Am I in the US?

**Warning: A pretty long post, so if you don't feel like plowing through it, you might want to move on to your next friend's blog!** :)

Because I have had multiple experiences in third-world countries, I feel like it's okay for me to compare experiences I've had here in the 'Big Easy' with what others go through in less developed places. Especially since Katrina, I have asked myself on multiple occasions, am I really living in the United States? For instance, there was the time (just a year ago!) that I applied for a new Social Security Card with my new last name. After not hearing from the office for over a month, I decided to give them a call. My heart dropped when the lady said, "Ma'am we have no record of your application or that any documents were mailed with it." Guess which 'document' she was referring to? That's right, my passport! Well, since I worked in our campus post office at the time, I knew I should mail it certified mail with a return receipt. I received my return receipt that contained a nice clear signature of who in their office received the documents and on what day! They could not argue with that proof...or could they? After waiting in the downtown office for several hours, we were finally told that my passport was simply lost and there was nothing they could do about it. Wish you could have seen my husband when they said that... :) Anyway, they ended up paying to replace my passport, I finally received a new Social Security card, and all was well.

That brings me to the next Louisiana government office I am currently dealing with. I haven't mentioned this on here yet because frankly I did not want to see it in writing and have it as a constant reminder of our current financial state. Due to the current state of the economy and how it's affected the school, on January 20 the Seminary informed us that all student-related staff would lose their health insurance. Needless to say, we were shocked and heart-broken. Thankfully, Louisiana has what's called LA Moms, which is Medicaid for pregnant women. I went on their website and noticed they had an online application. I thought long and hard about whether I should fill it out or go to their office downtown. I thought, surely if I fill out an online application there will be no way for them to lose it! Today, I found that I was completely wrong! After holding for 17 minutes (our phones at work have a timer), I was told that they had no record of my name or application and that I needed to go to the downtown office and fill out the form in person. Are you kidding me?! So, early Friday morning, my sweet husband and I will fire up the Lincoln and head into downtown New Orleans. The thing that really stinks is that I was supposed to go for my 16-week appointment on Monday (2/9) morning, but I had to call and reschedule it today since we currently have no insurance. I am praying hard that the Medicaid office will redeem themselves on Friday morning...I'll keep you posted as to if this becomes a reality or not!

In other news, Baby Bean Bramlett is now the size of an apple! I still call it Baby Bean because we don't know the sex yet, but it's definitely grown out of the bean stage! According to babycenter.com, it's 4 inches long and weighs about 2 1/2 ounces. Other people can't really tell that I'm showing yet, but I can definitely tell a difference! Still having some sickness, but I'm trusting it will go away soon...taking it day by day! :) For those of you who hung in there through this long post...thanks! Hopefully the next one I write will be full of great news about our wonderful experience at the Medicaid office! I think my husband's optimism is rubbing off on me a bit...