This evening at five Jean and I had an appointment with our pediatrician-to-be. We're going with the doctor that Brian and Alice have selected for their daughter Madelyn. While our appointment was set for five, it was closer to six when our doctor could finally sit down to talk. Mondays are a busy day.
We like her. She's nice but matter-of-fact. She was thorough in answering our questions. Sadly, she doesn't go to the hospital where we're having the baby (if her practice did, they'd have to be on a rotating emergency call with the hospital, which is far from where they are located). She's recommended another practice that will come to our hospital and give our daughter a check-up (once we rescue Bumpy from the hospital, we can take her where we want). We'll go over all this on Thursday when we meet with Jean's OB/GYN again.
We decided to grab a quick meal at the mall after the appointment. The mall was nearby, and it was after six thirty and we were both hungry. Going to the mall also gave Jean the opportunity to return a few things from the holidays. After we'd finished dinner and gone to the far end of the mall to start returning things, Jean told me that she was experiencing false labor again, though this time it was a little painful.
Great, I thought. The trick with false labor is to stop doing what you're doing to make the contractions go away. Since we'd been walking all over the mall the solution was to stop walking. Except we were as far from the car as we could have been at that moment.
Jean insisted she was fine, and that she wanted to make the one last return at the store closest to where we parked, so we walked back to the other end of the mall, did the return, and came home.
The phone was ringing when we got home. It was my brother Shane. I'd called him last night to get some advice on strollers. He's got two girls and is my first point of contact when I have a question. I've been interested in the Peg Perego strollers, specifically the Roma model. It's a solid and versatile vehicle. The problem is that here in Richmond it's almost $300, about twice the price of most other brands.
At first Jean was interested in the other brands. We are not made of money and have to be careful. But after several trips to two stores here in Richmond, she's come around to the fact that the Roma stroller is worth the money – so long as we actually use the stroller often.
Shane likes joggers (those strollers that have three big wheels). The problem is you can't use them with an infant, since infants can't support their necks. He agreed that if we're going to get a stroller, Peg Perego is the way to go.
We're going to wait to see if the strollers go on sale. Until our daughter shows up, time is on our side. If we're lucky we'll save a little money.
The good news is we've settled on a doctor, decided on the health plan (Jean's), and chosen a stroller. We've just about resolved all our pre-baby issues. Once we buy the rocking chair, we can sit back and wait for Bumpy to show up!
Clear and cold today, like so many recent days. What was different on campus was that the students are back. After so many quiet days, it was a little startling to see so many people everywhere.
listening: Spinner.com
news: I received e-mail from the BBC today. My Milton-L web site has been included and reviewed in the BBC Education Web Guide!
© 1999 Kevin J.T. Creamer