I have spent hours on the phone today and last week and the week before and the week before, seriously for over a month, trying to get the insurance worked out for a helmet Aaron will likely need next month. It's not over exaggerating to say the whole process fills me with rage. I've probably talked to 20 people along the way to no avail.
The ridiculous part of this whole thing is I'm good at this kind of thing. I know how to talk to people to get help. I work in the healthcare industry, so I can talk the talk and share the details I need to so reps will help me. I took a negotiations class in my grad program that helped me even more learn how to work better with people.
Yet it doesn't seem to matter. The insurance industry drives me bonkers. I already know that my current insurance will not cover the helmet, as per my specialist. Yet can I get a straight answer from them? No. Can I get help to switch insurance? Not really. I've talked to scores of nice people, but the industry is so siloed it takes weeks and months to process everything and that is too long. This process has to go faster. So I keep calling people. I keep trying new ways of making my requests, hoping I will get the answers I need. But in the back of my mind I keep thinking this isn't going to work. Their ineptitude is going to result in me getting billed several thousands of dollars. And let me tell you how well our grad school income accommodates those kinds of bills. Yeah, it doesn't. Not without stealing it from other necessary areas. Ugh.
So maybe send a few prayers our way that either this insurance thing will be worked out, or even better, Aaron's head will reshape itself on its own and we can drop this whole process. Oh, and pray that I can keep my sanity because it makes me want to break things every time I get off another phone call that hasn't resolved my issue. We've got 11 days.
Friday, March 27, 2015
Saturday, March 21, 2015
What a week
Hello, this week has been rough! The sickness of all sicknesses descended upon us last Saturday and it hasn't completely left even today. I stayed healthy until about Tuesday, but then it nailed me hard: fever, chills, horrible sinus pressure, runny everything, headache, omg, I wanted to die. I thought it had pretty much passed by Thursday but then it ramped back up again and today is really the first day I've been able to do anything besides survive.
In desperation partway through it I took a couple doses of benadryl/sudafed at night to help me sleep and that, plus the recent changes in how Aaron has been eating, plus I believe a growth spurt and my body not catching onto it yet, left me with milk that almost entirely dried up on him. That was alarming and stressful. I got some great advice from my sister and a bunch of friends and have been taking steps to help bring it back. It's back, but not to optimal levels yet. I think another day or two and we'll be fine, but it's awful to wonder if your baby is hungry and only have a few bags of milk saved and be stressed about how that's going to work out. I know I could have gone and gotten some formula if push came to shove, but I'm not ready to stop nursing, and I didn't want to do that if I didn't have to, so it was just stressful. We're making it through now though, thankfully. I still have a part of the cold left, but I've been able to have a normal day today and feel good. That's a blessed thing after such a rough week.
In fact we had a fantastic day. It was glorious outside, in the 60s in the morning, warming up to the 70s later on. We spent as much of the day as we could outside. Bill raked the yard and trimmed out a few unruly plants. The kids played with all their toys, and I got to work on a project for a friend that I've been slowly doing bits of for a few weeks. We also got to run a few errands, including getting ice cream at our favorite Mennonite store, which the kids always love.
So speaking of my project, my friend asked me to make a display box for her set of flutes. I had done the box a few weeks ago but hadn't figured out the best way to cut out the pieces for the flutes to rest against. I was thinking through all my different tools and just couldn't think which one would have the precision on curves that I needed on a thin piece of wood. Earlier this week Bill and I helped one of my Cub Scouts do his Pinewood Derby car and Bill used a coping saw to do the cuts. It struck me that of course, that was the right tool!
Sure enough it worked perfectly and wasn't even that hard. I was so pleased. Then I was able to use a little multi-tool my dad sent home with me at Christmas to sand the curves and it seriously turned out better than I could have hoped. The coping saw came from him too, so this is only the second time I've used it and it was wonderful.
So here's a picture of the box and the inside pieces that still need to be oiled and then glued in place. It's going to look so amazing. The box is done except a final buff with steel wool. The inside pieces are done staining but need a few coats of tung oil to be done. I'm so glad I discovered that stuff recently. It is far and away the best finish I've ever used and I've tried a bunch of different options. This stuff will give you the smooth, satiny feel you want every time and with such a small amount of effort to apply it.
All right, I'm done geeking out about my project. It's the first time I've ever had someone commission me to make something for them and I'm so excited that it's turning out so well. Huzzah!!!
We capped the night off with a little campfire. We regularly battle with Genevieve to keep her clothed. She just prefers to run around in underwear only. I'm not hugely worried about it except that it has been cold for a long time, so that didn't really work if she ever wanted to go outside. She'll run up to me in her puddle jumpers and underwear and be like, I'm ready to go outside! Yeah, no. So this outfit is pretty impressive. She picked it out herself and was particularly excited to have her skirt on over her pants. She has a few skirts and it's been so cold that we've been telling her for months that she has to wear leggings under her skirts. She fights it every time, so it's funny that now she's all excited about having that very thing.
In desperation partway through it I took a couple doses of benadryl/sudafed at night to help me sleep and that, plus the recent changes in how Aaron has been eating, plus I believe a growth spurt and my body not catching onto it yet, left me with milk that almost entirely dried up on him. That was alarming and stressful. I got some great advice from my sister and a bunch of friends and have been taking steps to help bring it back. It's back, but not to optimal levels yet. I think another day or two and we'll be fine, but it's awful to wonder if your baby is hungry and only have a few bags of milk saved and be stressed about how that's going to work out. I know I could have gone and gotten some formula if push came to shove, but I'm not ready to stop nursing, and I didn't want to do that if I didn't have to, so it was just stressful. We're making it through now though, thankfully. I still have a part of the cold left, but I've been able to have a normal day today and feel good. That's a blessed thing after such a rough week.
In fact we had a fantastic day. It was glorious outside, in the 60s in the morning, warming up to the 70s later on. We spent as much of the day as we could outside. Bill raked the yard and trimmed out a few unruly plants. The kids played with all their toys, and I got to work on a project for a friend that I've been slowly doing bits of for a few weeks. We also got to run a few errands, including getting ice cream at our favorite Mennonite store, which the kids always love.
So speaking of my project, my friend asked me to make a display box for her set of flutes. I had done the box a few weeks ago but hadn't figured out the best way to cut out the pieces for the flutes to rest against. I was thinking through all my different tools and just couldn't think which one would have the precision on curves that I needed on a thin piece of wood. Earlier this week Bill and I helped one of my Cub Scouts do his Pinewood Derby car and Bill used a coping saw to do the cuts. It struck me that of course, that was the right tool!
Sure enough it worked perfectly and wasn't even that hard. I was so pleased. Then I was able to use a little multi-tool my dad sent home with me at Christmas to sand the curves and it seriously turned out better than I could have hoped. The coping saw came from him too, so this is only the second time I've used it and it was wonderful.
So here's a picture of the box and the inside pieces that still need to be oiled and then glued in place. It's going to look so amazing. The box is done except a final buff with steel wool. The inside pieces are done staining but need a few coats of tung oil to be done. I'm so glad I discovered that stuff recently. It is far and away the best finish I've ever used and I've tried a bunch of different options. This stuff will give you the smooth, satiny feel you want every time and with such a small amount of effort to apply it.
All right, I'm done geeking out about my project. It's the first time I've ever had someone commission me to make something for them and I'm so excited that it's turning out so well. Huzzah!!!
 |
| Spencer's mouth is completely stuffed full of marshmallow. They polished them off before the campfire had even been lit. Haha! |
 |
| It was a smokey fire, but we still had fun. I could wax poetic about how much I love the yard in our house. I don't know what the bugs will be like this summer, but for now sitting out in the evening is pristine. |
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Eight months
Wow this kid is growing up fast. This has been the month of independence. Aaron has figured out he can scoot around and it has opened a whole new world of exploration. I hear much less frustrated crying now that he can move. He looks kind of like he's trying to swim on dry land when he scoots, which is hilarious, but he is getting places and that's all he cares about. I guess you could call it an army crawl, but really it isn't even that yet. He looks like he's doing the butterfly kick, pushing both feet and both hands at the same time. Whereas before he would get so frustrated when I left his sight, now he is more prone to just follow, albeit slowly. He has started exploring our house on his own too, which leads to the bathroom door being closed and lots of sibling freak outs as he comes and wants to play with their stuff.
In good news Aaron's strangely shaped head is finally starting to improve a bit now that he isn't perpetually laying on it. Time will tell if it will reshape itself on its own or if it will need intervention by way of a helmet, but we have a month before that decision happens. I hadn't seen any improvement on that since he was probably two months old, so it's great to finally see some change.
Aaron is sitting up these days. He is eating everything in sight. He still doesn't have any teeth, but I'm ever impressed with his ability to eat regardless of that.
He loves his siblings and they return the affection. Genevieve is currently sitting next to him cheering him on as he plays with a little laptop toy they have. She just said to him, "I like you, Aaron." Seriously, they are so precious together. Spencer and Aaron seem to have a special bond. They already roughhouse with each other, which is entertaining for all parties.
Aaron will still go to just about anybody. He just makes friends with whoever is holding him. He is back to sleeping through the night most nights. He's not a deep sleeper, so naptimes are sometimes shorter than I would like because the walls are thin in our house and his older siblings are loud, but we do the best we can. Give him his goon toy and a blanket and he's happy as can be in his crib. I do love a baby that enjoys sleeping. :)
And so another month goes by with this little sweetheart. I really don't know what we did without him. His sweet little spirit brings so much joy to everyone and smooths out the rough patches in so many ways. Bless him for that.
In good news Aaron's strangely shaped head is finally starting to improve a bit now that he isn't perpetually laying on it. Time will tell if it will reshape itself on its own or if it will need intervention by way of a helmet, but we have a month before that decision happens. I hadn't seen any improvement on that since he was probably two months old, so it's great to finally see some change.
Aaron is sitting up these days. He is eating everything in sight. He still doesn't have any teeth, but I'm ever impressed with his ability to eat regardless of that.
He loves his siblings and they return the affection. Genevieve is currently sitting next to him cheering him on as he plays with a little laptop toy they have. She just said to him, "I like you, Aaron." Seriously, they are so precious together. Spencer and Aaron seem to have a special bond. They already roughhouse with each other, which is entertaining for all parties.
Aaron will still go to just about anybody. He just makes friends with whoever is holding him. He is back to sleeping through the night most nights. He's not a deep sleeper, so naptimes are sometimes shorter than I would like because the walls are thin in our house and his older siblings are loud, but we do the best we can. Give him his goon toy and a blanket and he's happy as can be in his crib. I do love a baby that enjoys sleeping. :)
And so another month goes by with this little sweetheart. I really don't know what we did without him. His sweet little spirit brings so much joy to everyone and smooths out the rough patches in so many ways. Bless him for that.
 |
| The group photo didn't work out so well when Aaron fell over mid photo. Whoops! |
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Things that have made me smile lately
There have been a lot of challenges lately in my little family, but at the same time there are so many precious moments and I want to think about those as opposed to the rough patches. So here are a few things that my kids do that make me happy lately.
A friend gave us all their old playdough toys right before Christmas. I hadn't brought them out yet because I didn't want the kids to be overwhelmed with new things at Christmas and I was waiting for the right time. They asked me to make new play dough today and I figured now was a great time to get the new toys down too. No joke, Spencer played with the little form making snakes and dinosaurs and whatever else he could imagine for two hours. He has never, ever, ever in his entire life played with a toy that long. He took a break in the middle to vacuum up all the dropped pieces, then decided he wanted to play some more and played for another few minutes.
Speaking of vacuuming, we bought a shop vac when we moved into this house two months ago. Spencer refers to it as Daddy's vacuum and repeatedly tells me my vacuum is up in the attic and he likes the shop vac better so don't bring the other one down. He can operate it on his own and he will of his own initiative pull it out and vacuum the house. It's amazing.
Since I'm talking about cleaning, he has also started helping me clean the bathroom. He asks me several times a week if he can clean it. I stick to once a week, but he actually does a pretty good job helping. He'll clean the toilet and hop up and clean the mirror and the bathtub too. This kid is doing all sorts of things to bring smiles to my face these days. :)
Genevieve has started calling me Mama instead of Mommy lately. I don't know where she picked that up, but it's precious.
Aaron freaks out every time I leave his line of sight. While I wish he wouldn't do that, it's rather endearing to be missed so vehemently.
Aaron will be eight months old in a few days and he has never experienced a moment of stranger danger. Maybe he will in coming months but for now he will go to anyone and just figures they're all his friends. He flirts with anyone who will make eye contact with him. He ducks his head against my shoulder and bats his long eyelashes. What a card!
Aaron has a special love for me. He is happy to see anyone, but when he sees me his face lights up to a whole new level. I swear the Lord knew what he was doing sending Aaron along third in line. He is like balm to my soul when the other kids are throwing challenges at me right and left. I hope he forever keeps his sunshiny outlook on life. It really is wonderful to experience.
Genevieve is a classic second child, knowing all the ways to drive Spencer crazy without seeming to even try. It just comes natural. However, she is also the most giving little girl. She's so willing to share toys to make others feel better and she is forever trying to help out to make someone feel good. It's really sweet to watch, and utterly hilarious when she does things like whack one of her brothers with some item and then hurry over to give them a kiss to make it "all better".
Aaron is officially moving these days. He does this worm crawl thing that looks like it takes so much energy, but he's getting pretty fast at it. I'm sure he'll quickly progress to easier methods of motion, but for now he's getting around pretty well. It's adorable to watch him make his way laboriously toward whatever he wants and then his look of victory when he arrives.
A friend gave us all their old playdough toys right before Christmas. I hadn't brought them out yet because I didn't want the kids to be overwhelmed with new things at Christmas and I was waiting for the right time. They asked me to make new play dough today and I figured now was a great time to get the new toys down too. No joke, Spencer played with the little form making snakes and dinosaurs and whatever else he could imagine for two hours. He has never, ever, ever in his entire life played with a toy that long. He took a break in the middle to vacuum up all the dropped pieces, then decided he wanted to play some more and played for another few minutes.
Speaking of vacuuming, we bought a shop vac when we moved into this house two months ago. Spencer refers to it as Daddy's vacuum and repeatedly tells me my vacuum is up in the attic and he likes the shop vac better so don't bring the other one down. He can operate it on his own and he will of his own initiative pull it out and vacuum the house. It's amazing.
Since I'm talking about cleaning, he has also started helping me clean the bathroom. He asks me several times a week if he can clean it. I stick to once a week, but he actually does a pretty good job helping. He'll clean the toilet and hop up and clean the mirror and the bathtub too. This kid is doing all sorts of things to bring smiles to my face these days. :)
Genevieve has started calling me Mama instead of Mommy lately. I don't know where she picked that up, but it's precious.
Aaron freaks out every time I leave his line of sight. While I wish he wouldn't do that, it's rather endearing to be missed so vehemently.
Aaron will be eight months old in a few days and he has never experienced a moment of stranger danger. Maybe he will in coming months but for now he will go to anyone and just figures they're all his friends. He flirts with anyone who will make eye contact with him. He ducks his head against my shoulder and bats his long eyelashes. What a card!
Aaron has a special love for me. He is happy to see anyone, but when he sees me his face lights up to a whole new level. I swear the Lord knew what he was doing sending Aaron along third in line. He is like balm to my soul when the other kids are throwing challenges at me right and left. I hope he forever keeps his sunshiny outlook on life. It really is wonderful to experience.
Genevieve is a classic second child, knowing all the ways to drive Spencer crazy without seeming to even try. It just comes natural. However, she is also the most giving little girl. She's so willing to share toys to make others feel better and she is forever trying to help out to make someone feel good. It's really sweet to watch, and utterly hilarious when she does things like whack one of her brothers with some item and then hurry over to give them a kiss to make it "all better".
Aaron is officially moving these days. He does this worm crawl thing that looks like it takes so much energy, but he's getting pretty fast at it. I'm sure he'll quickly progress to easier methods of motion, but for now he's getting around pretty well. It's adorable to watch him make his way laboriously toward whatever he wants and then his look of victory when he arrives.
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