Hurricane Ike, Part 1

So it's been a while since I've posted. I feel as though time has stood still over the past two weeks. I have a lot to blog about, but I only have twenty minutes, so I'll write the rest tomorrow. I'm feeling a bit stressed after the hurricane and finally getting The Monster back to school. Leslie had the unfortunate timing of calling tonight right as I reached my breaking point. I spent the next 12 minutes crying about how someone should have told me that I couldn't be both a lawyer and a mother. (Sorry, Leslie!) But let me start from the beginning.

Hurricane season has never scared me much. But that was before I had a baby. In any event, we were hit by a hurricane Friday the 12th. It was clear on Wednesday that it was going to hit us square on, but there was not much for Big D and I to do to prepare - I always make sure my hurricane kit is updated at the beginning of the season. We never bought those cool plywood alternative window panels I wanted, but I thought, "it's just a category 2, there's no way we'll have much wind this far inland." Famous last words. We brought in our patio furniture and picked up other crap around the yard that could turn projectile. Big D's mom and grandmother were planning on coming up from their small town that's a lot closer to the coast.

Thursday arrived and I left a key out for my mother-in-law, let's call her "MIL" and her mother, let's call her "Gran." They were going to come up at their convenience sometime that day. I called a couple of times throughout the day to see if they had arrived yet, and was puzzled when I hadn't gotten an answer on my house phone or either of their cell phones by the time I was leaving work. I picked up The Monster and went home. I found MIL asleep in the guest room and Gran watching television. MIL had strep throat and had an allergic reaction to the antibiotics that her doctor had given her. She passed out at her home before having Gran (who is 87, by the way) drive the hour up here. I got home and she proceeded to pass out in front of me as well. Nice to know I wasn't excluded. I got near her just to hand her a cup of water, but I knew I couldn't take care of her and The Monster. As a healthcare worker, Big D has to work when shit like this hits the fan. I texted him that he had better get Friday off, because his mom wouldn't stay conscious, yet I couldn't take care of her with an infant on my hip. And while Gran does live alone still, someone would have to be on Gran patrol, lest she burn down the house. (More on this later!) I can tell that Big D truly loves me, because he finagled his way out of work not only on Friday, but the whole weekend and Monday as well!

He got home and checked MIL's blood pressure and pulse. She kept passing out, because her blood pressure was so low, yet her pulse was racing. He threatened to take her to the emergency room if she didn't drink a gallon of water over the next 12 hours. She wasn't in her right mind and refused water. Luckily I had some Juicy Juice, which she drank. Big D checked on her every few hours all night long. We didn't know if she was contagious or not, so she was quarantined upstairs to the guest room. The next morning, as the winds were picking up, we topped off our gas tanks and picked up more juice for MIL, who was feeling a little bit better.

So, let me tell you about Gran patrol. Gran is a lovely woman. I really do like her. SHe's got great stories about the depression and the war, and she's spunky as hell. But she cannot sit still, which drives me crazy. (Yes, I know I'm the same way, stop laughing!) It's hard to watch a busy body in your home. She felt the constant need to cook. She and MIL both brought up their freezer's worth of fish and shrimp, bread, cream cheese, butter... you name it, they brought it. Well, Thursday night, Gran wanted to cook us dinner, so she turned on the stove. Big D and I were in the master bathroom plotting ways to hydrate MIL without actually taking her into the ER. A couple of minutes later, we came out into the living room, which was filled with gas. Gran didn't light the gas stove. I ran over, pushed her aside, and turned the stove off while Big D tried airing out the house. The Monster was upstairs asleep, and the CO detectors are the only reason I didn't freak out that she'd die in her sleep! So night 1 (of many!) was upon us, and Gran was already trying to blow up our house.

This is the start of a great story, isn't it? Well, I'm going to have to continue it later. I've got a few things to take care of before I literally pass out at 10:00. I will say, though, that after the hurricane, we are all okay and trying to return to as normal a state as is possibly for this family. :-)

To be continued...