Introduction to Toby's Little Brother -- TLB

Hi all, today's Wednesday, 10/9.  I'm gonna try to chronicle the what will likely be an epic journey to birth of Toby's Little Brother.  We're in Week 32 right now, and Jen's on hospital bedrest for now.  The journey actually started two days ago.  Jen has had once a week doc's appointments at UW for as long back as I can remember.  She started this week with twice a week "non-stress tests" to make sure that the baby is healthy.  On Monday they did the first one.  They strapped on the baby heartbeat gear, and lo and behold, contractions!  So she called me at lunchtime (I was at Tropics, the thai place in the ID) and said "they're going to admit me."  So they admitted her to Labor and Delivery (LDR2) at UW, and strapped monitors to her.  They put in IV fluids, and the contractions went away.  One positive note is that Labor and Delivery is about 40 feet from the NICU where we're old hands.  Lori Chudnosky, who is a friend of ours as well as being HMIC in the NICU nursing staff, came by and made sure that all was kosher and that we are friends of hers.  We don't know if we got better service because of this, but I'm sure it didn't hurt.  After a long few hours at the hospital, Dr. Brown, her OB, came by and said she could go home.  "I want to get another four weeks out of this pregnancy," quipped Dr. Brown.  "You are now on home bedrest, and you should not be doing anything at home that you wouldn't be doing in LDR2 at UW.  No cleaning, no cooking, etc.  I'm saying this in front of your husband so that he knows too."  So, we loaded Jen up in a wheelchair and took her back to the car and then home. For the rest of the night she sat on the couch, transferred to the bed and slept.  As we explained to Toby "Mommy is only allowed couch, bed, potty, doctor."