Doctor, It Hurts When You Do That!

Hey Everyone,

Sometimes the Doctor just has to make you a little uncomfortable in the short term to make sure that you are more comfortable for the long term. So it was for Lily Grace the past couple of weeks. She's seen more doctors and nurses and therapists and lab technicians than she really cared to see! But it was all good (mostly). Lily is cared for by the best team of doctors one could ever hope for. We are very blessed in that regard. When we completed the adoption paperwork, one of the things the Chinese government wanted to know was what kind of medical care would be available for Lily Grace. We told them that she would be cared for by very good doctors associated with the University of Alabama in Birmingham. Oh, if they only knew.

Lily sees Dr. Jennifer Chambers and her team (Leigh Ann, Jill, Amy, and others) in Birmingham at the UAB International Adoption Clinic and let me tell you, observing these doctors as they care for the little girls is further confirmation that God creates each of us for a purpose. And the purpose for which He created Dr. Chambers and her team is unmistakeable. I know, I know, the doctors are just doing their job one might say. But one would be wrong in this assessment. I truly believe these doctors are gifted by a great and wonderful God who has given them talents to see that children who need medical attention receive it with an extra dose of compassion and love. They look at every aspect of Lily's overall health, including her physical, emotional, and mental well-being and how she is developing overall. We are very grateful to Dr. Chambers and the others at the Internation Adoption Clinic for the way they treat Lily and her mommy and daddy each visit. Praise God for this team of physicians and that He put them in Birmingham so we could see them and benefit from their talents. That is so awesome!

Lily Grace also got to see her primary care pediatrician for the first time this week. Dr. Morgan at Madison Pediatrics is also a wonderful doctor who will be providing care for Lily for what we hope will be a long time. Unfortunately, for Dr. Morgan and her nurse (Tannika?), they were given the honor of initiating all the vaccinations that Lily is needing. Four shots! Ouch! Lily was not happy about this, so Tannika and Dr. Morgan will have some making up to do in the future! Sorry Tannika, maybe Lily will forget about the 'sticks' by next visit.

Anyway, for the most part, Lily has done very well with her doctors and is experiencing only minor ailments, common to most two-year olds. As part of her overall evaluation, she will have to see a pediatric eye doctor and a pediatric orthopedic surgeon in the near future, but no one's telling Lily about that right now! And for sure not me!


Love,
Jerry, Connie, Austin, and Lily Grace
Green, Party of Four