Well this was a pretty relaxed week. There wasn't much on the calendar except for chiropractor appointments. They weren't helping that much until Friday, when she finally seemed to get the right spot and I had a weekend mostly pain free. If I sit a lot I still have some pain, and walking uphill isn't wonderful, but for the most part, my upper back pain is gone. Lower back pain is picking up though. Oh well, that I was expecting and can deal with, but the upper back pain was making breathing even more difficult.
We had a great time in Coronado over the weekend. We went down to celebrate our anniversary (6/19) and were able to just relax. Since we have U-Verse at the apartment, we found a way to hook up the computer to the TV and could watch movies online, which was great. We spent Saturday afternoon at the zoo, and got a real treat when we went down to see the tigers: they were running and playing and "hunting". Usually, you don't get to see tigers at all, unless they're napping close to the end of the day. We booked our tickets for Christmas: a 5 hour plane ride followed by a 5 hour car ride with a 2 month old should be interesting to say the least. And despite Southwest describing their infant fares as "very reasonable," They cost pretty much the same as a regular ticket. Lap baby it'll be. We've also started looking at registry stuff and all the things we need to get: crib, stroller/car seat, dresser/changing table, etc. That's my to do for this month, but with all the stuff left to do in the nursery, I'm starting to get overwhelmed. This also happens when we move. It's not very pretty. On the upside: I finally look pregnant and not chubby. Or maybe, I finally got someone other than James and my parents to confirm this for me. And having the first stranger make a comment made me believe it too. It was an odd experience. We had walked to church Sunday morning and went to Miguel's for lunch after. We decided to stop for gelato and walk down Orange on the way back, and while we were walking, we were stopped by an older gentleman who asked if I was expecting, and when, if we knew it was a boy or girl, etc. Then he asked where we were from and we said Orange, but we lived here for a year. I noticed he had a Christ Church nametag on and said that we must have been in church together. He then asked if James had just graduated, and if he was the one going to Stanford. We were both like "Uh...no. ..." since he was referring to the recent high school graduates who were celebrated at church. High school. Like 17, 18 years old. He had wanted to talk to the guy going to Stanford since he went to Cal, but his son went to Stanford and even though there's a rivalry, there's also a lot of respect. It was very nice, but considering that James has a full beard (none of the boys had any kind of beard), a wedding band, a pregnant woman by his side and we had told him that we'd moved around a bit (at least 3 places in the last 2 years), it was an odd question. I also have to assume that he thought I was that young, since it was obvious that we were together. It was an altogether odd experience, and neither of us have been mistaken for teenagers in a very long time. At least 4 years for me (last time I believe was when they carded me in Scotland [drinking age was 16]). We were both able to laugh about it, and no one tried to touch my belly, so I was perfectly happy.
Tuesday night was our two year anniversary, and we had originally planned to go to an opening of Pixar's Brave in LA, but unfortunately the tickets fell through. James was left with getting off work a few hours early and no plans, so of course he figured something out. We ended up going to Simply Fondue in Mission Viejo, which had a Living Social special for a four course meal plus wine. James had both glasses of wine, and we started with a strawberry-spinach salad, followed by the traditional Swiss cheese fondue, then beef tenderloin, garlic chicken and shrimp for an entree with milk chocolate fondue at the end. It was a really fun meal, and anything with cheese is awesome. I'm not sure I'd go with the oil again for the entree, first it was too hot and burned the food without cooking it through, then it ended up making the tempura batter they included too saturated. It was still good, and a ton of food, and the stuffed mushrooms in the tempura batter were to die for! The chocolate was good, but I'm really not a chocolate person; I'd much rather have the cheese fondue twice. :) And everyone came by to wish us a happy anniversary and then congratulations on the pregnancy. I also had an excuse to wear my scroll necklace I made, and this gorgeous dress I got right before finding out I was pregnant. I don't think I can fit into the dress much longer, but I was gonna wear it once at least! It was a really nice night, but fondue always takes a long time--2.5 hours. We were both exhausted when we got home.
I'm also having some billing issues with the OB--old and new. Under my insurance plan (and I've verified this 5 times now) I do not pay any co-pays for pre- or post-natal care. However, the old OB has sent me a bill for my visits twice now (once after I called and corrected them). When I called this last time, she claimed she had never received a ball from Blue Shield (I was on the phone with them while they called her) and then when I explained that they needed to code the bill as an OB visit and not just a specialist, she rudely told me that Dr. Boyd was a specialist--in OB and Gynecology. At that point, I hung up and had Blue Shield call her again. I couldn't believe how rude she was to a customer. If I get another bill, I'm just giving up and having Blue Shield call without bothering to call them first. Yesterday I got a call from the new OB's billing office saying that even though I told them about the no co-pay thing, I did have a co-pay for the initial visit. After calling Blue Shield again, I found out that this isn't true. They called the office while I was on the phone and tried to tell the nurse this, but she apparently wouldn't believe them and just kept saying I had a co-pay (she was convinced Blue Shield told her this.) When I called to confirm everything was taken care of, she was on the phone with Blue Shield again (as if I lied to her) and when she called me back she said that the initial visit to confirm the pregnancy required a co-pay. Again, this isn't true, but it didn't matter--I confirmed my pregnancy with my primary care doctor since I had no gynecologist in Orange and I was already 17 weeks pregnant when I started seeing Dr. Akerman. Then the nurse claimed that they don't submit the claim until a week or two before the birth, so it didn't matter and would probably be covered. This makes no sense: so I'm supposed to dispute the charge with a week old baby? Why in the world they would wait 5 months for payment, I don't understand, and the nurse could not explain satisfactorily (something about seeing you/not seeing you again a week before the due date? Which also makes no sense...and why is she working on it now if they aren't going to bill it until October?) I tried calling St. Joseph Heritage because I think that's where the incorrect information is coming from, but not only were they useless, but the woman on the other end of the line wouldn't let me finish my sentences. After she interrupted me for the 4th time, saying she wasn't able to help me, but not understanding what I was asking for because she kept interrupting me, I finally yelled (in the middle of Target) "Would you let me just finish a sentence?!" and hung up on her. I won't be calling them again. I'm so sick of all the issues with the billing for this stuff. It really is enough to make me want to quit all doctors. Ever. Argh!
I'm introducing a new weekly update thing-a-ma-bob. The questions get repetitive. So let's just assume that some of the things (stretch marks, certain symptoms, the fact that I'm wearing maternity clothes and my belly button being an outie) are going to stay the same. Here's the new one:
We had a great time in Coronado over the weekend. We went down to celebrate our anniversary (6/19) and were able to just relax. Since we have U-Verse at the apartment, we found a way to hook up the computer to the TV and could watch movies online, which was great. We spent Saturday afternoon at the zoo, and got a real treat when we went down to see the tigers: they were running and playing and "hunting". Usually, you don't get to see tigers at all, unless they're napping close to the end of the day. We booked our tickets for Christmas: a 5 hour plane ride followed by a 5 hour car ride with a 2 month old should be interesting to say the least. And despite Southwest describing their infant fares as "very reasonable," They cost pretty much the same as a regular ticket. Lap baby it'll be. We've also started looking at registry stuff and all the things we need to get: crib, stroller/car seat, dresser/changing table, etc. That's my to do for this month, but with all the stuff left to do in the nursery, I'm starting to get overwhelmed. This also happens when we move. It's not very pretty. On the upside: I finally look pregnant and not chubby. Or maybe, I finally got someone other than James and my parents to confirm this for me. And having the first stranger make a comment made me believe it too. It was an odd experience. We had walked to church Sunday morning and went to Miguel's for lunch after. We decided to stop for gelato and walk down Orange on the way back, and while we were walking, we were stopped by an older gentleman who asked if I was expecting, and when, if we knew it was a boy or girl, etc. Then he asked where we were from and we said Orange, but we lived here for a year. I noticed he had a Christ Church nametag on and said that we must have been in church together. He then asked if James had just graduated, and if he was the one going to Stanford. We were both like "Uh...no. ..." since he was referring to the recent high school graduates who were celebrated at church. High school. Like 17, 18 years old. He had wanted to talk to the guy going to Stanford since he went to Cal, but his son went to Stanford and even though there's a rivalry, there's also a lot of respect. It was very nice, but considering that James has a full beard (none of the boys had any kind of beard), a wedding band, a pregnant woman by his side and we had told him that we'd moved around a bit (at least 3 places in the last 2 years), it was an odd question. I also have to assume that he thought I was that young, since it was obvious that we were together. It was an altogether odd experience, and neither of us have been mistaken for teenagers in a very long time. At least 4 years for me (last time I believe was when they carded me in Scotland [drinking age was 16]). We were both able to laugh about it, and no one tried to touch my belly, so I was perfectly happy.
Tuesday night was our two year anniversary, and we had originally planned to go to an opening of Pixar's Brave in LA, but unfortunately the tickets fell through. James was left with getting off work a few hours early and no plans, so of course he figured something out. We ended up going to Simply Fondue in Mission Viejo, which had a Living Social special for a four course meal plus wine. James had both glasses of wine, and we started with a strawberry-spinach salad, followed by the traditional Swiss cheese fondue, then beef tenderloin, garlic chicken and shrimp for an entree with milk chocolate fondue at the end. It was a really fun meal, and anything with cheese is awesome. I'm not sure I'd go with the oil again for the entree, first it was too hot and burned the food without cooking it through, then it ended up making the tempura batter they included too saturated. It was still good, and a ton of food, and the stuffed mushrooms in the tempura batter were to die for! The chocolate was good, but I'm really not a chocolate person; I'd much rather have the cheese fondue twice. :) And everyone came by to wish us a happy anniversary and then congratulations on the pregnancy. I also had an excuse to wear my scroll necklace I made, and this gorgeous dress I got right before finding out I was pregnant. I don't think I can fit into the dress much longer, but I was gonna wear it once at least! It was a really nice night, but fondue always takes a long time--2.5 hours. We were both exhausted when we got home.
I'm also having some billing issues with the OB--old and new. Under my insurance plan (and I've verified this 5 times now) I do not pay any co-pays for pre- or post-natal care. However, the old OB has sent me a bill for my visits twice now (once after I called and corrected them). When I called this last time, she claimed she had never received a ball from Blue Shield (I was on the phone with them while they called her) and then when I explained that they needed to code the bill as an OB visit and not just a specialist, she rudely told me that Dr. Boyd was a specialist--in OB and Gynecology. At that point, I hung up and had Blue Shield call her again. I couldn't believe how rude she was to a customer. If I get another bill, I'm just giving up and having Blue Shield call without bothering to call them first. Yesterday I got a call from the new OB's billing office saying that even though I told them about the no co-pay thing, I did have a co-pay for the initial visit. After calling Blue Shield again, I found out that this isn't true. They called the office while I was on the phone and tried to tell the nurse this, but she apparently wouldn't believe them and just kept saying I had a co-pay (she was convinced Blue Shield told her this.) When I called to confirm everything was taken care of, she was on the phone with Blue Shield again (as if I lied to her) and when she called me back she said that the initial visit to confirm the pregnancy required a co-pay. Again, this isn't true, but it didn't matter--I confirmed my pregnancy with my primary care doctor since I had no gynecologist in Orange and I was already 17 weeks pregnant when I started seeing Dr. Akerman. Then the nurse claimed that they don't submit the claim until a week or two before the birth, so it didn't matter and would probably be covered. This makes no sense: so I'm supposed to dispute the charge with a week old baby? Why in the world they would wait 5 months for payment, I don't understand, and the nurse could not explain satisfactorily (something about seeing you/not seeing you again a week before the due date? Which also makes no sense...and why is she working on it now if they aren't going to bill it until October?) I tried calling St. Joseph Heritage because I think that's where the incorrect information is coming from, but not only were they useless, but the woman on the other end of the line wouldn't let me finish my sentences. After she interrupted me for the 4th time, saying she wasn't able to help me, but not understanding what I was asking for because she kept interrupting me, I finally yelled (in the middle of Target) "Would you let me just finish a sentence?!" and hung up on her. I won't be calling them again. I'm so sick of all the issues with the billing for this stuff. It really is enough to make me want to quit all doctors. Ever. Argh!
I'm introducing a new weekly update thing-a-ma-bob. The questions get repetitive. So let's just assume that some of the things (stretch marks, certain symptoms, the fact that I'm wearing maternity clothes and my belly button being an outie) are going to stay the same. Here's the new one:
How far along: 22 weeks
Total weight gain: No idea. My scale is an inconsistent liar, but I'd guess 4-5 lbs
Favourite clothes: My favourite sweats from Victoria's Secret no longer fit around my child-bearing hips, and I can't afford to spend $50 on another pair, so I've been wearing James' track pants, but finally found a cheap pair from Target and have been loving them.
Sleeping: A lot. I still have to use Unisom intermittently to get a restful night, but I've been making use of my limited employment by sleeping in on my days off
Best moment: Too many! Feeling him kick is always amazing, seeing Amy on Friday was great, the crab bisque from McCormick's was delicious, the stuffed mushrooms on our anniversary (and the whole dinner) were fantastic and walking the dogs to and from the beach with James on Sunday was awesome (but tiring, and farmer's-tan-inducing), baking to sea shanties was fun. It was a great week!
Worst moment: Waking up Monday morning feeling like I'd been in a coma and run over by a bus, dealing with the billing office of the OB (the insurance was fine, surprisingly)
Miss anything: Miguel's margaritas. So hard to pass up on a hot summer afternoon. Being able to control my temper again would be nice. Ok, I've never controlled it that well, but it used to be a bit easier...
Cravings: McCormick's crab bisque, roasted marshmallows and a warm blueberry muffin with the crunchy sugar topping
New symptoms: Carpal tunnel. Apparently, that's the wrist pain I've been getting on and off since high school, but haven't had for a few years. And my fingers are swelling. Also, when I move certain ways, I end up feeling like I've pulled muscles in my lower abdomen. The nurse said it's round ligament pain, but it's really annoying. It goes away after a twinge and a few seconds, but it's a pain. Literally. Also, sharp pains right by my belly button (also confirmed as normal). Also, it's so HOT all the time...
Looking forward to: Going up to NorCal this weekend and camping at some point in the near future and Brave!
Pregnancy brain moments: I can no longer speak--I change my word choice halfway through and end up mispronouncing the word, or making up an entirely new one
Listening to: 90's rock (Vertical Horizon, SR-71) and sea shanties (look for a post soon)
Crafting: Working on dad's Father's Day present since we're celebrating when we visit and a friend commissioned some watermelon coasters for his mom forever ago, so I'm trying to work on those. I'm also going to pick up tatting again soon and I need to learn to crochet (see below)
Baby projects: Other than making the nursery habit-able, I plan on knitting a pumpkin hat and matching orange cocoon. Plus THESE are AMAZING (hence the need to crochet). There's also a felt sea creature mobile, an ocean-y night light and some wall art in the works. But I used to have all this time and now I feel like I'm running short on it!
Embarassing pregnancy confession: I love being home alone while eating because I can lick the bowl if I want to. (This one won't be weekly, but I couldn't resist)
And pictures:
 |
| 22 Weeks: Wallaby is the size of a papaya and weighs ~1lb I may have (definitely) confused papaya with mango. Oh well... |
 |
| 22 weeks and the belly is obvious |
 |
| Fancy pants 22 week bump |
No comments:
Post a Comment