I don’t like to be late.  And with the weather forecast calling for 8+ inches of snow on my drive, I feared that at 4 am my 3 hour drive might become a 5-6 hour drive, or worse, result in slipping and sliding.  So I took my fiber pills, watched the weather channel, and did what any 50-year-old at heart would do…I left ahead of the storm.

You’re probably assuming that a hotel was part of my plan.  And that’s very logical of you.  Logic is handy, if your brain works that way.  Mine doesn’t.

Taking the boys in and out of their car seats and stroller is no small task.  They rest well in the stroller.  I can cat nap anywhere and frequently survive on little sleep.  The hospital has a nice enclosed parking garage, and once inside the hospital, there are lots of corners and spots for sitting.

Can you tell where I’m heading with this?  We arrived 13 hours early, and planned on camping out here ahead of the snow.  I’m not saying it was a GOOD plan, but it was my plan.

I had the babies changed, medicated, stretched, cuddled, and then tucked back in to their stroller.  They took turns waking each other up, then settled in for what looked like promising sleep by 10:00 pm.  I found a spot to kick my feet up and rest my head, then saw a mouse.  I couldn’t settle back in without picturing our creepy friend.  So we moved to stop #2.  It was cozy, and surprisingly empty.  No one was there!  Perfect spot to rest.  Except of course for this noise machine…

Oh… THAT’S why we have this spot all to ourselves…

By now I’ve realized that most of the lounges are closed for the night, or are off-limits because we aren’t in patient yet.  Inconvenient…but I wasn’t regretting my decision as I watched the snow fall.  We were safe and warm, and morning would be here in no time.

Fortunately, someone took pity on us.  We ended up getting admitted by 2:30 am, (5 and a half hours early).  And in the end I got more sleep than if I had stuck with Plan A and left very early in the morning.

Our nurse said her commute was doubled and slick this morning, and it was all main roads.  As I type I’m watching a local morning news update of the roads conditions and videos of accidents.  So even though it turned in to a weird night, I think it was the right, cautious move.

I guess what we learned here is that I’m the kind of person who would rather show up 13 hours early, and nap near a mouse and a noise machine, than be late or drive on slick roads in the middle of the night.

We also learned that if you’re this cute, they just might let you in early.

I’ll post daily update on how things are going!  We are feeling very optimistic about the ketogenic diet, and very blessed to have this week together!