The First Japanese Doctor Visit

This morning Zack and I went to the Japanese doctor for the first time. I had heard all kinds of things about the Ladies Clinic where American women go to have their babies, primarily good. Now I am beginning to understand what all the fuss is about. The outside of the building looked more like a nice business establishment or a hotel than a doctor's office and the lobby was more of the same.
In the grand tradition of Japanese buildings, we had to take our shoes off in the entryway. They had slippers waiting in a glass shelving unit just inside (I'm told they're heated in the winter). Just inside the door, a sign (in English) informed us of the locations of the examining rooms, "wards" and delivery rooms. There's also a "shampoo room" on the 4th floor, but we only saw the first floor today (I'm told they'll give us a tour eventually). The woman at the front desk, dressed in a cute pink nurse's uniform (think 1940's movies) like all the ladies who worked there, asked for our name, took our referral, and then directed us to the lobby. The lobby was filled with comfy chairs and sofas and a rack full of baby magazines. There was a carpeted spiral staircase in the middle of the lobby, wrapped around a pillar that had been painted to look like it was marble. On the second floor, I could see a baby grand piano. There was tinkly musicbox style music playing all kinds of songs from old 80's loves songs to Disney.
The first appointment at this clinic is always a walk in. We could only tell them what day and morning or afternoon, so we arrived about the time they opened and sat for about an hour and a half before our name was called. In the mean time, we looked at baby magazines in Japanese and watched all the other pregnant ladies wandering to and from the bathroom. It was a busy place! Finally, though, our name was called and we went into a separate waiting room that faced the examining rooms.
Not long after that, the doctor himself walked through and assured us he'd be back to check on us in a few minutes. The nurses escorted us into the examining room and found a seat for Zack (they all seemed to find his leg mildly amusing, but were very considerate of the situation). The room attached to the front desk and had dolls on the wall of various sizes, labeled with the number of weeks. So we found the 20 week doll and determined how big our baby is.
Soon thereafter, the doctor returned and appologized for the long wait. Apparently, a woman had gone into labor that morning, so he was a bit held up checking on her regularly. He got our full names (the referal had only my first and last name, not Zack's at all) and where we were from. He then checked my record to reaffirm that I have no potential complications.
Then it was ultrasound time. The nurses helped Zack position himself standing behind my head so that he could see a screen that was pointed at us. The doctor had his own screen to look at (a vast improvement from the tiny ultrasound machine in the medical building on base). He showed us the baby's head, spine, and heartbeat, as well as measuring everything to make sure the baby was growing on track. Baby measured exactly right for 20 weeks, and the doctor deamed things to be going just as smoothly as ever. He even pulled the 20 week doll off the wall to show us where the baby was sitting and how Baby is positioned (head down) in there. Then the doctor said "I can see if it's a boy or a girl person if you want to know." We, of course, wanted to know, and he told us "80% Girl." So it's a girl! ... probably. She had been very wiggly during the ultrasound process, and it was really fun to watch and to find out. It was also Zack's first ultrasound experience since he hasn't been around for the other appointments, so that was pretty awesome too.
When everything was done, the doctor gave us a tiny little photo album with three pictures from the ultrasound AND a video of the whole thing (which I've been good and not watched yet)! We're supposed to bring both back for each visit and he'll add to them. I think this is super cool. Next time, he says we'll be doing a 3-D ultrasound (which I've heard is actually a little creepy), and he can confirm then that it really is a girl. Somehow, even if he's not 100% sure, that one little piece of information makes the whole thing just a little more real. Zack says that for him, knowing it's a girl tells him a little more about what kind of parents we'll need to be because it's different depending on whether you have girls or boys and which one is oldest and all that. He said it reminded him a little of when Alisa told him that she was having a girl and he was going to be a big brother. For me, it gives a bit more personality to the little being that's been wiggling around for awhile now (it seems like she's in constant motion, but mostly during the day) and affecting everything from what I wear to what I eat to where I go and when.
So the doctor eyed me and decided I wasn't overweight (this is the first appointment where they didn't weigh me or take my blood pressure). He then announced that he'd like to see me once a month for now. He said that next time they'd do the 3-D ultrasound and some bloodwork. He gave me a paper to take back to the Navy medical and reminded me to bring back the video and picture book next time. The ladies at the reception desk helped us set up our appointment and appologized in advance, saying that the times were not especially set in stone because of the occasional woman going into labor or there being a lot of walk ins or something. Our start time is a 15 minute window, and she said that if it looked like it'd be a long time when we arrived, they'd give us a more accurate time if it was going to be a long wait.
Back home, I told Dory that not only is she no longer "my baby" she's also not the only "my girl" in the house anymore. She just wagged her tail and tried to lick my face. She could tell we were totally excited and so she just wanted to be involved.
To celebrate, we went to a picnic hosted by Zack's ship that just happened to be today and Zack told everyone all about the ultrasound. Then this evening I made ginger chicken, and incidentally discovered that I still can't eat chicken. The sauce was yummy on my rice and broccoli, though. At least I can eat a little beef again. I swear our girl is aiming to be a vegetarian. :-)