The French Adventure

     So, if you read the first 2, you know a little bit about our family.  Up to this point in memory, we have 2 precious little ones.  When baby Cristofer, was 2 mo. old, we were approved as missionaries to France.  Anyway, we went into a phase called deputation, which is basically travelling to churches to raise support for our ministry.  Don was constantly on the road and we had moved once more, this time to Kansas, where my Dad pastored in a suburb of Wichita.  Don was in and out as he visited different churches every Sun. morn./eve.and Wed. eve.
     I was home with 2 babies and sometimes going a little crazy, but enjoying them.  Our support increased and we began to talk about leaving for France.  We went back to Alabama to see Don's family and visit churches there, and I loaded up all my baby clothes and things to give to my youngest sis-in-law, who was due any time.  We had a good visit, and as we pulled out of Carla and Butch's driveway, I moved and I got a catch in my back.  This time I felt like I was holding the C4 !  We had lost a baby when Cris was 10 mo. old, and they had put me on the pill for 6 mo. and I had finished them that month.  Everyone had told me after the pill it took forever to get pregnant!  NOPE!
     Don's first reaction was, "If you thought you were pregnant, why did you give all the stuff away?"  I just gave him a look!   Then I said, "Because I didn't think it until just this second, when I got this catch in my back!"  We both had the C4 look, then, because we KNEW!
     Because our paper work was already being processed and we didn't want to rock any boats with gov't officials, we decided, "Hey!  We will just have this baby in France!  Didn't they invent Lamaze?!?  Everyone says how great that is!"  So we packed up the little bit of stuff we had, got a shipping co. that assured us it would get there in 4 weeks, and we took barely 3 yr. old Lyndee, and 22 mo. old Cris off on the great French adventure.
     Suffice it to say, we were quite shocked to find out that even in January 1976, France was still in recovery stages from WW2.  It was NOT this ultra modern country that we had studied.
     Anyway, I was only 2 1/2 months out from my due date, so we weren't worried.  Our stuff was due in 3 weeks, little as it was, but all the baby cloth diapers, bottles, and the few clothes we had for her/him were in the container, and it would arrive before Baby. 
     We had each been allowed 2 suitcases of 70 lbs. each plus a carry on each so we had packed the basics including a favorite toy for each child.  Those toys becaming boring after the first couple of days.  We didn't have a television, nor a car, so we explored on foot.  Thankfully we had a stroller.
We had to rely on the other missionary to get to the OB,and also to serve as translator.  Alexis is American, married to a Frenchman.  She was our official translator, and took me to my first doctor's appointment.
    I will tell you this!  There was something definitely WRONG with that guy!  He scared me, but, I didn't really have other options.  Alexis said all the ladies at church went to him.  Anyway, the first huge shock was being sent to take off all my clothes behind a little curtain.  I waited, shivering, for someone to hand me a covering of some kind, and then I heard the doctor and Alexis talking, and she said to me, "He wants to know if something is wrong because it is taking you so long to come out."  I calmly replied, "They forgot to put a gown in here for me to put on."  Alexis got deathly quiet, then she a-hemed and squeaked out, "They don't do that here.  You just have to come out."  Talk about freaking out!  I am the kid who got a D in gym because I refused to take gang showers.  I am the girl who wears bermudas and t-shirts to swim.  Modesty is not just my motto...it is ME!  As I was walking out trying to hide my huge self, cringing every step, I heard this music in my head http://youtu.be/6-9F_HWel5g.
I will tell you the rest of the story tomorrow!