If you read Part One of this little birth story, you know that we were suddenly in need of a last-minute doctor's appointment. This was due to the pinworms that we discovered 2-year-old Buttercup had. In looking it up, we discovered several things that amounted to a pretty good health and science lesson for our homeschooled children: 1) pinworms are spread by not washing one's hands well enough and then putting those hands in our mouths; 2) pinworms are annoying but relatively harmless; 3) they are gotten rid of by taking two pills, two weeks apart; 4) the medication needed is not "indicated" for pregnant women by the FDA.
So we made our appointment for the next day (Monday), got the prescription - had to go to two different pharmacies to pick it all up. Apparently the need for that medication is so great that pharmacies run out of it frequently, or at least our pharmacies do. I was not given a prescription, still being pregnant (apparently it can cause spontaneous abortion in the first trimester, note that I was a week from my due date and getting the baby OUT was the whole point!), so I began to eat large amounts of garlic, a natural remedy. Jeff had to go to a different clinic and so he was seen on Tuesday instead.
The second part of the remedy is very much like treating lice: vacuum the house thoroughly (pinworm eggs can live in pet hair and dust) and wash all linens, towels and bed clothes in hot water. So the dogs were given baths after I had a neighbor help me replace our hose - it had holes in it from the winter ice storms. I brushed the dogs as well. The house was vacuumed from bottom to top, and I began the process of washing sheets, etc. The washing machine drains into a large utility sink in the basement. Ours was clogged and would NOT drain so every time a load finished, I went down to hand-dredge the sink into the now-functioning "flush" mentioned in part one. Then I put in a new load, and dealt with the last load. As you can imagine this was an extremely arduous process!
I knew what needed to be done - the trap on the sink drain needed a thorough cleaning out. I knew how to do it but honestly, cleaning the sink trap is one of the nastiest plumbing jobs I can think of and not one I enjoy working with at all. Having a "sense of accomplishment" at the end of such a job is just not enough motivation! First, I tried some heavy-duty drain cleaning solution. Stuff that is so strong that it "heats up" when it gets going. No dice. The sink was now clogged and too dangerous for me to work with on my own.
So I caved. I called in a plumber recommended by the neighbor. He came in and had it done in about twenty minutes. The stuff that I poured down the drain ended up cleaning out the gunk of fifty years in the bottom and sides of the utility sink! I'll keep it for future needs and maintenance but in the meantime, we were back in business for laundry!
Had Maestro fix his room up for Grandma Jo's impending arrival (Wednesday) and took it easy for a while. Finally time to resssstttt.
There is one more part to this story - the final day of his birth. It has been an eventful time!
In all of this, you would think that LABOR would have happened in the truest sense of the word - ironic that so many talk about the "nesting" process, but the "resting" process is really so much more of what you never really get enough of! I'm always a little nervous towards the end of your pregnancies, much more so than I was of my own - because there really is SOOO little time, and you always like to stop for food on the way to the clinic/hospital ;-)
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