Too much

My dad had a small heart attack last week.  We went to the hospital for chest pain, and ended up having an angiogram.  He had a stent put in, but one vessel is still blocked.  I went to his follow up with the cardiologist today.  That was when I found out about the heart attack, I thought it was just chest pain.  Here is what else I found out:

• The vessel that is still blocked is called the "widow maker".  
• Because he still has two working vessels they call that "nature's bypass".
• He is still having some minor chest pain.  So he'll be put on an additional pharmaceutical.  Then he'll follow up with the cardiologist in 3 weeks.  If there is still pain, then it'll be time to discuss trying another angiogram.
• It's hard to successfully stent a completely blocked artery.

So it was kind of a scary day.  I have power of attorney should anything catastrophic happen.  He's not even 70 yet.  And the worst part is he's lived a healthy life.  He has always exercised, eaten well and has never been overweight.  Yet here we are: Crohns, that lead to a colectomy, and then heart disease.  You do everything right, and still...

Anyway, he's on an additional heart medicine.  And he's going to try to continue to take Lipitor, but he hasn't done well with statins in the past.  We go back in the beginning of March.

On to something more pleasant

I got my permanent crown yesterday.  Bertie came along, and did pretty well.  My tooth is still sensitive, but it doesn't hurt like the temporary crown did.  That was very expensive, around $700.  But our new insurance will start soon, so hopefully I won't have that kind of issue again.

We started our taxes.  It's looking good, and I haven't done our deductions yet.  We might be able to use itemized deductions this year, due to Bertie's birth, and having to pay for our insurance our of pocket for half the year.

I'm getting excited for Bertie's birthday.  My mom will be here next week, and my sister the week after that!  He's been getting good at crawling.  He's still doing a modified army crawl, but he's fast.  He's starting to pull up, but only in his crib so far.  He has 6 teeth.  He is a good eater, and likes most anything we feed him.

I've been feel a lot better.  I think my depression is lifting.  I'm still tired, a lot.  But I'm not as sad, and unmotivated.  

Aaron's new job is going well.  The first two months is all training.  I really love that he's home by 5:30 every night.

Now Bertie is awake, so I have to stop for now.

A big change, dental work, and catching up

I can now put it in type: Aaron has a new job!  It's something I've been wanting for him for about 2 years.  (Since about a year after he started his current job).  It's nice to work for the boy scouts and all.  And there were some good things, well one that I can think of: his day time hours were flexible.  He could be with the baby for a while in the mornings I had to work.  He could come to doctor appointments, etc.  But otherwise, it wasn't great.  The hours, while flexible, were long.  Lots of nights, and quite a few weekends.  Answering emails, and phone calls when he wasn't working.  No overtime for these long hours.  Having to run the summer camp 3+ hours away.  (Which was hard when we had no kid, but would have been dreadful this summer).  The benefits were terrible.  There were family benefits, which were kind of expensive, for terrible coverage, with no choice of provider.  As in, we would have to meet our $5000 deductible in January just to pay for my Humira.

I told him when looking for a new job, there are 3 criteria; 2 of which must be met.  Better pay, better hours, better benefits.  The new job currently hits 2, but will hit 3 before much time has passed.  Aaron will be working for the Social Service Administration for the county of Santa Clara.  The pay is a little worse, but there is paid overtime.  And there is an automatic raise after the first six months (which will match his current pay).  The hours are 8-5, no weekends, no nights.  The commute is the same.  The benefits are AMAZING! The benefits are free for us.  We get to keep our Kaiser.  But everything is a $10 copay.  ER visits are $35.  Hospital admission is $100.  $100!   That means next time we have a baby it will cost $100.  Period. And my stupid Humira will be $10 a month.  His last day with the scouts in Monday.  And his first day with the county is the following Monday, so he'll have a few days off.

Last Thursday I broke my tooth.  I had a dentist appointment already scheduled for Tuesday.  But they weren't able to verify my benefits, which I wanted to know ahead of time.  (I'd never used them before, I have a different plan before).  And, we weren't sure when Aaron's awesome new benefits would start.  I was hoping they might start February 1st, so I could wait a couple more days, and have my crown paid for.  But alas, they don't start til March 1st.  Then last night more of my tooth broke, so they were able to squeeze me in today.  My in laws, who usual provide my childcare, as needed, are away on a trip.  So Bertie came with me.  He did really well.  They had to take him away from me, into the front office, while they drilled (mercury dust and such).  Now my mouth hurts a bit, but the actual procedure wasn't bad at all.  The financial portion, however, was pretty bad.  It's going to be about $700 after my insurance. And, there is no payment plan.  I put $200 on my credit card today.  The rest is due when I go back for the permanent crown.

In the afternoon, Bertie and I went shopping for groceries.  I like to give him things to hold while we shop.  I gave him a banana to hold, and he kept trying to eat it, peel and all.  It has several bit marks.  Then, while I was looking at other fruit, he picked up a kiwi off the display and tried to eat it.  I thought maybe I could find him a ripe one, but none were ready.  I found a squeezie yogurt

It tasted good, not overly sweet, like a lot of kid yogurt.  And it said it was spill proof.  But by the end of our shopping trip, we both had quite a bit of yogurt on us.

Until next time!

This and That.

Bertram:
He had his first PT visit this morning.  The PT doesn't think he has any developmental delays.  But he has somewhat poor muscle tone (still within normal range).  So we have some things to work on with him, a lot of core exercises and helping him practice crawling on hands and knees.
He's been a bit fussy lately.  (Last night was terrible!  He woke up a lot).  He got his 5th tooth not long ago, so there may be more.  Also, Aaron and I have colds, so I assume Bertie isn't feeling great either.  But he's still eating well.  He had almost a whole banana (and some rice cake) for dinner.  He's tried pumpkin and prunes recently. He likes both.  Also, he had some teriyaki salmon when we were to dinner with Trish.  He liked it!  He didn't like salmon before, but maybe the sauce helped.
He's been waving a lot, it's really cute.
I talked to Janet about planning Bertie's birthday party.  Aaron and I (well, mainly me, because Aaron doesn't care about parties very much) were originally thinking about pizza and cake.  But Janet and I thought it might be fun to do something different,  We talked about having bagels and King Eggroll.  A very strange combination, but I think it could work.  But the party is just family, so it won't be too big.
Aaron:
Aaron is at a scout conference in San Luis Obispo now.  They have it every year.  It seems like it's been busy, but boring.  He'll be back sometime tomorrow.  He's been stressed with work.  Between end of year stuff, conference stuff, and the usual stuff, there is a lot going on.  There is a little more, but I'll go into it next time.
Me:
Depression has been mostly in check.  My group got cancelled this week: all of Kaiser mental help is on strike.  On Friday, I went to get my Humira, only to find the price changed from $15 to $481!  My drug plan changed a little bit, Humira used to be a "brand name" drug, and now is called a "specialty drug".  Yeesh.  I talked to my GI and he called in a cheaped (but all together less effective) medication.  I called my dad to see if he had any leftover Humira, and told him I was going to use the other drug until my new plan started.  He said he'd pay for it for me, because he's had a lot of issues with switching around medications.  It was important to him for me to stay on.  But I still felt like an asshole, taking the money.
I made a loaf of bread!  I've never made bread before (well, some challah that didn't work out).  It was pretty good too.  A little round rustic loaf.  I think I'll do it again, and maybe re-try challah.
I;d mostly sticking with exercise.  But I decided I needed to drop the Buzzfeed workout for now.  It was too much to try to do both.  I'd rather give my all to one, than do badly at both.  I missed today's though.  My tummy has been weird (non-crohns related).  I'll catch up either tomorrow or Thursday.
Work has been busy, I've been putting in extra hours again.  Our new office is really nice, though, I kind of miss being by myself.
Other:
Zelda hurt her leg last week.  She tripped over Fiona and messed up her carpels.  She's in a boot-splint.  She's hobbling around.
Both cats are outside cats now.  They can go in the garage, but that's it.

2015

We stayed up til midnight to ring in the new year.  Bertie didn't sleep well, so the rest of us didn't either.  We didn't get out of bed until after 10.  I can't remember the last time that happened (certainly before Bertram was born)!  We went to Aaron's folks house for potica bread.  We did some chores, Bertie napped.  Then we went to Target to spend gift cards.  I got a few cosmetics, deep conditioner, and a pair of running tights.  We were carrying things in, so we set Bertie on his play mat.  When we came back a minute later, he was on the other side of the mat.  So he possibly crawled, and we missed it.  :-/  We wanted to nap, but Bertie had other ideas.  We all got up.  Aaron fed baby, while I made dinner.  I waved at Bertie while he was eating, and he waved back!  That's the first time he's done that!  I made a really good dinner, which is kind of rare for me.  We went for our nightly dog walk, and Bertie fell asleep before I'd finished singing to him.

I've been thinking of resolutions for this year.
Getting in shape, of course.  I need to stop letting depression running the show.  I'm going to run, I'm going to hike, I'm going to start the new Bikini Body Mommy workout on Monday.
Eating better/cleaner. I want to cook more, and use prepared foods less.  We also want to eat a lot less meat.  I think I'm going to start cooking all vegetarian at home.   (Except we have a gift card for Omaha Steaks...).  And less soda.
Sex.  (Probably TMI) Ever since Bertie came along our sex life is almost non-existent (part of it is having a baby, and part is depression).  So I'm setting a goal of 2-3 times a week.
Putting in effort.  I usually don't put much effort into my look.  I'm going to try to gussy up a little.  I little make-up, do my hair slightly.  Try to dress cute-ish.

Wish me luck!

Last of 2014

Christmas was great.  We were spoiled by everyone. We had dinner with Aaron's family, and my dad came too.  It was all very yummy.  Bertie got a lot of toys and clothes.  Aaron and I both had the Friday after Christmas off, so we had a nice long weekend.

Work has been really busy since the move.  I had double my usual hours on my last paycheck.

Yesterday Bertie and I went to Target, as we wandered around, he held my hand.  It was really nice.  I wanted to write it down so I could remember.

I felt like I had a lot to say, but I can't think of much right now.

Here is some miscellaneous stuff:

• Gas is 2.45 here.
• It's been cold and windy for the last couple days
• Moss had been banned from the house, he's allowed in with limited privileges
• Bertram stayed up til after 9 tonight.  He just didn't want to go to bed.
• Aaron and I have started our annual tradition of watching all of Friends from the beginning
• Bertram is really into standing right now

10 months old

• Weighs about 19lbs
• Has 4 teeth
• Likes clapping his hands, and moving his head left to right (imitating)
• Loves taking a bath, and splashing in spilled water
• Like playing patty-cake and ittsy bitsy spider
• Sleeps 12 hours at night without waking (98% of the time)
• Takes 1-2 naps each day
• Thinks pulling off his socks is great fun
• Favourite toys: Charlie Bear, a wooden spoon, Aaron's glasses, anything that plays music.
• Favourite foods: crackers, ham, all fruit, sweet potato, beets
• Still nurses 4-6 times a day (short sessions, unless he's just woken up)
• Has recently discovered standing (while holding something for support).

Still isn't crawling much, just in circles, no forward or backward movement.  He's not pulling up yet either.  He had a hearing check earlier this week, and all was well there.  We got a card in the mail today saying that Bertie has a PT appointment in a couple weeks.  I assume it's an evaluation, but we'll take all the help we can get.

Year End Survey

I have a blog rolling around in my head, but Depression is back in full swing.  So I'll do this for now.

1. What did you do in 2014 that you'd never done before?
Gave birth, had surgery, breastfed, stayed overnight in a hospital, co-slept, completed a 90-day workout plan

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I didn't make any for 2014.  For 2015, I think I really want to work on building a savings account, and getting back in shape (and/or maybe getting pregnant again)

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Me!  Sophie, Colleen, my cousin's wife, my former co-worker.  It was a big year for babies.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No one is coming to mind, so I'll say no. (Hopefully, I'm not just forgetting).

5. What countries did you visit?
none, still.

6. What would you like to have in 2015 that you lacked in 2014?
More time outside, more money in savings.

7. What days from 2014 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
2/27: the day Bertie was born.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Not bouncing back, weight-wise, from the pregnancy.  Unlike the rest of the world, I am not losing weight from breastfeeding.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Things related to pregnancy, and the c-section.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
We got a deep freezer, but it was a gift.  Maybe the Ergo carrier.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Bertie!  He's awesome.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Can't say, just in case they read the blog (though I don't think they do).  But I'll say those who don't take care of things, to the detriment of others.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Rent, insurance for Bertie and me

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Having Bertie, my mom visiting, going to visit her, Christmas

16. What song will always remind you of 2014?
Happy

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? hard to say.  While the year has been outstanding, depression has hit me pretty hard.  I guess I'd say sadder
ii. thinner or fatter? slightly thinner, but I was pregnant then.
iii. richer or poorer? poorer!

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Been outside, exercised

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?Shopping

20. How did you spend Christmas?
With Aaron's family, Dad came.  We had prime rib and ham.  We got a lot of gifts, and were totally spoiled.

22. Did you fall in love in 2014?
Yes, with my baby boy

23. How many one-night stands?
none, duh.

24. What was your favorite TV program?
Amazing race, Project runway, Cut Throat Kitchen, Bobs Burgers

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
No, I try not to waste time on hate.

26. What was the best book you read?
I barely read this year.  I guess I'll say What to Expect the first year.

27. What was your greatest musical (re)discovery?
I didn't have much time for music this year.

28. What did you want and get?
A happy, healthy baby

29. What did you want and not get?
A natural delivery, a vaginal birth, my pre-baby body back

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
Lego Movie (I didn't see many movies)

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 31, I was in Virginia with my family.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
The year was really satisfying, but I would say that no depression would have made the year much better.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2014?
Clothes with various stains on them.

34. What kept you sane?
Talking to my mom and sister, anti-depressants

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
David Tennant.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Nothing comes to mind (again, I was very immersed in Baby this year).

37. Who did you miss?
Boy, Marmie, Brianon

38. Who was the best new person you met?
I don't meet a lot of new people

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2014:
Ask for help when you need it.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
??