A day of great frustration

Kelly and I did some reviewing today of our new insurance plan, which was changed from last year. We already knew that we each had to pay $1,100 before any kind of coverage kicked in, and then for the next $500 we spent, the company covered 90% and after that, it moves to 100%. Not too damaging, we thought, because if we didn't spend that much, we could make it work, and if something went very wrong, we could be covered.

NOT so. The "coverage" doesn't include any kind of reduced rate for medication. I had a refill coming on some pills I take, total cost for a 90-day supply? $400! So we are ponying up that much right away. Plus my other pills are around $230.

Well, it would at least seem that once that is filled, I'll be ok, right? Because once I get past $1,100, it goes way down, right? NO. Because when we have the child in July, we have to change the plan to cover it. And when we do that, it resets the deductible on my plan or Kelly's plan. So that's another $1,100, plus $1,100 on the baby. So probably a total cost of at least $3,300 before we receive ANY coverage at all. So we are pretty much having the child at the exact wrong time of the year. Plus, in the time we've had to use our Health Savings Account, it has been near impossible to pay the bill. So that will be like pulling teeth too.

Very rough day. And it would be nice to have vacation to wash it away, but now we are going to have to be pretty tight with our cash. Better than no trip at all, I know.

Firing up the camcorder

We/I took forever to make a decision on a camcorder, but we finally ordered it and it arrived the other day. It is much smaller than we expected. It runs very well, and now that I found a new website, we don't have to worry about digital camera batteries anymore. We'll get one or two extras so we don't have to deal with charging or keeping track of the power levels on the cruise or with the baby. Plus, if we lose the ac adaptor for the camera, which I would bet is more likely than anything, we can swing over to www.allbatts.com grab a new one. I'm the kind of person who likes to be comforted that no matter how I screw up, there's an easy solution. With this site, I can know that anything I lose as far as powering the camcorder is just a click away.

This post was a paid posting.

Babies dropping all over the place

Keefe and Sara both had their babies within hours of each other! Crazy coincidence. Miles Elliott Harrison and Savannah Gracelyn Roberson each entered the world, excellent names on both fronts. I would also like to thank all four parents for not stealing any of the names Kelly and I were thinking of using :). We will be visiting Gracie on Wednesday, and hopefully will get down to South Carolina sometime soon to meet Miles. Of course, Kelly is now even more anxious for July, and I have to admit I am too. Should be fun to have all these babies around. Plus, boy or girl, we now have someone to set our child up with :).

In other news, speaking of gender, we have the big appointment for the reveal on Feb. 6th. Very exciting.

EDIT: So excited that it's actually Feb. 7th and I tried to push it up a day.

Not my cup of tea

While this sort of thing isn't really my cup of tea, I can see how it would work for a lot of people. Christian Faith Financial provides payday loans to people of faith. I guess it provides a service with a sense of security due to their religious beliefs. It doesn't seem all that appealing to me, but like I said, the appeal is pretty obvious.

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Nursery guilt

We weren't able to get out of our lease thanks to the fine asses at Cassis Properties. But, at the same time, we signed the deal, so it is our own fault as well. We didn't know of the pregnancy at the time and even if we did, we would have been hard pressed to figure something out in a month, so we are stuck in our little shack of a house for now.

The only thing that really bothers me out of this is the fact that our child won't ever get a proper nursery. We can't paint or do anything in the house (crap shanty) that we live in now, and by the time we move, the baby will be 5 months old, which is like 25% out of a nursery-type situation (I think). It really blows that if/when people come over to see the little thing, we're going to have to make people wait while we take it out of the room to show it off. And we are going to have to assemble the nursery furniture we do get, then take it down and put it back up in 5 months.

Kelly tells me I am insane to care about crap like this, but it just feels like I've already started not providing for the kid.

The fabric of our lives

Do you need people around you to know exactly how you feel? Ever feel like you need a bumper sticker on you AT ALL TIMES? If only there were an easy way to get your message out. How else are people supposed to know that you are in fact a red-stater? Or that you you voted for "Tippycanoe and Tyler too?" Is that how you spell Tippycanoe? Nope. How about "Tippecanoe and Tyler too!" There we go. There's a lesson there. If you are going to pick up some custom political t-shirts, make sure you spell check. I cannot emphasize that enough. I personally have a shirt that indicates my support of William Jennings Bryan and the Silverite movement. "16 to 1" Baby!

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Thumbnails

It's not a creative thought, but man, what a new world today is. Every thing, every person, every moment, every stupid crush, every cruel word and thought, every trombone note played, dumb idea, skipped class, lost textbook, totally fabricated essay, broken hockey stick, losing poker hand, angry grudge, overly drunk drive, crazy ex-girlfriend near-suicide attempt (her, not me), over-fueled bender, horrible round of golf, bad headline, good headline, terrible break up, faked sick day, outdoors page edited, well-made rue, sticky eclair ruined, pizza dough rolled, angry consumer, big drunken blowup and blog post written is now compressed into one tiny little thumb.




There's a 99% part of me that is ready to devote myself full-time into the life that I have created, and there is a small part of me that is eyeing that millennium-style (or for the wrestling fan, Chris Jericho-like) clock that is winding down to July 3rd and doesn't want to run, doesn't want to scream, but just knows that while it's all different now, that's really the change. Right now we are in the rapids, that date is the Niagara Falls. There's a lot of things I thought I would do before this time came, and I can't say with absolute certainty I won't regret missing some of it. I'll know in around 40 years. But as each day goes by, there a trip I want to take, or a game I want to buy, or a CD to listen to, or a book to read or a sight to see that I am not sure I can do once we hit zero. I am sure the wary part will diminish as the time elapses. I mean, when that image came up today, I couldn't believe how it made me feel. But for now, at least part of the time, my eye catches something that won't be the same after the fireworks go off (literally and figuratively).

Wall of Sound

We got the first ultrasound today. Kelly will probably have more about this, but things were totally healthy and acceptable to the doctor. No one expressed anything but great response, so all seems to be well. Early indications seem to imply boyishness tendancies somewhere in there (tried to keep that vague enough), but we shall see. We're just happy to see a little face and some arms and legs staring back. :)

This one may help me out

I give pretty decent backrubs. Kelly asks for them every once and a while, and I usually comply. Nothing special but at least it can be a little comforting to her.

Thing is, I can imagine that those requests are going to increase with the coming of the baby. Her back is going to start hurting more and more and her neck will be carrying the tension of the stress of carrying a newborn.

AND I'd probably like to have a backrub every once and a while too, because I imagine my future holds a lot of lugging of crib parts, assembly of crib parts, lugging of new strollers, testing out baby slings, moving furniture, moving into a new home, painting the nursery..... It's going to be a physical time I can imagine.

One of these Human Touch HT 7450 Zero Gravity Massage Chair sure would help make things a lot easier for Kelly and me. A nice relaxing sitdown would keep the massagee happy, and not having to do the massaging would help too. Maybe Santa will drop one off along with the 10,000 other things we need for a baby.

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