Planes, Southern Hospitality and... Reshmi!

Wondering about the photo? I'll get to that...
And I'll get to our adventures at the hospital in a post to come later this evening. This is really just the trip report. So if you're looking for a medical update, check back in a few hours.

So, aside from running late, our flight south was uneventful. Yeah, spilled about half a bottle of Pedisure into my lap, and a few spoonfuls of banana, and applesauce. Oh, and hot coffee. But other than that.

We were staggering somewhat dazed through the airport in NC when someone called my name. I turned around and it was Reshmi Hazra! Reshmi is one of Noa's former nannies - she even came to Idaho with us one summer - she is on Noa's top ten list of fun people, so it was really neat to run into her and somewhat surreal. I thought maybe I'd fallen asleep and this was all just a dream! She was actually waiting to get on a plane back to NYC. Talk about small world!

The real fun started when we got to the hotel. They'd already lost our reservation twice. When I called them from the airport earlier in the day they assured me our room would be ready, with crib, with frig. We got there. They claimed to never have heard of us. Again. Nonetheless they let us check in (for the time being anyway). But as it turns out they didn't have a crib.

So, here's southern hospitality for you: the manager (who I'd spoke with earlier in the day) told me oh-so-sweetly that she didn't why the people at Duke would have promised me a crib.

Me, all NYC, says "they didn't promise me, your people did."
Her, all sweet: "oh I don't know who would have done that."
Me, again with my NYC on: "You. I spoke to you at 4pm today. You told me not to worry - we'd have a crib and a frig."
Sickly sweet: "Well I told the engineer and I suppose that just went in one ear and out the other. He's in charges of the frigs, so I thought we had the crib. But those people at Duke just never should have promised you one."

NYC Girl: "They didn't. You did."
Etc, etc...

SO we got ZERO sleep last night and then had to be a the hospital at 9am. Being in bed with Mommy and Daddy was a great big game for Noa - I wake one up and force him/her to play with and when that one gets fed up, I wake up the other one. And so it went.

Oh, and the wireless internet? Only one problem with it... you got it through a cord that you took out of the phone and stuck in your computer. Ya see wireless would imply... well, nevermind.

SO - after our hospital adventures (to come later), I sent Ben down to lawyer talk the front office. Now we're in a room with two beds, a frig, suddenly... a crib, and wireless (they claimed the room didn't have internet... what do they know).

BUT THE BEST PART IS that as we were going to the hospital this morning we noticed that there were two entrances to the hotel parking lot. One with the hotel's sign... and one with the sign at the top of this post... sleep disorder center??? We highly suspect that this Duke Medical rate at the hotel is actually part of some study on sleep deprivation...

On the plus side, as I type this post Ben and Noa are having a good ol' time splashing about in the hotel's hot tub. Her hysterical laughter bounced off the giant windows has basically chased away anyone else, so we've go the place to ourselves. Man, I bet the people at this hotel love us!