Sometimes I just have to laugh!

Today is one of those days where all I can do is laugh in spite of myself! A couple hours ago I would have titled this post something like "nightmare" or "I want to cry," but now that I have had a little time to reflect on the events of the day thus far, all I can do is laugh!

This morning I had to get up at 6:15 in order to be out the door at 6:45am. This alone is a huge feet for me right now since I am 21 weeks pregnant and have been sick with a terrible cold and allergies for the past two weeks. I managed to get out the door on time and reach my destination ten minutes early. I arrived at West Valley High School in Yakima to spend 5 hours taking the WEST (Washington Educator Skills Test) B to get a current Teaching license in the state of Washington. It consisted of three subtests- reading, mathematics, and writing. When I read last night that I couldn't bring any food, I panicked! Sometimes I can't make it 2 hours without eating, so 5 would be bad news! Gratefully, they took pity on me and allowed me to keep snacks at the front of the room and go eat them in the hall with a bathroom pass.

About an hour into the test, near the end of my first subtest, I feel a massive headache setting in and start getting shaky. Great! So, I take my second bathroom break and eat some wheat thins out in the hall. With my head pounding I finish the first test and contemplate how I can survive the next two parts. I raise my hand for the bathroom pass and shakily down a cookie in the hall. Not feeling good. Can't stop shaking and feeling nauseous. Ask if you can take a test at a later date if unable to finish... yes, but no refund, and since each test cost me $85... I will finish them no matter what! I start the math section and quickly decide to skip to the final hand written portion since I am so shaky and don't know how much worse it will get. Surprisingly this goes alright and I feel a little more steady now that some food has worked it's way through my system. Nose starts running and I am told that I cannot get out of my seat to get a tissue, but must raise my hand and then blow my nose out in the hallway! Seriously... how old am I? I go back out for another bathroom break!

Back in the room I try to control my coughing and runny nose and dive into the math section. It actually goes pretty quickly and I am proud of how fast I am moving. After yet ANOTHER trip to the bathroom, I dive into the final writing multiple choice section. About 10 minutes into it, I leap up in a panic, shove my test into the administrator's hands and run down the hall with the bathroom pass and make it to the toilet just in time to throw up everything in my system! I comment to another lady as I walk out that this is the best test of my life and find two worried test administrators in the hallway... they obviously heard me puking! At this point I have about 70 questions to go, and I reluctantly sit back down, hoping the next time I get up it will be to hand in my completed test. 30 minutes later I fill in the last bubble and can't get rid of my test fast enough! Hallelujah! I'm alive!

Oh, wait! It isn't over yet. I make it to my car and think I am finally going to be saved if I can make it to a drive-thru and a store for headache medicine, when the yucky taste returns to my mouth! I turn out of the parking lot, pull over and barely make it around my car and puke on the grass in front of the school. Lovely. Just when I think it can't possibly get ANY worse (and yes, this is one of the most humiliating things I have ever admitted to in my life!) I look down and realize that I have also just wet my pants! I want to die! ... Instead, I get in the car, drive to Miner's where I pick up a delicious burger, fries, and Mountain Dew. Feeling slightly restored with the food and caffeine entering my system I head home. Yep, I get to drive another hour sitting in my own waste! (Horrible, I know, but it is the only way to fully understand what I went through!)

Home. Finally. I walk through the door, anxious to get upstairs to the bathroom and a clean change of clothes, and get mauled by my loving two year old who is thrilled to see her mommy! Maybrie follows me upstairs and into the bathroom while I think, "The last thing I want to do right now is happily and casually conduct a potty training scenario!" But, lo and behold, Maybrie decides it is the "ah-ha" breakthrough potty training moment. She excitedly points to her potty and asks for help pulling down her pants. She WILLINGLY sits on her potty, washes her hands, and wants to sit and try again! I watch in amazement. She does not actually have any success... but let me tell you, this is BIG first step! AND she doesn't want to put her diaper back on so we get to put on a new princess pull-up for her nap. She lets me rock her for a few minutes and then falls asleep in my arms and lays right down for a two-hour nap! HA ha! Wow!

And now I am sitting here, writing the longest blog post ever, with more details than necessary, laughing at myself! I hope little Thomas recognizes the sacrifices I made while carrying him... and boy do I have respect for my mother who has done the pregnancy thing 10 times! :) And since I hate to post without pictures, here is Maybrie's new pink potty and the sticker chart I made for her. Happy potty training!