Welcome Willow!

We have exciting news. We welcomed Willow Maria Rutledge in to this world on May 11, 2010 at 5:15 a.m. She was born 3 kilos 150 grams healthy and happy. It's been 3 weeks since her birth and I won't say we are now accustomed to our new addition, but we are getting better at not sleeping and re-forming our lives around Willow's schedule of eating and sleeping. Mostly eating! Many people have asked over the last months when coming in to the restaurant and seeing me pregnant, how is health care here. I'll have to say, first hand experience, I'm pretty impressed overall. We had excellent health care coverage, no co-pays and 100% coverage. Also, we had great experience with our doctors. I was fairly nervous, this being our first child and having a large communication barrier, but everything went just fine. My doctor even provided a Reiki specialist (something I would pay $1,000 US for now that I know!) to help me through my 14 hours of contractions (every 2-3 minutes). We did decide to have the baby at a hospital in Salta so we rented a place in Salta about 2 weeks before Willow was due and my Mom and I stayed there while Charlie and my Dad traveled back and forth from Cafayate opening the restaurant. The hospital in Cafayate is new and I've been there several times and had pleasant experiences there. But, like any small town in the States, the majority of the doctors live in the big cities, so we found one in Salta we preferred and our insurance covered a private more comfortable room in a private hospital. The doctors and hospital staff were wonderful and helpful. We stayed an extra night so they could watch over Willow and I. There was a bed for Charlie after his 24 hour labor assistance, a big screen TV for Grandpa and of course, grandbaby Willow was enough for Granny! Needless to say, my doctor, the Reiki specialist Mary, and the anathisiologist all made my delivery and recovery a wonderful experience and we couldn't be happier with outcome, our beautiful, bald (they thought Willow was breech because she barely had hair on her head unlike all the other babies here, gave the hospital staff a great laugh!), precious baby girl - don't you all think she's the cutest thing you've ever seen (I'm her Mom, I have to say that!).