When You Really Need a Flashlight

Last night we learned that our dog's infatuation with chasing flashlights (click here to see Scrubs chasing a flashlight as a big puppy and click here to see him do this as a little puppy) is sort of a problem when your electricity goes out and you need to use a flashlight.

Lights going out on this base are not that uncommon. However, it usually seems to happen during the day. Yesterday it happened right after dinner. The entire base went completely black. You, literally, could not see your hand in front of your face. I was so glad JB was home to help me. He was right in the middle of cleaning a rather traumatic Isaac diaper when the power went out. Wendi to the rescue! I knew exactly where a flashlight was. We keep one on the bookshelf to give Scrubs his daily chase-the-flashlight-exercise-sessions. I grabbed it and returned to the nursery, shining the flashlight on Isaac's bottom so JB could finish the most necessary of tasks.

It is in a moment like this that you realize you are totally unprepared for the disasters everyone is always telling you to prepare for. What if this were a real emergency?!

Post diaper change, JB handed me Isaac and took the flashlight. I scuffled my way down the hallway and into the living room and sat down next to a sleeping Elijah while JB went on the prowl for necessary items. Candles. Matches. More flashlights. Batteries.

Scrubs, however, was convinced that this was all a game. Especially when JB got a second flashlight out. Lights! Everywhere! We finally had to gate him in the kitchen to prevent him from trying to chase any light he saw. Never really thought about the fact that his love of chasing lights would be a bad thing. Until last night. JB wasn't in a patient mood. He was trying to find necessary items while the dog was trying to run circles around him. Bad Scrubs!

In addition to learning that we have a neurotic dog (as if we didn't know that before), we also learned that we need to be more prepared for events like this. We don't have enough candles. And the matches weren't accessible. We were also out of batteries meaning that if these flashlights went dead, we were out of luck. Lots to think about and get prepared for in our spare time.

I was glad, however, that this happened last night when JB was home. Glad it happened last night instead of tonight. He is on OB call today. He went in at 7am and won't get home until sometime on Sunday. I can't imagine if I would have had to try to scour the house for items with two babies and a dog to look out for in the dark.

Good news about JB's call day is that right now nothing at all is happening up there. If it stays this way, the boys and I are going to head up as soon as Isaac wakes up from his nap and hang out at the hospital for awhile. Hopefully no ladies will decide to go into labor before we get there. Or while we are there for that matter.

Not sure why the electricity went out last night, but I imagine it has to do with the fact that it has rained for THREE DAYS STRAIGHT! I kid you not. Today is the third day that there has not been a single moment that I could get out of the house with the dog or the boys or myself for a walk. Poor Scrubby now believes he will be destined for only brief runs outside to use the bathroom as fast as he can under the overhang. Long gone are the days of walks and romps at the Bay with his buddy Deuce.

Okay, so the rain will eventually stop. A bit dramatic on my part. But I am ready for the rain to go away so we can get a little fresh air and exercise. Especially now that Isaac is feeling better. His fevers are still present, but they are much lower and seem to be responding a bit to the Tylenol and Motrin. He still isn't completely back to himself, but he's having moments of play in which our little Isaac re-emerges. Elijah seems unfazed by his big brother's illness and is as healthy as can be! What a blessing.

Okay, off to pack a diaper bag for a hopeful trip to see Daddy!