So I was sick after all!

Friday I just couldn't do anything... I literally could not stop coughing. I'd coughed all night... and couldn't take it any more. I called my OB's office at 9am (because we're supposed to call them first) to beg for mercy. I explained the whole situation and was told a nurse would call me back. (insert eye roll here). I coughed from 9 until 12:30 – when the did finally get around to calling me back. What'd they say? Call your regular doctor. WHAT?! You think I'm going to get in to see my regular doctor when calling for an appointment at 12:30 Friday afternoon? When I started crying (and of course, croaking – I have almost no voice) on the phone the woman told me to go to urgent care. Well, thanks to the NC State Health Plan being so delightfully crappy, an urgent care visit is $75. No, thank you. I called my regular doctor – the soonest they could see me would be Monday afternoon – but that I need to call my OB. OH REEEAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLYYYYYYYYYYYYYY? (insert another eye roll here). Drew came home from work around 4:30 and I high-tailed it to the CVS minute clinic. It was well beyond time to get checked out.

I wasn't thrilled about having to go to a minute clinic... but the nurse couldn't have been nicer. Unfortunately, when she listened to my lungs she knew I needed a breathing treatment immediately. I have Bronchitis... and I needed a nebulizer to open the lungs up. Can't do that at CVS. So she sent me to an urgent care. GREAT. Well, this urgent care was different. It's just a regular doctor's office... and they charge like a regular doctor's office... and it was clean... and cheery... and right up the road from CVS. They got me right back... gave the same diagnosis as the CVS nurse... hit me with the breathing treatment (I felt 1000 percent better after that alone) put me on the antibiotic and sent me on my way. I was in and out in an hour.

Friday night... I slept like I've never slept in my life. I'd wake up and cough... then close my eyes and literally... feel like I was blinking... but 2 hours would have passed. My body was finally resting and breathing and I had a pretty good break from coughing. Each day I've improved.

Today we took the baby clothes out of the attic so I could assess what we have and decide what we need. Seeing these baby boy clothes out again... my goodness... it feels so real. These tiny little baby clothes! I remember when Grant wore them... and now he's running around talking in complex sentences... expressing emotions... how fast the time goes. I'm starting to dread those months with no sleep at all (especially considering how little I've slept this past week because of the coughing... )but I'm starting to get excited to hold a little peanut again. I don't know whether it's a blessing or a curse the second time around to know exactly what you're getting into. Oh well, it's like a freight train coming anyway... doesn't matter how I feel about it... there's no stopping it now!

Where have I been?

I've spent the past few days alternately denying that I have a terrible chest cold and laying in bed coughing and moaning to Drew that “I'm Siiiiiiiiiiccccccccccccckkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk.” The timing couldn't have been worse as Drew couldn't take so much as an afternoon off of work because of a major proposal deadline. I have the kind of cold where during the late morning and afternoon I feel fine (except for a slight dry cough and a bit of a sore throat) but when I go to bed at night I can't sleep because of the cough... and when I get up in the morning... absolute misery due to coughing.

My days haven't been wasted though. Grant and I have had a wonderful time.

On Monday (before I was sick) our friend Ella came over to play while Ella's mom went to an appointment.

Grant is sort of alternately fascinated with and terrified of Ella. He loves to play with her but hates it if she touches any of his toys. Whatever she was playing with, he wanted (a phenomenon that children apparently never grow out of). He would bring her another to she was “allowed” to play with so he could have whatever was in her hands at the time. “See mom, I'm sharing!” It was all fun and games until she touched his beloved dump truck. He was prepared to lay down his life to protect that dump truck. We had a long discussion about the naughty chair – and he was prepared to sit there indefinitely... but Ella was NOT going to touch his truck.

Hilarious!

Tuesday I actually felt wonderful until the evening. We walked out the door to run some errands and the weather was so beautiful it literally sidetracked us for the whole day. It wasn't hot... (maybe 75 degrees!) and it wasn't humid... so Grant played outside while I parked my 7.5 month pregnant bottom in a chair and watched.

He drove his power wheels...

He started an excavation in our side yard.  He played and ran and played and ran. We played on the swings and slide. He splashed in his little blow-up pool. We had lunch and a quick nap and then... back outside we went for the rest of the afternoon. It was so wonderful. Drew turned his proposal in and got home by 4 to join in the fun. It was a blast!

Wednesday I hit “The Children's Place” outlet with a friend. They're having an insane sale right now! I bought clothes for both boys (*eek* BOTH boys!!!!). Then we went to the Disney store. That's where Grant found his new best friend... a stuffed Lightening McQueen car from the movie “Cars.”

(note the Doritos stains around his mouth)  He took one look at this stuffed toy and it was absolute love at first sight. He has literally not been more than five feet from this car since the moment he laid eyes on it. He carried it into Drew's office when we visited last night. Took it into Food Lion. Went to bed with it. Came into our room this morning holding it. Took it to my Gestational Diabetes appointment this morning. He took it with him to his nap tonight. Now he's out with Drew running errands... and the car is with them. I wonder how it happens... how do kids find their “thing” and latch on? I'd love to know what the thinking is, but all I know is... that car is a part of Grant now. Maybe tomorrow he'll forget about it... but today, it's a major player.

This morning was really really rough. I considered canceling my diabetes appointment but I know I need to be seen. Everything is fine –but because I'm battling this cold, my sugars are so out of whack. It's frustrating. I'm spilling some proteins, which is terrifying given my history of HELLP syndrome. My blood pressure was perfect though and my OB isn't concerned – they think I'm just fighting off some virus. I've got another pregnancy-approved cold medicine to try (Mucinex) tonight and if I don't see a marked improvement tomorrow I will have to see a doctor about whether I need antibiotics.

We marked the end of an era this past Thursday.

The BMW is gone.

Fraulein Beemer (as I called her... Drew called her the Frauliner) served a noble purpose. I bought her outright ($2800 if I recall correctly) so I could stop making ridiculous payments on my CRV... so I could finally get out of debt. It took a few years... but she served her purpose. Fraulein Beemer is the car I learned how to drive stick on. She got me through many a blizzard during my Providence to Boston commute. She broke down all over 95 North and South... most notably at exit 4 in Attleboro where her strut tower collapsed as we were trying to get to Drew's parent's house where we could fix it. The strut tower is the rod that holds the wheel down. It was a catastrophic injury, but Drew was prepared and we were back on the road that very same day.

I couldn't have had this car without Drew's willingness to maintain it... he put in a lot of hours and a lot of actual blood, sweat and... well not tears... um... swearing.

My mom rode with me in the BMW – no A/C all the way from Providence to Charlotte (including a harrowing stop in NJ where I got very very sick in someone's front yard. Ah memories, right mom?). I drove this car for more than a year here in NC... no A/C.... but still debt free.

Her health was declining though... and one day... when I was pregnant with Grant and on my way to an OB appointment... I noticed I was having to push the pedal very very hard to accelerate. I mentioned it to Drew... thinking it was a snapped accelerator cable (it's happened before). No, the problem actually was ... I was pushing the pedal through the BOTTOM OF THE FLOOR OF THE CAR. Yep... Flintstone's style. I guess there was some rust we weren't aware of.

Drew fixed it... (of course) but things were never the same... and the Audi soon came into our lives... glorious A/C and all.

Drew and Joel both drove the Frauliner over the past 2 years... and between the BMW and Drew's 1982 Rabbit... he almost never needed a ride into work.

But now that Drew has a really wonderful new car... it's time to say goodbye.

We donated Fraulein Bemmer to NPR via Car Talk because they will part-her out (as opposed to putting everyone at risk with her being on the road again).

I wish I could tell you I was sad as I watched the nice tow truck driver (he was remarkably nice... dressed in long sleeves and nice pants... clean teeth... no visible ink... very very polite) take her away for the last time. I wasn't sad. I was thankful that we were able to make that car work for as long as it did... and I'm thankful that that time of our lives seems to be over.

Here's to you Fraulein Beemer. You served us well.

I hesitate to put up a new blog because I hate for the link to the video to be pushed down the page. I've watched that video of Grant about 50 times and I can't get enough.
And really, that video sort of illustrates what our days have been. We've been playing. I'm down to just a few more weeks of having one child and I want to enjoy them We've been to the park and Romp N Roll and swimming at the YMCA. He's played outside with dad – and has legs FULL of bug bites to show for it all.

I'm officially in my third trimester... and feeling it. I'm exhausted and by the end of the day my back is just killing me. Can't believe we're in the home stretch. The first trimester dragged... the second trimester flew though. It's been crazy. Our house is totally different... and yes... I'll post pictures soon. We're working on some landscaping (and by we I mean Drew). It's time to start winding down big projects though and really get ready for the baby. I'm starting to really look forward to holding him in my arms instead of in my belly.

My diabetes is doing okay – I'm on 4 – 6 units of fast insulin with dinner. It sucks but it gives me a little more freedom with food.

Another OB appointment on Thursday morning. I'm up to visits every 2 weeks now (I think I only had one or two one-month-wait appointments anyway).

Anyway, it's quiet here, which is nice. And the summer hasn't become intense yet, which is also nice. I'm trying to just enjoy every moment before it's gone!