The Evacuation

Our evacuation took several days. We weathered the storm 50 miles off the coast but lost power at 3 a.m. Around noon the next day, we drove to further inland and stayed one night at a friend's house. The next day, we stayed in a hotel in the Texas Hill Country, and then finally landed in a ranch house loaned to us by a family friend. This is where we remain.

Only days after we arrived, our son began preschool at a local church. He is sensitive, smart, and 3 years old, which is to his detriment in this situation. He understands the words of every adult conversation but lacks the maturity to do anything good with the information he ingests. This results in unpleasant behavior, like whining, shouting, wetting his pants on purpose, and general moodiness. It was our highest priority to give him a schedule and time to act like a kid rather than follow his parents around in our confusion.

Our 1-year-old daughter weathered the storm better than any of us. The few hours we spent without power were harder on her than anyone else because of the heat, but after we made our way to the land of air conditioning again, she resumed her usual happy playfulness.