Little Joaquin

Being a part of my Ecuadorian family is kinda like having front row seats to an episode of Grey´s Anatomy where you get to experience all the drama. My mami, papi, and grandpa are all gynecologists not to mention the fact that my abuela and tia are both nurses, so I have pretty much set foot in every clinic and hospital in Quito and Cumbaya.

It’s not unusual for women to whip out an ultrasound for a quick consultation at a restaurant, at the hairdressers, at my cousin’s soccer games and its even more exciting when we are stopped and get to see the most recent picture of a baby one of my parents delivered. Aside from the professionalism and having attained a specialized degree in medicine (which in South America means you have studied for at least a decade); my parents are extremely dedicated and passionate about their callings.

Papi usually works long hours, so the Tuesdays when I have Bible Study we eat a late night dinner together. When we peaked in the master bedroom this past tuesday, both mami and Bequi where tangled up in the covers with Elmo squished in between. Papi laughed and said se murieron, which means they died or are out, figuratively speaking, of course.

Over cilantro and yucca soup, he apologetically confessed that he didn´t maintain such ridiculous hours for the money. From his rhetoric, I could tell he laments the time he misses out on at home. He told me how hard it was to say no to his patients saying, ¨Even though, to me, it may be the hundredth baby I have delivered this week; to the mother, it’s the child she has prayed over, hoped for, and waited on for so long or maybe it’s the mistake she wishes she could take back and now she’s terrified, alone, and desperately needs someone to hold her hand. ¨ The conversation continued to get deeper as he talked about how he went to high school with the mother of one of his patients (who is about to be a grandmother) and how shocking that was since he is 36 and his oldest is two. Then he asked about what age I hoped to get married and have kids by and I just laughed. I did tell him that in 16 years when I was his age and Bequi was 18, she could come live with me in the U.S. as an exchange student and find out. His retort was, ¨I’ll send her over to babysit.¨ I looked at him puzzled, so he clarified, ¨How do you know you won’t still be right here in Ecuador with us.¨Definitely something to think about…

After that he pulled Joaquin’s ultrasound out of his pocket and showed me the scans. Aside from the fact that Joaquin is overdue, his heart is racing way to fast. My entire family has been tiptoeing on glass this week, so papi decided to schedule his c-section for tomorrow February 11^th at 11:00 a.m. Please be in prayer for my mami, Doris, and that God would lay hands on little Joaquin´s corazon tomorrow.

It has been a wonderful experience being Doris´oldest daughter at baby showers packed full of Ecuadorian women who didn´t speak a word of English; helping papi assemble Joaquin´s crib and laughing at how many times it took us to get it right; and shopping with mami for all the last minute items she´ll need at the hospital. Bequi and I can´t wait to meet out new little brother!