Where in the world are The Burnett's?

Hi to all of those who read our blog, especially those we don't get to talk to all the time! Life is crazy, upside down and backwards lately. If you read our last post Harrison and I were just headed back to Texas to be with Mike and to live in Brownwood. So much has happened since then, I am not even sure where to start!

Well for starters, Mike, Harrison, Ginger and I (the whole Burnett Bunch) are now in Alberta, at my parents farm. We are 4 weeks away from the delivery of our daughter Audrey if she doesn't arrive any sooner than that. I have been in a lot of pain. I use the word pain with discretion because I wouldn't normally say pain but what I have been experiencing has been excruciating at moments. I am not sure if it is because my two pregnancies were so close together but my c-section scar has been unbearably painful at times. I see my new general practitioner in Lethbridge tomorrow and the OB on Thursday, so I will see what they say about it all. I would really like to have another ultrasound just to make sure everything is ok with me and with Audrey. It has been over 4 weeks since I last saw a doctor and I should be seeing one every week by now.

Mike did receive a job offer in Brownwood to manage a satellite/communications retail store but it was a new store and very slow to get off the ground. By the time we made the decision to head north the store hadn't even opened yet and Mike hadn't actually been able to start work. I am sure that the job had potential for someone in a position to wait but without and income we were really feeling the pressure. Then things got worse.

When I returned to Texas I had an appointment with my OB in San Angelo. Thankfully we received good news that Audrey is doing great and measuring on target. We even discussed a delivery date of December 29. But when I went to the clinic they informed me that I was NOT showing up in the Medicaid database even though we had applied back in May and Harrison had already been approved. At first when Mike called Medicaid to find out what was going on he was told that "unfortunately sometimes applications just fall through the cracks". Not a very satisfying answer. So after reapplying we finally received a denial letter saying that I would not be covered by Medicaid for the delivery because I have not lived in the USA long enough. I cannot say how many tears I cried over this news, after all Harrison and I had just traveled for 15 hours to get back to Texas to be faced with such a big disappointment, knowing health care in Alberta is completely free. So frustrating!

If you can imagine having 2 houses for sale for over 6+ months, no income since March, a baby on the way, and no health care coverage you can imagine how overwhelmed Mike and I were both feeling. We were worried because Harrison's birth was considered "normal" for a c-section as far as no complications for him or I and his hospital bill was still $23,000 (thankfully covered by our health care at the time). So best case scenario we would end up with a $20K hospital bill if everything went according to plan. If there were any complications, or she was born prematurely we could be looking at a bill of $60,000 or more. This was not a financial risk we were willing to take for our family at this point in time (or ever really) and so we made a decision to move to Alberta.

Lots of people have asked us what our plans are. Right now our top priority is for a safe delivery of Audrey. That means keeping my stress level down for the next 4 weeks, managing the pain that I've been having and simply preparing for her arrival. After that, Mike needs to secure work and whether that is in Alberta on a work visa, traveling with a wind position, or a permanent position in Montana we are open to all the opportunities that come his way. Please pray for our family as we make this huge transition. I can't say enough about how resilient Harrison has been through all the changes life has thrown our way this year. We are definitely looking forward to ending the year on a high note with the birth of Audrey and the blessing that are headed our way for 2010.