The Parking Garage

I had a prenatal appointment this morning.

I have to be seen off base because the base doesn't have enough staff to take on dependents.

Tom, he gets upset if he can't find a place right away. I gave him the address, he plugged it into the truck and we were off.

It was easy enough to get to. However, it didn't state that you had to go down another road to get into the parking garage. So Tom pulled in and there were cars everywhere, wanting to get out and Tom didn't know where to go.

"Where do I go, Amber, where do I go?" he shouted at me. His knuckles were turning white as he gripped the wheel.

Problem was, I didn't know where to go.

"It would help if you would say something!" he yelled when I didn't say a word.

I mean what could I say?

What I finally did say was, "I don't know how to get into the parking garage!"

"Why not?" Tom boomed, turning the truck around. "Why didn't you call the hospital and ask?"

Um.

I didn't know it would be difficult to get into the parking garage.

Sorry.

In the end we realized we had to go down another road to get into the parking garage.

The parking spots were small. It took Tom a few minutes to get into the spot and he started cursing at that.

"How come these spots are so damn small?" he screamed.

He eventually made it in.

I think we'll be taking the PT Cruiser to the hospital from now on.

After we got inside the hospital Tom went, "Okay where do we go now?"

Geez, like I know!

I asked Information and was told where the OB/GYN clinic was.

Then in the elevator we went.

I checked in and then we waited.

When I was called back I was told to go pee.

In England, I have no idea why, you didn't have to pee before your appointment. So this wasn't fun to do again. Squatting over the cup when you have a huge mountain of a stomach is not easy. I just pee out very very slowly.

Then into the exam room where I was told that I'd have a full examination--until the nurse saw I had my charts from England.

"Oh so you already had a full examination?" she asked, flipping through it.

I nodded thinking, "Oh please oh please I don't want to get naked and be fondled today.."

I was asked a few questions and then the nurse said the doctor would be back in a few minutes.

Oh and I was handed a diaper bag full of stuff.

I dug through it and found baby magazines, baby information and ucky formula samples.

Oh and a bottle!

And a coupon for a breast pump and breast pads.

"Stuff!" I said to Tom who looked a little uncomfortable to be seated next to a poster of a woman in labor. (The poster said something like, "Breathe through it.." and then listed upcoming childbirth classes.)

The doctor was in a few minutes later.

She said I didn't have to get naked!

Woohoo!

She asked how the pregnancy was going and then asked about England.

"That must have been...different," she said.

"It was," I agreed. "I'm glad to be home."

Then she asked me to lay back and felt my stomach.

Natalie didn't like it.

She kicked.

Then the doctor checked her heart.

Natalie didn't like that either.

She kept shifting around. The doctor would put the dopplar on one side, Natalie would shift. Then she'd move it to the other side and Natalie moved around again.

"Now now baby, we need to hear you," the doctor chastised. "I do hear the blood flow of the placenta, that sounds excellent."

(Yay for a healthy placenta!)

Finally Natalie calmed down and we listened to her heart.

She's perfect.

Tommy was all, "Hello Natalie!" when he heard her heartbeat. Then he said solemnly, "Natalie comes out after my birthday."

So, the good news is that I'm healthy, Natalie's healthy.

I have to go in for my gestational diabetes test on Monday.

Blech.

I remember when I took the test with Tommy that I got incredibly dizzy and had to sit with my head between my legs for a few minutes.

After the appointment we had to find our way out of the hospital.

Tom swore a little bit about that but then calmed down when we found our way out.

Then he apologized for yelling at me before.

"I just hate when I can't find a place," he explained.

Yes I know.

He's at work now.

And Tommy is at school.

I have the house to myself!

I need to take apart the vacuum because it's not sucking right. I have to do this without Tommy around because otherwise he freaks out.

"What happened to the vacuum? Vacuum? Are you okay? Vacuum is sick? Vacuum broken?" This is what Tommy will ask over and over.

I'm craving Taco Bell too.

I told Tom and he went, "How can you be craving Taco Bell? It's almost all we ate in England, yuck!"

But I want a grilled stuffed burrito.

*Drools*