All Hail the Heir to the Throne!!!!

He's here! He's here! He's early, but he's here!!!!! My nephew made his grand entrance at 7:38 yesterday morning. That's about 5 weeks early, dubbing him officially a premie, but he's healthy and happy as is Princess. H.T. weighed a whopping 5 lbs. 3 oz. and is 18 1/2 inches long with (I'm told) a head full of brown hair. I haven't seen any pictures yet, but am expecting some soon.

Princess said she felt "a little crampy" at bed time the night before, but didn't think much about it. She woke up at 1 am with her first full blown contraction. They got to the hospital at 2 and the nurse informed her that she was already 7 cm dilated! I talked to Princess at 6 am, post-epidural, and she was feeling pretty good. I guess H.T. changed his mind about being born at the last minute and Princess had a hard time convincing him it was time to come out. But he finally gave in and graced us with his presence.

I'm having a tough time knowing I can't just jump in the car and head down to see him. #1) It's a 5 hour trip & I can't take Baby Girl out of school. #2) We're all still sick. Yesterday I started running a fever & today I just feel flat out crummy. #3) My washing machine went kaput yesterday. Well, maybe 'kaput' is the wrong word for it. It was more like a trickle.... trickle.... gush.

Mama called me at 3 am to tell me that I was soon to be an Aunt and I couldn't get back to sleep after that. Partially from excitement. Partially from being sick. Partially from depression because I couldn't run down and get the nursery ready (Princess and Axl are trying to sell their house and didn't have the baby's room set up...at all...H.T. wasn't supposed to be here for 5 more weeks. No clothes washed. The cradle is still at my folks. The shower gifts are being stored at a friend's house. They're totally unprepared). So I was a little tired yesterday. I put B.B. down for his nap, did animal chores (in the rain), showered, put in Pooh for #1 Son to watch, and crashed out on Husband's bed for a nap. (B.T.W. Husband's bed is in the living room. We moved B.B.'s crib into #1 Son's freshly painted green room so Husband's queen sized bed moved into the livingroom. Now, I want to get rid of it, get a king sized bed for our room, and move him back in with me, but it's taking some convincing. Until then, and with his new sleeping schedule due to work, he's still sleeping in the living room...I feel like the Bucket family from 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.' At least I have a Big living room...and it isn't formal.) Now that that's all explained, on with the story. I woke up to an odd, hollow dripping noise coming from my kitchen. I rolled off the bed to find water dripping down into the heat vent by my kitchen sink.

Half of my kitchen and my entire laundry room were flooded. The washing machine was leaking from underneath and had sent water under the dryer, in the utility closet with the furnace and hot water heater, under the kitchen table, in my pantry, and under the little deep freezer. It took nearly every towel I own to mop up the water, and then I couldn't wash them. And no Laundromats in our little hole in the wall town. Husband thinks we may just have to get a new one, I'm not thrilled with the idea because the one we have is only 5 years old.

So after cleaning up 20 gallons of water from my kitchen floor, moving some pretty heavy appliances on my own, and chasing my children repeatedly out of the room, I finally sat down. That's when I realized I was running a fever. 100.5 degrees doesn't sound high, but I felt like road kill. I wanted to go home this weekend to see Princess, Axl and H.T., but I don't see that happening now. But Baby Girl doesn't have school next Friday, so maybe we can swing it then.

In the mean time I'm at Uncle E and Aunt C's using their washer to catch up on all the laundry I was trying to wash yesterday. They're at work and all the kids are at school so it's just me and my boys. I don't know what I'd do without Uncle E and Aunt C somedays.

My next goal is to find out if we can either get the washer fixed or trade it in towards a new one...and all before Husband's lunch break so he can take a vacation day tomorrow if needs be. Ugh!

But it's all good. I have a new nephew!!!!!