On Thursday, Matt and I had a trip to the doctor and sat down with one of their receptionists to talk over my health coverage and figure out what our fees were going to look like. I feel uncomfortable using exact numbers, but suffice it to say that making a baby comes with a pretty hefty price tag. Although we could pay the medical bills without accruing any more debt, it would seriously diminish our savings. Which is not something you want to do when you're adding a family member, taking time off work, and learning how to juggle parenthood and employee-hood.
But God is really, really good to us. This year we received a great tax return that will cover almost half of our prenatal/delivery expenses. It was a blessing, but it was also a blessing we had expected, which unfortunately made us a little less thankful than we should have been.
Well, we received another great gift from God yesterday and this was one we weren't expecting. One of the perks of Matt's job (which I am neverendingly thankful for: both that he was so selfless and responsible at such an early age to pursue a career that would support a family AND that God has protected his position so far in a stumbling economy) is that he has really great health coverage. I am not on his health plan and could not switch after becoming pregnant, so I didn't think we would reap any of the benefits of this coverage. One of these benefits is a flexible spending account. Which, for anyone who doesn't know (like me until yesterday) means that Matt and his employer have been saving money in a designated account for the last couple of years. This money can be used to pay for random medical expenses not covered by his plan. Thankfully, Matt has had none and has been accruing money in this account for a while now. Yesterday, we discovered that we could use this money to pay for my medical bills. And guess what-- it will cover exactly half.
Which means that God has chosen to bless us with the exact amount we need to pay for our child without sacrificing our savings.
To me this is an overwhelmingly good gift from a Father who CLEARLY loves us. I mean, this would have been difficult, but it wasn't impossible. For some reason I have always thought that God provides in "extreme" ways only when you are hanging on for dear life and can't make ends meet. It blows me away that He would do this for us before we even really had a need.
I was so moved by this yesterday that it brought tears to my eyes while I was at work, and again now while writing this. I don't know if I have ever felt God so tangibly as during this pregnancy. It was so hard in the beginning to surrender my disappointment and my fears when God gave us this baby. It was so not what we has planned, and I had never felt more unprepared or out of control. But over the past few months He has slowly uncovered this grand plan, and every step of the way He has provided so that every would-be obstacle has become an amazing example of His love for us and reassurance that He means this for our joy as well as His glory. I have wondered over and over again if I could be a good mother and why God would saddle me with such responsibility when I still feel like a child myself. And over and over He would soothe my fears and show me the beauty of it all. From the very small to the very large he has provided for every need we have had, from maternity clothes to baby items to delivery costs. He has protected our child and kept her healthy even when there are so many things that could go wrong. And He has completely changed my heart.
Anyway, I could probably blather on and on but I will stop it here and just say God is good and today I am overwhelmed by this simple truth.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
I know I have talked about this before
But it's worth mentioning again. I love Real Simple magazine. Vicki gave me a subscription for Christmas and the day I run out and find it crumpled in my mailbox is the happiest day of each month.
The reason I am getting so enthusiastic all over again is because I accomplished these two ridiculous feats today, with assistance from this magazine:
1) cooked a gourmet dinner in 13 minutes
2) cleaned my whole house with a few squirts of castille soap, a cup of baking soda, and a little bit of borax.
(I really mean my whole house. Sinks, tubs, showers, toilets, floors, counters, stovetops, you name it. I did it all)
I am ceaselessly impressed with how practical every single bit of information in this little periodical can be. It is literally like a guidebook to life, or at least to being a really great housewife.
This month was especially helpful to me because of the cleaning tips (see above, no. 2). I haven't been able to clean my entire house in 5 months because of baby. It has been Matt's responsibility to clean the bathrooms and the sinks. This is fine, except that it frustrates me each week to clean the whole house and leave something dirty. Also, I don't feel too great about having chemicals in my house that are so toxic I can't breathe them in while pregnant.
This fact, and my desire to be more environmentally friendly, has had me rethinking my cleaning routines. So when this month's big story was about how to clean your house using simple, non-toxic household products, I was pretty thrilled. Between the three things I listed above, a couple lemons, salt, and a bottle of vinegar, you can clean everything in your entire house.
I just like the idea of using natural products, and not having to worry about my baby getting into a bunch of chemicals. Today was kind of a test run to see if this would be doable, and I am pleased with the results (my house smells like an orange tree instead of pine and alcohol).
The reason I am getting so enthusiastic all over again is because I accomplished these two ridiculous feats today, with assistance from this magazine:
1) cooked a gourmet dinner in 13 minutes
2) cleaned my whole house with a few squirts of castille soap, a cup of baking soda, and a little bit of borax.
(I really mean my whole house. Sinks, tubs, showers, toilets, floors, counters, stovetops, you name it. I did it all)
I am ceaselessly impressed with how practical every single bit of information in this little periodical can be. It is literally like a guidebook to life, or at least to being a really great housewife.
This month was especially helpful to me because of the cleaning tips (see above, no. 2). I haven't been able to clean my entire house in 5 months because of baby. It has been Matt's responsibility to clean the bathrooms and the sinks. This is fine, except that it frustrates me each week to clean the whole house and leave something dirty. Also, I don't feel too great about having chemicals in my house that are so toxic I can't breathe them in while pregnant.
This fact, and my desire to be more environmentally friendly, has had me rethinking my cleaning routines. So when this month's big story was about how to clean your house using simple, non-toxic household products, I was pretty thrilled. Between the three things I listed above, a couple lemons, salt, and a bottle of vinegar, you can clean everything in your entire house.
I just like the idea of using natural products, and not having to worry about my baby getting into a bunch of chemicals. Today was kind of a test run to see if this would be doable, and I am pleased with the results (my house smells like an orange tree instead of pine and alcohol).
Friday, March 13, 2009
19 weeks
(My husband has informed me that the format of my blog makes it undesirable to read, and that if I were to follow his advance and put a double space between each paragraph he, and others, would be more likely/willing to read the entirety of my posts. So, Matt, this is for you:)
As of this week our baby is about 6 inches long and designating specific parts of the brain for smell, taste, hearing, vision and touch. This is generally the time when doctors encourage you to talk or sing to your baby because research shows they are just beginning to be able to hear you. So it's time for me to make good on my promise of reading to my baby while pregnant.
Matt and I are part of a website called baby center where we get weekly updates and can see advice and stories from other parents. This week there were a few other moms commenting about how active their little ones are in the womb. This made me smile a bit.
I am literally counting the days (there are 13) until our next doctor's appointment. Last night I started thinking about the changes we are going to have to make to accommodate a baby in the house. We are probably going to use part of our tax return to get the stuff we need to put our house (+ nursery) in order. I really have no desire to paint or otherwise redecorate this room, and neither does Matt, so this mostly consists of buying 1 or 2 pieces of furniture. And since we aren't going all-out on the nursery, maybe I will sew a quilt or paint a painting or something to satisfy my nesting instinct.
Anyway, I am most excited about picking out names! We have talked only very briefly about this topic because we knew we were going to find out the sex and wanted to wait for that. So I have only heard a handful of Matt's baby name ideas (most of which I think-- or hope-- were jokes). But this should be fun.
FYI readers, we are planning on keeping our baby's name a secret until the baby itself is debuted, so don't think you are going to get a sneak preview... even when we do choose a name.
As of this week our baby is about 6 inches long and designating specific parts of the brain for smell, taste, hearing, vision and touch. This is generally the time when doctors encourage you to talk or sing to your baby because research shows they are just beginning to be able to hear you. So it's time for me to make good on my promise of reading to my baby while pregnant.
Matt and I are part of a website called baby center where we get weekly updates and can see advice and stories from other parents. This week there were a few other moms commenting about how active their little ones are in the womb. This made me smile a bit.
I am literally counting the days (there are 13) until our next doctor's appointment. Last night I started thinking about the changes we are going to have to make to accommodate a baby in the house. We are probably going to use part of our tax return to get the stuff we need to put our house (+ nursery) in order. I really have no desire to paint or otherwise redecorate this room, and neither does Matt, so this mostly consists of buying 1 or 2 pieces of furniture. And since we aren't going all-out on the nursery, maybe I will sew a quilt or paint a painting or something to satisfy my nesting instinct.
Anyway, I am most excited about picking out names! We have talked only very briefly about this topic because we knew we were going to find out the sex and wanted to wait for that. So I have only heard a handful of Matt's baby name ideas (most of which I think-- or hope-- were jokes). But this should be fun.
FYI readers, we are planning on keeping our baby's name a secret until the baby itself is debuted, so don't think you are going to get a sneak preview... even when we do choose a name.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
I am tired. Almost all of the time. I wish that I could not be tired, but I can see no solution to this problem. Right now, no matter how much I sleep, I always feel run-down. Which is just because of being pregnant. And after I am done being pregnant, I will have a little baby who needs me ALL OF THE TIME, and then I will never get sleep.
So, there is no solution for the feasible future, and that makes me feel... depressed.
So, there is no solution for the feasible future, and that makes me feel... depressed.
Monday, March 09, 2009
I think I might be coming down with something, because I have not been feeling so hot these past couple of days. It struck me today that I probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the flu and pregnancy sickness. Except for, possibly, a fever. Which could still be pregnancy related. But hopefully not.
Anyway.
Within the past week our baby has been getting steadily more and more ferocious with its little kicks, somersaults and jabs (by the way-- as a side note for anyone who has not been pregnant, baby somersaults actually feel like somersaults. It's a similar feeling to riding a roller coaster or being in an elevator. Just so you know).
It's interesting to me how much of a difference I can tell within one week. A week ago I was feeling intermittent kicks and punches (especially in the car or when sitting upright in a chair) but now I can tell the baby's sleeping schedule based on its pattern of movement. And each individual movement is much easier to identify. Like I said, they are pretty fierce. And regular. It kinda feels like I have a mini ADHD soccer player in there. And he/she is the size of a bell pepper! That is really kind of big, when you think about it.
Feeling your baby move is pretty cool, because you get to bond with them a little bit, and it can give you a clue about their mood (mostly if they are awake, hyper, or frightened). You can also interact with them a little and see how the way you move (or talk) can change their behavior.
Still, it is a kind of weird sensation, being kicked out from the inside. In the car it can make me quite carsick, and it just doesn't feel quite right all of the time. The stronger ones (and I know I haven't felt anything much yet) can be startlingly uncomfortable. I hear that later on they can kick you in the ribs and cause pain. Not really looking forward to that.
Anyway, in other news I received a review and a raise today. Yay! And... that is all I have to say about that.
Anyway.
Within the past week our baby has been getting steadily more and more ferocious with its little kicks, somersaults and jabs (by the way-- as a side note for anyone who has not been pregnant, baby somersaults actually feel like somersaults. It's a similar feeling to riding a roller coaster or being in an elevator. Just so you know).
It's interesting to me how much of a difference I can tell within one week. A week ago I was feeling intermittent kicks and punches (especially in the car or when sitting upright in a chair) but now I can tell the baby's sleeping schedule based on its pattern of movement. And each individual movement is much easier to identify. Like I said, they are pretty fierce. And regular. It kinda feels like I have a mini ADHD soccer player in there. And he/she is the size of a bell pepper! That is really kind of big, when you think about it.
Feeling your baby move is pretty cool, because you get to bond with them a little bit, and it can give you a clue about their mood (mostly if they are awake, hyper, or frightened). You can also interact with them a little and see how the way you move (or talk) can change their behavior.
Still, it is a kind of weird sensation, being kicked out from the inside. In the car it can make me quite carsick, and it just doesn't feel quite right all of the time. The stronger ones (and I know I haven't felt anything much yet) can be startlingly uncomfortable. I hear that later on they can kick you in the ribs and cause pain. Not really looking forward to that.
Anyway, in other news I received a review and a raise today. Yay! And... that is all I have to say about that.
Thursday, March 05, 2009
More of the Top 100
So Matt and I have been continuing to chip away at the top 100 list (only 30 more to go!) and polished off these few in the past couple weeks:
Raging Bull- These past few movies have secured some actors on my favorite actors list. Bustin Hoffman, Jimmy Stewart, Alec Guinness, Marlon Brando, and Robert De Niro are a few of them. De Niro was fantastic in this movie. It makes me sad that his (and Hoffman's) talents are now wasted on trash like Meet The Fockers.
Also, I didn't catch this at the time, but did a little study on the movie after the fact and some of the visual elements Scorsese incorporates are pretty cool. In general, I love being able to dissect things on multiple levels. If all that is present is all that I see or read on the surface, I may enjoy it, but I won't count it among the greats. I love that there are directors out there who plan up artistic details incomprehensible to the average viewer. It shows that there is incredible depth to a medium that has historically been limited by technology, time, physical constraints, etc. I like art that makes me think, and this one did.
Patton- Matt and I watched this one last night and it was one of the first that he approved as being Top 100 worthy. I'm not always a huge fan of war epics (unless they are made by David Lean... more on that later), but this one was good. It's possible I enjoyed this more than I otherwise would have because I knew Matt was enjoying it.
Midnight Cowboy- This was the only X rated film to ever win Best Picture. And probably one of the greatest acting performances of all time (by Hoffman of course, who else?). AND it contains the famous line (which maybe you didn't even KNOW was a famous line) "Hey, I'm WALKIN' here!" when Rizzo is nearly hit by a taxi while walking across the street.
I liked this movie the same way one might like reading The Catcher In The Rye. It was painful, but beautiful.
The Apartment- REALLY enjoyed this movie. It reminded me of one of my high school friends. It had a clever plot and was well-cast. This was the first time I had ever seen young Shirley MacLaine and she was unbelievably gorgeous. I kind of wish actresses were still classy like that. Ohhh well. C'est la vie.
I also mostly done with both Bonnie and Clyde and Lawrence of Arabia and will post my thoughts on these soon.
Raging Bull- These past few movies have secured some actors on my favorite actors list. Bustin Hoffman, Jimmy Stewart, Alec Guinness, Marlon Brando, and Robert De Niro are a few of them. De Niro was fantastic in this movie. It makes me sad that his (and Hoffman's) talents are now wasted on trash like Meet The Fockers.
Also, I didn't catch this at the time, but did a little study on the movie after the fact and some of the visual elements Scorsese incorporates are pretty cool. In general, I love being able to dissect things on multiple levels. If all that is present is all that I see or read on the surface, I may enjoy it, but I won't count it among the greats. I love that there are directors out there who plan up artistic details incomprehensible to the average viewer. It shows that there is incredible depth to a medium that has historically been limited by technology, time, physical constraints, etc. I like art that makes me think, and this one did.
Patton- Matt and I watched this one last night and it was one of the first that he approved as being Top 100 worthy. I'm not always a huge fan of war epics (unless they are made by David Lean... more on that later), but this one was good. It's possible I enjoyed this more than I otherwise would have because I knew Matt was enjoying it.
Midnight Cowboy- This was the only X rated film to ever win Best Picture. And probably one of the greatest acting performances of all time (by Hoffman of course, who else?). AND it contains the famous line (which maybe you didn't even KNOW was a famous line) "Hey, I'm WALKIN' here!" when Rizzo is nearly hit by a taxi while walking across the street.
I liked this movie the same way one might like reading The Catcher In The Rye. It was painful, but beautiful.
The Apartment- REALLY enjoyed this movie. It reminded me of one of my high school friends. It had a clever plot and was well-cast. This was the first time I had ever seen young Shirley MacLaine and she was unbelievably gorgeous. I kind of wish actresses were still classy like that. Ohhh well. C'est la vie.
I also mostly done with both Bonnie and Clyde and Lawrence of Arabia and will post my thoughts on these soon.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
