Things Learned During a Heat Wave

1. I will NEVER tire of complaining about how hot it is. Especially considering that I currently have a bun in the oven. This means my personal oven is always on, making it about 20 degrees hotter for me than usual.

2. I am grateful to have a window unit air conditioner. When we were moving, in the middle of a snowstorm in December, Ryan and I were debating whether to bring along our air conditioner or not. The weather up here is supposed to be temperate year round--and we didn't know I'd be 8 months pregnant in August. We actually brought it by default, because neither of us had time or desire to post it on Craigslist at that point. Boy, am I grateful we did! Temperatures 20-30 degrees above normal have necessitated that at least ONE room in the house be liveable.

3. There isn't much to do in the living room. This is where our A/C unit is--it's the only place in the house built to hold a window unit A/C. There is a couch, a piano, and 2 not-in-use kitchen chairs. The TV in the family room is visible, but not audible from the couch in the living room. I took my card making supplies down a few days ago, but that gets REALLY repetetive and boring after a while. I need to find a few good books and/or other living room compatible projects to get through this heat wave--but I'm still trying to think of a few.

4. Speaking of thinking, my brain doesn't work well when it's hot. It's like a computer whose fan doesn't work--I overheat and end up getting nothing done.

5. Heat really does rise. The downstairs is generally cool, thanks to the A/C and strategically placed fans. When you walk upstairs, past the ceiling line of the bottom floor, the humid heat hits you like a wall. Thus, we really don't come upstairs until bedtime, because that's when it's bearable again. Still warm, but bearable at that point.

6. My kids nap quite well on the family room floor. Their room is arguably the hottest room in the house--and I absolutely cannot have them sleep in there in the heat of the day. I hesistate to put them in there for bedtime. If it weren't for a fan in their window and smaller fans blowing straight on them, they'd be sleeping downstairs.

7. The heat brings out the grumpies--in everyone. My kids are grouchier, I'm grouchier. The only person who really isn't grouchier is Ryan. It's a good thing at least one of us isn't grumpy on a regular basis. He stabilizes the rest of us.

8. Two fans are enough while I'm sleeping. After a restless, sticky night, (inspite of the fan blowing cooler air in from the window), I was seriously considering sleeping downstairs. Ryan suggested that we add another fan blowing directly on me--and it worked. I finally slept well and mostly through the night. The funny part is the night I was really warm, I had a dream that I walked into the hospital and said, "Please, just give me my c-section right now. I'm done. It's too hot and I'm too uncomfortable." And you know what? They believed me and started getting things ready for the delivery. Man, sometimes I wish real life were more like our dreams. (And, mostly, I'm glad that it's not.)

9. There is NOWHERE to go for complete relief. Yesterday morning, I had an ultrasound appointment and was looking forward to getting out of the house and the heat for a while. When I arrived, it was apparent there was no power. I sat in the Dr's office for about 30 minutes, sweating and fanning with a magazine, and then they told me I should probably go home. (I still had to pay the $4 parking fee--nevermind that I didn't have my appointment AND that the power was out in the garage, too.)

Well, there's the list. As I type, I'm starting to sweat so much I feel like I've been running in 90 degree heat for an hour. It's time to take a cool shower and head downstairs for the day. At least the temps are supposed to break in about 5 or so days...I'm counting down.