We have a launch date... sort of. (Day 63)

Day 63... let me just point out to you, in case you are not keeping hash marks on a dry erase board in your bathroom for every day I'm in here (I am), today equals 9 whole weeks on hospital bed arrest! Oy. No complaining today, though, because we finally do have a light at the end of the ol' tunnel. Dr. Lovelace said he will not let me go one day past my 35 week mark-- he's going to check his schedule and start inducing me (hopefully we can avoid a c-section) on either Monday, August 10th or Tuesday, August 11th. That's if I don't go on my own before then. So I now have a date (and more importantly, my children have a timeline) when this phase will all come to an end. (Insert big sigh here for sound effect). My doc still hopes to give this little guy every opportunity to grow and get stronger before we start the NICU chapter.
My new soul sister, Kim (she's related to my friend and was in here for several weeks but had her baby about a week and a half ago) came in yesterday to give me the "mother's" view of NICU. It was so helpful to hear how she has handled the feeding tube and IV on her baby, how she's handled leaving her behind when she goes home to get some sleep and how it all works behind the closed NICU doors. She's taken away a lot of that "fear of the unknown".
My cousin Leah came up last night and gave my feet and head a "relaxation" massage. Oh, I slept well last night. Then today, my Aunt Daleen came in (armed with chocolate and cherries) and my cousin Kelly--- who gave me a pedicure. I know I am going to go through major withdrawal when my life gets back to normal.
My mom came up too. My friend Stacey took the girls swimming at the YMCA today. My mother brought pictures of the girls' latest obsession-- a fairy house they all built the other day.
Did you know that a fairy house can only be made of 100 percent natural items? If there is anything man-made, a fairy will not enter. Already, our resident fairy (who I hear resembles a certain Grammy from Vegas) has left fairy dust, foreign coins and other treats to the delight of the girls. See, they are having more fun this summer than if I were home.
Finally, late this afternoon, my two friends Teresa and Amber came up armed with milkshakes. They were giving me a hard time that when they gave my name at the front desk downstairs-- as Lonni Barker... the clerk corrected them and said, "oh you mean Lonni Leavitt Barker". There's a joke in there somewhere about how long I've been here.