Isn't it pretty to think so?

Perinatologist

I like my perinatologist, I really do. He's nice. He pats my knee. He always tells me that everything is great. He's like a Jewish grandfather. Well, he's probably younger than my father and is really nothing like what either of my grandfathers were like, but that's how I view him. My husband does not like him. He doesn't like him because when I was pregnant with my twins and we were begging him to get the babies out of me and telling him that I was swollen to the point that I could barely walk or breathe, and my legs were starting to blister and weep because my skin couldn't stretch anymore, he said, "No." It wasn't until we told him that I gained NINETY POUNDS that he thought maybe some other tests were in order. Actually, his exact response was, "Why didn't anyone tell me that?" HUH?!?!? Aren't you the doctor? Are you consulting with my OB? Aren't you supposed to know that? So, that night I received a phone call from his office instructing me to go to L & D the next day for blood work. Tests showed that I had atypical preeclampsia (the kind where there is no elevated blood pressure) and my liver function was starting to fail. G-d only knows what would have happened if we hadn't pushed him on the issue. So, I guess I can understand why my husband doesn't like him. But I do, so I have been seeing him again with this pregnancy. Even though 50% of the time he calls me Lori (which is not my name). I assume it is his daughter's name and he thinks of my like his daughter...or something like that.
Today I had an appointment with him. Let me just take a moment to say that he is a highly recommended doctor. I am switching from Lovenox to Heparin, so I brought in my heparin so that he could show me exactly how much to take. He looked at the bottle, read it, and instructed me to take the ENTIRE VIAL (5 CCs) TWICE A DAY. Now, I'm not a physician, nor do I play one on tv, but that didn't seem right to me. I questioned him, and he confirmed what he had said. So, I'm thinking, that is a hell of a lot of blood thinner AND I'm going to have to prick myself 10 times a day now because the pharmacy only gave me 1 cc syringes. I commented to him that I think I need an Rx for bigger syringes and that was when he realized his mistake. I am only supposed to take 1 cc twice a day.

I told Hubby about the mistake and he informed me that I could have died had i taken what the perinatologist originally told me. I'm not sure I'm still such a fan...

I have a date

Not like of the romantic variety. More along the- cut my uterus open and pull out a baby kind. May 14th. Just a little less than three weeks away. I have about a million things to do before then...including having a birthday party for my little ones who are turning three, and try to cram in a much fun stuff with them before my attention will be split with another lovebug, but G-d willing I will have a healthy  baby in 20 days.

*And let me just say, for anyone who is indulging in the Twilight vampire series, I do NOT recommend reading Breaking Dawn while pregnant. It's a great book, but it's really starting to creep me out.

Pain

I cannot stand the pain and loss that is going around our community. It is breaking my heart, and I know that there are others whose hearts are shredded, never to be whole again. And there is nothing I can do to help.

Guess what I am doing today?

Trying not to drink and peeing into a jug that looks remarkably similar to my bottle of Tide w/ Febreeze. For a full 24 hours. Not a drop of my urine is to be flushed. I am disgusted.

Lots o' matzoh

Let me tell you how much I love almost all of the Jewish holidays. The foods. The customs. The stories. Seriously, I love them. I think they are so much fun, and I love seeing my kids enjoy them, too. But now let's discuss Passover. Passover, my friends, is kicking. my. ass. And I truly hate it. Is it bad to hate a religious holiday? I don't want to hate it. I want to love it. I want to feel connected and inspired. My kids are loving it (thank G-d). They learned so much about it in school, and are having so much fun telling me the story of Moses (over and over). And they have no idea of my true feelings about it. They have their fun Pesach toys. We went crazy hiding and finding the afikomen. They love matzoh with cream cheese, so they are happy. But for me? Even if we take the "preparing of the kitchen before hand" out of the equation, I just really do not enjoy this holiday. It didn't help that this year I had to host two seders. That's right. We didn't get invited anywhere, and while I could have gone to a community one, Hubby really didn't want to, and in all fairness, it started really late and would have been extremely difficult with the kids. So we had people here. Probably not the best idea for someone having a baby in a month to host two HUGE dinners. But what really gets me, time and time again, is the food. I hate it. It would be so much easier if I was a meat eater (or Sephardic). But as an Ashkenazic Jew AND a vegetarian, I am really miserable. How much matzoh can one person eat? My diet the past three days has consisted of: matzoh, tomatoes, avocados, cheese, hardboiled eggs, and macaroons. I am very concerned that I am not getting the protein that I need, which truthfully, has been a source of concern for me throughout this entire pregnancy. And while I know that I only have five days left, and then I can go back to my high protein ways (yeah right) of peanut butter and chocolate milk), for now it seems like an eternity away.
So for those of you celebrating and enjoying, Happy Pesach. For those of you enjoying your chocolate eggs today, Happy Easter. And if anyone has any idea how to make the rest of this holiday more palatable for me I would love to hear your advise.

Address book

Am I the only person who still has an address book? Like an actual book? I wonder... I never went hi-tech and got a blackberry or I-phone, so I don't know if those things serve as address books as well. Anyway...I have had the same address book since 2002. When I had the "feeling" that I was going to get downsized from my last job, I quickly bought a really nice/expensive dayplanner and expensed it. Well, I decided that it was just too much book for me lately and I wanted something smaller, so I bought myself a small address book which is pink, so it makes me much happier to look at than the $200 black and brown one did. Yesterday, I was busy copying my addresses into it, when I realized there were soooooo many people I no longer needed to copy over. People I have lost touch with and no longer speak with. It is unbelievable. My book used to be filled...now, I have one or two names per page. I considered copying them into the book, JUST IN CASE I ever need to get in touch with them, but come on...isn't that what fa.cebook is for?
So here I am today. One expensive address book lighter with about 100 fewer contacts/friends I can call on. I am less than thrilled.

Don't make me laugh

So, my son has been sick for about a week now. He's had  a fever off and on. I don't usually worry about that because it has happened enough that I know it is probably viral and will last until it is finished and then he will be fine. But the other day, he was just a little too lethargic for my comfort level. I called the pediatrician and was told to bring him in at 2. Well, that is right in the middle of his nap and I had no intention of keeping a sick and tired boy from sleeping. I asked if I could bring him in earlier or later and was told, "no." Well, screw you, pediatrician, but that's another story.
Our neighbor runs an urgent clinic right down the street from us, anyway, so I figured I would just go there. I called my insurance company to see what the cost would be and if it was in-network. I was told that an urgent care visit would cost $75. I looked at my card and saw where the co-pays were listed and it looked like it didn't matter if it was in or out of network, it would still be $75. The lady on the phone asked the name of the doctor. I told her and she told me he was not in-network. I asked her if it mattered b/c it looked to me like the cost would be the same.
Her response: Well, it would really be more convenient to us if you would go to someone in-network.
Me: Excuse me??
Crazy lady/comedian working for insurance company: There is just a lot more paperwork for us if you see someone out of our network, so we prefer you go in-network.

Our premium just went up 30%, they didn't cover a PENNY of my IF treatment, but please let me worry about what is convenient for them...oh did I have a good chuckle over that one!!!