Doctors visit

Yesterday was our first appointment at the medical office we have chosen here in Gainesville.  It's where all the doctors at a well-known, top-notch hospital in town practice and I felt like any one of them would be completely trustworthy.  I was nervous when the morning came- not knowing what to expect and hoping things would go well and that we'd be able to see a doctor soon.  I was so nervous that I forgot the keys to my little electric scooter, so I wasn't able to wheel myself around and had to do a bit of walking, which felt nice, but made me nervous.  The office was easy to find and as soon as we walked in, we were greeted by a friendly lady behind the counter who took her time explaining a few things, politely asking me to sign a few papers and making us feel quite at home.  She immediately sent us back to talk to the financial lady who would try to locate us in the insurance system (even though I thought of it a million times, I ended up leaving our insurance cards in Bolivia) and set up our payments for the future C-section that will happen in March.  So organized!  She congratulated us on the pregnancy and sounded quite excited when we explained that we had come back to Gainesville from Bolivia to have our baby here.  She also carefully explained the procedures we would go through each time we came to the office and made sure we were aware of what we should do in case anything scary happened during the pregnancy.  After we finished with her, a nurse was waiting to take us back to go over our medical history.  She was kind and funny and very thorough.  She asked if I had a doctor already and when I told her who I was hoping for, she said, "I don't think that's going to happen."  Apparently, this doctor is quite in demand and only takes patients "when the spirit moves him."  She made a phone call to ask his nurse to talk with him and they called back about 20 minutes later to confirm we could be his patients!!  God totally made that work out and the nurse praised him highly saying that both doctors and patients love working with this man.  Hooray!!  We answered some questions, asked a few, and were sent on our way.  The whole thing could not have gone more smoothly and we were stunned the whole time how well things are set up, how friendly people are, how well-cared for you feel.  I suppose I have spent all of my child-bearing years feeling only moderately cared for under the hands of only slightly informed doctors (and most of that information coming from their schooling decades prior) and after Zion, completely lacking in the kind of medical care that me and this baby need.  It's been tense and stressful and I only realize now the extent of what I have been missing.  I'm sure when I actually see the doctor and go through all the testing, that realization will be even more acute.  By another miracle, I was able to get an appointment with this doctor on Tuesday, when he will do an ultrasound and be able to tell us not only to what extent I need to be resting but also the sex of the baby.  They'll make up for lost time by doing a host of blood work and much relief will be felt by all.  :)

It's cool and sunny today and the house is totally quiet- except for my parent's crying cats.  Natty and Scotty have gone off to find a park and my parents are at the gym.   We are loving being here and not having any pressures and Scotty has mentioned several times being in the U.S. "honeymoon" phase.  I haven't felt this quite yet, as I haven't been able to get out and enjoy Starbucks and book stores and Target and just seeing things.  My venture out yesterday to the doctor was my first trip out since we arrived last weekend.  We're eating well, sleeping well, and loving that Natty has two more people to play with her.  God has been kind in giving us this chance.  Monday brings Scotty's parents for a few days and I'm hoping that Tuesday will bring news that we can all get out together and do some stuff out of the house.  And, I continue to work on trusting God for each day, even though the temptation to worry about how long my body can carry this baby is stronger now than in the early days.  There is much hope.