Trial Run

It's been an interesting last couple of days. Between ourselves and our friends, the Schuster's, all the girls have endured some health malady. First out of the starting block was Catie, who led the pack with an ear infection. Coming in second place, but only by a hair, was Melissa, who passed out while taking Catie to the doctor... Visit their blog for more details. And coming in a distant, but notable third place, was Laura who caught an especially angry stomach bug last Thursday. Which brings us to the meat of this update.

After doing so well with her blood pressure on Wednesday, we noticed it starting to climb Wednesday evening. Thursday morning, she wasn't feeling good at all. Then, Friday night, the wheels flew off the bus. Neither one of us got any sleep as she spent the entire night wearing out a path between the bed and the bathroom. By the time Friday morning finally arrived, she immediately called the doctor, which for Laura is a sign she really doesn't feel well!

Fortunately, the doctor was able to see us early that morning. We were sitting in the lobby, waiting like everyone else for that privileged moment when our name would be called and we'd be escorted back, which feels in some small way like winning the lottery in front of a bunch of strangers, when Laura was beckoned to the bathroom again. Disregarding all doctor's lobby protocol, Laura made a mad dash straight through the door to the inner sanctum which caught all the other waiting patients somewhat off guard. The look that flashed briefly across their collective faces was not unlike the expression you'd see on a person who had just witnessed someone else steal the lottery in broad daylight and then escape without getting caught!

Before the door could even close itself, one of the nurses called me back. Apparently, the doctor and both of our nurses just happened to be standing on the other side of the door as Laura rushed past. Upon seeing her in such distress they must have all been overcome with empathy. So, we were instantly thrown into a room, which in this case wasn't even an exam room. It just happened to be the only one that was empty. After Laura emerged from the bathroom, it didn't take long for them to suggest we spend at least one night in the hospital so they could keep a close eye on her and to get her fluids back up.

Thankfully, all this commotion was caused by nothing more than a stomach bug, which passed quickly. Perhaps on the positive side, we got to stay in one of the hospital's labor and delivery rooms. We like to think of this as our trial run for the "real deal" in the not too distant future. Apparently, all their antepartum rooms were full when we showed up so they had to put us in labor and delivery. This was quite nice as these rooms are huge! Strangely enough, we were also one of the only rooms which was occupied Friday night so it was very quiet. By the time Saturday rolled around, Laura was back to normal and we were able to come home. On our way to the elevator we laughed at the thought that we must be one of the few couples to leave labor and delivery still pregnant!

Fast forward to Monday now and we're back at the doctor's office for Laura's regularly scheduled checkup. Everything looks good. Laura's blood pressure and diabetes are showing the expected signs on the baby's development, in this case a slightly big baby for his age. At this point, the doctor thinks there's a good chance we'll be delivering early, but does not seem to be concerned. She is going to be keeping a close eye on Laura and the baby with weekly checkups and occasional ultrasounds. Speaking of which, we had an ultrasound today and got to see Jackson's face for the first time. As a thank you for sticking with this update to the end, here's our little buddy: