The bathroom I usually wear is definitely a Mom Bathrobe. It's very soft, fluffy and a lovely shade of green. It also has spit up, leaked milk, a bit of toothpaste and a Wubbzy sticker stuck on it. And you know what? I don't even care! I wear it around the house in the mornings while juggling both kids and in the evenings when trying to get at least one of the kids to bed (usually it's the Pookie, since needs me to nurse him and bounce him to sleep right about the same time the Pumpkin is going to sleep).
It just struck me yesterday morning that this bathrobe had become a Mom Bathrobe. Now, this is the bathrobe I bought cheap at Target when I was pregnant with the Pumpkin. I actually bought it to bring into the hospital with me so that I wouldn't ruin my nice white bathrobe (which is still pretty nice and only worn when the kids are asleep or not around me). So it was bought with the purpose of being a Mom Bathrobe. But it definitely makes me feel like a full-fledged Parent (notice that is with a capital P).
Someday, I'll pull back out the bathrobe that Londo gave me many Christmases ago. The black velor bathrobe with fake fur trim. But that bathrobe isn't for me as a parent. It's for me as a sexy woman and wife. For now, I'm a mom of young children. I've got a nursing infant who is going to spit up on me. I've got an exuberant toddler who is going to put stickers on me. While the Mom Bathrobe doesn't make me feel sexy, it does keep me warm when I'm with the kids in my pajamas. And Londo still finds what's underneath sexy, so I've got that going for me. Which is nice...*
So this week's question of the week is:
What item do you own that makes you feel like you are definitely a parent?
*Can anyone name that movie? The quote starts with the "so I've got..." It's one of my favorite quotes, and I love it when other people use it too!
Monday, August 17, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
Health Care Issues Hitting Home
First, it's the Pookie's 2 month birthday! Things are finally feeling pretty good from my perspective, I hope he feels the same. I'll write more about how we are doing later, but I don't know how long my internet connection will last right now. So this will probably be short. Instead of complaining about the cable company and/or my lame computer, I will touch on my frustration with my insurance company.
When the Pumpkin was born, I had registered for the hospital online before her birth, even receiving a confirmation email. Of course, after she was born, they didn't have my registration information. And the couple of times they came by my recovery room to get the insurance information, Londo was out of the room getting food or something. Londo had the insurance card, and I was in the new mother overwhelmed stage.
The hospital ended up sending the full bill to a collection company instead of following up with us for the insurance information. Because we weren't busy or feeling crazy with our first brand new baby. When I was finally feeling coherent enough to deal with it, I figured out what had happened by talking with a very nice and helpful guy at the collection company. He was instrumental in helping me figure out why the insurance wasn't charged and how to get it run through the insurance. We had to send in a check for the amount of the birth (crazy expensive!!!), but we got reimbursed by the insurance company. Eventually.
This time, I made sure they had our registration and insurance information ahead of time. I didn't want to go through all that again. But of course it didn't go smoothly. Just this morning I had to call the insurance to find out why they weren't covering all of the anesthesia costs that they should be covering. It turns out that the claims for anesthesia were submitted incorrectly. They were submitted as a hospital visit, not under maternity. Huh? Whatever. They are going to resubmit them and pay more on them.
But that got me wondering about the doctor's charges (separate from the anesthesia charge) that we paid as we left the hospital (again to avoid having to deal with all we went through before). I'm guessing that those claims were submitted wrong, too. I am now going to have to call the insurance company again to check the doctor's claims too.
Is this their job? To submit claims correctly? To double check that the claims are correct? To cover our medical bills with as little hassle as possible? Isn't this why we and my company pay so much each month to them? We don't have the money to keep paying out of pocket things they should be covering!
I'm so frustrated, and I'm a little busy taking care of my newborn. Isn't insurance great? Urg!
When the Pumpkin was born, I had registered for the hospital online before her birth, even receiving a confirmation email. Of course, after she was born, they didn't have my registration information. And the couple of times they came by my recovery room to get the insurance information, Londo was out of the room getting food or something. Londo had the insurance card, and I was in the new mother overwhelmed stage.
The hospital ended up sending the full bill to a collection company instead of following up with us for the insurance information. Because we weren't busy or feeling crazy with our first brand new baby. When I was finally feeling coherent enough to deal with it, I figured out what had happened by talking with a very nice and helpful guy at the collection company. He was instrumental in helping me figure out why the insurance wasn't charged and how to get it run through the insurance. We had to send in a check for the amount of the birth (crazy expensive!!!), but we got reimbursed by the insurance company. Eventually.
This time, I made sure they had our registration and insurance information ahead of time. I didn't want to go through all that again. But of course it didn't go smoothly. Just this morning I had to call the insurance to find out why they weren't covering all of the anesthesia costs that they should be covering. It turns out that the claims for anesthesia were submitted incorrectly. They were submitted as a hospital visit, not under maternity. Huh? Whatever. They are going to resubmit them and pay more on them.
But that got me wondering about the doctor's charges (separate from the anesthesia charge) that we paid as we left the hospital (again to avoid having to deal with all we went through before). I'm guessing that those claims were submitted wrong, too. I am now going to have to call the insurance company again to check the doctor's claims too.
Is this their job? To submit claims correctly? To double check that the claims are correct? To cover our medical bills with as little hassle as possible? Isn't this why we and my company pay so much each month to them? We don't have the money to keep paying out of pocket things they should be covering!
I'm so frustrated, and I'm a little busy taking care of my newborn. Isn't insurance great? Urg!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Question of the Week - Questions, Questions, Questions
We are having internet problems, which is why I've not been online or posting much lately. It's very frustrating, and the cable guy isn't coming until Saturday. Hopefully this posts.
So let's get right to the question of the week:
What question(s)/phrase/activity is your child asking/saying/doing constantly these days?
The Pumpkin is always asking "Can I help?" and "Can I go?" If we don't answer right away, she asks "Can I? Can I? Can I?" She wants to help with everything from the dishes (she's getting good at washing the soap off dishes) to making coffee (which I don't let her help with). And she wants to go everywhere with me or Londo. It's hard to say no to her, because isn't it nice that she wants to help and sweet that she wants to go with us?
She is also constantly asking if she can hold the baby and saying "Oh, what a cute little baby!" There are many worse things she could be constantly asking for or doing. We are pretty lucky.
The Pookie is constantly nursing and a bit fussy. He is now entertained by some toys and rattles, though not peek-a-boo. And he makes some pretty cute little coo and goo goo noises! He doesn't do much else, so that's pretty much it for his activities.
How about your kid? What are they constantly asking for, saying or doing these days? Share the cute things or the things that drive you crazy.
So let's get right to the question of the week:
What question(s)/phrase/activity is your child asking/saying/doing constantly these days?
The Pumpkin is always asking "Can I help?" and "Can I go?" If we don't answer right away, she asks "Can I? Can I? Can I?" She wants to help with everything from the dishes (she's getting good at washing the soap off dishes) to making coffee (which I don't let her help with). And she wants to go everywhere with me or Londo. It's hard to say no to her, because isn't it nice that she wants to help and sweet that she wants to go with us?
She is also constantly asking if she can hold the baby and saying "Oh, what a cute little baby!" There are many worse things she could be constantly asking for or doing. We are pretty lucky.
The Pookie is constantly nursing and a bit fussy. He is now entertained by some toys and rattles, though not peek-a-boo. And he makes some pretty cute little coo and goo goo noises! He doesn't do much else, so that's pretty much it for his activities.
How about your kid? What are they constantly asking for, saying or doing these days? Share the cute things or the things that drive you crazy.
Friday, August 7, 2009
My Body: The Aftermath
For some reason that I can't really explain, I don't seem to have any of the body image issues most women seem to have. Every now and then over the years, I look into the mirror and think, "Huh. That's how I look at 25/30/after having a kid/after having my second kid/etc." The first time I found a gray hair, I thought it was neat. I check out my little wrinkles and find them interesting.
I'm not saying that I'm perfect or that I think I'm perfect. In fact, I've always been self-conscious about my skin, which has been prone to breakouts since I was in 5th grade. But in general, I just accept how I look without feeling horrible about it. When I've been out of shape (and able to), I work out and/or eat better. But I don't have unrealistic expectations, either. I know I will never have the same body I had at 17 or 21. Overall, I'm okay with that, although I do remember it fondly (ah, the body I had at 21...).
And now, I look at my body after all it's been through and am amazed. After 6 fertility cycles, 3 conceptions, 2 pregnancies, 2 labor and deliveries, 20 total months so far of breastfeeding, and 33 years of life, this is my body. It's done so much, been to many parts of the world and through so much. It's been in shape, out of shape, huge with a baby inside, slender with youth, curvy with breast and hips. It's been through skydiving, scuba diving, regular yoga, gymnastics, swimming, golf and many other sports and activities.
Today, my body feels older than it is. I had my 6 week postpartum checkup last week. The doctor says I look good, that my body is healing well. The incision is healing up, and the stitches have all but dissolved (just some at the edge on the outside still hanging around). My abdomen is still sore all around the incision, but the incision itself is starting to itch a bit--although annoying, it is a sign of healing. I won't be able to wear bikini underwear for more than a year, maybe longer, but I can deal with that.
Speaking of underwear, because of the incision and how sore my abdomen around that area was after having the Pookie, I had to wear the largest grannie panties I'd ever seen in real life. They. Are. Huge! Apparently, I am no longer a bikini and thong underwear girl. This does make me a bit sad. Luckily, now that I'm less sore and my size has gone down a bit more, I am able to wear some underwear in between those two extremes. But I miss all my cute little panties that I have stored in a drawer in my closet. Cute bras, too, as opposed to the tired, worn out nursing bras I'm currently wearing that I've had since the Pumpkin was nursing. (I will go to the specialty lingerie store for new nursing bras as soon as I've settled into a postpartum size.)
In addition to the healing incision and underwear woes, my back and joints feel like they are falling apart. My back is sore from holding the baby, wearing the baby (in a sling) and leaning over when nursing without a Boppy. But what's even worse are my knees. I have always had one bad knee; while I was pregnant, my good knee went bad too. I don't know if it was all the weight gain and sudden weight loss or the hormones still running rampant through my body or what, but my knees have been so bad it is often hard for me to go up and down the stairs. I usually have to walk down the stairs like my toddler--both feet on one step before moving to the next. Thank goodness for the new knee brace I bought.
Finally, my hands. When my allergies act up or my hands are really dry, I get eczema on my fingers and hands. Well, with all the constant hand washing that comes with a new baby, my hands are incredibly dry. This causes the skin on my fingers to literally crack and scaly. When I had the Pumpkin, I used those waterless gels and my hands were awful! This time, I tried to be careful by using soap and water instead of the gel (which has always been easier on my hands) and constantly using lotion on my hands (especially the excellent organic Dream Cream by Lush, which I highly recommend to deal with dry, itchy skin and used on my pregnant belly with great success). Still, they are now going from the raw-red look to starting to form crack lines. My hands didn't start getting truly better until 20 months after the Pumpkin was born. I am really trying to keep them from getting that bad this time.
It's a lot for the body to go through. The pregnancies, the postpartum recoveries, the 33 years of wear and tear, the different health issues I have to deal with. And my body is not perfect, in health or appearance. But wow. Just wow. What my body can do! Overall, I think it's holding up pretty well. I'm seven and a half weeks postpartum, and I spend hours shopping at the outlets yesterday (I got great fall clothes for the Pumpkin to start pre-school and some really cute onesies for the Pookie!). Though sore, I did well and was able to handle a pretty full day.
My body may not be what it was when I was 21, but I think it's even more amazing. I'm proud of it, scars and all. And even though I'm sure I'm crazy for even thinking it, I keep thinking about having a third. My body could handle that too! But whether could I handle it mentally, that's another story.
I'm not saying that I'm perfect or that I think I'm perfect. In fact, I've always been self-conscious about my skin, which has been prone to breakouts since I was in 5th grade. But in general, I just accept how I look without feeling horrible about it. When I've been out of shape (and able to), I work out and/or eat better. But I don't have unrealistic expectations, either. I know I will never have the same body I had at 17 or 21. Overall, I'm okay with that, although I do remember it fondly (ah, the body I had at 21...).
And now, I look at my body after all it's been through and am amazed. After 6 fertility cycles, 3 conceptions, 2 pregnancies, 2 labor and deliveries, 20 total months so far of breastfeeding, and 33 years of life, this is my body. It's done so much, been to many parts of the world and through so much. It's been in shape, out of shape, huge with a baby inside, slender with youth, curvy with breast and hips. It's been through skydiving, scuba diving, regular yoga, gymnastics, swimming, golf and many other sports and activities.
Today, my body feels older than it is. I had my 6 week postpartum checkup last week. The doctor says I look good, that my body is healing well. The incision is healing up, and the stitches have all but dissolved (just some at the edge on the outside still hanging around). My abdomen is still sore all around the incision, but the incision itself is starting to itch a bit--although annoying, it is a sign of healing. I won't be able to wear bikini underwear for more than a year, maybe longer, but I can deal with that.
Speaking of underwear, because of the incision and how sore my abdomen around that area was after having the Pookie, I had to wear the largest grannie panties I'd ever seen in real life. They. Are. Huge! Apparently, I am no longer a bikini and thong underwear girl. This does make me a bit sad. Luckily, now that I'm less sore and my size has gone down a bit more, I am able to wear some underwear in between those two extremes. But I miss all my cute little panties that I have stored in a drawer in my closet. Cute bras, too, as opposed to the tired, worn out nursing bras I'm currently wearing that I've had since the Pumpkin was nursing. (I will go to the specialty lingerie store for new nursing bras as soon as I've settled into a postpartum size.)
In addition to the healing incision and underwear woes, my back and joints feel like they are falling apart. My back is sore from holding the baby, wearing the baby (in a sling) and leaning over when nursing without a Boppy. But what's even worse are my knees. I have always had one bad knee; while I was pregnant, my good knee went bad too. I don't know if it was all the weight gain and sudden weight loss or the hormones still running rampant through my body or what, but my knees have been so bad it is often hard for me to go up and down the stairs. I usually have to walk down the stairs like my toddler--both feet on one step before moving to the next. Thank goodness for the new knee brace I bought.
Finally, my hands. When my allergies act up or my hands are really dry, I get eczema on my fingers and hands. Well, with all the constant hand washing that comes with a new baby, my hands are incredibly dry. This causes the skin on my fingers to literally crack and scaly. When I had the Pumpkin, I used those waterless gels and my hands were awful! This time, I tried to be careful by using soap and water instead of the gel (which has always been easier on my hands) and constantly using lotion on my hands (especially the excellent organic Dream Cream by Lush, which I highly recommend to deal with dry, itchy skin and used on my pregnant belly with great success). Still, they are now going from the raw-red look to starting to form crack lines. My hands didn't start getting truly better until 20 months after the Pumpkin was born. I am really trying to keep them from getting that bad this time.
It's a lot for the body to go through. The pregnancies, the postpartum recoveries, the 33 years of wear and tear, the different health issues I have to deal with. And my body is not perfect, in health or appearance. But wow. Just wow. What my body can do! Overall, I think it's holding up pretty well. I'm seven and a half weeks postpartum, and I spend hours shopping at the outlets yesterday (I got great fall clothes for the Pumpkin to start pre-school and some really cute onesies for the Pookie!). Though sore, I did well and was able to handle a pretty full day.
My body may not be what it was when I was 21, but I think it's even more amazing. I'm proud of it, scars and all. And even though I'm sure I'm crazy for even thinking it, I keep thinking about having a third. My body could handle that too! But whether could I handle it mentally, that's another story.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
My Friends and Family Rock!
I had so much fun this past weekend. I've gotten to spend time with friends and family, which I always enjoy.
At the DC area meet up, I got to spend time with friends and their kids. I thought the train and the playground at Cabin John Park was fantastic, but it definitely had us all running in different directions after the kids. I'm hoping we can do another meet up in maybe mid or late September--this time adults only so we can sit around and chat.
My BIL got to visit over the weekend and meet the Pookie. He was great with the toddler and baby, as always. We had fun hanging out, and he was extremely helpful at the park (when Londo and I were running on 3 to 4 hours of sleep, courtesy of the Pumpkin).
And this week, my good friend MommyEm has left her daughter home with her husband and come to spend the week visiting and helping me! It's her first trip away from her daughter, who is 2.5 years old. And it's just been great to have her here. Last time I saw her, I was visiting her and helping her pack--over a year ago. Not only is it so great to hang out with her, but she has been an incredible help already. She's entertained the toddler a ton, held and changed the baby a bunch, done dishes, cooked and fixed food, done a million little things that have helped enormously, and provided me with important adult conversation and time spent with a good friend. Plus, we are going shopping at the outlets tomorrow, something I don't think I could do without her help and company. She's leaving Friday, and I wish she could stay longer. In fact, I wish she lived a few doors away, as she once did when we lived in Georgia.
These special get togethers and visits with friends and family are so great, and I haven't even taken into account all the great support and visits we get from our local family and friends! For example, my SIL (the one with 3 year old twins and a 14 year old) has come over a few times in the last few weeks and spent 5+ hours just helping in whatever way was needed. I am truly blessed, and I hope you all have friends and family that are as fun and great.
At the DC area meet up, I got to spend time with friends and their kids. I thought the train and the playground at Cabin John Park was fantastic, but it definitely had us all running in different directions after the kids. I'm hoping we can do another meet up in maybe mid or late September--this time adults only so we can sit around and chat.
My BIL got to visit over the weekend and meet the Pookie. He was great with the toddler and baby, as always. We had fun hanging out, and he was extremely helpful at the park (when Londo and I were running on 3 to 4 hours of sleep, courtesy of the Pumpkin).
And this week, my good friend MommyEm has left her daughter home with her husband and come to spend the week visiting and helping me! It's her first trip away from her daughter, who is 2.5 years old. And it's just been great to have her here. Last time I saw her, I was visiting her and helping her pack--over a year ago. Not only is it so great to hang out with her, but she has been an incredible help already. She's entertained the toddler a ton, held and changed the baby a bunch, done dishes, cooked and fixed food, done a million little things that have helped enormously, and provided me with important adult conversation and time spent with a good friend. Plus, we are going shopping at the outlets tomorrow, something I don't think I could do without her help and company. She's leaving Friday, and I wish she could stay longer. In fact, I wish she lived a few doors away, as she once did when we lived in Georgia.
These special get togethers and visits with friends and family are so great, and I haven't even taken into account all the great support and visits we get from our local family and friends! For example, my SIL (the one with 3 year old twins and a 14 year old) has come over a few times in the last few weeks and spent 5+ hours just helping in whatever way was needed. I am truly blessed, and I hope you all have friends and family that are as fun and great.
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