...was one of the best days of my life. It started so quietly, just you and me, and finished the same way. But between the quietness was a whole lot more. And I knew life would never be the same.
Nearly four months ago now (but still so very fresh in my memory) and I've been promising myself most everyday I would write this story down. But today, sweet girl, I'll finish this so you don't have to wonder if you're as loved as your sisters. No doubt you are so very loved, I just might not have quite as much time or energy to capture all these memories along the way as I once did, so please forgive me now.
You took your time little one and took an extra week to grow inside me before the doctors decided you would be safer out than in. Perhaps you already knew the chaos awaiting you on the outside world before your arrival (and hence what seemed like a surprisingly loud newborn cry that came out of you), or perhaps you just already wanted to be like your biggest sister Emma (in that case, your dad and I might be in for it - in all the best ways of course). Regardless the reason why, I was thankful to know that your arrival was imminent. It had been a never-ending Australian summer and two long weeks of school holidays to cap off a very exhausting pregnancy.
Those last couple weeks I took a lot of photos of you inside me, because everyday I wondered if it would be the last.
Some days the background was more chaotic than others.
Emma's cute drawing of me shortly before you were born.
After a very normal Saturday morning of soccer it seemed a bit surreal as we dropped your older sisters off at the house of dear friends on Saturday afternoon, not exactly knowing when we would see them next. I would be induced starting off slowly overnight and it all seemed very reminiscent of Emma's birth story. I could only pray it would be quicker. While at first there was some hesitation due to a last minute influx of scheduled inductions at the hospital that I might have to go back home and wait a few more days, I was thankful to find out that wouldn't be the case and we would be meeting you sooner rather than later.
Last family of four photo. A classic.
The first of Emma & Morgan's fun, movie night. So nice to know they were in the best hands.
Your dad and I spent several hours of relaxed time together while we got the first stage of the induction process under way. How different was this time spent than it was when Emma was born and we were beyond nervous and anxious. This time, it was like a date night, well, let's not go too far with that statement. But let's be real too. We were down two kids, and you were still on the inside, it was Saturday night and we had babysitters scheduled for the next 36 hours. Just disregard the fact that we were at the hospital.
A few hours later and your dad was sent home to get Emma & Morgan and get some rest and I was to do the same at the hospital. Perhaps something would happen in the middle of the night, but it was less likely than likely. So I settled in for the evening armed with reading material as who knew if I would really be able to sleep. But somewhere between my Uber Eats dinner from a restaurant I had been wanting to try, my favorite Saturday evening House Hunters marathon on TV, and complete quietness of my own "isolation" room and no other children to bother me, I dared to say it felt like I was at a hotel for the night and found myself asleep in bed much earlier than I ever anticipated (yes, date night and a night in a hotel, call me crazy but I promise they didn't give me any other drugs that I'm aware of at least).
So with a surprisingly good night of sleep, I felt ready to go for the early morning wake up call to really get the process started. And I was so ready to meet you. Your dad was to the hospital by 7 or 7:30 once another friend had made it over to the house to take Emma & Morgan for their well orchestrated day of fun with various friends and church in between. Emma now says the day you were born was the "best day of her life." At first I thought that was one of the sweetest things she'd ever said and then when probed with why she said it was because she "got to play with soooo many of her friends." Don't worry too much Charley, trust me, she still loves you a whole lot too.
By church Morgan was already exhausted!
She got a second wind in time for an afternoon with more friends.
Emma enjoyed her afternoon playdate as well!
Back to the story... it was clear that the medicines they gave me the night before had not done much, so with a few failed attempts to break my waters and finally a successful one, and I was hopeful (and perhaps a tiny bit anxious) that this party would really get started. Although I must say I was also quite enjoying our "date night" turned "day date." In hopes to start some contractions we set off to walk both inside and outside the hospital for an hour or two. We got coffee, talked about anything and everything, and genuinely enjoyed this uninterrupted time for the two of us again. It fondly took me back to the evenings that we would stroll our Zurich neighborhood in the last few months of my pregnancy with Emma.
At some point I started to notice I was finally having some contractions at a semi-regular interval, but with not too much intensity yet. So we checked back in a few times with my midwife, walked a bit more, generally had a relatively laid back few hours of a Sunday morning. Unfortunately I was on a clock to avoid being given Pitocin, and while my midwife kept trying to help my cause, by noon, while the contractions were fairly regular and close together, it just wasn't quite enough so I got ready for the third and final step that was sure to get you out.
Sometime shortly after they gave me the drip things really heated up. But my hopes diminished temporarily when my midwife told me she was going to take her lunch break. My first thought was "how could she take her lunch break now?!" My second thought was "how does she really feel like eating right now?!" And my third thought was "uh oh, this is going to take awhile!" But she instilled some confidence in me that she really thought it wouldn't be long before she passed things off to another midwife and the doctor.
Let's just say I was thankful that she was right. I was thankful it got really intense fast and we got to skip all the things we discussed doing to make labor progress more quickly and less painfully (well the less painfully part would have been good). By the time she was back, I was pushing and less than an hour later (and after a little yelling and screaming) and you were here. Another healthy, beautiful, little girl.
Words don't describe it, but if you're lucky enough to one day experience it, than you will know what I mean. That feeling when you arrived and they set you on my chest. I will absolutely never forget it. And no doubt "heaven blew every trumpet" because at 1:50 pm on the 29 April 2018, Charlotte Marie was born. And I was convinced (and most days still believe), just like with your sisters, that the most perfect little person just entered the world.
Recently Emma asked me "just to be sure" if a boy could ever have a baby and I told her not, that it is a very lucky gift that God gave to us girls. She said it was unfair because I previously told her that carrying a baby and having a baby is exhausting and sometimes makes moms grumpy and that doesn't happen to boys. I told her that was true, but I also told her that I'm pretty sure there is nothing quite as amazing in this world as having a baby. And you, Charley, proved that to me again that day. Yes, it is A LOT of hard work, but it is THE BEST work.
No day is as good as the day three sisters meet (and mom loses it).
A family of five at last. Charley Marie, you are so loved.
And the chaos ensued immediately.
But I will forever remember the day you were born. And the stillness of the early morning before you came and the stillness of the late night after you arrived, when it was just you and me.
Thank you sweet girl, for making my life, never, ever the same.
Morgan Anne Jones was born at 6:44 pm on February 17 at Royal North Shore Hospital in St. Leonard's, Australia. We were blessed with an incredibly healthy and happy little girl, again. So much more than we deserve, yet something we had prayed and dreamed of for a long time... a little sister for Emma. A few days after Morgan was born Emma said, "Thanks for letting me have a little sister, mom." Oh my heart. One day she will understand how much we wanted this for her too (well a brother would have been pretty good too).
My due date was Thursday, February 18, so I greatly appreciated Morgan's timeliness, especially in comparison to Emma (she came about 9 days late). Nonetheless, it was a day we waited for much longer than just nine months. The path to parenthood varies greatly for every parent and I think most of us never realize how difficult it might be until we start down that path. Ours has been far from smooth, but I know not near as bumpy as others' paths. We have lost three other babies along the way early in pregnancy, and many times I have thought that a family of three might be what God had planned for us here on earth. Each time we lost one it tested us, our relationship with each other, our trust in God, and made us question whether or not we would try again. But we never know God's plans. We are thankful we did try again and feel incredibly blessed that He sent Morgan to be here with us in this life.
Almost there... 38.5 weeks.
After all the months of waiting, the care of a great doctor in the US that got us through the first 18 weeks safely, and taking on the adventure of figuring out Australian healthcare for the second half of the pregnancy, we were very anxious to meet our little girl or little boy. As nervous first time parents with Emma we happily waited for 41 weeks for her to arrive. This go around, feeling more confident about the new adventure we were about to embark on, and being aware of my additional risks during pregnancy we were more ready for this baby to come. I certainly felt more worn out at the end of this pregnancy than I ever recall feeling with Emma (perhaps it had something to do with taking care of three year old Emma), so with my parents safely in town just prior to my 39 week mark there was no need to wait for this baby to come.
The official stats of our "gorgeous girl."
The official weigh in...3.575 kg (7 lb, 14 oz)
With the help of the doctor and midwives I saw towards the end of my pregnancy we were hoping to avoid inducing me (again). At 34 weeks Morgan had measured quite large as well so we didn't want to go too far over my due date. I was scheduled to be induced on February 19 and I was sure that the baby would make me wait it out. Despite the fact that I had quite a few contractions in the week leading up to the birth and felt quite a bit different than I remember feeling with Emma, I figured nothing would happen. I even had an appointment with a midwife that Wednesday morning (only about 8 hours before Morgan's birth) and she didn't give me much hope despite having a lot of contractions the night before. Yet, within a few hours of my appointment I was in enough pain to tell Steve to come home. I really didn't believe I could be in labor for some reason (the induced 36 hour process with Emma was such a different experience). Evidently I must have been too calm for the midwife I called at the hospital to think I was very far along either. I even thought for awhile that I didn't know how to time my contractions accurately. Nonetheless I think both Steve and I were too afraid of having a baby at home that we would rather go to the hospital and have them send us home.
Love at first sight is a pretty accurate description.
Proud papa.
The labor & delivery ward was quite busy and once again, I must have looked fairly calm upon arrival because we waited what felt like 30 minutes, but probably only 10 or 12 minutes, before they could get me into an assessment room. When they finally did I was so surprised and relieved to find out that I could already start pushing! The midwives didn't even think I would make it to the actual delivery room, but after about 30 minutes of pushing they changed their mind, to my disappointment. Turns out Morgan was "sunny side up" as some people term it, not the ideal direction to come out. I knew it was all going a bit too smoothly up until that point. So instead this little girl made me push for 2.5 hours instead. Not really my idea of fun, and I might have subtly or not so subtly mentioned that to Steve a few times during the process and my thoughts on whether or not I would consider doing this again. Yet, God has a funny way of making you forget about all the pain pretty quickly. This little person comes out and you realize just how amazing life is. While it might be pretty scary to know you are fully responsible for this little person, it is guaranteed to be one of the greatest rides of your life.
Family photo minus Emma.
Emma had the best two weeks with Grandma & Grandpa. It was a relief to not worry about her at all when I was at the hospital!
Something was funny I guess.
So you might ask, two babies, born in two different countries, neither being the US - which was better, were you happy with both and were they better than the US? Well, while both my pregnancies began in the states, neither finished there so it is difficult to fully compare but I can make some educated guesses. So here is a look at some of the differences I experienced in Switzerland and Australia.
1. Insurance Coverage
First, it's probably important to address insurance and how this impacted my experiences. In Switzerland we were fortunate to be on an international health insurance plan by Steve's company and it provided us care by a private doctor and delivery in a private hospital. In Australia we had more difficulty as we had to obtain Australian health insurance (just like in Switzerland, insurance must be obtained personally and your employer does not normally provide coverage, we just had a special scenario allowed when we were in Switzerland). We had difficulty finding one to cover the pregnancy as it was a "pre-existing condition" and our visa status, as a temporary resident, further restricted our options. We finally found one that was willing to waive the waiting period, but coverage was in a public hospital. So it's hard to equally compare private coverage in Switzerland vs public coverage in Australia, but I'll do my best to address it. For instance, with Emma I stayed in the hospital five days after her birth (typical for a healthy delivery in Switzerland), with Morgan I stayed for 24 hours before heading home. However, if Morgan had been born in a private hospital in Australia we likely would have stayed 4-5 days, just like I did with Emma.
The first day of life. So much to take in...
Which baby is real? We did confuse the midwife momentarily.
2. Doctor vs Midwife
In the states it seems that antenatal care is still predominately handled by a doctor, although I think it is transitioning a bit as I know more people that are seeking out care by a midwife. In Switzerland it was a blend. I saw a doctor for all of my regular pregnancy appointments, but a group of midwives handled the majority of the birth and care in the hospital, with the doctor primarily there to "catch" the baby. In Australia it seems you can easily seek care by either. Private obstetricians are commonly used by those with a high level of health insurance coverage throughout the pregnancy. The private doctors can deliver the baby in either a private or public hospital with the assistance of midwives. Otherwise a large majority of the population makes use of the fabulous coverage afforded to them through the medicare system at the public hospitals, which was similar to the coverage we were able to obtain through our insurance. In this scenario unless you are deemed high risk you see midwives at all of your pregnancy appointments and for the delivery. The biggest downside is the inability to consistently see the same midwife (or doctor if you are high risk) at the public hospital. Without a doubt, I struggled with this the most and it wasn't until the last 6 weeks of the pregnancy I figured out how to ensure I could more consistently see the same midwife or doctor.
One proud big sister.
3. Hospital Experience
I think overall the difference in actual hospital maternity ward experience and the amenities and services available in the US vs Switzerland vs Australia is minimal. Albeit, someone who is actually in the medical profession might say otherwise, to me they appear fairly similar. This is largely due to the fact that when you have a baby it is one of only a handful of medical instances when you have significant time and ability to choose the hospital you utilize. As a result I think all hospitals I have seen in each country offer some of the best things possible - the delivery rooms are modern, spacious, technologically savvy and are full of a variety of options to improve your labour experience. I just recently read an article that compared what women around the world packed in their hospital bags for the birth of their baby, and let's just say that I am know even more fully aware that I am blessed to have given birth in some of the best countries in the world. I cannot even fathom the experiences of those in many African, South American and some Asian countries where access to clean water, sterile equipment, and adequate space and privacy both during and after delivery are significantly limited.
24 hours old - time to go home!
Big sister duties include keeping a tally of fingers and toes.
4. Pregnancy Assessments
My pregnancy appointment experiences have varied greatly in each country. In the U.S., as many of you know, you often first see an ultrasound tech if you have a scheduled ultrasound (which I have found from both personal experience and in talking to others vary greatly in regularity based on doctors), then you see a nurse or someone in training for an initial assessment, followed by your doctor, and potentially yet another person to do your labs. You are weighed, blood pressure taken, given the delight of peeing in a cup, and sometimes blood drawn in the early stages.
In Switzerland I saw only the office receptionist prior to the doctor. The receptionist/nurse filled multiple roles and typically also weighed me, took my blood pressure and took my blood. From there it was straight to the doctor, who did everything else. My doctor even sometimes did my labs if the receptionist was busy and he performed the ultrasound, every single appointment.
Australia was probably the most different (but keep in mind this was my experience at a public hospital, it likely would have been significantly different if utilizing only a private doctor). As I mentioned earlier I primarily saw a midwife, only a doctor on occasion depending on the situation. The midwife would take my blood pressure and listen to the baby's heart rate. I was never weighed at an appointment, and as a result I have absolutely no idea how much weight I gained with this pregnancy! I have been told that if you are not overweight then you are often never weighed. Also, if I needed an ultrasound it needed to be scheduled at a separate time at an actual radiology clinic. This to me seemed extremely strange, but as I have come to find out it seems that there is rarely a "one stop shop" when it comes to Australian healthcare. Only if it was an emergency would you get an ultrasound actually at your regular appointment. I have heard that many private doctors will do a "quick scan" just so you can see the baby at your regular appointment, but you still have to go to a separate radiology clinic for a more thorough scan.
Contentment on grandpa's lap.
First of so much love from big sister, little sister might be just a little unsure.
5. Newborn Care
In Switzerland we stayed in the hospital for 4 days after Emma was born, so much of the critical newborn monitoring that requires follow-up visits to the doctor's office in the US within the first 5-10 days is omitted. After we went home we did not need to visit Emma's pediatrician until her one month check-up. In comparison, in Australia we went home quite quickly, but they have a tremendous follow-up system in place. They have in-home midwife visits available to you for up to two weeks following the birth. In our situation they visited us each day for the first three days following our discharge from the hospital and had a phone call follow-up on the fourth day. If I had wanted more visits I simply needed to call. A representative from the local early childhood health centre also visited about 10 days after her birth and they have a nearby office where we can go free of charge to weigh and measure Morgan as well as visit with someone about any concerns we have. They also have monthly vaccination clinics in each suburb of the city, where vaccinations are free of charge. You also do not take your child to see a pediatrician unless it is a referral from your general practitioner for a very specific concern.
First full family photo.
Grandma & Grandpa with their two granddaughters.
6. Breastfeeding
I'm starting to be pretty convinced that anywhere other than the US is more encouraging of breastfeeding, especially in public. Switzerland and the rest of Europe seemed pretty laid back, but in Australia they really encourage it. And if you don't feel comfortable out in public, many places have "Parents/Family Rooms" where there are private areas to nurse as well as changing tables (often better cleaned than many regular restrooms), sometimes child-size toilets, microwaves and even small play areas or TVs for older siblings that may be in tow. The nicest ones are often at malls, but we have also found them at airports and libraries and I'm sure there are many other places we have yet to experience. However, I have heard some stories that for the amount of encouraging they do, that in some situations it puts an unnecessary guilt on mothers who cannot or choose not to breastfeed.
Can't get enough of that new baby smell.
7. Maternity & Paternity Coverage and Post-Baby Work Life Balance
Another area that I'm pretty sure the US is at the bottom of the totem pole with is by only offering 12 weeks of maternity leave, but none of it guaranteed at being paid. Switzerland's leave isn't much longer with only 14 weeks maternity leave, but they do pay 80% of your wages, which makes it much more financially possible for a woman to leave the workforce. However, they offer no paternity leave. When Emma was born I wasn't working in Switzerland so it didn't matter for me, but Steve benefited from the way his contract was structured and he was actually allocated the US paternity leave benefit, which at Ernst & Young is an impressive two weeks.
And while not the best in the world, Australia is by far still the best of the three countries. Either parent can take up to one year leave with 18 weeks fully paid. Once again, with me not currently working we were minimally impacted, but Steve did still qualify for his EY paternity leave, which was this time three weeks, even without being the primary caregiver. We felt absolutely spoiled by this as it allowed us good time to spend adjusting to being a family of four without the stress of Steve heading back to work immediately. While I never envisioned myself as a stay at home mom my mindset has changed a lot as a result of our experiences around the world. I can no longer envision myself possibly going back to work only 6, 10 or 12 weeks after a child is born as many of my friends have done. I am spoiled getting to see Emma & Morgan develop and grow everyday. While it isn't without its challenges I can no longer imagine not being able to spend the first year or so at home with them.
It was hard to get this one back from Grandpa.
Pretty content with grandma.
A photo of all of us before grandma & grandpa had to fly back across the ocean.
My heart is full.
My month of February was absolutely perfect. I pray I might never forget that feeling of absolute joy and contentment from when I first held Morgan. While parenthood can be more than challenging at times, all I have to do is look around me to realize it is more than worth it. I have a beautiful family of four.
After 41 weeks and 2 days of waiting little miss Emma Grace finally made her grand entrance into the world at 7:44 am on Monday, June 25, 2012. We feel so very blessed and are in complete awe that she is actually ours! For those of you keeping tabs, here are her stats (we will be nice enough to convert them from the metric system for you):
6 lbs, 14 oz (3.115 kg)
20 inches (51 cm)
Blue eyes
Light brown hair
After spending five nights in the hospital we are happy that the entire family is now at home and getting adjusted to what is our new "normal." We feel that so far (in all of her 8 days of life) she has been a relatively easy baby. Don't get me wrong, we've already had our fun times including a diaper blow out on daddy and getting sick on mommy on the first day home! We have also concluded that we are jinxing ourselves if the clothing we put on her is more than half white as it is bound to mean a messy clean up later in the day!
We can't wait to see what Emma has in store for us in the coming weeks, months, and years ahead, but it is without a doubt that we will always remember our experience having a baby in a foreign country and how it differed from any experience back home (aside from the heaps of additional paperwork). Here's a look back at the past week.
Since Emma was being more than a little stubborn and had no intention of coming out on her own will in the near future the doctor decided that it was best to induce one week after our due date. We were told to head to the hospital at 10 pm on Saturday night to be induced with the first set of drugs with the idea that it was going to still take awhile for them to kick in and we would be able to sleep most of the night (I laughed when the doctor told me that). It was clear from the moment we arrived at the hospital that our experience with Swiss healthcare was going to be like nothing else (we admittedly went to a small hospital, even by Swiss standards, as so far I know of no Swiss hospitals that come close to rivaling U.S. hospitals in size. Just to give you an idea of the size, when we arrived there were 7 or 8 new babies there and the day we left there was only 1 other remaining baby there). We had been given no directions other than go to the main entrance which was the same as the emergency entrance. At 10 pm on a Saturday night the doors were locked and we didn't know what to do. Luckily there was an employee outside that let us in without really asking any questions (I'm guessing he took one look at me and figured out we weren't trying to break into the hospital just for fun), but once we got inside there was no one in sight! So we decided to just head up to the maternity wing.
There's Emma's ID band!
After feeling like we had snuck into the hospital we finally found a midwife and she looked very surprised to see us. Evidently there was a bell we were supposed to ring for her to come meet us at the entrance, but we had completely missed it! Even though we had done some paperwork ahead of time, I was still surprised that we didn't fill out anything upon our arrival. There was no formal admissions process, no hospital ID bands, no hospital gowns, and she simply whisked us away to a room to get started. Another main difference at the hospitals here is that midwives instead of nurses work in the maternity departments, and although I don't have a U.S. hospital experience to compare it to, I think it was significantly better as a result. The midwives were very attentive and there to help in anyway possible with suggestions and advice. Although by the end of the week I was a bit tired of feeling like someone was always checking in on me, overall I am thankful for the experience and feel that we walked home with much more knowledge and confidence than we would have in the U.S.. And luckily the majority of the midwives spoke very good english, except in the normal Swiss way they said they spoke "a little english" only to go on and speak it almost perfectly. However, it was quite comical that the one midwife that spoke limited english was the one that was on duty the majority of the time I was in labor. Yet her actions made up for it as she did a great job seeing us through the labor and if there was ever a significant communication barrier she would track someone down to help translate.
Not sure I understood everything the midwives had us do - it was 75 degrees and the hospital had no air conditioning, yet they still put about four layers on Emma. Here she is with an additional sleepsack for bed!
If you didn't notice I went into the hospital Saturday night, but Emma wasn't born until Monday morning, so it was a bit of a slow process to say the least! So much so, that another surprising moment that I don't think would have occurred in the U.S. happened - the doctor told us just to go out for a walk or go home for a few hours around lunch time on Sunday. Now, we do only live two blocks from the hospital but we still didn't expect that they would just tell us to do what we wanted for a few hours. No need to sign out, tell them exactly when we would be back, or anything. Just walked out with an IV in my arm and went home for a couple hours before labor really kicked into high gear!
First family photo shortly after Emma was born
By the time Emma arrived on Monday morning it had been a long 36 hours that didn't pass without a few surprises, like finding out I was allergic to penicillin about 24 hours into it, but as I had been told several times before nothing else could have possibly been more worth it. We were pretty much madly in love as soon as we saw her. I'm convinced she already has her dad wrapped around her pinky. And I am already relating the experience to a marathon (and not in the normal way of referring to how long of a process it is), but in the way that you feel afterwards and how surprisingly easy it is to forget the pain involved that got you to that incredible moment. But don't get too excited, unlike my normal marathon routine of signing up for another one right after I finish one I think we'll take a little time off before we have another one of these little ones!
So happy that Emma is finally here!
One of the last major differences between Swiss healthcare and U.S. healthcare is the amount of time that you stay in the hospital when you have a baby. For a regular birth in Switzerland it is usually at least four nights and closer to seven or eight nights if you have a c-section! I spent "only" three nights in the hospital after Emma was born (after all we had already been there two nights before) and was definitely ready to go home by the time we got the go ahead on Thursday. But I was surprised at how quickly the time passed as it seemed that everyday the midwives had several different things planned that they wanted to teach us or discuss. And when we were told on Wednesday night that we could go home the next day the midwives had to rush to go through everything else that was still on our "agenda" as they hadn't expected us to leave until Friday! Then by the time we finally got everything done on Thursday our exit from the hospital was just as nonchalent as our entrance. We simply called the midwife when we thought we were ready to go. We asked if there was something we were supposed to sign or do and she said "No, you are good to go. Do you need any help on your way out?" And as simple as that we walked out the door and walked the two blocks back to our home.
Emma's ready for the long walk home!
All in all, our first week with Emma has been nothing short of incredible. It's amazing to look back at what we were thinking and feeling last weekend in anticipation of her arrival, to the moment of her arrival, and now to how we feel after a few days of being at home. Although I have no doubt that we will continue to be nervous and worried about something most everyday, it is much different from the anxiousness and apprehension we felt as we waited to be induced. And what I do know for sure is that it's true that these little ones truly are an incredible gift from God, and Emma is one that we will continue to be thankful for the rest of our lives.
What an amazing blessing - is it really possible that we get to take her home with us?
A few other photos from Emma's first week!
Emma's favorite peek-a-boo pose, just like we saw in the ultrasound pictures!
...was one of the best days of my life. It started so quietly, just you and me, and finished the same way. But between the quietness was a whole lot more. And I knew life would never be the same.
A few hours later and your dad was sent home to get Emma & Morgan and get some rest and I was to do the same at the hospital. Perhaps something would happen in the middle of the night, but it was less likely than likely. So I settled in for the evening armed with reading material as who knew if I would really be able to sleep. But somewhere between my Uber Eats dinner from a restaurant I had been wanting to try, my favorite Saturday evening House Hunters marathon on TV, and complete quietness of my own "isolation" room and no other children to bother me, I dared to say it felt like I was at a hotel for the night and found myself asleep in bed much earlier than I ever anticipated (yes, date night and a night in a hotel, call me crazy but I promise they didn't give me any other drugs that I'm aware of at least).
