Welcome to the Hotel Ypsi-Arbor

Such a lovely place. Such a lovely face.

Here we are, reporting live from what Sonja has termed our "second honeymoon." Three full days of total relaxation... feet up, no work, no 3-year-old to chase, people waiting on us hand and foot. Ahhhh, yes. This is living.

The brochures tout this place's "warm environment, caring staff and family-oriented atmosphere," and our third-floor room overlooks... (well, not much really. just some rooftop mechanicals). We went with the all-inclusive package, which includes a nearby room stocked with an endless supply of graham crackers, jello and ice water.

Welcome to beautiful St. Joseph Mercy Hospital. If you're familiar with the area, you'd swear it's in Ypsilanti, but the address says Ann Arbor. I think it's just a real estate value trick. But I digress.

That "second honeymoon" line came from Sonja about 15 hours ago... back when she was in a little better mood. Quite frankly, she's kind of cranky now. Something about two days with little sleep, no shower and constant poking and prodding can do that to her. I've turned to updating the blog at 5:30 a.m. because I just had a stack of magazines thrown at me for snoring.

I guess we should back up...

Sonja had a doctor's appointment on Wednesday afternoon, during which certain measurements (1 centimeter) and terms (blah, blah, blah) were thrown around. I'd be lying if I said I knew what any of it meant, but I figured it out in context. Doc say "no more work, get some rest," Rich know babies come soon.

Fast forward to Wednesday night. Sonja calls me upstairs. She's in bed, a pad of paper on the bedside table reads: "9:40, 9:48, 9:55, 10:03, 10:10, 10:16..." Oh shit! Before you know it, it's midnight and Aunt Steph is on her way to our house to give Zoe a wake-up surprise. (I don't know how we'll ever begin to repay the favors she's accrued over the past three years.)

Naturally, the goal is to get these buns some more time in the oven and closer to that April 21 due date... and that's what we're doing now. They slowed the contractions medically while pumping in a few rounds of steroids for the kids. (The doctors didn't come out and say it, but I think it's to give the boy a head start for a career in baseball and the girl a shot at a roster spot on the East German swim team.)

They'll stop doing both on Saturday. From there, the contractions either remain subsided and we're home for Easter brunch -- or things progress naturally and we triple our parental workload. We're hoping for the former, obviously, but have been assured over and over that the latter would pose no serious complications. Both babies are around five pounds and this cycle of steroids will give them a final developmental boost.

Zoe stopped by earlier today and had a good time giving Mommy rides in the hospital bed. She also kept excitedly asking Busia and Dziadzia to take her into the hallway to see the big blue Easter egg. I didn't have the heart to tell any of the three of them it was actually a birthing ball. (Don't worry guys, I'm sure it was cleaned.)

Busia is with Zoe until Saturday, when Honey and Papa get to town for what had been a previously-planned Easter visit. Thanks to all of them!

As for Easter, a party for 17 -- the first true entertaining planned at our new house -- has been scaled back considerably. Guess we'll be freezing most of that six pounds of polish sausage from Larry's Meat Market. If you're ever in the area, let me know and I'll thaw a pound.

We'll keep you updated.