House Calls
February 18, 1999

Last night was a little better than the night before, with Colette waking up for feedings at 2, 4 and 6 AM. She's slept for most of today, and we're working to keep her awake and fed again this evening in the hope that it will be another fairly simple night.

This morning at 8 AM the inspector arrived to examine our house. Jackie, our real estate agent, also was here. The inspector did a thorough job with the house and was kind enough to explain several things in layman's terms. Jean was able to keep up with him throughout, but I understand little about construction, electricity and plumbing, so I spent most of my time watching Jean to be sure she comprehended what he was saying. Jean was very tired all morning, and even took advantage of the inspector's time on our roof to rest quietly in our bedroom while I spoke with Jackie in the study.

The inspection went well. We'll meet again with Jackie tomorrow most likely to finalize our list of things that must be fixed before we can close on the house.

After the inspector and Jackie left, Jean had to stay up. She's had a call in for a home visit from a nurse, who finally arranged to stop by around 12:30 this afternoon. The nurse was cheerful, but I didn't stick around too long. While it was fun to go with Jean to all her prenatal appointments, there's not much to be gained from my involvement in her ongoing recovery, other than to encourage her to keep doing what she needs to do.

The nurse examined both Jean and Colette, both of whom seem to be doing quite well. When she left Jean and I had a quick lunch, then proceeded to take a nap until late in the afternoon. Colette slept as well, so we had a decent amount of rest. Despite that, I've been groggy for much of this evening.

It's been a fun day. I continue to get e-mail from friends on and off campus. If you've sent me a message recently and I haven't replied, please accept my apologies. While Jean and I are getting closer to a model for day-to-day life for the next five weeks, we're not there yet and some things – like e-mail – are left pending while we juggle everything else.



© 1999 Kevin J.T. Creamer
   



weather
The rain from last night continued into the morning, through our house inspection. In the afternoon the rain stopped, and just before dusk the sun came out. I sat in front of the window giving Colette her bottle as the sun set. The clouds in the sky alternated between red and grayish blue.

listening
The Masterpiece Collection (Chopin)

reading
The New Father: A Dad's Guide to the First Year (Armin A. Brott)