Texas Proud

Saved by the Bubby

Yesterday evening as we drove home from Lake Charles, we got stopped on I-10 somewhere between Baytown and Houston because of a major accident on the road... Life Flight came and everything. The accident had probably just happened before we came along that stretch of the interstate... we were only about 3 or 4 cars back from the scene. All lanes were blocked off to allow Life Flight to land on the interstate and, I assume, because of all the debris. We sat in a dead stop for about 30 minutes at which some point early on we had turned the car off and just had the battery on so that Carsten could continue to watch his Baby Einstein DVD (big mistake). There was an exit ramp probably about 100 feet behind us and the cops were waving everybody off of the interstate, so there were probably only about 15 cars, including us, stuck on the interstate behind the accident. Finally, the cop starting directing those of us that were stuck behind the accident to turn around and exit the ramp to get off of the interstate. Danyel turned the key to start the engine. The car was dead.

Some tow truck drivers came over and helped Danyel push the car onto the shoulder. They asked if we were broke down. Danyel told them that we had just drained the battery and needed a jump. They told us that tow truck drivers won't jump cars because of the liability that they may blow your radio or something while jumping you. Translation: "We'd rather tow you and get paid". While this conversation was occurring, I was in the car with Carsten, who had started to scream and cry because he was afraid of all the road noise coming from the other side of the interstate - not to mention that he was tired of being in the car for the last 2 1/2 hours.

I started to panic. I tried to stay calm in order to get Carsten calm. I had to pretend that everything was under control even though we didn't know what we were going to do. If we had to get towed, we would all have to go along in the tow truck to God knows where... I had no more food for Carsten and he was starting to get hungry... and it was getting close to his bedtime. Not to mention, with the accident starting to clear, it was only a matter of time before they were going to open up the road again to traffic and cars would be speeding by at 80 mph. I was extremely worried about this, especially since it was already dark. I was going to have to walk to the gas station a top the overpass with Carsten as we waited to have the car towed. I couldn't stand with him on the open interstate or, even worse, leave him in his carseat in the car. What if someone were to not see us and slam into our car or us on the shoulder?

As my mind went a million miles a minute, Danyel was trying to call our insurance company for road side assistance, but was on hold. He seemed ruffled, but was making good decisions and staying calm... probably more so than I was. I was changing Carsten's diaper in the front seat on my lap with only the light of the sunvisor (at least the lights in the car were still working). Finally, I told Danyel to just go and ask one of the cops if they could jump us - to tell him that we had a baby in the car. He did and the cop was a complete dick (surprise, surprise)... acting as if Danyel had just asked him for his left arm. He didn't really give Danyel a straight answer whether he would do it or not, but Danyel ran to the trunk to find the cables in hopes that he could convince him. They were buried underneath all of our stuff that we had taken to Lake Charles... portable crib, bags, etc. Danyel was just throwing stuff out on to the interstate. In the meantime, the same tow truck drivers as before, pulled up to the front of our car.

They had apparently had had a change of heart. All I could think was "Thank God!" Danyel found the cable and they jumped the car. Danyel asked them what he owed them and they said, "Nothing - just get that baby home." If it wasn't for Carsten, those guys would have never done that for us... they would have insisted on towing us. It goes to show you that all "rules" can always be broken when there is a child involved. No matter how hardened, dishonest, and heartless a person seems, most turn into a softie for a baby. As we finished our drive home, I felt very grateful that the tow truck drivers had changed their minds and that my family was safely on it's way home.

In the presence of angels...

Carsten and his friends, Reese and Raegan

Sweet like candy...

It might be time for the "birds and the bees" talk...

Glad that I caught this one...

Carsten's Hyde personality

We always only take pictures of Carsten when he is happy... why?? Shouldn't we capture ALL the moments... not just the ones that you would like to remember??

We got a new digital camera!!

A few days ago we got our new digital camera... a Fujifilm FinePix S5200 5.1 megapixels with 10x optical zoom... to be exact. Our other one was like one of the firsts out on the market... quite a dinosaur! We decided to upgrade - we needed something that was faster to catch our little rascal in action! Here are some pics that I have taken of Carsten in the last couple of days - this camera makes even me look like a pro!

This is your baby. This is your baby on drugs.

"I can see the light..."

Carsten and Kiki

Carsten: "Kiki! There you are! I have been looking for you everywhere... Let's play!"

Kiki: "Back off you pint sized son of a b*#@h... if you get any closer, I am so out of here! When are you going to go back to where you came from? You are not welcome here!"

Paradise awaits...

Danyel and I are going to the Amalfi Coast in Italy at the beginning of April (It think I have mentioned this before in a previous blog). We will be gone for one week - without Carsten. I am sure that I will miss him terribly, but he will be in good hands.... he will be being cared for by my mom and his Aunt Meme... both of whom are very capable! Carsten loves the two of them so much and is soooo independent that I am sure he will barely know that we are gone! I am just hoping that I don't miss him so much that it is hard for me to enjoy myself. I don't anticipate this being the case because I am soooo excited about spending this one on one time with my hubby. It is really a chance for Danyel and I to keep the home fires burning, so to speak. The fire is still going, but could use a little spark to get it going really strong again! We get so tied up in Carsten, sometimes we forget to really focus on each other. Anyways, we are staying in a small town atop a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean called Ravello. It is rated one of the MOST romantic places in the WORLD!! It is just what the doctor ordered! The hotel that we are staying at costs $912 a night!!! OMG! Of course, this is a bi-annual Edward Jones trip, so we are not paying for it. Take a look at some of the pics from the brochure below... this place looks like heaven on Earth!! I can't wait!!

Town of Ravello...

Lobby area...

Hotel patio area...

Infinity edge pool overlooking the Mediteranean...

The rooms with a view...

Pics from our day trip... (Don't let the smiles fool you!)

Our Saturday Excursion

Today we took a day trip. We drove a little over an hour away to Washington on the Brazos State Park - "The Birthplace of Texas". The park wasn't much to see, but still would have been a nice relaxing day out if Carsten wasn't being Mr. Poopy Pants. Whew... what a day! Tantrum after tantrum. Fit after fit. By the time we left the park, Danyel was drinking Children's Advil because of his splitting headache and we were both (well, all three of us) in desperate need of a nap! Carsten is in the midst of another teething bit (molars - the worst ones!), plus he had missed his nap. BUT, usually just getting him out of the house and in a new environment that he can explore can counteract both of these culprits. Not today. We did manage to have a few fleeting moments of fun, but many more of frustration. After the park, we drove down to Brenham to visit Pleasant Hill Winery. His mood had improved a bit once we arrived, but I realized the days of visiting wineries with Bubby are over. When he was just 3 1/2 months old, we went to Fredericksburg and visited wineries for the weekend - doing tastings and tours. He was a good sport and great company. Of course, this was before he was mobile. Now as a very active and curious toddler, it is impossible to keep him still. You can forget holding him - he instantly starts to squirm, wiggle, and whine. During the tour, he wanted to walk around and touch everything - I had to finally leave the group and let him frolic outside. Then, during the tasting, we were slamming our shots of wine because we were constantly chasing behind him. By the Grace of God, he fell asleep on the way home and slept for another hour after we got home. However, once awake, he cried through his diaper change and through dinner... there was no doubt that he was in severe pain from teething. After about 45 minutes, and a bottle with a shot of ibuprofen in it, he finally calmed down. Our sweet baby was back... happily playing with his toys and us. Thank God for Ibuprofen.