After the Storm

Last night took us by surprise.

We made it home close to 5 pm after a weekend in Branson with my family. The trip was relaxing and Aidan was an excellent traveler. Stuff was scattered all over the house after the initial unpacking of the car, and because I was a free woman (this being my first week without Oakley), I was happy to leave the mess for the morning.

I had found myself really pondering my life: my age, motherhood, my identity, my confidence, my marriage etc... after noticing some young (college age) girls at a gas station we stopped at. I looked at them as though they were my peers. I forgot my role for a moment and mentally fell into place with that stage of life. It didn't last long. How could I feel like a college girl while holding a squirming 2 year old propped upon my protruding belly? It struck me how distant I was from those days, yet not so far away at the same time. I struggled with this for the remainder of our journey as I sought a place of contentment and understanding of myself.

Around 10:15pm Aidan cried out. I went to him, scooping him up as he desperately clung to me. I thought the thunder from the sudden onset of the storm had woken him, so I rocked him as he cuddled into me. I could feel the strong kicks from our baby girl as I rocked and at that moment I found myself again. I remember thinking that life could definitely not be any better than this. I was truly blessed.

10:30pm Aidan cries again. This time he is more desperate and I think he is frightened by the increasing storm. I comfort him again and then collapse into bed.

11:00pm I hear Seth calling me loudly. My reverie interrupted, I rush in to Aidan's room to find both of them covered in vomit. The night shifts suddenly.

I don't mind admitting that I am almost useless when it comes to the cleaning up of such things, for it is true. But, I was the only one, so I began the job. As I ran downstairs to find some towels and to begin the laundry, I notice a small leak in one of our pipes. I rush back upstairs to report my find and finish the clean up.

We stick Aidan back in bed as the storm reaches its fiercest moments. I leave the door to his room ajar and Seth and I march down to the laundry room to assess the pipe situation. No sooner do we arrive than a gush of water floods in from under the door. Neither one of us are amused at this turn of events as we worry about our sick child while trying to assess what needs to be done about the water.

Seth goes outside to try and stop the flow. The rain is torrential. Aidan is up and down for the next hour. I find myself feeling like I am having an out of body experience...surely this is not happening. This is just a very intense dream due to my extreme exhaustion from our trip.

My father and father-in-law arrive to help. Aidan finally sleeps. The rain does not let up. I find our crawl space is now a swimming pool and water is pouring in. We begin to move everything. It is now almost 2 am. Was that a Braxton Hicks contraction? The piano is mounted on bricks. We do not wait long for the room to begin flooding. Our beautiful carpet is soaking. What hard work it was to put it in. Thank you Lord our bedrooms are high above the ground.

The mixture of emotions and adrenaline keep me awake until nearly 3am. The baby kicks endlessly tonight. Seth climbs in bed soaking wet and exhausted. I try not to think about what awaits us in the morning. We have done all that we can.

Morning comes to soon with cries from Aidan. He is not any sicker and seems to be doing better. I am in a fog. We timidly look downstairs. It is not as bad as it could have been had we not caught it and moved our stuff. Thank the Lord for vomiting children (may I never have to say that again).

The day is long. The coffee warms me and makes me function more normally. We pick up the mess. Our carpet is pulled up. Such melancholy feelings. Thankfulness. Wonder. We feel less crazy as we reach the calm.

The calm after the storm. Seth goes to class, Aidan and I visit the park. We settle into routine. Tomorrow will be a brand new day.