27 Down, 13 To Go....

I'm officially in the 3rd trimester. How did that happen? 13 weeks can seem like so long, but for me, they don't. I know that the days pass quickly when there's a toddler in the house and I can't believe we're almost there. Wow. Wow, wow, wow. I'm a little freaked out.

Lonely, too. Hubby is away most of the week this time of year. He's working 2 jobs, which keeps him away all of Margaret's awake-day on Tuesdays and Thursdays (already gone Monday-Saturday 7AM-5PM anyway), plus he's been taking Fridays off to go skiing up north - another whole awake-day away. It's wearing on me. Having a headstrong toddler test boundaries, push buttons, and destroy the house all day long when you're by yourself with no hope of adult intervention anytime soon would probably drive anyone crazy. The last 2 weeks have been very stressful - especially due to the lack of naps. How the heck will I manage with 2 kiddos and no husband? (Because, you see, summertime is mountain biking season... he may not be working 2 jobs, but he'll still be away a lot...)

Still Waiting

I heard from the midwives' office today but there really wasn't any further news. They tried once again to get our insurance to pay - and were told, once again, that they will not pay for the childbirth center's fees. They keep blaming it on hubby's employer's plan, but there is nothing in the paperwork we received that says birth centers are not eligible for benefits. Now I'm waiting on clarification of what our balance will be ($2000 or $2400). They did say we're not expected to pay before Sprout's birth, which is fortunate since that's only about 13 weeks away. I was told that they will do whatever they can to work with us since they would hate for this to force us into the hospital. That means a lot to me right now.

Business is taking off. 2 parties this week, 2 parties next week, 2 bookings last night, and some more bookings that should come off of my sister's party next Saturday. The season change on March 1st has been keeping me busy getting in touch with clients about ordering before their favorites are gone, or trying to stir up interest in the new stuff coming out. I'm also working on recruiting since I will be taking a bit of a hiatus once Sprout comes and I need to ensure some sort of income coming in. Any takers? Just kidding...

Maggie is continuing with no naps. In fact, now she teases me. Comes over to me clutching her blanket and baby doll, saying "Mommy, night-night" and then coaxes me to follow her into her bedroom. She gets up on her bed, pats the mattress next to her: "Mommy, night-night" ... and as soon as I lie down with her, she laughs, gets up, and runs away. Great. She got me 4 times on Tuesday, and twice yesterday. And if she isn't doing that, she's at my bedroom door begging to go sleep in my bed... only to ransack my room. I had no idea children could be so manipulative at 20 months of age. She certainly knows how to push my buttons...

Funny thing about where I used to work... My sister applied for the job opening and since it's a municipal job, she had to take a test before they would even consider interviewing her. She went to the test Tuesday (as one of about 74 candidates) and was told there are now 2 positions open in that office. Very interesting. So that's 3 vacancies in 2 months' time. I wonder when Personnel will realize that the work environment in that office is the pits? The only reason why I advised my sister to go for it (when she called me asking about the job, after seeing it in the Classifieds) was that I knew 2 people were retiring in another department later this year and I figured she could get her foot in the door now and have a better shot at one of those positions. I will have to do some investigating and find out who left now... But I can't help giggling when I think about it. :) Justice? You bet!

Double Digits

99 Days to go.... Only double digits now! I remember looking at the ticker when there were 105 days left thinking that it would soon be double digits time, but it feels like that was only yesterday-literally!

99 Days and we have no idea where we're having this child.

We found out last week that hubby's insurance (which we switched to this month since I no longer am employed) will not pay for the birthing center fee. $2000. $2000 we don't have. We anticipated paying about $840 since his insurance book stated that they cover 80% and we're responsible for 20% (and the fee for the midwives and center comes to $4200 altogether). Which is also what they inadvertently quoted me when I asked for an estimate of my costs (the midwives want payment up front so we're supposed to get an estimate before the baby is born). When I pushed for further clarification of "80% of the allowed amount" I was told, in red type, that they do not cover freestanding birthing centers. Then the midwives' office spent 40 minutes on the phone with them only to find that, yes, they will not pay. Which is absurd. They were also told that the midwives' fees would be paid 100% (which is NOT in the literature I received, so I rather doubt that).

Now what?

Most likely, a hospital birth will be cheaper. But I don't want another hospital birth. I switched to this practice in December because I was thrilled to have another shot at a waterbirth, and a chance to have an unmedicalized labor and birth.

There is another birthing center in Connecticut that is part of a hospital, kind of. They bill under the hospital so if I switched to them, it's very likely their fees would be covered. AND the hospital-attached-birthing center is actually half as far away as the childbirth center I planned on using, so logically, I should be considering it. But I also don't want to switch practices again. I just switched 2 months ago, and I like the group I'm with, even if they aren't local.

We have no idea what we're doing at this point. All I know is something that I'm supposed to be eagerly awaiting has become something I'm dreading. How awful is it that insurance companies have so much say in the level of care we receive, especially in a case where they're actually refusing to pay the smaller fee. Absurd!

Feeling a little down...

Lack of sleep is getting to me. It's not just that I'm getting more uncomfortable now. Maggie has stopped taking naps (even though she BADLY needs them!) and is waking up earlier and earlier each day. Then she's cranky most of the day, which in turn makes me cranky. It hasn't been good. I've even resorted to plopping her in front of the TV with her favorite DVD to get a few minutes to myself. I'm so ashamed. Look how far I've fallen....

So Tired...Again

The last few days, I've started being really tired again. It didn't make sense until I looked at the ticker this morning. One more week until the 3rd trimester. Unbelievable! I don't know how the time has flown by! So it looks like I never fully harnessed the possibilities of the 2nd trimester energy surge (which started LATE for me) in decluttering because now I'm just too tired to tackle it. Too much other stuff that has to be done, like meal planning, cooking, washing dishes, doing laundry, picking up the house in general, business-related work... and all that running around for Maggie's appointments. Which she has another one this afternoon with the chiro. At least she's improving.

Still, I can't believe that in about 14 weeks, there will be another little one in our home. It sounds so far away, and yet so close at the same time. And while I've been so busy I don't think about it much, it's getting harder to ignore with the frequent (and hard!) kicks and punches coming from my abdomen. Sleeping is getting more uncomfortable, and therefore less attainable as restful sleep. And I still have no idea where we'll put the baby's clothes. Sprout will be sleeping with us so at least we don't have to try to cram the crib somewhere into our 700 sq ft apartment. But there really is no room for the clothes until I do some more decluttering, and I have been less than motivated to do any of that lately.

I still have time, right? :)

Pumped Up!

I attended a Tastefully Simple conference Friday and Saturday and it was just what I needed! A night away from home, some time to focus on my business as well as set some goals, and the excitement and energy I needed to get off my butt and get myself into gear! I'm so excited!!!