to our Dr. Anna...

Nearly five years ago, four weeks before J's birth, Daddy and I spent an entire day interviewing local Pediatricians. That seemed like such a monumental task at the time and I was thoroughly prepared. I spent weeks contemplating all of the questions I would ask: education, background, experience, immunizations, antibiotics, breast feeding, blah blah blah. I had a list and, believe me, I had checked it more than twice. Armed with my little notebook, we paraded into each office with the intention of finding the right person for us.

Enter Dr. Anna...a young, intelligent, extremely personable Pediatrician who was, like me, expecting her first child. She answered all of our questions the way we had hoped and we left with her at the top of our list. I was hesitant in the beginning because I wanted to be sure I wasn't choosing her based on personality. I loved her from the first minute I met her so I didn't want that to jade our decision. Daddy was certain she was THE ONE regardless of her nice factor; so, we went with it. Little did we know how important that decision would prove to be over the next few years.

We spent a lot of time with Dr. Anna after J's arrival, much more than we ever dreamed we would on that first afternoon meeting. Those first few months we talked almost daily, either in the office or on the phone. Some days I called her. Some days she called me. Many days she called to check on J. Many days she called to check on me. It didn't take long to discover she was not JUST our Pediatrician, she was our friend.

Each and every time J was admitted to our nearby Children's Hospital, she was on the phone with hospital staff every single day, sometimes more than once. When she hung up the phone with them, she was on the phone with us. She was J's #1 advocate and OUR #1 resource. In those first few months, we experienced some of the toughest days of our life with her by our side. Three months after J was born, she took some time off for the birth of her son. It was during this time that J's specialist decided he needed to do surgery. We were scared. to. death. but did not want to bother her on maternity leave. She deserved time to spend with her baby just like everyone else. Although, I did ask her partner to inform her of what was going on when he spoke with her. He agreed (though I secretly doubted he would pass it on). Both Daddy and I vividly remember the phone call we received in the Recovery Room immediately after surgery...it was Anna. She was at home with her two week old son but still found the time to call about J. I had never been so happy to hear her sweet voice on the other end. There was something so comforting in knowing that, even while at home taking care of HER newborn son, she was still thinking of OURS.The next few years brought a few more ups and downs with our little man. Though we knew she had many little people to care for, it always seemed as if our J. was her only patient. I think she has the ability to make everyone feel that way. She always had the time for whatever question or concern at any given moment. She always answered honestly, even if it wasn't what we wanted to hear at the time. While on maternity leave with her second child, she spent an entire morning with us at J's much anticipated (and dreaded) appointment with another specialist. We had anticipated this appointment for months. It meant so much to us to have her by our side on such a big scary day. It was even more special to celebrate the "end of an era" so to speak when we received the good news we had been praying for. I bet she needed a little extra oxygen after I tackled her with the biggest bear hug known to man two steps out the office door. Who better to celebrate such a big day than with the person who held our hand every step of the way?

Fast forward a couple years, add another baby to the Womble mix, and she is still one of our favorite people on the planet. MG brought with her a new set of fears and anxieties for us. We were quickly reminded that MG was her own little person. God makes all of our babies different for a reason and we can not confuse or compare them with each other.

So, are you wondering why in the world I am posting this yet? Well, as of today, our friend Anna will no longer be "our Dr. Anna", as J calls her. She will still be a phone call or a playdate away; but for now, the Womble charts will have to find a new home. Much to our dismay, "our Dr. Anna" has moved on to bigger and better things. Bigger and better things equals a new job title, a new address and a new zip code. A new zip code for her equals the need for a new Pediatrician for us. Are we thrilled about that? Ummm, NO. Are we thrilled for her? Well, OF COURSE we are!! It is bittersweet.

This photograph was taken at MG's last well visit before "our Dr. Anna's" last week in the office back in September. I have been working on this post for that long. I was going to do a little PhotoShop work to make everyone look camera perfect but I changed my mind. MG was not in the mood for a photo op, J was dominating the entire visit even though it was MG's appointment and there is "our Dr. Anna" smiling sweetly in the background with two squirmy Womble kiddos in her lap. I think those raised eyebrows mean something like...HURRY UP AND TAKE THE PICTURE ALREADY!

Hopefully sometime in the next few days, in the midst of boxes and moving chaos, "our Dr. Anna" is going to stumble upon this post. Anna, this is what we want you to know...

I can not find the perfect words to describe to you how precious you are to our family. If we had not been thrown onto the Womble roller coaster ride we probably wouldn't even be friends today. I imagine you would have remained just another MD in our address book and we would have remained just another family. Funny how things work, isn't it? Your insight, both professionally and personally, has been more valuable than you will ever know. I've told you 100 times over the past 5 years but you were (and still are) truly a God send to us. I know we still have many playdates and long winded Mommy catch-up conversations to go...they will just take place with a mini road trip between us. We love you and wish you the very best in your new job description. We can not wait to see what God has in store for you and your family as you begin this new chapter.

Sending you big, I mean HUGE, hugs from the Womble four...
M