the (mis)adventures of jenna

At precisely 9:30, Joey and I jumped in our Corolla and zipped up Greenville to Presby.  No being late for us, not for an appointment of This Magnitute!  Just before dashing out the door, I grabbed the Biohazard sharps container, which is chock-full.

It’s so nice to get that creepy looking thing off the counter.

We arrived at the ARTS department at 9:43 and sat there, wiggling but still trying to look mature and responsible.  I think we failed.  After about five minutes they called us back and had me verify absolutely everything. “Is this your signature?  What is your date of birth?  Please verify the last 4 of your Social…” and so on and so on.  This is one of the best ARTS programs around, so I’m really confident they’ll do a great job.

The nurse, a sweet lady from Nigeria, told me to switch out everything I was wearing for a fashionable hospital gown, a hair net, and this really fancy pair of blue booties.  Can do.

There was a really weird picture on the wall in the room, and it took me about 20 seconds to realize what it was.

“JOEY!” I gasped.  ”How SCANDALOUS!”

Then he looked at it and snickered.  ”OK, go stand by it so I can take a picture of you.”

I KNOW, scandalous right?  That would be a picture of…um, “boy meets girl”.

Of course I immediately texted a picture of it to The Kid.

Shortly, the nurse came in and asked me a jillion questions about the medicine I take, the supplements I use, and if I ever had any sickness or had died in the past; the usual questions.  Her next question was if I’d had any other surgeries.  I mentioned we had lost a baby in May and I had needed surgery then.  The nurse immediately stopped taking notes on her computer and walked to the bed and stood in between us.

She grabbed both of our hands and held them tightly and, with her thick Nigerian accent, she told us she was awfully sorry, but that we would be OK.  She said we needed to be together for ever and ever, until death do us part.  She said God gives babies and that we needed to trust him.

She was amazing.  She was exactly what we needed.

Sometimes God surprises me with bits of grace like this nurse.

And this is kind of out of chronological order, but who cares. Joey said that while I was in surgery the nurse came in to the room while he was waiting for me and getting some studying done.  I forget how the conversation went, but at one point she said something about how must ask God to grant us children.  And then, right there, she raised her hands up in the air and asked Him on our behalf.  Loudly and without any fear.  Right in the hospital room.

I will probably never see that woman again, but her strength and gentle faith really amazed me.

OK, back to surgery.

The anesthesiologist only took two or three tries to get an IV in me, which was really great.  He was really hilarious and I liked him.  Right after he finished he said, “Whew.  I was nervous; this is my first day.”

I laughed and laughed.

Actually, Joey and I laughed so much this morning I’m not sure it wasn’t good for our little eggies.  But I was absolutely stress-free.  (I just hope it can stay that way.)

Then off they walked me into a really cold room that looked like something they’d put on one of those space shuttles Brother is always watching getting launched.  Dr. Babyplease was in there, along with a bunch of other people I’d never seen before.  Following Dr. Babyplease’s instructions, I lay down on a kind of squishy Tempur-Pedic type bed and within five minutes was out like a light.

Thirty minutes later, I woke up in the room where Joey was waiting for me.  They were DONE already!  It was 10:45, the time they had me scheduled to begin the procedure; I’m OK with getting done early.

Joey handed me my iPod and I played Orgeon Trail for about the next 30 minutes, until they finally said I could get dressed.  It was SO cold in there.

And then, just like that, it was all over.  We drove home, Joey told me to get in bed and GO TO SLEEP, and then he left to work a few hours this afternoon.

As soon as he left, I sneaked out of the bedroom to check my email and make this post.  (Hi, babe.  It’s not like you didn’t know I’d do that as soon as you left anyways.)  Earlier he told me if I was good we could go to Mattito’s and get CHEESE ENCHILADAS for dinner.

Currently I’m not being very good, so I think I’d better go try to take a nap.

They’ll call me tomorrow and let me know how many eggs the wound up fertilizing and how they’re doing.  I’m thinking they’ll transfer them either on Sunday or Tuesday, but most likely on Tuesday.

Hmm, my tummy hurts now. I think I ate my chicken soup too fast.

That’s all…I’m going to go have a nap now.  Probably.