When nothing goes as planned

I found myself feeling a little glum the closer we got to Christmas because Jose wasn't around and I was missing my family something fierce. I tried to keep traditions...made a huge pot of Brunswick stew (a Shipp family recipe) for Christmas Eve, made Santa Claus cookies, decorated the tree with the yuletide log on TV, and listened to holiday music nonstop.  But, it just wasn't the same as being home for Christmas. The only thing that helped was knowing Eli would be arriving any day. I did get to spend Christmas Eve visiting with my sweet friend Julie who was in town visiting her inlaws. It was so good to catch up and have a little bit of support on a tough day. Jose agreed to work Christmas Eve and Christmas Day so I spent the holidays alone:-(  A few days after Christmas Jose got really sick (flu) and I was officially on freak out mode. He went to urgent care and received tamiflu but I quarantined him to the  bedroom and I slept in the guest bed. I made him wear a mask all the time and I went through several bottles of bleach wipes cleaning everything possible surface he could have touched in our house. I also was chugging the elderberry syrup like it was water because there was no way under the sun I was going to miss the birth of my son!

Mom arrived on New Year's Day and we had black eyed peas, collards, and cornbread to keep with tradition. Jose seemed to be feeling better but we still kept our distance from him because we were not taking any chances. Mom helped me put the finishing touches on Eli's room and then we played the sit and wait game. It was absolutely some of the coldest weather we have had in several years so we litterally did a lot of sitting (cozied up) and waiting.

January 2, 2015: Jose woke up saying he didn't feel well again and began vomitting shortly after.  Mom and I immediately put masks on and I began freaking out again...could we not catch a break here?!? Jose progressively got worse and I began wondering if this was something more than flu or stomach virus. I took him to urgent care and we were promptly sent to the ER at Parkland. Jose had appendicitis and was going to need surgery. My poor mom got a long night in the waiting room of the Parkland ER (for those of you who know Parkland I say no more, for those of you who do not....county hospital in a large city late at night always equals excitement and maybe a little fear). I had been anxiously awaiting and praying for a baby because our primary midwives were going to be taking vacation a few days after Eli's due date and I did not want to use a backup if we didn't have to. Now, I was asking God to hold off just one more day. Jose got into surgery around midnight on January 3rd and I begged the physicians to discharge him ASAP. They said if I could get him walking and eating we could go home on the "fast track" discharge. So, I got Jose up out of the bed as soon as possible and shoveled the food in (he didn't need much help with this part) and we were out of there by noon. It's January 3, 2015, Eli's official due date, and we are back on Baby Watch!