What makes a rainbow...apparently a broken nose!

Last night I was reading this seemingly benign book to Ella. When we were done I asked her turn off the bedroom light and she wanted me to do it. I was feeling all drowsy and pregnant so I put on my thinking cap and suggested that she hop like a bunny to the light switch. She bounced down the length of her bed, turned off the light, started hopping back, then turned and just flung herself backwards. It was so sudden and unexpected that I didn't have time to lumber out of her way. A moment later she was all indignant that I bonked the back of her incredibly hard skull with my face, more specifically my nose. I heard a sickening crack, willed myself not to pass out, and tried not to let any blood get on Ella's favorite snuggle blankie.  
I stopped the bleeding and told Jon that I thought I had a broken nose. There were no tears...at that point. The pain really came when I looked in the mirror and saw this.... 
Do you see how bulbous and crooked my nose looks? It swings to the right. Jon kept saying, "it doesn't look that bad" and I replied, "this is my FACE, 'not that bad' isn't an option!!" It was also concerning that I couldn't breath out of one nostril. So off to the ER I went while Jon stayed behind to finish putting Caden and the little assailant (aka-Ella) to bed. The very nice doctor talked with me for a few minuets while he gently probed my nose. He asked where I thought it was broken and when I pointed to the most painful spot on my face he grabbed, pulled, and shifted with out warning. (The moment was captured by my ER buddy Monica on her cell phone. My sweet friend showed up in the ER waiting room with a Dr. Pepper and a People Magazine in hand just to keep me company). After he was done setting my nose he asked how it felt and I said that I felt like hurting him. In reality I needed a moment to pull myself together so that I didn't embarrass myself by crying in front of the cute doctor and my picture taking friend. There wasn't much they could do so they referred me to a specialist who I will follow up with on Monday. Sleep was a little uncomfortable last night but okay and today the swelling is down and the bruising is really minimal. You can see that there is some bruising across my nose and I have a small black eye on the left but really I can't complain about looking too injured. What I can complain about is the fact that my nose now has a bump. Again, Jon tried to console me by saying that is really isn't that noticeable and I again reminded him that this is my NOSE not my ear, or a knobbly finger, but the center piece of my face, and I want my smooth ski jump like nose back, not a ski jump nose with a mogul. Not to mention that my nostrils are different shapes and sizes now. I'm so nervous that since the swelling isn't that bad that what I'm looking at is what I'm stuck with. I guess we will see. So I guess the moral of the story is to be careful of your bedtime reading material because you never know what cute little woodland creature based story will land you in the ER at midnight. 

Running out of room....

So it has come to my attention that there are not many photos of me on our family blog pregnant. For those of you who have harassed and teased that I am camera shy and unwilling to document my changing belly here are a few photos that clearly show off the the "baby bump". Although at 8 months pregnant it is hardly a bump. In fact when the doctor said that I may have up to 6 weeks left of the pregnancy I just kept thinking, "I am out of room!!" I can feel this baby from pelvis to rib cage. I feel like my stomach is in my neck and my hips are barley clearing door ways. I guess the only option is out, and out, and out...oh boy. At this point I am intrigued and awed by the pregnant body.
I really don't mind being full and round aesthetically, I think the pregnant body is adorable...on other women. Because when it is you, you have to not only look pregnant, you have to feel pregnant. The lack of pictures is more an indicator that I am always holding the camera, not that I don't
want to document the process of bigger and bigger yet. The clothing options get more limited and you will notice that the curling iron is pulled out less and less often, but to those who have razzed me (and you know who you are) I will do better about making sure that I am more present in our family blog.

Here I am at 6 months, hair down and looking reasonably comfortable. Little does this Shama know what is waiting for her two months down the line.

Summer Events Calender

If anyone is interested I made up a calender of mostly free events including: festivals, fairs, concerts, movies and other summer activities here in Kitsap County through the months of July and August. I went to a bunch of web sites and looked through my "Kitsap Adventures" book (the 2009-2010 edition is on sale at Costco for $12) to put the calender together. It only contains the things I thought might be interesting to my family but there is something to do nearly every day of the week. The things on the Sunday slots are just ideas for the week that you could fill in on any day. Just click on the calender and it should become full screen so you can print it out. Let me know if you have any problems or if you don't understand my abbreviations.

The Fourth and Fun in the Sun!!

We had a great fourth of July in Tacoma with the Anderson Family. We spent the weekend boating, bike riding, and carnival going. We were at an event called "Freedom Festival" on Fort Lewis. It was a big carnival with food vendors, bounce houses, and an amazing fireworks show.
The bounce houses were by far the kid's favorite feature of the day, although it was REALLY HOT. They would run and jump and come out beet red and sweaty yet ready for more. Kids are crazy. I would find the shadiest spot possible and nurse my ice cold water as I kept track of all the shoes and made sure the kids were well hydrated and sun screened. Jon, on the other hand, had to help Ella through some of the larger bounce houses. Bless his heart. I can only imagine the smell of dozens of sticky, sweating, children bouncing off vinyl walls and smashing into each other.



This was Ella's favorite bounce house. Mainly because it was the little kid one and practically unused. She felt like ruler of the roost, which suits her just fine.

We have also enjoyed lots of time in the front yard pools. We bought a new one before I could find the one from last year so we now have two. The kids think it is the coolest to jump between the two pools. I have the fondest memories of summers spent getting wrinkly from hours spent in our back yard pool. It occured to me that my kids are going to have the same memories and it made me feel so connected to my mom. It took me nearly two hours to clean out last year's pool, find the compressor to blow up the two pools, set up the "wash the grass off your feet before jumping in the pool" tarp, get out the lawn chairs, apply the sun screen, and prepare snacks for the day so that the kids could eat out side thereby tracking in the least amount of water and grass. By the time I was done I was exhausted and happy to just sit in my lawn chair and watch them "swim" and show me their "awesome moves". As I sat there I felt so grateful to my mother who too thought all the energy and fuss was worth the memories made in a back yard pool.

This is one of Caden's "awesome"

moves and this is Ella "swimming".

It really has been such a fun summer so far. I was nervous that me being 8 months pregnant would limit our summer fun but as long as I plan an activity every day the kids seem happy and the day doesn't drag on. Even if it is just a small thing like finger painting the back deck then hosing it off after ward and playing in the water or going to the park and playing and having a picnic. Thank goodness for all this beautiful sun shine!