Waiting and whining

This January has probably been the most uneventful, slowest month of my life. I stopped working, the weather has been abnormally freezing, and I am hugely pregnant. My January activities have consisted of SAMS club pizza outings, library outings, play dates, and trying to convince my mom and friends to talk to me on the phone for long periods of time during Jack's nap.

I never reached this point of pregnancy with Jack which is so mentally unfair when you hear over and over again that your first pregnancy is usually the longest. My doctor has been telling me for months that he would induce me this Friday (which is why my mom booked her flight to come tomorrow night!) until my appointment yesterday when he said that my body is not ready or progressing. Instead of telling me to go to the hospital this weekend to have my baby, he told me to stay home and stimulate my nipples. Seriously!?! 

In other news, we are experiencing what social media has termed a "snowpocalypse." It's bad enough when there is predicted snow in the South (everything shuts down because of the hills, ice, lack of experienced drivers and lack of salt and snowplows), but this surprise snow storm has sent Birmingham into complete disaster and chaos. It's crazy to me because it only snowed about an inch! Luckily, Spencer and I didn't leave the house once it started snowing, but here are a few texts and fb statuses I have read in the last 24 hours:

It dusts maybe once a year and we usually have a lot of warning and the town shuts down ahead of time. This time the weather man assured us there was no threat so nothing shut down and then it all dumped at once and people were stranded everywhere completely unprepared. James Spann the weatherman has no friends today.

Hoover PD has announced that they will not respond to accidents that have no injuries...there are too many wrecks. They're telling people to exchange info and get their cars off the road.

I just made it home. Left my car on interstate before vestavia exit and combo of run walk and a ride up the worst part of columbiana I made it home. About 5 - 5.5 miles on foot.

Birmingham has so many hills that everywhere is literally uphill both ways. There is no way to get up most of the hills so there are hundreds of abandoned cars and people walking home without proper clothing. It looks just like an Apocalypse movie.

They don't even have sand or salt. It was a surprise storm and all the kids were in school. Luckily I got Maggie just in time because the rest of her classmates will probably have to sleep at the school.

I had to ditch my car at the top of our hill because it got blocked in the 10 minutes that I drove to pick up my daughter. Still one kid in another school and no way to get him. Sorry, Enoch!

We had to leave the car in a parking lot at the bottom of the big hill up to our house. We were lucky to get so close. We only had to walk a little over a mile. I bet it will be a few days before we get the car back. I'm just hoping it will still be there. Looters are lazy but it's a candy store out there, I'm sure at the least the GPS is a gonner.

Yes, I had some sketchy moments myself too even with the 4WD. The ice under the snow is what gets you! And literally every time I stepped outside my house to check the status of the hill we live on, I heard the now familiar crunch of two cars meeting on an icy road. Don't do it, people! Come stay with us if you are desperate for a warm place!

It is pretty treacherous around UAB... there are so many abandoned cars on the roads he couldn't even move his car from where he parked it this morning. Hunter, Gordy and Taylor are all at school and are going to sleep in the new building. Apparently hotels are closed. 

They gave us blankets and I'll sleep in my office. 

My mother and so many others stranded still [in their cars overnight] and it's 9:30 am the next day. She's now without water, very hungry, and tired. Many people have run out of gas. They did evacuate the kids off of buses at about 5 am last night. If you live near the interstate and can help, motorists need food, water, blankets, and gas. Some mothers of infants are now out of formula too. Georgia issued an official State of Emergency. Please help if you can. And prayers appreciated.

I spent the night at a very nice law firm on 280 just across from the Hampton Inn. As soon as they say we can get on the road we will start moving south. Good thing your baby didn't come. 

And now for some crazy pictures! (Images via)
 
 
 
 
 
 

We are grateful we are home and safe! We're just going a little stir crazy waiting out the "storm" (waiting for the ice to melt; it stopped snowing yesterday afternoon) and waiting for this baby to come!

 
 
Jack was excited to go out and play in the snow
 
... He lasted 2 minutes. He kept saying that his fingers hurt. I'm not sure how I'm going to survive with two kids in freezing Iowa.