What a Day It Has Been.

Today was quite a day. Half the time I felt like crying, and wow. Am I glad it's pretty much over.

I had an OB appt. at 1:00, so Z & I ate lunch & went early to see the ducks (by the little river outside the dr. office) - that was actually a big success, he liked them a lot! Our day went downhill from there.

Then we headed into my appointment, and waited 45 minutes (always fun with a toddler in tow), and then the dr. came in. The big goal today was to hear Tiniest's heartbeat with a Doppler radar. I am 14 weeks along now, so the dr. should be able to hear the heartbeat, but I am rather, ah, how shall I put this...well-padded in the abdominal area... anyway, the Doppler didn't work. The dr. said she could hear movement, but couldn't get a heartbeat. So I had to go to the hospital to have an ultrasound.

And, yeah, since I knew there was a possibility this would happen, and even coached myself about it on the way there, I wasn't freaking out AT ALL. I did not worry, or cry, or stress out over whether my baby was okay or not. Not one little bit. And, yeah, if you believe that, I have a beautiful bridge to sell you... :)

So, yeah, I was totally freaking out. And I had a good long time to stress out, too, because once we got to the ultrasound waiting room, we waited an HOUR AND A HALF. Tiny waiting room + 2 crochety old men + 1 other rather impatient largely pregnant woman +stressed out me for an hour and a half = not fun. We did meet a super brave 7-year-old with a broken arm, though, and he enjoyed playing with Z. :) The crochety old men, not so much. Z went up to them, and waved, and said, "Hello! Hi!" and they just grunted & put their noses back in their books. I hope I never forget how to play with a toddler! :(

Anyway...we finally went back to the ultrasound, and we got to see Tiniest!!! His/her heartbeat was GREAT -147, which is right where Z's always was, and he/she was moving his/her little arms & legs around - it was so neat! Babies are such a blessing, and wow, such a miracle!!! :) And this one part of the day, I am so grateful for!!! Just wish Hubby could've been there - it is always so cool to see the baby! :) I didn't ask what sex the baby was, if the tech could even tell, since Hubby wasn't there and all.

So after that good news, I was forced to take Z to the dreaded post office, site of many, many previously discussed parenting fails. Today I had to return something along with a bunch of packing peanuts, pack them into a new box while in the post office, and write the address on the box, and mail it. So I got my package all ready, and went up to the counter. And I had picked the wrong kind of box. So I went & got another box. And got the box ready again. And ten minutes later, I mailed it. Today my post-office parenting tactic was: nonexistent. Here's how it works: Let your child run wild around the post office the entire time you do your postal business and then pick up his mess and mayhem before you leave. This parenting tactic is always smiled on by other postal patrons. *ahem* NOT! But, seriously, I didn't even care by that point what other people thought. Z was safe, and really happy. One guy even stopped to pick up some of the envelopes Zachary was throwing around the room. Which was kind, but rather embarrassing. And when I was packing the 2nd box & dropped half the packing peanuts on the floor, I nearly bawled right there. And, yes, I only have one. And, yes I have a 2nd coming in December. And, no, I have NO IDEA how I'm ever going to go anywhere with both of them. Thank you for your concern. Prayers are always appreciated. :)

When we left the post office, Z had made a dirty diaper during all his mayhem-making. And of course I have NO CLUE where his wipes are, because of course they are not in the diaper bag (what a silly place for wipes). Thankfully I had an extra baby washcloth in the bag. *sigh* (Could've used the washcloth 10 minutes later after I let him eat a chocolate chip granola bar in a hot car. Smartest move of the day on my part.) Then some old guy almost hit me when I was backing out of the parking spot.

Then we STILL had to go to Wal-Mart. Z (who had missed his afternoon nap in all the hubbub) slept for approximately 10 minutes on the way there, and I had to wake him up to go in to the store. I knew I was in trouble when I was trying to wake him up, unbuckling his car seat, and I said, "Do you want to go to the store?" and he mumbled 'store' and instantly fell back asleep. He actually did fine, until we bought a ball, and he threw an enormous tantrum because I would not let him throw the ball down the aisle repeatedly, and I took it away. He really was screaming the entire time we were checking out. People were staring. Z is typically SO GOOD in public - he seriously never throws tantrums (except at home), so this was a rather embarrassing and unusual experience for me. And humbling.

Yeah, today was a humbling day. In so many ways. And I am SO glad it's over.