Thursday, April 23, 2009
And another rant.........
I feel like quality in our country is going down the tubes. I fell in love with a puccini-print Vera Bradley diaper bag after many, many recommendations from other seasoned moms about this product. I haven't even been using it for 4 months yet and the bottom is already tattered and torn. It hasn't been washed yet (no need) and I only use it a few days a week, so I just don't get it.............I wrote to the company and I am still waiting for a response.............I guess that goes to show that even if you shell out more $$$$ for a product, you are not necessarily getting a good investment............I had a giftcard for this so it only ended up costing me 1/2 the normal price but still..........not right!!
Insurance companies!
Have I said before how much I hate insurance companies?
The latest is my son is allergic to cow's milk protein so he has been placed on a special formula, Alimentum, which is made by Similac. It is sold over the counter, but it's pretty darn expensive (almost $30.00 for a 3-days supply).
Many moms who have been in similar situations, have suggested trying to get it covered by the insurance company, because this does usually work. Oxford may cover it, but they are certainly making me jump through hoops to do so. So far the pediatrician has had to write a letter verifying medical need. Denied. It was then requested for the pediatrician to send his visit notes describing my son's symptoms. Denied. Now my child has to go meet with an allergist who will need to "confirm" he is indeed allergic and needs this formula. I booked the appointment, but since I want him to meet with the best, the earliest I could get was not until the end of May.
My pediatrician has been generous and given me free samples every time I go there, but sheesh! I feel like I pay enough for our health insurance ($357.21 to be exact) each WEEK that it's ridiculous I have to even go through this!
My husband recently tore his achille's tendon and it took him TWO weeks to get an approval from the insurance company to even be able to meet with an orthopedist to look at his leg. It was then a huge long process before he could have surgery. We are now receiving letters in the mail from the insurance company requesting us to fill out in detail exactly what happened, where we were and who else was involved because they are looking to see if maybe "someone else" should be responsible to pay.
This is a damn shame that this is how our health care system is run in our country. I think it's also pathetic that I WORK in health care and half my paycheck each week goes to pay for such a crappy health plan!!!
The latest is my son is allergic to cow's milk protein so he has been placed on a special formula, Alimentum, which is made by Similac. It is sold over the counter, but it's pretty darn expensive (almost $30.00 for a 3-days supply).
Many moms who have been in similar situations, have suggested trying to get it covered by the insurance company, because this does usually work. Oxford may cover it, but they are certainly making me jump through hoops to do so. So far the pediatrician has had to write a letter verifying medical need. Denied. It was then requested for the pediatrician to send his visit notes describing my son's symptoms. Denied. Now my child has to go meet with an allergist who will need to "confirm" he is indeed allergic and needs this formula. I booked the appointment, but since I want him to meet with the best, the earliest I could get was not until the end of May.
My pediatrician has been generous and given me free samples every time I go there, but sheesh! I feel like I pay enough for our health insurance ($357.21 to be exact) each WEEK that it's ridiculous I have to even go through this!
My husband recently tore his achille's tendon and it took him TWO weeks to get an approval from the insurance company to even be able to meet with an orthopedist to look at his leg. It was then a huge long process before he could have surgery. We are now receiving letters in the mail from the insurance company requesting us to fill out in detail exactly what happened, where we were and who else was involved because they are looking to see if maybe "someone else" should be responsible to pay.
This is a damn shame that this is how our health care system is run in our country. I think it's also pathetic that I WORK in health care and half my paycheck each week goes to pay for such a crappy health plan!!!
Monday, April 6, 2009
Monday already?
I really didn't do much at all this weekend, but it still ended up going by super fast. Weekends always do seem to go by so quickly it seems.
I don't have a crazy week planned for work (at least so far) so I can't say I am dreading going in today at least LOL. I will probably end up working from home at least one, possibly two days this week on the never-ending paperwork for my job. I've been trying to schedule everything just right so I can have my "work from home days" fall towards the end of the week, on Thursdays and especially Fridays.
Today I have to go into the office, I will probably get there around 8-ish, file some stuff, write up a couple reports, send some faxes and a few Fed Exes to other providers with some documents, then I have a team meeting for a new client around 2 at one of the Structured Day Programs for brain injury, and that will be my day.
Tommorrow I might work at home on service plans, Wednesday is "office day" and supervision with my newish-boss, Thursday I am in the field all day (I have 3 client meetings planned so far) and hopefully Friday will be another paperwork at home day.
Then next weekend is Easter already. That sure came about quickly too. The poor little boy will probably get tortured that day. My family has gotten him a bunch of Easter-themed outfits complete with "bunny ears" and such that will probably end up as blackmail pictures A LA A Christmas Story when he gets much older.
Anyways, I am in desperate need of coffee. Have a good week everyone if I don't get back on here.
I don't have a crazy week planned for work (at least so far) so I can't say I am dreading going in today at least LOL. I will probably end up working from home at least one, possibly two days this week on the never-ending paperwork for my job. I've been trying to schedule everything just right so I can have my "work from home days" fall towards the end of the week, on Thursdays and especially Fridays.
Today I have to go into the office, I will probably get there around 8-ish, file some stuff, write up a couple reports, send some faxes and a few Fed Exes to other providers with some documents, then I have a team meeting for a new client around 2 at one of the Structured Day Programs for brain injury, and that will be my day.
Tommorrow I might work at home on service plans, Wednesday is "office day" and supervision with my newish-boss, Thursday I am in the field all day (I have 3 client meetings planned so far) and hopefully Friday will be another paperwork at home day.
Then next weekend is Easter already. That sure came about quickly too. The poor little boy will probably get tortured that day. My family has gotten him a bunch of Easter-themed outfits complete with "bunny ears" and such that will probably end up as blackmail pictures A LA A Christmas Story when he gets much older.
Anyways, I am in desperate need of coffee. Have a good week everyone if I don't get back on here.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Sad story
I am a member of a message board community for my local area. There is a pregnancy and parenting board on there I am especially fond of. Anyways, I just found out that another poster who had her baby around the same time I did, her baby daughter was killed a few days ago............apparently the investigation shows she was "shaken" to death by the boyfriend of this baby's mom. I don't know these people in real life, but it really has hit me hard for some reason to know that there are people out there capable of such horrible things.
I know I have been blessed with having a good baby (he rarely cries.......just when he is hungry, wants to be held or needs to be changed) or maybe I just have a lot of patience, but still, even the times when he is screaming and being totally uncooperative, I haven't gotten to the point where I feel like I am going to lose it like this. Even if I do get to that point, it is so much easier to walk away, go to another room or ASK FOR HELP. I just really don't understand such a loss of a precious life. My heart goes out to this family.................I never thought I would believe this, but once you become a parent, you really do feel the pain of other parents who are going through loss or a hard-time related to their own child.
I know I have been blessed with having a good baby (he rarely cries.......just when he is hungry, wants to be held or needs to be changed) or maybe I just have a lot of patience, but still, even the times when he is screaming and being totally uncooperative, I haven't gotten to the point where I feel like I am going to lose it like this. Even if I do get to that point, it is so much easier to walk away, go to another room or ASK FOR HELP. I just really don't understand such a loss of a precious life. My heart goes out to this family.................I never thought I would believe this, but once you become a parent, you really do feel the pain of other parents who are going through loss or a hard-time related to their own child.
Finance stuff!
I was eligible to sign up for my 401K at work this week since I've been there over a year. I decided to invest 10% of my income in a "conservative" fund. With everything going on in the financial sector these days, even though it was recommended to me to go agressively, I just didn't feel comfortable doing that.
We also got an unexpected check in the mail last week from the mortgage company..............we overpaid towards our escrow account last year. So I took that $ and applied it to our hefty gas bill and put the other half in savings. Go us!!
We also got an unexpected check in the mail last week from the mortgage company..............we overpaid towards our escrow account last year. So I took that $ and applied it to our hefty gas bill and put the other half in savings. Go us!!
Uh oh.........
I think Matteo is coming down with his first cold. His right eye was very crusty and gooey this morning, and he has been coughing and sneezing off and on. My husband has been sick lately so I hope he hasn't caught it from him! The poor little guy is also still struggling with the itchy skin all over his head and face. I've been keeping his hands covered as much as possible. He got inside his ear yesterday to scratch and it started to bleed. It sucks because for new babies, with both colds and this skin stuff, there's really not a whole lot you can do for them, except make them as comfy as possible and just wait it out..............
He's sleeping now in his swing and has been "talking" and laughing all morning so I hope that those are good signs that he can fight this stuff and get better soon!
He's sleeping now in his swing and has been "talking" and laughing all morning so I hope that those are good signs that he can fight this stuff and get better soon!
Friday, April 3, 2009
Baby "Must haves" and savings tips
So being a "seasoned" new mom LOL, I thought I would post about the items I have for Matthew that I feel are 110% absolute necessities:
1.) Baby Aquaphor (or the CVS knock-off brand). I don't know if it's because he's a winter baby, or just a baby in general, but my son has been blessed with super-dry, itchy skin, mostly all over his head and face. This is what my pediatrician and all other new moms seem to recommend to get rid of this yuckiness. I also often put a little cap and the infant gloves from Gerber on his head and hands to help prevent him from scratching so much (babies do have very sharp nails even if you file/trim them daily). He often looks like he has been through a warzone and back!
2.) Fisher Price Papasan cradle swing. Also recommended to me by a seasoned mommy, this is probably my most favorite gadget invented ever. AKA the "sleep machine" it's a blessing in disguise when I need to get work done around the house, or especially showered and dressed for the day and DH is not around to help out. I also have the matching vibrating seat, but we don't use that nearly as much as the swing. Another "tip" I learned is to pick up a ton of batteries at the 99 cents store to keep on hand. If you use the swing regularly like I do, you go through batteries really quickly. There's no "cents" shelling out the costly prices for batteries at the local pharmacy or grocery store when they work just as well from the discount place.
3.) Baby gowns for night-time. They sell these at places like Target and are my favorite clothing for bed-time. I especially like the 0-6 month size because there is a lot more "room" for DS to move around and they cover his legs and don't ride up as much. They make middle-of-the night changings an absolute breeze. (They are also made out of thin cotton, so he won't sweat as much with the next must-have product).
4.) The Swaddle Me is another product to pick up a couple of. I have found this is the dream invention that does in fact keep my son in a dream-like state all night long. He rarely wakes up in the middle of the night when I use this product. Also, keep in mind that you are never, ever supposed to use blankets, even swaddled tightly on a baby. They can easily wiggle their way out and cover their face with blankets. This actually happened within the first couple of weeks of DS being home so we never, EVER use blankets anymore.
5.) I have found a good way to cut costs are buying my diapers and baby wipes for half the price by using Target brand. They work just as well for my son as the name brand Huggies and Pampers, that are twice as expensive. I learned however that I really can't go cheap on the formula (I switched to Target brand from Similac for a week and it gave him massive diarrhea). However, you CAN sign up on the brand-name formula websites and they often send you $5.00 off coupons in the mail regularly. I also look for sales on these products and have asked my family and friends to sign up too so they can give me the coupons. (Similac is normally around $23.00 a can where I live and this often lasts a little less than a week for a 2-3 month old).
6.) Giftcards: Tell your family and friends for your shower or welcome-home gifts for baby, to buy you giftcards to Target, Babies-r-us, etc. instead of giving you yet another outfit he or she is only going to wear one time (babies get so many clothes at showers it seems and they outgrow them so fast). For our first couple of months, I spent very little out of pocket on his formula and diapers and just applied the giftcards to these necessities.
7.) Invest in a Brita water pitcher and a regular old-tea pot. I boil the water for his formula every couple of days and then pour it into the Brita and keep it on my kitchen counter. I make his bottles from the powdered formula and serve them to him room temperature. Things like "bottle warmers" are really a huge waste when babies are perfectly content drinking their milk at room temp. There is also absolutely no reason to purchase a ton of bottled water when you can make your own for free!
8.) The Bundle Me. If you live in a cold climate or have a winter baby like I did, skip the snow suits and just get one of these. It makes life so much easier with dressing and keeps baby toasty warm. Most of his winter fleece is going to get donated because we never even took off the tags because of this great invention. (Oh btw, they also make a Bundle Me "lite" for the Spring and Fall months or warmer climates ;) ).
9.) Skip expensive detergents like Dreft. Keep in mind that most of the time, baby's skin will be up against what you wash your clothes in anyway. If he or she is not getting rashed rubbing against you, they should be fine with your regular old detergent that is probably 3x cheaper then products like Dreft.
10.) My most favorite "tip" of all is to remember that every baby and family is different. What works for you may not work for someone else. When you have a baby anyone and everyone is going to start giving you all kinds of advice on how to raise your child. I have learned to let it just roll of my shoulders and go on with my daily routine. Before you know it, everything will become completely second nature for you as a new parent ;).
1.) Baby Aquaphor (or the CVS knock-off brand). I don't know if it's because he's a winter baby, or just a baby in general, but my son has been blessed with super-dry, itchy skin, mostly all over his head and face. This is what my pediatrician and all other new moms seem to recommend to get rid of this yuckiness. I also often put a little cap and the infant gloves from Gerber on his head and hands to help prevent him from scratching so much (babies do have very sharp nails even if you file/trim them daily). He often looks like he has been through a warzone and back!
2.) Fisher Price Papasan cradle swing. Also recommended to me by a seasoned mommy, this is probably my most favorite gadget invented ever. AKA the "sleep machine" it's a blessing in disguise when I need to get work done around the house, or especially showered and dressed for the day and DH is not around to help out. I also have the matching vibrating seat, but we don't use that nearly as much as the swing. Another "tip" I learned is to pick up a ton of batteries at the 99 cents store to keep on hand. If you use the swing regularly like I do, you go through batteries really quickly. There's no "cents" shelling out the costly prices for batteries at the local pharmacy or grocery store when they work just as well from the discount place.
3.) Baby gowns for night-time. They sell these at places like Target and are my favorite clothing for bed-time. I especially like the 0-6 month size because there is a lot more "room" for DS to move around and they cover his legs and don't ride up as much. They make middle-of-the night changings an absolute breeze. (They are also made out of thin cotton, so he won't sweat as much with the next must-have product).
4.) The Swaddle Me is another product to pick up a couple of. I have found this is the dream invention that does in fact keep my son in a dream-like state all night long. He rarely wakes up in the middle of the night when I use this product. Also, keep in mind that you are never, ever supposed to use blankets, even swaddled tightly on a baby. They can easily wiggle their way out and cover their face with blankets. This actually happened within the first couple of weeks of DS being home so we never, EVER use blankets anymore.
5.) I have found a good way to cut costs are buying my diapers and baby wipes for half the price by using Target brand. They work just as well for my son as the name brand Huggies and Pampers, that are twice as expensive. I learned however that I really can't go cheap on the formula (I switched to Target brand from Similac for a week and it gave him massive diarrhea). However, you CAN sign up on the brand-name formula websites and they often send you $5.00 off coupons in the mail regularly. I also look for sales on these products and have asked my family and friends to sign up too so they can give me the coupons. (Similac is normally around $23.00 a can where I live and this often lasts a little less than a week for a 2-3 month old).
6.) Giftcards: Tell your family and friends for your shower or welcome-home gifts for baby, to buy you giftcards to Target, Babies-r-us, etc. instead of giving you yet another outfit he or she is only going to wear one time (babies get so many clothes at showers it seems and they outgrow them so fast). For our first couple of months, I spent very little out of pocket on his formula and diapers and just applied the giftcards to these necessities.
7.) Invest in a Brita water pitcher and a regular old-tea pot. I boil the water for his formula every couple of days and then pour it into the Brita and keep it on my kitchen counter. I make his bottles from the powdered formula and serve them to him room temperature. Things like "bottle warmers" are really a huge waste when babies are perfectly content drinking their milk at room temp. There is also absolutely no reason to purchase a ton of bottled water when you can make your own for free!
8.) The Bundle Me. If you live in a cold climate or have a winter baby like I did, skip the snow suits and just get one of these. It makes life so much easier with dressing and keeps baby toasty warm. Most of his winter fleece is going to get donated because we never even took off the tags because of this great invention. (Oh btw, they also make a Bundle Me "lite" for the Spring and Fall months or warmer climates ;) ).
9.) Skip expensive detergents like Dreft. Keep in mind that most of the time, baby's skin will be up against what you wash your clothes in anyway. If he or she is not getting rashed rubbing against you, they should be fine with your regular old detergent that is probably 3x cheaper then products like Dreft.
10.) My most favorite "tip" of all is to remember that every baby and family is different. What works for you may not work for someone else. When you have a baby anyone and everyone is going to start giving you all kinds of advice on how to raise your child. I have learned to let it just roll of my shoulders and go on with my daily routine. Before you know it, everything will become completely second nature for you as a new parent ;).
Thursday, April 2, 2009
I haven't posted in so long
Not so much because I've been busy, but honestly, I really don't have anything exciting to write about. I feel like there's only so much I can discuss about work and I am sure everyone gets tired about reading about mommyhood. With that said though, I guess life has been pretty good as of late. I did have some drama going on at work, but knock on wood, it's been taken care of.
DH is dealing with a torn achille's tendon but he's still been going into work almost every day. Mostly to just "supervise", but hey, it gets him out of the house and out of my hair LOL. My husband tends to be somewhat of a workaholic, and he is also one of those people who constantly needs to be "in control" of the situation so this has really thrown EVERYONE off.
I also wanted to share a recent pic of Matthew. He was 3 months old on March 30th. Beware of the scary bunny!!!
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