Some quiet time

I'm home alone with O now. My in-laws are spending time with Kim at the hospital now. O can't go to the hospital today. She showed up last night with her Oma and Dida and seemed a little off... cranky, clingy and not quite herself. As the evening wore on she got progressively worse.

I brought her home with a fever of 102. She paid a visit to Dr. Costeas (the best!) this morning and learned that she has a case of strep. The doctor's visit was a mess. She wanted no part of the strep throat test; or as she calls it, the tooth pick in the mouth. She had a bad experience last time which resulted in her vomiting on the floor of the doctor's office. Nice.

Everyone at the hospital looks healthy, but I have some nagging anxiety that Georgia and Kim were exposed to strep.

I'm sitting in bed able to reflect for the first time on the last 24 hours. In the background is a video of Loony Tunes (Tweety Bird is O's new favorite) and the gentle, rhythmic murmur of O's breathing as she sleeps. It is a soothing alternative to the whining and crying that have taken up the last 12 hours for me.

Just over 24 hours ago we arrived at St. Barnabas in Livingston. It was amazing to me that Kim turned into a patient so quickly. In a matter of 15 minutes, she went from an upright fully-clothed woman into a someone I was worrying about. She had a monitor strapped around her belly with the sound of the baby's heartbeat filling the room. An IV dripped a glucose bag into her hand as I changed into my scrubs.

Rev. Elizabeth was there. It was wonderful to have our priest there - someone we trust and love and know - someone who trusts and knows and loves us. We talked for a while and prayed for a few minutes. She helped us center ourselves amid all of the anxiety.

20 minutes later Kim was in the operating room being prepared for surgery. When I walked in about 10 minutes after that, she was laid out on the table like Jesus. (No, the irony isn't lost on me). I sat down and looked around the room. There were a dozen people there. The Messiah was playing loudly in the background. People came over to say hello and tell me why they were there. The anesthesiologist took pictures. I peaked over over the sheet covering Kim's chest and saw some amazing things.

As James Taylor began crooning 'Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas' I saw a head protruding from Kim's stomach. Less than a minute later she was wailing and turning pink in Dr. Chervenak's (he's amazing!) hands. I was keenly aware in that moment that the operating room had more than just Kim, Georgia, me and all of those professionals in it. The Holy Spirit was rushing around like a whirl-wind. I know she's always there, but I don't know that we're always conscious of her presence.

Luckily, we had a few moments in the morning where that was pointed out. May those moments come more often.