Signs of Life

Yesterday we set out early for our appointment with Fernie. He seemed happy to see us, chat about Quincy Market and the scandals of the Big Dig, and then get down to business. Actually, all of the Boston nostalgia came up because in just 17 days, we will be HOME! Too exciting. I didn’t realize, since I definitely still have no official bump, that I technically need a ‘Permission to Travel.’ Anyway, it’s no probably as luckily he is granting it. Suffice to say, any other decision of his and it would have been Adios Fernie… The appointment was a smooth one. As excited as I am, I still find myself just a little nervous if there is ever a moment of unexpected silence. We had a small ultrasound. I do mean small, because Fernie has a itsy, old-fashioned machine in his office, but it is great because I think we’ll get to see Junior at every appointment. It makes everything so much more fun to see the little one. He found the heart beating wonderfully right away. And the baby’s formation looks perfect on the small screen. He/she is 26mm, and looks like a baby now! Actually, he/she looks AMAZING, may I say? Fernie did make me a little nervous because he starting shaking my tummy, trying to get Junior to do a dance for us. We were happy just to see him/her, and the heart working its wonders, but I think Fernie, like all Colombians, was partial to the rumba. He shook me, there wasn’t any significant striking of a pose, but you could hardly see anything on that screen, the size of my palm. Fernie seemed disappointed, like a child who gets a talking doll for Christmas and then realizes it only says 8 words, two of which are pee-pee, but we are HAPPY! I think the baby will be like it’s mama and dada – we’ll dance when we know only the people who both adore and forgive unconditionally are watching!

My blood tests were reviewed. We’d noticed on the paperwork I had an unusually high level of monos… monkeys? Anyway, all translated and put into words by our clever doc, it turns out I am the proud, genetically-cursed owner of a hypothyroid. So, all tiredness, weight gain, hair loss, panic attacks and nausea can now be attributed to my lazy thyroid and not the baby… I think not! Still, the worst of the news was that it meant more blood tests. I know I probably seem like a coward, but let me explain… I have DEEP veins. I mean profundas, profundas, profundísimas, as the nurses always say. It usually takes 4-5 doctors and nurses, a specialist or two, 6 rubber bands, 8 different positions and a lot of needle searching to find me a vein. I come away totally black and blue with needle piercings every mm. of me, flick marks from all the nurses manicured nails and latex burn from the bands trying to force a purple streak up. Great news is, I didn’t faint. I came very close, but after an hour and a half finding the vein, I couldn’t face 3 hours in ‘Observación’ again. Clearly, it’s a conscious decision I make for attention! All of the doctors and nurses know me now, from my convulsions, passing out and invisible blood stream, but it’s not a bad thing. A medical enigma, perhaps, they said all they were looking for was a ‘sign of life’! Uh-hum, I have someone else’s heart beating inside of me. There’s one, actually two. Anyway, I now get very special treatment and we feel like we have a lot of friends at that place. I’ll get my test results in a few days and we get to go back in two weeks for the big scan to see the formation of the nose and brain. That will be great! Please, please keep Junior in your prayers!

The rest of the day passed happily. We walked all over the city in the sunshine and finally got a refund from the only Colombian thief we’d met. We paid him 3 months ago for a lamp, and we’ve been man hunting him down ever since. Yesterday we surprised him! So, that was good. We also bought a delicious and very plain cake, a traditional Maria Luisa, and I’ve just had a second slice for breakfast. I’m still partial to anything bland…and oranges. Colombian oranges are the best in the world! I can eat 3 or 4 of them in a day. I am sure they, and junior, come to us straight from Heaven! In other food news, dinner is officially off the menu. No matter what we have, it makes me sick, but for lunch I can usually eat something more substantial. Walking home yesterday, I saw the ice-cream shop and I made Steve come in with me, the first time in months. We bought a couple scoops, but needless to say, they are still in the freezer. False alarm… It’s hard finding things I like… Talking about food aversions for a pregnant woman is like talking about the weather for a Brit. Apologies…
Cedritos, our neighborhood, is now officially Candy Land. There are Christmas lights outlining almost every building, window, bush and tree. It is unbelievable, tacky and oh so jolly! It makes us so excited to go home soon! Happy December everyone!