i'm glad i didn't know

We took Caleb to his first doctor appointment yesterday with the international adoption specialist. The bottom line: he looks great! His immunization records are superior and his current stats (height, weight, developmental milestones) are GREAT. Aside from a slightly awkward shaped head (from laying on his back for nearly the first 15 months of his life), he looks much like any other 4 year old boy. He loved being poked and prodded by the doctor. Really. He just smiled and giggled and thought it was so fun. The doctor couldn't get over how easy going and happy he was. She said that the other doctors will just LOVE him. Most kids aren't so thrilled to be examined!

Which brings me to my next point: other doctors. We have a LONG list of doctors and specialists to visit. Most involve getting opinions of when/how to further correct his cleft palate and lip. Here is the current list of appointments I now need to set up:

pediatrician - dentist - orthodontist - ear/nose/throat - craniofacial - plastic surgery - speech pathologist - and, believe it or not, a few others...

So, ya. I'll be busy running around and sitting in medical offices for the next few months. And you know what I thought when I left the hospital yesterday with this huge list of doctors to contact? I'm so glad that I wasn't told this last year b/c I'm not quite sure I would have signed up for this. I'm pretty sure that if I had been told that Caleb would require so many specialists, doctor appointments, and surgical procedures I may have said no. I may have thought it was too much. Too much time. Too much emotional stress. Too much money. Too much for me to handle. But you know what? It isn't. It's what our son needs and that's pretty much it. We'll do what needs to be done.

So today I'm thankful for what I didn't know a year ago. To think that we could have said no to a list of medical issues and missed out on this sweet thing...!