A is for Acronyms

This post is part of the A-to-Z Challenge.

Or it could be A is for Accepting to participate in the A-to-Z Challenge. Or it could be A is for April Fools, but I already wrote my April Fools post. So I am going to go with A is for Acronyms because I have acronyms on the  brains right now.

Acronyms are abbreviations from the first letter or even just part of words. When put together, it must be spoken as a word. Examples include:

• SCUBA for Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus
• RADAR  for RAdio Detection And Ranging
• AIDS for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome

Now that you have the idea, let’s make up new ones!!

• ATOZ (pronounced  a-toes) as an acronym for A-to-Z  challenge. Wahoo, I’m participating in the ATOZ challenge, starting today.
• SPALALA (pronounced spa-la-la) as an acronym for Single PArent Living A Life Alone.  Yes, I am a SPALALA because my only child is living at college, not at home.
• BEPOE (pronounced bee-poe) as an acronym for BEst Pizza On Earth.  I’m starving; going to order BEPOE for dinner.

Please do not confuse acronym with initialism, which I will discuss on the I is for… day.

I Think I’m in Labor!

This is no April Fools gag. Ok – maybe it is today, but many years ago, it was a true story. Still is a true story.

I was very pregnant and scheduled for a C-section on April 9. Baby wasn’t due until April 19, but the doctor said he would deliver up to 10 days early; I got to pick the date. Pregnancy had not agreed with me, so naturally I picked the earliest day, April 9.

I went to work on April 1st as usual. My plans were to wrap up my current projects and be ready for maternity leave in a week. While at work I started experiencing contractions. It was too early and I wasn’t really sure they were contractions. Yup, they were; 10 minutes apart for several hours while at work. But they were not uncomfortable, and I wasn’t sure anyway, so I just carried on.

I ran some errands on the way home and got home right before my husband was heading off to work. At that time he was an EMT working the night shift in the ER of a large hospital. I told him I thought I was in labor. He laughed and said “April Fool,” kissed me goodbye and headed off to work.

I cleaned the house, taking several breaks while timing contractions. They were still 10 minutes apart. I finally went to bed not thinking too much about it. It was my first full term pregnancy and what did I know about labor. About 4:00 a.m. I woke up to a wet bed; my water broke.

I double-checked; it was not pee. I called the doctor and he said to get to the hospital. Since hubby was at work, an hour away, I called my sister-in-law who only lived 6 blocks away. She would take me. I also called hubby who was going to meet me at the hospital.

I took a quick shower and took the garbage out. Once at the hospital I got an epidural and prepped for a C-section. Daughter was born at 6:32 a.m. Apparently it was a good thing I went into labor early. The umbilical cord was loosely wrapped around her neck. It could have gotten a lot tighter with all her gyrations if we waited until the scheduled C-section.

When she was born, I thought there was a cat in the delivery room. I even asked who had let the cat in. Even then I had cat on the brain. Daughter was 5 pounds, 10 ounces. Small but healthy!

We had to stay in the hospital for several days for me to recover and for her to get over jaundice. We all did well and headed home to get acquainted.

And that was my April Fools joke many years ago that wasn’t an April Fools.