2 months here and baby due Tuesday!!

It's hard for us to believe that we have already been in Costa Rica for almost 2 months now. Classes started for us about 2 1/2 weeks ago and Tim and I are trying to cram as much Spanish into our shriveled brains as we can. It feels like the language is like a thousand piece puzzle that we find about 2 pieces for every day. The progress seems so slow, but I'll bet by the time we leave in August we will be able to look back and see how much we have learned. Just to bust my confidence, I just finished a conversation with a roof repairman that I couldn't understand anything of - I actually had to call one of the owners to have her translate for me. Embarrasing, but oh well. I mean, what do I know about tin roofs anyway? Just don't try to call us during a rainstorm - we won't be able to hear a thing :)  In the midst of our language challenges we are getting prepared for our new distraction, I mean addition! The doctor is planning on inducing labor on Tuesday this next week, and we're pretty sure we're having a boy. We're excited not just about missing a few days of language class, but welcoming this precious new member of our family. I am getting grumpier by the minute as the pregnancy ends, so I'm sure Tim is excited about getting his wife back too! My parents are planning on coming for a visit for almost 2 weeks on June 9th and we're looking forward to seeing them. The medical care here is excellent. The hospital we are going to is privately-owned (ie not a government hospital) and the maternity ward was built last year. The nurses are nice and take lots of pride in their work. We went last Monday to have a non-stress test done on the baby because it didn't seem like the baby was moving as vigorously as before. The nurse that attended to us was named "Dixie" and she was super nice, spoke very slowly for us and explained that we would be practicing our Spanish there because she didn't speak any English :) Everything turned out fine and I look forward to seeing Dixie again this week. One funny interaction we had at the hospital -- we went for an ultrasound 2 weeks ago, performed by a radiologist (MD) with 3-D images available. He tried to get a 3D picture of the baby's face for us, but the baby had his hands over his eyes the whole time. He was, however, able to get a close, clear shot of the baby's nether regions, confirming that he sure looks like a boy. The ultrasound had to be paid for cash up front - $63!! (a tenth what the US rate would be). When we went to our doctor's appointment that week, he handed us the pictures of the ultrasound. The envelope had a cutout in the front like a picture frame and said "my first picture" - but the picture showing was the only one they could get during the ultrasound - the genitals!! We got a good laugh out of that. Blackmail for later, I guess. We'll try to get a quick update posted after the baby is born, hopefully Tuesday. Thanks so much for all your thoughts and prayers!!

 

Amy