It's fall break from school, Tessa had yesterday and today off.
I had big plans to take them to the pumpkin patch yesterday, but early in the morning Tessa complained of a tummy ache and that she felt like she needed to go pee, but then didn't. I quizzed her a bit and decided she might have a urinary tract infection. She has a history of them, we even went through those terrible tests at the hospital when I was first pregnant with Asher to see if she had an anatomical abnormality, but everything turned out to be normal and she hasn't had an infection in over 2 years now.
Anyway, I made a doctors appointment for her and we went in yesterday morning. Turns out she does not have an infection (although the long culture may still come back positive - I doubt it will. She's not complaining of anything anymore.)
As long as we were at the doctors office I had both kids get their flu shots and Asher had his HepA booster. None of which was covered by insurance.
For 2 years we were uninsured, and people were horrified by that. My answer was always "Insurance doesn't cover anything, anyway!"
It's cheaper to be self pay, honestly. Even a trip to the ER is discounted if you pay cash. The only reason to have it is for the big, nasty stuff. Cancer, etc. And it's unlikely that any of us were going to be diagnosed with a big, scary illness. I know it's not impossible, I'm just talking about the odds. After all, having insurance is really just betting that you'll get sick. Not having insurance is like betting that you'll stay healthy.
Anyway, I just thought it ironic that the first thing we've had done since we had insurance wasn't covered.
After the doctors appointment (which took over an hour!) we met Becki at Big5, then went to Costco and Target. By the time we finished up at Target it was late, and I was exhausted. We'll have to do the pumpkin patch tomorrow.
At Target we had some drama...
Becki and I were looking in the Halloween section for anything we might need for our party tomorrow night. We let the kids look in the toy section, which is right next to the Halloween stuff. I checked on the after a few minutes and found them both in the same aisle, looking at toys together. Becki checked on them a bit after that, and found them together again. A bit after that I went to check on them, again. As I started to walk toward the toy section Tessa came out of one of the aisles and saw me. So I said "where's your brother?" and she shrugged. Just then, I heard him yell, so I started to hurry along the back of the toy section, looking up each aisle as I walked along. Becki had heard him, too, and was walking along the front of the section, looking up the aisles. The cart I was pushing was one of those giant ones, with the seating section in the front (Tessa begged for it) and it was noisy, so I couldn't hear him anymore. I got to the end of the toys and couldn't see him, so I went back the way I came. Got to the end and started back - this time when I passed Becki she called out and asked if I had him - which meant, of course, that she didn't. This time when I came back I kept going, heading over to the bikes - which he loves. I was starting to think about the cry I'd heard from him, which was his "I don't want you" cry - the sound he makes when someone wants to pick him up that he doesn't know or want. Usually followed by "mommy!" And I'm thinking - someone picked him up. Probably just because they thought he was lost, but what if...it's not like store security will stop you on your way out just because your baby is crying - anyone could take him anywhere! And I'm remembering that book I read a hundred times in elementary school "The Face on the Milk Carton"...
And then I heard a Target employee walkie-talkie say "we have a lost child here at guest services" so I turned and rushed up to the front of the store - totally abandoned our cart, by the way.
When I got there he was crying so hard! Some lady was holding him, 2 Target employees right around her, and he saw me from a mile away and was crying mommy before I got to him. I took him from the lady that had him and I was just irate. LIVID. She's lucky I didn't smack her. I said "He was with his sister, looking at toys. I heard him cry out, must have been just as you picked him up, because by the time I got there he was gone. Thanks for bringing him up here." I'm sure I sounded distracted - which I was. I was relieved to have found him and so angry that she'd grabbed him...
Becki was right behind me, and she came over and asked him for a hug, which he gave her, and then we went back to toys and our cart - where Tessa was still looking at Barbies, totally unconcerned. As we walked back the lady that had grabbed him was walking in front of us, and she kept looking over her shoulder at me, giving me dirty looks...
Seriously - wth??? Don't pick up a kid that's in the toy section!!! Sure - if he's wandering along in the lingerie section, crying, your assistance might be needed - but in toys??? He wasn't crying or anything, I know damn well he wasn't, because I could HEAR him from where I was. He was just hanging out, and this woman came along and saw a tiny boy alone and thought maybe he had an unfit mother and she should help out. GRRRR.
Makes me so mad, I can't even tell you. She scared the hell out my poor baby! And me, too - for no reason! As I fell asleep last night I had a nightmare that I was looking for him in a dark cave. It was one of those on-the-verge-of-sleep dreams and I jerked awake from it and was afraid I'd have nightmares all night, but I didn't. Too exhausted, I guess.
Anyway - Tessa is having a friend over today for a playdate. Her little friend, Savannah, is moving to California in just a couple of weeks. She's a little sad about it, but I told her they could be pen pals. She already has one, (Karissa, in Denver) and really enjoys writing and receiving letters. I think it will be good for her to have another.
It's good weather today, I'm going to take advantage of it and work outside while Tessa has a friend here to entertain her. Patio furniture needs to be put away, the dog poop picked up, lawn mowed, my plants pulled, the cement cleaned off. On Sunday, or next week, I'll put the fall fertilizer down. And then I guess we'll be ready for snow. Last weekend we woke up to an inch of snow on Saturday, which melted off throughout the day. Sunday morning we had about 2 inches, and it took until Wednesday to melt off completely. Can't believe it's come this early :( I miss Summer already.
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