Author Archives: electricnurse

Just a little wind

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Looking at our house

Looking at our house

We had the pleasure of a rather large wind storm this week. We love thunderstorms…both of us, but we also like air conditioning and some of the other little benefits reaped from modern-day electricity.

This storm came through early Tuesday morning and was a very strange storm. VERY little rain, not even enough to measure really and basically no thunder. It was a lightening and wind storm. Winds were clocked up to 78 mph. There was no hail. Very bizarre.

We lost electricity, as did 75% of our community but ours took the longest to get back, you can see why by the pictures.

Our driveway

Our driveway

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A couple of years ago we were stranded in Kearney at my sister’s during a horrible ice storm. The city went without power for close to a week. After this Adam and I went and bought a generator. Seemed kind of silly at the time but I’ll tell you what…it was sure nice getting ready Tuesday morning WITH electricity. And, it was nice not having to worry about the food in the freezer, etc.

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The only down side (which to us is a huge problem) is the generator we got is not quite big enough to run our a/c. Which wasn’t a huge deal until bedtime Tuesday when we still had no electricity. Lets face it: Adam and I are Montanans, not Midwesterners. We do not do heat well. We were soooo thankful for the utilities guys that kept at it all day…literally in the 100 degree weather! And, well into the night as you can see.

One of the new poles, our drive

One of the new poles, our drive

Shortly after midnight on Wednesday they got us back up and going…only it was a short tease as we lost it again 5 minutes later but I gave them a call and they came back (thanks guys!!!) and we were up and going again within 30 minutes and haven’t gone down since. Our phone and internet was back up the next afternoon.

our heroes...

our heroes...

Blogging made difficult

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Blogging in a bubble of sorts

Blogging in a bubble of sorts

I’ve been somewhat out of commission recently. As we continue to renovate, remodel or whatever you want to call it we have been going from room to room.

Well, it was the office’s turn. Adam fell through the ceiling last year while working on the master bath upstairs (above the office) so there was a teeny tiny hole (see photo below) that needed to be repaired. Not to mention the fact that we placed four new can lights in the office and insulation is EVERYWHERE and the 100 year old walls (literally) needed a lot of tlc too. So, to protect things from sheet rock dust, insulation, paint, etc…we kind of just pushed everything together and covered it.

oops

oops

The elderly mother, part deux

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I guess the decision HAS been made that we DO want a baby in our life (this should make our mothers glad). I get to deliver babies in my job. I get to play a huge role in the mama’s labor. I act kind of like a doula and after each delivery I go home and tell Adam how awesome it was and how gorgeous the baby was. If it is in the middle of the night when he feels me come back to bed it has become habit for him to roll over and say…”what’d they have?”.

I long to feel the wiggly movements in my belly and to see Adam look into the eyes of our baby. But….there is always a but, isn’t there? Well, you see…there are a few things.

First off, we (I especially) continue to be frightened at how this will change our lives. It will definitely be monumental I am sure. Adam’s father (who some think of as a prophet) had a dream once that we had twin boys. Aacckk!! Not a conversation occurs where we don’t talk about the, “what if we have twin boys” because lets face it, folks…he could very well be right on! Can you see us with twin boys?! Yeah, right.

Next is the reality that we HAVE been married for 13 years and while we haven’t been actively trying we have never conceived as of yet. Hmmmm, could it be a problem? Have you ever noticed how people who really shouldn’t have kids seem to pop them out left and right and the ones that would be fabulous parents seem to struggle a lot of the time? Frustrating. I mean, come on people…we have to have a license to drive a car but anyone that wants can have a kid?!

And, darnit…when it comes right down to it…I REALLY don’t want to be an elderly mother. So, essentially this means that in order for me to deliver by my 35th birthday (assuming the provider would let me go to 42 weeks before induction if necessary~I know, I know…details, details)…we need to make a baby by September 4, 2010. You see, this way I won’t have to check that little “advanced maternal age” box. Not that it really matters…

Me? An elderly mother…

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It is common knowledge that Adam and I have struggled over the years about whether we should have children and if so, when, etc… We always said we wanted to have them probably but wanted to early enough in our lives that they’d be out of the house by the time we are 50 (don’t ask where that number came from). Therefore, we’d need to start a family by the time we were 32…at the latest!

Well, lets just put it this way…err, we are past 32 now. Looking back I know that Adam would have loved 16 kids within the first year of our marriage. The man is a kid-magnet. He LOVES them. I, on the other hand have always worried about my abilities to mother and also wanted to get my career going (the age-old career first, family second..yada yada yada). He is a very patient man, to say the least as we have now been married for 13 years, and yet…still no babies.

Over the years, though he has also changed. We have blissfully traveled whenever we like, gone where we like and whenever we like, etc. We veg out on weekends, eat crap for supper (often) and just basically have learned to take care of just ourselves. More than once Adam has said he doesn’t know if he can imagine having children now, that he likes being able to just pick up and go, etc. So over the years he started having doubts. Throw his doubts in with my doubts and there you have it…13 years of marriage, two dogs and three cats.

We have been doing some SERIOUS talking though lately. First off every time I have a tummy ache I tell him ah, it’s just my uterus aging. Now, he knows that menopause can run early in my family (and I mean like late 30’s early) and so this bothers him.

Secondly I am concerned about my age and complications that may arise because of it. For any of you women out there that have had a baby you had to likely answer a gazillion questions at your first obstetric visit. Heck, I ask the same ones to my patients all the time. Well, you know the little box that says: will you be age 35 or older at the time of delivery? Yeah, ahhh…that is the very box that is bothering me.

They used to call you an elderly mother if you were 35 or older at the time of delivery. Thank goodness they have changed the terminology! Now, you are simply called one of “advanced maternal age”. Yes it sounds much less ominous but it does come with challenges. Genetic abnormalities definitely increase with each year of the mother’s age and because of this they want to do an amniocentesis. Just this week I learned off the increase in the rate of still birth in mom’s of advanced maternal age when they go past 39 weeks of pregnancy. Geesh!

I’ve more to write but have to get going now so check back later for the rest of my thoughts!