Meet "The Belly"

The Home Stretch

It's been a while since I last posted, but things have been very busy around here the last couple of months. My nesting instinct was brutal with this pregnancy and nearly killed me (and Danyel, for that matter). Every home improvement project needing to be done in the last few years is now done. I have cleaned and organized every inch of this house. The baby's nursery is done. Carsten's room has been turned into a "big boy" room with queen size bed and all. We've had the house painted, the gutters cleaned, re stained the deck, replaced the patio door, had the carpets cleaned, and wallpapered the downstairs bath. I have stockpiled toilet paper, paper towels, toiletries, food, etc. as if once the baby comes we are not going to be able to leave the house for 2 months. We have enough food frozen to feed us for a month. I have even almost finished my shopping for Father's Day, which is still over a month away. I am so prepared this time around. Call me crazy, but I know the chaos that is about to descend upon this house for the next few months. Last time, I thought I knew. But, you can't REALLY know until you have experienced life with a newborn before.

Now, we just wait. At most, we wait 12 more days. I have scheduled my induction for May 23rd. Being that my body is a safe house for babies, I don't expect to go into labor on my own, so I am banking on the 23rd, which is two days after my due date. As of this Monday, I was still not dilated any and the baby's head was still high. By this point last time with Carsten I was already dilated almost 4 cm, but, I still had to be induced a week after my due date. I have started having some contractions and cramping this week, so hopefully I will have made some progress by my appointment next week. I would like to get a little bit of a head start on dilation before my induction to just make the process of labor and delivery go by that much faster.

I am feeling very miserable lately. My mobility in general has dramatically decreased in the last few weeks. I am very uncomfortable and my patience is gone. Taking care of Carsten during the day has been an almost impossible feat. Wrestling a toddler constantly while carrying a full term baby in your uterus is very challenging. But, we are making due. Danyel has picked up a bunch of slack lately, but during the day while he is at work, I am on my own.

The doctor thinks that the baby will weigh in at about 8 lbs. 10oz. by the time I deliver according to the ultrasound he did on Monday. Carsten was 8 lbs. 4 oz., so this didn't surprise me or alarm me. But, make no mistake, I am very fearful of giving birth again. Just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes. My 2 1/2 hours of pushing with Carsten with an epidural that had run dry scarred me for life. I can't remember the pain in detail, or anything for that matter, but I do remember almost feeling outside of my body because the pain was so intense that I could not bear it. I am hoping to have a much quicker delivery this time around with NO pain. I plan on having a serious talk with the doctor on Monday to make sure that he understands that I want to be so numb that I FEEL NOTHING. Period.

Aside from the birth, I am really nervous about bringing home a newborn again. The first few months with Carsten were bittersweet for us being that he cried all the time. He was a very difficult baby and I am scared to death that this baby will be the same or worse. I remember so many days that Danyel would come home from work and Carsten and I would just be sitting on the couch crying together. I am hoping that with experience under my belt, I will be able to withstand the experience much better this time around.

On a positive note, I am getting really anxious about meeting this baby and finding out if it is a boy or girl. Everywhere I go, people tell me that I am having a girl, but most family and friends think we are going to have another boy. As I get closer to finding out, I find that I am probably hoping for a girl more than I thought I was - if only because I am not sure (now that I have almost completed a second pregnancy) if I will have the energy to do this all over again. If we have a girl, we are pretty certain that this will be the last addition to our family. If we have a boy, we have talked about trying again for a girl.

My most favorite thing about this pregnancy has been my lack of weight gain. As of today, I have only gained 18 lbs. With Carsten, I was already inching up on 30 lbs. However, my belly is MUCH larger than it was last time around. Go figure. It has also gone by so quickly being that I am preoccupied with Carsten. With Carsten, it just dragged along because of all the excitement of being a first time mom.

The cutest little baby face...

I am over the moon in love with this kid already. This picture alone totally did it for me.


This is a 3-D picture of baby's face taken yesterday at my ultrasound. He (or she, I suppose) is resting the right side of his face on his "pillow" (a.k.a the placenta). The original image is twice as clear as the scanned one. Amazing.

Boy or girl looking face... we're not sure... it could go either way. But, one things for sure, as far as Danyel and I are concerned, this kid looks like a spitting image of his newborn brother.

We have a few more pics. If you are lucky enough to see us in future weeks, we will torture you with them then!

Our little Frankenstein

So, as most of you already know... Carsten fell victim to his inherited clumsiness on Monday. He was running from the living room into the spare bedroom where Danyel and I were calling him. As he dashed into the room, he tripped on his own feet and hit his head on the very sharp corner of the windowsill. Blood was gushing out of the wound and getting all over the place. He was screaming. Danyel and I were panicking. Danyel ran to get a towel to soak up the blood and he was gone for what seemed like forever. He was running around like a chicken with his head cut off trying to figure out what the hell to do. Seeing your child oozing large amounts of blood out of their forehead is quite a frightening experience. He hit so hard that I can still hear it in my head. I am surprised that he didn't pass out or suffer a concussion.

We realized that he was going to need stitches right away. The blood clotted pretty quickly for the most part, but was still slowly oozing. The weather was awful, so I took him down the street to a family clinic instead of to his regular pediatrician's office,which was a big mistake. They ended up putting steri-strips (sticker like stitches) over his wound instead of sutures. They came loose that evening and I had to take him to the pediatrician early the next morning where they did an excellent job at giving him three stitches.

It was an awful experience to watch him endure. They had to straight jacket him down to the exam table. Then, she injected some lidocaine into the cut to deaden it, which was the worst part. He screamed like I have never heard him scream before. He kept crying and saying, "Mama, turn it off!" I tried to stay smiling and strong for him, but I couldn't stop crying. These damn pregnancy hormones.

Once the lidocaine kicked in, he settled down for the most part and was just whimpering. The crazy thing is that when she was done and I let him out of the straight jacket he just went about his business. He even thanked her when she was done. He didn't seem traumatized in the least bit. The P.A. said that he did excellent compared to most kids his age. That's my Bubby... he's one tough cookie.

And, as you can see by the pics, he's moved on.

My favorite pics from our trip

Las Caletas Beach

Sunset over beach at resort... best I have ever seen

My Pookie enjoying the sunset

Los Arcos

Relaxing at Las Caletas

Relaxing at Las Caletas... some more

Baby and me relaxing on balcony at resort

Church in Puerto Vallarta

Relaxing by the infinity pool at resort

Relaxing by the pool... some more

Danyel took this one... I love it.

Lazy Days

Our trip to Puerto Vallarta last week was fantastic. It was full of relaxation & warm, sunny weather... just what we needed. Usually, we prefer more active vacations, but we thought this was the right trip at the right time. We couldn't have been more right. Danyel, especially, has trouble relaxing and sitting still for too long, but I was really surprised at how quickly he adapted to the pace... much faster than even myself. It took me a few days to shake off the Mommy mode that I walk around in constantly, but once I did, it was smooth sailing from there.

This marks the second time we have left Carsten for a week long period. (Well, third for Danyel, but we won't get into that.) The first was almost a year ago when we went to Italy. I didn't handle the separation all that well, to say the least. So, I was a little apprehensive this time around, but I did much better. I still missed him terribly and shed tears every time I thought about him too much, but I didn't let it effect our vacation.

The resort was unbelievable... a very beautiful and serene place. It was all inclusive, which was great, except for the fact that we got tired of eating the same stuff all week. We spent a lot of time lounging by the infinity pool overlooking the ocean. We went swimming with the dolphins one afternoon. It has always been on my list of things to do before I die. The best part was when we got to ride on the dolphin around the pool.... it was amazing! We also went on a boat trip one afternoon to a place called Las Caletas, which is a secluded beach about an hour away from Puerto Vallarta on a boat. We were looking forward to the snorkeling there, but it was a disappointment. The water was not clear enough and we were right at shore, so there was not much to see. But, the beach was beautiful and it was a great place to relax. Other than that, we read three books between us and spent a morning at the spa getting massages. It was Danyel's first massage and he thought he had died and gone to heaven. As he put it, "I felt like I was levitating."

My Romeo

This morning after I finished changing Carsten's diaper, I extended my hand to him to help him up. Instead, he pulled me down towards him and held both sides of my face with his little hands. He pulled my face down right in front of his, looked me in the eye, and said so very sweetly with a grin on his face, "I wuv you Mama. I kiss you Mama." Then he closed his eyes, puckered his lips, and planted a big one on my lips. He was so very sweet, charming, and completely engrossed in the moment. And, like everything these days, he said and did it a million times before he was content enough to move on to the next thing. I relished every second of it and fought back tears brought on by a joy unlike any other in this world.

Today was a perfect day.

The apple of my eye...

Or grapefruit, I should say. To look at this picture makes me salivate all over myself.

Sweet, sweet grapefruit, you are my one and only. I could eat you all day long. You are so juicy and sweet with a hint of tartness that keeps me coming back for more. You are just perfect halved with a sprinkle of sugar on top. Sometimes when I am eating you, you squirt your heavenly juices all over me, but I don't mind. You are the worlds perfect food and you bring me more joy than you will ever know.

Sure, I have always liked an occasional grapefruit, but my relationship with this citrus fruit has grown deep in recent weeks. I JUST CAN'T GET ENOUGH. Grapefruit along with any kind of fruit juice and salsa are my holy trinity these days. But, the grapefruit is by far the Divine. I guess this baby is cravin' some vitamin C!

LONG LIVE THE GRAPEFRUIT!!

Monkey Bizness

I took Carsten to Monkey Bizness today. With it raining now for a week straight and with no outside playtime everyday, I thought it would be a great indoor place for him to expel some of his pent up energy. It is a place that has a playroom with a bunch of inflatable moonwalks, obstacle courses, slides, etc. It's only $5 for 1 1/2 hours of playtime. It was such a blast! I don't know who had more fun... him or I.

He had a permanent smile on his face and went full speed for the entire time. I had to drag him out of there kicking and screaming at the end of his session.

He was able to do most everything on his own, with the exception of this huge slide that was like 2 stories tall. Actually, he did fine climbing up on his own and everything, but I was not comfortable letting him go on his own. I was surprised he wasn't scared of it because it was pretty steep and fast. It actually gave me butterflies in my stomach on the way down. But, he had no fear and we had to do it again and again and again. I thought I was going to die. It's a good thing I am only 5 months along - I don't think I could have managed the climb up otherwise!
Anyway, he was so worn out when we left he was ASKING for a nap. That was a first!

In that last picture there, he was pretending to go "nite-nite" in the moonwalk. Such a character...

Catch up

Things have been busy, so I haven't had much time to post. Honestly, I am a little bored with the blog thing right now. I just don't have any motivation, but I would like to keep things current, so I thought I would just post a little about what's been going on lately.

Christmas was busy and I was glad to see it go. It's hard hauling a two year old around to all the festivities. It was a little much for Carsten and a little much for Danyel and I. Next year we plan to downsize our activities and family visits to make things more bearable and enjoyable. With that said, Carsten got the whole concept a lot more this year, which was a lot of fun. He LOVED getting presents, but grew tired of opening them after a few. He would get interested in his new toy and we would be rushing him on to the next thing. As usual, he got way too much. It was a good thing I donated two big trash bags of toys before the holidays. He misses Santa and talks about him still. He remembers some of his toys were from Santa and mentions it sometimes. The first few times we visited the mall after Christmas he asked where Santa was. I explained he went back to the North Pole until next year... and good ridden!


Carsten really enjoyed his birthday this year. We had a small gathering last weekend with just immediate family and Godparents... all his favorite people. His favorite part was the whole cake experience... being sung to, blowing out his candle, and, of course, eating it! He's more than a little obsessed with cake. The guests were more than generous and Carsten made out like a bandit. It's amazing to me what a difference a year makes. He was so into the whole experience this year. Last year he barely understood what was going on, if at all. Last year, he couldn't talk at all, cried when everyone sang to him, and had no interest in his cake. Now, he talks in 3 or 4 word phrases, was a total ham for all the singing, and would have eaten the whole cake if I let him.

Yesterday was his actual birthday and we took him to Chucke Cheese for dinner. We were there entirely too long and spent way too much money, but he had a blast. He really loved the whole concept of putting the tokens into the rides and games. We went through like 70 tokens. Danyel decided to save his tickets that he won, so that he can save up for a cool prize. Great. I guess that means we will be going back. Lovely. Anyway, Chucke Cheese came and sang him happy birthday and brought him an ice cream sandwich cake with a candle. Again, he ate it up.

Other than that, Danyel and I have been rearranging the house to make room for the new little one due in just 17 weeks! Boy, how time flies. We are also getting ready for our trip to Mexico in a couple of weeks... alone. We are calling it our last hurrah. We have a lot of fun things planned, like swimming with dolphins, taking a catamaran out to some island to do some snorkeling, and a day at the spa. I am really looking forward to it.

Other than that, Carsten is still going to nursery school two days a week. We went through a rough patch with crying (on his and my part) and with him being really sick. The crying has stopped and he seems to be enjoying it. His nose has been runny for six weeks now, but other than that, he seems to be feeling fine. His doctor told me I could pretty much expect him to stay congested and snotty for the next year until his immune system adjusts. Lovely. In other Carsten news, the potty training thing has gone nowhere. He has actually decided he would prefer to pee in his pants than in the potty, so we are back to square one. In all honesty, we have been really lazy with the whole thing lately and really need to get serious about it. We are planning to move him into a big bed next month, so maybe after we get over that transition, I can concentrate more on it.

As for Fetus Adolphus, things are progressing along fine. My appetite has returned and I have now gained one pound from where I was when I started. I got down to almost 8 pounds less than my normal weight, so I have made a lot of progress. My stomach is growing at a record rate, as are my boobs. We had our ultrasound a few weeks ago and it was hard to resist finding out the sex, but we managed. I have a pretty strong feeling that it is a boy, but we will see. Everything looked fine, with the exception of a small brain cyst with a really fancy name that I will not even attempt to type. Carsten had the same issue at this point in the pregnancy and more than 99% of the time they are nothing to worry about and disappear by 28 weeks, just as Carsten's did. They are seen in about 3% of ultrasounds... 100% of mine. I have a neighbor and a friend who have had the same issue, all resulting in normal healthy babies. I will have a follow up ultrasound at 28 weeks to make sure it has disappeared, but we don't have much concern over it being that we have been here before.

O.K. That's it. I am done. :-)

Deep sigh

Today the doctor called and told me that my screening for down syndrome (for the baby) came back negative. I feel like I have won the lottery. It's kind of strange, but for some reason I always worry about this, so much so that it isn't rational. I know realistically the chances of having a down syndrome baby for someone at my age is pretty low, like 1 in 800 or something (don't quote me on that statistic). But, nonetheless, it scares the bejeebers out of me.

I've talked on here before about my irrational worries, so most of you already know I am a little cuckoo. I am always waiting for the other shoe to drop, always waiting for my stroke of good luck to end. I have been incredibly blessed in my life, suffering very few, if any, real heartaches and struggles. I am convinced that the universe is going to have to even things out eventually and I am going to get hit with a big nasty one in life. This is the way it has to be to keep things fair, right? Crazy, but this is the way I think.

Here's another example of my irrational fears. The other night Danyel went out to pick up dinner right across the street. He was gone for 30 minutes and had left his cell phone at home. I started to freak and assumed the worst. I had visions going through my head of him being robbed and killed. My heart just sunk and all I could think about was how awful it would be to have to raise Carsten and this baby on my own. He returned, of course, complaining about the long line in the drive thru.

Anyway, so I am a little crazy, but very happy that I can be nothing but thrilled now about our new arrival. I am starting to show finally and even felt the baby move a few times now. We have picked out our names for the most part and are starting to prepare the house for another Ramelow. As a side note, I apologize, in advance, to all our future house guests who will be sleeping on a futon bed in the upstairs loft. Not much for classy accommodations, but things are getting tight up in here and it's the best we can offer!

School Days

Carsten started "school" on Tuesday. That's what we call it, but it is essentially a Mother's Day Out program. He goes twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 to 3. I really think that at his age, he should be learning how to socialize with his peers and function in a group environment where he is not the center of attention. Carsten has always been independent, so I knew that he would do fine. I knew he would love being around the other kids. They pack their days full with outside play, painting, coloring, story time, etc. I had originally only planned to send him one day a week, but the place I choose was far superior to most programs I looked at and they only offered a minimum of 2 days a week. It will work out for the best once the baby arrives in May, anyhow. Plus, it gives me a chance to get all my "to-do's" done while he is there, so when he is at home, I can focus more of my attention on him.

As I was driving to drop him off on Tuesday, I just lost it. I couldn't stop the tears from flowing. It's hard to relinquish control of your child when you haven't done it in his lifetime. Carsten was so excited to be there and barely noticed when I dropped him off. In fact, when I picked him up, he threw a fit to leave. His teacher said he was great the first day, never crying or causing a problem. However, he wouldn't take a nap during the designated nap time on the mats, but she swears he will adjust in time. She said that they all do. He was pretty excited when I dropped him off today and seems to have already taken a liking to Miss Kate. This was very reassuring to me. Carsten only likes people that like him. If you don't shower him with attention and affection, he doesn't take notice of you. If you pay attention to him, he pays attention to you.

Anyway, so far so good. I will take my camera with me soon and take some pics of him at school and post them.

An Inconvenient Truth

I am not one to usually get preachy to others about things I believe in or causes I support. But, this is something entirely different that deserves at least a short blog entry. Bear with me as I get on my soap box.

Last night Danyel and I watched Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth", which tells candidly the dire situation we are facing in Global Warming. It is basically an hour and a half of Gore presenting scientific data that has been done in recent decades on Global Warming. It is astonishing and indisputable. I think any person who sees this movie will agree. What he presents is scientific FACT, not theory. The movie is not political (with the exception of a few jokes he makes at his own expense in relation to his "loss" to GWB in 2000). The movie is not liberal nor conservative. It doesn't cater to republicans or democrats.

Global Warming is serious and will probably effect my generation later in life. However, our children, will suffer the worst of it. Our children. How can we continue to ignore the problem when it's consequences are dire for our children? We can't. The movie offers many simple suggestions on how we can help. First, educate yourself about the facts. This movie does this very well and it is very simple to understand. Then, act. Recycle. Buy energy efficient appliances. Use energy efficient light bulbs. Drive fuel efficient cars. Drive hybrids. Call your electric company and inquire about green energy. If they don't offer it, ask why and then try to find a local company that does. Use natural sources of fuel, if possible (biodiesel, E85, etc.). Write your congressman. Vote for politicians that support the cause. Go to climatecrisis.net for more information on other ways you can help. Though Danyel and I do a lot of these things already, there is plenty of room for improvement.

Look, just see the movie. It only takes an hour and a half of your time. Even if you think that you don't "believe" in global warming, just check it out. You may be surprised at what you learn. Men will love it. It's like watching a discovery channel special. What man doesn't like the discovery channel? Don't worry, the movie is not a scare tactic and is not all doom and gloom. Gore presents how much we can remedy the situation just by making very simple changes.

There are lots of causes that we all find important to us individually... donating to cancer research or helping the refugees in Africa. No matter what your cause, shouldn't this be one of them? Without a livable Earth, we will all be refugees.

One last thing... There is an agreement amongst civilized nations that was signed in 1997 called the Kyoto Protocol Global Warming Agreement. Basically, it sets limits on CO2 emissions. In 2001, Bush renounced the protocol and reneged on his campaign promise to regulate CO2 emissions from power plants. The United States is ONE OF ONLY TWO civilized nations (the other being Australia) that REFUSE TO SIGN the Kyoto Agreement. Bush is afraid that doing so would harm the US Economy. This has been studied and proven to be false. The oil companies would suffer. But, many other industries would boom and jobs would be created. I am not adding this little paragraph in here to bash Bush. He is choosing to ignore the problem as many US politicians have done for years, whether democrat or republican. It is our moral responsibility to show politicians that it is an issue we are concerned about. In doing so, they will take note and act. I know, I know. The majority of Americans are concerned about terrorist attacks, the war in Iraq, etc, as am I. But, again, without a livable Earth, all of these worries are gone. They simply become insignificant.

Breaking News!

OMG! OMG! OMG! Carsten went tee-tee in the potty 4 times tonight! Not only is this a HUGE accomplishment in itself, but two of the four times he went, he actually suggested the idea, "tee-tee potty". This marks the first time in his life that he has EVER gone in the potty. Usually when I put him on the big potty he screams bloody murder, but tonight he went in it three times. The last time he turned the tip of his penis up to praise it, "Yea Pee-pee!" Job well done! We have had a training potty for a long while now and he loves to pretend to go tee-tee in it when Danyel and I go, but when we put him on it bare bottomed, he won't sit there long enough to go. I don't think, up until now, that he has really grasped the ability to go on demand. This evening, he did go once in his little potty, but he really likes the sound of his stream hitting the water in the big potty. He even adds sound effects, "Pssssssssss". Plus, he digs flushing the toilet and saying goodbye to his tee-tee. "Bye-bye tee-tee!"

Bye-bye diapers! Well, maybe not just yet. But, with a little luck and persistence I am hoping we can knock this whole potty training thing out by the time our new little one arrives in May. Wish us luck!

All is right with the world

Today is such a beautiful day! The sun is shining, the temperature is mild, and the Republican party is crumbling.

So much good news, where do I start?

The democrats have taken over the House of Representatives by a landslide.

Democrat Pelosi has been voted in as the new speaker of the House and the first woman speaker in history.

The democrats are likely to also take control of the Senate.

And, last, but definitely not least, Donald Rumsfield has resigned from Secretary of State. This is possibly the sweetest news of the day.

When it rains it pours!

I am a realist. I know that being a democrat leaves me with not much of a voice in the conservative and fundamentalist state of Texas. However, my very persistent husband reminds me of my civil duty to vote and drags me to the polls each election. I am always pessimistic about voting. It gets old being the unheard voice. Yesterday was different. Yesterday I voted with the winners. Even in Texas, people were wanting a change.

If there was ever a President who needed the check and balance of an opposing party Congress it is Bushy boy. I think this is a wake up call to Bush. I think that this forces him to finally take note that the people are not happy with the state of this union. People are not satisfied with the progress in Iraq.

Oh, and I almost forgot... aside from political news... Britney has filed for divorce from KFed.

Yes, indeedy, all is right with the world.

Childress Winery, Winston-Salem, North Carolina

"Cheez!"

In front of the winery

"Wa-fall!"

Halloween

Trick or treat!

Mickey's thirsty...

Mickey and the witch

Mickey and the cowboy

Biltmore Estate, Asheville, North Carolina

Biltmore Estate

Biltmore Estate... again

Oops!

Feeding time at the hotel

At Pilot Mountain

Pilot Mountain - a.k.a. "Boob Mountain" because it looks like a round boob with an erect nipple at the peak.

Rock Climbing

"Push, push, push!"

View from top of Pilot Mountain

Danyel and Bubby at top of Mountain

Better luck next time

We went to North Carolina last week. It was the worst "vacation" I have ever been on. Carsten was a total pill the entire week, plus him and I both came down with some gnarly colds. It was so nice to see our friends, which was the main reason we went, so the trip was worth it if just for that reason. North Carolina is beautiful, especially this time of year when Fall is in full effect. It's too bad we couldn't really enjoy much of it. Please, be smarter than us. Don't ever take a toddler on vacation with you when they are in the throws of their terrible two's. Holy Hell... what torture.

We should have known the trip was going to be bad after our experience getting there.

We got to the airport a good 1 1/2 hours before our departure to avoid any stress rushing to get to the gate. We were waiting in line to check our bags in when suddenly I realized my wallet was missing... my wallet which contains my I.D... the I.D. you have to have to get on the plane. So, we started to panic. The guy in front of us... I mean, the moron in front of us, kept trying to tell us that I could still get on the plane, but that they were going to search me. We should have known he had no idea what he was talking about, but wishful thinking kept us in line another 10 minutes. I figured out I had probably left my wallet at Walgreens the morning before. Danyel was so mad at me and I felt just awful.

Of course, once we got to the front to check in our bags they told us I had to have my I.D... period. We were so screwed. I called Walgreens and they had my wallet. Anyway, there was only one more flight to Greensboro that day and it wasn't arriving until 9pm, plus it was full so we were only going to be able to go standby, meaning our chances of getting on were like zero. We talked about it (while Carsten threw a major tantrum) and Danyel decided to make a run for it to Walgreens to get my wallet. We had only an hour and 20 minutes until the plane took off. I knew he wasn't going to make it. I knew I was going to be in major trouble if we didn't get on that plane.

So for the next hour, I kept Carsten occupied. He took a horrid poop, which I had to change right there in front of everyone because there was no way I could carry all our bags and him to the restroom. It was so impolite, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

I knew that if Danyel was not back 30 minutes before take off that we were screwed for the simple fact that they usually won't check in your luggage anytime after that. He came running into the terminal 25 minutes before take off. He had taken a cab for a hefty price of $100 knowing that he would never make it back in time if he had to take the shuttle back to the parking lot to get the car. Luckily, he was able to convince the cabby to go 90 mph most of the way there and back.

By the grace of God everything fell into place after that point...

1.) there was no line to check in your bags by this time.
2.) the attendant checked in our bags.
3.) there was only a few people trying to get through security.
4.) the carry on baggage screener missed the sippy cup of water accidentally left in the diaper bag, the tide pen, and the hand sanitizer.
5.) we arrived at the gate right before they shut the doors... right as the attendant was saying "This is your last boarding call".

If they would have found the "illegal" liquids in my diaper bag and had to pull me over and search me, we would have missed the flight. We ran like hell from the security check point. I was holding Carsten as he worriedly asked repeatedly, "Mama? Mama? Mama?" If he had the vocab, he would have said, "What the hell is going on Mama?!" It was truly a miracle that we got on that plane.

Most importantly, I was spared the wrath of Danyel. By that time he was just so happy that we made it and he didn't have much energy left to reap me over the coals. Don't get me wrong... I spent a lot of time apologizing and he spent a lot of the trip reminding me that I cost us a $100 cab ride.