Flashback: Valentines' Day 2011

I admit... that I am not a fan of paying marked up prices for Valentines' Day roses, chocolates, presents and restaurant set menus.  It just sounds too ridiculous to pay that kind of money to buy a little bit of commercialised happiness on the fourteenth day of February.  I might not even remember the details by the time the next Valentine's Day comes again!

On the 2011 edition of Valentines' Day, fate intervened and gave us a staycation that we would never forget.

No. Not Capella Singapore, the ultra swanky hotel in Sentosa.

 No no no! Not the spectacular Marina Bay Sands hotel either.

Hotel de TMC, Premier Single Room.

That's me, enjoying the luxurious faux leather sofa bed and trying to catch a wink during our short stay at the Thomson Medical Centre over Valentines' Day.

A day before, on 13 February, we did an early 4am check-in at the hospital after Cheryl's water bag decided to burst at 35 weeks.  Still feeling groggy from the lack of sleep having just fallen into deep slumber after watching a late night soccer game, I rushed Cheryl down to the hospital under the advice of our gynae Dr Adrian Woodworth.

After a harrowing 12 hour experience - from trying to go all natural to getting the epidural done to watching the baby heartbeat disappear off the machine readings every few minutes for hours to having to feed Cheryl with pure oxygen to worrying about losing our baby to trying to hide the grave situation from Cheryl to the gynae deciding that it is too risky for a normal birth to waiting for the emergency caesarian to begin to waiting for the appropriate moment for me to go into the operating theater to watching the doctors pushing hard and pulling our baby out safely among the entangled umbilical cord, Aiden was finally born (slightly premature and at the birth weight of 2.74kg) into this world!

So embarrassing.

Did I mention that I also had enough time to make a fool of myself to a nurse when I wore the surgical cap meant for my shoes on my head instead as I waited outside the operating theater?  While praying for the safety of mummy and baby outside, I was wondering why the hell did they make those caps so impossibly small for my head and why they gave me an extra one.  Is there going to be alot of blood splattering around to warrant an extra surgical cap?!?!?  As the nurse did not break into uncontrollable laughter when she told me about the right way to use the surgical caps, I assumed that I am not the only man who made this mistake in the history of the hospital/mankind.  Do let me know if you know anyone in the same boat.  It will make me feel better.

And so, with limited energy and time (By day, I was spending time with Cheryl/Aiden or running errands.  By night, I sneaked into office to work on urgent stuff that needed my immediate attention.) we celebrated our 8th Valentines' Day together simply with some (not very tasty) macaroons bought from the Delifrance outlet in the hospital and with a third party between us - this little man called Aiden.  No expensive roses, chocolates, presents and restaurant set menus.

  

It's the best Valentines' Day yet. :)