Jeni Recounts Her Week

Sunday-Bradford and I still had stomach issues, and Mark was in bed feeling sick all day. But a friend picked up Ben and Nate, and we all got to rest.

Monday-I realize I must be strong while Mark is in graduate school, so I spend over an hour in the morning dealing with non-English speaking tech support for our printer that no longer copies or scans, only to be advised to unplug it and plug it back in. It didn't work. That cost me $35. But since my dad has done almost all of my tech work, I've never spent another cent on tech support, so spreading the $35 over my entire life, that's less than $1 a year. Not bad.

And then the vacuum cleaner stops working. Clean carpet is highly over-rated.

And then I take the six kids to Kroger for a few items for dinner, forget the much-needed diapers. I fill up Monster on the way home to the tune of slightly less than $100, and Monster dies (possibly of shock) in the parking lot of the gasoline station. I have cold groceries, hot kids, a cell phone that isn't charged, and no cash to use the pay phone. At this point, I must admit, I break down and cry. A kind woman loans me her cell phone, and Mark comes to the rescue. Later my mom reminds me how much stronger I'll be in 13 months and to write down all the things I learned. #1: Always have a charged cell phone. Besides that, I broke down at a busy gas station, and Mark had his cell phone on (a rare occurrence), and he was already on the road.

I go home with the kids, tell them to find something to eat, arrange a tow truck to get Monster to our mechanic, but when I call Mark, he had done the same thing, so I had to cancel my tow truck. Mark had called Roadside Assistance and found out the van was still under warranty, so the towing and the repair would be taken care of by Ford.

Later that night I see that I am spotting, and when I call my midwife, she tells me to take it easy for the night, so I sit on the floor of my bedroom and fold clothes, towels, and sheets for over an hour. It was extremely satisfying to see that FOUR FOOT HIGH pile of clean laundry dwindle to neat piles ready to be put away.

Tuesday- I must call the Ford dealership to let them know why a random Econoline is in their parking lot, and no one there knows anything about it--he'll ask around and get back with me. Don't panic! The tow truck driver really did take it there. Don't panic. Oh, good. They found it.

The mechanic calls later to say that he thinks the issue is a special box with lots of wires coming out of it. It's been added after-factory, so it isn't under warranty, he doesn't have a clue what it is or what it does, but he'll be able to work on it. It was that special box, and he disconnected it, but only charged for the diagnostic test. Mark called and asked him to change the oil, too, so that is now taken care of.

The lawnmower jams with too much long, wet grass. Bradford fixed it and did the mowing.

My dad says he can't fix the vacuum cleaner because he can't find the part. Clean carpet is highly over-rated.

Wednesday--I decide again that I need to be strong, so I take the vacuum cleaner apart with the help of all my girls, losing a screw in the process, but when I try to get the broken part off, it doesn't come off, so I load the kids in the carseat-less van, run to get the carseats from Baby Van, and go to get the part I need for the vacuum cleaner and see if the guy can tell me how to get the broken one off, only to be convinced to leave the motor there for a professional to work on, and please bring the rest of the vacuum cleaner in and they'll put it back together. I don't have to buy a new vacuum cleaner, and I don't have to mess with it any more.

I take the kids back home to be watched by Grandma while I get some more blood drawn, and when I get to the doctor's office, the doctor comes out and gives me the news that at this point the placenta is partially covering the cervix, but it could move up, and if not, I'll need to find a doctor to do a C-section. Also, hopefully the anti-body screen will come back clear, but if not, that also puts me at high-risk, meaning a new doctor and a guaranteed C-section. This one I'm still working through, but I am confident that my loving Father is working this out to strengthen my faith. My current doctor and midwife are still hopeful that the bloodwork will be clear and the placenta will move out of the way. If not, I have the name of a Christian doctor that I'll contact. Also, my friend Becky who is pregnant with #6 had a low placenta, and when she got her second ultrasound it had moved out of the way. Hopeful. At this point I'm hopeful.

I go to pick up a recipe book from a friend, she makes me lunch, and we have a lovely chat. What can I say? God is good to give me a reprieve from my troubles.

HP calls me back, the guy can speak English, and after hearing that I was not happy to pay $35 for someone to tell me to do something I had already told them I had tried, they refund the money. Again. God reminding me that sometimes things get worked out just the way I want.

Thursday- An old friend comes to pump the septic. I learn that he is still in church. I also learn that if we put a bedroom in the basement he can install the new septic tank that will be needed to keep the house up to code, plus he can move the lines out of the way so we can put in a deck without the worry of hitting them.

Not such a bad week, really. Only 51 more to go!