Monday, July 11, 2011

Time for a Tune-Up?

Now, before I lose your attention and you don't read the rest of the blog let me state, it is not actually time for a tune-up. Ronnie is feeling good and we don't foresee another tune-up in our near future. So again, let me repeat: it is NOT time for a tune-up.

However, I thought I'd share a funny thought I had yesterday. I randomly thought to myself, "Is it time for Ronnie to go in for a tune-up? I kinda miss tune-up time." Now let me reassure you that I hadn't been drinking - I'm pretty sure they frown on that when you're pregnant ;-). But totally sober and in a non-insane state of mind I actually "missed" the hospital. Let me explain..

As we've said before, we do everything we can to make the most out of our time while Ronnie's in the hole, so tune-ups are actually a relatively enjoyable time (besides the fact that Ronnie's not always feeling great and he's tethered to an IV poll 80% of the day). While Ronnie's in we do things we don't do while we're at home. So when it's been awhile since we've had a hospital stay, there are little things I actually miss, and begin to look forward to. I thought I'd share what they were because if they're enough to make me "eager" (that's a bit of an exaggeration) for a hospital stay, than they're likely a good thing to give a whirl when you're in the hole. Some of these you maybe can't do, but variations would be just as fun!

Dunkin Donuts - When Ronnie's in, we get DD every weekend morning - coffee, a breakfast sandwich and a donut if Ronnie is feeling really hungry. I love the feeling of getting up, nice and early (generally when his first treatment arrives at 7am), jumping in the car (obviously just me, Ronnie stays and does his treatments) and heading to DD to get our food. Everything is so calm at that time of day, so it's always a nice and relaxed feeling. I bring it back and we sit and eat our breakfast while listening to podcasts of our favorite radio segments.

Afternoon Walks - This is when we get to spend some quality time together, without the interruption of nurses, doctors, etc. It's always a nice time to get out, stretch our legs, and enjoy some beautiful sunshine. I absolutely love our afternoon walks, and look forward to getting down with work so we can go.

Family Dinners - We get take out and/or Ronnie's mom makes us dinner almost every night. Home-cooked food or yummy take out is always delish, but even better, we normally enjoy the food with members of Ronnie's family. His brothers come almost daily, and his mom or step dad comes once or twice a week. It is always a really special thing when we get to spend time with family...and getting 2-4 weeks straight of quality time is awesome.

Lazy Saturdays (ok...Sundays too) - At home, there always seems to be chores begging to be done on the weekends, but in the hole, there are no chores. Weekends become a time to totally veg out, watch TV and best of all, NAP! I take a nap at least once a weekend...and it is glorious.

Date nights and Game Nights - Sometimes these are one in the same, but we try to force a romantic date night at least once or twice a hospital stay. We find a secluded spot, light candles, and have dinner. Something about these nights feels so incredible. I don't know if it's the different locations or the chance to feel like we're "escaping," but man, I love these nights.

So those are the things I look forward to most for the next tune-up. Hopefully it won't be for another few months, but since I was having the silly thoughts of "man, I'm kind of looking forward to the next tune-up's activities" I thought I'd share. Maybe all these hormones are messing with my brain :)