Why don’t you tell me…

I am a planner. I love to make plans so much. And I like a REAL old-fashioned pen and paper planner. I just got a new one that says “Good things take time” on the front. And it has a whole section for meal planning! Meal planning! I am so 1950s housewife at heart… except I DO NOT want to clean in a dress with fixed hair! No thank you! I wear workout clothes as much as possible. When I pick the kids up from school and I am wearing anything else I hear a bunch of “AWWWWWW. Do you have a board meeting?!” And I usually do. I mean, why else would I be dressed up?

I love to make plans. And I actually think it’s important. Otherwise I would waste time. I want to make sure I am using it well. But, if I am being honest, I sometimes plan too optimistically (shocking I know). I am not realistic about how much time certain things will take. For example, switching clothes from winter to summer. I can’t even. Just the thought makes me want to cry. Last time I switched clothes it took 12 hours! 12 hours! I planned for 3. Oops. I have 5 kids plus Ryan and I. You mamas get it. You take one person at a time. You look through all of their current clothing. Whatever is worn out you throw away. Whatever is too small you hand down to a younger sibling or give away. Whatever you think might fit next winter you keep. You have to label where every item is going and store appropriately. Then, you go up in the attic and get that person’s summer clothes (if they have any). You go through all of that and see what will actually fit this summer. Whatever won’t has to be dealt with. Whatever does has to be washed (because even though it was clean it now smells like attic!) and put away. Then I have to figure out what that person needs for the season and make a list (well, that part I love). And so on and so on for each person. Ugh. Yesterday, I was telling my sweet mom that I have to switch clothes next week. She offered to help. But alas, no one can help because only I know all the things about all the people! First world problem, and yet a problem.

I have always loved to plan, however unrealistically. When I found out I was pregnant with my first child I was super excited to find a pediatrician. I wanted to find the right one so badly. I pictured a sweet little office with a sweet receptionist. I pictured sweet nurses that would know us by name and delight in all of my child’s milestones. And the doctor…. Well, he would be funny and kind and really know my child. He would be smart and intuitive. (I told you. My spirit decade is the 1950s.) And in the Lord’s goodness he gave us all that. Every bit of it.

I am no expert blogger. Basically, I just live my life during the week. I wait for something to hit me that is worth writing about. This week, it hit me on Tuesday. When I took Caleb to see Dr. Glover. He sat with Ryan and I for 20 minutes talking about the issue at hand. As we were talking, I was also thinking about the last 15 1/2 years with him. How he has stood by us. How he has genuinely cared for us. I thought about the first parenting advice he ever gave us. “Always put God in the center of your marriage. And prioritize your marriage. Do whatever you can to keep it strong. That is the most important thing you can do for this baby boy.” Such wisdom from such a wise man. I am so thankful for God’s provision of Dr. Glover and his sweet staff. I truly don’t know what we would have done without them.

Alarmists. You know people that act like everything is the actual worst and a huge deal? I know it takes all types to make the world go round, but that is one type that doesn’t work so well with my type… the unrealistic optimist. Dr. Glover is not an alarmist. I think he is a true realist. I have already shared how hard the first years of Caleb’s life were for me. I really think I was close to having a nervous break down. And I probably would have, if not for he and his precious crew.

Most of you probably know that in the first year of a child’s life you take them to the doctor at least a million times. That may be a slight exaggeration but it’s at least a thousand ;). In our case with Caleb it was definitely more than the norm. What I dreaded most were the scheduled check-ups. Because they were going to get out “the list”. The list was my enemy. It was a list of developmental milestones that child should have accomplished by that appointment. We never did great on the list but for the first few check-ups we were on the very lowest rung of normal. With the 6 month check up approaching I was a nervous wreck. I knew what was on that list. “Rolls over both ways, begins to sit without support, puts weight on legs and bounces, rocks in the crawling position.” And those were just the gross motor ones. Then there was fine motor and speech. I knew he would fail. Which meant I had failed too.

The day of the appointment came. I thought about cancelling. A lot. But I knew I would have to go eventually. When we arrived Norma greeted us as always. She ran the front desk (and still does). She is adorable and Caleb loves her so much. In fact, as he got older they became really good friends. Every time we would visit she would make a big deal about him. And she would pretend that he was in charge of her. He would make her go sit somewhere else and he would take her chair. Precious.

For many years there were only 3 nurses at Dr. Glover’s…. Katie, Karen and Christy. Gems. True gems. Karen has since retired but Katie and Christy still work there. Those 3 ladies have made a difference in my life. They have always been so warm and so kind. They have always cared. They have always been so gentle with my children. They have always encouraged me as a mom. They also are not alarmists.

The day of Caleb’s six month appointment Katie was our nurse. If you met Katie you would like her. I can’t imagine any situation on earth where someone wouldn’t like Katie. I am pretty sure I have only seen her smiling and usually laughing too. It is obvious that she is having all the fun and you have an open invitation to join her. She is hysterical.

Katie took us back, weighed Caleb and checked his height. All good, although he was a little on the plump side. She laughed at that and said, “Good job Mama! You are feeding him well.” Then, we moved to an exam room. It was the room with the lizard mural on the wall. I remember feeling like the walls were closing in. Those lizards felt scary. Then, it happened. It was slow motion. She pulled out the laminated list. She looked at me. Deep in the eyes. And she put the list away. She said, “Why don’t you tell me what is new with Caleb? He has certainly grown.” Relief. A flood of relief filled me up. Then, she listened. She listened to me talk about sweet Caleb. I was such a proud mama that day. She let us shine.

I am so so so thankful for God’s provision of Dr. Glover, Norma, Karen, Katie and Christy. They saw the need. They saw what they needed to do. They have always pointed us to God. They have reminded me again and again that God made Caleb exactly as he intended. Just this week I asked Dr. Glover if he is thinking about retirement (Please noooooooooo!!!!!!). His response: “Nope. I just love what I do too much.” Well guess what…. that’s obvious.