One word: tornadoes.
Springtime in Oklahoma is full of allergies, butterflies and pretty flowers -- but it also means the start of severe weather season. Now, I've lived in Oklahoma for nearly 18 years, and each storm season doesn't get easier. When April 1st rolls around, I start to live on edge and pay more attention to the weather than I do during any other time of the year. Now that I'm a mom, I live on edge even more because it's not just my life at stake if something happens; there's two [well, 2.5] of us.
A couple of weekends ago, we had a tornado warning come through at 2:45 in the morning. I have never, ever been so scared in my entire life than I was at that moment; I don't EVER want to wake up to tornado sirens EVER again. I saw that the tornado was still miles away and would allow me to get safely out of the way, so I went into survival mode at that point: I threw some things in a bag, woke JJ and got him safely to the car, and we drove through hell and high water [literally] to the nearest safe shelter, which is my office on campus. When we got to campus, we got the all-clear signal, but I stayed put through the rest of the storms to be sure that we'd be safe. My son was fine and didn't really realize what was going on, but I lost a good 10 years of my life that night.
The night after that, Woodward got hit by a tornado with little warning, and people lost their lives. I'm so scared that, sometime in the future, that situation will happen where I am. Or where my parents or sister are. The scare a couple of weekends ago was close enough of a call for me; I don't want that to happen again. And I can't wait for storm season to be over so that I can have some peace of mind again. I'd much rather deal with the heat of the summer than this time of the year, for sure. I am so fortunate that we have not been affected by anything major since I moved here, but that doesn't ease my peace of mind from storm season to storm season. Here's hoping this storm season is relatively quiet for our neck of the woods.
*steps off soapbox*
I know it's been awhile since my last post; things have been a little crazy lately. April had a lot of things going on, but things have slowed down quite a bit now that the school year is winding down. This upcoming week is pre-finals week, and next week is finals. I remember thinking that this school year would drag when it started in August, and now look - it's nearly the end. This time of year brings bittersweet memories for me since I always remember my own graduation [four years! holy cow!], but I'm also grateful that I don't have to take any finals. :)
As most people [whether you read my blog regularly or pop in from my Twitter/FB posts about my blog] know, my dear husband is deployed right now. He's been gone a couple of months with no definite timetable for his return [even though i'm hoping he's home before i'm due...have a feeling it could cut it quite close though], and things have been OK. Well, pretty good, actually. I get to talk to him way more than I thought, which is a good and bad thing -- good because I get to hear his voice on nearly daily intervals; bad because if I don't hear from him, I start to check the news and freak out on the inside that something's gone wrong. Things have been decently active since he got there, which isn't easy for anyone involved...it's been hard to keep my stress level down while he's been gone, but talking to him reassures me that he's doing OK. This is our first deployment, and I know it won't be the last, so I'd better get used to it. I'm so very grateful for technology though, that's for sure -- it's helped make this time apart so much easier.
This post is dragging on, so I'd better hit the baby update [I've missed the last one or two] before people quit reading:
Total weight gain: Not quite sure. Next check-up is a week from Monday, so we'll see. I'm nervous about the weight gain.
Maternity clothes? Still fully in them. I've been replacing maternity clothes [a pair of my old maternity jeans ripped, and my remaining pair is too big still; my work pants don't fit anymore, even when unzipped, so i had to replace those as well], which has been fun for me. Love me some retail therapy - think I'm set for awhile though.
Sleep: Meh - still hit and miss. Starting to become a little uncomfortable.
Best moment this week: Feeling the baby move. Jelly Bean has been quite active most days; it's the most amazing feeling.
Food cravings: None. At all. Which is still weird to me.
Gender: Still not telling until the anatomy scan. It's becoming harder to keep my mouth shut though!
Belly Button in or out? In. For now.
What I miss: WINE.
What I am looking forward to: The start of the summer holiday in Stillwater. The town becomes so much quieter when the students clear out. Don't get me wrong - I love having them around. But I do enjoy the quiet that summer vacation brings.
Weekly Wisdom: Remember -- when a tornado is in your area, DUCK [Downstairs; Underneath something; Cover your head; Keep in shelter until storm passes].
Milestones: Within the past week or so, I've felt a kick on the outside. Jelly Bean is still sitting pretty low, and I haven't felt a kick since - but its kicks are getting stronger, and I can't wait to feel more on the outside.
Differences between #1 & #2: Nausea's still around. At nearly 17.5 weeks. With JJ, it was on its way out the door at this point. It honestly sucks -- I've been dealing with this for nearly three months!
No comments:
Post a Comment