Then we went to the Portrait Gallery. It wasn’t what I was expecting. I thought it was going to be all portraits of famous people throughout history and that it was going to be all paintings. I don’t have a reason for thinking that; it’s just what I got into my head. It wasn’t like that at all for the first few exhibits. Some were random photos of ordinary people, many of which I did not “get”. There were also big black and whites of celebrities, but they were all previously published or taken originally for magazines. I wasn’t sure what the appeal was there either. “Oh look, a giant photo of a famous person’s face!” Then we got to the historical portraits. There were paintings of influential theologians, politicians, philosophers, inventors, movers and shakers. These, I liked. But I hit my wall shortly after the discovery of the interesting part of the museum and I couldn’t do anything else.
We started off Sunday by going to the 9/11 memorial at the Pentagon. It’s right by where the plane crashed into the building. The memorial is a sea of what look kind of like angled benches that are reminiscent of airplane wings. I’m curious to find out now who designed it and what the significance is of the shape they chose. Even though there is no color in the memorial, it reminded me of a garden. The ground is gravel, the cement wings are coming out of the ground, and there are trees but they were all budless and bloomless and gray-brown. Each bench is in a line with others, radiating from a plaque with a year on it. Some benches point toward the Pentagon building, and some point away from the building. A guard explained the significance of all of it to us. The year is when the person whose name is on the bench was born. If the name was on the end of the bench facing the Pentagon, they were on the plane. If the name was facing out, they were in the Pentagon. Under each bench is a little pool. If the person had family on the plane, the other family member’s names were on a plaque on the bottom of the little pool. Each member has their own memorial bench in line with the year they were born. I walked around the plaques, looking for the year I was born. The years jump from 1990 to 1979. An entire generation was spared death in that particular attack.
Someone had put a flower on one of the benches. It was a striking dark orange color; the only color in the place. I took pictures but they don’t capture how beautiful it made the whole memorial… just the one flower. Looking at the Pentagon, you can see where the plane hit because the new section of the wall is clean. It’s distinctly lighter than the sections on either side. Even that is a memorial, to me. It was symbolic of the will to go on, the determination of America to carry on as normal, as well as the loss of that day, and the refusal of the people in the Pentagon to be cowed.
We saw the Jefferson and Lincoln memorials after that. It was a ton of walking. It’s a long way between the two, so we got glimpses of other memorials in between. Even with the giganticness of the statues, I think Lincoln’s is much more human than Jefferson’s. The way Abe is sitting communicates that yes he accomplished major things, and here he is enthroned for our memory and admiration, but then you look closely. He has one hand clenched in a fist, one hand open. One foot is firmly planted, and the other is sticking out, like he was thinking about slouching down for a minute. He’s just a man, after all, but with the right skills at the right time to change the country.
Sunday night I just hung out at the hotel while William went on a night tour with most of our group. The few of us left had a good time getting caught up on who did what during the day. I wish we could stay longer in DC. There’s so much to see… and I’ll see it next year.
Monday, March 30, 2009
DC days 3 and 4 part 1
Saturday we started the day off by going to the American History museum. They had so many exhibits, just like all the museums here, that my little group barely scratched the surface before we’d had enough of the crowds and moved on. What we did get to see was pretty cool. We went through a technology exhibit, mostly dedicated to Thomas Edison. (Who was a thug, but no one ever mentions that part.) It was interesting to see the development of electricity and see the change in efficiency and size over time. There were all kinds of light bulbs, circuits, an electric marshmallow toaster, an early model vacuum cleaner, electric socks, and vintage signs touting the value of whatever new products were out. One of the things that stood out the most to me was how the ads were drawn along traditional/stereotypical gender lines. An ad for a softer-light casting light bulb was all about how the woman of the house doesn’t want harsh light, but harsh doesn’t mean dim, and how homier and softer this light bulb would make the home.
We also saw Julia Child’s kitchen. It was a really small exhibit and very crowded. Her cooking videos were playing, tidbits about her life and contributions were posted around the room, and you could look into the kitchen area but not go in. We also saw a war exhibit. It was so packed we decided to go in the exit and work our way backwards so we didn’t have to wait to get in. It was actually a neat way to do it, working back from what I in my short life have experienced in the news and from people I knew who served in the war, to wars that I know only what I have read in history books. The exhibit started with information on the current war against terror, with information on the 9/11 attacks and pieces of steel bars from the towers. The section on Vietnam was a curious commentary on how much television began to play a part in foreign affairs. There wasn’t a mention of media bias or anything like that, of course. There were plenty of pictures of the anti-war movement and anti-war propaganda posters. The contrast between this and the WWII section was stark. The pro-war, pro-America propaganda was so overblown some of it was inadvertently funny. However, both exhibits were such reminders that people in general are much more influenced by propaganda materials than they even know, or would ever care to admit. Repetition of message is a powerful tool in getting people to follow what you want them to. Hitler knew it. Roosevelt knew it. Hope and change!
We also watched a little movie about the wars. It showed clips from the more recent ones, and artistic renderings of the older ones, with voice-overs from actual survivors, including John McCain, veterans’ family members, or readings of letters and famous quotes from the wars, starting with the American Revolution. William referred to this the rest of the day as the “crying movie” since Carrie, Joy, and I were all bawling by the time it was over. To be reminded of the reality of the storming of Normandy, to see the crosses marking our soldiers in cemeteries all over the world, and to think of all the families who never saw their father/husband/brother/son/friend again, was overwhelming.
Once we left the museum, we hopped on the Metro to Chinatown for lunch. The food was great; the service was terrible. Not much else to say about that :)
We also saw Julia Child’s kitchen. It was a really small exhibit and very crowded. Her cooking videos were playing, tidbits about her life and contributions were posted around the room, and you could look into the kitchen area but not go in. We also saw a war exhibit. It was so packed we decided to go in the exit and work our way backwards so we didn’t have to wait to get in. It was actually a neat way to do it, working back from what I in my short life have experienced in the news and from people I knew who served in the war, to wars that I know only what I have read in history books. The exhibit started with information on the current war against terror, with information on the 9/11 attacks and pieces of steel bars from the towers. The section on Vietnam was a curious commentary on how much television began to play a part in foreign affairs. There wasn’t a mention of media bias or anything like that, of course. There were plenty of pictures of the anti-war movement and anti-war propaganda posters. The contrast between this and the WWII section was stark. The pro-war, pro-America propaganda was so overblown some of it was inadvertently funny. However, both exhibits were such reminders that people in general are much more influenced by propaganda materials than they even know, or would ever care to admit. Repetition of message is a powerful tool in getting people to follow what you want them to. Hitler knew it. Roosevelt knew it. Hope and change!
We also watched a little movie about the wars. It showed clips from the more recent ones, and artistic renderings of the older ones, with voice-overs from actual survivors, including John McCain, veterans’ family members, or readings of letters and famous quotes from the wars, starting with the American Revolution. William referred to this the rest of the day as the “crying movie” since Carrie, Joy, and I were all bawling by the time it was over. To be reminded of the reality of the storming of Normandy, to see the crosses marking our soldiers in cemeteries all over the world, and to think of all the families who never saw their father/husband/brother/son/friend again, was overwhelming.
Once we left the museum, we hopped on the Metro to Chinatown for lunch. The food was great; the service was terrible. Not much else to say about that :)
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Washington, DC 2009 Day 1 and 2 continued
After that most of us went into the House chamber. It wasn’t in session but it was still awesome to go in there. Looking down where the “action” is was impressive by itself, but then a police guard came in to answer questions and tell us all about the symbolism and rituals of the place. Surrounding the upper walls are a series of reliefs of the faces of lawmakers that influenced the founding of US law. Only 2 of them are Americans: James Mason and Thomas Jefferson. All the faces are looking to the side, leading toward where the Speaker of the House stands, except for one. Moses is facing straight forward, looking directly at the Speaker’s podium. It made me wonder if any of the reps ever look up at his face and ponder the significance of being duty bound to protect the people in terms of God’s law. I’m gonna guess no. Our police guard, Carmen, explained that the Speaker stands at the top, and that if ever the President comes in to talk, he stands on the second tier, and he can’t come into the Chamber unless he is specifically invited. She also told us that, from our perspective looking down, the Democrats sit on the left and the Republicans on the right, and it is because the Democrats’ political party is older. If the President enters, he has to walk up the center aisle to approach the podium. He can’t show favoritism symbolically by entering from his party’s side of the room. Besides the symbolism, the guard told us quite a few other intriguing bits. As she quizzed the students on who was our current Speaker of the House, and one of the boys answered correctly that it was Nancy Pelosi, one of the moms asked if there was an exciting vibe in the room when Pelosi first took the podium as speaker. The guide’s answer was “I don’t like her. But she got a standing ovation.” Our group assured her that we don’t like her either, and Carmen went on to explain why she doesn’t like her. Carmen told us that she likes to say good morning and greet all the Representatives she sees, and when she greets Nancy Pelosi, Nancy keeps her head down and ignores her like she’s not there, and Carmen has zero respect for that. I thought that was very telling, and also, I’m pretty sure that I’d do everything I could to make sure that the people who are in charge of my protection and taking a bullet for me if necessary didn’t think I was a jerk. She told us about Cynthia McKinney, the rep. who attacked a police officer, and how stupid she thought it was that McKinney tried to make it about race, when it was about the officer doing his job. Each rep. has an id card; all they have to do is pull it out and show it. The officers can’t just take your word for it, especially if they don’t recognize you. Carmen also told us of the procedural issues. When there are debates, each side gets 30 minutes. There are rules of conduct: you can’t go overtime, you can’t cuss, you can’t yell, and if you do you’ll get brought up on ethics charges. She also hilariously told us that when the representatives refer to “my friend across the aisle” was they really mean is “you ***hole.”. She was so genial, as were several of the guards, but they are always on duty, as shown when a member of our group yelled rather loudly. Her hand immediately went to her gun, and every empty entry way was instantly filled with a guard, hand on gun. Their reaction time and control over the situation was incredible. After the Capitol, the group got to do whatever they wanted the rest of the day. Several of us meandered to a café by the Sculpture Garden for a snack and sitting break. Everyone except William and me went on to do other things. We walked around looking at the statues, most of which were just weird and pointless, before heading back to the hotel.
To be seen today: US History Museum, China Town, Portrait Gallery.
To be seen today: US History Museum, China Town, Portrait Gallery.
Washington, DC 2009 Day 1 and 2
We arrived in DC around 11 AM Thursday morning and checked in, settled in, took our laptops and waited in the lobby for everyone else to arrive. Getting to greet everyone felt like a reunion even though we all just saw each other on Tuesday at school. The excitement was a good tone to start the trip. After everyone arrived, I went to swim, which was GREAT. I did several laps and then floated around; it was the first time in weeks my back hasn’t hurt. At 7:00 the group of 70 kids and parents gathered in our conference room for dinner and announcements. The students quickly dispersed after dinner but the grown-ups lingered for awhile. It is so refreshing to have grown-up talk after spending all day every day teaching adolescents. (Love ‘em, but it’s nice to talk to adults.)
Friday morning was our Capitol building tour. The tour was supposed to start at 9:40, so we got on the Metro at 8:15. Part of my responsibilities as a group leader is to make sure my group understands the Metro. William led the way down to the platform while I waited for my group to pass, reminding everyone to stand on the right side of the escalator so the commuters could rush down the left. Getting 24 people unfamiliar with the Metro system to stay together and then get on the right train is a little like herding cats. After the first stop, we somehow ended up with a couple people from another of our school’s group. How they ended up with us, we don’t know. However, all 70 people made it without major incident to the front of the Capitol. Then the fun really began. Joy, our intrepid leader, set off to try to find where we were supposed to be. We knew we were supposed to enter through the new visitor center, but there is absolutely no signage anywhere indicating the entrance. Turns out, it’s after a twisty sidewalk on the backside of the Capitol, down some stairs, still with no signs. Then we went through security: no food, no drinks, no liquids of any kind, and no pointy objects. Many people had packed water and snacks for the entire day and had to throw them away, some had antibacterial spray, and William had to chuck his money clip because it has a blade. After getting everyone through security, we had to go down another flight of steps, and then Joy and William got in line to check in and get our tour going. Time: 9:43. Tour: cancelled. The boy at the front desk offered our group 8 tickets for the 1:30 tour to make up for it. Fortunately, a supervisor came over and told us we could get in the 10:10 and distributed our stickers for it. Except for the part where they didn’t give us enough so Joy couldn’t go on the tour, the supervisor handled it well. But seriously, why would the cancel a tour of 70 people? Surely there is a better system of handling groups that have been in the building for 30 minutes, just not able to get downstairs to check in. Either that or they could put some flippin’ signs up so tour groups will actually know how to get to the visitor center without having to wander around the perimeter of the place. At about 10:40, our tour finally started. After being handled fairly incompetently by the visitor center staff, a couple workers had the audacity to bark at us to hurry up and get into the movie room that starts the tour. Really? We have to stand there for an hour because you are inefficient and incompetent, and then you’re going to yell at us? Yeah, no. The movie was interesting, at least. Then we went into another big room to stand in another line, where some of our group got shunted off to join some other people, and most of us got in another line, where a random Japanese couple was somehow among our number. Our tour guide, Ron, was fantastic. He made up for the annoyance of the morning. He was enthusiastic, extremely knowledgeable, and addressed the students directly instead of the adults, which I appreciated. He explained the apotheosis of Washing, the painting in the rotunda, pointing out the Greek gods and goddesses imparting wisdom to the US leaders. He told us all about the painting and statues, where they came from, and the controversies around what statue and of whom went where in the building. He demonstrated the whisper room, which even though I’ve heard it several times, never gets old. Although the tour was short, it was super informative. Then we ate lunch in the new café, and it was delicious, albeit overpriced.
Friday morning was our Capitol building tour. The tour was supposed to start at 9:40, so we got on the Metro at 8:15. Part of my responsibilities as a group leader is to make sure my group understands the Metro. William led the way down to the platform while I waited for my group to pass, reminding everyone to stand on the right side of the escalator so the commuters could rush down the left. Getting 24 people unfamiliar with the Metro system to stay together and then get on the right train is a little like herding cats. After the first stop, we somehow ended up with a couple people from another of our school’s group. How they ended up with us, we don’t know. However, all 70 people made it without major incident to the front of the Capitol. Then the fun really began. Joy, our intrepid leader, set off to try to find where we were supposed to be. We knew we were supposed to enter through the new visitor center, but there is absolutely no signage anywhere indicating the entrance. Turns out, it’s after a twisty sidewalk on the backside of the Capitol, down some stairs, still with no signs. Then we went through security: no food, no drinks, no liquids of any kind, and no pointy objects. Many people had packed water and snacks for the entire day and had to throw them away, some had antibacterial spray, and William had to chuck his money clip because it has a blade. After getting everyone through security, we had to go down another flight of steps, and then Joy and William got in line to check in and get our tour going. Time: 9:43. Tour: cancelled. The boy at the front desk offered our group 8 tickets for the 1:30 tour to make up for it. Fortunately, a supervisor came over and told us we could get in the 10:10 and distributed our stickers for it. Except for the part where they didn’t give us enough so Joy couldn’t go on the tour, the supervisor handled it well. But seriously, why would the cancel a tour of 70 people? Surely there is a better system of handling groups that have been in the building for 30 minutes, just not able to get downstairs to check in. Either that or they could put some flippin’ signs up so tour groups will actually know how to get to the visitor center without having to wander around the perimeter of the place. At about 10:40, our tour finally started. After being handled fairly incompetently by the visitor center staff, a couple workers had the audacity to bark at us to hurry up and get into the movie room that starts the tour. Really? We have to stand there for an hour because you are inefficient and incompetent, and then you’re going to yell at us? Yeah, no. The movie was interesting, at least. Then we went into another big room to stand in another line, where some of our group got shunted off to join some other people, and most of us got in another line, where a random Japanese couple was somehow among our number. Our tour guide, Ron, was fantastic. He made up for the annoyance of the morning. He was enthusiastic, extremely knowledgeable, and addressed the students directly instead of the adults, which I appreciated. He explained the apotheosis of Washing, the painting in the rotunda, pointing out the Greek gods and goddesses imparting wisdom to the US leaders. He told us all about the painting and statues, where they came from, and the controversies around what statue and of whom went where in the building. He demonstrated the whisper room, which even though I’ve heard it several times, never gets old. Although the tour was short, it was super informative. Then we ate lunch in the new café, and it was delicious, albeit overpriced.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Watchmen: a commentary
Disclaimer: Because of the graphic violence and the profusion of nekkidness in this movie, I can not in good conscience recommend it to anyone. So please don't take my critique as an endorsement. It's rated "R" for good cause. But, the violence and nudity weren't pointless. Just gratuitous.
"Who's Watching the Watchmen?" This question is graffitied on the wall in a city that has rebelled against the idea of vigilantes/costumed superheroes. The movie follows the lives of a small band of washed-up vigilantes, some trying to live normal lives, some clinging to their crime-fighting ways. After the murder of one of their own, the movie then proceeds to flash back and forth from the characters' past back to the movie's present day. The main character is a masked man named Rorschach. He hates the filth that the people of the city live in. He's one of the few that still clings to the past, even though their way of fighting crime has been outlawed. He is convinced that someone is coming after the old masked heroes and he is going to get to the bottom of it. Along the way, we find out his disturbing past. He was abused as a child, his mother was a whore, and now his sole purpose in life is to punish evildoers. He hates fornicators, thieves, and murderers. He is the most ethically consistent character in that he acts, always, according to his own moral code. One of the most disturbing scenes in the movie is when we see his character on the night he, in his own words, loses his human identity and solely becomes Rorschach, the crime fighter. He tracks down a child molester/kidnapper/killer, kills the man's dogs, and then brutally kills the man. This scene, though I had to look away, was really thought provoking. How many of us have thought at some point that jail time or a quick painless execution is too good for those evil people that hurt children? It's just a worse kind of evil to hurt the most vulnerable, and that is what disgusts Rorschach. The man begs Rorschach to take him to jail, but Rorschach then bludgeons him to death, and even after death, continues to beat him brutally. This raised a lot of questions to me. Yes, the man got what he deserved, but who gets to decide what justice looks like? Is Rorschach any better than that man now? Do people still have to submit to a flawed system of justice? Was it right for Rorschach to do that? Usually in movies we cheer when the bad guy gets theirs. In this movie I couldn't even look at the screen.
Later on, one of the female characters, Silk Spectre, has left her superhero boyfriend that she was living with and shacks up with another old superhero. After this new couple goes out on a vigilante spree for old times' sake, they get it on in their aircraft. I think this scene could have been shorter and definitely didn't need all the nudity to get the point across, but there was still a point. They are literally hovering above the city, separated from the people below that they have set themselves above figuratively. Yet, they are acting just as debauched as the people they quickly and gleefully punish. What makes them better? What gives them the right to take the law into their own hands? Who's watching the Watchmen?
In another twisty plot point, another character has averted nuclear war and mass world destruction by obliterating a city of millions and making it look like one of the Watchmen did it. The world puts aside their conflicts to unite against this new threat. More questions: was world peace worth the cost? What gave this character the right to make that decision? Even if it was the only way to avoid nuclear war, was it worth murdering all those people and framing someone else for it? Do the ends ever justify the means? Would it have been ok if the government had done it?
This movie wasn't the stereotypical comic book movie, with clear-cut good guys and bad guys, and instead shows a realistic, gritty, depressing, and graphic idea of what would happen if people really decided to live like this. Hardly any of the Watchmen have what we think of as superpowers. They're just strong, fast, and brave/arrogant. This movie had me marveling at how restrained our society is, considering how evil we all really are. The movie shows the need for morality, for social norms, for authority, but it all begs the question, what gives ANYONE, government, vigilante, cop... the right to exact justice? What is justice? God gives the job of punishing society's evildoers to the government. But what happens when most people don't believe in God, and that there's really no reason the government should get to make those decisions? I haven't read the graphic novel and I don't know much about the author, but the movie, at least, was prophetic. Without God, there is no real justice. When men try on their own to govern themselves, they become just as bad as the people they set themselves over. In that sense, this is the most realistic comic book movie I've ever seen, and that is scary.
"Who's Watching the Watchmen?" This question is graffitied on the wall in a city that has rebelled against the idea of vigilantes/costumed superheroes. The movie follows the lives of a small band of washed-up vigilantes, some trying to live normal lives, some clinging to their crime-fighting ways. After the murder of one of their own, the movie then proceeds to flash back and forth from the characters' past back to the movie's present day. The main character is a masked man named Rorschach. He hates the filth that the people of the city live in. He's one of the few that still clings to the past, even though their way of fighting crime has been outlawed. He is convinced that someone is coming after the old masked heroes and he is going to get to the bottom of it. Along the way, we find out his disturbing past. He was abused as a child, his mother was a whore, and now his sole purpose in life is to punish evildoers. He hates fornicators, thieves, and murderers. He is the most ethically consistent character in that he acts, always, according to his own moral code. One of the most disturbing scenes in the movie is when we see his character on the night he, in his own words, loses his human identity and solely becomes Rorschach, the crime fighter. He tracks down a child molester/kidnapper/killer, kills the man's dogs, and then brutally kills the man. This scene, though I had to look away, was really thought provoking. How many of us have thought at some point that jail time or a quick painless execution is too good for those evil people that hurt children? It's just a worse kind of evil to hurt the most vulnerable, and that is what disgusts Rorschach. The man begs Rorschach to take him to jail, but Rorschach then bludgeons him to death, and even after death, continues to beat him brutally. This raised a lot of questions to me. Yes, the man got what he deserved, but who gets to decide what justice looks like? Is Rorschach any better than that man now? Do people still have to submit to a flawed system of justice? Was it right for Rorschach to do that? Usually in movies we cheer when the bad guy gets theirs. In this movie I couldn't even look at the screen.
Later on, one of the female characters, Silk Spectre, has left her superhero boyfriend that she was living with and shacks up with another old superhero. After this new couple goes out on a vigilante spree for old times' sake, they get it on in their aircraft. I think this scene could have been shorter and definitely didn't need all the nudity to get the point across, but there was still a point. They are literally hovering above the city, separated from the people below that they have set themselves above figuratively. Yet, they are acting just as debauched as the people they quickly and gleefully punish. What makes them better? What gives them the right to take the law into their own hands? Who's watching the Watchmen?
In another twisty plot point, another character has averted nuclear war and mass world destruction by obliterating a city of millions and making it look like one of the Watchmen did it. The world puts aside their conflicts to unite against this new threat. More questions: was world peace worth the cost? What gave this character the right to make that decision? Even if it was the only way to avoid nuclear war, was it worth murdering all those people and framing someone else for it? Do the ends ever justify the means? Would it have been ok if the government had done it?
This movie wasn't the stereotypical comic book movie, with clear-cut good guys and bad guys, and instead shows a realistic, gritty, depressing, and graphic idea of what would happen if people really decided to live like this. Hardly any of the Watchmen have what we think of as superpowers. They're just strong, fast, and brave/arrogant. This movie had me marveling at how restrained our society is, considering how evil we all really are. The movie shows the need for morality, for social norms, for authority, but it all begs the question, what gives ANYONE, government, vigilante, cop... the right to exact justice? What is justice? God gives the job of punishing society's evildoers to the government. But what happens when most people don't believe in God, and that there's really no reason the government should get to make those decisions? I haven't read the graphic novel and I don't know much about the author, but the movie, at least, was prophetic. Without God, there is no real justice. When men try on their own to govern themselves, they become just as bad as the people they set themselves over. In that sense, this is the most realistic comic book movie I've ever seen, and that is scary.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Quote of the day, courtesy of my husband.
"Don't take this the wrong way, but you look really white trash! It's cute!"
I guess I kind of did, in my Pink Floyd T, jean shorts, baby belly, and ridiculous, unbrushed hair that had a quasi-mullet thing going on. My hair is now brushed but the rest of the outfit is the same. Good thing I'm not going out in public.
I guess I kind of did, in my Pink Floyd T, jean shorts, baby belly, and ridiculous, unbrushed hair that had a quasi-mullet thing going on. My hair is now brushed but the rest of the outfit is the same. Good thing I'm not going out in public.
Friday, March 6, 2009
The week from h-e-double-hockey-sticks
Hey friends
This has been a pretty drama-filled week in the Eggleston house, and I know some have heard bits and pieces, and some have heard that worse has been happening than actually has, so I wanted to give everyone the scoop.
I woke up in the wee hours Monday morning throwing up, and by Monday night it hadn't stopped, so at about 9:30 I went to the ER. They sent me straight up to the maternity floor, where I was strapped to monitors for me and for Edward. I was having contractions, though I couldn't feel them, which of course concerned the nurse. She then gave me 2 bags of IV fluids and some anti nausea meds and drew lots of blood. The meds didn't really do anything, but the IV fluid was WONDERFUL. It made my arm cold and it felt refreshing. After that I started to feel human again and the contractions settled down. We went home by way of Walgreens to pick up an anti-nausea scrip, which worked wonders. We got home at 5 AM Tuesday morning. William and I were both exhausted and slept the day away. William subbed for me Wednesday and I rested some more.
Yesterday I was on my home from picking up an antibiotic prescription when I got a voicemail from my doctor. He said he didn't like my bloodwork at all and I needed to pack a bag and head to labor and delivery immediately. I can't even put into words how terrified I was. All I could do was pray "God, don't let anything happen to my baby. Protect my baby." Over and over. I called William at work, scaring the high school secretary to death I'm sure because I was very close to slipping off the edge of hysteria. He called my mom to come get me, he got a ride to the hospital from another teacher (thanks again, Shelly!), and my dad talked me through packing my bag to give me something to focus on. Joy prayed with me on the phone, and a little while later, I was on my way with my mom to Labor and Delivery at Florida Hospital. When I got there, William, Shelly, my dad and I think every doctor on the floor was there to greet me. After a little more hysterical crying from me, Dr. Cacciatore (which gave me something else to think about b/c it made me think of chicken) explained that some of my lab work was abnormal and they were going to run some more tests and please don't cry! Nurse Gwen took me into a room and once again I was strapped to monitors. These also showed I was having contractions, but the nurse said it could have been brought on by the stress of getting a voice mail like I got. I still didn't feel them. I've learned in all of this that my son is already a rascal. He wouldn't be still enough for them to get a good heart rate measurement, and in fact, he would punch the monitor and move away. Dr. C and Nurse Gwen made me feel much calmer, and then I had to give more blood while they checked various things. The test that my regular doctor didn't like was that my liver functions were elevated. This can be a sign of preeclempsia and other bad things, but praise God, it turned out I don't have those things. My blood pressure is low and everything is where it is supposed to be at this point. (I won't go too TMI on you there. I'll just say getting those things checked is NOT FUN.) I'm not in imminent danger of early labor or anything. Because it was none of the bad stuff that caused my abnormal liver test, it may be just because of all the throwing up and tylenol of this week. I have another test next week to confirm that everything is still ok.
So that's the scoop!
I want to thank everyone for the calls, support, meals, and mostly, for all the prayer. Even in the midst of all the misery, it's been a blessing to see the love of God's people poured out on me, William, and Edward.
This has been a pretty drama-filled week in the Eggleston house, and I know some have heard bits and pieces, and some have heard that worse has been happening than actually has, so I wanted to give everyone the scoop.
I woke up in the wee hours Monday morning throwing up, and by Monday night it hadn't stopped, so at about 9:30 I went to the ER. They sent me straight up to the maternity floor, where I was strapped to monitors for me and for Edward. I was having contractions, though I couldn't feel them, which of course concerned the nurse. She then gave me 2 bags of IV fluids and some anti nausea meds and drew lots of blood. The meds didn't really do anything, but the IV fluid was WONDERFUL. It made my arm cold and it felt refreshing. After that I started to feel human again and the contractions settled down. We went home by way of Walgreens to pick up an anti-nausea scrip, which worked wonders. We got home at 5 AM Tuesday morning. William and I were both exhausted and slept the day away. William subbed for me Wednesday and I rested some more.
Yesterday I was on my home from picking up an antibiotic prescription when I got a voicemail from my doctor. He said he didn't like my bloodwork at all and I needed to pack a bag and head to labor and delivery immediately. I can't even put into words how terrified I was. All I could do was pray "God, don't let anything happen to my baby. Protect my baby." Over and over. I called William at work, scaring the high school secretary to death I'm sure because I was very close to slipping off the edge of hysteria. He called my mom to come get me, he got a ride to the hospital from another teacher (thanks again, Shelly!), and my dad talked me through packing my bag to give me something to focus on. Joy prayed with me on the phone, and a little while later, I was on my way with my mom to Labor and Delivery at Florida Hospital. When I got there, William, Shelly, my dad and I think every doctor on the floor was there to greet me. After a little more hysterical crying from me, Dr. Cacciatore (which gave me something else to think about b/c it made me think of chicken) explained that some of my lab work was abnormal and they were going to run some more tests and please don't cry! Nurse Gwen took me into a room and once again I was strapped to monitors. These also showed I was having contractions, but the nurse said it could have been brought on by the stress of getting a voice mail like I got. I still didn't feel them. I've learned in all of this that my son is already a rascal. He wouldn't be still enough for them to get a good heart rate measurement, and in fact, he would punch the monitor and move away. Dr. C and Nurse Gwen made me feel much calmer, and then I had to give more blood while they checked various things. The test that my regular doctor didn't like was that my liver functions were elevated. This can be a sign of preeclempsia and other bad things, but praise God, it turned out I don't have those things. My blood pressure is low and everything is where it is supposed to be at this point. (I won't go too TMI on you there. I'll just say getting those things checked is NOT FUN.) I'm not in imminent danger of early labor or anything. Because it was none of the bad stuff that caused my abnormal liver test, it may be just because of all the throwing up and tylenol of this week. I have another test next week to confirm that everything is still ok.
So that's the scoop!
I want to thank everyone for the calls, support, meals, and mostly, for all the prayer. Even in the midst of all the misery, it's been a blessing to see the love of God's people poured out on me, William, and Edward.
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