Gag and A Screech!

What a day!!

My day started by having to do the Glucose screening test. You can’t eat or drink anything past midnight the night before the test, so you’re starving when you get there. The test starts with the nurses giving you a orange colored drink about 2/3 the size of a normal bottle of water, and telling you to drink the stuff down in 5 minutes. So you open it and taste it. The first taste is deceiving. You think “oh this isn’t so bad.” Then you take another swig and another then realize this ubber sugary orange kool-aid wanna-be has to go down in 5 minutes. The best thing to do is chug it down and try to ignore the gritty feel of all that sugar as it pours down your throat (It’s hard not to gag). Then they make you wait an hour. In that hour your stomach starts to churn because this is the only thing you’ve had in your belly since last night. I started to feel a little faint (lack of food will do that to us preggers), then I felt sick to my stomach like I was going to vomit – the stuff is seriously that gross. Lastly when you’re hour is up they take a couple vials of blood and send you on your merry way. Sheesh – what a way to start off a day.

Thankfully when I got to school I had a smaller size (some of my kids were out sick today), so Ms. Jenn and I combined our classes. We had a blast doing a joint art project with paints and sponges. The kids really enjoy working with paint so it was a big part of our day to let them explore their creativity.

I was so excited when I was leaving work. We have a brand new kitchen set for my classroom, which comes with pots that “boil”, a microwave that “beeps” and all sorts of bells and whistles. I also turned in my lesson plans for the entire month of April. I’m trying to get May & June’s done as well so that everything will be set for when I am out on Maternity Leave (though I’m not yet sure when I’ll go out). So I left work and started my short journey home. I was thinking about what I wanted to bring in for my kids – tomorrow we’re having a little V-Day party. I stopped at this red light when suddenly I heard the screeching of tires to my left. Apparently, someone who was trying to turn left following traffic going the opposing direction began to hydroplane. The hydroplaning truck ended up spinning into the red SUV just to the front and left side of me. The red SUV in turn smashed into the grey car directly in front of me. The still spinning truck then headed my way. Luckily it only “tapped” me. It hardly even left a mark! But it was a seriously intense 20 seconds of thinking “OMG this guy’s going to kill us.” It was one of those surreal moments where everything seems to happen slowly. I felt a complete loss of control as I watched the truck get closer and closer to my drivers side door. The scariest thing is that if he hadn’t hit the red SUV first, he would have hit my drivers side door with full force instead of just tapping me. Thankfully I had a chance to sit and calm myself down a little bit while waiting for the police to get there so I could give my statement. I wasn’t hurt at all, but I did tense up waiting for the impact to happen. It was more emotionally intense than anything else, but I went straight over to my OB’s office anyway to make sure the baby was okay. I figure its better to be safe than sorry. The plus is that I got to hear my little man’s heart beat. My blood pressure was understandably elevated, my back and neck are stiff and sore, and I have a killer headache, but compared to what could have been I feel VERY VERY lucky. I’ve been mentally sending a couple of thank you prayers up to the heavens to thank the Big Man for keeping us safe today.

I am not the kind of person who celebrates Valentines Day. I actually detest the “holiday” (too commercialized and ridiculous), but in light of the scare I had, I think I’ll wear my red tomorrow and encourage my toddlers to celebrate! Afterall, as I’ve been reminded this afternoon, every day and every moment in this life should be treasured – even Valentines Day. I’m going to share the love!