can you say "crazy day"?

Today has been a crazy day around here.

I woke up around 6:30 with my back killing me and feeling pain - stronger pain than I have felt this pregnancy (I have had lots of pains this pregnancy due to all the stretching to accommodate 2 babies). I adjusted my position and tried to catch a few more zzz's. About 15 minutes later I felt pain again and our power went out. Hmmm.

I got up and started getting ready for the day (in the dark) but the pain in my back wouldn't go away and the other pain kept coming back. Our power was out for about 20-25 minutes and we learned that rolling black-outs were occurring all over Texas today. After trying to lay in different positions for a while and the pains still coming back, I called the doctor's office. I was instructed to go to Labor & Delivery to be checked out.

Jacob had an appointment this morning at an ENT to be checked out to see if they could find a reason for why he isn't talking, Justin had not gone into work so he could take Jacob to the doctor. We all piled into the van (Justin, Dorothy - Justin's step-mom, me and Jacob). Our first stop was to drop me off at the hospital, and then everyone else headed out to Jacob's appointment.

My contractions seemed to stop for the first 20 minutes or so that I was on the monitor, but then they came back with a vengeance. The nurse came in and said that I could head home, but I let her know I was having a lot more pain again. It seems like the monitor wasn't really in the best place to pick up the contractions, so once it was adjusted they saw that I really was having stronger contractions and my doctor decided that something needed to be given to me to get them to stop. I received a series of 3 shots and a prescription for medication to take at home to keep the contractions from coming back so strongly.

While I was in the hospital getting my contractions under control Justin, Dorothy and Jacob were heading home from the ENT. Due to the rolling power outages stop lights are out at various places around the area. When they were not too far from home, they got to a light that was out and stopped. It was clear one way, but a bigger vehicle was blocking Justin's view of seeing any traffic from that direction so when the bigger vehicle started to go, Justin went as well. Turns out that a kid was coming from the other direction and not paying any attention to the fact that the light was out and he was supposed to treat the intersection as a 4-way stop. Somehow the kid and the bigger vehicle missed each other, but Justin ran into the side/back end of the truck. Sadly our van got the brunt of the wreck (instead of his truck).  The van ended up turned 180 degrees from the direction they were heading.
We are pretty sure that the van will be declared totaled. Which makes us really sad. We got a great deal on it and had it for less than 6 months.

The plus is that it seems like no one was seriously injured. The air bag deploying caused a burn similar to a serious rug burn on Justin's hand. And both Justin and Dorothy are already feeling sore backs from the impact. We should hear by Friday what the kid's insurance decides as far as our van and a rental vehicle are concerned.

We are very glad that the contractions have stopped and we aren't having babies yet. And that no one was seriously hurt in the accident. We are also grateful to our friends and neighbors who were able to go pick up everyone from the accident and take them home.

Today hasn't been the best day, but we have definitely been blessed!