Cooper will soon have a "mini-me"... our very own mini cooper!

WARNING: The following post contains long-winded venting.

Aren't doctor appointments fun? I have to say that they're right up there with dentist visits. Just love them.

This morning my appointment was scheduled for 10:15 am. My babysitter showed up at 9:45 so that I could be a bit early. When I was pregnant with Cooper I was lucky to be able to take Mercedes to all of my appointments. While it wouldn't be a fun experience to keep Cooper entertained during my checkups, it's frustrating that children are absolutely NOT allowed in my OB's office.

I was scheduled to meet with my doctor for the first time (at 33 weeks). Until now, I've just been seen by the nurse practitioners. After waiting for 45 minutes, I was finally called back for a urine sample, blood pressure, weight check, and finger prick. At that time the nurse told me that it'd be just a minute until an exam room opened up and would I wait in the lobby. By 11:30 am I was wondering if they'd forgotten about me. At 12:00 pm I was finally put in an exam room, and 15 minutes later a doctor walked in. TWO HOURS!!! I didn't get to meet my doctor (the one who will be performing my surgery) because she'd just been called to the hospital to perform a c-section. I was grateful to the other doctor who made time to see me, but VERY frustrated that I'd had to wait for so long (with the baby-sitter's meter ticking all the while).

The doctor performed the usual checks: measured by huge belly and listened to the baby's heartbeat. He then informed me that since I have hypothyroidism, I should be having ultra-sounds each week starting now. I just about flipped my lid at that point. I knew that the only other patient who had spent as much time in the waiting room as me was a woman waiting for an ultra-sound. I explained that after waiting for so long, I needed to get home to relieve my baby-sitter. The nurse told me that I was welcome to come back tomorrow for the ultrasound. That didn't sit well with me. I just couldn't stand the thought of leaving Cooper (who screams the whole time he is left with a sitter) for another 3 hours tomorrow. Thankfully, they were very understanding of my situation and squeezed me in right away.



So we've got a little boy who is currently 4 pounds, 11 ounces and has a face that looks just like Cooper's! The 4-D pictures the doctor gave me were almost worth the wait. During the ultrasound the nurse informed me that I need to come in twice a week from now on for ultrasounds. Yeah, right. It's not a secret that I'm not very good a remaining calm. Rarely - if ever - am I calm. It is a miracle that I was able to calmly explain to her that I simply cannot find a babysitter to watch my son twice a week. After talking to the doctor she informed me that once per week would be fine - thank goodness! Maybe the twice per week thing was just a trick so that I don't feel so upset about having to go in weekly from now on... but I don't think so.

Our c-section is scheduled for January 19th at 12:30 p.m.!