Real Life Couldn't Get Any Realer.

TGIF---which means this awful week is almost complete (hopefully)!

Some days I just wish I was in the 80s commercial featuring Toys R Us, with kids running around joyfully without a care in the world. I love their slogan "I just want to be a Toys R Us Kid." That couldn't be any truer of this week. Sometimes it sucks to be a grown up.

The heading on this entry, couldn't ring anymore true, though I don't think "realer" is a word, but this won't be graded by any English teacher. I am also honest on my blog entries, I don't see a point of changing or making our lives and make it any different that it really is, folks...this is real life. Some days I prefer they weren't memories, but it's part of life.

On with the story (excuse me, real life).

Tuesday night Harrison was in a HORRIBLE mood. He had a crying, tantrum spell for SERIOUSLY an hour. He didn't want to play, he didn't want us to pick him up, he just preferred to hide in his hiding space (which is behind the garbage can) and throw things. I finally managed to scoop him up after several attempts made by Doug. After we cuddled for about 20 minutes he was fast asleep at 6 PM. Apparently he was very over tired.

Later Tuesday evening I started my car and was about to head out the door to do some Christmas shopping and I went to say bye to Doug and couldn't find him. A few minutes later I found him in the basement...and I immediately new why he was down there. Water was pouring out of the main drain pipe and into the basement. There was about 2 inches of water in the corner by the emergency drain spout which was thankfully open and helping significantly drain the water, preventing our whole basement from flooding. I ran upstairs to turn off the washer and the water stopped. Doug checked all the connections and tried to find out what was going on. We tried flushing the toilet, the water overflowed again...we knew we had a problem, a big problem. So at 8 PM we called the only emergency plumbing service which charged $137 per hour.

The plumber arrived about 40 minutes later and minutes into looking he knew what was causing the blockage, roots. Yes, you read correctly....ROOTS. The plumber went to work and we could hear as the machine hit roots cutting through them clearing the pipe...However, that was halted 60 FT in when he said it felt like his hit a brick wall. The plumber tried for several more minutes, hoping he didn't burn out his machine and came up to say, he couldn't fix it and would be back with a crew and camera in the morning. We are hoping this is a city issue right now!

So at this point...any time we run water or flush the toilet water runs into the basement at the flow of a filling up a typical bath-tub...so fast and with force. Thank goodness we have a concrete basement and only use it for storage totes.

The plumber came back in the morning and scopes the tube, which ends as if it's hitting a brick wall. NOT GOOD NEWS. The diagnosis? The pipe shifted under ground and is no longer connected to anything. This is where I say "shit" and many other choice words. The news gets worse...it's 6 to 10 ft away from the city's responsibility, which means this is all homeowners expense. Prepare yourself for this....cost, potentially $10,000 worst case scenario and $6,000 best case scenario.

SERIOUSLY????

SERIOUSLY????

Merry Christmas.

The good news? Homeowners insurance sounds like they pick up the cost leaving us to pay a $250 and they pay the rest. Sounds great, right? Yep, sure did, too bad insurance will only cover interior damage (which was none due to the concrete floor and walls) and not this repair. Another SERIOUSLY.

The good news? Yes, actual good news. The repair was made yesterday---a day earlier than expected. It's awesome to shower more than 3 minutes at a time and flush our  toilets again (the things we take for granted). The original plan was to dig up the yard, two slabs of cement and  possibly the street when this was all said and done. The sidewalk and street were spared, saving us some money. This didn't mean the fix was any easier. When Doug dropped off the check for $3,000 (half down) at the office while they were in the middle of the fixing the pipe. One of the plumbers at the office said, "This is one of the worst root and displacement we have ever seen." Makes your day hearing you topped the hardest to fix plumbers list.

The total cost of this? $5,000 out of pocket. $1,00 less than projected.

Last year it was a water heater, the year before that, Harrison was in the NICU, the year before that was a furnance repair. All in the month of December. We should have known this was coming.

Enjoy a few "memory" photos I had Doug snap.

 Oh, and I forgot to mention...they offered to bring us a porta-potty, we declined, but they brought one for themselves.

 And the DAMAGE.

All in all the yard looks OK as a end result. There is a heap of dirt which will need to be fixed in the spring and sodded. The lilac bushes are gone, which is probably my biggest disappointment.

Just as I said..."Real life doesn't get any realer."

Thursday I was home during the repair when I would have typically been at work. I wasn't at work because of the repair...I was was home with Harrison.

2 AM Thursday morning we woke up to Harrison vomiting (and need I remind you we can't use our water at this point). He puked on himself, bed, blankets rug...EVERYTHING. After we changed his jammies he puked again. After we cleaned up again, we returned to bed. Harrison woke up his normal self---ate some Cheerios and drink some juice. Being that he was himself I dropped him off at daycare to find the room half empty. The staffed asked how Harrison was feeling. I explained the night before, but we thought it was something he ate. The staff said they had 5 kids out with vomiting and diarrhea. I said I think Harrison is feeling fine and he went to play with some toys as I left. A half hour later I get a phone call that he didn't eat breakfast and had an icky diaper. I picked him up and he was in a good mood. I decided as a precaution we should go to Target and pick up some pedialyte. When we were in the check out line, Harrison lets out a little cough and then pukes all over himself the cart and the floor. I was next in line and I told the check out lady, "we need to go fast, he just puked." She asked, "where?" I said, "on himself," she said, "oh, I can smell it." THANK YOU LADY. I already am embarrassed and feel bad for him, I don't need anything else to make my day.  Thank goodness she went fast and there was no one else behind us in line. I just feel bad for whoever had to clean that cart.

Thank goodness that was the last puke of the day. Harrison spent the morning napping and Doug relieved me so I could go back to work to train for my new position. I am so glad I had a highlight/hair-cut appointment yesterday.

Last night was wrapped up with 3 hours of Christmas wrapping and I am working on finishing up sending out Christmas cards. I hope to finish today and I will post our card photos.

Enjoy one last photos of make shift bath night on the account of not being able to use the bath-tub. I felt a little redneck for a few days.