There's a Hurricane A'brewin'!!! Bracing for a Baby!!! - Part 1

One of the "perks" of living in Florida is the lovely year round weather.  Most days, its blue skies, sunshine, and smiles, but with all of those beautiful days there is a price to pay to live here.  That price comes in the form of tropical storms and hurricanes.  As I type, we are keeping our eyes on the radar and listening to our weather radio.  We are currently under a tropical storm warning, which means that within the next 24 - 48 hours we will be experiencing high winds, heavy rain, and possible tornados.

It is already very windy and rainy here in Central Florida.  I took a screen shot of the most recent weather radar and I swear the approaching afternoon thunderstorm looks like the head of a fire breathing dragon.  What do you think?

Back in 2004, we had a serious run of hurricanes in Florida in late August and September. At that time, I was very pregnant with our youngest daughter.  My due date was September 21.  When the first hurricane hit us in late August, we were stunned by the destruction.  Hurricane Charlie was a fast and furious storm that devastated large parts of Southwest Florida, before it swept east across the middle of the state and pounded Central Florida with high winds.  I remember watching our large swing set lift off the ground and split in two.  The force of the wind was terrifying!

A couple of weeks after Hurricane Charlie left an ugly scar across our state, we found ourselves bracing for Hurricane Francis another beast of a storm.  Francis decided to stay awhile and dumped massive amounts of rain on Central Florida.  There was widespread flooding and many people experienced water damage in their homes due to leaking.

Two weeks after Francis, we were bracing for yet another hurricane!  Hurricane Jeanne was forecast to make landfall in Florida on September 25.  By that time, I would be 4 days past my due date.  My mind began to race with all of the "what if" scenarios.  Like, what if I go into labor during the hurricane and we can not drive to the hospital?  What if I have to have the baby at home?  What if, what if, what if...

To be continued...