So Peter got turned down for renewal of the state health insurance he's been on. He is out of health insurance in 2 days! I'm frustrated. They referred us to another program but it takes 30 days for approval. I hope my boy doesn't happen upon any pocket change during that time!
And it prompted me to look at our health insurance as a whole and the other programs we may qualify for.
We pay over $700 a month for health insurance for John and I! And I still have $50 co-payments and $60 prescription co-pays for each of my diabetes medications. It's an easy $1000 a month in health costs!!! That's flipping crazy! And I don't always have the money for the co-pays sometimes so I'm canceling appointments and sacrificing my health care. After I've already paid that $1000 a month, I'm not even able to take advantage of it!!!!
There's a government program we are income eligible for that would reduce our payment to about $100 a month and co-pays to around $5. Seems like a no-brainer. BUT we can only qualify if we've been WITHOUT insurance for 3 months.
ARGH!!!! It's a scary proposition for a diabetic to be without insurance!!! What do I DO!?!? I guess I just stay on my health insurance another month, get all my scripts refilled, visit my doctors, then take the giant leap into the "uninsured"???
Government is stupid sometimes. I really wish for European universal health care some days.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Errands With the Sick Boy
Yesterday we took Peter to the doctor to get his cough looked at. Dr said all was well (aka he probably didn't swallow anything) and to just keep the humidifier running and let her know in a week how he's doing. He has been getting better and has TONS of energy, just a bad cough. I think he's on the way to getting better.
After the doctor we went to El Pollo Loco, a mexican fast food place, for dinner. I found out online that they had a special deal yesterday. All we had to do was go to the counter and ask to "Taste the Fire!" and each of us got a 2 piece chicken meal with tortillas and all-you-can-eat salsa.
YUMMM!!! We got some extra rice and beans to share so overall our full dinner was $2.16. We even had an entire leftover meal. I love finding deals! And it was nice to have a meal out.
I gave Peter a drumstick to pick at, but he had trouble figuring out which part to bite on. We helped him out and picked some pieces off for him. He is really liking chicken lately.
Another thing we talked about at the doctor's was his reaction to whole milk. As I was weaning him we tried switching him to whole milk but he got a rash, diareha and a crampy tummy. No fun! We switched him to soy milk and it all went away. Dr says it sounds like a cow's milk intolerance. So no milk with his cookies!!! He decided he'd rather wear the cookie bucket as a hat anyway!
The Dr prescribed us a special soy formula he's supposed to stay on for the next year. It has added fat and nutrients you can't get from soy milk. Today I went down to WIC and renewed Peter's eligibility there and they are going to cover his formula cost. Yay! That's a good $100 a month savings.
I also had a few random photos from the last month I wanted to share...
Peter in the toy aisle. I spent about 10 minutes trying to teach him how to use the corn popper but he never did figure it out. He kept holding it straight up and down instead of out in front of him. Silly boy!
Out shopping with dad. Peter likes to wear daddies baseball hats. I think they look pretty cute together.
Eating eggs at Golden Corral. Peter LOVES eggs. And you can see his little fingers working in this shot.
After the doctor we went to El Pollo Loco, a mexican fast food place, for dinner. I found out online that they had a special deal yesterday. All we had to do was go to the counter and ask to "Taste the Fire!" and each of us got a 2 piece chicken meal with tortillas and all-you-can-eat salsa.
YUMMM!!! We got some extra rice and beans to share so overall our full dinner was $2.16. We even had an entire leftover meal. I love finding deals! And it was nice to have a meal out.
I gave Peter a drumstick to pick at, but he had trouble figuring out which part to bite on. We helped him out and picked some pieces off for him. He is really liking chicken lately.
Another thing we talked about at the doctor's was his reaction to whole milk. As I was weaning him we tried switching him to whole milk but he got a rash, diareha and a crampy tummy. No fun! We switched him to soy milk and it all went away. Dr says it sounds like a cow's milk intolerance. So no milk with his cookies!!! He decided he'd rather wear the cookie bucket as a hat anyway!
The Dr prescribed us a special soy formula he's supposed to stay on for the next year. It has added fat and nutrients you can't get from soy milk. Today I went down to WIC and renewed Peter's eligibility there and they are going to cover his formula cost. Yay! That's a good $100 a month savings.
I also had a few random photos from the last month I wanted to share...
Peter in the toy aisle. I spent about 10 minutes trying to teach him how to use the corn popper but he never did figure it out. He kept holding it straight up and down instead of out in front of him. Silly boy!
Out shopping with dad. Peter likes to wear daddies baseball hats. I think they look pretty cute together.
Eating eggs at Golden Corral. Peter LOVES eggs. And you can see his little fingers working in this shot.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Playing at the Park
Peter isn't feeling good this past week. He has a terrible cough and John and I jump every time we hear it. After all, his last coughing experience resulted in hospital time. The fever he had last week is gone, but he is still very sleepy and took a 4 hour nap today. When he's awake he gets little spurts of energy but is mostly a cuddle bug and clinging to Chewy day and night. I'm planning to call the doctor tomorrow morning because its been about a week and his cough just worries us.
Today one of John's co-workers had a baby shower at the park. Peter fell asleep at home and I didn't want to wake him so we didn't arrive until the very end of the party. That was good though, I wanted Peter to get rest and I wanted him to have very little interaction with people.
John and I enjoyed the BBQ food and it was neat to observe their family. Made me miss having my parents and siblings around!!! After some snacks Peter had enough energy to play a little at the park.
First he wandered out to the grassy area to sit down with his Chewy.
There was a bouncy castle that matched Peter's outfit!! FUN! Too bad the older kids were going crazy inside. Peter liked watching but we didn't go inside.
John pushed Peter on the swing for a little bit.
It didn't last long because it almost lulled him to sleep again.
We also played in the sand of the playground. Peter had a hard time learning to balance while walking in the sand.
He liked to sit and dig in the sand. We tried to stay away from the other kids that were throwing water balloons and playing with super soakers.
We had to take Chewy away in the sand. Peter had been chewing on his ears and were wet and when they got in the sand Chewy was a complete mess!!! He went straight in the laundry when we got home.
At the end Peter wanted to walk away with the balloons. He may be sick but he still has priorities!!!
Today one of John's co-workers had a baby shower at the park. Peter fell asleep at home and I didn't want to wake him so we didn't arrive until the very end of the party. That was good though, I wanted Peter to get rest and I wanted him to have very little interaction with people.
John and I enjoyed the BBQ food and it was neat to observe their family. Made me miss having my parents and siblings around!!! After some snacks Peter had enough energy to play a little at the park.
First he wandered out to the grassy area to sit down with his Chewy.
There was a bouncy castle that matched Peter's outfit!! FUN! Too bad the older kids were going crazy inside. Peter liked watching but we didn't go inside.
John pushed Peter on the swing for a little bit.
It didn't last long because it almost lulled him to sleep again.
We also played in the sand of the playground. Peter had a hard time learning to balance while walking in the sand.
He liked to sit and dig in the sand. We tried to stay away from the other kids that were throwing water balloons and playing with super soakers.
We had to take Chewy away in the sand. Peter had been chewing on his ears and were wet and when they got in the sand Chewy was a complete mess!!! He went straight in the laundry when we got home.
At the end Peter wanted to walk away with the balloons. He may be sick but he still has priorities!!!
Monday, April 20, 2009
Pima County Fair (video)
We had a great afternoon at the Pima County Fair today. We saw the petting zoo, ate some food, saw a freak show, walked through the carnival, and played a little. (Sidenote: Peter got an intense bath when we got home!) It was hitting the 90's so we kept our sunscreen on and tried to stay in the shade.
I ended up talking over 80 pictures and there were so many good ones I had a hard time choosing which ones to post! So I put together a little slide show tonight. Tomorrow I may edit and post a few individual pictures for posterity but for now watch the video and have fun seeing our day!
I ended up talking over 80 pictures and there were so many good ones I had a hard time choosing which ones to post! So I put together a little slide show tonight. Tomorrow I may edit and post a few individual pictures for posterity but for now watch the video and have fun seeing our day!
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Weekend News
Home Shopping
Looking at homes is interesting. It's fun to go to a variety of homes and see the different paths our lives could follow. In town? Suburbs? Country? Lots of land/ok home vs little land/nice home. Close to neighbors? Far? What will we sacrifice, what won't we budge on... There's so many different things to think about. So many directions we could choose.
This weekend we looked at some homes in the country. Lots of land but definite fixer-uppers. John loved the space but I just can't see dragging Peter out to the middle of nowhere. He'd be so far from friends and I'd worry we'd turn into isolationists. That isn't us. Oh well, now we know.
John's Work Picnic
Saturday John's work had a company picnic at a park. It was a beautiful day out and we enjoyed seeing and meeting his co-workers. John got to show off his little boy. They were all amazed at how much he was walking and interacting with everyone. Peter was fascinated by the kites people were flying...they are almost like balloons! I was bummed I forgot the camera.
Weaning
Well baby Peter hasn't nursed in 48 hours. It's a good thing because my body has started attacking me and I NEED to be on medication. But I'm also sad. I liked having that time with my baby. It felt good to be able to provide for him. I will miss it.
Diaper Rash
Peter has his first serious case of diaper rash. He didn't really have one his entire first year of life. I worry it has something to do with weaning him. Maybe he's reacting to cow's milk. I'm not sure. We'll have to watch it this week to see how it progresses.
Looking at homes is interesting. It's fun to go to a variety of homes and see the different paths our lives could follow. In town? Suburbs? Country? Lots of land/ok home vs little land/nice home. Close to neighbors? Far? What will we sacrifice, what won't we budge on... There's so many different things to think about. So many directions we could choose.
This weekend we looked at some homes in the country. Lots of land but definite fixer-uppers. John loved the space but I just can't see dragging Peter out to the middle of nowhere. He'd be so far from friends and I'd worry we'd turn into isolationists. That isn't us. Oh well, now we know.
John's Work Picnic
Saturday John's work had a company picnic at a park. It was a beautiful day out and we enjoyed seeing and meeting his co-workers. John got to show off his little boy. They were all amazed at how much he was walking and interacting with everyone. Peter was fascinated by the kites people were flying...they are almost like balloons! I was bummed I forgot the camera.
Weaning
Well baby Peter hasn't nursed in 48 hours. It's a good thing because my body has started attacking me and I NEED to be on medication. But I'm also sad. I liked having that time with my baby. It felt good to be able to provide for him. I will miss it.
Diaper Rash
Peter has his first serious case of diaper rash. He didn't really have one his entire first year of life. I worry it has something to do with weaning him. Maybe he's reacting to cow's milk. I'm not sure. We'll have to watch it this week to see how it progresses.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Friday Fun Day!
We had another long, fun day today! We woke up early and took John's car into the mechanic to get his front window fixed. It can now roll down!!! Yay!!! We did a little house shopping and returned movies we had rented. It was a long time to be in the car but Peter seemed happy. Part of his excitement might be because we turned his carseat facing forward this week. He can now face the world head on!!!
(PS. Keep a look out at these photos for top teeth! He has 4 top teeth that you can see pretty well now!)
This afternoon Peter got a reward for being such a good boy all morning. We went to Gymboree with our mommy group! Yay!!!
Oh my gosh! A rare quiet moment! It's because a bubble landed on his forehead!
Here's a picture of Peter's big belly.
Peter had fun with the basketball hoop. At home he's been finding "baskets" everywhere. He likes to get on his tip toes to put things in boxes and bowls. His favorite place is his diaper champ where we throw away his diapers. It's just the right height to place things in. He puts balls, toys, and even Chewy into its little cubby.
Such a climber! He's a true adventurer. He climbed this whole thing all by himself!
Big grin!
He was so proud when he figured out which hole fit his ball. He's always on the search for where things fit. Earlier this week he found out that a plastic easter egg fits perfectly in our surround sound speaker. I was watching tv when I noticed something was blocking the sound! I got on my knees in front of the speaker and pulled out a purple easter egg! (Oh, look, there's some teeth in that grin!)
Being chased by daddy in the tunnel! He isn't scared of those pesky tunnels anymore. He bolts right on thru!
He had a blast! (Look, top teeth again!)
(PS. Keep a look out at these photos for top teeth! He has 4 top teeth that you can see pretty well now!)
This afternoon Peter got a reward for being such a good boy all morning. We went to Gymboree with our mommy group! Yay!!!
Oh my gosh! A rare quiet moment! It's because a bubble landed on his forehead!
Here's a picture of Peter's big belly.
Peter had fun with the basketball hoop. At home he's been finding "baskets" everywhere. He likes to get on his tip toes to put things in boxes and bowls. His favorite place is his diaper champ where we throw away his diapers. It's just the right height to place things in. He puts balls, toys, and even Chewy into its little cubby.
Such a climber! He's a true adventurer. He climbed this whole thing all by himself!
Big grin!
He was so proud when he figured out which hole fit his ball. He's always on the search for where things fit. Earlier this week he found out that a plastic easter egg fits perfectly in our surround sound speaker. I was watching tv when I noticed something was blocking the sound! I got on my knees in front of the speaker and pulled out a purple easter egg! (Oh, look, there's some teeth in that grin!)
Being chased by daddy in the tunnel! He isn't scared of those pesky tunnels anymore. He bolts right on thru!
He had a blast! (Look, top teeth again!)
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
At the Playground
Leftover pictures from last weeks Egg Hunt. We spent a good hour playing on the playground equipment. Since there were about 50 other kids there it was a little hectic. Peter had fun watching everyone though.
One of his favorite things to play with was this steering wheel. He stood his ground when some older kid was trying to shove him out of the way. Poor guy got a little squished and I had to rescue him.
I am very glad that all the playground equipment is really sturdy so I can actually climb all over it with him. I'm able to keep a hand right behind him in case he falls. I get so scared he'll lose his balance and tumble down the stairs. He REALLY wanted to go down the slide but I couldn't bring myself to drop him off on the top when I couldn't be at the bottom. We did a halfway slide though from the ground a few times. He still has an obsession with trying to climb up slides backwards. It must be a genetic boy thing!
Peter found someone's truck and drove it around the picnic ramada. He sticks his tongue out so he can get a good "putt-putt-putt" sound effect for it. I have no clue where he learned that. Another genetic boy thing I think.
Such pretty blue eyes! Daddy thinks its so cool that they have stayed for a whole year.
Peter noticed his shadow. It moves when he moves! And he can never reach the top, it keeps getting further away!
One of his favorite things to play with was this steering wheel. He stood his ground when some older kid was trying to shove him out of the way. Poor guy got a little squished and I had to rescue him.
I am very glad that all the playground equipment is really sturdy so I can actually climb all over it with him. I'm able to keep a hand right behind him in case he falls. I get so scared he'll lose his balance and tumble down the stairs. He REALLY wanted to go down the slide but I couldn't bring myself to drop him off on the top when I couldn't be at the bottom. We did a halfway slide though from the ground a few times. He still has an obsession with trying to climb up slides backwards. It must be a genetic boy thing!
Peter found someone's truck and drove it around the picnic ramada. He sticks his tongue out so he can get a good "putt-putt-putt" sound effect for it. I have no clue where he learned that. Another genetic boy thing I think.
Such pretty blue eyes! Daddy thinks its so cool that they have stayed for a whole year.
Peter noticed his shadow. It moves when he moves! And he can never reach the top, it keeps getting further away!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Playtime and Our Busy Week
This morning we headed out to baby gym at Udall Park. It's something we love to do, its fun to play with other babies and explore the obstacles. These are some pictures from Peter's playtime.
I did a bunch of car work yesterday: fixed the headlight that was out, passed emissions, re-registered my car, got oil changes. All before John even got off work!
I also took Peter to the doctor for his 1 year appointment. He weighs 21 lbs! My big old sack of flour! Growing so fast! We got permission to flip his car seat to face forward. How fun will that be?!?! He also had to endure 5 shots, 2 in each leg and 1 in the arm. He was a REALLY good boy though! He cried during the shots, but went quiet almost immediately after they were done and I picked him up. I was so proud of him.
I've been feeling very motivated this week to get a lot of things done. Last Friday I finally saw my new endocrinologist and got some stern encouragement to get back on my medication. I have breastfed Peter for a full year and now its time to focus again on my health.
Peter is getting quickly weaned this week so I can jump back on my medication. He'd already been cut down to about 2-4 feedings a day, but now I'm trying to do one or none. He's started on whole milk and seems to really like it. Unlike mom, cow's milk has an unending supply! We are having very wet diapers because he sucks it down so quickly!
I got groceries today. Weekly toll: $35. Though once I got home I realized I needed rice for dinner. DOH! There's always something I forget. Peter got very fidgety while I was checking out and I ended up putting him on the ground to let him stand and look at things. John quickly had to chase him down as he made a break for the exit.
Today I also spent a good deal of time on the phone. I had to call tech support for our new laptop. I seems to not be charging the battery. The only way to use it is when it is plugged in and that definately won't work when traveling next month. (I'm planning on going to my sister's college graduation from the University of Iowa in May.)
I also had to call around to find our car part. John's car window is stuck and can't roll up or down. Since he has no air conditioning this is a HUGE problem as the temps are already reaching 90 degrees here. Turned out that Fed Ex delivered it to our apartment office and no one ever let us know it was here. But we have it now!!! Yay! Now just need to install it.
As you can tell it's been a crazy busy week for us. It's alot of go-go-go but I feel good getting alot of things done. And I'm glad that I'm starting to re-focus on my health, hopefully I can get that under control relatively quickly. And I'm glad Peter seems to be handling it pretty well. He's such a big boy.
I did a bunch of car work yesterday: fixed the headlight that was out, passed emissions, re-registered my car, got oil changes. All before John even got off work!
I also took Peter to the doctor for his 1 year appointment. He weighs 21 lbs! My big old sack of flour! Growing so fast! We got permission to flip his car seat to face forward. How fun will that be?!?! He also had to endure 5 shots, 2 in each leg and 1 in the arm. He was a REALLY good boy though! He cried during the shots, but went quiet almost immediately after they were done and I picked him up. I was so proud of him.
I've been feeling very motivated this week to get a lot of things done. Last Friday I finally saw my new endocrinologist and got some stern encouragement to get back on my medication. I have breastfed Peter for a full year and now its time to focus again on my health.
Peter is getting quickly weaned this week so I can jump back on my medication. He'd already been cut down to about 2-4 feedings a day, but now I'm trying to do one or none. He's started on whole milk and seems to really like it. Unlike mom, cow's milk has an unending supply! We are having very wet diapers because he sucks it down so quickly!
I got groceries today. Weekly toll: $35. Though once I got home I realized I needed rice for dinner. DOH! There's always something I forget. Peter got very fidgety while I was checking out and I ended up putting him on the ground to let him stand and look at things. John quickly had to chase him down as he made a break for the exit.
Today I also spent a good deal of time on the phone. I had to call tech support for our new laptop. I seems to not be charging the battery. The only way to use it is when it is plugged in and that definately won't work when traveling next month. (I'm planning on going to my sister's college graduation from the University of Iowa in May.)
I also had to call around to find our car part. John's car window is stuck and can't roll up or down. Since he has no air conditioning this is a HUGE problem as the temps are already reaching 90 degrees here. Turned out that Fed Ex delivered it to our apartment office and no one ever let us know it was here. But we have it now!!! Yay! Now just need to install it.
As you can tell it's been a crazy busy week for us. It's alot of go-go-go but I feel good getting alot of things done. And I'm glad that I'm starting to re-focus on my health, hopefully I can get that under control relatively quickly. And I'm glad Peter seems to be handling it pretty well. He's such a big boy.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Happy Easter!
Peter's visit with Peter Cottontail! He didn't know what to think about this big bunny so he clung to me really hard and tried to stay as far away as he could. I think we still got a decent photo! Happy Easter everyone!
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Happy Birthday Peter!
Today was Peter's 1st Birthday! We had a busy day! Mommy took over 200 pictures so it was hard to choose which ones to put on the blog. It's late so I'm just doing a quick post to share with our family. I'll try to get a more up tomorrow.
This morning we went to library storytime. He's been going to this storytime since he was about 2 months old so we have made some friends there. Peter wore his birthday hat and they sang him "Happy Birthday".
At home, mommy and daddy got Peter some balloons to play with. Peter had fun dragging them around the house.
For dinner we headed to Peter Piper Pizza, an arcade style pizza place. One of John's co-workers and his family joined us for a small birthday celebration.
Mommy got Peter a cute birthday outfit. I couldn't resist! How many days does your little boy turn one!
Peter likes pizza. He probably ate a whole piece just by himself!
We put Peter on little ride on toys for the first time. He didn't know what to think when we put tokens in and the whole car started moving. He just held on tight and his eyes went all wide.
Peter had fun playing with our friends kids. Gilbert liked picking Peter up and pretending he was a bunny. Peter thought it was the best!
Peter spent some time studying his cupcake. Then he picked up little pieces. It was super cute. John says he ate it all prim and proper. Our boy wasn't the dive in type!
I think he liked the sugar frosting!
By the time he got to the cake part he was ready to shove the whole thing in his mouth.
He got a *little* messy for his birthday but he was definitely a happy birthday boy!
Our family! We had fun for Peter's first birthday. We were all exhausted by the end of the night. John carried Peter in from the car and just plopped him in bed. What a great day!
This morning we went to library storytime. He's been going to this storytime since he was about 2 months old so we have made some friends there. Peter wore his birthday hat and they sang him "Happy Birthday".
At home, mommy and daddy got Peter some balloons to play with. Peter had fun dragging them around the house.
For dinner we headed to Peter Piper Pizza, an arcade style pizza place. One of John's co-workers and his family joined us for a small birthday celebration.
Mommy got Peter a cute birthday outfit. I couldn't resist! How many days does your little boy turn one!
Peter likes pizza. He probably ate a whole piece just by himself!
We put Peter on little ride on toys for the first time. He didn't know what to think when we put tokens in and the whole car started moving. He just held on tight and his eyes went all wide.
Peter had fun playing with our friends kids. Gilbert liked picking Peter up and pretending he was a bunny. Peter thought it was the best!
Peter spent some time studying his cupcake. Then he picked up little pieces. It was super cute. John says he ate it all prim and proper. Our boy wasn't the dive in type!
I think he liked the sugar frosting!
By the time he got to the cake part he was ready to shove the whole thing in his mouth.
He got a *little* messy for his birthday but he was definitely a happy birthday boy!
Our family! We had fun for Peter's first birthday. We were all exhausted by the end of the night. John carried Peter in from the car and just plopped him in bed. What a great day!
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