view out my private room
Originally uploaded by telfandrea.

The view out of my long-hoped for private room overlooks Broadway and here's a fun fact for you: Malcolm X was shot in the building directly across the street. Apparently, NYC is in the midst of a fierce heat wave but I am up here wearing a sweater and a blanket.

Settling into life in the hospital. I go to bed early and get up early. These hospital people like to get an early start on things – at 5:00 AM a nurse's aid wakes me up to take my vitals. Mornings are "busy" while afternoons are quiet. With the exception of one nurse (I finally asked to be taken off her rotation yesterday), the entire staff, from the nurse's aids to the residents, have been so kind.

Today is the first day I haven't had a bad headache and trouble concentrating. My mind is still a little jumpy. Eleanor has been busy getting me everything from dental floss to blueberries to picture frames. Enjoyed visits and treats from Molly and Maya, one of Telfer's former attendings, now a friend.

Most of the time, I am completely at peace with the present. God provides. I am 27 weeks, four days today, finally in the 3rd trimester. Every day counts, right?

Just in case any of you that check up on Andrea's blog frequently have been wondering – she just got a private room today! And it has a fridge!  This after for a short period of time having a terrible roommate (imagine pregnant, with gallstones, in pain, screaming at nurses and husband – we feel for her too of course) and poorer than usual rest.  Things are looking up 🙂

my first room
Originally uploaded by telfandrea.

This won't be too long or too eloquent but all of the sudden I felt like maybe I could post on the blog and so I just grabbed the laptop.

Telfer and Cate and Henry and Elizabeth all flew to Seattle and then drove to Olympia yesterday as planned. Without me. Where am I? Well. It looks like I'll be here in the hospital in New York until Jane is born.

I was diagnosed with complete placenta previa at twenty weeks (the placenta covers the cervix instead of attaching itself on the side of the uterus). All last week I had a little spotting but nothing major until Sunday morning when I woke to a lot of bleeding. We called an ambulance and I have been at Columbia Presbyterian (Telfer's former place of employment) since then.

For the most part, I am pretty stable at this point. Not quite 27 weeks. We got three physician opinions on Monday and they all said the same thing: do not travel. That advice was difficult to take at first but Telfer and I are both at peace with this decision. One of the doctors said to imagine the history of our family and three months and a healthy baby will seem like a small investment.

There are so many things to be thankful for though. Most importantly, we have such supportive, loving families. Telfer's parents and my parents and Elizabeth are all in Olympia at the moment helping Telfer with our new old house and with Cate. Elizabeth was planning to stay with us this summer and is now obviously really planning to stay. Mendy is also available. Eleanor is here in New York. I have other friends, including Telfer's former colleagues, checking in with me. God continues to be gracious and good.

We covet your prayers. Pray for a smooth transition to Olympia for my little family. Pray for our families, specifically Mendy and Elizabeth as they take care of Cate. Pray for baby Jane that she makes it until at least 34 weeks. I am emotionally better today than I have been since Sunday. It's difficult to make the mental transition from moving and motherhood and house renovating to bedrest for three months. But here I am. 

On a lighter note, I really want a private room. And a different nurse than I had today. And better food. I know I am a little bit of a food snob but oh my goodness. I should take some pictures of this food. You really cannot fathom how bad it is. Thankfully, I have some suppliers on the outside. More later.

in a neigbhorhood health food store
Originally uploaded by telfandrea.

 What's been happening the last couple weeks? 

Telfer, who is usually very healthy, came down with a nasty case of strep throat. The first round of antibiotics did not take so days later, he was still feeling horrible. Poor guy. He missed four days of work (I don't think he's ever missed a day at the hospital?). We can laugh about the drama of it all now, but at the time, kind of stressful.

While Telfer was sick, we had a big "discussion" about the propriety of dairy-based food products when ill. I am completely against, Telfer doesn't think it matters. Any opinions?

Anyway, I was at a health food store about two blocks away picking up a NON-DAIRY fruit shake for Telfer when I spied the Loma Linda "Big Franks" fake meat on the shelf. Can't get away! I will say this though: we had an anesthesia dinner last night at a restaurant and I was so thankful to eat meat at a doctor-type event! Eight years is a long time to go vegetarian at endless dinners. The wine even flowed…

Elizabeth arrived on Sunday and is staying until we fly out of the city (June 30). It's so nice to have her here. She's enjoying the city and doing remarkably well finding her way around. We haven't packed a box yet…yikes! We also close on our house next Friday…

Just Walking Down the Street
Originally uploaded by telfandrea.

Memorial Weekend was definitely the most fun we have had in a long time. With only a month left in the city, we did a few things that have been on the "list" plus a few other little things. It helped that Telfer had some much-needed vacation from Thursday through Monday.

Highlights:

• A date night celebrating our ninth wedding anniversary – dinner at A Voce at the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle and tickets to the very wonderful A Little Night Music starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury (thanks so much Chris & Mendy!). This was our first time going to dinner and a show together in New York – Eleanor babysat and took the photo above. Definitely a family affair.

• Telfer had never been to the main branch of the NYPL! We walked through the library (Cate insisted on climbing the stairs herself), and then we had lunch in Bryant Park. Telfer took Cate home while I walked up to MOMA for the afternoon.

• One of Telfer's fellow residents at Loma Linda got married this weekend in New Jersey so we rented a car and attended the reception. This was an Indian wedding so the events were stretched over the course of several days and the reception on Saturday night was so much fun. We were literally the first people to leave — at 11:00! We had to get the car back or we would have stayed longer…

• During Cate's naptimes, Telfer saw both Iron Man 2 and Robin Hood while I opted for a pedicure instead. Good choice I think.

• Our $40 farmer's market turkey has been languishing in the freezer since Thanksgiving (I had the flu). We finally pulled it out and invited our original guests (Eleanor and her friend Belinda) and had the best Thanksgiving meal. I used all new recipes just for fun and I think most will end up being "family" recipes, especially these mashed potatoes from Sunset magazine. And since it was May and not November, after dinner we took Cate to the park to play in the water.

• On Monday, we braved the heat and toured Chinatown, mostly a thinly veiled excuse to consume pork buns. That evening we packed a turkey sandwich picnic and headed to Riverside Park with Eleanor. 

A packed but oh so fun weekend. Back to real life. This week I am organizing closets and drawers in preparation for packing boxes…

But here's a few more pictures…

thanksgiving!
Originally uploaded by telfandrea.

Cate in Riverside park
Originally uploaded by telfandrea.

picnic in the park!
Originally uploaded by telfandrea.

Bryant Park
Originally uploaded by telfandrea.