Jacob woke me up at seven this morning with his screechy little singing voice and his graspy little hands all over my face. I'm not ready for the transition from eight to seven and if that's how it's going to be then Mister Kister is going to bed before ten from now on. But I much prefer the singing in the morning over the wailing of a baby who wants to wake up but is too damn tired to open his eyelids.
*I'm watching the dogs dig in a hole in the backyard and I just realized they are digging in the same spot we buried a dog years ago. DAMN. Don't worry, mom. I told them to stop. And I will pick up the stuffed bear fluff today! Kthxbye.
Jacob's skin looks AMAZING today. His face looks like a cherub, it's so clear and creamy perfect. I haven't seen the rest of his little body yet but I'm sure that it's improving. Hopefully, I can quit the meds soon and go to Aphaphor once a day and keep this nasty eczema at bay. Once it's clear and it's past the 3rd of March, I can start him on some solids and I'm sure it will be a success. Since I tried with a taste of oatmeal today and he ate it! But then I remembered I made it with milk and babies can't have milk. FAIL (on two parts because I am not supposed to have dairy since I'm having a stuffy/drainy sinus issue today.)
The grand move to Mississippi is still in progress. It's not happening in the next two weeks because the ratio of bills to pay does not leave us with much left over. Unless CS works overtime which would be like manna from heaven. The past two weeks he's been sick so he didn't even get a full paycheck, much less overtime. Of course, before we come down there, he needs to find us a place to live. I've been told he's looking this week. He's been gone for over a month and it looks like we still have three weeks to go until he can get up here and that's if we get lucky. Our cards are maxed and the savings is shot and I refuse to pay things late because I'm difficult like that. If only we had our taxes filled by now!
*And I'm off to go yell at the dogs again...
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
Just Call Me Itchy!
Actually, the boy is now called Itchy. The dermatologist deemed that he has a nasty case of eczema and we are to start putting a strong hydrocortizone ointment on his body twice a day along with some anti-histamine at night time. I can't put the ointment on his face, under his arms, or in the diaper area but I can use an over the counter version for those spots. So, I guess the Bad Mom of the Month award goes to me for thinking that it's JUST FINE and it will just go away ON IT'S OWN. Because it was obviously not going to go away. I just need to get it under control then I can go back to putting on Aquaphor at night. I think the Aquaphor was doing a good job by itself but it didn't do much to take it away in the last four days so I hope this new routine works. I can't bath him everyday anymore which sucks because he LOVES bath time and I like a clean baby.
CS and I are also in the midst of a Cobra battle. Anyone surprised? I thought not. Cobra finally admitted to receiving a fax from us that would add Jacob to the policy and they told us that he would be added and it was taken care of. But I kept receiving letters from the hospitals saying that I would be sent to collections if I didn't pay so CS called again and found out that it was still pending. Then we got a letter saying we needed to pay $340.00 to get him added. Right, after we'd been told that we didn't have to pay anything to add him in the first thirty days. So he called again and they told him that he didn't owe any money and it should go through in the next few days. THEN, I had him call again to make sure it was taken care of and it wasn't, of course. We had to call twice to get ahold of a supervisor who told us that we owed money but that the date to pay had pasted and if we wanted to pay, he could extend the deadline. But we are arguing that no one, ever, NEVER, told us that we owed more. They told us he was covered for thirty days and we just needed to add him before that time. We finally got him to tell us that we can send a request to their compliance department to review the phone calls and see if we were told that we owe money and if they told us that we don't owe money then they will have to cover it. CS send the email off to compliance last week and they said they got an email but nothing was written in it (surprised? I thought not.) So he's writing out a letter and will certify mail it so they can't fucking LIE and say "we never got it." My god, is it really so hard for them to pay out on ONE CHILD when they get paid for hundreds of people's insurance who never use their coverage? Honestly. Insurance in the US is obviously fucked up and if CS ever wants to quit his job while I'm pregnant again, I'm not sure how I'll respond but ugly might be part of it.
CS and I are also in the midst of a Cobra battle. Anyone surprised? I thought not. Cobra finally admitted to receiving a fax from us that would add Jacob to the policy and they told us that he would be added and it was taken care of. But I kept receiving letters from the hospitals saying that I would be sent to collections if I didn't pay so CS called again and found out that it was still pending. Then we got a letter saying we needed to pay $340.00 to get him added. Right, after we'd been told that we didn't have to pay anything to add him in the first thirty days. So he called again and they told him that he didn't owe any money and it should go through in the next few days. THEN, I had him call again to make sure it was taken care of and it wasn't, of course. We had to call twice to get ahold of a supervisor who told us that we owed money but that the date to pay had pasted and if we wanted to pay, he could extend the deadline. But we are arguing that no one, ever, NEVER, told us that we owed more. They told us he was covered for thirty days and we just needed to add him before that time. We finally got him to tell us that we can send a request to their compliance department to review the phone calls and see if we were told that we owe money and if they told us that we don't owe money then they will have to cover it. CS send the email off to compliance last week and they said they got an email but nothing was written in it (surprised? I thought not.) So he's writing out a letter and will certify mail it so they can't fucking LIE and say "we never got it." My god, is it really so hard for them to pay out on ONE CHILD when they get paid for hundreds of people's insurance who never use their coverage? Honestly. Insurance in the US is obviously fucked up and if CS ever wants to quit his job while I'm pregnant again, I'm not sure how I'll respond but ugly might be part of it.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
I Pay For This Why?
I finally took Jacob to the doctor yesterday and she determined that his rash was: maybe eczema but she's not sure so I have to go to a dermatologist. GREAT. So for now it's just a lot of Aquaphor and waiting till Friday for the appointment. Because getting into a clinic is hard, they either aren't accepting new patients or they can't schedule you in for over a week or a month. They tried to put Jacob in on the 26th, but I told them I need in right away because the doctor said that if they get brown and crusty that can mean Staph infection and who the fuck says that to a new mom? (Is she really a doctor if her title is physician's assisstant?) Why are there never good doctors in small towns? Maybe I should take him to the holistic lady in town. We can rub a little oatmeal and olive oil on his skin and slather him down with some homemade lotion.
He's still darling, even with a plague of red skin bumps and patches all over his little body. We put the Aquaphor on before bed last night (this is a two person job, my mom holds him and I rub him down) and before he fell asleep, I rubbed some on his face and he got very calm and seemed soothed. I hate to see him scratch his head till he bleeds and rub behind his ear while he sleeps because it's irritating him. I also like to sleep alone and that's a lot harder to do when the rash is waking him at 2 AM.
Mornings are his difficult time, mostly because he doesn't know how to wake himself up so instead he sleep fusses until I wake him up. Some mornings he sleeps in till ten and others he's up at seven. I prefer the eight AM waking. It makes me feel like we are normal people with real schedules rather than lazy college kids.
He's still darling, even with a plague of red skin bumps and patches all over his little body. We put the Aquaphor on before bed last night (this is a two person job, my mom holds him and I rub him down) and before he fell asleep, I rubbed some on his face and he got very calm and seemed soothed. I hate to see him scratch his head till he bleeds and rub behind his ear while he sleeps because it's irritating him. I also like to sleep alone and that's a lot harder to do when the rash is waking him at 2 AM.
Mornings are his difficult time, mostly because he doesn't know how to wake himself up so instead he sleep fusses until I wake him up. Some mornings he sleeps in till ten and others he's up at seven. I prefer the eight AM waking. It makes me feel like we are normal people with real schedules rather than lazy college kids.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Hello Pants!
I am wearing a pair of pants that I hardly fit into before I was pregnant. I find this shocking and completely wonderful news! They are still a little tight but not awful muffintop tight. At least, my mom didn't think so and CS said they looked good when I sent him a text. And we know that those two people would never lie to me. Well, CS might but my mom wouldn't.
I'm not sure how this weight loss has happened since I continue to make wonderful desserts and dinners on a weekly/daily basis and I have at least four different types of chocolate bars and ice cream cones in the freezer. I mean, I'm sure it's due to all the breastfeeding I do because I haven't gone on a walk in months. So while nearly half the mommy bloggers insist that they never lost a pound while nursing, I credit it as the best weight loss system EVER. Or maybe it's the fact that my baby boy weighs almost 20 pounds and I have to lug his little body around. Not to mention the car seat and diaper bag.
His rash is getting better, super slowly though because it's trying to freak me out. I'm fairly confident that it's just a contact rash because the only place on his body that's not affected is the places that his diaper covers. If it was fungal rash (which CS's mom thinks it might be and why I should go to the Dr.) then it stands to reason that it would cover ALL his body. No? But if it's simply the All detergent in his clothes then of course it wouldn't be on his bottom. I'm trying to go with my instinct here, but it's hard when there are other voices out there, trying to send me to a Dr. when I think that they will just send us home with nothing. I did at least call the doctor's office and talked to the nurse who told me that it was probably just a contact rash or a viral rash and to just watch it. I think it's getting better so I didn't call and make an appointment.
More depressing than the rash is the fact that I went to the coffee place and ordered a decaf chai for my mom and a white mocha for me and I FORGOT to ask for decaf. So I only drank half and I hope that it doesn't affect someone else's sleep schedule because that will really mess with mine. However, it was delicious with the almond biscotti I made my mom for Valentine's Day.
I'm not sure how this weight loss has happened since I continue to make wonderful desserts and dinners on a weekly/daily basis and I have at least four different types of chocolate bars and ice cream cones in the freezer. I mean, I'm sure it's due to all the breastfeeding I do because I haven't gone on a walk in months. So while nearly half the mommy bloggers insist that they never lost a pound while nursing, I credit it as the best weight loss system EVER. Or maybe it's the fact that my baby boy weighs almost 20 pounds and I have to lug his little body around. Not to mention the car seat and diaper bag.
His rash is getting better, super slowly though because it's trying to freak me out. I'm fairly confident that it's just a contact rash because the only place on his body that's not affected is the places that his diaper covers. If it was fungal rash (which CS's mom thinks it might be and why I should go to the Dr.) then it stands to reason that it would cover ALL his body. No? But if it's simply the All detergent in his clothes then of course it wouldn't be on his bottom. I'm trying to go with my instinct here, but it's hard when there are other voices out there, trying to send me to a Dr. when I think that they will just send us home with nothing. I did at least call the doctor's office and talked to the nurse who told me that it was probably just a contact rash or a viral rash and to just watch it. I think it's getting better so I didn't call and make an appointment.
More depressing than the rash is the fact that I went to the coffee place and ordered a decaf chai for my mom and a white mocha for me and I FORGOT to ask for decaf. So I only drank half and I hope that it doesn't affect someone else's sleep schedule because that will really mess with mine. However, it was delicious with the almond biscotti I made my mom for Valentine's Day.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
The Wind Blows
I forgot that living here in the winter time is horrible. Of course we do have our 70 degree days and the sun shines all the time but there is a relentless wind in our area. It drives me crazy. Maybe it would be different if we lived in a "real house" instead of a mobile home but it's terribly annoying. There is no reason to fix your hair on days like this. Or Monday, when the ceiling fans were shaking so hard I thought they might fall on me. Of course, I'm also going to go live in Mississippi, where they have HURRICANES. Smart.
My wrist has been acting like an 85 year old woman. It's only my left wrist and it seems to have some sort of inflammation that causes it to hurt me when I put any pressure on it. I can type, but I can't push myself off the floor. I can twist it but I can't push on it. This has been happening once in a while since I was about six months pregnant and I wonder if pregnancy carpal tunnel has followed me home. I don't think I will get pregnant again, it wasn't as fun as I thought it would be back when I was seven and putting towels under my shirt.
Jacob has his own little malady going on where he has a horrid rash all over his body. It started last Thursday or Friday and it slowly spread from just his torso to his arms, legs, and now one side of his face. He looks like a little Scarface. I called the doctor's office and spoke to a nurse who told me to see if it gets any better by Friday and if it doesn't then we'll be making a trip in. Supposedly babies can get viral rashes? Now that's it's moving all over his body, I am reluctant to say that the switch from Target brand baby detergent to All Baby detergent is the culprit. Especially since I washed everything in All Free and Clear when he broke out. It doesn't seem to bother him, he's not fussier or sleeping less. Just splotchy and looking like a leper. I'd like it to go away so I can stop worrying about it. How am I supposed to be a laid back mama if my baby comes up with weird skin issues. Oh, right. WINE!
My wrist has been acting like an 85 year old woman. It's only my left wrist and it seems to have some sort of inflammation that causes it to hurt me when I put any pressure on it. I can type, but I can't push myself off the floor. I can twist it but I can't push on it. This has been happening once in a while since I was about six months pregnant and I wonder if pregnancy carpal tunnel has followed me home. I don't think I will get pregnant again, it wasn't as fun as I thought it would be back when I was seven and putting towels under my shirt.
Jacob has his own little malady going on where he has a horrid rash all over his body. It started last Thursday or Friday and it slowly spread from just his torso to his arms, legs, and now one side of his face. He looks like a little Scarface. I called the doctor's office and spoke to a nurse who told me to see if it gets any better by Friday and if it doesn't then we'll be making a trip in. Supposedly babies can get viral rashes? Now that's it's moving all over his body, I am reluctant to say that the switch from Target brand baby detergent to All Baby detergent is the culprit. Especially since I washed everything in All Free and Clear when he broke out. It doesn't seem to bother him, he's not fussier or sleeping less. Just splotchy and looking like a leper. I'd like it to go away so I can stop worrying about it. How am I supposed to be a laid back mama if my baby comes up with weird skin issues. Oh, right. WINE!
Saturday, February 07, 2009
And Now I'm Afraid Of The Dark
I got sucked into the Twilight series. I'm not sure how it happened, all I did was pick up her "adult" novel and after I finished that in 24 hours, I wandered into the library and the first Twilight book was just sitting on the cart. Waiting for me. I picked it up, read it and then all I've thought about for the last two weeks was Bella and Edward and vampires coming to get them. I'd dream about it, that's how badly I needed to know the end of the saga. Of course, I could have known sooner but the library didn't have enough copies of the last two so I had to put them on hold. Once I finally got them, I was at lunch with Jacob's great-grandma and she saw I was reading Eclipse and she told me she had all the books and I could just take them. Score! Too bad I didn't think to go have lunch there earlier. I was bidding for books on ebay and checking out Craigslist because the bookstore in town was out of copies!! Not that would actually buy them, I just needed to see if I could. And I couldn't so it drove me crazy! But now I've read them and I am sleeping vampire-less dreams again. At least I learned my lesson this time around and didn't jump on the bandwagon until all the books were written. Unlike Harry Potter.
Jacob is doing well, except for the awful spotty rash he has all over his torso. I assume that it's from a change in laundry detergent so I have re-washed his clothing. But my mom seems to think it could be a lingering effect of the Dtap immunization. I think two weeks is too long for a reaction to appear. His daddy is sensitive to everything, so it's most likely the detergent. However, it makes for a crabby sleeping baby and I had to share the bed with him last night instead of getting up every thirty minutes to soothe him lest he fuss himself in to a rage.
CS is finally working full time and overtime, maybe in a few weeks he will be able to find a place to live and we will get ourselves down to the beach! Although I am really not ready to smoosh my belly into a two piece swimsuit and lounge on the beach. Stretch marks are a buzz kill.
Jacob is doing well, except for the awful spotty rash he has all over his torso. I assume that it's from a change in laundry detergent so I have re-washed his clothing. But my mom seems to think it could be a lingering effect of the Dtap immunization. I think two weeks is too long for a reaction to appear. His daddy is sensitive to everything, so it's most likely the detergent. However, it makes for a crabby sleeping baby and I had to share the bed with him last night instead of getting up every thirty minutes to soothe him lest he fuss himself in to a rage.
CS is finally working full time and overtime, maybe in a few weeks he will be able to find a place to live and we will get ourselves down to the beach! Although I am really not ready to smoosh my belly into a two piece swimsuit and lounge on the beach. Stretch marks are a buzz kill.
Monday, February 02, 2009
Monday Feels Like Sunday
My mom is off from the library today so it feels like the weekend is still here. While I don't have actually have much of a concept of days, it will be nice to have people around in four days rather than five. Since mostly, it's just Jacob and I making it through the day till we can do something in the evening. He's becoming more aware of being inside all day and so I'm making an effort to go outside and play during the day. As long as it's nice, this is easy. I discovered that he LOVES to swing with me. The park we went to didn't have a baby swing, so I just held onto him and he laughed without crying which I took as a good sign. We have a baby swing in the backyard but he's not strong enough to keep his body from slumping over and slamming his head into the ropes.
Yesterday marked the first time someone dropped him and I hope it's the only time. He wasn't really dropped, but he was jumping on the floor while someone held him up under his arms and he slipped out of his grip and fell onto his face. At first he just looked around and then shock got him and he started crying. Then hours later, the man that dropped him was talking to him and he started crying again. Obviously, he remembered and was not going to let him forget. I did remarkably well with it, I didn't even rush into scoop him up and freak out. I laughed. (That sounds bad. Someone dropped my baby and I laughed! Except he didn't drop him, he just sort of crumpled to the floor.) I wonder if that's a milestone in his baby book. I doubt it.
CS is finally working full time now. No more training, just going to work everyday and there is a lot of overtime to be had. So next week we will finally have some money! Yay! To pay bills with! Boo! And we can search out a place to live and by March, I suspect I will be living in Mississippi. I've always wanted to live in the South. And by the water, even better. And the Best Part of All? Jacob is going to have a Southern accent!
Yesterday marked the first time someone dropped him and I hope it's the only time. He wasn't really dropped, but he was jumping on the floor while someone held him up under his arms and he slipped out of his grip and fell onto his face. At first he just looked around and then shock got him and he started crying. Then hours later, the man that dropped him was talking to him and he started crying again. Obviously, he remembered and was not going to let him forget. I did remarkably well with it, I didn't even rush into scoop him up and freak out. I laughed. (That sounds bad. Someone dropped my baby and I laughed! Except he didn't drop him, he just sort of crumpled to the floor.) I wonder if that's a milestone in his baby book. I doubt it.
CS is finally working full time now. No more training, just going to work everyday and there is a lot of overtime to be had. So next week we will finally have some money! Yay! To pay bills with! Boo! And we can search out a place to live and by March, I suspect I will be living in Mississippi. I've always wanted to live in the South. And by the water, even better. And the Best Part of All? Jacob is going to have a Southern accent!
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