It's all yours dude!

This morning I woke up early and decided that I was going to get this kid out, TODAY!! I'm taking every advice, accept for the Castor Oil (sorry Calvin), and so due to the full moon theory I plan to spend the day sweating to death outside in the heat, just so the moon's gravitational pull may have an effect on me.

So to start off, it rained a little here last night and then stayed cloudy, which translates into Texas weather as HUMIDITY!! I was extremely hot by 5:30 am and couldn't sleep any longer. The sun doesn't come up here until 6:30, but I didn't care, I was going swimming! So out the back door I go suited up for a long swim doing the breast stroke (that is what induces labor, duh!) under the full moon hoping the clouds won't buffer my gravitational pull. I flipped on the pool light walked around the pool to secure the perimeter for any animals that may have found respite from the heat. Clear. Head to the steps to parade myself into the cooling and wonderful refreshing water (by the way Travis says that is it WAY too cold to swim but apparently between my enormous size, the heater with in, and the fact that I have no feeling on my stomach, I think the temp of the pool is a PERFECT 79 degrees. Heck that's warmer than what Alcova gets during mid August!!). It is pretty bad though, when you over weight dog won't even get in the pool with you anymore cause he thinks it's too chilly.

OK, back to my story....as I step off the stairs onto the floor of the pool I take notice of our little floating turtle that chlorinates the pool and barley make out with my diminishing eye site that he has a little weird necklace of some sort. Of course he is above the water line and since the light is under the water there is a shadow, so I swim out a little in the deep end to get a closer look and guess what that necklace turned out to be.......

A FREAKIN SNAKE!!! Need I say more! Would think that since I didn't have the ability to actually breath at that point and was so terrified it would send me into labor...NOPE!! Apparently after I caught my breath and began to scream, it just made Jackson retreat back up to my stomach. I truly feel as if I can't breath again, like he is up under my ribs again. Then again it could be that I am still feeling the aftershock...post-traumatic stress syndrome maybe? I'll have to stop by Susan's for some counseling, I'm sure. I'm coming up with a new system to "check the pool for critters" and starting next swim season (oh, I am so done with it this year. It's gonna have to take me a good 6 months again to get that little shock value out of my head).

Mind you, these snakes and frogs don't get in there all the time, but usually we get 3 or 4 a year that we come across. Travis is the one that usually finds them and then will drown them with the net so I don't ever have to see them. I think they are either cooling themselves off or getting some water, either way they can't get back out because of the rock edge that hangs over the side of the pool. Usually we will find them doing laps around the pool or clinging to the wall for some rest, that's why securing the perimeter usually works, I can spot them easily. This guy seen the possibility of making a raft out of our floating turtle and took it. Well the pool's all yours dude, cause I ain't sharing!!

Of course I ran to get the camera to take a picture.....no one will truly understand my agony until they actually see what I saw. Now just picture it, your relaxed, cooled off from the heat, bobbing along because the weight of your tummy is being supported by something else, it's a new day and your thinking to yourself...aaahhh, "His mercies are new each morning" What a great way to start the day! Hmmm....did turtle get a new necklace???....SNAKE!!!!! Of course this is my dramatic recollection, but I know you feel my pain now, right?? Well now you get to see it too!!! (click on the picture to make it bigger...it helps the effects too)




I know some of you are thinking..."well that's just a little baby snake, good grief, drama queen!" Well in my world a snake is a snake, size don't make no difference, OK!! So after snapping the picture, I noticed the large spider hanging out with the devil (oh yes I said devil. That's just what snakes are....it's in the bible!). Just how did those two hook up on this turtle in the middle of what would seem like an ocean to them?

So after my morning shock, I decided to go for a walk. So me and my fat dog went for a little hike around the walking path in the park by our house. It's sad when you are 40 weeks pregnant and can out walk your dog. Then again Travis can out run him too! How sad! But in Coppie's defense, he is 10 years old now and has a bad hip due to being hit by a car 9 years ago. Here's a picture of him after the snake scare! He was watching out for mommy, making sure there weren't any others.

Copper on the look out.

Well I'm headed to go get a pedicure. Supposedly rubbing the inside of my foot below the ankle will induce labor, but even if it doesn't my toes will look fab in the stirups! (oops, sorry Travis, I know...too much info!!)