09/23/2008

Two months from today is the official "due date" for our third child. I hadn't seen a doctor since my first trimester. Which Wich (Nick's new employer) doesn't yet provide health benefits, so when we left Starbucks, we lost health insurance. Of course, we knew this would happen and had taken into consideration the ramifications, etc. We looked into the cost of Cobra (continued coverage) and had estimated our monthly cost at around $800/mo. We figured this would suffice until we were able to obtain private health insurance. We had to wait to become privately insured until after the baby was born. Pregnancy is a "preexisting condition", and this eliminates the possibility of private insurance.

Well, this is all technical, of course, but the best laid plans of Nick and Rachel failed when we received official paperwork from Cobra. They were going to charge us more than twice what we had expected each month to continue coverage! No thanks! But then what? We didn't really want to put the birth of a child on a payment plan. Those hospital stays are never cheap. As I was doing research I came across a government program called CHIP Perinatal. It is designed to offer an insurance policy, through the state, to people who make too much to qualify for Medicaid. I did a little looking into the program, figured we might qualify, and filled out the application. All the while PRAYING!

Several weeks later I received a letter in the mail--they were denying me coverage because it appeared that we made too little money and would qualify for Medicaid. I thought they had surely calculated our income incorrectly. They had. We earn twice the amount they figured we made. So we submitted a request for review. And then, the shock of our lives: we "still qualified for Medicaid." They were pretty insistent. I kept saying to Nick, "Yes! I would love to qualify for Medicaid...I mean, they would completely pay for everything...but there is absolutely no way we will qualify." I was wrong. We qualified! I was completely amazed. Prayers answered--above and beyond what we ever would have expected.

This baby will be "free." Unbelievable.

So, without paying a dime (okay, I paid a dollar for parking) I saw an ObGyn on Monday. Nick stayed at home with the kids. The doc was wonderful! And, the best news? The baby looks great! Healthy, developing well, and...

Lottie Caroline Jones: Lottie, diminutive form of the name Charlotte. Meaning: FREE

We couldn't plan this if we tried! I'm so tickled to think of having two little girls. I would have been equally delighted either way, but it is so fun to have a better "picture" of our future family.

We took this picture of an antique nameplate when we were camping in the summer. Of course, we had no idea at that point what the gender of the baby would be, but my belly was just starting to bump and I figured this was a photo op we couldn't miss...ya know...on the off chance that it WAS a Lottie.

Want to hear about our other completely unexpected blessing?

A few weeks ago we purchased a pre owned van. I completely love it, by the way! So much more space for our growing family. And, when Nathan is seated in the back, it is less likely that the objects he throws will make contact with my head. =) Anyway, we were driving our van the other day and swung into a McDonalds. Nathan wanted chicken and a toy. Nick had just parked the car and was opening the sliding door when, BUMP!, someone driving a large black SUV completely backed into us. The damage was minimal and only aesthetic: I'm pretty sure a plunger would fix it. Nick wanted to do the right thing and told the man that they should exchange information. Turns out the hit man didn't have insurance. He asked Nick if he could just pay us off. Nick asked for $200: the exact cost of the stroller we've been hoping to get.

I'd accept a dent for a great double stroller that accommodates toddlers, infant seats, etc. any day.

And I did!