Fender Benders and Fluffy New Friends

Nothing like the high pitch sound of screeching tires coming from behind, as you are traveling a whopping 5 mph on the entrance ramp to a major highway....behind a line of cars doing the same. Nowhere to go, and nothing you can do at that point, except just wait to be smacked from behind.

Luckily our damage was very minor. Thank you Acura!

His car will take a little more to fix.

Apparently, this guy wasn't paying attention. Texting? Who knows, but he was texting non-stop after we pulled over to assess the damage in the median of I-35. Of course, he also had no driver's license (only an ID from Mexico) and spoke very little English. Great! We had to beg the cops to come, as they do not typically come to minor car accidents in TX. They tell you to just exchange info. Um, really? It's so weird and off-putting, not only that the they don't officially place blame on the faulty driver, but that you are forced to give the other party your address.

We're not the biggest fans of strangers having our address and actually had a security system installed when we first moved here because of this....hubby was in an accident with some very ignorant people who were threatening him after THEY ran a stop sign and totaled his car in downtown Austin. This weekend's incident makes our 4th accident in a 4th car, since living here in only 5 years. Someone please remind me why on earth people are scared to fly? Anyhoo, cops finally came, issued the other driver two tickets, and sent us on our way.

It wasn't until later that I started wondering and hoping that nothing could possibly be wrong with Preston or the pregnancy. I felt fine, the damage and impact we felt was minimal, and no signs of anything awry. However, this is when I probably shouldn't google stuff, because I found a whole plethora of less than reassuring info. about detached placentas and other ill side effects of collisions while pregnant.

We were just at the perinatologist 4 days earlier (receiving another great report), but after a call to the nurse, back in we went to check things out. I was asked about signs of possible complications including those associated with detached placenta, and was experiencing none (severe pain & bruising of abdomen, bleeding, cramping, baby moving less, etc.). An u/s of Preston revealed he was wiggling around like crazy, showing off with the cutest stretching motions with his arms. We'd never seen him sport those moves before, and now hubby's convinced he's clearly warming up to swing a golf club. Amniotic fluid looked good, heartbeat was strong @ 155 bpm, and placenta was still attached just as it should be. In the peri's words, "Baby is happy as a clam in there!"

We didn't leave without becoming privy to some of the doc's crazy stories about patients he's seen get in accidents. One actually got hit by a train on the driver's side of her car while pregnant, another fell out of the back of a pick-up truck while it was moving, and countless others have fallen down stairs. Sometimes I have to wonder why he tells us this stuff, but I get his personality by now...he was just trying to illustrate when to worry and when not to worry.

In our case, no need to worry. Life goes on. Insurance is handling the damage to our vehicle. Going through something minor like this is always a good wake-up call. Even though this wasn't our fault, I really should follow a safer distance behind other vehicles myself and be extra careful. I don't need anything more severe to teach me that lesson.

I'm also glad that I pray over our family most every morning... I'd actually just prayed the morning of the fender bender for protection as we traveled to our Baby Care Basics class that day. (The fender bender occurred on our return home). At first, I was kind of annoyed, like HELLO GOD, didn't you hear me ask for protection and safety today??? Once I put things in perspective though, I realized that HE DID protect us. It really could have been much worse, and we could be dealing with a whole different set of circumstances right now. We're just so very thankful we're not.

And of course, just as I was questioning whether God is actually protecting us or if He hears my prayers (for the millionth time), the next day I woke up to this devotional...

Leave it to the Jesus Calling devotional to give me the reminders I need, right when I need them most. Seriously love this book...always on-time!

In other good news, I received an awesome gift that I couldn't resist sharing. We've named him "Bob" after my favorite grandpa who passed away, and because...well he just seems like a Bob. He was a thank you gift from my dear friend, Suzanne, who is one of the sweetest and most thoughtful people on the planet...like a long lost sister who definitely lives much too far away. Suzanne, if you read this, you'll be happy to know that Walter's new brother, Bob, is enjoying his new home under the tree in Preston's nursery. hehe

You must snuggle Bob to appreciate him fully! OMG so soft!

I cannot stop touching this little guy. He's so stinking SOFT and just begs to be snuggled every time I pass by him. I know Preston will absolutely love him too.

Please stop by to wish Suzanne happy thoughts and prayers as she travels to CO this week for an endometrial lining check and possible frozen embryo transfer. As many of you know, it's very touch and go leading up to any transfer, and she deserves every bit of encouragement she can get!