The Last Hoorah in Singapore

This past week is a blur. As I write this, I am sitting in the airport at Narita, Japan, on a layover headed back to the States, but not directly to Tennessee just yet. I knew my last week in Singapore would be a whirlwind with little or no time to blog, so I will summarize a few highlights.

Carol chats with Sofie as she holds her world traveling no name
 chicken and wears the craft necklace Sofie designed for her.

My dear friend and regular travel companion, Carol W., arrived in the wee hours of Sunday, June 22nd, to spend the last days of my Asian tour of duty with me visiting my new granddaughter Bella and her big sister Sofie, with whom she is well acquainted. Carol's arrival gave Sofie someone new, but familiar and fun to engage. That freed me to hold and rock and cuddle sweet little Bella, who is an absolute darling.

Bella holds my finger... And my heart!

Plus, Carol provided much needed distraction that allowed me to indulge my other passion, which was listening to my Vanderbilt Commodores compete in the NCAA Baseball College World Series. Many of the games started at 8am Singapore time and lasted through the morning. I never expected the team would play so late in June, but they did and I wanted to listen to every pitch. Oh and by the way, they won the series and the national championship title! Carol's visit also signaled a return to tourist adventures and I looked forward to showing her some of my favorite parts of Singapore and accompanying her to tour some sights that were not practical to visit with a pregnant daughter-in-law or a five year old.

Carol and I logged many miles on foot including the huge
complex at the Gardens by the Bay shown here.

The sights Carol and I visited involved a lot of walking and much of it outdoors. Carol took to the MRT transportation convenience as willingly as I have. On Sunday, Carol and I toured the awe-inspiring Gardens by the Bay, a huge complex of trees and literally all kinds of vegetation both outdoors and within two huge domed climate controlled structures called the Cloud Forest and the Flower Dome.

The immense Cloud Forest dome featured a spiral walkway
around a faux mountain of forest greenery and a waterfall.

From there we walked through the distinctive Marina Bay Sands Hotel to the underground complex of shops, casino, theaters, and restaurants. We took the bumboat water tour of the bay and Singapore River, viewed the Merlion up close, then walked to the elegant Fullerton Hotel and beyond to the boat quay where we dined at one of the outdoor cafes along the river. It was a treat to be out for once socializing after dark. Singapore's cityscape is magnificent at night.

The Marina Bay Sands looms large outside the
Massive Flower Dome of the Gardens by the Bay.

The Marina Bay Sands had a laser light show emanating from it's surfboard rooftop.
On Monday, we devoted ourselves to Sofie's enjoyment and accompanied her to the Singapore Zoo River Safari, which included a walk past numerous tanks filled with large and small aquatic life. We took the boat ride down a manmade canal showcasing various mammals on either side: monkeys, tapirs, water buffalo, jaguars, etc. We also were entertained by the two large panda bears showcased at the zoo.

Sofie and Carol on the River Safari with tapirs in the background.

On Tuesday, Carol and I (without Sofie) toured the $5 million art collection of the Ritz Carlton Hotel, which itself is an architectural work of art.

Dale Chilhuly glass installations were featured at each end of this
domed atrium at the Ritz Carlton Hotel. 

The conceirge staff provided a detailed booklet and iPod Shuffle audio tour of the collection that includes art of some of the greatest artists of the past half century. From there we took the MRT to Chinatown where we toured intricately ornate Hindu and Buddhist Temples.

At the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, I was
given a shawl to cover my sleeveless shoulders.

We did a little shopping and enjoyed a delicious dinner there as well.
Wednesday, we took the MRT to Little India and meandered the colorful streets and shops there. We enjoyed a delicious Indian lunch at the Andhra Restaurant, an obvious favorite of the locals. I enjoyed curried basmati rice with chicken and shared that with Carol who ordered a spinach dish with large curd cheese on white rice.  The two dishes complimented each other nicely. We also passed by a mosque, but did not venture inside since photography is not allowed there. We returned to our apartment and took Sofie for a refreshing swim in the late afternoon as we did on several other days as well.

Carol and I outside a Hindu temple in Little India.

Then, that evening Carol and I took the MRT to the Harborfront and rode the cable car high overhead at night to Sentosa Island. That gave us another beautiful view of a different part of Singapore at night bathed in a rainbow of colored lights. Wednesday evening also marked the return of Aron who had completed his work in Papua for the summer. He and family were committed to appointments at the US Embassy on Thursday morning and a doctor visit in the afternoon. Aron is in need of a cornea transplant to repair damage from an infection suffered some years ago when he was living in Thailand. So, on Thursday Carol and I took the MRT west to visit the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

Carol enjoyed the Botanic Garden.

Being an afficionado of herbs and flowering plants, Carol really enjoyed our walk through this park with its picturesque lake and themed gardens for herbs used in cooking and the healing arts. From there, we took a taxi to Fort Canning, an historic site from Singapore's earliest history to its use during the colonial era as a cemetary and through WWII, during the city's occupation by Japan.

Entry to Ft. Canning cemetary.

At the top of its hill is a city resevoir along with an archeological dig site, a sculpture garden, and a large 19th century colonial structure presently undergoing renovation. After that we walked the four or so blocks to the old Raffles Hotel. While we waited for Aron, Hapny, and the grands to join us, Carol and I rested and cooled down at the hotel's classy courtyard bar sipping the original Singapore Sling made famous there.

Raffles Hotel's famous
Singapore Sling costs
$30 apiece.

Are you ready for this? Two drinks apiece (4 total) and the bar tab came to.... $130!! Granted, that's Singapore dollars, but the cost in USD was well over a hundred dollars! The drinks were good, but really?! What the heck! It was our last night in Singapore, so extravagance seemed appropriate. When Aron and family arrived, we moved upstairs to the famous (and air conditioned) Long Bar for another round of drinks and hors d'oevres on Aron's dime. I got the virgin sling this go 'round, which cost half as much as the Tanqueray version, which is still pricey for a fruity drink. The bar had an English pub atmosphere and was noisy, but smoke free.

Sofie enjoyed her Virgin S'pore Sling
with her dad at the Raffles' Long Bar.

Sofie does very well in such environments and her penchant for belting out faux show tunes wasn't the least bit disturbing to those around us. Sweet little Bella slept soundly snuggled in cotton blanket on the couch between her mama and sister. It was a joyful and celebratory occasion on this last night of revelry before my and Carol's departure set for early Friday, the 27th.

Hapny and sleeping Bella at Raffles.

Carol and I rode the MRT home one last time and spent the rest of the evening packing and preparing to leave. We arranged for a taxi to pick us up at 3:30 am to get us to Changi Airport for the 6am Delta flight to Narita. Long after Carol finished packing, I was still busy trying to fit everything into two big suitcases I had brought over. I managed to get everything in, but one suitcase is over the 50 pound allowance and the other is very close to it. I've added a number of clothing purchases and gift items that increased the bulk. Finally, around 1:00am, I got it all done and lay down to rest for an hour or so. The alarm went off on schedule at 2:30am. So, here we are at Narita on a 6 hour layover. Next stop: Hawaii! Aron is giving me a 5 day vacation on Maui before I fly home to my cats and life in Nashville. More on that in the next blog post! Sayonara....and aloha!

The New Normal

Sofie up close and personal with baby sister Bella.

It's Tuesday evening, June 17, and with Aron gone once again to Papua to finish up his work assignments before the six week summer break, we are now FOUR babes living the good life in Singapore! Soon, we will be FIVE babes, with the arrival this Saturday of a special visitor from the U.S. I'll keep you in suspense a while longer until she is here. In the meantime, here's what we've been up to.

Bella's first outing on the quay.

The weekend with Aron here was very enjoyable. How perfect that it also was Father's Day weekend! He couldn't get the flights he needed to leave here Sunday, so we got to celebrate with him that special day, which included our first outing together as family with our sweet Bella. We took a taxi to the boat quay and enjoyed strolling the riverwalk in the early evening and deciding which of the inviting riverside cafes we preferred for dinner. Obviously, it was Aron's choice on Father's Day and he picked a restaurant touting Thai, Indonesian, Chinese and Indian dishes. We shared lemon chicken, nasi goreng (rice with vegetables and fried egg), and a curry chicken soup, all of which was delicious and satisfying.

My Singapore Sling.

Aron asked if I wanted a margarita. No way! I'm in Singapore! I'm having a Singapore Sling, of course! Also, very delicious. It was a perfect evening really and the first time I had seen the cityscape at dusk with all the lights reflecting off the river and the bumboats of tourists occasionally gliding by with their silent electric motors (the boats, not the tourists...). Bella was perfect as well, mostly sleeping all swaddled and tied close to her mother. Sofie was her usual chatty and squirmy self. She is starting to take notice that she is no longer a solo act.

Our view of the cityscape at dusk.

After dinner we strolled back to the bridge to catch a taxi home, but impatience led us to cross the bridge for a better vantage point. Several available taxis zoomed past us, which was curious. We were standing in front of the Parliament building with it's grand entrance and manicured lawn. At Hapny's suggestion, I walked over to the guardhouse and asked about catching a taxi. One of the three uniformed guards politely told me we would have to go to the taxi stand on the next block. So that's what we did. When we finally got a cab, the driver explained that taxis are not permitted to pick up passengers near the front of the Parliament building for security reasons. I guess we'll know next time!

Breakfast at Orchard Scotts.

I was glad that Aron had to stay over Sunday night because it meant he would be with all of us for the first time for the communal breakfast in our building. I was happy to get one of the lovely serving ladies who take of us to take our photo all together for once. As the family documentarian, I do my best to pester and cajole at various and inconvient times my family members to pose and pose again until I'm happy with the shot. They will thank me one day, I keep telling them. If nothing else, I have a strong sense of purpose here in that role and at all our family gatherings. After breakfast we said our goodbyes to Aron, who will return to Singapore a day or so before I leave on the 27th.

Mt. Alvernia Hospital and Clinic.

Hapny, Sofie and I left the building soon after him to take Bella to her first appointment with the pediatrician who had examined her in the hospital. Dr. Ong had diagnosed Bella's jaundice and ordered the extra day in hospital to receive the light therapy. His clinic was located at Mt. Alvernia Hospital, a new location for us but not too far from Novena area. We took a taxi and found our way to the clinic area and Dr. Ong's second floor suite. It was crowded with babies and toddlers, their parents, and some grandparents. We were lucky to find a seat.

Bella and her Mama wait to see the pediatrician.

Hapny got Bella properly checked in and weighed. She has gained a few ounces since birth, which was reason to smile. Sofie entertained herself with the cartoons on tv. After a short wait, Bella's number came up and we were ushered into a separate office/exam room. We weren't there long before we were shown into Dr. Ong's office/exam room.

Dr. Ong examines Bella.

This was my first encounter with him. As Hapny had told me, he was very kind and seemed thorough both in his examination and his explanation to her about Bella. She was having a bit of discharge in one eye, which he explained was probably the result of a clogged tearduct. Not an uncommon occurrence in newborns and he told her how to treat it and provided a special powder to use on the umbilical stump. Lastly, he wanted to get another blood sample to check Bella's bilirubin count. He sent us to the outpatient lab, which we found after asking directions a couple of times. That didn't take too long, but it sure made Bella unhappy when they took a vial and a half of blood from her!

Hapny exposes Bella to warm sunshine.

We were told it would take less than an hour to process and that Dr. Ong would receive the results. We could go back to his clinic at that time to get them. The wait time was a perfect opportunity for us to have lunch in the restaurant of the hospital. As we finished, Hapny's phone rang and it was Dr. Ong's office. We paid and returned to the still crowded clinic waiting room, but it didn't take long to get the results. Bella's number was well within the normal range! Still, Hapny was advised to continue exposing Bella's skin to the sunlight for 10 minutes on each side in the early morning or late afternoon. Hapny has been dutifully following this advice. The morning sun shines into our windows and she opens the window and Bella soaks in the warm rays. Later in the day Monday, I took the MRT to our Novena grocery. I had Sofie's pink backpack with the luggage wheels and extending handle, plus two strong bags in which to load as much as I could roll and carry on the train. That's the new normal for now, which is fine. I'm quite comfortable managing this on my own. I expect to make return trips to the store on Wednesday and Friday.

Cuddling Bella is my favorite pasttime.

On Tuesday, it was Hapny's turn for a check up by her obstetrician, Dr. Chan. She's doing fine, of course, and will need to return in a month. Aron will be here then to take her. Bella is due to be checked again for the bilirubin number in two weeks, and will go for a follow up check up later in July before they are due to leave Singapore for good. They will travel to Hapny's home village of Tuk-tuk on Lake Toba, Sumatra for several weeks with her parents and relatives.

Sofie gets in on this cuddly action.

I'm just grateful I've got the time with Bella now that I do....and with Sofie too, of course. I missed being with Sofie when she was first born. She was nearly 7 months old before I got to meet her. At least I can look forward to having all of them "Home" with me for Christmas. But for now, I'm just living in the moment and documenting the experience so I can enjoy and relive the memories for a long time.

Blossom Clover Gives Way to Our Beautiful Light

The Vaughns and their camouflaged bundle of joy.

I thought it would be difficult to let go of Blossom Clover when the time came to embrace the name chosen by the parents of our darling baby girl. I think they did well in their selection. Meet Bella Ciana (pronounced "Chee-ana"), a fitting name that means Beautiful Light!

Baby Bella, 3 days old.

I love it! We call her Bella. I do wonder, however, if on some subliminal level the name choice was influenced a bit by Blossom Clover....initials "B.C" remain the same! That's great....I won't have to sell the monogrammed baby gifts on Craigslist! ;)
Sweet Bella came home to Orchard Scotts Residences this Friday morning with her entourage of Mama, Daddy and big sister Sofie. They spent the required extra night at the hospital together while Bella basked in the glow of ultraviolet light to mitigate the slight jaundice she had from an above normal bilirubin blood count. This is not unusual for a preterm newborn. Otherwise, she has been and is perfect!

Cherished moment!

I got five minutes notice of the family's arrival here and scurried to meet them outside to assist with the baggage. Glad I remembered just in time to grab the camera! You only get one chance to preserve these special moments for all time! After a photo session in our apartment, Sofie wrote and performed a special welcome song for her baby sister. I recorded it. Sofie asked my help to score the music, which was flattering since I have zero experience songwriting. Yeah, I know....I'm a poor representative of Music City USA.... Anyway, Sofie seemed to be pleased with it and that's all that matters.

Bella's song by Sofie with Mumu's score. 

I made good ol' American spaghetti for lunch and we'll have salmon fillets with baked potatoes and vegetables and salad for dinner. We're on our own for breakfast on the weekends, so we splurged and bought imported Oscar Meyer BACON to cook with eggs in the morning! Restaurants over here do not know how to cook bacon, so....I haven't had any to speak of in quite a while. This is really for Aron, not just me.

Bella awake and unswaddled with sister Sofie

While the entire Vaughn family was camping at Mt. Elizabeth Novena Hospital last night, I luxuriated in this rare evening off by enjoying a hot soak in the tub with a glass of wine listening to my favorite relaxation music. The tub is in the master suite, so this was a special treat. Now we will enjoy our family time together until Aron must jet off again Sunday back to Papua to finish up the school term. Since he will have taken his 5 days of leave for the birth, it likely means he won't be able to return to Singapore until the 25th. Oh well....
In the meantime, I look forward to many pleasant hours holding and gazing at our sweet Bella Ciana and playing with my best girl Sofie, of course, before I leave Singapore on the 27th. When Bella Ciana is old enough and if she desires, I will pay for lessons for her to learn to speak Italian! Ciao, Bella! Sofie will get dance lessons from Mumu. The future looks bright and I want to be around to watch these girls grow up.
Life is Good!

Two more weeks of this! Happy times....

Baby Backstory and Update

Two sleeping beauties.

It's noon Tuesday as I begin this and I'm at Mt. Elizabeth Novena Hospital with mama Hapny, who is trying to catch some zzzzzzz.... Sofie is eating beef stew while Barney plays softly on TV. Blossom Clover is sleeping peacefully all blanket swaddled in her bassinet next to Mama's bed. A peaceful scene that belies the sound and fury of Monday, which started out calmly enough. Like Monday a week ago, Hapny was scheduled to be seen by Dr. Chan at 11:45, another CTG test in the offing. You might recall that's the fetal monitoring that was done last week that caused concern enough that Dr. Chan admitted Hapny to the hospital overnight for additional monitoring, the end result of which showed normal heart function.

Our "D Day" list and countdown calendar.

We were unprepared then, but this time we had our act together: packed overnight bag and list of last minute instructions taped to the wall above our handmade calendar we used to mark off the days. So we trooped off to the doctor's office with cautious optimism that the CTG would be normal this day. Hapny was on edge as the nurse hooked her up to the monitor. She held the belief that the bad reading of last week was the result of her great discomfort from having to lie on her back. In the hospital she had been allowed to lie on her side: no bad results. So she made her case to the clinic nurse who seemed unconvinced. Still, Hapny got her way. I brought along a few color marker pens and book to occupy Sofie, but the prudent move was for us to exit the test room to help relieve Hapny's anxiety. After 20 minutes or so Hapny emerged and rejoined us in the waiting room.

Hapny's pre-packed hospital bag.

After a while we were ushered into Dr. Chan's exam room. The CTG looked good, she reported. We breathed a collective sigh of relief. Next, Hapny went behind the privacy drape and soon the ultrasound images appeared on the monitor screen. So far so good. Then the gloved exam. Uh oh....The tone of Dr. Chan's voice changed. The fluid is reduced, she said, referring to the amniotic sac in which the fetus develops, adding, "That's not good." I couldn't see Hapny's reaction, but I cringed and held my breath waiting to hear Dr. Chan's next words. "I'm going to have you admitted to hospital...." Damn, I thought. Then the words deja vu and the movie Ground Hog Day played in my head. About that time Hapny appeared from behind the partition and we looked at each other with that here we go again look. It was clear Dr. Chan wanted the baby OUT soon. Once again, we did not see it coming, but at least this time we had our Plan in place. Dr. Chan's plan was to give Hapny some sort of suppository in the hospital intended to "ripen" her cervix and then wait for contractions or induce labor early Tuesday, if necessary. We left the clinic and walked to the hospital side of the building.

A special moment at the hospital before...

Hapny wanted to eat lunch before starting the admitting process so we dined at the Chinese restaurant off the lobby. Hapny was surprisingly calm and resigned to spending the night in the hospital if it meant leaving with a baby. After Hapny was put in a private room in the labor and delivery unit, Sofie and I left to buy groceries and take the MRT home to relax and await word from Hapny. Regardless, we would head back to the hospital after dinner with Hapny's pre-packed duffel of things she wanted. When Sofie and I returned to the hospital around 7, Hapny had been moved to a private room on the 9th floor maternity unit for the night. She was clearly agitated. She seemed like a caged tiger complaining about having to stay the night when nothing was happening...no pains or anything. The fact that nurses kept coming into her room to ask if she was feeling anything was adding to her irritation.

Mama, Sofie and her baby sister June 10.

She also had gotten a call from the insurance people wanting to know why she was in the hospital if she wasn't in labor and not to be induced until tomorrow. Logical question. I did my best to calm Hapny and told her to trust her doctor and not worry about things beyond her control. The insurance call had undoubtedly raised concern that this overnight in the hospital might not be a covered expense. I told her it would be Dr. Chan's responsibility to show the medical necessity of it all. Since the plan was to induce labor in the morning, Hapny agreed it was better to have Sofie come home with me for the night rather than to roust her out of bed early in the morning when her mother would be transferred to the 3rd floor labor and delivery unit. That raised another item of concern for Hapny. She had called Aron immediately after Dr. Chan told her the next step was to the hospital for eventual delivery. The fastest Aron would be able to arrive from Papua would be Tuesday evening.

Dr. Chan checks on Hapny post delivery.

Since Hapny was not then in labor, it was their hope that Dr. Chan would hold off inducing contractions until the evening when Aron could be there. It was a tense situation. Sofie and I stayed until after 8:30pm, which is about the time Hapny started feeling...pressure in the lower abdomen.

Dr.Chan and our baby.

Could it be what she had for dinner? Or perhaps stress from being in circumstances beyond her control? I said, "I think this is the start of labor." As much as I hated to leave Hapny to deal with the pains of labor on her own, it was the logical and right decision to take Sofie home with me to spend what would be her first night ever away from her mom. Hiring a sitter for Sofie was never an option. Sofie seemed fine with the idea of sleeping with Mumu for which I say a prayer of thanks. I shudder to think how that might have played out. Hapny was still somewhat in denial about the labor when we left, but I told her I would be expecting her to call in the wee hours of the morning to tell me the baby was born. Of course, that's exactly how things went. Sofie and I took a taxi home and got ready for bed. She went to sleep almost immediately and stayed soundly asleep until around 8 Tuesday morning. Aron texted me around 10pm to report that Hapny had called him in tears that she was in a lot of pain and he wished I could have stayed with her. True that, I wrote, but that having Sofie with me was the only sensible option. Shortly after 4 am, Hapny called me. "Mumu," she said sweetly. "Blossom Clover is here." I knew it before she said it as I picked up the phone. Her voice was so calm compared to when I last saw her.

Sofie took her half of the bed in the middle.

Sofie is not a morning person and so I waited for her to wake naturally. When she opened her eyes, I immediately showed her the photo of Blossom Clover that Hapny had sent me, which I had already posted on the blog. "Do you know who that is?" I asked her. Sofie shook her head. "That's your baby sister!" A look of confusion crossed her face. When it finally sunk in, her face brightened and she was eager to go see her baby sister. "She's so cute!" Sofie said. True that...

Daddy Aron's first look at his newborn daughter.

Update: So now it's Wednesday evening here. Aron arrived on schedule after a long day of travel from Papua. He will be able to stay here until Sunday afternoon when he must return for one more week of work before the 6 week summer break begins. Sofie was so excited to see him. She missed her daddy very much.

First time to hold his baby girl.

He took a taxi to our residence to drop off luggage and then packed a light overnight bag to stay with Hapny in the hospital. Together we went to the hospital and I took photos of his first encounter with the wee one. Sofie and I came home after nine for her second night in Mumu's bed. Aron joined us for the communal breakfast here this morning and we spent the rest of the day visiting our baby and shopping for baby toys and flowers for Mama Hapny. Aron and I took Sofie to Toys R Us and I did my best to prevent purchase of toys for Sofie with small pieces of potential harm to Baby Blossom. That was no easy feat!

Family guessing game at the hospital.

Aron overrode my veto of a sword shaped container of bubbles and wand. I was happy to purchase the $7 plastic broom and dustpan she fancied. She likes to sweep! Vocational training for a future career, I suggested with a wry smile. Her dad also wanted to get her a game where the players have to guess what animal or object is pictured on the card they wear on their head. Sofie also got to see a free live stage show with singing and dancing adult friends of Thomas the Train.

Sofie and Mumu at the Thomas the Train show.

Sitting on the floor cross-legged with Sofie on my lap for a half hour is surely worth a few karma points. Then we brought our gifts and treasures back to Hapny's hospital room and the four of us played a round or two of the cards on the head guessing game while our baby slept peacefully. I've been telling Hapny that this child will be different from Sofie, and I hope that's true for Hapny's sake. A calmer, less active child would be a blessing. Having two Sofies is almost unimaginable! So far, Blossom Clover is proving to be a peaceful little angel. Oh, and about the name...I'm still waiting for the parents to decide what they want to name her. It's gonna take some getting used to calling her something other than Blossom Clover. Stay tuned for that announcement....

What's your name, little girl? You are still my
Blossom Clover!

Say Hello to Blossom Clover!!!

Here is our baby girl! 6.17 pounds born shortly after 3am, June 10. It's just after 4:00 am in Singapore. I haven't even seen her yet. Sofie is sound asleep beside me. We are at home. Aron can't get here until this evening, traveling from Papua via Bali.
When Sofie and I left Hapny at the hospital at 8:30 last night, Hapny was just starting to feel pressure. Not surprised when I got the call announcing, "Blossom Clover is here!!" Mother and baby are fine. There was some drama earlier in the day.... The full story coming in the next blog post with more photos. Praise the Lord!
P.S. No other "official" baby name yet! I think it might be too late to change! ;)

A Hitch in Our Giddy-Up

We didn't see it coming, but the important thing is the expectant mother is fine and we think Blossom Clover is too, but the past 24 hours have been nerve wracking, to say the least.

The center of attention
and objet d'art.

I'll explain: Monday we took our usual leisurely communal breakfast on the 14th floor with our neighbors. We returned to our room and were making plans for an outing. Then I heard Hapny say, "Oh no!" ...or words to that effect and she showed me the appointment book for this week's visit to her OB. She had told me the appointment was for this Tuesday at 9:45, but now she discovered that the appointment was for Monday. It was already after 10 o'clock! Oh dear! She called Dr. Chan's clinic. They were about to call her. No problem, they said; just come soon as possible. So we scurried ourselves out to the main entrance of our residence and took a quick taxi to Mt. Elizabeth Novena Hospital and the adjacent clinic.

Nurse adjusts CTG monitor at Dr. Chan's clinic.

We arrived around 11. Team Hapny was soon escorted into a tiny room with exam table and a chair. Sofie sat on my lap and her mom was instructed to lie down. The nurse wrapped 2 belts over her protruding abdomen with conductive plates and wires attached to a cardiotocography (CTG) machine. It prints out a record of the baby's heart rate and records contractions of the uterus. Hapny was rather miserable on her back having to stay still and Sofie wiggled and squirmed as expected and was exhorted not to touch her mom's tummy. Eventually, Sofie climbed onto the table and repositioned herself carefully between her mom's legs so she could watch cartoons on the wall-mounted tv.

Sofie relaxes while Mama gets monitored.

Occasionally, one of the nurses or technicians would come in and check the machine and printout. At one point, the machine jammed and Hapny had to endure extra time in the torture chamber, as I referred to it. I jested that this was her punishment for overlooking her appointment time (and failing to show it to me). Eventually, she was unstrapped from the apparatus and allowed to sit up. Then we were ushered in to see Dr. Chan for an ultrasound and examination behind the partition. No problems there. Dr. Chan did, however, express concern about a deceleration of the fetal heartbeat during a contraction, an indication of possible distress. So, as a precaution, she wanted to admit Hapny to the hospital for at least three more CTG recordings of one hour each spaced through the rest of the day.

Waiting to be admitted for testing.

This was not part of The Plan. We spoke to Aron on the phone in Papua. I calmly explained the situation. No need to panic, but we all knew that if further testing showed continued dips in the reading that an emergency caesarian section would be imminent. At 36.6 weeks gestation, we were assured the baby would be able to do well at this stage. Yes, but....would we??? Hapny and I had discussed making preparations to include pre-packing for the hospital, and a list of reminders and instructions about where to find things she might need from her bedroom. We were going to have that session right after this appointment. Well...clearly we should have done it sooner!
We were delayed leaving Dr. Chan's office due to her office accountant wanting some settlement or resolution of payment, which entailed calls to insurance and an awaited fax. After what seemed like an eternity, but without the matter resolved, we were excused to walk next door to the hospital admitting office. By this time, it was after 2 o'clock and we were very hungry.

Signing papers in the hospital admitting office.

Admitting took a while because we also needed to sign forms relating to the delivery, which we had already planned to take care of that appointment day. Finally, Hapny was approved for admittance. As she was escorted to the labor and delivery section to a private room, Sofie and I went to the Chinese restaurant off the lobby to order 'take away' meals for the 3 of us. Soon we were upstairs in the room with Hapny who was already hooked up to the CTG monitor and forced to wait to eat her lunch. We could hear the heart sounds and noted every deceleration and acceleration anxiously.

Hapny in good spirits Monday and feeling okay.

Sofie and I ate and made plans to leave her mama to do a little shopping for a pool toy before heading home to spend the afternoon swimming and awaiting word from her mama. I took Sofie to my latest shopping discovery, United Square, a mall designed with kids in mind, a short walk from the hospital via underground tunnel. I took her to Toys R Us where we found the water cannon she had been jonesing for since seeing several kids in our complex playing with them.

Sofie hit the ball well despite never trying before.

The best feature of this mall is the kids play area in the middle of the lower level. Sofie did the obstacle course and with 5 swings of the bat, she got three solid hits. First time she ever tried that! Later she had a blast playing with the water toy. She even abided by my strict rule of no aiming at people under threat of repossession by me.

Sofie and her water blaster.

Meanwhile, the expectation held by Hapny and me was that after the early evening testing, she would be free to come home. That's not what happened. Dr. Chan wanted to keep Hapny in the hospital overnight, which was cause for much complaint and unhappiness. No visit from Dr. Chan and in the absence of any solid evidence for concern, we considered bolting. We didn't. Hapny won a concession with approval for Sofie to stay the night with her. That made me uncomfortable, given Sofie's "free spirit" so I stayed as well. Sofie shared the narrow bed with her mom and I rested...sort of...on the couch. Bright and early Tuesday, Sofie was moved out of the bed to allow for another round of CTG testing. Predictably, she was pretty grumpy about that. The hospital provided us breakfast trays, so we stayed with Hapny until after nine. Then Sofie and I left to pick up some groceries and come home. She was pretty content to draw and color with a little Disney channel on the side. We made tuna sandwiches and around 2 o'clock we got our swimsuits on and splashed in the pool for a while. There was nothing much to report from Hapny except her resolve NOT to spend another night in the hospital. I seconded that!

Waiting to get the word Tuesday that Hapny could leave the hospital.

Sofie and I returned to see her around 4 and then we waited together until after the last hour of CTG monitoring and the anticipated visit from Dr. Chan. Good news! Nothing negative to report, so Hapny was free to leave the hospital. Such joy and relief was written all over Hapny's face. The doctor did note, however, that one strong contraction had been recorded in the last session. I know. I saw the number spike. Hapny reported feeling nothing. Still, Dr. Chan advised her to be alert to signs and changes and be ready to go! Cruelly, we had to hang around the hospital a while longer waiting for the business office to officially discharge Hapny. It's always the money people who call the shots, isn't it? They wouldn't let her go without getting her credit card information. We made sure they promised not to run any charges without prior notice. This 24+ hour visit resulted in total charges over $1,500. Might have been more in the U.S. No matter. Hapny's insurance is supposed to cover it. The important thing, as I said at the beginning, is that nothing bad happened, just some inconvenience, but we do have some confidence again that Blossom Clover is thriving and getting bigger--slightly less than 6 pounds now.  Will Hapny make it three more weeks (due date June 26)? Let the betting begin!