I mentioned in an earlier post that we have a lot to be thankful for already:

Andrew is in medical school, which means that he understands a lot of what is going on, and is on the inside at the hospital. He can interpret a lot for me, and this is so reassuring.

Andrew's rotations have somehow been less demanding than usual. The residents and doctors he is working with have been very understanding about letting him leave when something is going on. One day we had appointments scheduled for the whole morning, and Andrew was in his surgical rotation, which is the most demanding of all. He was planning to come to our appointments anyway, but he didn't even have to ask for the time off - a surgical conference was in town, and he had the day off!

Andrew had already been through his pediatric and obstetrical rotations when we found out about Cody's diagnosis, which means that he has already worked with most of the doctors we are dealing with. The doctor that interprets our ultrasounds every month was actually Andrew's preceptor (sort of a mentor/boss) during his OB rotation. I don't know what kind of care other people get, but I can tell you that our care has been excellent so far. We have even had a doctor stay late after work to meet with us and answer our questions.

I have already had two c-sections. This might not seems like such a blessing, but since this one would have to be a c-section anyway, it means one less scary unknown. C-sections aren't fun, but at least I know what to expect. And, again, Andrew's knowledge this time around has helped to explain some parts of the procedure that were particularly scary.

Living about a two-minute drive from UVA, the best of everything is right at our doorstep. This especially includes the spina bifida clinic, where all the resources are in one location. A lot of people would have to drive for hours to get to one.

We have extremely supportive family, who are willing to drop everything to be here when we need them, for as long as we need them. 

Because Andrew is in med-school and I stay at home, the boys and I are on medicaid. This means that every single medical need that any of us has is covered. All of Cody's surgeries and care will be covered with no co-payments at all. What an unimaginable relief! I watch enough TV to know that not everyone can just sit back and relax about medical payments.

I have always been a pretty negative thinker, but somehow with this (on most days), I can see the positive. That in itself is something to be so thankful for - there is no way I could just change my personality and see things differently through self-effort. I know, because I have tried. I only know one Person who could make a change like that in me.