Lesson #86 - Run While You Can {Wordless Wednesday}

So...I have been promising The Princess a nakie picture for quite some time now...and I wanted to share it with you all!!

LOL!! Someone got away from me while I was changing her diaper!!

Lesson #15 - There Is ALWAYS Something To Be Thankful For

This week I'm linkin' it up...Supah-style!! Okay...so this year has been a bit of a whirl wind for me. I mean, it isn't often that two people meet, get married and have a baby all within a matter of ten months! Okay, maybe it is more common that I think. In any case, I wanted to take a minute today to list a mere fraction of my list of things I am thankful for.

Well, first and foremost, I am definitely thankful for my family and friends!! Wait, does that count as one or two? I'm counting it as one - get over it. Being married to the most understanding husband a crazy lady could ask for and giving birth to the funniest, happiest baby who will eventually be giving me heartburn...all in the same year...AWESOME!! Having the most supportive parents/grandparent a gray-haired giving daughter/granddaughter needs has made life exciting. Being able to share laughs with the highest quality OCD compulsion-sharing friends an ADHD brain can handle is just the icing on the cake.

Second, I am thankful for the fact that I am employed and still getting a paycheck - given the hard economic times we are in currently. While my boss continues to be unforgiving, I can't help but think of where I'd be without my job. I am willing to put up for the put-downs...for now.

Third, I am thankful that my family and I have these four walls and roof we call home. To me, there a huge difference between owning a house and being able to call it home. Our experiences with and love for each other, have turned a simple townhouse into the place we will raise our daughter (and however many more children we end up having).

Last, but not least, I am thankful that I am healthy and able to move around to do the things I do. For those of you playing along at home, the man recently broke his hand. Seeing his frustration while trying to do things like feed the babe or open a jar. It makes me thankful that I am able to do a little extra to get things done. Lets be honest - if both of us were broken, the babe would be running amok...without even being able to run yet!!

Lesson #5 - The Word "Adoption' Is Too Big For Small Minds

I have always known, from the time I could talk, that I was adopted. I mean, it was a little hard to hide since my parents look VERY different from myself. My parents always told me that they didn't choose me, but that I chose them - which, to a preschooler is pretty darn cool. The one thing my parents didn't tell me, either because they wanted to shield me or due to their own naivety, was that the word "adoption" is not taught to everyone. It is difficult for a 4-year-old to understand that while her family is normal - to her - it is very ABnormal to everyone else. Well, school was going to teach me that lesson the hard way.

When I think about the times that I tried to explain my home situation, my mind goes back to elementary and middle schools. My first day of Kindergarten does not stand out in my head...the day I was made fun of for being adopted, does. I was on the playground with a hop-scotch group when one of the girls asked why my mommy an daddy looked different than me. With excitement I began to explain how my family-unit came to be...yet, as soon as I mentioned "adoption" everyone froze. Try as I might, my abilities to explain the word just didn't suffice. I got confused looks, befuddled comments and some even ignored me. Soon enough we all forgot and went about our business. That day went by like any other day at school. I finished my game during recess, sang during music, colored during art and got on the bus to go home.

The next day was quite a different story. I found myself back outside at recess, with my same play group, playing hop-scotch after lunch. The tone, however, was quite different than from the day before. Suddenly, one girl (whom I thought was a dear friend, but what did I know at 4-years old?!) looked at me and said, "Your mommy and daddy aren't your real parents." I'm sorry, what?! What do you MEAN they aren't my real parents?! They take care of me, feed me when I'm hungry, comfort me when I cry, fix my bo-bo's when I get hurt...isn't that what real parents do?? The concept of my parents not REALLY being my parents was very foreign to me. The girl then proceeds to say, "Your real mommy and daddy didn't love you...so they decided to give you up to another mommy and daddy." WHOA!!! I had never thought of it like that before. Thoughts were swirling through my head - thoughts that I had never thought before. The hop-scotch game quickly ended when the girl said, "Ha-ha...you're parents don't love you," and then threw a rock at me.

That night, with tears in my eyes, I went to my parents to inquire as to whether or not they loved me. My parents were, of course, taken aback by my questions and asked where they were coming from. I told them about my experience at school and explained what the girl in my class had said to me. My mom began crying. I'm sure she knew the topic would come up at some point, but I don't think she was quite ready to explain it to my 5-year-old mind.

She started by saying that she and my father loved me very much. In fact, they loved me even MORE because they thought of me as a gift from God. She explained that, for one reason or another, she and my father couldn't have a baby together. While my parents were trying to have a baby, they went to many doctor visits to figure out why they weren't having children. Then, one day, a good friend went to my parents and said that she knew of a woman who had gotten pregnant by accident. This woman didn't have the means or resources to take care of a child, but she didn't want to get rid of it. Finding a happy home for her child was her only option - and she choose my parents. It all made sense after my mom explained everything and I was glad that .

I saw my family with new eyes after that night. I know it sounds heavy and, for a 5-year-old, it really was deeper than any Kindergartener should have to understand. The next day at school, when that mean little girl came up to me at recess, I was able to look her in the face and say - with confidence - that my mommy and daddy probably loved me MORE than her mommy and daddy loved her. Now, I know that probably wasn't true, but it sounded good as it came out of my mouth. Seeing her run away crying also instilled a sense of "gotcha." From that point on, I had the whole story to tell - just in case any OTHER kid wanted to tell me that my mommy and daddy didn't love me...to the contrary, they loved me more than words could describe.

Lesson #3 - Pregnancy Does Not Require Immediate Attention AND It Is A "Pre-Existing Condition"

Oh baby...LITERALLY! Now, before you get distressed by the title...don't!! As with everything, there are pros AND cons. Pregnancy should really be considered another full-time job. After I found out that I was pregnant, 10 home tests later, I called my ob/gyn for an appointment (apparently I felt that a nurse doing a pregnancy test would be far more accurate than the 10 I took at work). So, I got on the phone with the receptionist at the ob/gyn office - whom I had just seen for my yearly appointment a few weeks prior. She sounded a little shocked on the phone - and who can blame her?! My doc's wonderful receptionist was able to fit me in for an appointment - in 5 weeks!!! I'm sorry, but 5 weeks?!?! Apparently my pregnancy isn't considered something that needs immediate attention.

Well, five weeks came and went and finally it was the morning of my appointment. Them man and I walked into the office - part excited, part concerned - and I proceeded to sign-in. The receptionist opened the window, looked at me and said, "Didn't we just see you a few weeks ago?" I wanted so badly to bark back, "No, it was almost 2 months ago because apparently my being pregnant isn't a matter that needs to be confirmed right away." Alas, I held back and just laughed quietly to myself.

When my name was called, I walked back to meet my fate. The bubbly nurse was almost too bubbly...and honestly, I wanted to punch her in the face. Again, I felt it necessary to keep that to myself so - against my better judgment - I did just that. I was directed to pee in a cup and even though I told the nurse, a number of times, that I had already taken 10 home tests - she forced the cup on me anyways.

After getting my weight, blood pressure, I was whisked back to an exam room and told to put on the gown. On the way to the exam room, the nurse asked if the man wanted to come back as well. "Can he take my spot," I asked...unfortunately, her answer was no. The doctor finally came into the room and - surprise, surprise - the test was positive. A quick, and VERY intrusive, exam later and off we went. The man and I were equipped with a prescription for pre-natal vitamins, numerous supplements and the ever popular - first ultrasound!

Fast-forward a few weeks when I get the statement from my insurance company. The statement hadn't even fully loaded on my computer (I get them via email - how green of me!) before I was on the phone with my ob/gyn's office. As I was reviewing the document I noticed that the "patient responsibility" for my most recent ob/gyn appointment was an un-godly amount! I requested (read: demanded) to speak with a billing specialist to get this issue solved. "It looks like your claim was denied by insurance," the billing demon said to me. I asked how that could be since my insurance covers 100% of pregnancy costs (which is awesome compared to most plans). The demon said she wasn't sure what the mix-up was, but they did submit the paperwork correctly. After politely telling the demon that I would not be paying the bill at this time, I quickly got the insurance company on the phone to give them a piece of my mind. I spoke with a very pleasant insurance goddess whom I gave permission "to view my records" so that this misunderstanding could be cleared up. She opened my account and began to rattle off billing terms and words that were far beyond my wealth of knowledge on the matter. She confirmed that my insurance covers 100% and then decided she would transfer me to an insurance guru who would be better equipped to solve this misunderstanding. The guru took seconds to get on the line before saying that the reason my claim was denied is because my pregnancy was considered a "pre-existing condition**"...I'm sorry, did you say "pre-existing"?!?!

** The definition is as follows: a health condition (other than a pregnancy) or medical problem that was diagnosed or treated before enrollment in a new health plan or insurance policy.

Never mind the fact that my newest insurance policy began on June 1st, but I didn't get pregnant until November!! That is SOME pregnancy...and lord knows something should have been done about it by now!! The guru then informed me that the ob/gyn paper-pusher had filled out the form incorrectly. Wait a minute...I just spoke with the billing demon, who ensured me that the forms had been properly filled out on their end. Turns out - the demon misspoke. The paper-pusher had listed my pregnancy as a "secondary condition"...not sure how a pregnancy constitutes a "secondary" as opposed to a "primary" condition, but in her mind - it did.

So, back on the phone I was with the billing demon at the ob/gyn to sort out the paper-pusher's mistake. The billing demon finally (after 35 minutes on the phone) conceded to the paper-pusher's mistake and said the form would be filled out - correctly - and re-submitted to the insurance company. Finally, 2 weeks later, I got an updated insurance statement which reflected the company paying for my ob/gyn fees. Thank goodness!!