear to bed. She is still having an accident at night about once a week - but I shouldn't complain, because that's a whole lot better than multiple times a night! Whenever Aliah wakes me up in the middle of the night (which is usually once or twice per night), I will make Hannah use the bathroom, but half the time she doesn't even have to pee.
More news on Hannah: She is getting so much closer to reading on her own! She can sound out the letters, but she still sometimes has a difficult time putting them all together in the right way. She does have some words memorized, like "the", "stop", "and", "mom" and "dad".
I am taking bets on how much Aliah will weigh at her nine-month-old check-up next week. Any guesses? I think she will be really close to 21 lbs. Maybe 20 1/2 pounds.
We are visiting my family in Maryland for the next six days.
We arrived yesterday evening. Hannah is really bummed that it is too cold to swim today. She was very much looking forward to swimming in Yoma's pool one more time. This weekend we are having a big party/family reunion for my Dad's 50th birthday. My brother,aunt and uncle are flying in from LA right now, as I write this. It should be interesting!
Mike's reaction: "You have got to write that one in her baby book!"
Speaking of nighttime and diapers: it's been one month since Hannah started wearing underwear to bed. She is still having an accident at night about once a week - but I shouldn't complain, because that's a whole lot better than multiple times a night! Whenever Aliah wakes me up in the middle of the night (which is usually once or twice per night), I will make Hannah use the bathroom, but half the time she doesn't even have to pee.
More news on Hannah: She is getting so much closer to reading on her own! She can sound out the letters, but she still sometimes has a difficult time putting them all together in the right way. She does have some words memorized, like "the", "stop", "and", "mom" and "dad".
I am taking bets on how much Aliah will weigh at her nine-month-old check-up next week. Any guesses? I think she will be really close to 21 lbs. Maybe 20 1/2 pounds.
We are visiting my family in Maryland for the next six days.
We arrived yesterday evening. Hannah is really bummed that it is too cold to swim today. She was very much looking forward to swimming in Yoma's pool one more time. This weekend we are having a big party/family reunion for my Dad's 50th birthday. My brother,aunt and uncle are flying in from LA right now, as I write this. It should be interesting!
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Travelling, friends.
WE SPENT THE WEEKEND with my family in Maryland, and are now in the middle of a 5-day excursion in PA. Last night I got a rare treat: Girls Night Out! Dinner with some of my favorite college friends. It was great to see each of you, especially the newest addition! :) Thanks for helping me relax, my God's Girls!
Our chubby little bunny has done quite a few things for the first time this week, including meeting more relatives and friends, "jumping" on a trampoline, "swimming" in the pool, and drinking from a sippy cup, as seen here:
Did I mention that our miracle baby, at fuve months old, now weighs 17 lbs?!
AND - Aliah is also getting her first tooth as we speak! This has resulted in her first tastes of Orajel and Tylenol. She is stil as happy as ever; so far, her only complications are trouble falling asleep.
Have a good week.... we'll be back home on FRIDAY NIGHT!
Our chubby little bunny has done quite a few things for the first time this week, including meeting more relatives and friends, "jumping" on a trampoline, "swimming" in the pool, and drinking from a sippy cup, as seen here:
Did I mention that our miracle baby, at fuve months old, now weighs 17 lbs?!
AND - Aliah is also getting her first tooth as we speak! This has resulted in her first tastes of Orajel and Tylenol. She is stil as happy as ever; so far, her only complications are trouble falling asleep.
Have a good week.... we'll be back home on FRIDAY NIGHT!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Travelling
We're on vacation! We're spending the weekend with my parents in Maryland, then ten days in PA with in-laws and friends.
The girls are being totally spoiled by relatives, and Mike is trying to relax during his week off. My parents pool is calling my name - I didnt get to swim yesterday. Maybe I will, after breakfast. The water is still chilly. But Hannah wore her bathing suit all day long - she can really get around in the pool (as long as she's connected to some sort of floatation device).
Everyone else is still asleep around here - big party last night.
Hannah did NOT want to leave the party. (She has been extra-stubborn for the past two weeks.) She stayed up until 11:30pm! Most of the other people left around midnight.
The sunrise woke me up. Aliah gifted me with 6 solid hours of sleep this morning, so I dont feel quite as tired as I have during the past few days. Taking some naps this week will also help :)
The girls are being totally spoiled by relatives, and Mike is trying to relax during his week off. My parents pool is calling my name - I didnt get to swim yesterday. Maybe I will, after breakfast. The water is still chilly. But Hannah wore her bathing suit all day long - she can really get around in the pool (as long as she's connected to some sort of floatation device).
Everyone else is still asleep around here - big party last night.
Hannah did NOT want to leave the party. (She has been extra-stubborn for the past two weeks.) She stayed up until 11:30pm! Most of the other people left around midnight.
The sunrise woke me up. Aliah gifted me with 6 solid hours of sleep this morning, so I dont feel quite as tired as I have during the past few days. Taking some naps this week will also help :)
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Sorry Ive been MIA. Busy busy busy with the kids.
We went to Maryland, to see my family for the weekend. Aliah's first road trip - I had almost forgotten what it was like to travel with an infant. We had to stop about every hour for something or other. Not so fun.
It was a subdued trip, without my brother ("A") or my dad's side of the family around. And it was especially exhausting for me: between feeding Aliah, coping with her fussiness (she really hated being in her carseat for six hours, poor girl!), and dealing with Hannah's potty accidents - with all of us sleeping together in one room - I got very little sleep.
Needless to say, Hannah is not ready for overnight potty training yet. I had to wash all of her clothes TWICE, and we were only there for 2 nights! Yuck. Sometimes she will flat-out refuse to pee in the toilet. I dont know what to do with her! That girl is really stubborn. She only does things if and when she wants to.
My mom kept telling me things like "Be encouraging, don't get mad at her; she can't help it." But Hannah has been out of diapers for a year and a half! It's not like she can't use the potty. She just doesn't think it is important. She doesn't even seem to care if her pants get wet! Now it's just turned into a power struggle, and I really hate it.
It doesn't help matters that Mike scheduled himself to work a whole bunch of extra overtime this month. He is working 26 days in March. 26 days x 12 hours = a big paycheck, but it isnt worth it if you never get to spend time with your family. Maybe this weekend we'll get some time together - it's the one weekend in this whole rotation that Mike has off from work!
In other news, the girls are getting baptised on Sunday!
And now I need to fall in bed and go to sleep before Aliah gets hungry again. The rest of my laundry might not be washed or folded, but at least we all have clean sheets tonight.
We went to Maryland, to see my family for the weekend. Aliah's first road trip - I had almost forgotten what it was like to travel with an infant. We had to stop about every hour for something or other. Not so fun.
It was a subdued trip, without my brother ("A") or my dad's side of the family around. And it was especially exhausting for me: between feeding Aliah, coping with her fussiness (she really hated being in her carseat for six hours, poor girl!), and dealing with Hannah's potty accidents - with all of us sleeping together in one room - I got very little sleep.
Needless to say, Hannah is not ready for overnight potty training yet. I had to wash all of her clothes TWICE, and we were only there for 2 nights! Yuck. Sometimes she will flat-out refuse to pee in the toilet. I dont know what to do with her! That girl is really stubborn. She only does things if and when she wants to.
My mom kept telling me things like "Be encouraging, don't get mad at her; she can't help it." But Hannah has been out of diapers for a year and a half! It's not like she can't use the potty. She just doesn't think it is important. She doesn't even seem to care if her pants get wet! Now it's just turned into a power struggle, and I really hate it.
It doesn't help matters that Mike scheduled himself to work a whole bunch of extra overtime this month. He is working 26 days in March. 26 days x 12 hours = a big paycheck, but it isnt worth it if you never get to spend time with your family. Maybe this weekend we'll get some time together - it's the one weekend in this whole rotation that Mike has off from work!
In other news, the girls are getting baptised on Sunday!
And now I need to fall in bed and go to sleep before Aliah gets hungry again. The rest of my laundry might not be washed or folded, but at least we all have clean sheets tonight.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Our Trip, in Pictures.
First thing on the agenda: We spent a weekend in Pittsburgh, with our favorite college friends, where Mike and I first met. It was bizzare, like a walk down memory lane - except all the buildings have changed! But it was really great to hang out with old friends - some of them we hadnt seen in four or five years!!!
Our happy little family.
We went to a pumpkin farm with Mike's family.
Hannah was kind of grumpy, can you tell?
Hannah's favorite part was pulling the cart. She picked pumpkins just so that she could pull them around in the wagon.
She was super-spoiled by her grandparents, and got plenty of attention from aunts and uncles and friends, too. We ate so much candy at Nana and PapPap's house... I felt like I gained ten pounds last week!
We also got to spend a day at Hershey Park!
Reese's pieces are my new favorite candy.
Believe it or not, Hannah took this picture
She had a great time on the kiddie rides.
The park wasn't very busy, so she got to ride everything 2 or 3 times in a row!
And last weekend, we stayed with my parents in Maryland.
Since my dad's heart attack, he has been doing AMAZINGLY well.
Last month, in September, he lost 20 pounds! He looks great, and feels fine, too.
So... My crazy father and insane husband decided to go for one more swim before they closed up the pool. I didnt eve nwant to out my hands in - the waterfelt like ice!
They let Hannah "push" them in:
It was SO COLD!!!
My mother kept feeling my stomach: "Is that a hand or a foot? Or maybe the butt?"
Ummm, How in the world should I know?! There's a baby in there! That's all you really need to know!
Everyone keeps telling me that I'm having a boy this time. All of my relatives think so. I'm trying to ignore them and keep an open mind, because really, we don't know. It will be a nice Christmas surprise.
TWO MORE MONTHS until our Miracle Baby is due! :)
That means 4 1/2 more weeks until full-term!
I've been having a lot of scary dreams lately. For the past seven months, I have dreamed about going into labor early, and delivering a preemie. First I dreamed that the baby would be born at 28 or 29 weeks, now, in my dreams, it's 32 weeks - which, in reality, is coming up really fast. As long as we make it to 36 weeks without complications, I know it will be fine... I'm just nervous. My dreams keep getting worse though. It's harder for me to sleep at night. Combine braxton-hicks contractions, abdominal cramps, and charlie horse, and you get = not much sleep.
Oh well. Pregnancy doesn't last forever. Right?!
Our happy little family.
We went to a pumpkin farm with Mike's family.
Hannah was kind of grumpy, can you tell?
Hannah's favorite part was pulling the cart. She picked pumpkins just so that she could pull them around in the wagon.
She was super-spoiled by her grandparents, and got plenty of attention from aunts and uncles and friends, too. We ate so much candy at Nana and PapPap's house... I felt like I gained ten pounds last week!
We also got to spend a day at Hershey Park!
Reese's pieces are my new favorite candy.
Believe it or not, Hannah took this picture
She had a great time on the kiddie rides.
The park wasn't very busy, so she got to ride everything 2 or 3 times in a row!
And last weekend, we stayed with my parents in Maryland.
Since my dad's heart attack, he has been doing AMAZINGLY well.
Last month, in September, he lost 20 pounds! He looks great, and feels fine, too.
So... My crazy father and insane husband decided to go for one more swim before they closed up the pool. I didnt eve nwant to out my hands in - the waterfelt like ice!
They let Hannah "push" them in:
It was SO COLD!!!
My mother kept feeling my stomach: "Is that a hand or a foot? Or maybe the butt?"
Ummm, How in the world should I know?! There's a baby in there! That's all you really need to know!
Everyone keeps telling me that I'm having a boy this time. All of my relatives think so. I'm trying to ignore them and keep an open mind, because really, we don't know. It will be a nice Christmas surprise.
TWO MORE MONTHS until our Miracle Baby is due! :)
That means 4 1/2 more weeks until full-term!
I've been having a lot of scary dreams lately. For the past seven months, I have dreamed about going into labor early, and delivering a preemie. First I dreamed that the baby would be born at 28 or 29 weeks, now, in my dreams, it's 32 weeks - which, in reality, is coming up really fast. As long as we make it to 36 weeks without complications, I know it will be fine... I'm just nervous. My dreams keep getting worse though. It's harder for me to sleep at night. Combine braxton-hicks contractions, abdominal cramps, and charlie horse, and you get = not much sleep.
Oh well. Pregnancy doesn't last forever. Right?!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
The Not-Good Day
Yesterday was just one of those days that started out bad, and kept getting worse.
First, I was woken up at 6am by my in-laws, who were preparing leave our house. Dont ask me why my MIL had to use her incredibly loud hairdryer at 6am, but she did. I was less than overjoyed about waking up so early. The weather set the tone for the day: dark, dreary, pouring down rain.
I laid in bed for awhile, until my alarm went off, and got myself ready to babysit. Drove the 5 yr old to kindergarden. I was about 3 mins late dropping him off, and he was mad about it!
From there, I was going to pick up Hannah, who was begging to see her best friend Rosie... and I got into a car accident! It was raining, the roads were wet and slippery, and my brakes locked up going downhill. I rear-ended two handicapped old ladies! Talk about feeling horrible. No one was injured, since at most I was going 20 miles an hour, but I still felt terribly gulty. My bumper is embossed with the other car's license plate, and has a crack in it. The bumper looks awful, but its ok, and I didnt see any damage tp their 16-year old car.They very much wanted to file a police report, but it took an officer an HOUR to get to the accident scene, and when he did, he dismissed us, saying in a kind way that there just wasnt enough damage to warrant a police report. When I finally tried to close my eyes and go to sleep last night, I just kept seeing that image of my car smashing into theirs, over and over again. UGH!
After that, I was kind of paranoid to drive for awhile, so instead of me picking up Hannah, Mike drove her to us. She was only around for about 2 hours and she whined the entire time. It made my stress levels rise even further.
When babysitting was finally over the afternoon, I drove to my ultrasound appointment at UNC Hospital. I waited for 45 mins, just to have the head nurse tell me that there was a tornado warning in our area, and they were sending everyone home! (I was thinking, "Isnt the hospital one of the safest places to be? Why do you want to send us all out into this storm?!") So, I spent an hour and a half at the hospital, had to spend $3 for parking (but I had no cash! embarrassing!), and didnt even get an ultrasound done! ThenI was forced to drive home in rush-hour traffic, which I generally like to avoid.
On the way home from that, in an awful rainstorm, I called my mom to tell her about my not-so-good day, and this is what she said "I cant talk right now, all I know is that you father has been transported to the hospital by ambulance, and is in the emergency room. Im pulling into the parking lot right now and I'll call you back later."
Wow, my day went from not-good to tragic in about 2 seconds.
I got home at 6pm, the 3 of us ate dinner and packed up the car, and started driving to Maryland at 7pm. We arrived at minight. My father had chest pain, very high blood pressure, damage to his heart, and 3 blocked arteries. (Youre not supposed to have heart attacks when youre 48 years old!) They performed surgery last night and he is recovering in the hospital for at last 2 more days. I'll be staying here with my mom indefinitely.
I am thankful that the car accident was only superficial damage, and I am so glad that my dad has been coherent and acting like himself this whole time, and that his heart damage could be caught early on. We're going to visit him in the hospital very soon.
First, I was woken up at 6am by my in-laws, who were preparing leave our house. Dont ask me why my MIL had to use her incredibly loud hairdryer at 6am, but she did. I was less than overjoyed about waking up so early. The weather set the tone for the day: dark, dreary, pouring down rain.
I laid in bed for awhile, until my alarm went off, and got myself ready to babysit. Drove the 5 yr old to kindergarden. I was about 3 mins late dropping him off, and he was mad about it!
From there, I was going to pick up Hannah, who was begging to see her best friend Rosie... and I got into a car accident! It was raining, the roads were wet and slippery, and my brakes locked up going downhill. I rear-ended two handicapped old ladies! Talk about feeling horrible. No one was injured, since at most I was going 20 miles an hour, but I still felt terribly gulty. My bumper is embossed with the other car's license plate, and has a crack in it. The bumper looks awful, but its ok, and I didnt see any damage tp their 16-year old car.They very much wanted to file a police report, but it took an officer an HOUR to get to the accident scene, and when he did, he dismissed us, saying in a kind way that there just wasnt enough damage to warrant a police report. When I finally tried to close my eyes and go to sleep last night, I just kept seeing that image of my car smashing into theirs, over and over again. UGH!
After that, I was kind of paranoid to drive for awhile, so instead of me picking up Hannah, Mike drove her to us. She was only around for about 2 hours and she whined the entire time. It made my stress levels rise even further.
When babysitting was finally over the afternoon, I drove to my ultrasound appointment at UNC Hospital. I waited for 45 mins, just to have the head nurse tell me that there was a tornado warning in our area, and they were sending everyone home! (I was thinking, "Isnt the hospital one of the safest places to be? Why do you want to send us all out into this storm?!") So, I spent an hour and a half at the hospital, had to spend $3 for parking (but I had no cash! embarrassing!), and didnt even get an ultrasound done! ThenI was forced to drive home in rush-hour traffic, which I generally like to avoid.
On the way home from that, in an awful rainstorm, I called my mom to tell her about my not-so-good day, and this is what she said "I cant talk right now, all I know is that you father has been transported to the hospital by ambulance, and is in the emergency room. Im pulling into the parking lot right now and I'll call you back later."
Wow, my day went from not-good to tragic in about 2 seconds.
I got home at 6pm, the 3 of us ate dinner and packed up the car, and started driving to Maryland at 7pm. We arrived at minight. My father had chest pain, very high blood pressure, damage to his heart, and 3 blocked arteries. (Youre not supposed to have heart attacks when youre 48 years old!) They performed surgery last night and he is recovering in the hospital for at last 2 more days. I'll be staying here with my mom indefinitely.
I am thankful that the car accident was only superficial damage, and I am so glad that my dad has been coherent and acting like himself this whole time, and that his heart damage could be caught early on. We're going to visit him in the hospital very soon.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Trip to Maryland... Etc.
So here is what we did in Maryland: Arrived on Friday afternoon, played in the pool, visited with my parents, uncle and cousin. Uncle Tony was my favorite uncle when I was growing up, because he's so silly. He acts just like a big kid. It was neat to have Hannah playing with him too. My dad make a really nice steak dinner as a thank-you to my uncle for fixing an electric problem in the basement.
On Saturday, my parents invited about 25 people over for lunch. Another big pool party. My relatives from DC ended up staying for the weekend. They had visitors from France who had never been to the Atlantic Ocean, so we thought it would be fun to show them around. We planned to drive over to the Eastern Shore for the day, maybe even spend the night there on Sunday. So, on Sunday morning we packed up the cars and started driving.... but didnt get very far. We weren't expecting traffic, and I didn't think to listen to the news at 8 or 9am on a Sunday. But, in hindsight, we should have. Traffic was backed-up for EIGHT MILES. The eastbound lanes were completely closed. It was horrible. We salvaged all that driving by spending the afternoon in Annapolis, one of my favorite towns to visit. It was my teenaged hang-out spot in high school. After we got home, we learned what had happened on the Bay Bridge.
On Monday, we spent the day with my grandparents. They live about a mile from the Bay, so Hannah still got to play in the sand, splash in the water, and collect seashells. I got some adorable pictures... but they aren't uploaded yet.
Overall, I was very impressed by how well my youngest brother played with Hannah. They interacted so well together! He's going off to his freshman year of college next week. He won't be far from my parents (Baltimore is only about an hour away from home), but I think it will be a really positive change for him.
We are still trying to convince my other brother to grow up, get out of the house, and get a job. We'll see how that goes. For the past 2 years he's been doing nothing, and I don't predict that will change anytime soon.
My newly married sister also started a new job this week, teaching history at a school that is exclusively for teenaged moms, in Baltimore. We've been playing phone tag with each other all week.
And now, we are back home in North Carolina.
Due to Mike's pay schedule, we had to pay our mortgage a week later than usual this month, and it has really messed up our finiancial situation. I spent ZERO money while I was in Maryland. (My mom filled up my gas tank. She felt bad that I sat in traffic for two hours on Sunday, because of the Bay Bridge accident). And still, he lectured me about going to visit my family! Then when I got home, he said "hey, you don't have to work this week, why didn't you stay for a few more days?". Ahhhh, men!
Hannah and I drove home last night without incident... although she did have a hard time saying goodbye to her daddy when he left for work at 6pm. He's working the night shift this week, and he slept from 8:3-am-5:30pm today! We haven't spent any time with him since we came home. At least he has this upcoming weekend off.
Today, I felt really weak and achy and nauseous all morning, so we didn't go out or do much of anything. Plus it was rainy, so I had to keep Hannah inside anyways. We did quiet things, like playdough and crafts and reading books and coloring. Things that allowed me to sit on the couch all afternoon. Heck, I'll admite it: I didnt even change out of my pjs today! By dinnertime, I wasn't feeling so sick and nauseous, but I'm still trying to take it easy.
That was our week.
Here's to the next one...
Nicole
On Saturday, my parents invited about 25 people over for lunch. Another big pool party. My relatives from DC ended up staying for the weekend. They had visitors from France who had never been to the Atlantic Ocean, so we thought it would be fun to show them around. We planned to drive over to the Eastern Shore for the day, maybe even spend the night there on Sunday. So, on Sunday morning we packed up the cars and started driving.... but didnt get very far. We weren't expecting traffic, and I didn't think to listen to the news at 8 or 9am on a Sunday. But, in hindsight, we should have. Traffic was backed-up for EIGHT MILES. The eastbound lanes were completely closed. It was horrible. We salvaged all that driving by spending the afternoon in Annapolis, one of my favorite towns to visit. It was my teenaged hang-out spot in high school. After we got home, we learned what had happened on the Bay Bridge.
On Monday, we spent the day with my grandparents. They live about a mile from the Bay, so Hannah still got to play in the sand, splash in the water, and collect seashells. I got some adorable pictures... but they aren't uploaded yet.
Overall, I was very impressed by how well my youngest brother played with Hannah. They interacted so well together! He's going off to his freshman year of college next week. He won't be far from my parents (Baltimore is only about an hour away from home), but I think it will be a really positive change for him.
We are still trying to convince my other brother to grow up, get out of the house, and get a job. We'll see how that goes. For the past 2 years he's been doing nothing, and I don't predict that will change anytime soon.
My newly married sister also started a new job this week, teaching history at a school that is exclusively for teenaged moms, in Baltimore. We've been playing phone tag with each other all week.
And now, we are back home in North Carolina.
Due to Mike's pay schedule, we had to pay our mortgage a week later than usual this month, and it has really messed up our finiancial situation. I spent ZERO money while I was in Maryland. (My mom filled up my gas tank. She felt bad that I sat in traffic for two hours on Sunday, because of the Bay Bridge accident). And still, he lectured me about going to visit my family! Then when I got home, he said "hey, you don't have to work this week, why didn't you stay for a few more days?". Ahhhh, men!
Hannah and I drove home last night without incident... although she did have a hard time saying goodbye to her daddy when he left for work at 6pm. He's working the night shift this week, and he slept from 8:3-am-5:30pm today! We haven't spent any time with him since we came home. At least he has this upcoming weekend off.
Today, I felt really weak and achy and nauseous all morning, so we didn't go out or do much of anything. Plus it was rainy, so I had to keep Hannah inside anyways. We did quiet things, like playdough and crafts and reading books and coloring. Things that allowed me to sit on the couch all afternoon. Heck, I'll admite it: I didnt even change out of my pjs today! By dinnertime, I wasn't feeling so sick and nauseous, but I'm still trying to take it easy.
That was our week.
Here's to the next one...
Nicole
Friday, August 8, 2008
Free Vacation, Here We Are!
This week I have had a lot to say, but no time to record it here. I have, however, been using my handwritten journal, so maybe someday soon I can share those pages with you. I have lots of funny Hannah stories - now if I only I can remember them!
In the meantime, we are spending a long weekend with my parents in Maryland, while Mike stays at home and works 6 days straight. This is his toughest week. On Friday morning he was facing a 12-hour shift with only three hours of sleep behind him. Poor guy! I never can understand how he goes back and forth between days and night shifts like that.
In the meantime, we are spending a long weekend with my parents in Maryland, while Mike stays at home and works 6 days straight. This is his toughest week. On Friday morning he was facing a 12-hour shift with only three hours of sleep behind him. Poor guy! I never can understand how he goes back and forth between days and night shifts like that.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Our Week in PA.
It's been such a busy week. First we spent 2 days in Maryland with my family. I got to see my sister's new apt. in Baltimore. She wants to have a simple wedding, but I think now that it's almost here, she's getting very stressed about preparations. Friday was VERY busy, we were out all day visiting people.I love our family vacations, but it seems like we try to cram too much activity into each day.
Still, I appreciate how quiet and calm it is out here in the woods of Western Pennsylvania.We arrived in PA on Saturday afternoon. Basically unpacked, ate dinner, and rested. Everyone else played in the hot tub after dinner; I just watched. I feel like I can't be too careful, even if they do set the temperature at 96 degrees, so that Hannah can splash in the hot tub too.
On Sunday we celebrated my FIL's birthday. There were 14 people over. For the Hummel family, thats like a HUGE party. It was nice to see everyone. Hannah wore her new Big Sister shirt, and told everybody that a new baby would be coming to our house at Christmastime!
Hannah hasnt had any accidents in 4 or 5 days.
Maybe the change of atmosphere helped?
Whatever the cause, I hope it continues!
Mike and I got away for 48 hours. We spent Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday morning in Grove City by ourselves. It was very refreshing to just be alone, we bought some fun things at the outlet stores, and had nice quiet romantic meals... but I did miss my little girl. We've never been apart that long before! She didnt seem to mind that we were gone (she was too busy having fun to talk on the phone!), but when we got back she said "I missed you lots".
Pregnancy news: Doing great! Not much nausea lately. Ive gained 4 or 5 pounds altogether. I feel like Im noticeably pregnant, not just 'getting fat;' every day, my stomach gets a little bigger. Im 15 weeks, and New Baby is about 4.5 inches long and weighs over one ounce. I've been feeling vague baby movements for about a week, and this morning I felt a definite KICK! Yay!
So amazing. I love every minute of it. It's such a gift from God.
I know that so many people are praying for me right now, and I couldn't be more grateful. Thank you so much.
Now it's our last night here. Tomorrow we travel back to the chaos of my family in Maryland. It's been a long week, and after my sister's wedding and this big family party, Im sure all three of us will be anxious to get home.
Happy July Fourth.
Nicole
Still, I appreciate how quiet and calm it is out here in the woods of Western Pennsylvania.We arrived in PA on Saturday afternoon. Basically unpacked, ate dinner, and rested. Everyone else played in the hot tub after dinner; I just watched. I feel like I can't be too careful, even if they do set the temperature at 96 degrees, so that Hannah can splash in the hot tub too.
On Sunday we celebrated my FIL's birthday. There were 14 people over. For the Hummel family, thats like a HUGE party. It was nice to see everyone. Hannah wore her new Big Sister shirt, and told everybody that a new baby would be coming to our house at Christmastime!
Hannah hasnt had any accidents in 4 or 5 days.
Maybe the change of atmosphere helped?
Whatever the cause, I hope it continues!
Mike and I got away for 48 hours. We spent Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday morning in Grove City by ourselves. It was very refreshing to just be alone, we bought some fun things at the outlet stores, and had nice quiet romantic meals... but I did miss my little girl. We've never been apart that long before! She didnt seem to mind that we were gone (she was too busy having fun to talk on the phone!), but when we got back she said "I missed you lots".
Pregnancy news: Doing great! Not much nausea lately. Ive gained 4 or 5 pounds altogether. I feel like Im noticeably pregnant, not just 'getting fat;' every day, my stomach gets a little bigger. Im 15 weeks, and New Baby is about 4.5 inches long and weighs over one ounce. I've been feeling vague baby movements for about a week, and this morning I felt a definite KICK! Yay!
So amazing. I love every minute of it. It's such a gift from God.
I know that so many people are praying for me right now, and I couldn't be more grateful. Thank you so much.
Now it's our last night here. Tomorrow we travel back to the chaos of my family in Maryland. It's been a long week, and after my sister's wedding and this big family party, Im sure all three of us will be anxious to get home.
Happy July Fourth.
Nicole
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Playing Catch-up.
Last week we spent three nights and four days in Maryland with my family. It was really great to see everyone. Hannah got totally loved and spoiled by all the relatives, and we just made happy memories and ate yummy food and spent time together. I also got to catch-up with some old friends, most of whom I hadnt talked with in years, like Caroline and the Miller family.
But there were some really bitterweet moments. Especially because Mike wasn't there with us. Emergency workers don't get holidays or night and weekends off.Easter always reminds me of newborn Hannah, and also of my first loss - as well as the amazing gift of salvation, and how all the sins I've ever committed are wiped clean with God's grace. The service we attended on Easter Sunday gave a very memorable and vivid picture of that, something I took away with me.
Plus there were also some well-meaning friends & relatives who continually asked about babies and future pregnancies. They don't know, they must have no idea how deep a casual comment can hit.
Usually I got away with saying something like "Yes, we would love to have more children, I just don't know when God will bless us again."
When one particular friend asked bluntly "Will Hannah be getting a new sibling soon?", I replied "Ask God, and pray about it for me."
Two days after returning from Maryland, my favorite aunt and 2 teenaged cousins came to stay with us. We had SO MUCH FUN with them! Hannah had a blast, especially with my youngest cousin - she's our favorite (don't tell the others though!). They visited colleges during the times that I had to work. I want them to choose UNC in CHapel Hill, I think it would be a great fit - I really hope my cuz gets accepted there! In-between my meetings, we toured around Raleigh and Durham and showed them our favorite spots to shop and eat and hang out.
On Thursday while I was working, they bought a new couch! It barely fit into their van! It's so soft and comfty and beautiful, I can't wait to sleep on it next time we visit! On Friday Mike gave us his own personal behind-the-scenes tour of Duke University and another local college, and we walked arond Duke Gardens and took some beautiful pictures. We ate dinner in the historic district of town. It was so nice to go out and be social all week!
Saturday was their last day with us, and we just HAD to go shopping together. Mie was our chauffeur. We drove to the biggest mall in town, and had a blast trying on silly outfits. Then I hit the sales racks, and got two absolutely beautiful summer dresses for myself (I cannot wait to wear them!), a new pair of jeans, which I very much needed, plus a new bra and some perfume. I spent about $90 on msyelf - I have no idea the last time I went shopping just for ME. It was such fun, and I had such a wonderful time that I didn't even let myself feel guilty about spending money only on me.
I should learn how to put pictures on this blog, we got some beautiful ones last week that I'd love to share.
On to Hannah's progress: Hannah hasn't had any accidents in the last two weeks. I think it's fairly safe to say that potty training has been mastered!!!
Another milestone passed and gone.
Mike & I finally agreed upon a new bed for her, and we'll be picking it up on Friday. Im really excited about that!
Have a good week.
But there were some really bitterweet moments. Especially because Mike wasn't there with us. Emergency workers don't get holidays or night and weekends off.Easter always reminds me of newborn Hannah, and also of my first loss - as well as the amazing gift of salvation, and how all the sins I've ever committed are wiped clean with God's grace. The service we attended on Easter Sunday gave a very memorable and vivid picture of that, something I took away with me.
Plus there were also some well-meaning friends & relatives who continually asked about babies and future pregnancies. They don't know, they must have no idea how deep a casual comment can hit.
Usually I got away with saying something like "Yes, we would love to have more children, I just don't know when God will bless us again."
When one particular friend asked bluntly "Will Hannah be getting a new sibling soon?", I replied "Ask God, and pray about it for me."
Two days after returning from Maryland, my favorite aunt and 2 teenaged cousins came to stay with us. We had SO MUCH FUN with them! Hannah had a blast, especially with my youngest cousin - she's our favorite (don't tell the others though!). They visited colleges during the times that I had to work. I want them to choose UNC in CHapel Hill, I think it would be a great fit - I really hope my cuz gets accepted there! In-between my meetings, we toured around Raleigh and Durham and showed them our favorite spots to shop and eat and hang out.
On Thursday while I was working, they bought a new couch! It barely fit into their van! It's so soft and comfty and beautiful, I can't wait to sleep on it next time we visit! On Friday Mike gave us his own personal behind-the-scenes tour of Duke University and another local college, and we walked arond Duke Gardens and took some beautiful pictures. We ate dinner in the historic district of town. It was so nice to go out and be social all week!
Saturday was their last day with us, and we just HAD to go shopping together. Mie was our chauffeur. We drove to the biggest mall in town, and had a blast trying on silly outfits. Then I hit the sales racks, and got two absolutely beautiful summer dresses for myself (I cannot wait to wear them!), a new pair of jeans, which I very much needed, plus a new bra and some perfume. I spent about $90 on msyelf - I have no idea the last time I went shopping just for ME. It was such fun, and I had such a wonderful time that I didn't even let myself feel guilty about spending money only on me.
I should learn how to put pictures on this blog, we got some beautiful ones last week that I'd love to share.
On to Hannah's progress: Hannah hasn't had any accidents in the last two weeks. I think it's fairly safe to say that potty training has been mastered!!!
Another milestone passed and gone.
Mike & I finally agreed upon a new bed for her, and we'll be picking it up on Friday. Im really excited about that!
Have a good week.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)