At Home in the Hospital: the Latest from Team Tootsie

I am in Day 6 at Mass General Hospital in Boston, and hoping to maintain residence with Baby Tootsie safely sealed inside for another three weeks.

I have a beautiful room with a view (and I can't tell there's been a scorching heat wave out there):

I've had lots of new hospital experiences:  the bedpan, physical therapy, family dinner parties at my bedside, bonding with a cast of caring doctors and nurses.

Relative confinement to bed has its benefits, too:

1.  Baby Tootsie's unique gifts to me this pregnancy include varicose veins, which are looking and feeling good now I'm off my feet!

2.  Daughters have hooked me up with sweet foot massages and facials.

3.  I have more time with my wonderful sister who lives here in Boston and who has coordinated housing for my people, airplane tickets, and provided anything I need or request.

4.  I'm on top of emails, Facebook posts, the news, Royal Baby Watch, tabloid stories, and, thankfully, more quality reading (The Fault in Our Stars, The Sun Magazine).

5.  Time with my husband and girls, along with happiness knowing they're having fun adventures out in Boston around this disruption to our regularly scheduled program.

6.  More reassuring glimpses and monitoring of Baby Tootsie via daily non-stress tests, heart-rate monitoring, and ultrasounds.

I'm having strong-ish contractions at night which keep me up, so sleep has been a little elusive.  I relax to the Patty Griffin Pandora station and visualize heaps of whipped cream, mashed potatoes, and soft sand when my tummy hardens.  I  am grateful to make it through the night without going into labor.  If I have to endure nights of contractions to make it to 34 weeks, I'm in.  Days are mellow and confidence building.

Happy Saturday, friends!  Stay cool.