No Rest For The...

Theoretically, this weekend brought some downtime--no travel, no grand plans, no Lamaze. In reality, the Collins household was, minus Shergar, a whirlwind of activity.

From putting up border paper in the baby's room to tidying the basment, fixing a window, defoliating the garden, installing the car seat, completing my 3 months of work expenses, arranging flights for Thanksgiving, and touring the hospital, we toiled amidst 95-degree temperatures and cavernous boxes of soon-to-be-opened baby products. That we are alive today to tell the story is no mean feat in itself.

The short-but-informative hospital tour confirmed some of our major assumptions; the rooms ARE private, they DO get cell-phone signals, and there IS a fridge for clearly-marked champagne.

Tonight, we go to get the car seat safety-checked. It appears a little large for the Jeep (butting up against the two front seats) but should be okay. We have no intention of buying a new car to fit around the kid-pod.

Shergar is convinced that the junior soccer balls I recieved as a gift for coaching the kids team are actually hers and she makes repeated forays into the baby's bedroom to stare, gesture, and cry. This could be interesting...

Bringing Down the House

Saturday morning now and, thankfully, things have settled down. Obviously, the week's events affirmed both how close we are to having the baby and the importance of a great support team for Kelly. In my unfortunate absence, Ryan, Renee, Aughie, Eva, and Sabine all stepped up; calling to check-in, looking after Shergar, and even making sure that our car wasnt parked illegally at the hospital. Thank you, everyone.

So, an interesting few days in Vegas, then. The conference went well, especially the presentation I gave on Wednesday; we had 50 people in the room and a number of great conversations afterwards about our services.

When not working, my colleagues and I took advantage of the volumous offerings in the casino. I've developed a love-hate relationship with Pai Gow, a card game in which each player is dealt 7 cards and must make 2 poker-style hands--one of 5 cards, the other of the remaining 2. If both hands beat the dealer's, you double your money. It's a frustratingly slow game but oddly addictive. I played for an hour or two each day, with a little blackjack thrown in.

Also, met a guy who finished 71st out of 3000 players at last year's World Series of Poker Senior (50 years+?) Tournament. Had a good chat about footy (he's never seen the game) and it turns out that he's a bail bondsman, rescuing people from prison. Got his "Get Out of Jail Free" business card, which I'll keep handy in case my teenage child needs it.

Labor & Delivery, Round 1

Well, that was eventful. I just spent the night in the labor & delivery unit of the hospital. First things first: I am fine, baby's fine, baby has NOT been born yet. Now, the story:

I didn't feel much movement from the baby on Monday. I felt none on Tuesday, despite going through all of the motions (eating something sweet, laying on my left side, waiting to document kicks/movements). So, Tuesday afternoon, I went in to see my midwife and was put on the fetal monitor for a non-stress test. The baby's heart rate was measuring where it should be -- 147 bpm -- though there was still very little movement. The baby was described as being "lazy" but my midwife was confident that the heartbeat was fine. I was told to call back on Wednesday if there was still no movement.

By 2:30 yesterday afternoon, the baby has missed two of its most active times of day: early morning (when I usually feel jabs, kicks, rolls) and mid-afternoon (when my belly typically hops all over the joint b/c the baby is so active). So, I called the doctor again. This time, I was sent straight to the high-risk doctor and was told to get there "as quickly as possible without getting a speeding ticket." I was put on the monitor again and also had an ultrasound. The heartbeat was generally good though there were a few dips down that concerned the doctor. The ultrasound also looked good and we saw signs of "fetal wellness" (like the fact that the baby is doing practice breathing!). But, to be safe, the doctor wanted to admit me for observation overnight.

This immediate admittance to the hospital was the last thing I had considered happening. The dog was home alone and Mick was still in Vegas for work. Luckily, I have some great friends who were able to pitch in and help out. The thing I felt worse about was worrying Mick & my family (who I think were all ready to charter a flight from MI to get here asap last night). I was actually surprisingly calm in this situation. I felt like I was trying to talk everyone else out of their states of worry and it kept me distracted from thinking about whether I was worried or not.

A few things I learned about the hospital that will come in handy when I deliver the baby:

• The hospital mattress is made of something akin to thin plywood. Seriously, my hip is still sore from sleeping on my left side overnight. It improved marginally when one of the night nurses added a layer of pillows on top of the mattress but it was still pretty bad.
• Hospital pillows are slightly more comfortable than the mattresses - but only slightly. (So I'll bring my own pillows when I go in for real.)
  
• Hospital food -- all of it -- is served at room temperature. This includes "hot" tea and "frozen" popsicles.
  
• Murphy's Law applies in hospitals the same way it does at mechanics. You know how you bring your car in when you hear a weird noise, except that the day you bring it in the noise is mysteriously gone? Same thing at the hospital. As soon as the monitor went on my belly, the baby started doing all sorts of flips and turns and kicks. I felt foolish for claiming "no movement"!
  
• Hospital rooms are BORING when you don't have people there to keep you company or make you laugh. There are only so many labels to read and ceiling tiles to count. Next time, I will make sure I have a book or magazine to read and my phone charger (as my phone was completely dead by 6:30 last night).

After a restless night of sleep, I was ecstatic to see Mick when he arrived around 8:00 am today. About an hour later, the doctor came in and gave me a clean bill of health. Apparently, some of the dips in the baby's heart rate may be attributable to me (there were times we think the monitor was picking up my slower heartbeat and registering it as the baby's). When the doctor told me this, it reminded me of Landon and the way Andy's heart beat through Landon at the end of his life. I have to believe that in some way Landon was with me last night, looking over me & the baby.

I am home & well now and have just been told to rest, take it easy, and drink lots of fluids. So I guess dancing (which I did Sunday night) and shampooing the carpets with the carpet cleaner (which I did Tuesday night) are things of the past. I'll continue to keep you posted as I have follow-up appointments on Monday morning & Thursday afternoon.

A New York State of Mind

I wanted to include my own post about our New York weekend (photos here) because it was one of the best weekends Mick & I have had together in a long time (probably since we did our snorkel trip on the Great Barrier Reef in the fall). It made saying good-bye to Mick yesterday morning very hard for me (even though he'll be home on Thursday) because we we just had such a great time together. It reinforced for me the importance of taking time to be alone together even once the baby is born.

Saturday in the city was wonderful. We had lunch at a Greek restaurant (I am a big fan of Greek food!), watched a bit of the European Championships (soccer) with the Netherlands losing to Russia, and then I set off for my prenatal massage. My masseuse was shocked (horrified?) when I said I hadn't had a massage in over a year. She extolled the virtues of massage to me -- which I know about -- and I kind of wanted to say "yes, but do you know how expensive these things are???" I was giddy with delight when she showed me the massage table: it had a hole cut out for my big belly, meaning I got to lay face-down for the first time in months! I told her that I'd never been a stomach-sleeper before but that for some reason, since I'd gotten pregnant, that was the ONLY way I've been wanting to sleep. She let me remain face-down for the entire hour while she worked on my back, shoulders, and feet. It was blissful.

As Mick mentioned, we then had an incredible (I wish I could think of a more descriptive word) dinner at Fleur de Sel. The service was impeccable and the food scored high on all fronts: creativity, taste, and presentation. I am so glad we did the tasting menu (and that Mick added the wine pairing to his!). I think this meal rates up there with Equinox and Citronelle in DC. The only slight bummer course was the cheese course. In a twist, this French restaurant serves American cheeses for its cheese tasting. I thought that was going to be a boon for me because I figured all of the cheese would be pasteurized (given the U.S.'s standards for food safety). However, only one of the four cheeses was pasteurized, so they brought me a second cheese plate that had four slices of the same kind of cheese. This was good for Mick because then he got to eat some of the cheese I hadn't touched, but I was a bit bummed that I had to leave the soft brie-like cheese & the blue cheese alone. In all though, this meal was divine and a real treat for us!

Sunday morning was incredible as well; certainly the best Sunday morning I have had in years. We slept in (until 8:50) and then Mick went out to the market next door and bought some OJ and a pain au chocolat (yum!!!) along with the Sunday edition of the NY Times. We had breakfast in bed and read the Times until Meet the Press came on at 10:30. It was divine! We finally set off around 12:30 toward Greenwich Village where I did TONS of walking (I was pretty proud of myself as I was able to make my way slowly around the city blocks without any foot or back pain). My reward was a very creamy cup of ice cream. Does it get much better?

We had a great time at Josh & Jamie's wedding Sunday night, despite the fattest rain drops I have ever seen pelting us during the entire outdoor ceremony. Jamie handled it beautifully though -- she pretty much just laughed (as did most of the guests throughout the ceremony) until she was able to scoot inside. She looked beautiful and Josh looked so proud. They both beamed the entire night.

As for Mick & I, we had a good time catching up with friends and dancing the night away. I've honestly never seen Mick want to dance to so many songs. I felt a little bad because I didn't have my usually energy for dancing (even dancing to slow songs was hard) but I threw that out the window for the final song of the evening: 99 Red Balloons. Almost all of the guests were on the dance floor for this one and we just danced like crazy, jumping up and down, singing along -- it was pretty funny. All I could think the whole time was "I am just asking to go into labor right now" because my jumping was so vigorous. But luckily the baby decided to stay inside for a while longer. I paid for all of this wild activity on Monday morning when I almost fell over upon setting my sore footsies on the floor. Yesterday I was VERY tired but boy was it worth it!

Viva Las Vegas!

Left New York yesterday morning to fly to Las Vegas for a conference. It seemed to take ages to get here, with a 70 minute delay on the tarmac at JFK (at one point, we were 50th in line for take-off!) and an almost 5 hour flight across the country. Saw the flooded Midwest plains and the northern Grand Canyon on the way over though. Vegas is hot....literally. It was about 110 degrees when I arrived and expect little change for the rest of the week.

Our team is staying at the Mirage; following drinks with some partners of ours, we walked down to Caesars for dinner (a Japanese restaurant with okay sushi). At that point, I returned to the hotel while my colleagues went to watch the Bellagio light and fountain show. Played a few games in the heavily-populated casino before heading back to my room. It's now a little before 6am and as I look outside my window to the Venetian and Wynn, the party is still going.

Will be here for another 2 days before returning to DC.

Before departing New York, we attended Josh and Jamie's wedding, which was a lot of fun. The outdoor ceremony was cut short due to a brief rainstorm but the festivities continued inside a big Manhattan loft. Had a few drinks, danced a little, and ended the night with a rooftop party overlooking the Empire State Building. What a great view!

New York!

Sunday morning now and we’re in New York. Took a 3.5 hour train trip from DC, which I would recommend to anyone traveling up and down the East Coast. It’s cheap, comfortable, and unlikely to suffer from delays.

On the way, we pretty much finalized our baby names; one for a boy, and one for a girl.

Arriving at Penn Station, we walked the 6 long blocks to our hotel, the Affinia Dumont at 34th and 3rd Avenue. Checked into a really nice room—by New York standards, it’s massive, with a desk and kitchen—with a gorgeous view north to the Chrysler Building and east to the river and Queens. (The photo above was taken from our hotel room -- so that's our view!)

After lunch at a little Greek restaurant, Kelly went off to a pre-natal massage and I took my creaky knees for a jog around Manhattan. Ran up past the United Nations building and almost to Central Park before turning around to head back to the hotel. Listened to that Coldplay song the entire way….

Had dinner at Fleur De Sel on East 20th St last night; we both selected the 6-course tasting menu--highlights for me were the fois gras ravioli and the rabbit stuffed with bacon and porcini. No, seriously. This was obviously over the top food for someone usually content with anything-goes curry and Cheeze-Its.

After a lazy morning (New York Times and Meet the Press), we're about to head down to Greenwich Village for a couple of hours before we get ready for Josh and Jamie's wedding.

I really like New York and look forward to coming here once or twice a year. While I couldn’t live here at this point in my life (DC is busy enough for me), it must be a lot of fun for guys just out of college. There is so much to do—restaurants on every corner, very distinct neighborhoods, sports, theatre, and just a hustle and bustle that keeps you moving.

Mick's Update

Friday night update from me....Kelly and I are taking the train to New York tomorrow for Josh and Jamie's wedding. Kel has a massage scheduled for mid-afternoon (I'll either take the high road--jogging--or extremely low road--watching the European Championships in a bar); we then have dinner resevations at Fleur De Sel, a well-regarded French restaurant. Sunday will hopefully be a lazy day, with the wedding at 5pm in Manhattan. Kelly returns to DC on Monday, while I'll be flying to Las Vegas (oh the humanity) for another 3-day conference, where I'm speaking with MetLife, one of our clients.

Last weekend, I played my first round of golf in about 10 months. Aughie and I met up in Fredericksburg, about an hour south of DC. It was good to be back on the course after my shoulder injury and to catch up with Aughie--he is currently preparing for his PhD defence (scheduled for June 30!). I hit the ball well but did little around the greens, save for a 20-footer for birdie on one of the par-3s.

Had a CPR class this week, so am now fully qualified to give the kiss of life (or death for that matter) to anyone I see. Not sure that's what Kelly had in mind when she signed me up. I have been practicing my technique on Shergar in exchange for rawhides and trips to the dog park.

Have listened to Coldplay's new single, Viva la Vida, about 500 times in the last 2 days. It will no doubt become an English anthem.

Only 6 weeks to the due date, so we've been busy getting things ready. We've almost settled on names (boy moreso than girl), so keep checking in on this blog to find out what they are.

Bye for now.

Welcome!

After much dragging of my feet, I have finally decided to jump on the blog bandwagon and to start a blog for our family. My guess is that, with the new addition coming in just a few weeks, I won't have time to send multiple updates to family & friends. Also, if I somehow find time (?!?) to send out all of these e-mails, you may or may not want to read them and have them fill up your inbox.

So, I figured that if we did things this way -- by just starting a blog to keep you updated -- you can each check it at your own leisure. We can also add pictures & video clips here without overwhelming your inbox. If you bookmark this link, you can just check our site every so often to see what's new in our lives.

With everyone so spread out geographically these days, and with air travel becoming increasingly complex, it's probably a good idea to use technology to help us feel more connected. It's no substitute for face-to-face visits, but it will at least get us 50% of the way there.

Enjoy your weekend!

Kelly & Mick