A Wet, Bump-filled Day

It all started with a crappy night's sleep due to rolling thunderstorms all night long. Then it progressed into a nasty wet morning filled with storms stretching to Elgin. And now, it's just one giant, humid, armpit of a day.

Our neighbors next door, who happen to be some of the greatest people on the planet, are moving. I'm crushed of course because they are the one's with baby Eva who is 10 days younger than Ada. We've shared a lot of stories and tears and frustrations over this past year and a half. Colette has saved my butt more times than I can count by relieving a sick nanny or filing in the gaps when a sitter had to leave or didn't show. She's been my go-to momma and should seriously be considered for momma sainthood. Tomorrow is the big day. They are loading up the truck and moving to Seattle. Not like that's far. Just HALF WAY ACROSS THE FRIGGING COUNTRY. But at least now I suspect I'll get to see Seattle. Or somewhere else fun when they potentially move again in 2 years for her husband Rob's Super Fellowship. Silly Doctors. Have to go and do all that learning and stuff.

So today started similar to yesterday... with me desperately trying to figure out what I can do to help them out before they move so I can dig myself out of good-neighbor debt. Yesterday I got to return library books for her (easy since I had books to check out) and today I went to the bank to get cash and quarters(for us both) while she went to target to get diapers and wipes (for us both).

We started with a cash and check swap at the back door which turned into the first bump of the day-- and the worst in my opinion. As I was carrying Ada back inside from our back porch, I misjudged the step at the threshold and wiped out. I dropped Ada -- luckily it wasn't until we were only a foot from the floor that I let her go and she's used to falling-- and I took the brunt of it. Youch. I was trying to quick, run inside, grab my shoes so I could open and close the gate for Colette to get her car out of the back lot. Instead, I ended up falling through the back door, landing on my left hip/thigh and smashing the heck out of my left foot. I have a HUGE bruise on my hip now -- even after icing it for a half hour. It hasn't even started to turn purple yet because it is so deep. Yep. I'm in pain. And then there is my foot, which doesn't seem to be broken but is really made at me for being a clumsy idiot.

So I'm in pain, Ada's screaming, Colette's in the back parking lot loading Eva into the car and not sure what's going on up on my porch. I hobble outside with Ada --mostly so she'll stop crying as she loves to be outside -- and end up sitting on my new glidder on the porch and kicking up my foot to give it a rest. Colette's laughing at me (in a kind way) and taking photos with her camera phone. I didn't feel so bad not opening the gate for her since she got some form of amusement out of my pain. Now that I'm typing, I remember that I landed on my wrist too. That smarts.
Colette leaves, doing the gate by herself, and I round Ada up to get dressed and ready to venture out into the black sky crazy storm. Am I nuts?

Yesterday's task was a piece of cake. Today's, not so much. You see, even with my umbrella, rain coat, and golashes, I was no match for today's storm. We considered walking to the bank and then I realized just how dumb I was being and opted for the car. We got outside, got drenched, and of course, I had to re-adjust the straps to the car seat as my lower half is hanging outside the car, partially under the umbrella, in the biggest downpour of the year. We finally get settled and I drove to the grocery store down the street for bananas and stamps. We got wet going into the store, and even more wet getting out of the store.

Soaked, we drove to the bank. Got a loading zone parking spot. Unloaded in a major downpour and hustled into the bank. Got our cash and coins, made deposits. All of this while holding Ada because she wasn't in the mood to be down. Of course. How else do you make a hot, humid, and wet day worse? Run errands carrying a 30 lb child everywhere you go. It's fun. Really!

We step out of the bank and it is only drizzling now. We get to the car and Ada tries to run down the street. I grab her, pull her back to the car and stand her a bit too close to the door. As I click the unlock button and open the door, guess who gets bonked in the head with the car door and goes down like a rock into a standing puddle under her butt? Yep. Ada! Bump #2 of the day. Screaming, wet, into the car seat she goes. Lunch and naptime are fast approaching and she's communicating that very clearly. And by the time we got home, it was raining cats and dogs all over again. And BIG cats and dogs-- like Lions and German Shepards-- this time.

Finally we're home. We strip down, dry off and start over. Grab some lunch. Then she's due for a nap.

We rounded out the day with a packing party at Colette's with 2 other neighborhood moms and kiddos, and a few more bumps on Ada's body as she bounced off the packing boxes and fought over stuffed bunnies.

Let's just say, as much as I don't want tomorrow to come as it means Colette is really moving, I'm so happy to be done with today.

Moral of the story: If it's raining, roll over, have a nap party until the sun comes out and call it a day.