It’s 21:43 at the hospital (that’s 9:43 p.m. to you and me). Sarah’s still filling out paperwork, but it’s been an exhilarating experience. Our evening so far has gone like so, with all times approximate:

7:20 p.m. – My dad calls and pretends he’s from the hospital. Sarah figures it out quickly. My parents are still on their way to our house, which they are staying at while we are on our hospital stay. They’re near the Maritz bridge along I-44. We expect to see them soon.

7:35 p.m. – The hospital calls, and it’s 25 minutes earlier than the earliest time we thought they’d call (if that makes sense; they were supposed to call at 8 p.m. or later). We launch into our “leaving mode.” Sarah scarfed down a bowl of Golden Grahams while I let Molly out for a quick potty break.

7:45 p.m. – I call my parents. They are at Harvester and Caulk’s Hill. We are going to miss them by about five minutes. I apologize.

7:50 p.m. – I feel bad about not at least seeing my parents for a few minutes, so we call them and decide to meet along the road. They arrive shortly, and we exchange hugs. I feel much better.

8:05 p.m. – Sarah calls her mom. We’re almost to I-270.

8:20 p.m. – We arrive at the hospital. I drop Sarah off and park the car.

8:35 p.m. – We enter the room where we will deliver our baby. It’s warm here, and it looks like I’ll be sleeping in a vinyl-covered recliner. Nice.

8:50 p.m. – Sarah answers about a bajillion questions (OK, maybe 40 or 50) and fills out some paperwork.

Present – They keep coming in and checking stuff. Sarah’s hooked to an IV and still awaiting the drugs. We’re both settling in for a long night and an exciting Thursday.

I’ll update you all again soon. Have a great evening.